17 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Guidebook for earthly living, a light that shines in a dark place, a light unto my path, a more sure word of prophecy, all I hoped it would be, all of the time, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, alleviate our problems, an act of love, an extraordinary passion, ask for help, bind them continually upon thine heart, can't trust that day, could not guarantee, divine aid, ease the pain, eccentric opening, faith, find me crying, folk groups, forsake not the law of thy mother, God is still in control of the universe, God is still in the heavens, God loves us, guides our feet, holy men spake, holy spirit, howling winds, humble ourselves, in dire times, instruction in righteousness, it just turns out that way, it shall lead thee, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, John Phillips, keep thy father's commandment, keep you when you sleep, keep your promise to prosper us, leading a person to repentance, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, mere mortals, Monday Monday, moved by the Holy Ghost, navigate the storms, negative situations, no prophecy or scripture is of private interpretation, no warning, not by the will of man, opens the path of life, pray, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, raging around us, reproofs of instruction are the way of life, salvation, seek God's face, sincere repentance, so good to me, spiritual growth, strong faith in Christ, take heed, talk with you, the BIBLE, the commandment is a lamp, the day star arise in your hearts, the God who heals, the goodness of God, the great value of God's Word, the law is light, The Mamas & Papas, the man of God may be perfect, the power to solve our many problems, the throne of grace, the transfiguration of Jesus, the word of the Lord, thoroughly furnished, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, tie them about thy neck, total surrender, tru faith, truth, turn from our evil ways, unlimited trust, until the day dawn, unto all good works, walk under God's protection, when thou goest, wisdom, wise guidance, you'd still be here with me
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ah friends, those are the basic words of the hit song ‘Monday, Monday,’ written in 1966 by John Phillips of the Mamas & Papas and recorded by the group. And I just happened to remember the song while searching for an interesting, but somewhat eccentric opening. (smile) Most of you young folks won’t know the song, but it was indeed a big hit in the day when folk groups were popular, and I wonder how many of us experience such an intense and uncomfortable feeling on Mondays?
‘Monday, Monday, oh so good to me, Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be, Oh, Monday morning, Monday morning could not guarantee, that Monday evening, You’d still be here with me…. Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day, Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way Oh, Monday mornin’ you gave me no warning’ of what was to be Oh, Monday, Monday, how could you leave and not take me? Every other day (Every other day), every other day Every other day of the week is fine, yeah But whenever Monday comes (But whenever Monday comes), but whenever Monday comes You can find me cryin’ all of the time… Oh Monday, Monday…’
And to be on the safe side, I won’t even offer an answer to that touchy question, (smile) but simply allow the day to play out as it will and thus provide the true answers. But let’s be sure of one thing; however the day plays out, and whatever answer we get to the question, be it good or bad, we must remember that our God is still in the high heavens, still in control of the universe, and still LOVES us with an extraordinary passion, one that mankind can never replicate, but can surely appreciate and be grateful for, especially in these crazy and uncertain times in which we currently live!
Yes my people, it’s only with true faith in Almighty God, unlimited trust and total surrender to His will, can we ever navigate the stormy waters and howling winds that are now raging around us. It’s like the psalmist declares: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And it surely is, for it’s the Word of the Lord that opens the path of life and light to us and guides our feet as we walk along it, under His awesome presence and protection.
Now, listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs when he warns against adultery. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart (mind), and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:’ (Prov. 6:20-23). You cannot get wiser advice than that my brethren! And from the wisest man ever too! (smile)
And what are ‘reproofs of instruction’ you ask? This commentary gives a brief overview: It says, ‘In the Bible, “reproof” means to correct, rebuke, or express disapproval, with the goal of leading a person to repentance and improvement. It involves showing someone their faults and exposing error, and is considered an act of LOVE and a necessary part of spiritual growth. God’s Word provides reproof by revealing sin and guiding believers towards righteousness.’
And that’s exactly why it was written and passed down through the ages. As Bruh Paul says to Tmothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect (blameless), thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) What more can we say to encourage and enlighten us as to the great value of God’s Word to the believer eh?
Possibly these words from Peter, as he discusses his eyewitness account of Jesus’ transfiguration, when He was revealed to Peter, James and John in all His glory. (2 Pet. 1:16-18) He then writes: ‘We have also a more sure word of prophecy (the prophetic word made surer); whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy or scripture is of any private interpretation (origin). For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of (any) man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ (2 Pet. 1:19-21)
More confirmation that the Bible is God’s Word as directed by the Holy Ghost for holy men to write so that we can have a worthwhile guidebook for living this earthly life. But being mere mortals, we have not followed its guidelines properly, and thus have made all sorts of mistakes, however through the amazing goodness of God, we can go the throne of grace and ask for help in dire times like these. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And is it ever interesting to note, that right in our prayer, we find the answers to our problems: humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God, and turning from our evil ways. So, if we truly desire divine aid, let’s get to correcting those faults nuh, for remember they are all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…if God did not truly care for us…He would not have given us a guidebook…the Bible…or a Saviour…Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a barbaric society, a strife-filled society, a wintry Monday, all sinned and disobeyed your word, at the end it shall speak and not lie, cause me to behold grievance, come to that wise understanding, contention, cry out unto thee of violence, declare all thy works, destroyed all the unfaithful, destroyed all them that go a whoring, divine aid, divine judgement, don't lose hope, ease the pain, envious of the boastful, evil doers are pulling the strings, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, God is the strength of my heart, he may run that readeth it, He who has promised is faithful, his soul that is lifted up is not upright in him, holy spirit, how long shall I cry, humble ourselves, humble servants, I have put my trust in the Lord, it is good for me to draw near to God, it will surely come, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, justice doth never go forth, keep your promise to prosper us, little incentive to abide by the law, living in the northern climes, LOVE, make it plain upon tables, makes one's stomach churn, mass confusion, mercy, my flesh and my heart fails, my portion for ever, not enough serious consequences for breaking the law, perverse justice is handed down, pray, prophetic vision, repercussions, rush hour traffic, salvation, set me upon the tower, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spoiling and violence are before me, stand upon my watch, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the burden, the faithful will be vindicated, the God who heals, the law is powerless, the law is slacked, the lawlessness of our society, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the prosperity of the wicked, the righteous will inherit the earth, the throne of grace, the vision is for an appointed time, the wicked doth compass about the righteous, the wicked surround the righteous, the wicked will be destroyed, then understood I their end, there is never justice, there is strife, they that are far from thee shall perish, thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not save, though it tarry wait for it, to alleviate our problems, toil, trouble, truth, turn from our eil ways, until I went into the sanctuary of God, why di you show me iniquity, wisdom, wise guidance, write the vision, wrong judgement proceedeth
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
And then it was a wintry Monday; dark, snowy, slippery, aggravating and frustrating, as snow storms usually are when you must drive to work in them. But that’s all par for the course my brethren. It’s what living in the northern climes calls for and it’s what makes us such tough and hardy folks. (smile) Hope that you all left home early enough to escape most of the rush hour traffic and those who still drive unwisely under poor road conditions. Anyway, we pray that you arrived at your destinations safely, be it work, school or play, and that you will return home just as safely. We pray it all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
Now, yesterday in church, I heard an interesting scripture that I was not familiar with, but it made a big impression on me. It comes from the book of Habakkuk. The Book begins by saying, ‘The burden (oracle, prophecy) which the prophet Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance (trouble, toil)? For spoiling (plundering) and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife (there is strife) and contention. Therefore the law is slacked (powerless), and judgement (justice) doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about (surround) the righteous; therefore wrong (perverse) judgement proceedeth.’ (Hab. 1:1-4)
Yes friends, that was Habakkuk’s cry to the Lord, who, in his prophetic vision, was only showing him violence and evil, suffering for the righteous and prosperity for the wicked who were dominating the situation with evil, perverted schemes. In other words, a sentence of divine judgement to befall at the appropriate time. And the part of that scripture which really caught my attention was the last verse about the slackness or powerlessness of the law and the perverse or wrong justice that comes about because of the powerlessness of the law.
And it just struck me as a similar situation to the one which our society is currently embroiled in, where lawlessness is increasing, but the law is not doing anything constructive about it, because the evil doers are pulling the strings, and thus we are becoming a rather violent and strife-filled society. Too many rules are daily being broken with little or no consequences to the lawbreakers. And it’s sad that many of them are not first-time lawbreakers, but those with records to their names.
There is little incentive to abide by the law, as well as not enough serious consequences to stop breaking it. And as some like to say, laws are only made for those who wish to abide by them; those who want to break them, will break them anyway. But there must be some repercussions for breaking them, else why bother to have them at all, let’s simply live in a barbaric society. And that’s exactly what we are inching closer to every day, because there’s such inhumanity towards each other that it makes one’s stomach churn in dismay.
And I can imagine how all the modern prophets burdened with a prophecy like Habakkuk must be crying out to the Lord as they see the injustice, violence and ‘sufferation’ being meted out to many of the righteous in our society. But the wonderful thing about the Lord is that He might allow the evil doers to prosper for a while, but He’s promised that they will eventually be destroyed, and the righteous will inherit the earth and all that the wicked possessed.
So, after opening his heart and complaining to the Lord, about the iniquity of Babylon and their abuse of other nations, here’s how Habakkuk opens Chapter 2. ‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower (rampart), and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.’ (Hak. 2:1)
Good for Habakkuk! He’s standing up and waiting for an answer from the Lord and contemplating his own answer to the Lord’s reproof. But the Lord surprises him with this answer. ‘And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (tablets), that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’ (Hab. 2:2-4)
Yes, my people, the Lord instructed Habakkuk to write the coming of the divine judgment on tablets big enough so those who are running by can read it. And He makes sure to tell him that though justice might take a while to come, it surely will come, so don’t lose hope. And I guess that’s the same message He is sending us today my faithful brethren; eventually, He will relieve the pressure and the wicked will be destroyed, and we faithful will be vindicated.
And yes, it might be tough to see the prosperity of the wicked, but let’s remember like Asaph did in Psalm 73, when he was envious of the boastful and the prosperity of the wicked, but thankfully, as he recounts: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:17)
Hopefully, we will also come to that wise understanding and afterwards, say like Asaph: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (are unfaithful). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73: 26-28) Now let’s put that declaration (chuh!!!) in to practice and draw near to God at the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hym, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, if we sincerely desire divine aid, then it’s ever so necessary for us to do as our prayer says: ‘turn from our evil ways.’ Remember, we are the ones it’s hurting, not the Lord. Much LOVE!
…He who has promised is faithful…and that ought to be enough for us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a forward-looking perspective, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, accomplishing his redemptive purpose, adopt Jesus' selfless attitude, ambassadors, an example of self-control, as much as humanly possible, assurance of his heavenly Father's guidance and protection, came down from heaven, come back to haunt us, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, disicples, disobeyed God's word, divine aid, earth's corrupt treasures, earthly purpose, ease the pain, endured such hostility of sinners, endured the cross, eternal life, faith, faithfully promised, for eternity, fulfilling God's redemptive purpose, fulfilling God's Will, give his life for a ransom, give to all who love his appearing, God-given purpose, handle them with great aplomb, highlighting his obedience, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, if thou be willing, in the face of immense suffering, in the face of numerous difficulties, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus handled his earthly life, Jesus' ability to endure extreme suffering, Jesus' human struggle and distress, Jesus' primary focus, joy, laying up treasures in heaven, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, life with Christ will be forever, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion, material things, mercy, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me, never be discouraged, not my will but thine be done, not to do mine own will, our lives should be governed by the will of Jesus, poise, pray, reflecting the way, remove this cup from me, resolute obedience, salvation, self-confidence, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, shame, sincerely seek God's face, sinful pleasures, sought a reprieve, spreaing the good news of Christ, steadfast devotion, strong faith in Christ, sufferation of the cross, the author and finisher of our faith, the bread of life, the crown of righteousness, the Garden of Gethsemane, the God who heals, the joy that was set before Him, the many suffering from negative situations, the obedient attitude of Jesus, the righteous judge, the sacrificial nature of Jesus' purpose, the Son of man came not to be served, the throne of grace, the travails of Jesus, the ultimate joy, the will of him that sent me, to finish his work, to hear and answer our prayers, to serve, truth, turn from our evil ways, unwavering commitment, waiver from his purpose, welcome thou good and faithful servant, wisdom
John 4:34. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’
Awright my people, Monday and a new work week has come back to haunt us one more time. But let’s remember that we have the wherewithal through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to handle them both with great aplomb, that’s amazing poise and self-confidence. Reflecting the way Jesus handled His earthly life with the assurance and certainty of His heavenly Father’s guidance and protection. All the trials and tribulations, the abuse and denial of His holy person, did not make Him turn back or waiver from His purpose.
And there are several scriptures that point out, as this commentary puts it: ‘The unwavering commitment to His earthly purpose and the will of the Father, highlighting His obedience, focus, and determination, even in the face of immense suffering.’ And was Jesus ever a marvellous example of self-control in the face of numerous difficulties. And why is that you ask? Listen to Him explain it to the disciples after speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well and refusing the food they offered. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34)
And the commentary tells us: ‘This verse clearly demonstrates that fulfilling God’s will was Jesus’ primary sustenance and focus in life.’ Oh, how I wish that many more of us would adopt that selfless and obedient attitude, and do the work that Jesus expects of us as His disciples and ambassadors. (smile)
Then there’s this other time, after accusing the multitude of only following Him because they ate of the bread He provided, and telling them that He is the bread of life, (John 6:26-35), Jesus then informs them: ‘For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38) And according to the commentary: ‘Jesus explicitly states that His mission was defined entirely by the Father’s will, not His own desires.’ So should our lives be entirely governed by the will of Jesus.
And when we talk about Jesus being the perfect example for us to follow, Hebrews tells us loud and clear: ‘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 in your minds (become discouraged in your souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
And per the commentary; ‘These verses point to Jesus’ ability to endure extreme suffering and shame by maintaining a forward-looking perspective on the ultimate joy of accomplishing His redemptive purpose.’ And don’t we have a purpose that ought to also bring us joy? Yes, that of spreading the good news of Christ and living like He desires of us. And what’s the joy we should look forward to? That’s salvation and eternal life with Jesus, being greeted with the words ‘Welcome thou good and faithful servant,’ (Matt. 25:21) and ‘the crown of righteousness that the righteous judge, (the Lord) will give to all who LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:8)
Now, isn’t that a big enough reward to encourage us to do Jesus’ will? I believe it is. And let’s remember that our earthly lives and all the material things we covet and the sinful pleasures we so avidly desire down here only last for a short while. But life with Christ will be for eternity…that’s forever…without end. So, it’s certainly not wise to expend so much energy and use up what little time we have here on earth running down its corrupt and rust-driven treasures, but ought to be laying up treasures in heaven that don’t rust or spoil.
But getting back to Jesus’ serious focus on His God-given purpose, listen to what He tells the disciples after the argument that erupted when John and James asked for one of them to sit on His right and the other on the left hand in His glory. (Mark 10:35-41) ‘For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (to serve), and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Mark 10:45) And the commentary explains that verse thus: ‘This highlights the sacrificial nature of His purpose, to which He remained committed.’
And we see that commitment further displayed in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus in His human form was terribly weighed down by the whole situation and pleaded: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.’ (Luke 22:39) The commentary tells us: ‘This shows His human struggle and distress, but ultimately, His resolute obedience to the Father’s plan, which included the cross.’ Yes friends, though Jesus was undergoing a lot of ‘sufferation’ and sought a reprieve from His heavenly Father, deep down He knew that it could not happen if the Father’s overall plan for our salvation was to be successful.
And we’ll close with a final word from the commentary. They say: ‘These scriptures collectively demonstrate Jesus’ singular and steadfast devotion to fulfilling God’s redemptive purpose on earth, despite the personal cost and suffering involved.’ And though we all know it’s not easy to do, that is the same singular and steadfast devotion that we need to show in fulfilling Jesus’ purpose for us here on earth. Now, let’s use one more benefit we acquired through the travails of Jesus, that’s the ability to go directly to the throne of grace and ask for divine aid in times of need. Let’s do that right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And what’s the answer we received? ‘Begin by turning from your evil ways, humbling yourselves, and sincerely seeking my face.’ So, if we truly desire divine aid, then it’s up to us to put those demands into action! Much LOVE!
…as disciples of Jesus…our lives ought to reflect His steadfast devotion and commitment…as much as is humanly possible…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, all we like sheep have gone astray, answer our prayers, burdensome, calls together his friends and neighbours, conquering power, divine aid, don't commit adultery, don't lie, don't murder, don't steal, ease the pain, even our faith, faith, fear, fearful, forgotten their resting place, found my lost sheep, God is sovereign, gone from mountain to hill, greater is he that's in you, having an hundred sheep, he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, honour the Sabbath day, honour your father and mother, humble ourselves, I do not forget thy commandments, I have gone astray, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the wilderness, in this dark and evil world, indifference, insufficient Christian witness, irresponsible, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus has won the victory, joy shall be in heaven over one repentant sinner, lackadaisical attitude, languishing in a cesspool of evil, lays it on his shoulders rejoicing, leaves the ninety and nine, lethargic, like a lost sheep, likewise, loses one of his sheep, LOVE, love God with all your heart soul body and mind, Love your neighbour as yourself, make a difference, make hay while the sun shines, mass confusion in our world, mercy, my people hath been lost sheep, ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance, pray, reconciled back to his fold, rejoice with me, sacrifices, salvation, seek thy servant, sheep stray from their shepherd, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, spreading our salty flavour and bright light, strong faith in Christ, suffer dire consequences, than he that's in the world, the ball is in our court, the God who heals, the iniquity of us all, the Lord hath laid on him, the many suffering from negative situations, the only one to solve our problems, the right tonic, the throne of grace, the victory that overcomes the world, their shepherds have caused them to go astray, this is the love of God, to find favour with God, truth, turn from our evil ways, turned every one to his own way, victory over hell death and the grave, we keep His commandments, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, when he comes home, who is he that overcomes the world, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are of God
Psalm 119:176. Oh Lord, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
It’s Monday friends, it’s Monday! Time to get out there and take advantage of this new work week in Jesus’ mighty name! Yes, time for us to get out into the evil world and make hay while the sun shines, for one day the sun will stop shining and we won’t be able to make any hay then! (smile)
And believe me, with every passing day, it becomes more imperative, more important that we allow our salty flavour and our bright lights to make a difference in this dark and evil world, for we are quickly losing control of it…if we haven’t already, and that’s not what Jesus left us down here to do. He came to earth, did His part, won the victory over hell, death and the grave, then went back to heaven, leaving us down here to maintain that victory. Remember what He said to us: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15)
And John, later on in his first epistle, added his take to that statement. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) And no, His commandments are certainly not burdensome! They might entail some difficulty, some sacrifices at times, but what’s so difficult in ‘don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, honour your father and mother, honour the Sabbath day, LOVE your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself?’
There’s nothing there for us to misunderstand or not comprehend. However, our response to His commandments have been lethargic, fearful, irresponsible and obviously not good enough, otherwise our world would not be languishing in the cesspool of evil and ungodliness that it’s currently engulfed in.
No friends, our Christian witness has certainly not been good enough, which brings us back to these important words of John’s first epistle. ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:4-5)
Oh my people, it’s through our faith in Jesus Christ that we overcome the world, but if our faith is not strong, we’re fearful, lackadaisical, or simply not interested, then we obviously cannot overcome it. And I like what the scholars say about verse 5. ‘There is conquering power through this confession because God is sovereign over the world, and ONLY through the Son does man have access to and find favour with God.’
And we know that’s the awesome truth, but for some reason(s), we simply refuse to rise to the task and do what we know Jesus expects of us, both as individuals, and as His corporate church. And we can certainly do it, because as John also reminds us: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that’s in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
That’s more awesome truth my brethren! Our God is stronger than the god of this world, there’s no denying that! But we need to come together and live it; make it work! And I have the right tonic for our indifference, fear, or whatever is holding us back from doing the Lord’s will. It’s a very applicable statement from Psalm 119. So please pray with me: ‘Oh Lord, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:176)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s our problem. Like Isaiah says when talking about Jesus’ sorrow. ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:5) No doubt about it, we had all gone astray in the early days, and the Lord placed all our sins on Jesus, so we could be reconciled back to his fold. It’s also like Jeremiah declared: ‘My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.’ (Jer. 50:6)
So it’s not the first time we have gone astray like lost sheep my people, and we desperately need the Lord to come seeking us. And He will, as Jesus so plainly says. ‘What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance.’ (Luke 15:4-7)
Yuh see mih bredrin, Jesus is always on the lookout for His lost sheep, and can you imagine the joy there’ll be in heaven when so many of us lost ones have been found…it will be immense! But the ball is still in our court; we must admit that we’re lost, and want to be found. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we’re serious, we’ll note some of the requirements for receiving divine aid: humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our evil ways. So please, let’s get to work nuh! There’s much to be done, and we cannot waste another moment. Much LOVE!
…when sheep stray from their shepherd…they very likely will suffer dire consequences…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accompanying this ignorance, all things that are reproved, arise from the dead, awake thou that sleepest, begin on a good footing, bring sins to light, but rather reprove them, Christ shall give thee light, Christian witness, constant temptations, darkness encompassed people, discerning what is acceptable to the Lord, divine aid, ease the pain, expose them, exposed sins, faith, fellowship, fooling ourselves, guilt and misery, happiness, have no fellowship, hear and answer our prayers, hideous nature, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, immorality, in all goodness righteousness and truth, indulge in the sins of the unsaved, it is a shame, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the enemy at bay, keep your promise to prosper us, knowledge of the truth, light in the Lord, LOVE, made manifest by the light, made visible by the gospel, mass confusion, mercy, moral purity, now ye are light in the Lord, pleading for wise guidance, pray, pretend we're walking in the light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, religiously informed, rousing unbelievers, salt and light, salvation, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, solicitations to evil, spiritual darkness, spiritually unenlightened, stop committing those sins, strong faith in Christ, terrible consequences, the error of their ways, the everlasting light of Christ, the first day of the week, the first day of the workweek, the fruit of the spirit, the fruitful works of darkness, the God who heals, the light of Christ, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the unfruitful works of darkness, to alleviate our problems, to speak of those things done in secret, truth, turn away from hideous sins, turn from our evil ways, unadvisable sleep, walk as children of light, walk in darkness, whatsoever doth make manifest is light, wisdom, ye were sometimes darkness
Ephesians 5:8. For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
And after Sunday, the first day of the week, comes Monday, the first day of the work week. Now, let’s hope that we are all ready for it, because if we’re not, then things can definitely go downhill for the remainder of the week, since the strongly held belief by some that a bad beginning makes for a good ending is not always true, for sometimes a bad beginning just makes for a worse ending. So, it’s always best to try and begin on a good footing rather than a bad one. (smile)
And today, I want to continue with a passage that we did not get to put into the Bit yesterday, since it would have made it much too long and complicated. It’s about the light of Christ that Christians ought to be avidly and vividly proclaiming, walking as children of light, as written by Bruh Paul to the Ephesians.
He compassionately informs them: ‘For ye were sometimes (once) darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the fruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them.
For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved (exposed) are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ (Eph. 5:8-14)
Yes friends, once upon a time we lived in spiritual darkness, or as the scholars’ state, ‘spiritually unenlightened, and accompanying this ignorance was immorality with its resultant guilt and misery.’ However, since we’ve received Jesus, who is the Light, the scholars say ‘that denotes that the recipients are now to be religiously informed. Their knowledge of the truth is attended by moral purity and happiness. And because of constant temptations and solicitations to evil, believers must always be proving or discerning what is and what is not acceptable unto the Lord.’
Furthermore, ‘the believer’s duty is expressed here in two ways. Negatively, he is not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, that is not to indulge in the sins of the unsaved. Positively, he is to “expose” (reprove) these sins, that is, bring them to light and show them for what they really are, so that the unbeliever may see their hideous nature and their terrible consequences.’
Yes my brethren, it’s always best to uncover and expose those terrible sins of darkness that are constantly taking place in our rather evil world, so that those who are lost can see and understand the error of their ways and the terrible consequences that they will incur if they stay in that state of sinful darkness. And as the scholars point out, if it’s indecent or ‘shameful to even speak of those iniquities in decent company (vs. 3), then how much worse is the committing of these sins. Hence the need to bring them to the light.’
Now that’s what we’re here for, to stop committing those sins, and instead expose them to the light. And per vs. 13, the scholars have an interesting explanation of it. They say: ‘This verse may be paraphrased: All sins that are exposed are made visible by the gospel, for whatever sin is made visible becomes light.’ And that’s understandable, because the gospel allows us to expose those sins, not only by bringing them to light, but also making them light so that they can inform others.
Then re vs.14, they tell us: ‘Since exposing sin is beneficial, God invites the unbeliever (thou that sleepest) to turn from his sin (arise from the dead), with the promise that he will be granted the spiritual enlightenment and help needed (Christ shall give thee light).’ Ah my people, I do hope that we see how important it is for us to both live in the light and help others to do the same, because that’s the only way we will first, keep the enemy at bay, and then eventually win his darkness encompassed people to the bright, enlightening and everlasting light of Christ.
That means it’s imperative we get out into the world this Monday, the second to last day of September and begin rousing the unbelievers from their inadvisable sleep, so that they can start turning away from their hideous sins. Oh, by the way, many of us supposed believers also have secretly hidden hideous sins, which we are also expected to give up. (smile) Now, for help in all that we are meant to do, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking powerful divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And my fellow believers, let’s not kid ourselves, for we know that we’re not as salt and light as we ought to be, that’s why our Christian witness is sadly lacking, so if we truly want to fulfill our mandate as disciples of Christ, let’s sincerely begin humbling ourselves, praying, seeking His face, and turning from our evil ways. That’s the only way we will ever get true divine aid! Much LOVE!
…how can so many of us believers…walk in darkness…and yet pretend we’re walking in the light…we’re only fooling ourselves…not God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better place for our children, a bunch of ungrateful sinners, a modicum of circumspection, both morning and evening, breaking his own heart, Christ died for us, divine aid, ease the pain, faith, fight valiantly to retain our benefits, God commendeth his own love toward us, God so loved the world, God's compassionate heart, God's unfailing love, goodness and mercy, grateful praise, Happy Labour Day, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heartfelt appreciation, hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, humble servants, I will triumph, in the works of thy hands, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, labour benefits, license to go overboard, LOVE, made me glad, mercy, negative situations, obeisance, paid the price for sin, repentance, rising up to God, sacrifice His sinless Son, salvation, show our gratitude, sincerely seek your face, the depth of feeling, the gift of salvation, the God who heals, the Lord's faithfulness, the Lord's love for us, the throne of grace, this evil world, through thy work, thy faithfulness every night, to alleviate our problems, to shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, to sing praises unto thy name, truth, turn from our evil ways, upon an instrument of ten strongs, upon the harp, while we were yet sinners, whosoever believeth in hims should not perish, wisdom, wise guidance, with a solemn sound, you have made me gald through your work
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
HAPPY LABOUR DAY!
Well, it’s September first, meaning the summer vacation season is over. And since this is the first Monday in September, we’re also celebrating Labour Day in honour of all those who put up a strenuous fight over the last century, for us to get the labour benefits many of us now currently enjoy. It was not an easy fight, and many died and suffered so we could enjoy these gains. So please, as we enjoy the holiday, let’s not forget those who made it happen, and promise to fight valiantly not to allow the labour situation to revert to anything like it was back then.
Labour Day also means that the CNE Exhibition down by the lakeshore ends today, and schools reopen tomorrow. So this is the last big party of the summer, but that doesn’t give us license to go overboard with celebrations, for tomorrow is also work for most of us and we cannot afford to book off sick or go to work obviously suffering from the effects of too much partying. Consequently, we need to apply a modicum of circumspection to the celebrations. (smile) End of sermon.
Ah friends, as I was just browsing through the Good Library for an interesting topic to expatiate on (smile), I came across these wise and marvellous words of Psalm 92. ‘It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth (declare) thy LOVING-KINDNESS in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery (lute, lyre); upon the harp with a solemn (harmonious, melodic) sound. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the work of thy hands.’ (Ps. 92:1-4)
Now that’s how it ought to be all over the Christian world! As we enjoy triumph through the marvellous work of the Lord’s mighty hands, our grateful praise and thanksgiving should be rising up to Him, both morning and evening…and even during other times of the day! Yes, my people, because of the Lord’s innate faithfulness and LOVE for us, He’s gone out of His way to do a lot of stuff on our behalf, stuff we certainly don’t deserve.
And though we can never truly repay Him for His goodness and mercy towards us, we can certainly attempt to show our gratitude and heartfelt appreciation by genuinely returning His LOVE and offering up much praise and thanksgiving! And that’s all the Lord really desires of us, because He created us and knows that we don’t have the wherewithal to do better.
And for those who would dispute the Lord’s goodness, His unconditional LOVE and compassion for man, we simply need to look at the great gifts of salvation and eternal life He’s bestowed on us, through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. And why did He do it? As Bruh Paul writes to the Romans: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now that’s one of my favourite scriptures, and it tells me that unlike most rulers who would call and/or wait for us to change before giving us the gift of salvation, the Lord God Jehovah LOVED us so much that He gave us the gift before requiring our obeisance. And Jesus Himself spoke of God’s great LOVE for humanity, when He poignantly informed Nicodemus, the Jewish Leader: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
Oh my people, those two verses of scripture are possibly the most important in the Bible, because it shows why the Lord sacrificed His Son for a bunch of ungrateful sinners; the word is simply a deep and satisfying LOVE for His human creation. After we had become so steeped in sin, disobedience and rebellion, God could have just given up on us and allowed us all to head to hellfire and damnation with Satan, whom we seem to admire much more than Him.
But His compassionate heart, His unfailing LOVE would not allow Him to be so callous. So He had to find a way to remedy the situation. And believe me, because of His sense of righteousness and justice, the proper price for sin had to be paid, and the only choice available was to sacrifice His sinless Son. Obviously, it was not an easy choice, for it meant breaking His own heart, but He did it, thus showing the depth of feeling He had for us. And we’d be truly a sad bunch of sinful ingrates, if we did not attempt to be grateful and thankful for all God’s done for us.
And one of the things that we get to do through His work, is go to the throne of grace to receive grace and mercy in time of need. And are ever in a time of need right now! So, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s confidently, but humbly approach the throne of grace for divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And, from our prayer, it’s very easy to see what we need to do to get divine aid – turn from our evil ways, with sincere repentance in our hearts. So please, I plead with us, let’s get up and do it nuh, right now, so that we can make this evil and ungodly world a better place for our children and grandchildren! Much LOVE!
…God has been so good to us…that His praise should come naturally from our lips and hearts…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant provision, according to his riches in glory, all the days of my life, all these things shall be added unto you, an honoured guest, another work week, be eternally grateful, by Christ Jesus, Christians, divine intervention, do our part, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, ease the pain, eternal celebration of God's goodness, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, for His name's sake, he leads me beside the still waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the good shepherd, I will fear no evil, improve our Christian witness, in the presence of mine enemies, independent, it's all for our benefit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lack any good thing, leads me in the paths of righteousness, live a life befitting the name of Christ, live the life God desires of us, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mighty lions, my cup runneth over, my God shall supply all your needs, Praise the Lord, pray, prosper us, protector and provider, rebellious and disobedient sheep, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-sufficient, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the many suffering from negative situations, the role of God, the throne of grace, the utopian dream of sheep, the valley of the shadow of death, the very essence of God, things are on the upswing, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, vindication before one's enemies, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing).
Well, well, well! If it isn’t another Monday, meaning the start of another work week. And it’s a different one too, not as hot as the last few, and it might just get up above the twenty degree mark, with a cool breeze to keep things in order. (smile) Even yesterday wasn’t that hot, and we did have some more rain in the afternoon. So hopefully, things are on the upswing now, with fewer very hot days. I even got to sit comfortably on my porch yesterday afternoon and watch the people passing by. Praise the Lord!
And since the sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing sweetly, why don’t we give the Lord some sincere praise and thanks for allowing us to see another beautiful day on His marvellous earth? And what better way to do that than through the most beautiful and most appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 23. So please declare with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still (calm) waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:1-6)
Wow! What beautiful sentiments…and they are all true too! And I like how the scholars put it: ‘The psalm has been a favourite of God’s people through the ages and with due reason: it expresses as simply and clearly as any the role of God as our protector and provider in life. The charm of the psalm rests on two figures of speech: the Lord is compared to a shepherd and the believer to his sheep (vs. 1-4); then the Lord is likened to a host with the believer as the guest (vs. 5-6).’
And the image of the Lord as being a shepherd is not a new one, you can find it all through the Bible. In the Old Testament for instance in Ps. 78:52; 80:1; Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; and Ezek. 34:11. Then in the New Testament in Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; Rev. 7:16-17. And this one in John, which comes from the mouth of the shepherd Himself, where Jesus informs us: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did; selflessly give His sinless life as atonement for our horrible sins against Almighty God!
Oh friends, Bruh David catches the very essence of God in those few verses, like no one else has ever done. So let’s look at some of the sentiments nuh. For instance, ‘I shall not want.’ That means the Lord his shepherd will provide all he needs. Jesus also said it loud and clear: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And Bruh Paul corroborated that in his letter to the Philippians, when he writes: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
And what more can we ask for, when he makes us to lie down in pastures of green grass beside quiet and calm waters eh? Nothing! Because that is the utopian dream of sheep! (smile) Then He restores our souls, and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The Lord is surely powerful and merciful, if He can and is willing to do those things. And Bruh David certainly believed that, as he confidently declared in Psalm 31: ‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.’ (Ps. 31:3) And please note that it’s all in God’s name, all for His glory, not for ours.
And do I ever like the next verse, about walking through the valley of the shadow of death and not fearing. But why should we fear, when it’s only a shadow of death, and a shadow can do us no harm. But nonetheless, the Lord will not allow us to go through terrible times without being present at our side and helping us through them. For that’s what a good shepherd does!
Now here’s this interesting affirmation from the scholars. ‘Believers are never pictured in Scripture as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on their Shepherd for His provision and protection. But the Believer is more than a dependent sheep, however, he is also like an honoured guest, since the Lord prepares a table for him. Connected with this honoured position is abundant provision, vindication before one’s enemies, and eternal celebration of God’s goodness.’
No wonder that despite all of my failures, the Lord will still treat me as an honoured guest, preparing a table of lavish provision right in the presence of mine enemies; so much so that my cup overflows with His goodness and mercy, which will lead to a wonderful life with Him through all eternity. What more can one ask for eh my brethren! Absolutely nothing else! Christians are the ONLY ONES who have a gracious, merciful and forgiving God, who is not afraid to extend Himself to meet the needs of His people! For that we ought to be eternally grateful and live a life that’s befitting the name of Christ.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking grace and mercy in these desperate times. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, going to God in prayer is fine, but we won’t see divine intervention until we do our part and live the life God desires of us. And we all know where we’re faltering, so let’s be wise and improve our Christian witness nuh! Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s a good shepherd…but it doesn’t matter if the sheep are rebellious and disobedient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a life that aligns with God's will, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, accept our shortcomings, being confident of this very thing, children of God, clay in the potter's hands, continue in sin that grace may abound, dead to sin, death, defense attorney, divine aid, ease the pain, ensures our relationship with God continues, faith, faithfully promised, freed from the eternal consequences of sin, God forbid, hazy, he which hath begun a good work in you, heavenly perch, holy spirit, hot, humble ourselves, humble servants, humid, if any man sin, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the righteous, Jesus is our heavenly advocate, led astray by the enemy, lies, living for Christ is the only way to go, LOVE, loving the Lord with all of our hearts, mass confusion, mercy, not an an excuse to indulge in sinful desires, of the many suffering from negative situations, only Christ is perfect, open our eyes to a new day, perform it until the day of jesus, pray, put on the new man, salvation, secures our salvation, separation from God, show them your awesome grace and mercy, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, summertime Monday, thank you for life, the BIBLE, the deadly arrows of the enemy, the God who heals, the only way to go, the propitiation for our sins, the reject the sinful nature of the flesh, the sufficency of Jesus' blood to cleanse all sin, the truth of the matter, this evil world, this is the day the Lord has made, to hear and answer our prayers, to live a life that reflects God's character, truth, walk as new persons in Christ, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, we have an advocate with the Father, we will rejoice and be glad in it, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance, ye sin not
1 John 2:1b. And if any man sin, we have an advocate (intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Well, it’s a new work week, another hot, hazy, humid summertime Monday! And though these summer days can be rather hot, irritating and uninviting, we’ll take them anytime over the cold, frosty winter days that are not too far in the offing. However, for all the irritation, frustration and uncertainty the weather brings, we know that we can handle it all through the amazing strength and grace of Jesus, through whom we can do anything that’s necessary. (Phil. 4:13)
That’s why every time we open our eyes to a new day, we can also say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Yes friends, every new day we see is a cause for rejoicing, despite the many problems we might end up facing, for we know that Jesus is there with us in each step we take, He is looking after us from His heavenly perch, making sure that we don’t go astray, or get led astray by the enemy, who has many goodlooking wiles and believable lies in his arsenal.
It certainly ought to reminds us that Jesus is also seated at the Father’s right hand in heaven being our advocate and intercessor. And what does that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘This means that Jesus pleads our case before God, acting as our intercessor and defense attorney. He secures our salvation and ensures our relationship with God continues.’ So although Jesus’ work on earth is completed, not so in heaven, because He still has to plead our cases before the Father up there.
John tells it this is way in his first epistle. ‘My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not (may not sin). And if any man sin, we have an advocate (intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.’ (1 John 2:1-2) And although we have Jesus, whose advocacy is powerful, based on the sufficiency of His blood to cleanse all sin, both past and present, the imperative of the situation is that we ought not to sin.
No! For although, through faith in Jesus, believers are freed from the eternal consequences of sin (death and separation from God), that freedom is not an excuse to indulge in sinful desires. But it’s a call to live a life that reflects God’s character and aligns with His will. It’s like Bruh Paul says in Romans 6, where he anticipates the objection that that the amazing and free grace of God encourages sin. He writes: ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. (Certainly not!) How shall we that are dead to sin (who died to sin), live any longer therein?’ (Rom. 6:1-2)
No friends, once we’ve put on the new man in Christ, we cannot go back to our old sinful way of life. And yes, we will still be tempted, possibly more because we’ve become children of God. Oh, it’s a lifelong aspect of our Christian walk, but thankfully we have the power and authority of the Holy Spirit to help us refute the deadly arrows of the enemy. To help us live in the Spirit and to reject the sinful nature of the flesh.
And though it’s not easy to resist the mind boggling and captivating things of the flesh, if we put our hearts, souls, minds and bodies to it, we will get better with each passing day. It’s also true that we will never achieve perfection, because only Christ is perfect, but if we keep striving towards that goal, we will have much success. For remember what Bruh Paul wrote the Philippians? ‘Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begin a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6)
In other words, the Father is continually working on us, like clay in the potter’s hands to bring us into the full image of Christ, and once He’s begun the work, He will not stop until it’s complete. And all of that is such a great package my brethren! Jesus atones for our sins by His death on the cross of Calvary, and is now in heaven advocating for us, meanwhile the Holy Spirit dwells within us to lead, guide and comfort us, and the Father is quietly moulding and shaping us into the amazing image of His Son!
Wow! What more can we ask for eh my people? Nothing whatsoever! And because of all those wonderful things happening in our lives as Christians, we therefore should do our best to forsake the sinful nature of our flesh and walk as new persons in Christ, LOVING the Lord with all of our hearts, bodies, souls and minds, and our neighbours as ourselves, for those are the two great commandments. (Matt. 22:37-39)
Now, it’s time to put our heads and hearts together and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid for our numerous earthly problems, as we have been so wisely advised to do. (Heb. 4:16) Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But the truth of the matter friends, is that unless we do what the Lord advises, that’s humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek His face, we won’t be receiving any divine aid. So let’s wake up and accept our shortcomings and improve on them nuh! It’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…sincerely living for Christ is…the ONLY WAY TO GO…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bulwark for love and freedom, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new theatre of strife, a small inkling, a warning from God, all ye that labour, anguish, at breakneck speed, back of my neck, became obedient unto death, before it's too late, being alone, being found in fashion as a man, chaotic world, Christ needs our help to save the world, Christ's Church, Christ's way of life, come into deep waters, come unto me, crying out for help, disaster laden world, disobeyed your word, divided by petty differences, divine aid, ease the pain, faith, faith if it hath no works is dead, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, fighting the good fight, find rest unto your souls, gentle, get back to basics, get our prerogatives straight, getting dirty and gritty, give up the fight, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, greed for ever more money, he humbled himself, heavy laden, holy spirit, hot town, humble and obedient, humble servants, I am meek and lowly in heart, I will give you rest, in over our heads, Jehovah Rapha, keep your promise to prosper us, keeps getting worse, learn of me, lost their way, LOVE, mass confusion, mentally incapacitated, mercy, mine eyes fail while I wait for my God, Mother Earth, my burden is light, my throat is dried, my yoke is easy, negative stuff, no help is forthcoming, numerous forest fires, our light has grown dim, our perspectives in order, our salt has lost its flavour, praise Your Holy Name, pray, refuse to interact with each other, ripe for the taking, running to Jesus, salvation, save me O God, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, sink in deep mire, sitting ducks, something is wrong with your mind, stand up strong, steadfast in faith, strife, strong faith in Christ, summer in the city, take my yoke upon you, take serious and sincere action on Christ's behalf, thank you for life, the chaos on the earth, the death of the cross, the floods overflow me, the God who heals, the great invitation, the many suffering from negative situations, the only one, the oppressive heat, the power to solve our problems, the throne of grace, the waters are come in unto my soul, the world through him might be saved, tired of fighting, to alleviate our problems, too many denominations, truth, turbulent times, turn from our evil ways, turn you off of hell, unassailable odds, unvarnished dictatorial power, wasting our prayers, we cannot give up, we divide ourselves, we have all sinned, weary of crying, what hell would be like, where there is no standing, wisdom, wise guidance and direction
James 2:17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
‘Hot town, summer in the city…the back of my neck getting dirty and gritty!’ Yes friends that what it’s been like for the past week, and most likely what it will be like for the next couple of days. The oppressive heat is causing all kinds of illnesses. And then we have the numerous forest fires burning around the country and around the world…it surely seems like hell on earth.
And if this weather and all the other negative stuff that’s happening doesn’t turn you off of hell and have you running at breakneck speed to Jesus, then I’d say that something is definitely wrong with your mind. (smile) For if this is only a small inkling of what hell will be like, then why would I want to go there eh? No reason whatsoever! So please, let’s take this as a warning from our heavenly Father, to wake us up and get our prerogatives and perspectives straight and in order before it’s too late.
And furthermore, none of the strife and anguish that’s taking place right now on Mother Earth is lessening or getting better, but instead, every day seems to bring a new theatre of strife and anguish to the forefront of our already chaotic and disaster laden world. And I guess like Bruh David in Psalm 69, we should be crying out to the Lord for help in these days of undeserved suffering for many. And what was his petition?
He cried out: ‘Save me O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul (neck). I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while wait for my God.’ (Ps, 69:1-3) And sadly friends, that is what’s happening to a large portion of today’s world population. We’re in over our heads, for one reason or another, and we’re crying out for help every day, from one god or another, but no help seems to be forthcoming.
The chaos on the earth just keeps getting worse. And why is that? Who knows? The grab for unvarnished dictatorial power and greed for ever more money is all over, and we can’t seem to stand up strong against it. And that goes doubly for Christ’s church, which was meant to be a bulwark for LOVE and freedom. But how can we stand strong against the enemy when we’re separated, totally divided by all sorts of petty differences and dissensions, with so many denominations and sub groups that refuse to interact with each other, which leaves us like sitting ducks ripe for the taking.
Satan doesn’t even have to divide us, for we have created the divisions for him. He simply has to conquer us. I believe, that in these trying and most difficult times, the church is required to put up sincere and strong resistance against the evil enemy. That’s what Christ died for. Remember what He said to Nicodemus? ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
And He died for that very purpose. As Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8) So Christ did what He came to earth for, but the problem is that He cannot save the world by Himself, that’s why He needs disciples, people like us who believe in Him and what He stands for and are prepared to stand strong and steadfast in the faith, even to the death, to serve His purpose and plan.
Unfortunately though, the church as a whole, seems to be fighting against itself and not so much against the enemy. Meanwhile, many individual believers seem to have lost their way, and no longer seem to care about what’s happening in our world, or we are simply tired of fighting the seemingly unassailable odds, thus our salt has lost its flavour, and our light has grown dim. But let’s take a moment on this hot and sweltering Monday morning in late July of 2025, to contemplate what will happen if we give up the fight for Christ’s way of life.
And then let’s remember His Great Invitation, which He issued to all and sundry, and which still stands: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes my fellow believers, we’ve got to get back to the basics and refresh ourselves, so that we can continue fighting the good fight in Jesus’ name, for we cannot ever give up.
And to help us do that, let’s go right now to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid in these turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And yes, praying is necessary, but until we take up all the tools we have and take serious and sincere action on Jesus’ behalf, we’ll just be wasting our prayers. Much LOVE!
…even so…faith…if it hath not works…is dead…being alone… (James 2:17)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of free will, a new work week, all sinned and disobeyed your word, always bearing about in the body, associte with Satan, behold who created these things, bringeth out their host by number, by the greatness of his might, cast down but not destroyed, christianity, created beings of God, delivered unto death for Jesus sake, don't adhere to God's commandments, ease the pain, even the youths shall faint and be weary, evil cohorts, fainteth not, faith, forgive our sins, free will, gives power to the faint, God's promised, God's will for our lives, goody two shoes, grace, hast thou not heard, hast thou not known, he calls them all by names, he increaseth strength, he is strong in power, heal our diseases, hear and answer our prayers, holy spirit, hot and humid, humble ourselves, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lift up your eyes on high, LOVE, mdae manifest in our mortal flesh, mercy, Monday Morning, mount up with wings as eagles, my way is hid from the Lord, negative situations, neither is weary, no searching of his understanding, or shall I be equal saith the Holy One, our youth is renewed like the eagle's, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, pray, redeem us from destruction, run and not be weary, salvation, satisfy our mouths with good things, separate the sheep from the goats, shower us with blessings, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, surrender, thank you for life, the BIBLE, the crazy world we live in, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the dying of Jesus, the everlasting God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the God who heals, the life also of Jesus, the living is not easy, the Lord will make a way where there's no way, the young men shall utterly fall, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, to earn a living, to our detriment, to them that have no might, to whom then will ye liken God, troubled on every side, trust and obey God's directives, truth, turn from our evil ways, walk and not faint, wisdom, wise guidance, with the help of Jesus, yet not distressed
Isaiah 40:25. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One.
Aye friends, as the song says: ‘Monday, Monday, Monday…Monday morning!’ And you better believe it’s another new work week, another of the numerous Mondays in our lives, where we get out into the crazy, misdirected world to earn a living. Let’s hope today is not as hot and humid as the last two days, especially when the living is already not easy. We don’t need the weather to make it any more difficult. (smile)
However, with the help of Jesus and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us we can make it successful, if we sincerely stand by their teaching and guidance. If we surrender, trust and obey God’s directives, then He’s promised to forgive our sins, heal our diseases, redeem us from destruction, shower us with blessings, with mercy and grace, and satisfy our mouths with good things, so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Ps. 103:3-5)
And who would not want those wonderful things eh? It seems like many of us don’t, because many of us don’t adhere to God’s commandments and His will for our lives. Why is that eh? Is it because we believe that we know more than God, and we don’t need Him to help run our lives? Granted, He gave us a modicum of free will, hoping that we would use it to choose His way and standard of living.
But apparently He was ever so wrong, since so many of us prefer to go our own way, and associate with Satan and his evil doing cohorts, than with Jesus and His goody, goody two shoes people. And when Jesus comes back and separates the sheep from the goats, (Matt. 25:31-46) and many of us end up on His left hand with the goats, we’ll wonder why, but it’ll be all because we did not value His importance enough to listen to Him and follow His directives.
Instead, to our great detriment, we followed idols and other man-made doctrines that have no power whatsoever. But there’s none that can compare to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who created the world and still rules over it, although with all of the current confusion, strife and hardship that’s currently manifesting itself, some of us might not think so. Ah my people, it’s time we paid serious attention to this passage from the Book of Isaiah, where he expounds on the Greatness of God’s Might.
‘To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth (is missing). Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement (just claim) is passed over from my God?
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God , the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:25-31)
Yes friends, that’s what the Lord does for those who wait on Him! Can Satan or any of his evil cronies do that kind of thing for you? The obvious answer is a loud and resounding ‘NO!’ For they are created beings of God, just like us. So it’s utterly foolish to trust them and their evil and wicked schemes over the righteousness of God. And though life might be somewhat rough in this ungodly world when living for Jesus, we have these marvellous and encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth to bear us up.
‘We are troubled (hard pressed) on every side, yet not distressed (crushed); we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast (struck) down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.’ (2 Cor. 4:8-11)
Yes my fellow believers, though we suffer and are persecuted for Christ, even killed for His sake, we can stand on His faithful promise that if we die with Him, we will also live with Him. So let’s not give up on our faith when there seems to be no way out, for the Lord has promised that He will always make a way where there seems to be no way. (1 Cor. 10:13) And now having those words of encouragement lodged securely in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, let’s go to the throne of grace, seeking divine aid to help us turn our world around.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Ah mih bredrin, our own prayer shows what we have to do to receive divine aid: humble ourselves, pray, turn from our evil ways, and sincerely seek God’s face. So, let’s get on with that nuh, if we truly desire heaven’s help! Much LOVE!
…why would created beings listen to other created beings…instead of their Creator eh…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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