02 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a good attirude, a physical sign, a real crisis, a strong will, a successful Christian life, abundance, all who walk with God face conflicts, answer your letter, anticipate as you wait, Bible, bounden duty, cast thy burden upon the Lord, children of God, christianity, clear direction for my life, common task, conflicts, courage, creativity, curse, daily grind, faith, favour, fear not, Gideon, glorify God's name, God is never too late, God is not a God of confusion, God loves His people, God never contradicts himself, God sends only silence, God wants to buttress us, God will never disappoint our hope, God will work everything out for good, God's agenda is the truth, God's faithfulness, God's highest intention, God's infallible word, God's supernatural wisdom, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, he shall sustain thee, he will not fail thee, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, holy spirit, hope in a promise, I asked for a sign, incorrigibly hopeful, intimacy with god, Jesus Christ, joy, know His will, lo I am with you always, LOVE, mercy, negative word, neither be dismayed, no sudden hailstorm, not baby us, on our own two feet, One Year Book of Bible promises, our only evidence, permit the righteous to be shaken, presumptuous, provides wise advice through the Bible, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seek signs, self-control, sincerely believe in God, stand strong, step out to do God's work, still waiting, talent, thanksgiving, the dry fleece, the festivities are over, the hope that He himself implants, the Lord doth go before thee, the promises in God's word, the wet fleece, Thursday Blessings, to free us from unnecessary props, train us to trust His word, trials, tribulations, trust and faithfulness in God's promises, truth, urgent decisions, wisdom, writing in the sky, you can't see ahead, you don't stand alone
Psalm 55:22. ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).
And then it was Thursday; the second day of this new year of 2025! Can you believe it? All the festivities, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, are now over and we, unfortunately have to go back to the daily grind and common task. It’s back to work and the slogging it entails, especially when we got a bit of snow this morning, which makes driving and walking even more hazardous than normal.
But we are God’s children and are expected to endure whatever trials and tribulations come our way, with a good attitude, still filled with joy and thanksgiving, knowing that our wonderful God has promised to work everything out for our good eventually. (Rom. 8:28) And if there’s one thing we’re sure of is God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises. So let’s get out and do what we have to do to glorify His great name! End of Sermon! (smile)
And today I want to share an interesting and a most appropriate writing for these turbulent and uncertain times, from Our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one is titled: ‘I Asked for a Sign.’ Don’t know if I’ve ever shared it before, but if I have, it’s very worthwhile sharing again. (smile) So please read with me.
‘Even as I answer your letter, you are perhaps still waiting while God sends only silence. There is no sudden hailstorm, no writing in the sky. The crisis is real, and you don’t want to be presumptuous. Like Gideon in Judges 6, you want to feel the wet fleece. Or the dry fleece – you don’t care which one. You just want to know!
You don’t stand alone! All of us who walk with God face conflicts that involve urgent decisions. God is not a God of confusion. We can know His will. When our faith is very new, He may send a sign to fortify us. However, I am convinced that God’s highest intention is to free us from unnecessary “props.” He wants to buttress us, not baby us. Above all, He wants to train us to trust His Word, not the wool!
When He encourages us to hope in a promise, that hope may be our only evidence. At this moment you can’t see ahead. However, you can still be incorrigibly (not given to change) hopeful! You can anticipate as you wait, knowing that God will never disappoint the hope He Himself implants. He is never too late. Remember: Not the wool but His word.’
And will it ever do us much good if we remember that for this new year. It’s not about signs and wonders, but about trust and faithfulness in God’s promises found in His inalienable (cannot be altered), infallible (flawless) Word! And yes, many of us seek signs before we step out to do God’s work, and sometimes we might be blessed enough to get them, as when we’re young believers, but as the writing says, the Lord wants us to stand strong, on our own two feet, as it were, not always desiring ‘props’ from Him.
Once we know that He is faithful and will not let us go astray, we can stand strong and step out in faith. Obviously, we must seek His advice on the matter, but we don’t always have to be like Gideon and need a physical sign. No. We read His Word and the Holy Spirit will speak to us His indomitable but calm and quiet manner…if we’re listening.
And there are two statements in the writing that I think bear reiterating. The first is that we don’t stand alone! No! Never! For our omnipresent God is always by our side. He promised that way back in time to the Israelites, when Moses assured them: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8)
Jesus also assured us of His faithfulness when He promised the disciples: ‘… and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) And so did the author of Hebrews, when speaking of the Lord as our helper. ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5) So there you have it; God is always with us.
And the second statement I want us to consider is that God is not a God of confusion. Certainly not! He has every move planned out down to the last minute, to the last detail. And Bruh Paul states it loud and clear when talking about the Author of Peace to the Corinthians. ‘For God is not the author of confusion (disorder), but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.’ (1 Cor. 14:33)
And what does that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘God never contradicts himself. He never has to go back and apologize because he “misspoke.” His agenda is the truth, pure and simple. He LOVES his people and provides wise advice through his written word, the Bible.’
Yes friends, it’s in the Bible, the Lord’s Word, our Guidebook for Earthly Living, that we will find the basics of all we need to know. That’s where we truly get to know Him, and we will never know Him unless and until we dig deep into it and meditate constantly on what it says.
And before we forget, (smile) the Bible promise for today’s reading comes from Psalm 55; these most encouraging words of Bruh David: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken). (Ps. 55:22) Now that’s another important promise that we need to take to heart if we’re to grow in spiritual maturity and intimacy with God in this new year.
And the great thing about our God is that He gives us all the tools we need to do His work; for instance what we call our undeserved Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having said all of that, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to live a successful Christian life…one must sincerely believe in God…and the promises in His Word…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horrible tragedy, a loving reaction, a merciful forgiving and loving God, a Pharisee lawyer, a resounding success, a sad injustice, a strong will, and of the son, anger, anything less, baptizing them, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Bible, christianity, christmas day, contempt, courage, creativity, curse, disciples of Jesus, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, favour, fellowship, food, foundation of our faith, go ye therefore, God is LOVE, God is the fountainhead of love, God lives to give us, God sent His only begotten Son, God so loved the world, goodnes, hang all the law and the prophets, Happy Boxing day, hate, have everlasting life, he that loveth not knoweth not God, holy spirit, I am with you always, in the name of the Father, in this was manifested the love of God, into the world, Jesus Christ, joy, live the abundant life, LOVE, love is the basic law of God, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, negative emotions, negative word, on these two commandments, only a fool breaks his own heart, overcome evil with good, peace, praise, promotion, prosper, resentment, salvation, self-discipline, should not perish, strife, succeed, such a magnanimous gift, teach all nations, teaching them, thanksgiving, the antidote, the attribute of love, the Birth of Christ, the first and great commandment, the Great Commission, the LOVE of Jesus, the second is like unto it, thoughts of Jesus, through him we might live, to observe all things, truth, war, we don't love ourselves, whatsoever I have commanded you, whosoever believeth on Jesus, wisdom, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, you can't give away what you don't have
Matthew 22:37. Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
A Happy Boxing Day to you my Scrip-Bits Friends and families! I hope your Christmas Day was a resounding success, with lots of joy, peace, fellowship, food, praise, thanksgiving and wonderful thoughts of Jesus, for that’s what the celebration is about. There’s never been such a magnanimous gift in all of history; one we absolutely did not deserve, but the Lord in all His goodness, LOVE and mercy thought otherwise.
And that’s the wonderful foundation of our faith; a merciful, forgiving and LOVING God! There’s none like Him, for all the other supposed gods, only live to take from their followers, and make them live miserable lives, but our wonderful deity, Almighty God, lives to give to us, and desires us to live the abundant life that his Son, Jesus Christ died that we could have.
Therefore, it’s only wise and sensible, grateful and pragmatic to worship and serve Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Anything less would be a sad injustice to Him, and a horrible tragedy to us. And I believe today is a very good day to remember those very authoritative words of Jesus, re the Great Commandment; the basis of all that we do in this world.
On one occasion, a foolish Pharisee lawyer, who was trying to make a name for himself by tempting Jesus into an argument, or to give a wrong answer, asked Him: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:36-40)
In other words friends, those two commandments are the very basis of the law of God, and what all the prophets have been trying to teach us down through the years. And it’s oh so simple that it’s laughable. LOVE God, and LOVE your neighbour as you LOVE yourself! The problem though lies in the fact that so many of us have no real or serious LOVE for ourselves, but mostly an unreasonable contempt. Therefore, we show our neighbours more hate, anger and resentment, than a LOVING reaction. As they say, you cannot give away what you don’t have.
And as John says in his first epistle: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8) That means if we truly know God, then we will know LOVE, for LOVE emanates ONLY from God! He is the fountainhead of that most wonderful attribute, so you can only feel and/or acquire LOVE if you get it from the Lord God Almighty. That means you must know Him to even get a sniff of the attribute of LOVE. (smile)
And John proves God’s great LOVE for us in the next verse. ‘In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.’ (1 John 4:9) Wow! What an awesome God we serve and worship! He gave His only Son that through him we might live! And this Christmas season we’re now celebrating, the birth of Christ, was the beginning of that most meaningful and important occasion.
And Jesus puts it thus in His ministry to Nicodemus, the Jewish ruler who came to him under cover of night to find answers to his troubling questions. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) It’s a simple but oh so profound and heartbreaking statement. And it does show the great LOVE the Father had for His human creations, for why else does one break their own heart by sacrificing their only Son eh?
The song says, ‘Only a fool breaks their own heart.’ So does that make God a fool because He broke His own heart by sacrificing Jesus to pay for our abominable sins? Unfortunately, sometimes, like right now, it does seem so, what with all the war and strife and all the negative emotions that are running rampant over our world, with the antidote LOVE running a far second behind Satan’s wiles and lies.
Ah friends, our world is in a very bad state, and sadly, it seems to be getting worse every day, with more strife and anger-filled emotions coming on board, rather that LOVE. So what are we going to do about it eh? Remember when we became disciples of Jesus, it was with the expectation that like Jesus says in the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20)
Oh my people, down through the years we have made some headway, but obviously not enough, otherwise Satan and his evil-doing hooligans wouldn’t be running the world to such a great extent right now. Obviously, we have lost our way, we’re no longer the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus expects to be. We’ve become too afraid of what man can do to us, and too comfortable in the comforts that the world can provide. But all is not lost, we just need to reignite our faith and put to good use all the tools that our generous God has bestowed on us; tools that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those heavenly blessings, it’s now our duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s all about LOVE friends…we overcome evil with good…with the LOVE of Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a melly stable, a positive outlook on life, a Saviour, angelic host, Bible, born to lowly parents, Christ the Lord, christianity, christmas day, come to seek and save, courage, creativity, curse, disregard the spiritual implications, divine protection, faith, favour, fear not, found in the most unlikely places, give God thanks and praise for Jesus, Glory to god in the highest, god hath chosen the foolish things of the world, good tidings of great joy, hid these things from the wise and prudent, holy spirit, hullabaloo, I bring you good tidings of great joy, in the city of David, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, Jesus' joyful birth, LOVE, love is like wildflowers, lowly shepherds, lying in a manger, mercy, negative word, on earth peace good will to men, put to shame, revealed them unto babes, revenge, salvation, self-control, shone round about them, sinful, success, supernatural strength, tenor of the festivities, that which was lost, the angel of the Lord, the excitement, the glory of God, the gospel truth, the Messiah, the mighty king, the Saviour of humanity, the seasonal hoopla, the Son of man, the weak things of the world, to all people, to confound the things which are mighty, to confound the wise, truth, ungodly mankind, unto you is born this day, war, wisdom, without pomp and glory, wrapped in swaddling clothes
Luke 2:10. Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
And then it was Thursday, only seven days to Christmas Day! And the excitement and the tenor of the festivities grow more intense with every passing day, as we hurry to finish our tasks before that glorious day dawns. The shopping, the baking, the cooking, the Christmas parties, everything just gets ramped up as the day draws near. But let’s hope and pray that amongst all the seasonal hoopla, we don’t forget to give the Good Lord thanks and praise for His marvellous gift of Jesus to a sinful and ungodly mankind.
Because, as I like to keep reminding us, Jesus is the reason for this festive season, and so many of us simply concentrate on the worldly parts of the event and totally disregard the spiritual and godly nuances and implications. So please, despite all the hullabaloo, let’s make it a habit several times during the day to remember that the coming of Jesus is the reason why we’re so joyful and offer up some sincere thanks for His joyful birth. End of sermon!
And today I want to talk around a quote from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ Poster. We haven’t shared anything from that in ages. Some of you might not even know of it. But it’s just a long card with several quotes under that heading, a long ago present from one of my daughters. And I just figured out that the first quote is rather applicable to this season of Christmas. It says: ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth! Just look at the LOVE the Father showed for us on that long ago Christmas day, when He gifted us with the baby Jesus. And to whom was the mighty King born? To lowly parents. And where was He born? In a smelly stable. And who were His first visitors? Lowly shepherds keeping watch over their flocks in the dead of the cold, winter’s night. Yes, they were the ones whom the angel and heavenly host first broke the news to about the marvellous birth of the newborn king, the Messiah, the Saviour of humanity.
I like how the Bible tells it: ‘And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon (stood before) them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore (greatly) afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes (strips of cloth), lying in a manger (feed trough).’ (Luke 1:9-12)
Now how would you feel or respond to such amazing news with the glory of God shining brightly around you in the middle of the night in the dark fields watching over your sheep eh? Totally afraid! But that was just the opening salvo of the marvellous event. For the Bible tells us that after the angel delivered His news: ‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ (Luke 1:13-14)
Oh brother, that sudden appearance of an angelic choir must certainly have driven many of them into shock, as it would do to us today! But it just shows how much the Lord cares for the lowly, the poor, the downtrodden. As Jesus kept saying throughout His earthly life: ‘The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:10) However, in man’s opinion, such an awesome personality should have been born to wealthy, powerful parents, in a mega-palace, and the first visitors ought to have been other kings, queens and princes, other royalty, not common folk like shepherds, although three kings from faraway did visit Him later on. (Matt. 2:8-12)
But it’s like Bruh Paul writes in his first epistle to the Corinthians. ‘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.’ (1 Cor, 1:27)Yes, friends, our God takes pleasure in using what and whom the world thinks are unworthy to put the world to shame and show them otherwise.
It reminds us of Jesus words, who after predicting serious consequences for unrepentant Jewish cities, (Matt. 11:20-24) and just before He issued His Great Invitation said: ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for it seemed good in thy sight.’ (Matt. 11:25-26)
Oh my people, the Lord could have chosen anywhere and anyone to host Jesus’ birth, but He chose the lowly people and places, because that was how Jesus was coming to live, lowly and without pomp and glory. For His Messiahship was not one of war and revenge, but one of peace and LOVE, of good will toward men; an invitation for all to live as one with Him, the Father and each other. That’s why we can truly say that ‘LOVE is like wildflowers. It’s often found in the most unlikely places.’
Just look at where LOVE was found on that first Christmas nuh; in the most unlikely shepherd’s fields and a smelly stable. Only our great and unassuming God could write such a story! And He’s also given us the tools to write such a story of LOVE, tools we call our Thursday Blessings. So, let’s declare and activate then right now nuh.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…how God-like and encouraging…that at Christmas time…all faiths show much more LOVE…than at any other time of the year…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a figure of shame and reproach, abundance, all is right in God's world, an horn of salvation, be saved from our enemies, Bible, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, blessed with sunshine, bounden duty, Christian, Christmas, courage, creativity, curse, faith, fear came upon all that dwelt round about them, go before the face of the Lord, good cheer, good will to all, he spake and praised God, his tongue loosed, holiness, holy spirit, hypocrites, immaculate conception, in the days wherein he looked on me, in the house of his servant David, in the shadow of death, Jesus Christ, joy, lifts the spirits, LOVE, makes one feel, mercy, Messiah, negative word, prosper, redeemed his people, remained speechless, remember his holy covenant, repent ye, righteousness, salvation, seen a vision in the temple, self-control, self-discipline, serve him without fear, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, she brought forth a son, strong winds, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, the birth of John the Baptist, the dayspring from on high, the hand of all that hate us, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Lord had showed upon her great kindness, the people waited, the season of warmth, they rejoiced with her, thou child, thus hath the Lord dealt with me, 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, truth, waxed strong in spirit, what manner of child shall this be, wisdom, Zacharias
Luke 1:76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Ah mih people, at long last we have been blessed with some sunshine this Thursday morning. However, some of the glow has been removed, because it’s cold and tinged with some strong winds, that came up during the night and are still going strong right now, harassing the naked trees to do a dance many of them cannot do, therefore a lot of broken branches litter the ground. But as I keep saying, sunshine is the important element, for it lifts the spirits, makes one feel that all is right in God’s world! (smile)
And be that as it may, let’s continue with the Christmas Story, re the Birth of John the Baptist. Yesterday we left off where the angel Gabriel commanded Zacharias, John’s father, to become dumb, unable to speak until the birth of his son, because he had not believed his good news. (Luke 1:20) The Bible then tells us: ‘And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (delayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration (service) were accomplished (completed), he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ (Luke 1:21-25)
Yuh see again friends, how big a deal it was for women to bear children back then! Otherwise, their lives would be rather miserable, with all sorts of jests and jeers made towards their barren state. And even the husbands being ridiculed for having a childless wife. No wonder so many women cried out to the Lord to correct their barren state, and like Hannah, Samuel’s mother, promising all kinds of things, if He did. (1 Sam. 1) Anyway, we know that when Elisabeth was five months pregnant, her cousin, Mary, Jesus’ mother, who had recently received the news of her immaculate conception, came and spent three months with her, then went back to her own home.
The Bible then continues: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had shewed great kindness upon her; and they rejoiced with her.’ (Luke 1:57-58) Yuh see how the ole hypocrites an’ dem come out of their lair because she had finally born a son. Before that, she was just a figure of shame and reproach, through no fault of her own. Ah Lord eh! But the best is yet to come.
Luke continues the story by saying: ‘And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to the father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:59-64)
Ah friends, what drama we find in God’s Word! But so it should be, when He is in fact the creator and greatest perpetrator of drama! And what happened when Zacharias finally spoke after months of being dumb? The story goes: ‘And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings (things) were noised about (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up (kept them) in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:65-66)
The Lord certainly knows how to get our attention. For as the scholars explain about the statement above, Fear came: ‘The working of God produced a unique sensation among a people where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries.’ The Lord made sure that the people knew that His infallible and ever-faithful hand was involved in John the Baptist’s birth.
And He didn’t stop there. No. The Bible continues: ‘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 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 (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. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: 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 1:67-79)
Oh friends, for a man who hadn’t spoken a single word for months, Zacharias sure had a mouthful to say. By then he obviously believed the words of the angel Gabriel and was being used by God to further prophesy the fulfillment of His covenant of a coming Messiah, with His people Israel. John would be the one to go before that Messiah, to light the way, to prepare the people for His coming.
And Luke ends the story thus: ‘And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:80) And we all know what happened when he finally appeared on the scene, coming out of the desert like a wild man, crying out, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2) And so it is my people, therefore, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them and use them to do God’s work here on earth like John did, with his blessings.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s Christmas time…the season of warmth…of joy and good cheer…so let’s spread it around…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abominable sins, abundance, as far as the east is from the west, be careful for nothing, be not drunk with wine, bless the LOrd o my soul, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, courage, creativity, crowns thee with loving-kindness, curse, dissipation, enter his gates with thanksgiving, established it upon the floods, every good gift, every perfect gift is from above, excess, faith, favour, firstfruits of his creatures, forget not all his benefits, forgives thine iniquities, give thanks unto the Lord, giving thanks always for all things, great is thy faithfulness, he founded it upon the seas, he is good, heals all thy diseases, his compassions fail not, his mercy endures for ever, his truth endures to all generations, in every thing, in everything give thanks, in the fear of God, into his courts with praise, It is of the Lord's mercies, Jesus Christ, joy, let your moderation be known unto all men, LOVE, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, making melody in your heart to the Lord, mercy, negative word, neither shadow of turning, of his own will, pray without ceasing, prosper, pumpkin pie, redeems thy life from destruction, rejoice evermore, Rejoice in the Lord always, renews thy youth like the eagle, sacrifice, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, serve the Lord with gladness, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, tender mercies, thankful for all our blessings, thanksgiving, the abundant life, the cross of Calvary, the earth is the Lord's, the Father of lights, the fulness thereof, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the word of truth, they are new every morning, this is the will of God in Christ, tribulation, truth, Turkey, we are not consumed, wisdom
Happy Thanksgiving U.S. of A!
Yes, it’s officially Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. and one can imagine how busy it is down there, with all the turkey and pumpkin pie celebrations. And they do have a lot to be thankful for; the question is to whom are they thankful for their many blessings? But that’s a story for another time and place. (smile) And on this Thanksgiving Thursday, I believe it’s only right and most appropriate to check out some scriptures on thanksgiving.
So, let’s begin with this most relevant and interesting one from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, where he advises them, and consequently us to ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Ah friends, that’s indeed true! For our God desires us to enjoy the abundant life he’s provided for us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, but at the same time He desires to hear some prayerful and thankful sentiments from us, His people.
It’s only natural. We give much thanks to humans who give us non-essential earthly stuff, so why not give even greater thanks for ‘Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning. Of His own will he begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.’ (James 1:17-18)
Oh my people, the Lord created us to be the best and most important of his many creations and blesses us with more than we can ever ask or imagine, therefore it behooves us to give Him thanks, not only on this special day, but each and every day! Today we just pile it up a li’l higher and be more sincere! (smile)
And then, both 1 Chronicles 16:34, and Psalm 107 1, rightly advocates: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-KINDESS) endureth for ever.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! From the very beginning our great God has been nothing but good to us! And even when we’ve fallen into temptation and sin, His unconditional and abiding LOVE shone forth as He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven, and cast away as far as the east is from the west. (Ps; 103:12)
How then, can we not in all good conscience give Him much thanks and LOVE, for as Bruh David reminds us earlier on 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.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) Now if that isn’t more than sufficient to give thanks for, then I don’t know what is!
And what about this admonishment from Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus? ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear (reverence) of God.’ (Eph. 5:18-21)
What wonderful, godly advice! Unfortunately though, I know that many will be drunk with wine to excess today, despite that good advice. However, let’s hope that that dissipation will not incur too many negative consequences, as it is generally wont to do. (smile)
Then there’s this exhortation from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Eph. 4:4-7)
And I’m chuckling here, because it seems like Bruh Paul wrote some kind of admonishment to each of the churches to keep praying, rejoicing and offering thanks to God come what may! And that’s exactly how it ought to be, given the fact that ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23)
Oh my fellow believers, there are so many things to be thankful to God for, especially His breath of life which He unselfishly shared with us when He created us and breathed it into our lifeless bodies made of dirt. That’s why it’s very surprising and hard to believe that so many of us can be so unthankful and disparaging of God to whom EVERYTHING belongs, and who gave and gives us EVERYTHING we possess. Listen up to these last wo scriptures which attest to those facts. From Psalm 24, Bruh David writes: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
Then Psalm 100 tells us to ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100:1-5)
And if you don’t believe that friends, then I don’t know what else to say. However, let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us do His earthly work and see if it makes a difference. (smile) As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And if you believe, then it behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!
…be it in joy…or tribulation…it is essential to give thanks to Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dangerous supposition, a great family, a light at the end of the tunnel, a man's life does not consist of his possessions, a vapour, arrogance, asking for God's opinion, beware of covetousness, boast not thyself of tomorrow, buy and sell, Christians, confer with God, courage, creativity, curse, destroyed, doeth it not, eat drink and be merry, evil doers will be cut off, faith, favour, good freinds, good health, he sees that his day is coming, holy spirit, if the Lord will, is not rich towards God, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make a profit, mercy, negative word, painted with that brush, prosper, rejoicing in boastings is evil, repercussions, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, shall inherit the earth, success, take heed, take thine ease, that appears for a little time, the abundance of peace, the abundance of things, the Lord shall laugh at him, then vanishes away, they that wait upon the Lord, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou fool, thou hast much goods laid up, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, to him it is sin, to him that knoweth to do good, today or tomorrow, truth, we shall live and do this or that, we will go into such a city, what is your life, wisdom, ye ought to say, ye rejoice in your boasting
James 4:15. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
And now it’s Thursday; the penultimate day of our work week…and we’re seeing a li’l light at the end of the tunnel…for tomorrow is Friday…the day we live for! But please remember we’ve got to get through Thursday before we can celebrate Friday, and who knows what can happen in that space of time. So let’s not be too confident of being alive and with everything being okay on Friday.
That brings to mind James’ discourse on Rejoicing in Boastings is Evil. He writes: ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice (boast) in your boasting (arrogance): all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:13-17)
Ah friends, we all do that kind of stuff, without even considering what the Father has in mind, much less asking His opinion or blessing on whatever we want to do. We simply take things for granted, that they will go along as they always have. But that’s a dangerous supposition, for life can change without a moment’s notice. That’s why it’s always good to speak with the Father before making our pronouncements, for He might just be of a different opinion. (smile)
And I like how the scholars explain the first two verses there: ‘This one is a fool, for he thinks he knows something that he doesn’t. He presumes he has the resources to control his destiny. (cf. Prov. 27:1; Luke 12:13-21).’ But sadly, far too many of us, even Christians, can be painted with that brush. But as Cousin Sol so rightly tells us in Proverbs: ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1) And we know that scripture, but we still do it, because we’ve gotten so accustomed to doing it without any serious repercussions.
That brings us to the other reference the scholars gave where Jesus teaches us to beware of covetousness. He warns: ‘Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:15) Then He goes on to tell them this parable about the rich, greedy fool. The one where this rich man’s harvest has been so bountiful that he has nowhere to store it.
So he says to himself: ‘This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow (store) all my fruits (crops) and my 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 toward God.’(Luke 12:17-21)
That again is so true of too many of us, who kill ourselves to accumulate the material things of the world, without any thought to God, neither spending time with Him and being obedient to His word or keeping Him first place in our lives, nor giving generously of our possessions to do His kingdom work. That obviously will draw forth His displeasure. And yes, there are many of the wicked who are amassing great fortunes, but please remember the Lord’s Word that the wicked will destroyed, and won’t even be remembered.
Bruh David says it in Psalm 37 – Trust in the Lord. ‘For evil doers shall be cut off destroyed: but they that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider (look diligently for) his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.’ (Ps. 37:9-13)
It could not be said any plainer or more straightforward than that my brethren. So please let’s take serious note of those words and do our best to refrain from the world’s entreaties, from the enemy’s attempts to get us involved in evil doing. And let’s remember, as James says, those who know how to do good and don’t do it, to them it’s considered sin. Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those undeserved blessings, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…before making any pronouncements…it’s always best to confer with God first…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful saying, a free gift, a man is not justified by the works of the law, a positive outlook on life, all gone out of the way, all have sinned, an unclean thing, and then the judgement, appears for a little time, ascendeth up for ever and ever, be born of water and the spirit, Bible, bring us to God, by the faith of Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, Christ suffered once for sins, christianity, church membership, come short of the glory of God, courage, cowardly, crapaud smoke we pipe, creativity, curse, day or night, divine protection, eternal life, except a man be born again, fade as a leaf, faith, fearful, fervent heat, filthy rags, god, God's supernatural wisdom, he cannot see the kingdom of God, he who has ears to hear let him hear, holy spirit, iniquities, it is appointed unto men once to die, Jesus Christ, like the wind, LOVE, mercy, murderers, negative word, no not one, none that doeth good, none that seek after God, our iniquities have take us away, righteousnesses, salvation, sinful ways, talent, the just for the unjust, the lake of fire, the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, The Leviticus Church, the second death, the smoke of their torment, then vanishes away, there is none righteous, they have no rest, truth, what is born of flesh is flesh, what is born of Spirit is spirit, what is your life, who worship the beast and his image, whoremonges, whosoever receives the mark of his name, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, wisdom, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, you cannot gamble with salvation, your life is even a vapour
Romans 3:23. For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.
Then it was Thursday, and the world is going along in it’s usual sinful ways, with many of us supposed believers in Jesus Christ helping them on. But as we saw yesterday, this world, both the solid part of it and the wicked within it will not last forever, it will go up in flames one day, or as Peter puts it, ‘in fervent heat,’ when the Lord decides it’s time. And what’s going to happen to us then eh? We’ll either end up in the New Jerusalem or in the lake of fire, to experience the Second Death.
And if you remember, twice in the last couple of weeks we checked out a Bible tract from the Leviticus Church in Jamaica, New York, which had to do with Salvation. The first time we explored what it said about Eternal Life being a Free Gift, and the second time, we talked about how you can be saved. Well, today we’re going to explore the last aspects of the things it talks about, beginning with this one: that Church Membership CANNOT Save You.
In support of their claim, they open with a quote from Romans 3:10, but I’ll add a couple of verses to it ‘As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.’ (Rom. 3:10-12) Now that’s also a fairly accurate description of today’s world.
Then the tract continues with this quote from Romans 3:23: ‘For all have sinned and come (fallen) short of the glory of God.’ Then they declare: ‘Sin is the problem, and belonging to a church will NOT take it away. Jesus Christ Himself said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
And for greater clarification, we’ll add these verses where Jesus further enlightens Nicodemus the Jewish ruler who had come to Him by night to question His purpose. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’ (John 3:5-6) And that tells us very plainly that we personally have to do something about our style of living if we want to see the pearly gates of heaven, and simple church membership will not cut it.
Then the pamphlet exhorts us: ‘You Cannot Take Your Chances.’ In other words, you cannot gamble on your being saved. Then they let us know: ‘The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.” (Heb. 9:27) Thus they reason, you really don’t know for sure how much time is left of your life. And they support that with this scripture from James. ‘Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.’ (James 4:14) That in essence tells us that we could be here today, but gone tomorrow, therefore we must take the opportunity to be saved RIGHT NOW!
Then, the tract reminds us of this indisputable truth: ‘You Cannot Save Yourself.’ And they use these Bible quotes to justify their contention. ‘Knowing that a man is not justified (declared righteous) by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ… (Gal. 2:16a). It also says: ‘But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (a filthy garment); and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.’ (Is. 64:6) I added the last half of the quote.
Then we learn that ‘Salvation is “FREE” to ALL.’ The Bible says, ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Rom. 10:13) And furthermore, the Bible says, ‘This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Tim. 1:15) There again, I used the whole verse. ‘For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God…’ (1 Pet. 3:18a)
Now, we come to the most important aspect of the entire situation: ‘IF YOU DO NOT GET SAVED…’ And the tract expounds: The Bible says, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.’ (Rev. 14:11) The tract only gives the first half of that verse, but I thought the whole thing would be more beneficial. (smile)
Then, it continues: ‘For the wages of sin is death;’ (Rom. 6:23a) But this death is more than just physical death. It is an “ETERNAL BURNING!” The Bible says, ‘But the fearful (cowardly), and unbelieving, and the abominable, and the murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the SECOND DEATH.’ (Rev. 21:8)
And that says it all my people! If we do not get saved before we die the physical death, then we will surely end up in that lake of fire for the second death, and then crapaud smoke we pipe for all eternity! Now, is that what we desire? I don’t think so. But the reality is that if you not get saved as soon as possible, there’s a great likelihood that you can end up with Beelzebub and all the other iniquity workers. So, a word to the wise; please look after your salvation, RIGHT NOW!
Now, let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings just as generously on behalf of others. Much LOVE!
… he who has ears to hear…let him hear…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life., and all the host of them, are not able to kill the soul, awesome power and imagination of God, Bible, bounden duty, by the breath of his mouth, by the word of the Lord, Christ's ambassadors, Christ's Church, Christ's saving grace, christianity, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, dead in trespasses and sins, faith, favour, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear them not which kill the body, god, God spoke the world into existence, improve our witness, Jesus Christ, let all the earth fear the Lord, live by the dictates of Satan, living the true christian life, LOVE, many devices in a man's heart, negative word, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, playing the blame game, salvation, success, supernatural wisdom, the children of disobedience, the counsel of the Lord shall stand, the counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works, the thoughts of his heart, to all generations, truth, we walked according to, were the heavens made, wisdom, you hath he quickened
Psalm 33:11. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
One more time friends; one more time! Yes, it looks like another bright and sunshiny day in my neighbourhood, but it certainly won’t be as warm. I believe that even the trees have finally got the message, for more of them seem to have finally begun changing colour and shedding their leaves. And my neighbour has a tall tree in his backyard and it’s all golden and yellow and rust and whatever! Every time I look out my bedroom window, I’m amazed at it’s beauty, and the awesome power and imagination of our great God!
And why not eh, since our God created the universe and all therein mostly by speaking them into existence. As the Bible says: ‘By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth, He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth (deep) in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices (plans) of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.’ (Ps. 33:6-11)
And that’s the gospel truth, to which Cousin Sol totally agrees, as he says in Proverbs: ‘There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’ (Prov. 19:21) Yes my people, our God is a great and awesome God, Creator and Father! There’s no other like Him! That’s why we ought to both revere and fear Him in the real sense of the word. For as Jesus said: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
And that’s a sad fact which not too many of us seem to take notice of, and thus keep on whiling away our precious time in the fleshly lusts and carnality of this sinful and ungodly world controlled by Satan and his evil minions. Yes, the Lord can kill all of our many parts, because He created them, but He certainly doesn’t want us to go to hell, and He doesn’t really send any of us to hell, we do it ourselves. He’s given us the way to salvation and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, and if we don’t obey Him and end up in hell, how can we blame Him eh?
But from the very beginning with Adam, Eve and Satan, we’ve been playing the blame game. When the Lord asked Adam why he ate of the forbidden fruit, he blamed Eve, and Eve blamed Satan. (Gen. 3:11-13) So it’s no wonder that today we’re still shirking our responsibilities and then trying to blame others for any negative consequences that occur from so doing. But friends, please, please, let’s remember these fateful words from our dear departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley). ‘Obey God, and lave all the consequences to Him.’
That’s about the best motto a human being, especially a supposed Christian can have! It seems though that we have gone back to what we were before the Lord saved us. Listen as Bruh Paul tells the Ephesians: ‘And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.’ (Eph. 2:1-2) Yes my brethren, while we were wasting away in sinfulness and ungodliness, the Lord saved us from our sinful life by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us.
Before that as the scholars explain: ‘Ye walked means “you lived.” The course of this world: The word course signifies all the tendencies, thoughts, pursuits, deeds, and so on, that characterize the present period of history. This world means “world system,” that is those philosophies, values, and life-styles that are opposed to God and hostile to Him. Before conversion the Ephesians used to conduct themselves in accordance with such ungodly values. The prince of the power of the air may be read “the ruler of the kingdom of the air.” They also used to live by the dictates and wishes of Satan.’
Unfortunately friends, that’s exactly what’s happening in our current world; the majority of us are living by the carnal and fleshly lusts and desires as promoted by Satan. Many of us still don’t even know about Christ and His saving grace, and therefore are unable to live the way He desires. And we, the supposed believers are neither spreading His gospel to the degree that’s necessary to combat Satan’s evil ways, or living the true Christian life that just might attract others to Christ.
And the body that’s supposed to oversee and push the overall work of Christ, that’s His church, is so divided into numerous denominations and cliques, and in such dissension over His Word, that it’s falling far short of what it needs to make any worthwhile difference in this evil world. And we only have ourselves to blame for that my fellow saints. We can’t lay the blame on any one else, for we are supposed to be Christ’s ambassadors on the earth, but for whatever reason, it’s obvious we’re not doing such a good job, because instead of being lifted out of the mire, the world is constantly falling into more evil and ungodliness.
And if we don’t smarten up soon, make some appropriate changes, and improve our witness, we’ll be doing a whole lot of answering to Christ on the judgement day. But thankfully all is not yet lost, for the Lord in His amazing goodness has bestowed undeserved blessings for us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them so that they can be activated in our lives nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…Christians desperately need to improve their witness…if they truly desire to see godly changes…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a propitiation, abundance, according to his own purpose and grace, all have sinned, autumn, Bible, bounden duty, by grace are ye saved through faith, called us with a holy calling, Christ's sinless blood paid for our sins, climate change, courage, creativity, curse, divine promotion, eternal life is a free gift, eternal separation from Almighty God, faith, faith in Christ, fallen short of the glory of God, favour, god, hellfire and damnation, Indian summer, It is finished, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, justified by faith, justified freely by his grace, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, multi-coloured leaves, negative word, nothing in man to warrant justification, payment of ransom, salvation, salvation is not of works, salvation was totally unmerited, talent, the believer's standing before God, the forbearance of God, the redemption that is in Christ, the remission of sins, the shed blood of Christ, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, truth, unmerited favour, wisdom, without the deeds of the law
Ephesians 2:8. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.’
Ah Lord friends, it seems like the weather is trying to make a liar our of me. Yesterday I trumpeted that the warm days are over except for a chance Indian summer, however I’m now hearing that next few days will be warmer than usual. I don’t know if that’s an Indian summer period or not. (smile) And strangely, the leaves on many of the trees have not assumed their autumn colour as yet, they are still fairly green. Usually, by now, my driveway would be filled with blowing multi-coloured leaves, but so far there’s only a handful.
So what are we going to do eh? Well, the easiest thing is to chalk it all up to climate change. And so be it! Climate change is the monster stalking through the halls, causing all the unaccustomed changes and damages. Wow! It’s so good to have somewhere to lay the blame. Anyway, enough of the lightheartedness, let’s get serious about the Lord’s business. And today we’ll continue considering the wonderful information on the old tract from the Leviticus Church in Jamaica, New York, that I recently found in my mother’s old Bible.
Yesterday, we stopped where Christ was on the cross, and having done His job, paid for our sins, He declared (steups!!!) ‘It is finished.’ No more ordinary blood sacrifices would be needed, for His sinless blood had paid the price once and for all! Then the tract tells us: ‘We are ‘justified freely by his grace.’ And they reference (Rom. 2:24a)
Now here’s the full context of the declaration. (awright!!!) Bruh Paul writes: For all have sinned, and come (fallen) short of the glory of God: being justified freely (without any cost) by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (mercy seat) through faith in his blood, to declare (demonstrate) his righteousness for the remission (passing over) of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.’ (Rom. 3:23-25)
And what does all of that mean. Here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘Being justified indicates being declared righteous. It signifies the believer’s standing before God. Freely: There is no just cause in man to warrant justification, (since we have all sinned and come short of His glory). By his grace: Unmerited favour is bestowed through the redemption (release on payment of ransom). Christ’s death is the ransom. The sinner is released on the basis of the ransom’s having being paid.’
In other words, we were locked up, in bondage for our sins, but Jesus’ death paid the price required to set us free, and thus we are now set free and justified before God. But let’s remember that this freedom and justification doesn’t come automatically. No sir! It comes through faith in Christ. As the scholars explain. ‘Christ’s death satisfies the Father’s righteous demands. It’s benefits are only appropriated (obtained) through faith in His finished work. And as per ‘In his blood: The emphasis is not on the blood as it coursed through Christ’s veins, but as it was shed for our sins. This is how the propitiation (atonement) was accomplished.’
Yes friends, it’s the SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST, that has the all-consuming, amazing and redemptive power! As we sing in that well known song ‘Nothing But the Blood of Jesus can set me free!’ And that’s the gospel truth! If you don’t believe in Jesus and the power of his blood shed on the cross of Calvary being able to cleanse you from all sin and wash you white as snow, then you’re not saved.
For, as the tract continues: ‘Salvation is ‘Not of works, least any man should boast.’ (Eph. 2:9) God ‘Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world (time) began.’ (2 Tim. 1:9)
Oh my fellow believers, we ought to seriously consider those words. As the scholars explain: ‘Who hath saved us refers to the ultimate effect of the whole operation: our salvation. And called us with an holy calling looks at the means by which our salvation was effected. His own purpose and grace…was given us indicates that our salvation was totally unmerited.’
Please friends, let’s never forget that! All we have from our heavenly Father comes from His abundance of LOVE, grace, and mercy! We earn nothing and in truth deserve nothing! It all happens because our Creator and God LOVES us so much that He cannot bear to see us separated from Him in hellfire and damnation with the evil Beelzebub.
But getting back to the tract, it continues: ‘As the Bible, God’s Word, says, ‘Therefore we conclude that a man is justified (declared righteous) by faith without (apart from) the deeds of the law.’ (Rom. 3:28) And that we know is the indisputable truth. Then, the tract in all wisdom, saves the best for last; concluding thus: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.’ (Eph. 2:8) And it does make its original point; as loudly described in its heading: ‘ETERNAL LIFE IS A “FREE” GIFT.’
And I do hope that we’ve enjoyed going through this old but ever so informative tract. For I know that many of us both hated to distribute and receive them on the street corners as was the custom some years ago. But when we refuse to do God’s work, and also refuse Him, we’re only setting ourselves up for eternal separation from Him, which we all know is the worst thing that can happen to a human soul.
Now, it’s time to declare (oh brother!!!) and thus activate our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, my fellow saints, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it cannot be said too often….life eternal can ONLY be gained…through faith in Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a peace that transcends, a state of unbelief, avenge all wrongs, B.S. baffles brains, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, Bible, blessings, Christ's return is near, christianity, coming as judge, courage, creativity, curse, damnation, disruption, eternal life, eternal separation from God, extreme circumstances, faith, favour, frees the believer from fear and worry, fulfilment, god, heathenism, heifer dust, hellfire, in everything by prayer and supplication, invitation to dismiss legitimate concerns, irresponsibility, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your request be made known unto God, LOVE, mercy, my peace I give unto you, names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, negative distractions, negative effects, negative word, neither let it be afraid, no peace like the peace of God, not as the world gives, Peace i leave with you, Rejoice in the Lord always, salvation, self-control, shall keep your hearts and minds, thanksgiving, the church age, the Lord is at hand, the normal cycles of God's universe, the peace of God, the tranquility of mind, through Christ Jesus, Thursday Blessings, truth, weather, which passeth all understanding, wisdom, wreaking havoc
Colossians 3:15a. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
Wow! Is it really Thursday already? I can’t believe it. The week just began …and it’s already almost at an end. (smile) Something curious and serious is happening in the world; time and weather are moving along in extreme circumstances. The well-planned and hitherto normal cycles of God’s universe have been seriously disturbed by mankind; thus we are suffering the negative effects of their disruption. And that’s why they say B.S. baffles brains! (smile)
Believe me though, there’s a lot of heifer dust out there that’s baffling the brains of many, else why would our world be in such a sad state of unbelief and heathenism eh? Why are we refusing to accept the truth of Jesus and His gospel, which leads to salvation and eternal life, but believing Beelzebub and his B.S. which leads to hell fire, damnation and eternal separation from God?
Oh my people, in these trying times, which might just be the last days of the church age, we need the truth of Jesus more desperately than ever before, because of the great number of deadly and negative distractions fighting for our minds, bodies and souls. And Jesus is the only one who can bring us the kind of peace and understanding we need to handle all the unfortunate stuff that’s currently wreaking havoc in our world. That’s why, Jesus, before He left earth, reassured us with these encouraging words: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Yes friends, when we have the peace that Jesus gives, which is nothing like what the world offers as peace, we don’t need to be troubled or afraid. That’s also why Bruh Paul wrote these words of encouragement and warning to the church at Philippi. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:5-7)
And that’s all ever so true my fellow believers! If we are saved and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then that’s more than sufficient cause to rejoice. And when we rejoice, we will most likely be gracious and reasonable with our fellow believers.
And I like how the scholars explain the Lord is at hand. They say it means two things; ‘His return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against him. Second, “the Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord’s being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6. Be careful for nothing.’
Yes my people, when we hold close to Jesus and carry everything to him in prayer, with thanksgiving, we don’t need to worry about all the stuff that’s happening to and around us. And as the scholars remind us, ‘This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concerns.’ Not at all. We have to still be on our p’s and q’s but not given to overall worry, since God’s peace is with us. As the scholars describe it. ‘That tranquility of mind that frees the believer from fear and worry.’
And it passes all understanding because ‘it’s a peace that’s divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it.’ It also means that God’s peace far surpasses our understanding, and He is thus able to handle and solve our problems better than us.
And this commentary gives us a brief, simple, but excellent idea of what’s meant by the peace of God that passes all understanding. It says: ‘This is a peace that transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above, goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace. The implication is that people may try to find peace in other places, but there is no peace like the peace of God.’ And that’s no lie my brethren! There’s definitely no peace like that of our great God!
That’s also why Bruh Paul in writing to the Colossians about putting on the new man in Christ, included this verse. ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.’ (Col. 3:15) Obviously the peace of God is very important for believers to possess if they are to be successful in living a truly Christian life, and spreading the gospel of Christ to all nations, to all the earth.
And our God, who is so wise and wonderful, and knows all our needs, even gave us undeserved blessings to help us do just that. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) them, so that they can be activated in our souls and spirits.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if the peace of God truly ruled in the hearts of believers…His church would not be so divided and in such chaos…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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