13 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prayer away, abolished, aura of love, be of good cheer, be prepared, breaking down, Christians, contrariness, desires for Jesus, drive yuh crazy, enmity, enthusiasm, Gentiles, humble servants, i have overcome the world, I have spoken to you, imposters, in me you might have peace, in the world, Jeremiah, Jews, mocked, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, more than conquerors, never giving up, peace, powers, principalities, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, resolutions, separate us from the love of God, sinful world, spiritual armour, the Lord be praised, the wall of partition, the weather scene, these things, times of trouble, ungodly world, useful purpose, waery with forbearing, ye shall have tribulation
John 16:33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Now this weather scene is getting to be a bit much yes! Can you believe that after a wet, rainy and icy Sunday morning that by ten a.m. the sun had come out and it became clear and dry, though somewhat chilly, and stayed so for the remainder of the day? Wonder what kind of weather we will experience today eh? But I’m not bothering mihself over it nuh, because with it’s contrariness, if you take it on, it will just drive yuh crazy! You just have to be prepared for whatever comes and say, the Lord be praised! (smile)
And can you also believe that we’re already into half of January? Time sure isn’t wasting time… like some of us! (smile) Wonder how many sure-fire resolutions have been broken already? No doubt many. But it’s Monday, and that tired, sickly, lazy and unenergized feeling is afflicting some of us, like it will always do, so let’s take our problems to the Lord in prayer as we ought to. Let’s humbly, but confidently declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and receive His awesome help to cure our ailments.
Altogether 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!’
And as always, the positive heavenly reply is not long in coming. We soon feel our spirits lifting, our energy pumping up, and our desires for Jesus, His Word and His work burning like a righteous fire in our being! (smile) Like poor Jeremiah who was tired of declaring the Lord’s word because he was being mocked continually, and thus decided to give up speaking it. However he found that he could not. Why? ‘But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (of holding back) and I could not stay (endure it). (Jer. 20:9)
Ah friends, many of us sometimes feel like Jeremiah; getting a lot of negative reactions when we try to speak God’s word, but we cannot give up, we have to endure, whatever it takes. It’s that spirit of NEVER GIVING UP, regardless of our circumstances, or who comes against us, that divides Christians from the rest of the human race. Once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit fills you with His awesome strength and courage so that you can keep keeping on with Christ as your Guide and Leader.
He didn’t have it easy on this earth, and neither will we. But as He faithfully promised: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ And He certainly has friends, by dying on the cross to save our sinful souls, and then coming to life once again, thus defeating, hell, death and the grave for all time! And we’ll just quote a few scriptures to highlight the truth of what Jesus said in our Bit.
As pertaining to His peace, hear Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus regarding the unity of ALL believers. ‘For He (Christ himself) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (division) between us. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances: for to make (create) in himself of twain (the two) one new man, so making peace.’ (Eph. 2:14-15)
Yes precious people, Christ broke down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, namely the Mosaic Law which was made to protect the Jews from pagan influences, but which they improperly used to make themselves feel superior to the Gentiles. But Jesus got rid of all of that by making us, Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles, One new man, a unified Church.
And as per having tribulation in this evil world, hear Bruh Paul to Timothy, re the coming days of apostasy (backsliding). ‘Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers (imposters) shall wax (grow) worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.’ (2 Tim. 3:12-13) And we certainly are seeing it all in these strife-filled end times.
And per overcoming the world, listen to these encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:37-39)
So friends, we have it all in Jesus, God Himself, all that we need to successfully navigate this fallen and sinful world. So there is absolutely no need to worry when things seem rough. Just call on Him and He will faithfully see you through. Much LOVE!
…in times of trouble…Jesus is only a prayer away…
16 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful ambassador, a flaming desire, a wicked messenger, Advocate, ambassadors, aura of love, blameable, brings health, by the quality of our lives, celebrating Christ's birth, Christmas, come up higher, compassion, enthusiasm, examples, falleth into mischief, God's mercy, gratitude, holy spirit, humble servants, inclement weather, inexhaustible energy, into foolish heads, invincible, Jesus Christ, knock some sense, laggards, lies, LOVE, made him to be sin, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, odious, on Christ's behalf, precepts, reconciled to God, spiritual armour, teach them, the righteousness of God, traumatized, trite, trouble, true observation, useful purpose, wicked taunts, wiles, work more forcibly on the mind
Proverbs 13:17. A wicked messenger falleth into mischief (trouble): but a faithful ambassador is (brings) health.
Well I hope we all had a good and pleasant weekend, filled with God’s mercy and compassion, and were not too traumatized by the inclement weather a lot of us had to undergo. (smile) But be that as it may, today’s that great day we call Monday, where we get our acts together and get out and face the music! So what we waiting for eh? Let’s do it nuh! Yeh, I know, there will always be some laggards, some of us who are just not up to it, for whatever reason. But don’t despair because we have you covered.
Our great God has taken all possibilities into consideration and has designed this one specially for our Monday morning ills. It’s titled our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, because it gets us fighting ready for battle with the devious and deceitful enemy. So as one pleading, but humbly hopeful and expectant voice, let’s take our problem to the halls of heaven nuh, where our Advocate, Jesus Christ, is there waiting to take our case to the Father.
‘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!’
And with a wonderful Advocate like Christ on the case, what else can we expect but VICTORY! Yes friends, almost immediately, we all feel the renewing of our spirits and the overwhelming enthusiasm filling our souls through the miraculous working of God’s Holy Spirit! And now we’re just bursting with a flaming desire and seemingly inexhaustible energy to get out into the evil world and knock some sense into some foolish heads on Christ’s behalf!
But the truth of the matter is that Jesus doesn’t really want us to physically knock sense into the heads of those who refuse to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour, but rather to teach them, by the quality of our lives, our own LOVE, care and compassion for them in this rough and tumble world. For remember, as the man said so long ago, (smile) … Oh brother, now I can’t remember the rather appropriate quote from the 18th century novel, ‘Joseph Andrews’ by Henry Fielding. Steups! But in today’s parlance it boils down to something like actions speak louder than words. And indeed they do.
Thank God for computers yes, they do serve some useful purposes sometimes! (smile) I got the bright idea to google the book and author’s name, and lo and behold, much to my surprise, there it was; the whole book. But all I needed was the first line of the first page: ‘It is a trite but true observation, that examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts: and if this be just in what is odious and blameable, it is more strongly so in what is amiable and praiseworthy.’ Wow! It’s amazing how that passage has stuck with me, having read it fifty something years ago in High School.
That means our lives, as living examples for Christ, will touch others much more than what we say to them. It’s like people will forget what we say, but not how we treat them. That’s why Jesus encourages us to be good salt and bright lights in the world, leading exemplary lives. Note, not perfect ones, but as close as we can get. Remember we’re supposed to be ambassadors for Christ, His earthly messengers, and in the wise words of Cousin Sol: ‘A wicked messenger falleth into mischief (trouble): but a faithful ambassador is (brings) health’
That’s why in this world ambassadors are carefully chosen and have to know a fair amount of the culture and laws and mores of the places where they are sent, so they don’t bring shame and disgrace or trouble to their country or government. Likewise friends, we can only be good ambassadors for Christ if we read and study and inculcate His Word, so that we know what to do and how to live in this evil world, so that we don’t bring disgrace to His name and His kingdom. For as Cousin Sol also says: ‘For as the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.’ (Prov.25:13)
Are we refreshing Christ’s soul with our earthly lives friends? No wonder Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray (implore) you in Christ’s stead (on Christ’s behalf), be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Cor. 5:20-21) Yes my people, it’s all for Christ’s sake! How can we not settle down and be good ambassadors for Him eh, after the Lord put our sins on Him, and His righteousness on us?
So this Monday morning, as we’re in the process of celebrating Christ’s birth, please, I implore us, let’s take a serious look at our ambassadorship in His name and with God’s help try to make it better. We can all come up higher for Christ, that’s a fact! Much LOVE!
…for what Christ has done for us…a worthy ambassadorship is…the best gratitude we can show…
09 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Amen, aura of love, clogs up our souls, confidence, covenant, do Jesus' work, enthusiasm, give thanks unto the Lord, gladness, glory, he is food, his mercy endureth for ever, holy spirit, humble servants, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, loving people, loyal love, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, praise the Lord of hosts, precious people of God, raise our hearts, renewed vitality, sacrifice of praise, salvation, taunts, the enemy, the Lord God of Israel, triumph, voice of joy, voices to high heaven, wiles
Psalm 136:1. O Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.
Come now precious people of God, let us get ourselves together in fine style and fashion this Monday morning, and go out and do Jesus’ work with a good, upstanding attitude nuh! It’s the least we can do to show our gratitude for all that He’s done for us. And all God’s children said: ‘Praise the Lord!’ It’s amusing, but sad, that every Monday morning the enemy clogs up so many of our souls and spirits that we can’t function the way we ought to. It’s just something we have to keep fighting through though.
And to help us do that, we have this awesome prayer we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we take our troubles to the Lord, asking for His beneficence in this our time of need, reminding Him that it’s His Son’s work we’re seeking strength, courage and wisdom to do. So altogether now, let’s raise our hearts, souls and voices to high heaven: ‘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!’
Ah friends, heaven heard that sincere, heartfelt prayer and the Lord immediately directed the Holy Spirit to begin working in us, to start energizing us so that we can go out and successfully do Jesus’ work; LOVING people, helping them, and causing them to want to come to Him to lay down their heavy burdens and find rest for their weary souls. No wonder the psalmist could pay the ultimate tribute to our God by declaring (steups!) in the very first verse of his psalm: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ What gospel truth friends!
And the psalmist felt so strongly about it that he continued: ‘O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of Lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 136:2-3) And yuh better believe that the other 23 verses of the psalm all end in “for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (smile) According to the scholars, ‘The psalm was no doubt sung antiphonally with the people responding with the refrain: “for his mercy endureth for ever.” The word mercy was important in the Psalter. It refers to God’s loyal LOVE for His people. He is in covenant with them, and He LOVES to be loyal to that covenant.’
And just to show how important mercy (LOVING-kindness) was to the psalmists, please check out Psalms 106 and 107, they both begin the same way. Jeremiah also declared it when he promised that Judah would be revived. ‘The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land (the captives to return), as at the first, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.33:11)
And just to remind us, the Lord still delights in the sacrifice of praise. So if you’re in dire need of mercy, of LOVING-kindness, then that’s the way to go! (smile) Even Bruh David used it in his psalm of thanksgiving after he’d brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory (triumph) in thy praise. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord.’ (1 Chr.16:34-36)
Oh my fellow believers, we could not end this morning on a better note. So please, let’s cry out to our great God, He of our salvation, to help and save us, and offer up a sincere sacrifice of praise. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Praise the Lord!’ Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that delights the Lord more…than hearing His awesome praises being declared…
06 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sour mood, adventurous, all generations, among women, awe-inspiring, badger, blessed art thou, blessed is she who believed, blindsided, boss, bully, can't sleep, Christmas, Comforter, Cyber Monday, Elisabeth, enthusiasm, faithfulness, favourite season, Friday chant, fulfillment, furthering your glorious kingdom, generous help, Helper, in God my Saviour, in Jesus' name, John the Baptist, my soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit doth rejoice, of those things, ordinary workingman, refreshed in soul, shall call me blessed, snow, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the babe leaped in her womb, the low estate, the Magnificat, there shall be a performance, told her from the Lord, week of work, wife nagging, working for God, Zechariah
Luke 1:45. And blessed is she that (who) believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.
‘Snow, snow, snow… Canadian snow!’ Yeah friends, yesterday it was just a mere veneer, (smile) and the day turned into a rather nice one. Today though it’s a full blown coat – white everywhere! (smile) And I guess it must have blindsided many commuters when they hit the road this morning, because I went to bed around 3, and there was none of that fresh stuff on the ground then. So please be very careful if you have to go out today. I know I’m not going anywhere! (smile) But since it’s Friday, let’s hear what the ordinary workingman has to say for himself nuh.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! Yes, Friday has shown up at long last! It’s been a roughish week; what with the children harassing me to get into the Cyber Monday nonsense, some bad weather and the boss in a sour mood…even more sour and snarly than usual, and for some reason I can’t sleep properly when the night come, so all day ah more tired than anything else. Steups! Don’t even have no enthusiasm for Christmas when I am usually a Christmas man, it’s my favourite season of the year. And then the wife been nagging me to put up lights and Christmas tree and what not.
Chuh! Usually, she don’t have to badger or bully me to do that. But this year ah just not in the mood for all the Christmas stuff. Don’t know if I’m just getting old and tired, or I need a long vacation in a hot climate, with sea, salt, sand and rum! Now there’s an interesting idea! It’s really sparked my interest. How wonderful it would be to get away from this cold, snowy weather for a while eh! But right now that’s just a pipe dream because I can’t afford to take the whole family away, and I can’t just go by mihself. So I’ll just have to come back down to earth and say, Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui, hoping that I can get some proper sleep during the weekend, and that my normal enthusiasm for Christmas will return after that!’
Ah friends, the vagaries of life and the weather eh! We never know when whatever will hit us and just change our mood and attitude, but once we hold on tightly to Jesus, no mater what we go through, we know we will come out of it okay; no burning in the fire, or drowning in the flood. None of us are immune from such situations, but we at least have a more positive song to sing come the weekend, what we call our Friday Chant. So let’s chant it now nuh with sincere thanks and strong sense of purpose.
As one voice: ‘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!’ At least when we’re down in the dumps, we have a great God, Helper and Comforter to cry out to.
And I think it’s necessary for us to continue with Mary’s story to see just how the Lord administers His faithfulness to those who faithfully do His work. Remember yesterday we saw where Mary accepted the Lord’s will without a hassle. But then the Good Book tells us: ‘And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; and entered into the house of Zechariah, and saluted (greeted) Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elisabeth heard the salutation (greeting) of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me (why is it) that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation (greeting) sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.’ (Luke 1:39-44)
Oh friends, what a great dramatist is our God! Knowing that Mary would need human help and confidence and support in the unenviable task He had given her, He sent her to her cousin Elisabeth, who, in her own lesser way, was tasked with God’s holy will. For, hitherto barren, she was then carrying John the Baptist, the forerunner of Mary’s child, Jesus. And the Master Dramatist set it up so skillfully through the Holy Ghost, that when Mary greeted Elisabeth, her eyes were opened to God’s proposed doing, and the unborn John the Baptist leaped for joy in her womb, cause he also felt the godly connection.
And who says our wonderful God doesn’t move in strange, mysterious and awesome ways eh! But they always have a useful purpose. Now hear these interesting words that God also put into Elisabeth’s mouth for Mary’s encouragement. ‘And blessed is she that (who) believed: for there shall be a performance (fulfillment) of those things which were told her from the Lord.’ Oh my fellow believers, how wonderful is our God eh! From Mary’s acceptance of her task, He began encouraging her and building her faith even more. Thus after hearing Elisabeth’s prophecy, she was able to declare the awesome words of faith we know as ‘The Magnificat!’
‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify (exalt) the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate (lowly state) of his handmaiden (maidservant): for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed…’ (Luke 1:46-48) Unfortunately friends, we don’t have space or time to record all of Mary’s words on that most auspicious occasion, but you can read them in Luke 1:46-55. Then the Good Book adds this important info: ‘And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.’ (Luke 1:56)
So the Lord allowed Mary to spend a good while with Elisabeth so that she could be further encouraged. And He does that with all who work sincerely for Him my brethren. I can tell you that from personal experience. Without His awesome help and encouragement I could not write this Bit everyday. So whatever God has given you to do, please don’t despair, call out to Him for help, if needs be, and He will faithfully offer it. You can better your bottom dollar on it! (smile) Much LOVE!
…working for the Lord…might be hard…but it’s certainly adventurous and awe-inspiring…
02 Dec 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sleight of hand, accomplish God's plan, aura of love, be like Jesus, being confident, Black Friday, bricks and mortar, Christian's eternal security, communion, crying out for help, Cyber Monday, cyber space, do His will, enthusiasm, fellowship, forgiving, from glory to glory, further your glorious kingdom, God's faithfulness, gracious, hath begun a good work, humble servants, in Jesus' name, jobs, keeping lives and families together, LOVE, loving, merciful, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, of this very thing, personally testify, putpose, saving work, schemes. lies, share God's word, sincere prayer, spur of the moment decisions, the throne of grace, union, until the day of Jesus Christ, virtual reality, warm the cockles of God's heart, wiles, will finish it, will perform it
Philippians 1:6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Oh friends it’s Cyber Monday… Yeah Cyber Monday! Another day the captains of commerce have dreamed up to steal your money and put you deeper in debt! Last Friday, Black Friday, they had you visiting the bricks and mortar, the actual physical stores, so you can rush and push each other and stir up mayhem. On Cyber Monday though, it’s a whole different ballgame; they rob you in cyber-space, virtual reality, where they fool you into thinking that something is out there, when it’s only a sleight of hand. (smile)
Ah mih people, just one word of warning; remember if you fall for their evil wiles and schemes, you will most likely have many murky and miserable Mondays in your future, where you struggle to get up and go to work so you can pay for the stuff you bought on Black Friday and Cyber-Monday, a lot of which you did not need, but unfortunately got caught up in the contrived scenes and thus made unwise, spur of the moment decisions. End of lecture!
And I guess today is as good a day as any to begin crying out for help, since I’m sure some of you have already visited the websites and purchased stuff, so now you need some assistance to get out there and work to pay for it. (smile) With all of that in mind then, let’s approach the throne of grace, humbly but confidently, and declare (steups!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, a poignant and powerful prayer for the help we so badly need.
As one voice 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!’
And thankfully we have a LOVING, forgiving, merciful and gracious God oui! One who listens to our sincere prayers and answers them all, though not necessarily the way we want them answered, but always in our best interest. And one prayer He will always answer in the affirmative is one for help to go out and do His will, to share His Word with others, to tell the world about His most wonderful Son, Jesus! That’s why we are now experiencing a sudden lifting of our spirits and a burgeoning desire, backed by loads of enthusiasm, to get out into the world and give them heck in Jesus name! (smile)
Yes my faithful brethren, in answer to our sincere prayer, the Holy Spirit of God is moving within us so that we can go out and accomplish God’s plan and purpose for our lives. And He does have individual plans for each of His children, as well as a general plan that we should all grow to be like Jesus, moving from glory to glory. And one of the great truths about our God is that stated by Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1:9)
And if there’s one thing I can personally testify to friends, it’s God’s overwhelming faithfulness! He asked me to write the Bit, and without fail, for the last 13 years, He’s helped me write it everyday! You couldn’t get anymore faithful than that. Meanwhile, the scholars offer this explanation of the verse: ‘1:9. Unto the fellowship of his son: The term ‘fellowship’ includes both union and communion. The Corinthian believers had been brought into union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Accordingly, this great truth implies that they had been brought into communion with one another. Here in a nutshell is the theme of this epistle.’
That means, all those who accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour, are a part of one big, united family, which we called the body of Christ, or His church. And Bruh Paul also exuded supreme confidence in God, when he told the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ What a wonderful and faithful God we serve and worship my people! He will never stop whatever good work He’s begun in us until Jesus returns. Glory be!
Now hear the scholars: ‘1:6: Will perform it is said “will finish it.” Paul is convinced that the work of grace that God began in the Philippians at conversion will be divinely continued until the day of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord will keep working in these believers until Jesus returns to earth, at which point He will finish His work, bringing it to completion. This speaks of the Christian’s eternal security. For God had a purpose in view when He began His saving work in the Philippians, and that purpose will neither be abandoned or unrealized.’
And all God’s people gratefully shouted: ‘Glory to our great God! Give Him thanks and praise for His awesome faithfulness!’ So let’s go out today and do just that nuh, and thus warm the cockles of His ever-LOVING heart! Much LOVE!
…the best way to show gratitude for God’s faithfulness…is through our own faithfulness…
07 Oct 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, call upon him in truth, confidence, encouraged, enemy's ranks, enthused, enthusiasm, feeling good, fight for Jesus, foot dragging, for his hope, fulfill the desire, full of vim and vigour, further your glorious kingdom, gospel truth, great is our Lord, happy is he, hath the God of Jacob, hearsay, holy spirit, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new week of work, of them that fear Him, personal experience, praise him, preserves all who love Him, protective spiritual armour, rejuvenation of spirit, saints in glory, serve a useful purpose, sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving, taunts, the Lord is nigh, the wicked will he destroy, unto all that call upon Him, wiles
Psalm 145:18. The Lord is nigh (near) unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Aw, come on nuh friends, no lagging and foot dragging this morning nuh! Is Monday, and we should be full of vim and vigour, eager to get out into the world and fight the Lord’s battles! What’s this yuh tired and not up top scratch nonsense eh? That means you didn’t go to church yesterday and worship and praise God with other believers, else you’d be up bright and early just dying to get out and fight for Jesus.
But regardless of your situation, we’re not here to condemn you, but to help you. So please don’t feel too badly, just join us in sending up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we ask the Lord to strengthen and inspire us to go out and do His work. Altogether now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts:
‘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!’
And here’s what I like about that particular prayer…before you even finish saying it, you start feeling good; enthused, encouraged, confident and well able to go out and fight a good fight in Christ’s name! Glory be my people! So let’s go out now and do just that nuh. And as we do, let’s remember Bruh David’s fateful and famous words from Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. ‘The Lord is nigh (near) unto all that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.’
Yeh mih breddren, that’s why we can sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn in humble sincerity and know that He will hear and also answer us! As Bruh David continues: ‘He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy.’ (Ps.145:19-20)
Gospel truth that friends! And we know that Bruh David is talking from personal experience there, not merely hearsay. And many of us have also had the wonderful experience of experiencing God’s mercy and LOVING- kindness, so we too know first hand that those words are absolutely true! So there is no need to fret or worry about whatever comes against us.
As the psalmist so rightly and wisely says in support of those words: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.’ (Ps.146:5) And that elicits a li’l smile and chuckle from me, as I was somewhat late in getting up and was worried that I wouldn’t finish the Bit in time for me to do some other things that need my attention this morning.
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my people! He never leaves us in the lurch, nor fails to reassure and encourage us! Wow! So how can we not LOVE Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds eh? We’d be real foolish not to! For listen to the psalmist again: ‘Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (innumerable, without count). The Lord lifteth up the meek (humble): he casteth the wicked down to the ground.’ (Ps.147:5-6)
And please note people, it’s not the same psalmist who is saying all those wonderful things about our God, but different ones, so there must be some truth in their assertions. And if that’s so, then we ought to respond thus: ‘Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy (LOVING-kindness). Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.’ (Ps.147:7-12)
Yes my people, the Lord is indeed worthy to be praised! There’s absolutely no doubt about it! So on this chilly autumn morn, as we go out to do His bidding, let’s praise Him nuh! Let’s glorify Him, let’s extol His wonderful attributes and exalt His mighty name, for there’s nothing our God likes better than hearing His praises being sung! Much LOVE!
…praise Him…praise Him…all you His saints in glory…praise Him with loud voice…
16 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pillar of fire, at the height of, aura of love, be strong, by day, by night, Cape Town, confidence building word, conquerors, diligence, enthusiasm, excellence, fear not, game drive, he it is that goes before thee, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, help to face the day, in a pillar of a cloud, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, lies, magnanimous god, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither be dismayed, neither forsake thee, of a good courage, omnipotent, our Christ induced powers, rejuvenation of spirit, spiritual armour, surrender our souls to God, the ant hills, the Holy Spirit, the house of the Lord, the Lord, the Lord went before them, the wilds, through Christ, trust, ungodly world, vitality, we can do all things, who strengthens us, wicked taunts
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee; he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
And then it was Monday, the day so many of us despise because it rings the death knell for our short weekend time off, and thus we get up feeling weary and hard done by! But in truth, Monday ought to be our most energetic and agreeable day because we’ve just fellowshipped the day before with other believers and received encouragement from them, heard the Lord’s mighty confidence building word and should thus be at the height of our Christ induced powers, just chomping at the bit to go out and serve him with diligence and excellence.
But instead we seem to be at our lowest on a Monday and that’s definitely not serving us well in Christ’s ministry. However, that just seems to be the nature of the beast, and we do have our antidote to combat and defeat whatever ails you on a Monday morning. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we call on our omnipotent and magnanimous God for help to face the day. So please pray with us nuh, in strong voice and sincere hearts.
‘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!’
Ah friends, I know you feel the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in you already! That’s just how quickly our wonderful Lord answers sincere prayers that meet His holy will! Now please get yourselves together and go out and give the devil a good run for his money. Meanwhile, I’m up here in the wilds of Northern South Africa, getting ready to go out on a short game drive at six a.m., because we’re leaving the lodge today.
Unfortunately we didn’t see any of the big five we hadn’t already seen, namely hippos and leopards, but we saw some of the others, and I said a teary farewell to my favourites, the ant hills. (smile) They’re so big and numerous and come in many different shapes, but they all seem to have what looks like a conning tower. Anyway, we came back around seven thirty, had breakfast and left at nine as planned. But you wouldn’t believe it took us until ten thirty to get off the rough, unpaved roads. Brother, was that ever an unpleasant drive, although we saw a few animals along the way.
Some five hours after leaving the Lodge we finally pulled in to Joburg, Oliver Tambo Airport for the duchess and I to catch a domestic two-hour flight to Cape Town on the Southern coast of the country. We didn’t get to our room in the hotel until nine p.m. by then we were so tired that all we had time to do was grab a bite in the dining room the head straight to bed. We had been on the road for some fifteen hours, and since we’re not spring chickens it obviously took a toll on us. (smile)
But when you walk with the Lord, you learn not fear, for He is always with you and has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. Listen to Moses’ words to the Israelites as they went through the wilderness. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee; he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
And the Lord had lived up to that promise from the time they came out of Egypt, as the Good Book says: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; to go by day and night.’ (Ex.13:21) Wow! What a wonderful God we serve and worship my people, but we don’t really appreciate Him and the things He does for us, as much as we should.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol, re building the temple. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr. 28:20)
And I can testify to that too friends, as many of you can also do. So please let’s not give up on the Lord’s work nuh. We have His faithful promise that He’ll never leave not forsake us. And Bruh Paul added his two cents worth to all of that by letting us know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but you still have to be careful and don’t overdo it. Much LOVE!
…with Christ in your life…fear not…and be not dismayed…mean exactly what they say…
P.S. And I just had a real life showing of God’s mysterious movements. I’m writing this Bit in the Paris Airport but the plugs here are different To North America, so I was writing it with what ever charge was left in my lap top. Now I saw that it was running low, but I figured I had enough time to get it done and send it out, especially with what I was writing, re the Lord will never leave thee nor forsake thee. I felt sure that He would give me the time to send it out. But lo and behold, just as I was going to send it out, the so and so computer died.
Chuh! I queried the Lord how He could do me that after all those promises, but obviously I got no direct answer. Then I saw a brother sitting on the other row and I got the bright idea to ask him if he had a plug that would work here. And lo and behold he did have one. So I’m now able to charge my computer. And if you think that was my bright idea, think again. Yuh see mih people, our God does look after us when we trust and surrender our souls to Him, even better than we ask, because now I can do all sorts of stuff, and not just send out the Bit. Give Him much thanks and praise mih people!! Much LOVE!
09 Sep 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a conscious decision, a good attitude, a helluva price to pay, a warning, appreciate the job, aura of love, belong mercies and forgiveness, confusion of face, Daniel's prayer, depths of hell, disobedience, enthusiasm, evil, follow through, forgiving, further your glorious kingdom, grace, in captivity, inspiration, invincible, Israel, Jesus Christ, jobs, justice, keeping lives and families together, lies, loving, Lucifer, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obeyed, our number will play, prayer, protective spiritual armour, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, righteousness., sally forth with confidence, Satan, shame, surrender, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is righteous, the voice of the Lord, to the Lord our God, ungodly direction, we have rebelled against him, weary souls, wicked taunts, work week
Daniel 9:9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.
Here we go again friends, the work week is upon us! Please let’s greet it with a positive reaction nuh since there is nothing we can really do about it. I learned that lesson a long time ago, after I quit a job to do my own thing, then had to go back to it when my business went under. I never intended to go back to that job, but then it was the easiest and best job I could get at the time and I certainly needed the money.
So I just told myself, if you’ve got to go, then you might as well go with a good attitude, stop making yourself miserable everyday you have to go to it. And it worked for me. I eventually got to appreciate the job more then, than in my initial go round. So if it could work for me, it certainly ought to work for you too. But you need to make a conscious decision to do it, then follow through with that decision.
However, until you get to that stage, (smile) you can join us on a Monday morning as we go to our heavenly Father in prayer, asking Him to grant us strength, wisdom and confidence to face the evil world for another week. Let’s do that now nuh; declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with strong conviction and belief, because when we ask in sincere faith, according to the Father’s will, we will receive His blessing and largesse.
Altogether 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!’
Ah friends, yuh feel it working? It surely is! Just check out your new energy level; your state of understanding and awareness, your level of excitement to get out and do Jesus’ work. They are all now higher and more intense than they were before we prayed, before we invoked the antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning! (smile) And talking about prayer, today we’ll check out Daniel’s prayer for his people Israel, because back then Israel was in captivity in Babylon because of their total disobedience to God’s Word, much like our world is right now.
Listen to Daniel: ‘O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face (shame), to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee…Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.’ (Dan.9:8,10) Now friends, if we’re truthful, we will have to admit that the same shameful state exists in our society today, the only difference being that too many of us either don’t know the seriousness of the situation, or we choose to just ignore it. But our attitude towards our God and Creator right now is nothing less than atrocious, very foolish and unwise, and if we don’t smarten up soon, there will be a helluva price to pay.
Yeh, the Lord is patient and long suffering and as Daniel says: ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.’ But tell me friends, how long do you think He’s going to put up with our arrogant disobedience and efforts to remove Him from our society eh? For all those who think that we’re going to be allowed to do as we sinfully and disobediently please for as long as we like, please think again.
If it’s one thing the Lord is very protective and proud of is His power and glory, and He will not allow no creation of His to take it away from Him. Just check out the foolish Lucifer nuh! He wanted to rise, to promote himself above his Creator, but where is he now eh, residing in the depths of hell as Satan! And so will we too, if we keeping on going in the evil and ungodly direction in which we’re currently headed.
Hear Daniel explain it nuh: ‘As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil (disaster) is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil (kept the disaster in store), and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.’ (Dan.9:13-14)
That says it all my brethren! If the Lord punished Israel so severely for their disobedience, do you think He’ll allow us to get away with ours, which seems so much worse? I very much doubt it friends. Please note Daniel’s words back there: ‘for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth…’ That means, though He is LOVING, and forgiving and full of grace and mercy, He is also a God of justice and righteousness, and those things are very important to His character and nature.
Why yuh think He went through the heart-wrenching scene of sending Jesus to die for us? Because righteousness and justice had to be done in whatever He undertook to save us. Please, please, let all of that be a serious and sincere warning to us nuh. We will not get away with continual sinfulness and disobedience. For certain sure, if we don’t repent and return to God, our number will play one day! Much LOVE!
…sinfulness and righteousness…cannot exist in the same place…
26 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: affect us, antidote, attitude, blessed is the man, chaff, Christianiy, circumstances, concrete jungles, conquerors, drudgery, earn a living, enthusiasm, evil influences, further God's glorious kingdom, Helper, in the counsel, in the way of sinners, invincible, keeping lives, leave all the consequences to Him, lies, like a tree, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negatively, not afraid, obey God, of the scornful, of the ungodly, planted by the rivers of water, rat-race, sally forth, scurrying hordes, serious believer, sitteth in the seat, standeth, steadfast faith, supernatural power, that walketh not, the Holy Spirit, ungodly world, vitality, wicked taunts, wiles, with confidence, work
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Here we go again friends and neighbours; it’s time to join the rat race we call work, labour, drudgery, or whatever negative connotation it brings to your mind. But yuh know what, if you truly value your job, even just for the money it provides, and you do it unto Jesus, and not unto man, as He so wisely suggests, you’ll have a much easier time getting up and facing the traffic jams, the hurry and scurrying hordes in the concrete jungles where you earn a living.
Yeh mih people, it’s all about attitude. The attitude we bring to our circumstances will invariably help or hinder our faith walk. The circumstances most likely won’t change, but we will, and those circumstances will no longer affect us as negatively as they did earlier. And yes, I know all of that is much easier said than done, but if you’re a true and serious believer, then you will be able to do it, with the outstanding help of our Helper, the Holy Spirit of course!
And yes, it does not happen overnight, so until you make that great change, then you are most welcome to join us every Monday morning as we petition the Lord for help to handle whatever ails us. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! And we like to think of it as the antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday Morning. (smile) So please join with us as we reach out to heaven for succour, for mercy and strength, for grace to do the right thing.
As one strong voice 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!’
How can the Lord refuse that poignant plea of His children eh? He just can’t! That’s why we call it our antidote. And I’m sure we’re all feeling better already; the adrenaline’s flowing, our eyes are wide awake and we’re just brimming with energy, stepping high and just dying to get into the battle trenches and fight the good fight for Jesus! That’s the supernatural power of our God working through the Holy Spirit!
And that brings us to our Bit for today; a wonderful promise of our great and wonderful God. Here’s how the psalmist put it many generations ago: ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder) day and night.’ (Ps.1:1-2) How cool and appropriate that the Psalms should open with such a powerful and positive scripture!
Yes my people, as true believers in Christ, we ought not to be hobnobbing with the wicked and sinful hordes of this world. Now we have to have some communication with them if we ever hope to bring them to Christ, but our first commitment is to God; to study and ponder and meditate on His Word, His guidebook for earthly living, so that we can learn about Him; how He acts, and how He wants us to act in His service. And when we learn His Word, and also practice it, here’s what happens to us.
The psalmist says: ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’ (Ps.1:3) Now isn’t that a most wonderful promise? Indeed it is! But there are conditions attached: we cannot be involved in evil doings and we need to study and know God’s law and His purpose for our lives. Then and only then will we prosper!
However: ‘The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps.1:4-6) There are only two ways to go in God’s world my friends: God’s way, or the highway to hell!
As the scholars explain: ‘Psalm 1. The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves here as a pronouncement upon a man – but a certain kind of man. In essence the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs.1); he delights in God’s Word (vs.2); therefore, God causes him to prosper (vs.3) On the other hand, the ungodly is worth no more than chaff (vs.4), and his destiny is judgement (vs.5).
Finally the evaluation by the Lord Himself is described (vs.6). There is an ellipsis (words left out, but understood by the context) which is understood with both clauses in verse 6. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous (and it will be blessed), but (he also knows) the way of the ungodly (and it) shall perish. The psalm forms an appropriate introduction to the Psalter since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God,’
And there you have it friends, the basics of Christianity 101! (smile) Adhere to it, or pay the consequences. Your choice! Much LOVE!
…best motto for living…obey God…leave all the consequences to Him… (Charles Stanley)
19 Aug 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a mighty rushing wind, abiding nature, Advocate, antidote, aura of love, battle line, Comforter, divided tongues, enthusiasm, footsteps, greater is he, have overcome them, Holy Ghost, holy spirit, humble servants, jobs, lies, LOVE, lucifer's evil minions, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Pentecost Sunday, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, servants, sincere hearts, taunts, than he that's in the world, that is in you, the spirit of the antichrist, traffic jam, vibrant life-force, victory, vigour, vim, wiles, ye are of God
1 John 4:4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them (the spirit of the antichrist): because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Awright people, let’s go get ‘em this Monday morning nuh! Yes it is Monday, and the battle lines are already drawn! Satan is already working against you as sit on the side of the bed contemplating what to do; to call in sick, or force yourself to get up, do the three esses, get dressed, then face the awful traffic jam involved in getting to a job you totally detest. And in the midst of all that, you’re wondering how Monday has come around again so quickly? I’m sorry, but I can’t help you there nuh, because I’m wondering the same thing too. (smile)
But I can help you to drive the enemy away and consequently change your thinking and attitude towards the whole scenario. And we do that through prayer, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which we put forth as the antidote for whatever ails you on a Monday morning. (smile) But believe me, it works! So let’s try it nuh. All together, as one voice, in sincerity of hearts and minds.
‘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!’
Yeah friends! Yuh feel the Holy Spirit moving ahready nuh! Yuh see how yuh spring up from the bed, full of vim and vigour, when just a minute ago yuh didn’t have the energy to even lift a finger! And now yuh enthusiastic as ever to get out there and do battle with ole Beelzebub himself! That’s what yuh call the power of the Holy Spirit! When it moves, it moves like a magnet, separating the sheep from the goats, the men from the boys, and God’s saints from Lucifer’s evil minions!
Wow! So why wouldn’t you want that positive, powerful, vibrant life-force moving within you, and guiding your footsteps through this evil world eh, rather than the debilitating, negative, evil spirit that belongs to Satan? If you are wise, you will follow it, because it indwells every believer. And please remember Jesus’ words to the disciples when He promised them the Holy Spirit. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter (Helper, Advocate), that he may abide with you for ever.’ (John 14:15-16)
And the scholars explain: ‘14:16. Another (Gr. allon) stresses that the Holy Spirit would be “another” like Jesus. A Comforter (Gr. Paraclete) is an advocate called alongside for aid in time of trouble. See the same word in 1 John 2:1, “Advocate.” And Jesus continued: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:17-18)
Yuh see friends, the world didn’t even know the Holy Spirit back then, and it still doesn’t! But we believers do, because as of Pentecost Sunday the Holy Spirit began dwelling in believers as Jesus promised: ‘But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)
And yuh see how the Holy Ghost come and mash up the place, create havoc on Pentecost Sunday: It showed up ‘like a mighty rushing wind from heaven and filled the house where they were sitting… appearing unto them (the disciples) like cloven (divided) tongues of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:3-4) That’s the amazing power of the workhorse of the Holy Trinity!
But it can also work silently and subtlety, as Jesus indicated when He first promised it to His followers. ‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26) Ah mih people, that Holy Spirit is usually a silent worker these days; it talks to us from within, and we ought to pay serious and strict attention to what it says, because it is there to lead us along paths of righteousness and godliness.
But here is one fact that we should always keep uppermost in our minds. John puts it nicely in his first epistle. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them (the spirit of the antichrist): because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ Mamma Mia! What a wonderful and encouraging statement of fact my faithful brethren!
The scholars explain it thus: ‘4:4. Christ indwells believers; Satan is likewise the Lord of his own followers. But Christ is GREATER than he who wreaks havoc in the world. Have overcome is in the perfect tense, stressing the abiding nature of their victory. Their strength lies in the fact that they are (born) of God.’
Oh my people, please remember that all of that also applies to us, because we are also born of God, and Jesus has also provided us with the abiding victory over Satan, hell, death and the grave, our job now is to simply keep that victory going strong! Much LOVE!
…true believers…wisely use the Holy Spirit…to guide them aright…in this evil world…
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