21 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 hour spans of time, a bad habit, a deep abiding joy, a great family, a spiritual strength, a very present help in trouble, an intimate relationship with Jesus, cast into the future, christianity, comes from a relationship with god, curse, despising the shame, divine protection, do what God has assigned for today, don't worry about tomorrow, empowers believers to face challenges, encourage their joyful walk with the Lord, endured the cross, faith, favour, find strength in difficult times, for the joy that was set before him, fulfilment, getting ahead of ourselves, God is our refuge and strength, God's grace is sufficient in our weakness, God's joy, God's supernatural wisdom, good freinds, handle the challenges of each day, holy spirit, is set down at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' selfless sacrifice, knowing God's love and provision, like jelly in his hands, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of what's happening today, LOVE, mercy, negative word, panting for Friday, planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, promotion, propser, rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, reliance on God's prmises, reluctant to endure sacrifice and pain, robbed us of our joy, robbed us of our strength, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, stolen our joy, succeed, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, supernatural strength, take one day at a time, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the devil's plaything -worry, the Feast of the Tabernacles, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the things of itself, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the mountains shake, though the waters roar and be troubled, truth, undeserved blessings, use our blessings to help others, we will not fear, wisdom, worry and fear take over
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Then it was Thursday, our second to last day of the work week, and everyone’s panting for Friday and the weekend. However, before we get there, we need to navigate Thursday first, and enjoy the sunshine, with a touch of cloud cover, and the cool breezes it brings, while doing what God has assigned us for today. Yes, we do have a bad habit of getting ahead of ourselves, often to our detriment. (smile)
That’s why God broke up the time into 24 hour spans, with day to work and night to rest, because He knew we could not handle much more than that. Consequently, as the saying goes, we can only take one day at a time, and that’s today, that’s why it’s called the present, not the past or the future.
And Jesus fully understood this problem, that’s why He advised in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And many of us, even believers, ought to take those words to heart and sincerely action them in our lives, because our minds are too often cast into the future, or tomorrow, and thus we lose sight of what’s happening around us today.
No wonder Jesus said we should not worry about tomorrow, for each day has its own challenges and problems, which we need to responsibly handle and not concern ourselves with what might or might not happen the following day. And I’m sure we’ve all concocted possible fearful and disastrous happenings that will come upon us on the morrow, and not even one problem, or one iota of what we’d imagined presented itself on the day. Now, that doesn’t mean we must not make plans for certain possible outcomes, but we’re not to worry about them, especially if, in our own strength we cannot do anything to curtail or prevent the problems.
That’s the thing about worry, the devil’s plaything. It causes you to use up your hard earned energy and joy on things that you have no control over. So why worry about them when you can’t do anything about them eh? But that’s what the devil takes immense pleasure in doing; planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, so that he can steal our joy, for once he has stolen our joy, we are like jelly in his hands. Remember what the Bible says about our joy? ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means once Satan has robbed us of our joy in the Lord, then he’s also robbed us of our strength, and that’s something we should strive to never allow to happen!
And I like how this commentary explains ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ It says: ‘This verse (Neh. 8:10) emphasizes that God’s joy, experienced through a relationship with Him, empowers believers to face challenges and find strength in difficult times. It’s not a fleeting happiness, but a deep, abiding joy that comes from knowing God’s LOVE and provision.’
Yes friends, Nehemiah had been speaking to the Israelites after they had lost their joy through the destruction of Jerusalem. However, they had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in a miraculous fifty-two days through the astute, God-given leadership of Nehemiah, and were just getting to know the scriptures of the Lord through the public reading and explaining of them by the scribe Ezra and his associates, and were about to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles. Thus Nehemiah’s exhortation to encourage their joyful walk with the Lord.
And according to the commentary: ‘The joy of the Lord: is not simply a feeling, but a spiritual strength that comes from a relationship with God and reliance on His promises.’ Therefore, if we desire to have that spiritual strength, then we need to build a strong and intimate relationship with Jesus on an ongoing basis.
And there are several other scriptures that talk about the joy of the Lord as a source of strength. For instance these words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46 – Our Refuge and Strength. They confidently declare: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available hep) in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)
Now that definitely shows strong faith and joy in the Lord! That although things are turned topsy-turvy, we will not fear, and keep our joy knowing that the Lord’s faithful in His promises, and will not allow anything untoward to happen to us. Meanwhile, this other scripture from Hebrews 12, tells us about ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher (the originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Yes my people, for the joy that was to come from His selfless sacrifice, Jesus endured the shame and disgrace and pain of the cross. So why are we so reluctant to endure a little sacrifice and pain for the joy that will eventually be ours eh? And to help us endure the problems we will obviously face in this ungodly and evil world, as well as to do His earthly work, the Lord has generously bestowed on us numerous undeserved blessings, that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that awesome declaration, (chuhhh!!!) 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!
…even if we lose our strength in the Lord’s joy…there’s no need to worry…for we will then find…His sufficient grace in our weakness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a licentious society, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, Ahimelech, be as a tree planted by the waters, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, boast of evil doing, Chrisitanity, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, Doeg the Edomite, duty bound, evildoers will be destroyed, faith, flourish like a green olive tree, God has given us all the good things we have, God shall likewuse destroy thee for ever, Goliath's sword, good freinds, good health, hallowed shrew bread, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever, I will praise thee for ever, I will wait on thy name, in the house of God, in the midst of thee, in thee are those who eat upon the mountais, it is good before the saints, Jesus Christ, Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake us, like a green olive tree, like a sharp razor, living like Satan dictates, LOVE, lying rather than to speak righteousness, men that carry tales to shed blood, mercy, negative word' favour, neither shall cease from bearing fruit, pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, promotion, rejected God and his word, root thee out of the land of the living, salvation, Selah, self-control, self-discipline, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, slander to cause bloodshed, spreadeth out her roots by the river, strife-filled and chaotic world, success, supernatural wisdom, take thee away, talent, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the goodness of God endureth continually, the land of the living, the penultimate day of the work week, the tongue deviseth mischief, the tongue plans destruction, they commit lewdness, thou deceitful tongue, thou lovest all devouring words, thou lovest eveil more than good, to help us whenever we call on him, trust in the Lord's goodness and mercy, truth, undeserved blessings, whose hope the Lord is, why boastest thou thyself in mischief, wisdom, working deceitfully
Psalm 52:8. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. And as the past many days, it’s opened bright and sunshiny, with a cool breeze wafting through the trees, but although it’s not too hot at midday, who knows how much the temperature will increase as the afternoon rolls in. But whatever happens, we will manage it wisely and successfully with Jesus’ awesome help, because He has promised to never leave nor forsake us and help us whenever we call on Him.
And today, the Good Library opened at an interesting but little considered Psalm 52, titled ‘Evildoers Will Be Destroyed,’ written by Bruh David when the betrayer Doeg, the Edomite, went to king Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech, the priest, at Nob, who had given him the hallowed shrew bread and Goliath’s sword aiding his efforts to escape from Saul’s murderous hand. And we can find that story in 1 Samuel 21.
The scholars tell us that the psalm is one of eight Bruh David wrote while fleeing from Saul. He begins this one thus: ‘Why boastest thou thyself in mischief (evil doing), O mighty man? the goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS) of God endureth continually. The tongue deviseth mischief (plans destruction); like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou LOVEST evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou LOVEST all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.’ (Ps. 52:1-4)
Wow! Those are truly tough words. It’s like the prophet Ezekiel said of the people of Israel: ‘In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood (slander to cause bloodshed): and in thee they (are they who) eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.’ (Ezek. 22:9) And isn’t that the very same thing that’s happening right now in our slanderous, dysfunctional and licentious society? Of course it is! For we have rejected God and His Word and are living like Satan dictates. No wonder the strife-filled and chaotic state of our world.
But getting back to the psalm, it’s interesting to note the scholars take on the first four verses. They say: ‘The description of Doeg is one of the most contemptuous in Scripture. But because of his betrayal Doeg will be destroyed.’ And Bruh David details that in the next verse. ‘God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.’ (Ps. 52:5)
Now that’s certainly a wish for thorough destruction. However something good will come from it. That is: ‘The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction)’ (Ps. 52:6-7)
Yes friends, there are indeed valuable lessons to be learned from the destruction of the wicked. Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers don’t learn from it, and continue going in the way of the devil, down the wide and winding way that leads to destruction. But please remember, that all these scriptures about the destruction of the wicked are for our benefit, to enlighten us to the foolishness of following the diviner of darkness, Satan.
Instead we should be like Bruh David describes. ‘But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 52:8) Oh my faithful brethren, that’s what happens when we trust in the Lord’s goodness and mercy, we thrive and flourish like a green olive tree.
Or, as Jeremiah so beautifully puts it: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from bearing fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8)
Oh my people, what a wonderful picture of what happens to those who trust in Almighty God! No wonder Bruh David ends the psalm thus: ‘I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps. 52:9) That’s our best bet friends! Praising God for ever and ever is what it’s all about. And it’s one of the reasons He created us. So if we are wise and put our trust in God, then praise should come automatically. And consequently His goodness and mercy will follow us all the day long. It’s so simple and wonderful; praise and trust, bring goodness and mercy!
And also, through God’s great generosity, come undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that sincere declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why don’t we LOVE, trust and praise our Creator…when He’s the one who’s given us all the good things we have…especially the breath of life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a holding pattern, a source of hope and encouragement, above all that we ask or think, abundance, according to the power that worketh in us, ask and it shall be given you, by Christ Jesus, cleanse any infection, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, divine refreshing, duty bound, every breath I wake, every one that asketh receiveth, faith, favour, fill me with the healing power of your Spirit, God's power can exceed all our human expectations, God's power is boundless, God's power working within believers, God's supernatural wisdom, got a zeppo, have faith that god can work, he spake a parable unto them, he that seeketh findeth, heat warning, heavenly Father, holy spirit, I call on you right now, I live under your power, if you created me from nothing, in a special way, in mind body and spirit, in ways that exceed our human expectations, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, keep on keeping on, knock and it shall be opened unto you, laziness and procrastination, let the warmth of your healing love pass through my body, LOVE, men ought always to pray and not faint, mend what is broken, mercy, my body will function, n a special way, negative word, not give up, not lose heart, on a short leash, open any blocked arteries or veins, prayer is the beleiver's most potent weapon, promotion, prosper, rebuild any damaged areas, remove all inflammation, restore me to full health, root out any unproductive cells, salvation, seek and ye shall find, serve you for the rest of my life, succeed, success, talent, the Prayer of Physical Renewal, the way you created it to function, through the Holy Spirit, through your power I was created, throughout all the ages, to accomplish far more than is humanly possible, to do exceeding abundantly, to him that knocketh, to make new any unhealthy areas, to this end, touch me now with that same power, trust in God's power, truth, unto Him be glory in the church, unto him that is able, we worship a Supernatural God, wisdom, world without end, you can recreate me
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
Please, don’t even remind me that it’s Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, a sunny and very hot one with a heat warning, for I’ve done very few of the numerous things I promised myself to do this week! Chuh man! Is it just laziness and procrastination on my part, or does the Lord have me in a holding pattern, where, like a tied up animal straining to get loose, I can only go as far as my leash would allow me?
To my thinking it’s a bit of both, but the problem is to decipher which one has the strongest hold, which one’s keeping me back the most. I’ve been enquiring of the Lord, but so far I haven’t received a conclusive answer, so I guess my best bet is to get up and throw off the laziness and procrastination and see where it gets me. If it gets me nowhere, then I will know that it’s the Lord who has me on a short leash. (smile)
On the other hand, even before I began to write the Bit, I got a zeppo as to what to write. Hn! Consider that nuh! Now, there’s a prayer which a friend gave me a long time ago that I say every morning before writing the Bit. I’ve shared it before, but today while saying it, I was guided to share it again, because it’s a prayer that so many of us in our sick and broken lives desperately need in these chaotic and ungodly times. Now it doesn’t have an official name, but for our purposes we will call it the prayer of Physical Renewal. (smile)
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 wake, 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, 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!’
Yes friends, that’s one of my backbone prayers. For at my stage in life, with all my maladies, aches and pains, I do need divine refreshing every day. And I don’t doubt that many of you are in the same position, therefore we all need to pray for our specific healing needs. Remember this Bible verse: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1)
That was the parable of the persevering woman and the unjust judge that we recently spoke of. She only got justice because she kept on bothering the judge until he gave in and did His job properly. Likewise, we’re not to give up on prayer, despite not receiving the answers we desire or any answers at all. It’s like Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
That means we have to keep on keeping on, and not give up, though things might look tough, even impossible, because our God is a supernatural God and therefore has the power to do things supernaturally, things that we cannot imagine or comprehend. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all the ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21)
And what does all of that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘It expresses the belief in God’s limitless power and capacity to exceed human expectations and desires. This verse is often interpreted as a source of hope and encouragement, emphasizing that God’s actions can surpass anything we can ask for or even imagine. It emphasizes that God’s power, working within believers through the Holy Spirit, enables Him to accomplish far more than what is humanly possible.’
In other words, God’s power is boundless, and can exceed all our human expectations, but we need to trust in His power and to have faith that He can work in ways that are beyond our understanding. That’s the only way we will ever see God’s power show up in our lives, my fellow believers; with sincere faith and trust in His boundless ability. And we already know that He’s very generous because He’s bestowed on us undeserved blessings we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work. Therefore, let’s declare and activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings in the lives of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…prayer is the believer’s most potent weapon…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Bible study, a cacophony of noise, a compassionate heart, a discordant mixture of sounds, a positive outlook on life, a prayer for self-control, A Quiet Tongue, a request for divine assistance, a revealing fact, bits of wisdom, blessings, break into conversations, chatty chatty lips, Chistianity, clear direction for my life, counted wise, curse, death and life are in the power of the tongue, discernment, discipline always costs, divine protection, duty bound, enlightened insight, even a fool when he holdeth his peace, faith, favour, feel more comfortable expounding, he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, he that shutteth his lips, holy spirit, I talk more than I listen, I wanted to run, idle chatter, in the name of Jesus, inappropriate language, is esteemed a man of understanding, it's best to listen much, Jesus Christ, Jesus is all we'll ever need, keep the door of my lips, keeps his soul from trouble, let every man be swift to hear, listening is a discipline, LOVE, mercy, must pay a price, my guilty heart, my inspiring experiences, negative words, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, searching for a needle in a haystack, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, slow to speak, slow to wrath, solve the predicament, speak little and not become angry, the BIBLE, the importaceof using words responsibly, the power of words, the wrath of man, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, truth, wherefore my beloved brethren, whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, wisdom, worketh not the righteousness of God
James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
So it’s Thursday, our penultimate work day; one day closer to that blessed day of Friday. Thankfully, it might not be as hot as the last several days, but it’s also somewhat cloudy and windy. Guess you can’t always have it how you want it. (smile) Anyway, we have Jesus, and He’s all we need and will ever need! Give Him some thanks and praise for being the wonderful Lord and Saviour that He is!
Now, today,` we’ll look at a very interesting and very appropriate poem for these ungodly and evil times from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘A Quiet Tongue.’ And for once, I’m sure that I’ve shared it before, (smile) but with so much senseless and unnecessary talking that’s bombarding us today from all different angles and places, I believe it’s something we should look at again.
So please read with me. ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what all my friends need. Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight Will solve the predicament – Whatever it is. Obviously, I feel more comfortable when I’m expounding.
But this morning at a Bible study I cringed when I read Your command In the first chapter of James: “Don’t ever forget That it is best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.” At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline And a discipline always costs. I know I must pay a price. The price for me Is a listening ear And a quiet tongue.’
Oh friends those words ring so true for so many of us although we try to deny it. In these times of so many new communication methods, we’re all trying to talk at the same time, thus we’re unfortunately only creating a cacophony of noise. That’s a harsh discordant mixture of sounds, from which not much sense can be made. I know that I’m guilty of talking too much, although I try not to. I’ve asked the Lord several times like Bruh David does in Psalm 141:3. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door (keep watch over the door) of my lips.’ But I don’t think He’s listening, for I still talk too much. (smile)
And this commentary explains that ‘it is a prayer for self-control, specifically in speech. It’s a request for divine assistance in moderating one’s words, preventing harmful or inappropriate language. It highlights the power of words and the importance of using them responsibly.’ And do we ever need it badly in this over talkative society, especially with all the many social media platforms we have where talk is cheap but wisdom and discernment are sadly lacking.
Yes my people many of us need to make that prayer, entrusting the guarding of our lips to God, for we open our mouths way too much and talk unnecessarily about things we don’t know. Our society is suffering from a surfeit, an excess or overabundance of opinions and idle chatter, and unfortunately most of it is ungodly and evil stuff. And there are several places in the Bible where it specifically talks about keeping one’s mouth shut as much as possible. Cousin Sol alone has three examples in Proverbs.
The first says: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov. 13:2) And the second warning on talking too much tells us: ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from trouble.’ (Prov. 21:23) And the third is one that we hear very often, and don’t pay much attention to, but it is very relevant to our faith.. It says: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21)
And is that ever the gospel truth! For the Lord spoke everything but mankind into existence, and blessings or curses from our mouth are very powerful. Our words, be they good or bad, are very powerful my brethren, and I plead with us to take those three warnings to heart and sincerely ask the Lord to help us put them into action in our lives, for so many of us are getting in serious trouble because of our ‘chatty chatty’ lips.
Then there’s this other warning verse from James, that’s the Bible Promise verse for our poem today. In speaking about Hearers and Doers of the Word, he solemnly advises: ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) And we can see the indisputable truth in those words for our world has become so filled with angry people that godliness is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
So friends, if we want to reduce the anger and therefore the strife and all the negative things in our world, the fist thing we need to do is watch what we say, and then say as little as possible. For remember what Cousin Sol tells us again in Proverbs: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov. 17:28) And it’s not like we don’t have the wherewithal to do it, for God has given us all that we need to live godly down here, but we’re just too lazy and/or too rebellious to do it.
He’s even generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. That means we have no grounds whatsoever for complaints. So let’s be wise and declare those blessings and thus activate them right now. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made those declarations (steups!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…words are one of our most powerful tools…be careful how we use them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, a strong will, believers ought never to give up, blessed with God's supernatural widom, chores, christianity, Creator and Controller of the universe, curse, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God, David was greatly distressed, divine protection, do not fear, double figures, even mine enemies and foes, every man for his sons and daughters, evil and ungodly times, faith, favour, fear him which can destroy both body and soul in hell, fear not them which kill the body, fulfillment, give I unto you, good health, holy spirit, humans cannot harm the soul or spirit, in the name of Jesus, in this will I be confident, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, lifted up their voices to God, like a rag doll before a mad bull, LOVE, mercy, my heart shall not fear, my peace I give unto you, negative word, neither let it be afraid, nobody, not as the world gives, of whom shall I be afraid, onfidence, Peace i leave with you, physical harm, promotion, put our full hope and faith in God, salvation, self-control, share our undeserved blessings, stood strong in the comfort and encouragement of his God, strengthen our hearts, strife-filled and ruthless times, success, the Amalekites burned Ziklag, the BIBLE, the chaotic and fearful state of our world, the enemy will cast us aside, the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is my light and my salvation, the Lord is the strength of my life, the men blamed David for their woeful state, the people spake of stoning him, the soul of all the people was grieved, they stumbled and fell, though an host should encamp against me, though war should rise against me, to eat up my flesh, total assurance, truth, useful scriptures, we look for someone else to blame, we want to share in the fame and fortune, when the wicked came upon me, when things go right, when things go wrong, whom shall I fear, wisdom
1 Samuel 30:6b. …but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Ah mih people, we’re on the late, late bus this Thursday morning, or rather afternoon, where the sun has a decided edge over the clouds, but those clouds aren’t giving up very easily. Just like we faithful believers ought not to give up easily, or rather not give up at all, for there’s no giving up in Jesus’ kingdom! And on this penultimate day of our workweek, when July has hit double figures… imagine that nuh, is jut last week we celebrated Canada Day on the first of July, and it’s already up to the tenth. The days certainly are running away like they have some kind of wild animal running them down. (smile)
But I’m sure some of you are wondering why we’re so late today. Well it’s simple. I went to bed late, thus got up late, and there were a few chores to be done around the house that I could not put off any longer without earning the Duchess’ ire. And you know what that can be like! (smile) Anyway, we’re finally here, and kicking too, so let’s check out some useful scriptures…and be brief in doing so too. Hn! Hn! As if the ole fella knows how to be brief. But we’ll try. (smile)
And the scripture for today comes from that marvellous Psalm 27, aptly titled, ‘My Heart Shall Not Fear.’ And that’s something so many of us believers ought to get a grip on, for one of the things Jesus said most often while here on earth is ‘Do not fear.’ He doesn’t expect His followers to fear when they have His sovereign authority and marvellous promises at hand. And what can be more encouraging than these words of His. ‘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)
Unfortunately though many Christians right now are experiencing much fear because of the chaotic and fearful state of our world. But that’s exactly where and when Bruh David’s words from Psalm 27 ought to strengthen our hearts, as he writes with total assurance and confidence: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps. 27:1) And the correct answer to that question from the mouth of believers, ought to be a loud and resounding, ‘NOBODY!’
Yes friends, we ought to be afraid of NO ONE! Remember Jesus’ warning. ‘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 this commentary explains that verse thus: ‘It means that while humans may have the power to take away physical life, they cannot harm the soul or spirit. Therefore, one should not be excessively afraid of those who can inflict physical harm, but rather should fear God, who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell.’
Now, I know it’s not always easy to not be afraid of man, especially in these strife-filled and ruthless times, but let’s weigh the thing in the balance here: man can only destroy our physical body, but the Lord can destroy both our body and soul, so whom should we fear most then eh? It’s obvious, the Lord God Almighty, Creator and Controller of the Universe and all therein!
So let’s stop fearing what man can do to us, and put our full hope and faith in God. Let’s begin thinking and saying like Bruh David did: ‘When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ (Ps. 27:2-3)
Oh my people, that’s the kind of thinking we have to embrace in these evil and ungodly times, otherwise the enemy will just cast us aside like a rag doll before a mad bull. And we all know that Bruh David’s life was far from easy, but he stood strong in the comfort and encouragement of His God. And there’s no better example of this than when Bruh David was living amongst the Philistines, running from King Saul, and he joined them to fight against his Jewish brethren. The Philistine princes didn’t trust him to fight on their side, and sent him and his men back home to Ziklag.
Unfortunately, they arrived there only to find that the Amalekites had invaded, burned it down, and took away all the inhabitants and their livelihood. Obviously when they discovered that sorry state of affairs, Bruh David and his men were very sorrowful, and they lifted up their voices to God and wept. But the selfish and distressful thing was that the men blamed Bruh David for their woeful state, not considering that his two wives were also taken captive. And here’s where Bruh David’s faith truly came through.
The Bible says: ‘And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved (bitter), every man for his sons and his daughters:’ (1 Sam. 30:6a) So, wasn’t Bruh David’s soul grieved for his family too? Apparently not, in the people’s estimate. But that’s how we feckless humans behave. When things go right we all expect to be a part of the fame and glory, but when they go wrong, we always try to lay the blame on someone else’s shoulders.
But thankfully Bruh David was up to the task…obviously with God’s help. The Bible further informs us that instead of being afraid and worried, ‘but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam. 30:6b) And that my people is what we all are expected to do when things get rough. And the example continues, for Bruh David enquired of the Lord what to do, and the Lord told him to go after the Amalekites. He and his six-hundred men did so, and with the Lord’s assistance recaptured all that they’d lost.
And today, there’s no need to worry, because the Lord has given us underserved blessings to do His earthly work as well as boost our faith; we call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it behooves us to go out and use those underserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. And I know I promised to be short …but that’s the best I could do! (smile) Much LOVE!
…faith is hope in action…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a godless society, a great family, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, actions prove love, an expression of love, another day another dollar, arise and flourish, baptizing them in the name of the Father, be completely lost, Christians, complacent, curse, discarded on the dumping ground fo life, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, favour, fear him which can destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, fight the good fight, glorify your Father which is in heaven, good for nothing, good friends, greed, hide your light under a bushel, highest level of innovation, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, I am with you always, if any man will come after me, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the name of the Holy Spirit, in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, keep arrogance and judgement from my heart, lack of faithful witness for Christ, lazy, let him deny himself, Let your light so shine before men, lost our salty flavour, LOVE, mercy, negative things, negative word, nigh impossible, not able to kill the soul, not putting fort the necessary effort, nothing can separate us from the Love of God, overrun by negative things, positive ad productive changes, preach Christ Crucified, promotion, prosperity, salvation, see your good works, self-aggrandizement, self-control, spread our salty flavour, stand strong in Faith, supernatural wisdom, take up his cross daily and follow me, talent, teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things, that we keep his commandments, the BIBLE, the Great Commission, the salt of the earth, this is the love of God, through him that loved us, to be cast out, trodden under foot of men, truth, we are more than conquerors, we can do anything through Jesus, whatsoever I have commanded you, wisdom, with Jesus in our lives, Ye are the light of the world
John 14:15. If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.
Another day, another dollar! That’s what we’re working for, on this Thursday morning in early July. But in reality, after taxes, inflation, pension plan etc. etc. we might only end up with about thirty five cents out of that dollar, and it’s definitely not easy, nigh impossible, to live on that in these dreadful times. However, as children of God, who have been made to see another sunshiny summer’s day on God’s great earth, we have the ability to make something from nothing, for we can do any and everything through Christ Jesus who strengthens and enables us. (Phil. 4:13)
Give Him the glory my people! For He’s been such a blessing to us, that without Him, we’d be completely lost and discarded on the dumping ground of life. But with Jesus in our lives, we can arise and flourish, for we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. (Rom. 8:37) And how wonderful it is to further know that NOTHING can separate us from the marvellous LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39)
No wonder we stand strong in faith and fight the good fight that Jesus has called us to engage in on His behalf. We know it as the Great Commission, where He commands us to ‘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. 28:19-20)
Now that’s the job we ought to be doing down here on earth if we claim to believe in Jesus and all that he stands for. But unfortunately we’re not doing such a great job, judging by the overwhelming strife, anguish, poverty, hunger and sickness that exist in a world of plenty; a world that’s reached its highest level of innovation, knowledge, information and prosperity in its entire existence. But all these negative things exist because our world is also a generally godless society that is overrun by other negative things like greed, arrogance, entitlement and self-aggrandizement.
The truth of the matter though is that we supposed believers are not putting forth the energy and effort necessary to make positive and productive changes in our world. We’re either lazy and complacent, living in our comfortable little corner, not wanting to be disturbed or bothered to help anyone in need. Or, we are afraid of what man can do to us, if and when we preach and live Christ crucified. But please remember Jesus’ warning to that situation. ‘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)
That means we’re not to be afraid of man, because all he can kill is our bodies, but our fear should be of God who can destroy both our bodies and souls. But that doesn’t seem to bother us in the least since we’re going about our selfish business as usual, without a qualm regarding our lack of good and faithful witness for Jesus.
Like we’ve also forgotten, or simply disregarded His entreaty, that we’re the salt of the earth, and should be spreading that salty flavour of Christianity all over the planet. And why aren’t we doing that eh? Is it because we have apparently lost our salty flavour? If so, then as Jesus says, we are good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. (Matt. 5:13) I would certainly hope that is not the case.
And what about Jesus’ other contention? ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’ (Matt. 5:14) Yes friends, that’s what we’re supposed to be; bright lights shining forth like cities and lighthouses set on hills, to provide the light of Jesus for the numerous people who are still living in darkness today. But instead, we seem to be hiding our light under a bushel or a basket, so that it’s not getting to anyone else and lighting their way. But Jesus’ specific instruction was to: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:16)
Ah mih people, how easily we disregard Jesus’ desires, but yet still insist on calling ourselves His ambassadors and disciples. Remember His saying on discipleship? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Yes friends, that’s what a disciple of Christ looks like! And how many of us can truthfully claim to be doing that to the best of our ability eh? Not enough of us!
Let’s also remember the rather profound statement that Jesus made while comforting the disciples before His departure. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) It’s as simple as that my fellow believers. If we LOVE Jesus, we will keep His commandments. And this commentary explains the verse thus: ‘It emphasizes that LOVING Jesus is demonstrated through obedience to his teachings and instructions. The verse highlights that keeping commandments is not a burden, but an expression of LOVE and a way to experience a deeper relationship with God.’
And John corroborates that when he says in his first epistle: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) No my brethren, God’s commandments are not burdensome, but we do have to come up a little higher than normal to keep them. And on that exhilarating note, (smile) let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) and thus activating what we call our Thursday Blessings, undeserved, but generously given to us by God to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…you can’t say you LOVE someone…and not have actions to prove it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, being confident of this very thing, being justified by his blood, being made more like Jesus in conduct and character, bounden duty, broken right now, by grace are you saved through faith, Christ's death atones for our sins, Christ's righteousness is imputed to them through faith, created in christ Jesus unto good works, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God hath before ordained, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, god's declaration that a person is righteous, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, he that believeth in me, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, in the name of Jesus, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, joy in God through Christ, justification, justified by his blood, keep God first place, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, negative word, new life, not becuse of inherent righteousness, promotion, raised from glory to glory, receive clear direction for my life, received the atonement, reconciliation, reconnection to God, salvation, salvation is not of works, sanctified -set apart for God's work, saved from wrath through Christ, self-control, self-discipline, set apart for a sacred purpose, share our blessings generously, the numerous benefits of Christ's death and resurrection, the penultimate day of our work week, the recent heat wave, the righteousness of God in christ, the saving grace of God, though he were dead yet shall he live, truth, underserved divine favour, undeserved blessings, unless we have Christ we have nothing at all, we are his workmanship, we cannot earn salvation, we should walk in them, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in me shall never die, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom
John 11:25. I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live:
Ah friends, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and it looks like we’ve gotten through the recent heat wave without too much damage! Thank the Lord! And with a li’l rain falling in the early morning hours, and some falling outside right now, it’s helped to give us a cool, but somewhat cloudy day. And as we promised yesterday if God spared our lives, we would continue looking at some of the numerous benefits that His death and resurrection brought us.
Remember, yesterday we read this commentary that gave us a brief insight into some of those things: ‘‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’ And we went through some of the relevant benefits and scriptures.
Today, as time and space permit, we’ll do a few more starting with one we touched on briefly yesterday. That’s reconciliation, or reconnection to God. That’s a major benefit, because our sins had separated us from our heavenly Father, and Christ’s dying and taking them, brought us back into communion with Him. And this passage of scripture touches on several of the things Christ’s sacrifice did for us. And one thing we should note is that it all happened because of God’s great LOVE for us.
Bruh Paul writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
Yes friends, in that passage we see God reaching out to us, although we were enemies, to provide reconciliation, salvation and justification through the death and the shed blood of His son. And what is salvation? Salvation is the saving grace of God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
And the gist of all that is simply that we are saved by the grace or undeserved divine favour of God, it is a gift of God, and we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, we do good works because we’re expected to once we’re saved. We don’t do good works to be saved. And that’s something we all ought to understand, because many of us still believe doing good works will get us into heaven! Unfortunately it will not. Only faith, or belief in Christ Jesus will do so.
As Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, before He raised him from the dead. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s a very crucial question! For belief and faith in Christ is the only way we will ever experience eternal life. His death paid the atoning price for our sins. ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)
And ‘the righteousness of God’ is another benefit we received from Christ’s death and resurrection. Earlier on we talked about being ‘justified by his blood” that’s another benefit. So what’s justification, and what’s the righteousness of God? They are both intertwined, as this commentary explains: ‘Justification is God’s declaration that a person is righteous, not because they are inherently righteous, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them through faith.’ Yes friends, all that we are, all that we have is because of Christ and applied to us because of Him. We have been made righteous, justified, reconciled and sanctified because of His work on the cross.
And sanctified simply means been set apart to do God’s work for a sacred purpose. It’s the process of being made more like Jesus Christ in character and conduct. And it’s a lifelong journey, not a one time event. It calls to mind this verse: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) Meaning that once God begins changing you into the image of Christ, He will not stop until Christ returns, or He takes you home.
Ah mih people I know it’s difficult to take in and understand all that Christ has done for us, but as the Lord changes us into His image, and we work with Him to do so, we will grow in spiritual maturity and understand more and more, as He raises us from glory to glory. So there’s no need to worry, once we keep God first place and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit. And to show His goodness and mercy, God has bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…unless we have Christ…we have nothing at all…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new and enduring way of life with Christ, a new creation, a part of God's great plan, accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, all things are become new, all things are of God, be fulfilled in us, be made the righteousness of God in Him, bear food for us to eat, born from above, born of water and the Spirit, change one's lifestyle to suit Christ, come to know and love God like we do, coming into union with the risen Lord, condemned sin in the flesh, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, except a man be born again, faith, favour, flora for us to admire, free creations, God reconciled us to himself by Jesus, God's goodness and mercy, God's Guiding Light, good friends, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, have greater intimacy with God, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, he's a new creature, holy spirit, I will do a new thing, if any man be in Christ, in the likeness of sinful flesh, Jesus Christ, live according to His dictates, LOVE, made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, make a way in the wilderness, mercy, my chosen, negative word, Nicodemus, no condemnation to them which are in Christ, now it shall spring forth, old things are passed away, our new friend the wind, prosper, rivers in the desert, salvation, shall ye not know it, share our blessings with others, success, supernatural strength, talent, Thank You Lord, that whcih is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, the beast of the field shall honour me, the ministry of reconciliation, the penultimate day of the work week, the righteousness of the law, the universal truth, to be in Christ, to givedrink to my people, to water the earth and seed it, truth, walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, walking in the Spirit, wisdom
Isaiah 43:19a. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
And we’ve worked our way down to Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek, without any major problems. Give thanks and praise to Almighty God for that, for we could not have done it without His Guiding Light and Presence! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful, ‘Thank You Lord for your goodness and mercy toward us, although we don’t deserve it! Amen!’
Anyway, I’m chuckling here, because yesterday, before I even finished writing about it being sunshiny and bright, with the promise of rain in the afternoon, the rain apparently came pouring down, but I did not notice it here in the basement. And once it came down, it kept drizzling for most the afternoon and evening. Meanwhile, today, we’ve already felt it’s presence, with more to come later, with our new friend, the wind, also acting up out there. But it’s all good, because it’s all a part of God’s great plan to water the earth and seed it, so that it can bear food for us to eat and flora for us to admire. (smile)
And as I just went seeking something to write on from The Good Library, it opened unto the Book of Isaiah, and this amazing scripture caught my eye: ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons (jackals) and the owls (ostriches): because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth (declare) my praise.’ (Is. 43:19-21)
Oh my fellow believers, the Lord was there referring to making a way in the wilderness for His people Israel, after using Babylon to punish them for their gross disobedience and rebellion. It’s the same thing He’s doing for His chosen people today. That’s those who believe in His Son Jesus Christ, accept Him as Lord and Saviour, and live according to His dictates. The Lord’s always doing something new in us, trying to bring us closer to Him, so that we can grow in spiritual maturity, have greater intimacy and know Him better.
And these words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians attest to that fact. ‘Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.’ (2 Cor, 5:17) Yes friends, as the scholars tell us, ‘that’s the universal truth that has been applied to Christ personally. Anyone who comes into vital union with the risen and glorified Lord, he is a “new creation.” Yes, we begin perceiving Christ in a new way, with our old man, our old way of life being left behind, and assuming a new abiding and enduring way of life in Christ.
It’s as Jesus said to Nicodemus the Jewish leader that came to Him by night seeking the truth. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3) And in response to Nicodemus’ question re ‘being born again,’ Jesus said. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirt. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.’ (John 3:5-7)
So my people, to come to Christ, we must be born again; that’s receive His Holy Spirit and begin living like that new person, we’re meant to be. And from thence we walk after the law of the Spirit, not the law of man. That’s why Bruh Paul could write thus to the Romans. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin (on account of sin) condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness (righteous requirement) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1-4)
Ah mih bredrin, the law of the flesh could not help us deal with our sin problems, so God in His inordinate wisdom, sent His Son to earth in the flesh to deal with it; be crucified on the cross of Calvary bearing all the sins of the world, and give us the option of being reunited with God. As Bruh Paul further says: ‘And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:18) And He did that by laying all the burden of sin on Jesus’ shoulders to free us from the law of sin. As the scriptures say: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
And considering all the work that’s needed to keep us on the straight and narrow path, we must do our best to help the Lord in His difficult task. For, as Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) And just like God won’t ever give up on us, neither should we ever give up on ourselves or on God! For remember we’re now new, free creations, walking in the Spirit and not the flesh. Consequently, let’s go home declaring and activating our Thursday Blessings, undeservedly bestowed on us, to do God’s earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And now, having activated those blessings, it behooves us to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…to be in Christ…one must change one’s lifestyle to suit Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, abundance, adversity, become discouraged, by experience, by God's grace, christianity, Christians, consider him, courage, creativity, curse, despising the shame, divine protection, doing what pleases you, encompassed about with, endurance, endured the cross, entitled to the easy life, faint in your souls, Father You are good, favour, finish strong, for a long duration, for the joy that was set before him, fulfilment, get a move on, give me stamina, God-given purpose, good family, good freinds, good health, help me persevere, hold on through every test, holy spirit, I will trust you, if God spares life, In Touch Ministry, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best example of endurance, Jesus will keep you on course, lay aside every weight, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, lest you become discouraged, live a Christ-like life, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of the goal, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not giving up easily, perform an exercise, perseverance, produce good fruit for God, promotion, prosper, run well, run with patience, salvation, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, so great a cloud of witnesses, stay focused on Jesus, stick to the job at hand regardless of the problems, stress, succeed, talent, thank you calling me, that endured such hostility of sinners, the ability to withstand hardship, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the goodness of God, the race that is set before us, the sin which so easily ensnares us, to complete the work you begin in me, to endure trials, to sustain a prolonged effort, to the end, to this journey of growth in Christ, truth, use our blessings to help others, when you want to give up look to Jesus, wisdom, your promise
Hebrews 12:3. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (be discouraged) in your minds (souls).
And so we come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week, but please note that it’s also the middle of May, which means the month is quickly slipping by and we’ve got to get a move on, if we hope to do our jobs, and produce good fruit for God. And one of the basic and most important things we need to accomplish our God-given purpose is ENDURANCE!
And what’s that? This commentary describes it thus: ‘Endurance, in general, refers to the ability to withstand hardship, adversity, or stress, particularly the ability to sustain a prolonged effort or activity. In a physical context, it refers to the body’s ability to perform an exercise or activity for a long duration, encompassing both cardiovascular and muscular endurance.’
In other words, it’s the ability to stick to the job at hand regardless of the problems we may face, of not giving up easily. In fact, remember in Christ’s economy, the term ‘giving up’ does not exist. (smile) And how do we get endurance? Like most other things by experience and by God’s grace. The Bible is full of talk about the importance of endurance or persevering. But before we get into the scriptures, let’s offer up this interesting prayer on the subject from the Prayer Cards recently published by the In Touch Ministry.
Please pray with me: ‘Father, You are so good. Thank You for calling me to this journey of growth in Christ. I want to run well and finish strong. Don’t let me lose sight of the goal. Help me persevere in doing what pleases You and discarding what doesn’t. When I become discouraged, give me stamina to endure trials and hold on through every test. Thank You for Your promise to complete the work You begin in me. I will trust You and stay focused on Jesus to the end. Amen!’
Now, that’s certainly a stimulating and encouraging prayer! And the scripture associated with that prayer is one we all know: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance, endurance) the race that is set before us.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (be discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Oh friends that’s a mighty scripture on endurance, for we have the best example ever of it in the earthly life of Jesus, who despite all the shame and hostility and abuse and suffering He faced, got the job the done! Yes, Christ persevered through all the misfortune and problems that came His way, and He also expects us to do the same. And we’ll stop here for today, since there’s many more scriptures to look at on the subject of endurance. Tomorrow, if God spares life we’ll continue on that topic.
Remember through, that living for Jesus is not always easy, but He provides us with what we need to do the job He’s called us to do. And to tell the truth, we have it so much easier now than believers did back then, for we have all the accoutrements and scriptures and the things that make it easier to live a life of Christ-like endurance. But it’s still not easy, especially for us who believe we’re entitled to the easy life. (smile)
However, our God, in His awesome goodness has certainly helped by granting us undeserved blessings, that we call our Thursday Blessings, to help us do His earthly work. So you see, we indeed have all the tools to do our God-given tasks. Now, let’s go home declaring (chuh man!!!) and thus activating those blessings.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!), it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God did with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him, like we do! Much LOVE!
…when you want to give up…look to Jesus…He will keep you on course….
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a disgusting weed, a dramatic effect, a positive outlook on life, abundance, between Satan and God, blinded him, both feet must be in one kingdom, christianity, Christians, come and follow me, courage, creativity, curse, dandelions, divine protection, early bloomers, faith, favour, give to the poor, go and sell that thou hast, God's supernatural wisdom, holy spirit, if thou wilt be perfect, indebted to share blessings with others, inward nature, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, losing our earthly treasure, LOVE, loved himself more than he loved God, loved himself more than he loved his neighbour, mercy, meritorious benefits, minimal dress, more people walking dogs than children, negative word, not necessary to sell possessions to become a Christian, outward demands, outward duties, promotion, prosper and succeed, rewards for faithful service, salvation, see nature being reborn, self-righteousness, sitting on my front porch, stick dancers, straddle the fence, success, such a beautiful flower, talent, the accumulation of things, the BIBLE, the dandelions turning from yellow to white, the lilies of the field, the season of spring, the seriousness of true discipleship, the weeds are sprouting too, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, thou shalt have treasure in heaven, to his real weakness, truth, valuable advice, vibrant with new life, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, wisdom
Matthew 6:19a & 20a. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth… But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…
Oh friends, what a joy it is these days to finally look out my bedroom window and see life; see nature being reborn in the green, yellow or cherry coloured leaves of the trees, instead of the dark and dreary lifeless branches I’ve been seeing for the last six months. But surprisingly, there are some trees that still look like stick dancers, with nary a leaf, not even a bud on them. I don’t understand that, when so many others quite close to them are beautifully blooming. And don’t think that it’s only the trees that are vibrant with new life… not at all!
The grass looks as green as ever with the rain over the last couple of days, the weeds are sprouting too, including the gloriously yellow dandelion. And every time I see those dandelions spread out so beautifully in the grass, I remember the first time I saw them some fifty something years ago, and thought they were such a beautiful flower, only to learn later that they were a very disgusting weed. And brother when they turn from yellow to white, the effect is certainly dramatic.
Oh, let’s not forget those other early bloomers, the lilies of the field, dressed even more gloriously than Cousin Sol at his best, as Jesus so effectively characterized them in Matthew 6:28-29. And the Duchess has a couple at both the front and side of her garden that are indeed rich in colour. The only problem with the lilies though is that they don’t last as long as we would like then to. So, in other words, I guess I’m saying that spring is finally here, with a bit of summer weather thrown in for good measure, as I got to sit on my front porch yesterday in minimal dress.
I can’t’ wait for the time when I can sit there every afternoon and watch the folks of the neighbourhood go by, walking and running. There’s a serious disappointment in that though, for these days, many more people are walking dogs than children. Chuh man! I just get disgusted seeing so many dogs, with only a handful of children out enjoying the good weather. For whatever reason, this generation seems to be more interested in dogs than children! I wonder who’s going to walk those dogs, or live in those fancy houses when the old folks die? But who am I to tell others whether to have children or dogs eh? (smile)
And that brings us to an interesting scripture where Jesus warns us about our treasures and where we secure them. Unfortunately, many of us know it, but like so many other scriptures, simply ignore it. So, one more time, please listen closely to Jesus’ most valuable advice. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
Now we cannot find any fault with that advice, because many of us have experienced or know of someone who has experienced the loss of their earthly treasure though rust and earthly decay, as well as through others stealing it, but none have ever complained about losing their heavenly treasure, since there are no moths or decay or thieves in heaven. (smile) Seriously though, Jesus is trying to say that the accumulation of earthly things can be lost quite easily, but whatever you have stored up in heaven will never be lost.
And the scholars further enlighten us when they say: ‘The attention of the believer is directed toward treasures in heaven. The term treasures implies the addition or accumulation of things. The two kinds of treasures are conditioned by their place (either on earth or in heaven). The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits but rather of rewards for faithful service, as is illustrated elsewhere in the teaching of Jesus.’
And we have a very good example of that when later on a rich young man approaches Jesus and asks what he should do to have eternal life? Jesus basically told him to keep the Ten Commandments. To which he answered, ‘All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:20-21) Unfortunately the young man went away quite sorrowful because he had much wealth.
But as the scholars explain, ‘The list of commands that Jesus gave him in verses 18 and 19, centres on outward duties, rather than inward nature, which was the young man’s real problem. He protests that he’s kept these outward demands. His luxurious wealth and self-righteousness blinded him to his real weakness. To expose this, Jesus tells him to go and sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, then come back and follow Him. But he refused to do it.
Jesus thus shows him that he had not kept the commandments at all. He LOVED himself more than he LOVED his neighbour (the poor), and he LOVED his possessions more than he LOVED God (refusing to follow Jesus). This passage teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but it in no way teaches that the average man must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian.’
And that can never be true, otherwise why would the Lord bestow our undeserved Thursday Blessings on us eh? Blessings that can make us healthy, wealthy and wise. (smile) Because He LOVES us and knows that we need tools to do His earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!), we are now indebted to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…you cannot straddle the fence between Satan and God…have one foot in both kingdoms…you must have both feet…in one or the other…preferably God’s…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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