The Power of Prayer in Times of Ill Health!

24 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 17:14.       Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

And the shouts have gone up: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, with the weekend right around the corner!’ And the ole fella is back after a couple of days of illness. Please accept my apology for those two missed days. It seems that being out Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in some very cold conditions didn’t agree with me, and when I came back from my church group on Wednesday morning I was tired, having had little sleep during the night, so obviously I had to have a nap. (smile) 

But during that supposed nap time, the chills began trembling my body, although I was wrapped up under heavy covers. Then my stomach joined in. At first, I thought I was hungry and got up to get something to eat. But lo and behold, whatever I ate came right back up. Now, regurgitation is something I don’t normally do, (smile) even the Duchess said she’s never seen me do it, but in less than 24 hours she saw or heard me do it six times. 

The problem apparently was a stomach pain that I’d had some years before, but after a whole lot of tests, they’d found nothing wrong, so they simply gave me some tablets to take whenever it occurred. And the few times the pain occurred; the tablets did take care of it. But not this past Wednesday. Brother! The whole day was a mixture of chills and stomach pains and regurgitation. 

And when the chills settled down in the afternoon, I thought about writing the Bit, but the stomach pain nixed that idea right in the bud, for it just got worse, and nothing I took could ease it. And it’s not to say that it was a bright and blazing pain, but a steady gnawing in the upper left side of my stomach, like some rodent was there just eating away at it, enough to drive me crazy, and not allow proper concentration. 

Well, on Thursday morning after the sixth regurgitation, tired, worn out and empty, I went to the Emergency Department of the nearby hospital. I got there at ten o’clock, but didn’t leave until five in the evening, having done all sorts of tests and waiting for reports to come back. And even then, there was no firm diagnosis, so pain tablets and further tests were prescribed. And that’s where we sit right now. Please pray that they come up with something firm and simple, very soon, because I don’t want to get addicted to this narcotic based pain medication. 

And I guess since we’ve been talking about illness and healing, we can just continue by renewing our hearts and minds on some scriptural truths on the subject. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one from Isaiah. ‘But he (Jesus) was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with (by) his stripes (cruel blows that cut into him) we are healed.’ (Is. 55:5) 

Then there are these marvellous words of encouragement from Bruh David in Psalm 103. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) 

And there’s nothing better than Jesus’ personal touch, as Matthew recounts. ‘And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.’ (Matt. 8:14-15) Oh, how I wish could get such a touch from Jesus right now, so that this annoying pain could go away. I would certainly minister to Him with everything I have. (smile) 

Excuse me, but I just had to go upstairs and get another pill to ease the pain because the first one had apparently worn off. Ah Lord eh! But them’s the breaks, we simply have to keep on pressing on regardless. Then there’s this prayer from Jeremiah. ‘Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.’ (Jer. 17:14) Now, that’s my prayer for today my fellow believers. (smile) 

And scriptures on healing would not be complete without this one from James. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16) 

And I would certainly appreciate some effective supplication from you righteous bredrin in our Scrip-Bit family. (smile)  Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid to help in these times of desperate need. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ And before we do like the man who sees his face in the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like, remember that we need to increase our Christian witness to get divine help Much LOVE!

…who is the Great Physician…Jehovah Rapha…the God who heals…our Jesus…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   31 January 2023   1 Thessalonians 5:17.

31 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

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

1 Thessalonians 5:17.       Pray without ceasing.

Well, it’s a fairly sunny morning in my neck of the woods, although my computer tells me that the temperature outside is like minus 8 Celsius. Now that’s something we haven’t seen so far this year, but it’s winter, and on this last day of January 2023, anything is possible. (smile) Once it doesn’t snow and the sun’s shining, I’m happy. 

Anyway, today I want to share a prayer that a friend gave me some time back, which I might have shared before, but it’s one that I now use every day before I begin to write the Bit. Don’t ask me how and why that came about, because I don’t remember. (smile) Let’s just say that it’s now become a part of my daily routine. So please pray with me: ‘Heavenly Father, I call on You right now in a special way. It is through Your power that I was created. Every breath I take, I live under Your power. Father, I ask you now to touch me with that same power. For if You created me from nothing, You can recreate me. 

Fill me with the healing power of Your Spirit. Cast out anything that should not be in me. Mend what is broken. Root out any unproductive cells, open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild any damaged areas. Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection. Let the warmth of Your healing LOVE pass through my body to make new any unhealthy areas, so that my body will function the way You created it to function. And Father, please restore me to full health in mind, body and spirit, so that I may serve You for the rest of my life. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.’ 

Ah friends, it’s not a spectacular prayer, but a simple, down to earth, plea for basic healing, reworking and restoring of our bodies and souls and spirits. Something that we all need from time to time, especially as we get older and our natural parts begin to atrophy and decay from age and constant use. And I guess the natural path from there is to check out some scriptures on healing, and there are many more than we can ever cover. But it’s always useful to review them and have some close at hand, or rather close at heart, for when we need them. 

And this first one is probably one of the most important. It’s what Moses said to the people of Israel when they murmured and complained at the bitter waters of Marah, where he cried to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree to cast into the waters that made it sweet. And Moses said of the Lord: ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ (Ex. 15:24) 

Yuh see right there my fellow believers, the first thing to do to avoid sickness and disease, is to obey the Lord’s commandments. So we ought not to wonder and complain because our world is filled with sickness and disease, for sin is the first step therein, and we do have a very sinful society. Then we have this marvellous reminder from Bruh David in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVINGKINDNESS and tender mercies:’ (Ps. 103: 2-4) 

Oh my people, how can ever forget the goodness and mercies of our great God eh? But unfortunately, for whatever reason(s), we do forget Him and go about our own business, foolishly thinking that we don’t need Him. But that’s a fool’s wisdom. That’s why Cousin Sol warns us in Proverbs. ‘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. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4)  

There you have it again friends, the first thing we ought to do to ensure health, wealth and longevity is to obey God’s Word! It couldn’t get any clearer than that. Then we have this awesome promise of God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now how can we ever forget or refute such a promise eh? But again, sadly we do. 

Then Isaiah further tells us about the coming of Jesus and His awesome power to heal. ‘But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (the blows that cut into Him) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:9) That just goes to show how very important Jesus is to our health. Now, because of lack of time and space, let’s conclude with this scripture that all of us know and quote, though not always appropriately or reverently. 

It comes from James, where he strongly advises about the power of patience and prayer. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16) 

Yes my fellow saints, the prayer of the righteous can do wonderful things. Granted it doesn’t always work the way we desire, but one never knows what will happen until one tries. We don’t understand how our great God thinks or moves, but we do know that He answers prayer, especially when it falls into line with His will. So please, let’s not forget the power of prayer. As Bruh Paul so rightly said to the Thessalonians, and consequently to us: ‘Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:17-18) 

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

And having said all that, let’s go out and keep our promise to share Christ’s awesome LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…every thing ought to begin with prayer…that’s talking to God first…not last… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 July 2022 Psalm 103:2.

04 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:2.      Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

‘Come Monday, it will be all right…’ Yes friends, today is Monday, and everything will be all right because we have Jesus in our corner and His Holy Spirit within us! Wow! How can we ever go wrong with those mighty persons leading and guiding our lives eh? And if that isn’t enough, we also have the Father overseeing the whole operation. And all God’s children confidently declared: ‘Praise the Three in One; our Holy Trinity!’ And do they ever deserve oodles of praise for all the many wonderful and undeserving things they’ve done on our behalf, which we tend to quickly forget when things are going well. 

And today, when we give a shout of ‘Happy Fourth of July’ to the U.S of A, as they celebrate the birth of their nation in 1776, I believe it’s time for a refresher course. (smile) Yes, we ought to review some of those things our amazing and omnipotent God has done for us. And there’s no scripture more appropriate to do so than Psalm 103, where Bruh David talks about Thanksgiving for God’s mercy. 

Please read with me. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 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. 103:1-5) 

Just look at all those things the Lord has done for us nuh my people! And yet so many of us refuse to give Him His much-deserved thanks and praise, foolishly believing that we’ve obtained whatever we have through our own resources. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth, for we need to remember as Bruh David says in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof: the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers). (Ps. 24:1-2) 

That means all the earth, as well as the things and people in it, belong to God, and we are simply stewards, or managers of it for Him. That’s why Moses could confidently tell the Israelites: ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) 

So there you have it friends! Nothing on this earth and in our lives happens by accident or coincidence. It’s all tied up with God’s plan for each of us and for the world as a whole. That means we have to stop believing the lies of the enemy and his evil co-workers, about how we contribute so much to our health, wealth and salvation. 

And that’s not all the Lord’s done for us either. Listen as Bruh David continues in Psalm 103. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement (justice) for all that are oppressed. He made known his way unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). 

He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:6-12) 

Oh my faithful brethren, just for that last act of mercy alone, casting our transgressions far away and not remembering them anymore, we ought to be everlastingly grateful to the Lord God Almighty! For can you imagine if He took us to task for the numerous, abominable sins we’ve committed, what would be our end state? And that’s one of the many reasons why we say that our God is good… not just some of the time, but all of the time~! 

So, listen to these last two verses. ‘Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:13-14) Now that ought to put the icing on the cake, make us look at our Triune God with ever so much more LOVE, faithfulness, reverence, and trust. And I do hope that this li’l refresher course (smile) on the benefits of being under God’s protective umbrella will serve as a wakeup call, will help rebuild the passion in our lives that we’ve recently lost, and so desperately need to regain. 

Now, like Christ taught us, let’s go to the throne of grace and lay our many problems before the God of our forefathers, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

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

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

And to receive positive answers from God, we now need to keep the promises we’ve just made and show that the motives of our hearts are right. Much LOVE!

…to our God we owe everything…from our very life…to salvation and all it entails… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 September 2021 Psalm 19:14.

29 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 19:14.     Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.

It’s a fine looking Wednesday morning out there my people! And since we are alive to enjoy it, I believe that some thanks and praise to our great Creator is quite in order. So, let’s get a li’l thankful nuh. (smile) Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for allowing me to see another day, even though the times they are turbulent and troubled! I know that You only have good things in store for me, a future and a hope, like you promised in Your Word, and that no weapon formed against me will ever prosper. 

And even though I go through rough times You have promised to eventually work them all out for my good, which means that I can be assured of victory once I walk in the footsteps of Your Son, and my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I thank you ever so much for all the blessings You bestow on me, although I don’t deserve them. But most of all I thank You for Your wonderful LOVE, a LOVE that created me and has nurtured me down through the ages. 

A LOVE so strong and unconditional that it caused You to send Your Only Son Jesus to earth to die on my behalf, so that I could be reconciled back to You, and enjoy eternal life as a member of Your marvellous flock! Mere words can never convey the gratitude and LOVE that I have for You. But I know when Your Holy Spirit reads my heart, all will be known. I bless You, and praise Your Holy Name, this day, and forever! Amen!’ 

Yes friends, I do hope that when the Lord reads our hearts, He will see the true LOVE and gratitude we have for Him, because that’s where He looks after He listens to our words. And He is very disappointed when the meditations of our hearts don’t match the words of our mouths. As Bruh David says in Psalm 19: ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps. 19:14) 

Oh my faithful brethren, our words and the motives of our hearts ought to match up in God’s sight, if we want to continually enjoy His awesome benefits. And you ask what benefits we talking about? O glory be mih people! The Lord God Almighty has the best benefits in the business, consequently that’s why so many of us are exceedingly joyful to work for Him. Hear some of them as Bruh David lists them in Psalm 103 nuh. 

He declares with a strong sense of purpose: ‘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) Wow! No other employer can match those extraordinary benefits… And that’s only the beginning of the list yes! 

Hear these even deeper ones. ‘The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.’ (Ps. 103:6-12) 

That reminds me of the pastor I heard about, who had done some bad deed in his earlier days and just could not forgive himself. Meanwhile in his congregation, there was this woman who claimed to have visions from Jesus. The pastor did not believe her, so he told her that if she could find out from Jesus, the awful sin he’d committed, then he would believe. A week later she came back to church and when the pastor asked for Jesus’ response, the woman said, He’s forgotten it! 

That’s how great and true our God is my fellow saints. He doesn’t have time for guilt and sorrow. Once we sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness, He grants it, and remembers it no more. So if God can forget our sins, why can’t we eh? That just shows how shallow, proud and stubborn we are! The Lord can forgive and forget but we can’t. And don’t believe the enemy isn’t glad when we behave so foolishly…he actually jumps for joy when we don’t accept God’s forgiveness or don’t forgive ourselves and keep harming ourselves with our guilt trips. 

But please remember that our Creator knows all our faults and foibles, and ‘Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame (understands our constitution); he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:13-14) Oh mih bredrin, what a great and wonderful God we serve! He knows us, because He created us, and knows that we are weak and feeble like the dust we were made from, and thus His extreme LOVE and compassion for us!  Why is it so difficult for us to accept them eh? Especially when we cannot do very much, or any better on our own. 

Remember Jesus said it quite clearly. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) And that’s the long and short of the story people. Without Jesus we can’t do anything. That’s why we have to cling tightly to Him, like white on rice, if we desire to get anything worthwhile done in this life. Now for those of us who are clinging for dear life, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. 

Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And though I shouldn’t have to remind us, I will err on the side of caution. (smile) Please remember that if we endure until the end, the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…endurance…it is the bringer of good things…eventually…                                                                                                                            

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 December 2020 Psalm 103:2.

03 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 103:2.     ​Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Gee…it’s Thursday, Thursday, Thursday! The day before Friday, Friday, Friday, when we’re let out to play! And thankfully, the roadways are bereft of that white menace, so nicely called snow! It sure seems like all’s right with our world; the sun’s shining brightly, Jesus is filling our hearts, and the java, she is indeed worthy of that venerable name; strong and sweet and potent! 

But remember, all that glistens is certainly not gold, sometimes not even gold-plated. (smile) Yeh friends, despite the outward sheen, our world is totally rotten inside, and stinking to high hell! Hn, hn hn! I just realized I said, ‘high hell’ instead of ‘high heaven’. But that’s okay because heaven doesn’t encourage stench to come up there. (smile) Unfortunately though, the works of evil dominate our societies from one end of the globe to the other, from north to south and east to west! What a sad tale to tell! And why is our world in such a discombobulated and uncertain state eh? 

One basic reason; the inmates of the asylum have turned against their Keeper, their Maker, the Lord God Almighty: ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked their way).’ (Ps. 146: 6-9) 

Oh my people, that’s whom we have turned against! And no wonder our world is turned upside down, in a topsy-turvy evil and ungodly mess! If you turn against the good, just, LOVING, compassionate, merciful, gracious, righteous and forgiving One who created it all – and still controls it all, what else can you really expect eh? 

But yuh know what my people, the same way we have turned away from God, we can again turn back to Him. The Israelites in their foolish and stubborn hard-hearted pride, although they knew of His goodness as well as His wrath, did it several times, and each time they came back, He welcomed them with opened arms, for that’s the kind of forgiving and merciful God He is! 

Hear how Bruh David puts it nuh in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made his ways known unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.’ (Ps. 103:2-7) 

Yuh see friends, our God is a straight shooter! He made whatever He made, however He wanted to make it, and then told us how He wanted us to behave, and what rules He wanted us to follow. But He was then magnanimous to a fault; He gave us the bounty, or weighty cement shoes of free speech. It could work either way, depending on our disposition towards Him. And sadly, I have to say that right now that supposed garnishee of free speech is acting like cement shoes, for we have turned against God and our abominable sins are weighing us down into the mire of deceit and self-destruction. 

But the awesome God who made us is so wonderful, so magnanimous, that He’s known as the God of second chances, in fact the God of many chances! That’s why Bruh David could further expound in Psalm 103: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (sincerely reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (sincerely reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14)

 Oh mih people, what more can I say eh? I’ve tried to prove to us why our world is in such a sad and sorry state, and also how we can get it out of that distressing mess. It all depends on our relationship with the Lord God Almighty, Maker and Ruler of heaven and earth! If we sincerely worship and reverence Him, then our world will be turned around, be saved from the hellfire and damnation to which we’re currently headed in our dreadful and sinful pride and stubbornness! 

It’s all up to us. Remember what Bruh David said at the start: ‘forget not all his benefits.’ (Ps. 103:2) Yes friends, all that Lord does and says is not for His benefit, but for ours, and He will not force us to do what we don’t want to do. So our future is all in our hands. End of sermon! (smile) 

Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live the way God desires, let’s go home declaring (yeahh!) our Thursday Blessings; awesome blessings which the Lord has magnanimously bestowed on us, so that we can do His work down here on earth. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’  

So let’s go out now and do our bounden duty nuh; share those blessings with others, just as magnanimously and generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…to sincerely reverence our God…brings such joy and peace…to one’s spirit and soul…