Ephesians 6:12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, the ole fella’s extremely bright and bubbly this morning! Wow! I can’t even wait to write the Bit, my enthusiasm level is so high. Don’t ask me why I’m so enthusiastic this early in the morning, because nothing in particular happened over the past twenty four hours to excite me this much. I can only guess, that like Bruh David, my efforts to encourage myself in the Lord are working. (1 Sam.30:6) And all I can say is: ‘Praise be to the Lord our God, who never rejects those who seek him with sincere hearts!’ Now here is a chorus from a song by Ras Shiloh that I heard yesterday and found it rather appropriate to our current world situation. Ras Shiloh melodiously chants: ‘Give a little LOVE. Show a little LOVE. Live in righteousness. Give a little LOVE. Show a little LOVE. That’s what the world needs today.’ And isn’t that the God awesome truth my people! LOVE given and shared is about the only thing that will tone down the raging fires of hate, anger, greed, violence, cruelty, oppression and suppression that are terrorizing our wonderful world today! And undoubtedly that giving and showing of LOVE needs to start with us Christians, because the evildoers are not interested in the beautiful emotion of LOVE. However, LOVE is the mainstay of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that’s why He sacrificed His, Holy, sinless life for us. If the Godhead that we worship didn’t LOVE us so much, none of that would ever have happened. So it’s our responsibility to keep that LOVE going…and remember, with no conditions attached – unconditionally. That’s a very important part of the whole equation my brethren. It’s our bounden duty to rise up and further the LOVE Revolution that Jesus started. And here’s the best way to begin doing so. It comes from the title of another song, one by Mavado, simply titled, ‘HOPE and PRAY.’ Yes Friends, before we can achieve anything worthwhile, we first have to engage in those two actions; HOPE and PRAY. For without HOPE we won’t last very long in, or be very attentive to any activity in which we’re involved. And without PRAYER… Oh Friends, I don’t need to tell us that without SINCERE PRAYER to our heavenly Father, most, if not all of our activities will get bogged down in failure. That means we need to first have HOPE for our families and ourselves, our neighbours, our nations and our world. Then we have to PRAY SINCERELY for the Lord to bless us and move the LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, truth, wisdom and understanding that He’s already sown in our souls, in a faithful and positive manner, so that we can make serious inroads into the evil that currently has our world in its vice-like grip. It means that we ‘be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph.6:10) Unfortunately though my brethren, the wickedness of Lucifer has spread all over, upstairs, downstairs and sideways, like the tentacles of an octopus. That’s why our Bit warns us so strongly about the fight we’re in. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ It’s obvious that a lot of the evil that’s permeating our world must be in the high echelons, otherwise it wouldn’t be as pervasive and powerful as it is. Many of us would be surprised to know of the great amount of demon worship that happens in high places. It brings to mind the high places in the Old Testament where the Israelites in their rebellious times worshiped foreign gods. The only difference now is that we’re doing it much more secretively. That’s why Bruh Paul says we need to ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:11) And the armour of God, as Bruh Paul declares in Eph.6:13-18, consists of; the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the Good Book. Oh Friends, unless we’re fully dressed in that spiritual armour, we’ll have an exceedingly hard time fighting the evil demons that are trying to take over our world. So please, everyday we awaken, let’s first dress ourselves in that armour. Even if we’re not leaving home, it’s still important to put it on, because we never know how, when and where Lucifer and his evil minions will strike. They can attack us right in our own homes. And we’ll end with some interesting and important words on the subject from the scholars. ‘Several activities in the Bible may involve demons. Sometimes they cause physical disease or mental suffering. However, not all mental disorders are demonic in origin. Demons also tempt people into immoral practices. They originate and propagate false doctrines taught by heretical religious groups (1 Tim.4:1). The Bible also teaches that some people were possessed by demons (Mark 1:23). Although demons are committed to do evil, God will use them to accomplish His plan during the end of the age (Rev.16:14) Illustrations: Demons are also objects of worship in various occult practices forbidden by God. These include divination (an illegitimate means of determining the will of God), necromancy (efforts to communicate and interrogate the dead), magic (using formulas and incantations), sorcery (perhaps the nonmedical use of drugs), witchcraft, and astrology (Deut.18:10-12) Application: When the Ephesian Christians who were “dabbling” in the occult repented, there was a great revival in that place. No Christian can ever justify his participation in demonic activities. (Ex.7:11; Eph.6:12; Heb.1:4) There you have it Friends. No participation in demonic activities. Rather fight them to the death in our spiritual armour. Please pay serious attention to this message, because if we’re not prepared, Lucifer will breach our souls and cause us much heartache. Much LOVE!…if you’re not properly attired for battle…then you’ve lost before you’ve even begun… P.S. Please read the scriptural references provided by the scholars. They are authentic and will give us greater understanding of the subject. Much LOVE!
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2012 Ephesian 6:12
27 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: anger, awesome truth, bounden duty, cruelty, encourage yourself in God, encouragement, enthusiasm, false doctrines, flesh and blood, giving, greed, hate, high places, hope, LOVE, oppression, prayer, righteousness., salvation, showing, sincerity, spiritual armour, suppression, truth, violence, wickedness
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 September 2012 Psalm 130:7
26 Sep 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: abundance, blessings, compassion, encouragement, forgiveness, god, God's image, graciousness, LOVE, mercy, redemption, rend your heart, right heart, seek God, sincerity, strong faith, trials, tribulations
Psalm 130:7. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
Oh mih people, it’s a brand new day, with brand new mercies, blessings and forgiveness from our wonderful God! Wow! What a God! So let’s rejoice and be thankful in it nuh. And all God’s people shouted a loud and grateful, ‘Praise ye the Lord, for He is worthy to be praised!’ Yes Friends, our God is indeed worthy of all the praise we are capable of giving, and then some more, for He’s promised that all who come to Him in sincerity of heart will be accepted, LOVED and cared for until eternity. That’s why I’m telling you today, that ‘In dreams and in LOVE, there are no impossibilities!’ Now I don’t remember where I got that quote from, but it’s been up on my office wall, in big red letters, for the longest time, and after noticing it earlier on today, I decided to share it with you. At times like these, I ask myself why put up all those words of encouragement around the office, when I don’t pay any attention to them? I guarantee that there’s enough stuff on the walls, my desk, and my filing cabinet to encourage me in whatever situation is necessary. But do I go to them, as I should, when my spirit is at low ebb, or do I even read them as I pass by them everyday? No. And as I look over to the wall on my right, I notice a calendar that’s still turned to May, while we’re in September, almost October. Hn! I have an excuse for that though; two other smaller calendars on my desk. (smile) But that calendar still shouldn’t be saying May in September, when I pass by it quite a few times everyday. Anyway friends, please don’t be like me. If you put up stuff to encourage you, then read them, so that you’ll be encouraged, otherwise it’s a waste of time and effort. And I promise to do better also. (smile) Now let’s turn to our Bit. ‘Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption.’ Yesterday we dealt with the first part that speaks of HOPE in the Lord. Today we’ll check out the second half that talks about His mercy, LOVING-kindness and plentiful redemption. And believe me Friends, our God is full to overflowing with all those things. If we live till eternity, we’ll never see the end of His awesome cache of mercy and redemption because that’s simply a part of His nature. And it would certainly stand us in good stead if we developed some of those attributes ourselves, for we’re supposed to be a reflection of our Creator, made in His own image, which means we also need to have plenty mercy and forgiveness. Now let’s check out some scriptures that validate the truthfulness of the second half of our Bit. We’ll start with Psalm 86, a prayer of Bruh David, when he bemoans: ‘Teach me thy way O Lord.’ In verse 5, he declares with strong faith: ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps.86:5) Then again in verse 15, he staunchly declares the goodness and mercy of our God. ‘But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.’ (Ps.86:15) Ah mih breddren, I don’t know what would become of us with our sinful, rebellious nature if our God wasn’t so kind, patient and merciful with us nuh. Next we’ll turn to Psalm 145, where Bruh David talks about the Lord’s graciousness. He states these facts with utter certainty. ‘The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.’ (Ps.145:8-9) There is no hint of doubt in them Friends, because Bruh David lived them; saw and experienced the mercy, kindness and compassion of the faithful God of his fathers. So if Bruh David, a man like us with plenty faults, and bigger problems than we’ll ever encounter, can put his trust in and depend wholeheartedly on the Most High God, why can’t we do likewise eh? Please remember though that the Lord didn’t just flood Bruh David with His mercies and kindness, he had to work and struggle too, with the many personal enemies, including Saul and his own son Absalom, plus those of His nation Israel. But whatever came against him, he stood strong and firm in his faith, and for that the Lord considered him righteous. Please note my brethren that Bruh David’s heart was right from the very beginning, as Samuel told Saul when the Lord took away the kingdom from him. ‘The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart.’ (1 Sam.13:14) We obviously have to clean up our own hearts too, and bring them into right standing with God, before we can expect a whole lot of good stuff to happen to us, amongst all the trials and tribulations we’re normally going to bear in this sinful world, and even more so as followers of Jesus, since that’s where the Lord looks before He decides how to react to our prayers and actions. Hn! A sentence worthy of Bruh Paul. (smile) As Isaiah so rightly proclaims: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7) Oh my people, there is NO God like ours; Jehovah, the ONE, TRUE GOD, Creator and Controller of the universe and all therein! Please believe that and act accordingly. And we’ll end with some more wonderful words on the nature of our God from the prophet Joel, when he called Israel to repentance. ‘Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; And rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments, and turn (return) unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great (LOVING) kindness, and repenteth him of the evil (relents from doing harm).’ (Joel 2:12-13) Yes Friends, that’s the wonderful Deity that we serve and worship! But as His word dictates, we have to draw near to Him, seek Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, if we want to enjoy His many blessings and mercies. Much LOVE!…let him who has ears…hear and repent…or he will eventually feel…the might of God’s wrath…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2012 Jeremiah 29:11
25 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: believe the awesome promises of Jesus, encouragement, faith, hope, humble servants, invincible, jeremiah 29 11, light burden, LOVE, sacrificial lamb, spiritual armour, stand up for Jesus, sure conquerors
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Well hello there mih Lovelies! Rise and shine to greet a brand new beautiful day, full of joy and unconditional LOVE! Unfortunately it’s called Monday, (smile) which means that we have to go back out and labour for massa to earn a paltry living. Now that’s the bad news Friends. But here’s the good news, the gospel news: It’s simple, but oh so powerful! All of us who are staunch, true, faithful believers in Jesus Christ, the ONE and ONLY SUPERSTAR, have nothing whatsoever to worry about, because He’s already taken care of everything for us. He’s paid for our disgusting sins by sacrificing His holy, sinless life on the cross at Calvary, even though we didn’t, and will never deserve it! He’s promised us His perfect peace, very different and much more refreshing than that of man! He’s called us to lay down our heaven burdens at His nail scarred feet, and instead offers His easy yoke and light burden! He’s promised to be always with us, wherever we go, and to never leave or forsake us, which He’s faithfully done by sending His Holy Spirit, His Comforter to live within us, to lead and guide us along the straight, narrow, righteous but difficult way! And above all He’s promised the magnificent but free gift of grace through salvation and eternal life! Wow! A place where there’s no more pain, suffering, sorrow, darkness, hatred and tears, but till eternity, His brilliant light will light our golden paths, with joy, fellowship, and an exceedingly good life filled with LOVE! Mama Mia! And all we have to do to receive His generosity is believe in Him; believe that He is indeed the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIGHT and the LIFE, and that no one can come to Father God besides through Him, the SON, the SACRIFICIAL LAMB, our LORD and SAVIOUR, to whom ALL Power has been given, both on earth and in Heaven, and to whom ALL knees must eventually bow. And all God’s people raised a mighty shout to Heaven! ‘Praise be to Jesus Christ, who is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Yes Friends, what awesome promises, most of which have already been fulfilled and are continuously being fulfilled every single day in our lives! How much more do we need before we can trust Him, surrender our lives totally to Him eh? How much better can it get? The gospel truth is that it cannot get any better than that mih breddren! So with all those great things going for us, why are Christ’s people still so sad, miserable, scared, resentful and lacking true joy? Because we either don’t truly believe His Word, or we’re allowing the enemy, the evildoers to bamboozle us with false info. Anyway, on this historic Monday morning, let us all rise up and remember that the joy of the Lord God Jehovah is our strength! Yes, ALL God’s people, let’s rise up and reclaim that joy that so many believers have sadly lost, or simply set aside because of their rough and unfortunate circumstances! Let’s let the whole wide world know that Jesus’ people are ready to ride into battle, even to the death, for Him! And we can start the process by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with overwhelming exhilaration, in loud, tuneful, soaring voice. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Oh Friends, I was looking for something to stir up our spirits today, something to get us actively participating in the ongoing LOVE Revolution, and this is where the Spirit led me. I sure hope it has the desired effect, of encouragement, hope, trust and faith, and that we’ll readily and gladly accept, without any reservations, the awesome promised contained in our Bit: ‘ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (hope and a bright future).’ And I want to testify here Friends to the Lord’s true and awesome power, because I wrote all that stuff without a Bit in mind, then within a few seconds of contemplating what would be an appropriate one, the Spirit flashed that one in my mind, and not only that, I knew exactly where to find it. (smile) So please put all your trust and faith in Him, for He will NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Much LOVE mih beautiful people!…STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS…THE TRUMPET SOUNDS OBEY…TILL EVERY FOE IS VANQUISHED…AND JESUS HOLDS ETERNAL SWAY…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 May 2012 Psalm 81:13
21 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: battle hymn, encouragement, enthusiasm, faith, LOVE, prosperity, Queen Victoria, renewed vitality, spirituality, stewardship
Psalm 81:13. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
Oh Friends, it’s Monday, that day we all LOVE to hate! And luckily, for many in the British Commonwealth of nations, it’s a public holiday, commemorating the birthday of that powerful, strong minded Queen Victoria, (1819-1901) whose rule over British territory has been the longest, 64 years (1837-1901) and under whose stewardship the Empire spread and prospered like never before, raising the claim of an empire on which the sun never set. However, many others around the world, and here too in our 24/7 society, still have to go out and labour to keep the wheels of commerce spinning. So to encourage and energize those folks, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with much verve and enthusiasm. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Yes my people, today, we are placing our faith and trust in God’s hands, surrendering our bodies and souls to His wise guidance, unlike many others, both from this current age and of all those gone by. Of one thing we’re certain, God won’t be able to say of us, like the psalmist Asaph did of his people Israel in our Bit: ‘Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!’ Ah Friends, that comes from the psalm titled, God’s goodness and Israel’s waywardness. Now that was so silly of Israel, God’s chosen people, whom He had blessed above all other nations, to whom He had showed such signs and wonders, made such extraordinary promises to, and then faithfully fulfilled them! One would think that under those circumstances their way of life would have been one of integrity, one of walking steadfastly in God’s way. But unfortunately it was not so. As soon as they became prosperous, they forgot who brought them to the dance; the Lord God Jehovah, and turned away from Him. Neither is the majority of today’s world living a godly life, following the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life, but are foolishly following the wide path designed by the liar and cheat Beelzebub, a path which leads directly to death, destruction and eternal damnation in Hades. Listen to the prophet Isaiah conveying the Lord’s rebuke to Israel: ‘Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to (heeded) my commandments! Then had thy peace been like a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels (body) like the gravel thereof (grains of sand); his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.’ (Is.48:17-19) Oh my people, it’s the same thing the Lord’s saying to this evil, ungodly, adulterous generation, who are bowing down to idols and other man made Gods, while doing their very best to eradicate the ONE TRUE GOD, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from our society. But Friends, we, the united band of brothers and sisters in Christ cannot allow that to happen, for the tribulation, some of which is already befalling us, will be real terrible. We have to turn this thing around, by constantly promoting our LOVE Revolution and bringing the nations back to God, who is so wonderful that He’s offering us a second chance to return to His fold, just like He offered Israel another chance to do so. ‘I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.’ (Ps.81:14) But my brethren, if we don’t grab this chance to return to serving and worshipping our Creator, then: ‘There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.’ (Is.48:22) Oh Friends, our world is already consumed by much ungodly and ever increasing strife, and returning to God is the only way to reverse it. The choice is ours. Please, I implore us to choose wisely, for that decision between serving God and Lucifer will affect our lives from today, right through eternity. Much LOVE!…as for me and my house…we will definitely choose to follow Jesus…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 May 2012 Isaiah 40:28
06 May 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: belive and trust, blahs, down in the dumps, eloquent, encouragement, energy sapping, enthusiastic, fainting, isaiah 40, merry-go-round, power, renew strength, spiritual energy, understanding, uplift, wisdom
Isaiah 40:28. 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.
Ah Friends, the ole fella’s feeling a bit down in the dumps this morning. Yuh know sometimes yuh just feel blah; yuh get the blahs. (smile) Well that’s my unfortunate position today. Why? I really don’t know, because there’s no good reason for me to be feeling less than enthusiastic. I guess my spirit is a tad tired from the constant merry-go-round that’s life. Obviously I asked the Lord to boost my spirit, to rejuvenate me so that I could write something worthy of His Name. Therefore it wasn’t so strange or surprising that in my search for a Bit, I was guided to this particular scripture verse. ‘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.’ Yes Friends, I have heard, and I do know that the Lord our God, Creator of this vast, diverse, beautiful universe and all therein doesn’t faint or get tired, and there’s no understanding of His great wisdom, power, mercy, forgiveness and LOVE by mere mortals like myself. That’s why in my time of need I turned to Him without hesitation. And He has boosted my spirit, has rejuvenated my enthusiasm that was faltering, for I’m once again in fighting mode. Praise Him my brethren! Oh Friends, I’m chuckling here now as I write, but some twenty minutes ago, I certainly wasn’t chuckling. Instead I was dreading having to write the Bit in that blah state of mind. But our God is such a wonderful God, uplifting and comforting those who believe and trust in Him! As Isaiah so eloquently and truthfully continues: ‘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.40:29-31) And I can testify right now Friends, that that’s the gospel truth, because he just did it for me! Give Him some thanks and praise! So it is for real when I keep saying that we must turn to the Lord, especially in the rough and tough times, for the fortitude and strength to renew our faith and keep us keeping on. Our world is so filled today with all kinds of faith breaking and energy sapping stuff, that being only human, frail and fragile, at some time or other we will get tired and frustrated by the energy and focus required for successful living. But fortunately my brethren, when either or both our physical and spiritual energy ebb to low tide, that’s the time we need to use our faith by turning to Almighty God for help and succour. It won’t always come easily, or right away, or even the way you want and expect it, but rest assured, it will come, and in a way that’s best for you. My ‘blahness’ today is a good example of that. I asked for a boosting of my spiritual energy, but it wasn’t just simply boosted, or even the way I expected it. It came through my act of faith. I knew I had to write the Bit, regardless of how I felt, so I went seeking one, and through the Spirit’s guidance, I was led to one that rejuvenated me. I could easily have moaned and groaned and pleaded without getting up off my fanny and doing my part and most likely nothing would have happened, or it would have taken much longer. But because I persevered some, in spite of my less than enthusiastic feelings, the Lord worked more quickly on my behalf. That’s one of the secrets to unlocking God’s mercy; doing what we need to do, in spite of how we feel! When we persevere regardless, in due time the Lord will bring our feelings around to line up with whatever we’re doing. Ah friends, I don’t know what else to say nuh, except that I’m quite bright and bubbly now! Praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men! I guess He figured that I needed to provide some testimony today; some faith strengthening act of true reality, that I could pass along which would uplift and encourage others. And I sure hope that my little episode does provide some encouragement to you my fellow believers, for we all need encouragement at some time or another. But whatever the reason Friends, let me encourage and exhort us to stand strong in our God, for He has the most wonderful action going on in this crazy, troubled world. And if we stay close to and faithful to Him, we’ll never lack for nurture or anything else in our earthly pilgrimage. That’s the living truth….and don’t you forget it! Much LOVE!…our God…He is the GREATEST THING…before…since…and after sliced bread…(smile)
Today’s Sccrip-Bit 27 April 2012 Proverbs 20:19
27 Apr 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Christian principles, deceivers, deception, encouragement, false prophets, false teachers, flattery, gossip, great expections, Jesus, thanks, warnings, weekend
Proverbs 20:19. He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.
Well Friends, that joyful harbinger of the weekend is here. It’s Friday once again! And all those who have the weekend off, emitted a tired but expectant shout: “Thank God is Friday yes! Ah don’t know if I could handle another day of this depressing, tiring work!’ But Friends, as the song I’m listening in the background is encouraging, let’s rejoice! Yes, rejoice, because Jesus is in our lives and that’s the BEST NEWS in all the world! It’s amusing though, how we die for Friday to come because we get a couple of days off, but intensely dislike Mondays, since we have to go back out to labour for the little pittance that most of us receive. I guess that’s only natural, but as always, to help us handle the situation, let’s chant our Friday Chant with great expectations. As one voice now: ‘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. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ Yeh mih breddren, that should put us in a more controlled and godly frame of mind. So now we can address our Bit without any of you throwing tantrums at my words, (smile) since some of you genuinely believe that some of the stuff you revel in is quite harmless. But our Bit begs to differ: ‘He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle (associate) not with him that flattereth with his lips.’ Oh my people, we know that to be very true, but refuse to believe it because we either engage in it ourselves or encourage others to do so. Yesterday we looked at a couple scriptures that dealt mainly with tale bearing, today we’ll look at some that deal mainly with the second half of our Bit: ‘therefore meddle (associate) not with him that flattereth with his lips.’ Now Friends, that’s excellent advice because some of us are quite prone to flattery; we so desire to hear nice and good things about ourselves that we make the cliché very true; flattery will get you any and everywhere. And there are plenty people out there quite willing to indulge us, so please don’t associate with that type, cause they will only take advantage of our weakness and lead us astray. Hear Bruh Paul’s warning to the Romans on the subject. ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, mark (note) them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good (smooth) words and fair (flattering) speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (innocent).’ (Rom.16:17-18) That’s gospel truth Friends! So please pay careful attention to it. Now listen to this other warning to the Colossians, re false teachings. ‘And this I say, lest any man should beguile (deceive) you with enticing (persuasive) words….As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you (plunder, or take you captive) through philosophy and vain (empty) deceit, after (according to) the tradition of men, after the rudiments (basic principles) of the world, and not after Christ.’ (Col.2:4,6-8) And if you don’t believe it happens, then here is an excellent example of it from Acts, in the days of the council of Jerusalem. ‘And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.’ (Acts.15:1) Now that’s totally false, but men were preaching that kind of falsehood back then, and plenty are still preaching all kinds of untrue stuff today. That’s why it’s so important that we be very careful with whom we associate and the tenor of their beliefs because once they get their hooks into us, they can very easily lead us astray. And here’s the final word from Peter, re false prophets and teachers: ‘But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable (destructive) heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious (destructive) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of (blasphemed). And through covetousness shall they with feigned (deceptive) words make merchandise of (exploit) you: whose judgement now of a long time lingereth not (has not been idle), and their damnation (destruction) slumbereth not.’ (2 Pet.2:1-3) And believe me, Friends, obnoxious false teachers and teachings are still with us today, possibly even with greater deception. So I implore us to delve deep into the Good Book ourselves, and get proper instruction from reputable people, so that we can know these false teachers and meddlers who go around intentionally misleading the brethren. I pray that we can all stand on the true Word of God, and not be misled. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Much LOVE!…Lucifer’s deceivers are so good… that it takes a true Jesus believer to spot them… P.S. And as the rocking soca song in the background’s saying: ‘Thank God for Jesus, Thank God for Jesus, EVERYDAY. Thank God for Jesus, He is my Saviour, He is the Truth, He is the the Light, He is the Way…Thank God for Jesus…He is the truth, He is the Light, He is the Way.’ No doubt about that mih people! So let’s give Him the thanks He so rightly deserves! Much LOVE!
SCRIP-BITS 