The Overwhelming Importance of Involving God in Our Every Plan and Decision!

07 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 August 2026   Proverbs 27:1.

Proverbs 27:1.        Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

And finally the streak of bright, sunshiny summer days has ended, corroborating the saying that all good things will come to an end sometime, leaving us all hoping that it will happen later rather than sooner. (smile) Anyway, this first Friday in August is a cloudy, rainy one, but that didn’t stop us from sending up a boisterous Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Regardless of what’s happening or what the weather is like on a Friday, we always seem to get a boost to our spirits simply because the weekend is at hand.

And some of us want this weekend even more than normal, so we can catch up on our rest, after the great amount of partying we did last weekend and from which we have not yet recovered. But going to work tired is the price we pay for overdoing it, for that lack of the modicum of circumspection. (smile)  And that is a fitting start to the situation we’re going to address today, conveyed by these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1)

But unfortunately, in today’s busy and ungodly world, that’s a very normal situation. We all talk about and plan for what we’ll do tomorrow, not knowing whether we’ll even be around to put those plans into action. For who knows when the Grim Reaper will show up and announce our time has come? No one. And many of us have made future plans but never woken up to action them. It’s like the parable Jesus told of the rich man, whose land was very productive.

‘And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits (store my crops)? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow (store) all my fruits (crops) and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:17-21)

And in this current wealth and power driven society, that’s a very prevalent habit. We’re all seeking our individual treasure, with scant, if any concern for God and what He expects of us. That’s why so many of our supposed well-laid plans fall by the wayside, and have thus led to sayings like, ‘man plans and God laughs,’ or ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,’ meaning that life is full of surprises. Or as Cousin Sol wisely puts it in Proverbs: ‘The preparations (plans) of the heart in man (belong to man), and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) And the scholars tell us, that means the Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words.

Then later on in that same chapter, Cousin Sol writes another wise saying on the subject. ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) And per the scholars, the Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning. So if the Lord can ditch all of our best laid plans, how are we to approach the situation eh?

I guess it’s like James describes it. He writes: ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is you life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boasting (boast in your arrogance): all such rejoicing (boasting) is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:13-17)

Yes friends, the answer to the question is ever so simple; invoke God’s mercy and will for our lives! What will it take for us to understand that God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, and since He is our Creator and Controller, He is able to do exactly as He desires if, in His opinion, we don’t come up to scratch. But no, we insist on following the path of the ungodly world and doing our own thing without any thought of or consultation with our Maker. And remember, He is indeed a jealous God and does not want us bowing to any other gods, be they man-made idols or our own fleshly lusts and desires.

So the only wise way to live this earthly life is by talking to Him about our desires and plans, and then listening for His replies. So let’s do that right now nuh, by confidently but humbly, approaching the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, so we can find grace and mercy to help in these very troubled times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 

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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 our egos get too puffed up, let’s note that we believers need to also wake up and smell the coffee, because our witness for Christ is totally unacceptable! And it’s high time we improve it! Much LOVE!

…God’s opinion should be sought…in every plan or decision we make…

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

A Reminder for Christians to WAKE UP, for Jesus is coming back soon, and the Darkness of the World is quickly closing around Us!

28 Feb 2026 Leave a comment

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

Romans 13:12.       ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’

And then it was our lazy-day Saturday; a bright, sunshiny but somewhat chilly day in my neighbourhood! Yes friends, it’s the day when we can do as we wish; no work to go to, and hopefully no set of household chores or grocery shopping to do, simply lazing around the old homestead if we so desire. (smile) It’s also the last day of February. Can you imagine two months of the year are already over, when it just feels like yesterday we were partying to ring in the new year.

Yes, the days of these last years seem to be flying away faster than ever, that’s why we’ve got to get up and get ourselves in order, for who knows what’s going to happen. Anything is possible, so it’s time to get ready. As Bruh Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, it’s time to wake up, Jesus is coming back soon – possibly sooner than we think, and in the meanwhile darkness is overtaking the land like a stormy black cloud. And talking about darkness overtaking the land, I just heard that the U.S and Israel have made a warlike strike against Iran!

Ah Lord eh! I don’t even want to contemplate the additional suffering that’s going to emanate from that action, and resonate all around the world. When is it going to end? Everyday another theatre of strife seems to be opening up while none of the existing ones are being closed with peace. So friends, it’s becoming even more urgent for us to get up, since ‘The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’ (Rom. 13:12)

And sadly, there’s not much the ordinary man can do to stem the abuse of power happening in high places, but we can pray, and do whatever we can in our own area to improve matters there. And talking of prayer, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, so that we can find peace in our own souls. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And if our prayer was sincere, it’s only a matter of time before we feel that wonderful peace that our finite minds can’t comprehend flowing through our souls and bodies, for the Lord, our wonderful God, does not refuse a heartfelt plea for greater intimacy with Him, since that was one of the reasons He created us in the first place. And unfortunately, that is why so many of us live miserable lives; we refuse to get intimate with our Creator. Consequently many of us therefore keep Him on the sidelines of our lives instead of the Beacon of Light we ought to be confidently and eagerly looking up to.

That’s why Jesus firmly and resolutely declared in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) For when we put God first place in our lives, we don’t lack anything we truly need. That’s why Bruh David also made the resolute, unshakeable statement: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps.23:1) He was convinced that if he kept his eyes steadfastly fixed on his God, then all would eventually turn out well for him. And that was his experience for most of his life, except when he messed it up through his adulterous affair with Bathsheba, and the subsequent murder of her husband Uriah.

And so it is that many of us bring problems on ourselves when we don’t follow the Lord’s bidding, or His guidelines, and instead do our own thing.  Doing our own thing without God’s presence or influence is like a boomerang; when we throw it, it eventually comes back to haunt us in more difficult and perverse ways than we ever imagined. Remember, there are consequences for every action, and bad actions can bring very terrible, lifelong, life altering consequences. That’s why Uncle Charles (Dr, Charles Stanley) always warned us to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

Yes, obeying God is the number one requirement of a Christian’s life, and if we don’t, then there’s no one else to blame but ourselves, when we suffer the consequences of our disobedience. Remember, God LOVES us, but He will not allow us to get away with things like pride, rebellion and disobedience. As the author of Hebrews reminds us: ‘For whom the Lord LOVETH he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’ (Heb. 12:6) Yes my fellow believers, whom the Lord LOVES, He disciplines! There’s no getting away from it. So we might as well make up our minds to take our discipline with a smile, because it’s going to come sooner or later, when we run afoul of God’s desires.

And living a godly life in this evil and ungodly world is not easy. The Lord knows that, but at the same time, He desires us to make a better effort than many of us are currently making. It’s all about effort, about our trying. Too many of us are wrapped up in the things of the world, ofttimes living like the world from Monday to Saturday, then trying to put on a godly appearance at church on Sundays. Remember we can fool our fellow believers, but we cannot fool God, for He sees us exactly as we are.

So, as we said earlier, it’s high time we wake up and smell the stench in our world, and do whatever we can to reduce it. For come the judgement day, when the Lord asks us what we did to help the kingdom here on earth, we will have to speak the truth, and we cannot afford to say, ‘I did nothing Lord.’ For there will be consequences; not hellfire and damnation, but loss of otherwise glorious rewards. And who wants to lose heavenly rewards eh? I’m sure none of us do. So please, let’s spend some time on this lazy-day Saturday at the end of February, pondering what we can do to enhance God’s kingdom here on earth. It will surely pay big dividends in the long run! Much LOVE!

…one cannot be a true Christian…and live in constant disobedience to Almighty God…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 May 2018 Psalm 33:18.

23 May 2018 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 33:18.   Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.

Ah friends, it’s just one of those days. Life interspersed itself into my circumstances, as it so often likes to do and threw everything off kilter, that’s why I’m only now writing the Bit at ten o’clock. But not to worry, as they say better late than never. (smile) 

And I have an interesting quote to share from a lady named Maria Goff, from her book, ‘Once Burned Twice Shy.’ And Maria tells us that ‘It won’t be the fires that destroy our lives and our faith. It will be the obsessing over not getting burned again.’ 

How true that seems when we look at the way our society obsesses over stuff. We get that herd mentality over a particular thing, and then it’s ever so hard to break it. Dread of things to come, many of which never come, plays a large part in our current society. But friends, as believers, we know that when the fire comes, we won’t be around to get burned. So there is nothing for us to be worried about, much less to obsess over. (smile) 

But on a more serious note, the fire, lava from the volcano in Hawaii is causing serous problems; it’s run through the jungles down to the sea, causing tremendous plumes of steam with excessive heat to rise into the atmosphere. It’s not even safe to go to the beach. 

Ah Lord eh! As the ole people would say, when it’s not one thing it’s another. But thankfully it has not exploded in a serious explosion just yet. Now that would be a horse of an entirely different colour. Let’s keep them in our prayers. 

And our Bit today is one of great assurance. ‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.’ Yes friends, that is ever so true! The psalmist tells us in Psalm 121: ‘He that keepeth thee, will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ (Ps.121:3b-4) 

Oh how wonderful is our God, that He never slumbers nor sleeps so that he can keep a watchful eye over us! ‘To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.’ (Ps.33:19) 

I don’t think there is any more we can ask of our God nuh my people. We just have to surrender our will to His and wait patiently, with expectancy, for Him to do His thing in His own time. One thing we’re sure of though, is that He will NEVER let us down, and will eventually cause everything to work in our favour. And Job concurs with the words of our Bit. ‘He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous:’ (Job 36:7a) 

Meanwhile, we have these immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 33: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps.32:8-9) 

Ah mih people, how often has our God promised and admonished us as to the way we ought to behave eh? Numerous times! But do we listen? Not really. We still insist on doing our own thing, even when that is not successful. We end up like the horse and the mule, which need a bit and bridle to guide them in the right paths. 

And I’m chuckling here as I discover this bit of wisdom on the topic from Cousin Sol. ‘A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass (donkey), and a rod for the fool’s back.’ (Prov.26:3) 

Oh friends, so many of us need a rod for our backs in these end times, because so many of us are behaving so foolishly! Turning away from the Lord, blaspheming His holy name, trying to run Him out of our society. No wonder our society is in the death throes that it’s in! 

Please, let’s listen to Bruh David and do as he recommends. ‘What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps.34:12-14) 

And you ask why should we follow that advice? Because, ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.’ (Ps.34:15-17) 

It couldn’t get any plainer than that my people. So why don’t we just show our great wisdom by embracing our wonderful God with joy and thanksgiving nuh? It’s oh so easy to do! 

And now, for those of us who choose to do so, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the world know our true and ever-improving position with Jesus. As one voice, with a strong sense of purpose and sincere heart: ‘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!’ 

Ah mih people, what a great joy it is to be involved with Jesus! Life just doesn’t get any better than when we are a member of His fold! And the future will be even more glorious than we can think or imagine! Much LOVE!

…to be with Jesus forever…ought to be every human’s greatest desire…