04 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a demanding kind of love, a gossip, a hell hole, a hellbound world, a serious warning, anger, arrogance, bear any grudge against the children of thy people, bearing life long grudges, dedicate your life to God, disobedience to God's word, do not rebuke your neighbour, do not suffer sin upon your neighbour, eternal separation from God, everlasting truth, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, flowing through me, for thy good, free will, glad to be alive, God will circumcise thine heart, halfway home, hands on the plough, hang all the law and the prophets, hating our brothers, hatred, holy spirit, I am the Lord, Jesus Christ, keep the commandments of the Lord, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, narcissistic love, not looking back, obeying God's commandments gives life, on these two commandments, resentment, right to the very end, robots, salvation, Satan is of no help, selfishness, stand against the blood of thy neighbour, step up to the plate, stick with Jesus, strife, thank God, that thou mayest live, the basic foundation of God's law, the basis for a fulfilling life, the breath of life, the essence of God's law, the first and great commandment, the heart of thy seed, The Lord our God is one Lord, thou, Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer, thou shalt not hate thy brother, thou shalt not take vengeance, to a glorious future with Jesus, to celan up our act, to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, treat others with care and compassion, truth, two fundamental principles, Wednesday Wail, what doth the Lord require of thee, when the chips fall, wisdom, wish to see the pearly gates, with all thy heart soul and mind
Matthew 22:37. Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And it’s going to be another beautiful summer’s day, with high temps and a cool breeze to nullify the heat. So what more can we ask eh? Nothing really, except that we step up to the plate and truly do as Jesus tells us in reply to the uppity, arrogant lawyer’s question. ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
Yes mih friends, those two commandments are the basic foundation of God’s law…LOVE God – dedicate your life to Him, and LOVE your neighbour as you LOVE yourself – treat others with the same care and compassion that we give ourselves. It’s all about LOVE! The greatest emotion and attribute of God and mankind! Hopefully we’ll LOVE ourselves with a good LOVE, not a narcissistic, arrogant, selfish and demanding kind, and we can then transfer that wholesome LOVE to our neighbours. Wow! What a wonderful world this would be if we could only live that way!
And this commentary explains the purpose of the Great Commandment thus. ‘The “Great Commandment,” as cited by Jesus in the New Testament, refers to two fundamental principles: LOVING God with all your being and LOVING your neighbor as yourself. It’s not a single commandment but two intertwined ones, representing the essence of God’s law and the basis for a fulfilling life. These two commandments are presented as the foundation upon which the entire law and the prophets rest. They are not a replacement for the Ten Commandments but a distillation of their meaning, emphasizing the importance of a heart-felt LOVE for God and for others.’
And that’s nothing new, for Moses reiterated the Great Commandment at least three times for the children of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy. So, let’s check them out nuh. In chapter 6, Moses declares: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.’ (Deut. 6:4-5)
Then in chapter 10, he says: ‘And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to LOVE him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good (benefit or welfare).’ (Deut. 10:12-13) And please note that last verse specifies that keeping the Lord’s commandments are not for His good but for ours!
When are we going to wake up and realize that everlasting truth eh my people? So that our world can become a much better place for our children’s children, because what we’re currently bequeathing to them is nothing less that a hell hole, a tragically hell bound world!
Then in chapter 30, Moses again tells the Israelites about their basic duty to God. ‘And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.’ (Deut. 30:6) Please note that last phrase ‘that thou mayest live.’ Again, LOVING God and obeying His commandments will give us life, and by inference, doing the opposite will surely cut it short. How long is it going to take us to learn eh friends, that all the Lord says and does and expects of us is for our good?
And as per LOVING and respecting our neighbour, hear these instructions from the Book of Leviticus. Moses writes: ‘Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer (gossip) among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood (life) of thy neighbour: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise (surely reprove, criticize, rebuke) thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him (bear sin because of him). Thou shalt not avenge (take vengeance), nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.’ (Lev. 19:16-18)
Unfortunately though, all those things that the Lord said we should not do, are exactly what we’re doing today. For, gossip, taking our neighbour’s lives, or putting them in jeopardy, rebuking, criticizing, bearing sin against our neighbours, hating our brothers, both biological and figurative, taking vengeance on others, and bearing unnecessary, even life-long grudges are the things that are most prominent in our current society. What it does it say about out LOVE for God eh, about the reverence and obedience we have for Him! Nada! We don’t consider Him important, else our behaviour would be entirely different.
And then we wonder why our world is in such chaos and disaster, with strife, anger, hatred, resentment amongst the major ingredients of our lives. It’s simple friends: disobedience to God’s Word, and a strong desire to live the carnal and evil way that Satan promotes. But let’s remember that when the chips fall, Satan can’t help us, not even one iota, for all those who live like him will be headed straight to hellfire and damnation, with eternal separation from God. Therefore, this is a serious warning for us to clean up our act if we ever wish to see the pearly gates of heaven.
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail (chuh!!!) and let me apologize for a mindless blunder yesterday, calling our Tuesday Mantra, the Tuesday Wail. Don’t know where my head was. (smile)
So with strong and sincere voice, let’s offer up our Wednesday Wail. ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And our puny, finite minds cannot picture the glorious future that awaits those who stick with Jesus right to the very end. Hope and pray to see you there! Much LOVE!
…God did not want His most marvellous creation to be robots…so He gave us free will…hoping that we would use it to live for Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a scapegoat, acknowledge God's sovereignty, be still, called to be saints, chaos, Christians, climate change, commune with your own heart, decitfulness, disaster, doubt God's existence, downfall of our world, endure to the end, enlarged me, eternal separation from God, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, follow Satan and his lies, for his holy work, glad to be alive, halfway home, hands on the plough, have mercy upon me, he shall direct your paths, hear me when I call, hear my prayer, him that is godly for himself, holy spirit, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, in all thy ways acknowledge him, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, LOVE, love vanity, many naysayers, mercy, not turning back, O God of my righteousness, offer the sacrifices of righteousness, petition for God's benevolence to be demonstrated, promise of summer, put your trust in the Lord, Safety in the Lord, salvation, sanctified by God's grace, Satan has nothing to lose, seek after falsehood, sin not, spring-like behaviour, stand in awe, strife, thank God, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Lord hath set apart, the pious, thou hast put gladness in my heart, thou Lord only makes me dwell in safety, to a glorious future with Jesus, to them that are sanctified in Christ, total surrender to Christ, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, turn my glory into shame, un godly deeds, unusual happenings, Wednesday late bus, Wednesday Wail, who will shew us any good, wisdom, wise guidance, you relieved me when I was in distress
Psalm 4:8. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
Aye mih people, today we’re on the usual Wednesday late bus, (smile) not the late late one like last week, for although I did stop off to do an errand after church, today I did not need a nap before writing the Bit! Glory to God! But I’m surely disappointed in the weather because last week it showed such promise of summer, while this week it’s reverted to spring-like behaviour; temps around the low double figures, and damp, windy, drizzly conditions. But I suppose that’s the crazy effects of climate change. Yes, climate change has become a very convenient excuse or scapegoat for any unusual happenings.
Anyway, today I’ve been led to look at Psalm 4, espousing Bruh David’s great confidence of ‘Safety in the Lord.’ He begins with this soulful, heartfelt call: ‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me (be gracious to me) and hear my prayer.’ (Ps. 4:1) Now that’s a cry many of us have uttered down through the years, and will most surely utter again if we live to a ripe old age. (smile) But it’s a very potent and necessary prayer. As the scholars put it: ‘the pious always petition for God’s benevolent attributes to be demonstrated.’
And why not eh? Our God clearly desires us to call out to Him for help when we’re in trouble and He takes great pride in helping us. But we do have to sincerely acknowledge Him in the affairs of our lives, if we expect His help. As Cousin Sol says in that wise and famous scripture: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) Now that’s the basis and reason we have for expecting God to hear our cry for help! We acknowledge His sovereignty and wise guidance.
And it’s interesting how Bruh David continues the psalm. ‘O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye LOVE vanity (worthlessness), and seek after leasing (falsehood)? Selah.’ (Ps. 4:2) Now that’s a very good question, and one that’s rather appropriate to many of us in these trying and ungodly times! Yes friends, how long are we going to foolishly and unwisely continue to follow Satan and his lies, deceitfulness and ungodly deeds eh? We can all see that it’s only causing chaos, strife and disaster, which will lead to the eventual downfall of our world.
Let’s remember that Satan has nothing to lose, because he’s already been condemned to hell fire and damnation, with eternal separation from God. But we have so much to lose if we follow his sinful schemes, wiles and lies; our salvation and also eternal separation from God. And there’s nothing more important in this universe than salvation, and eternal life with God! So what’s it going to take to wake up our unwise brethren to the falsehood and dishonesty of Satan eh? And to help us understand the situation, Bruh David continues: ‘But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.’ (Ps. 4:3)
And that is exactly what the Lord has done through Christ Jesus, as Bruh Paul writes to the Corinthians: ‘Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.’ (1 Cor. 1:2) Yes friends, all who believe in Christ Jesus are set apart, sanctified by His grace and mercy for His holy work.
And this commentary offers an interesting explanation. ‘In Christianity, sanctification refers to the process of being set apart for God’s use, becoming holy or sacred. It’s not just an initial act of being declared holy (justification), but an ongoing process of growth in holiness and likeness to Christ. This growth involves actively participating with the Holy Spirit in spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible study, as well as obeying God’s commands.’
So you see, we’re not to be doing the things Satan tries to tempt us into doing. Instead, we’re supposed to be doing like Bruh David says in the psalm. ‘Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.’ (Ps. 4:4-5)
Wow! What wise and wonderful advice! Are we going to take it? Let’s hope so! For as Bruh David continues: ‘There are many that say. Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. This hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased.’ (Ps. 4:6-7) Oh my people, there are indeed many naysayers, many who doubt God’s goodness and even His very existence, but we know better, we know the truth; He does exist, is all powerful, all knowing and ever-present in the lives of those who sincerely LOVE and live for Him.
That’s why Bruh David could make this glorious and confident statement to end the psalm. ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps. 4:8) And all God’s children said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord!’ Yes mih bredrin, only those who sincerely belief in Christ Jesus can lay down and sleep in peace and safety, because our Lord and Saviour has promised to keep us in perfect peace, and He NEVER reneges on a promise!
That means we can joyfully go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And, if we endure to the very end with Jesus, then we will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ask or imagine. So, I implore us to use godly wisdom and stay with Jesus right to the very end, so that we can enjoy that wonderful future together! Much LOVE!
…true safety in this world….can only be achieved through…belief…trust in…and total surrender to Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fallen angel, a personal relationship with God, all should come to repentance, Bible, choose life, Christ died for us, Christ sacrificed His sinless life for us, christianity, Christians, closer intimacy with God, communion with god, deepen my breath, disgrace, disobedience, eternal life, eternal separation from God, falling into Satan's trap, flowing in our souls and spirits, fraternize with Satan, free will, get the ball rolling, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God is not willing that any should perish, have it more abundantly, heartfelt prayers, holy spirit, I am come that they might have life, I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep, I may know you all the more, I place before you life and death, I praise you Lord, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus cares deeply for us, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leaves us in the lurch, LOVE, made righteous in God's eyes, meditate on God's Word, mercy, nothing of substance to offer us, one fold one shepherd, other sheep I have, peace, putter around the house, quiet my soul, quietly interact with God, relax my muscles, repentance, rest, rolls of thunder, salvation, shame, sin, sincerity and truth, slow my thoughts, steal us away from Jesus, straight and narrow path, thank you for your tenderness, that you and yours might live, the ball's in our court, the father of lies, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the greatest show of love, the Lord never leaves us in the lurch, the right perspective, the thief, the thief only comes to steal and to kill, truth, while we were yet sinners, wisdom, wrongdoing, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
John 10:11. ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’
Well, I guess in the Lord’s wisdom, He figured that everyday could not be bright, sunshiny and dry, but there must be an opposite to keep everything well balanced and in the right perspective, that’s why today is cloudy, rainy and wet. (smile) I believe I also heard a couple rolls of thunder earlier on, so it looks like a serious day. But yuh know what, it’s also a perfect lazy-day Saturday, where you simply putter around the house, rest and meditate on the Lord’s Word and quietly interact with Him. Nothing can be more refreshing and uplifting that that!
So let’s get the ball rolling by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one positive voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And the peace and calm just begin flowing in our spirits and souls, as the Lord answers our heartfelt prayers that only serve to bring us closer to Him. Yes friends, there’s nothing the Lord desires and likes more than His children seeking to have closer intimacy and communion with Him, because that’s the main purpose for which He created us. And it breaks His heart when we turn away and instead fraternize with the foolish, fallen angel Satan, who has nothing of substance to offer us, nothing but sin, shame and disgrace that will eventually lead to eternal separation from our Creator and heavenly Father.
That’s why it’s oh so important to create a personal relationship with Jehovah God, through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit that indwells us to try and keep us out of the clutches of the enemy and guide us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life with Him. But because we have fair amount of free will, and are naturally imbued with a sinful nature, we tend to drift and stray away from the straight and narrow path, anxious to sample some of the seemingly awesome delights of the world held out and up to us by the deceitful and devious Satan, who’s so full of wiles and lies that he’s called the father of lies.
And Jesus spells it all out in His analogy to the thief and the shepherd, in this scripture passage from John’s gospel. ‘The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) Right there we see the answer friends, Satan is a thief and only in intent on death and destruction. However, Jesus came that we could have life, and have it in abundance! So, whom will you accept as your leader and guide under those circumstances eh? Jesus of course!
Unfortunately though, for whatever reason, too many of us are choosing Satan, or somehow or the other are falling in his devious trap, that’s why our world is so sinful, angry, strife-filled and ungodly! But it’s time many more of us wake up and listen to Jesus, when He says: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did when He sacrificed His sinless life on the cross of Calvary so that our abominable sins could be forgiven and we be made righteous in God’s eyes.
So why this great movement, this sudden trend to turn to Satan eh, whom Jesus candidly describes in the next couple of verses? ‘But he that is an hireling (a hired man), and not the shepherd whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.’ (John 10:12) And Satan is both the thief and the hireling, for he tries to steal us away from Jesus, and when we find ourselves in trouble, he runs off and leaves us in the lurch, because he’s not really interested in our wellbeing, neither has he anything good or worthwhile to offer us.
Jesus explains it thus: ‘The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have (Gentiles), which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold (flock), and one shepherd.’ (John 10:13-16)
There you have it my fellow believers: Jesus states it in black and white. Unlike Beelzebub, He won’t run away from us when we find ourselves in trouble, but will always runs to us, because He cares deeply for us, that’s why He came to earth and died on Calvary’s cross. And if you can’t see the awesome truth in that, then you’d better get your mind examined right away.
And please note how much Jesus cares for His creation, when He declares that He has other sheep to add to His fold, meaning us, the non-Jews or Gentiles. He came first to bring salvation to the Jews, through whom God worked and distilled His message down through the ages. But God didn’t forget the rest of His creation, because He LOVES us all, so badly, that it’s as Bruh Paul writes in Romans: ‘But God commendeth his LOVE toward us (demonstrated His own LOVE for us), in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Now, isn’t that the greatest show of LOVE? Of course it is! Moreover, He couldn’t stand to lose even one of us to Beelzebub, as Peter says; ‘He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9:b) Yes friends, God LOVES all of His creation and has done His best to ensure that we all have the privilege of gaining salvation and eternal life through the sacrificial death of His sinless Son, which paid for all of our disobedience and wrongdoing. The ball is now in our court; it’s up to us to either accept or reject His most gracious offering of life with Him for ever and ever. Please be wise and accept it! Much LOVE!
… I place before you life and death…please choose life…that you and yours may live… (Deut. 30:19)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifelong relationship, Ah cyar leave Him, ah cyar live life without him, an unbreakable seal, being justified by his blood, Bible, chocked full of truth, Christ died for the ungodly, christianity, Christians, come from the darkness, Denyse Plummer, divine ownership, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, for God I go dead, For God man I living, from revelry to righteousness, from sin to salvation, full of life but so empty, gather in the Lord's house, gave my life to Jesus, getting to know Jesus, glee, go tell my enemies, God commendeth his own love toward us, gospel lyrics, He came to earth and died on the cross, he is my shelter, heard the word of truth, heat up the place, holy spirit, hot hot hot, I am under the rock, I found the truth, I recommend you try him, I saw the light, in due time, in his arms you'll find me there, in times of storm, in whomw I will trust, Jahovah, Jahovah hides me, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best upgrade, Jesus is the cause, Jesus offered up his sinless life, Jesus shed blood on the cross, journey down south, justification, kept forever by the power of God, King of Kings, land of carnival and calypso, LOVE, mercy, more than gold, more than silver, my deliverer, my fortress, my god, my high tower, my strength, Na Leaving, never condemn or forsaken me, no remission of sins, on my way to a fiery end, our great high priest, reconciled to God, reverence, reworked song, righteousness, rose up just like a boss, salvation, sanctification, saved by his life, saved from wrath, sealed until the day of redemption, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, someone told me about a Saviour, surrender our all to Jesus, the amazing transformation Jesus brings, the Christian walk, the darkness of sin, the death of his son, the gospel of salvation, the greatest decision, the horn of my salvation, the identification mark of a believer, The Lord is my rock, the reason I'm still living, the rock is higher than I, the soca hit, the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, to save us from eternal death, tribute, truth, wallowing deep in a pig pen, when we were yet without strength, when you see me smiling, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, why are ye so fearful, why don't you have faith, wisdom, without the shedding of blood, Yahweh, Yeshua
Romans 5:6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly.
Another Sunday! Another occasion to gather in the Lord’s house and fellowship with other believers. But since it’s somewhat cold and cloudy, we’ve decided to take a much-deserved break from those dreary weather conditions and for today’s worship session journey down south to the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the land of calypso and carnival. And we’re going to warm up, no heat up the place, hot, hot, hot, with this beautiful meshing of African and East Indian riddims that we call chutney soca. It’s a reworked song with gospel lyrics based on the soca hit ‘Na Leaving’ by the late calypso songbird Denyse Plummer.
And just as ‘Na Leaving,’ was a big hit as it celebrated all the good things of T&T, that those who were leaving would miss, likewise the renamed song ‘Ah Cyar Leave Him!’ referring to Jesus was, still is, and will always be a mighty gospel hit! So let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise with a sincere and heartfelt, scintillating rendition of this gospel song ‘Ah Cyar Leave Him,’ one so chocked full with everlasting truth!
And as the sweet, easy rocking chutney soca music starts, we hear a couple bars, then we shout out ‘Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. There I was, in my glee, wallowing deep in a pig pen, full of life, but so empty, on my way to a fiery end. But someone told me about a Saviour, who said He LOVES me and He cares. In times of storm He is my shelter, so in His arms you’ll find me there.
Yuh see ah cyar live life without Him, He is my King of Kings, He’s the reason I’m still living. Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. There are so few, who made it through, and come from the darkness of this world. But I saw the light, I found the truth. I have more than silver, more than gold. I gave my life over to Jesus, the greatest decision I’ve made. Boy I recommend you try Him, Jesus is the best upgrade. He came to earth and died on the cross, rose up just like a boss, when yuh see me smiling, He’s the cause.
Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. Never condemn or forsaken me dread…Ah cyar leave Him…ah cyar leave Him. For God man I living, For God I go dead. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock. I am under the rock. The rock is higher than I. Jahovah hides me. I am under the rock. Go tell my enemies, that I am under the rock. Jahovah hides me, I am under the rock.
From revelry to righteousness…Cyar leave Him. From hell-bound to holiness…Cyar leave Him. From sin to salvation…Cyar leave him. A kingdom destination…Cyar leave Him. Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah! (And we shout again) Jesus…Yahweh…Yeshua… Jahovah!’
Wow mih bredrin, that sure was wonderful! And yuh better believe that all of heaven, even the Father, was rocking along and singing with us as we gave much deserved praise to our great High Priest, our Lord and Saviour, our King of Kings, the One and Only Jesus Christ! And though Jesus seemed to be a li’l embarrassed by all the praise, nonetheless, He too was tapping His feet and clapping His hands as the sweet soca chutney melody permeated heaven and raised the level of joy normally found there!
Now that’s certainly saying something, for heaven usually has a very high level of joy. But the fact is that all the song says is true, and heaven acknowledged it with us. And yuh better believe that is the kind of difference, the amazing transformation Jesus performs in our lives when we surrender our all to Him! He does bring us from ‘revelry to righteousness, hell-bound to holiness and from sin to salvation.’ For remember that the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.’ (Rom. 6:23)
Yes friends, through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary, Jesus saved us from hellfire and damnation and brought us holiness and salvation instead. And when we were joyfully wallowing in our pig pens, clothed in the darkness of sin, but truly empty of God and heading straight for hellfire, we’d better thank the Lord that someone told us about Jesus who LOVES and cares for us, so much so that He freely offered up His sinless life to save us from our sins and eternal death, meaning eternal separation from the Father.
As Bruh Paul writes in Romans. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.’ (Rom. 5:6-10)
Oh my people, all the good things that have happened to us, like salvation, justification, sanctification, reconciliation, righteousness, etc. etc. have all stemmed from Jesus’ shed blood on the cross, for without the shedding of blood there’s no remission of sin. (Heb. 9:22) And He not only saves us from sin, but also shelters us from the storms of life, because He can calm the seas and the winds as He did when crossing the Sea of Galilee with the disciples. And ended up saying to His terrified companions: Why are ye so fearful? How is that ye have no faith .’ (Mark 4:40)
And that word faith plays a rather big role in our walk with Jesus, for if we don’t believe, have strong faith in Him, then we will not have a successful Christian life. That’s the first step in our Christian walk, after we see the light and find the truth, which is worth so much more than silver or gold. And believe me friends, giving your life to Jesus is the best decision you can ever make, for as the song so rightly says, He is indeed ‘the best upgrade.’ (smile)
And the scriptures, especially the psalms tell us that Jehovah is indeed our rock, our shelter from the storm. Bruh David says it well in Psalm 18: ‘The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower.’ (Ps. 18:2) We couldn’t get a better description than that friends!
And most importantly, once Jesus comes into your life, you cannot get away from Him, even if you want to, as the Bible tells us: ‘In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,’ (Eph. 1:13) In other words, ‘it is the mark of identification that the believer is truly God’s own and is kept forever by the power of God. It is an unbreakable seal of divine ownership and salvation.’
Wow! But yuh know what, my fellow saints, even without that seal unto the day of redemption, (Eph. 4:30) once we truly get to know Jesus, it’s simply impossible to leave Him, for such is the great LOVE and compassion He inspires in us! So please, let’s pay Him the awesome tribute and reverence that He deserves! Much LOVE!
…getting to know Jesus…is a beautiful lifelong relationship…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a critical position, a fight for life and death, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, alleviate our problems, be strong in the Lord, Bible, caught napping, cessation of hostilities, Christian, Christian witness, christianity, crapaud smoke we pipe, demonic onslaughts, departed from him for a season, disobeyed your word, divine aid, eternal death, eternal life, eternal separation from God, eternity, evil weapons, faith, God's guidebook, grace, having done all, holy spirit, in the power of his might, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mass confusion, meditate on God's Word, mercy, mickey mouse affair, negative situations, no cease fire, no quarter given, pain, pay a horrendous price, powers, pray, principalities, put on the whole armour of God, put the word into practice, renewed confidence, resist the enemy, rest, salvation, Satanic assaults, sincerely seek your face, sinned, spiritual foes, spiritual wickedness, stand against the wiles of the devil, strengthened by the Lord, strong faith in Christ, temporary truce, the God who heals, the rulers of darkness, the spiritual battle, to stand, truth, turn from our evil ways, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wisdom, wise guidance, withstand in the evil day
Ephesians 6:10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Here we go again with a new work week, hope we are all prepared for it, with sufficient rest and renewed confidence and faith over the weekend, for the enemy is raising the level of spiritual warfare that’s taking place, daily putting more evil weapons and people into the fray. And if we are not aware and alert, we will certainly be caught napping and made to pay a horrendous price.
That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to get down with the Word, be much more acquainted with it; read it, study it, meditate on it, and put it into practice in our lives. For that’s the only way we will ever defeat the enemy. Remember, the Bible is God’s Guidebook for our earthly lives, and if we don’t know what it says, or how to put it into action, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
Friends, the enemy is not joking, this is not a friendly war… No! It’s a fight for life and death! If we lose it, then we’ll be facing eternal death and separation from Almighty God, and if we win, we’ll be spending eternal life with Him. And that’s the most important aspect of this whole earthly life; where we spend eternity!
And at the start of this new year, we cannot go wrong by examining some of the weapons we have to fight this spiritual warfare. Some of which are outlined by Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians, where he talks about the whole armour of God which is necessary for us to have, if we intend to fight and win the spiritual battle. He begins with this exhortation: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease-fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities, “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely, by His mighty power.”
Oh friends, yuh see this is a most serious and deadly affair, not some li’l mickey mouse matter, where we playing childlike games. Bruh Paul then makes another most significant statement. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11)
Now the scholars tell us that the words used for ‘Put on in the Greek language, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate attention,’ and that’s a very crucial fact right now as the battle lines are narrowly drawn. Meanwhile ‘To Stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle.’
That ought to bring home the seriousness of the situation to us. In other words, we cannot stand against the wiles or evil schemes of the enemy unless we’re dressed in the full armour of God. And believe me, Satan carefully crafts schemes and tactics against believers. So please don’t think that He’s just fooling around. He’s more serious about our destruction that ever.
Then Bruh Paul goes on to give us some idea of whom we’re fighting against. ‘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 wickedness (spiritual hosts of wickedness) in high places.’ (Eph. 6:12) So we’re not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual foes.
The scholars explain that ‘Wrestle, used of hand to hand combat emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refer to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
Then Bruh Paul reemphasizes the importance of God’s armour in our fight. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’ (Eph. 6:13) And the scholars explain that means ‘because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Now that’s something we have to be very cognizant of; the devil never stops for good. Every so often, he will take a break, especially if he is not getting anywhere with you, possibly to devise new strategy, but he will always come back while we’re alive, it’s his reason for living. We can clearly see that in the scriptures. After Satan unsuccessfully tempts Jesus, the Word says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season (until an opportune time).’ (Luke4:13)
Yes my fellow saints, the devil doesn’t tempt us willy- nilly, but has very deep and deceptive strategies in place to encourage us to fall. However, we will not do that today, because we will go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us overcome his evil schemes.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But let’s remember that before divine aid can be granted, we need to humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. In other words, turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to fight God’s fight successfully…one must have His protective armour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, as the problems increas, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, asleep at the wheel, backsliders, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, Bible, blessed be God, by the comfort, calamity, call upon me, chaotic world, christianity, comforts us in tribulation, divine aid, errors of their ways, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faithful believers, fellowship, find me, Friday chant, god, God still runs things, God still sits on His throne, hard hearted attitudes, holy spirit, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I will hearken unto you, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, new flock of believers, nothing happens unless God allows it, omnipotent help, our consolation aboundeth by Christ, pray unto me, rolling hellbound, salvation, search for me with all your heart, seek me, shocking results, slavatio, so does consolation, stubborn, suffer the consequences, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the divide between God and man, the example, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the lustful and prideful ways of the world, the straight and narrow path, the throne of grace, the wide and winding path, this too must pass, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, ungraeful, wake up and smell the coffee, we ourselves are comforted of God, wise guidance
2 Corinthians 1:5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) aboundeth by Christ, (as the problems increase, so does the consolation).
So Friday is here at last, and all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ rise to high heaven, in thanksgiving for the upcoming end of another tough work week; what with the shocking results of the U.S. Presidential occupying the minds and sensibilities of our already chaotic world. But yuh know what friends? That, like everything else in this crazy world must pass!
Granted, some unnatural and evil things might befall us before it does, but let’s remember that the Great God Jehovah still sits on His heavenly throne and still runs things, though it may seem He is asleep at the wheel. But that’s incorrect, for nothing happens in this world unless He allows it. That’s the comfort we have to take as believers in His Son Jesus Christ. And consequently, let’s never forget these most encouraging words of Bruh Paul from his second missive to the church at Corinth.
‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) aboundeth by Christ, (as the problems increase, so does the consolation). (2 Cor. 1:3-5)
Now that’s the wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! One who comforts us in all our trials, so that we can comfort each other with that same comfort we receive from Him! Wow! Please give our amazing and awesome God some thanks and praise for His goodness and mercy to us, underserving children of men! For we certainly don’t deserve all that He’s done on our behalf, but His LOVE towards us is so great that He just cannot help Himself!
Remember He made us for Himself; to have wonderful and LOVING fellowship with Him, and to do His will, so His connection to us is undeniably strong. The problem is that we haven’t returned the LOVE that He desires of us, that’s why there’s the divide between us, a divide He’s desirous of fixing and doing His best to fix, but we, with our stubborn, hardhearted, ungrateful attitudes are refusing to have anything to do with the fixing, preferring the lustful and prideful ways of the world.
Then we’ll just have to suffer whatever consequences those ungodly things and actions bring us, praying that hopefully, before it’s too late, we wake up and see the wrongness of our ways. Remember how Jesus emphasized that we walk the straight and narrow and difficult path that leads to Him and eternal life, and not the wide, winding and easy path that we’re choosing which leads to hellfire and eternal damnation, to eternal separation from Almighty God. (Matt. 7:13-14) And nowhere in time has this wisdom been more important and necessary than right now, as our world seems to be rolling hell bound with increasing speed as each and every day goes by.
Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s remember what God said to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, when He exiled them to Babylon for their disobedience and idolatrous ways. He promised to return them to their land after a period of seventy years had elapsed. ‘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 (a future and a hope). (Jer. 29:11)
And that sounds like a wonderful promise, but it was not going to happen automatically, for the Lord added this addendum to it: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Yes friends, the Lord won’t rain down blessings on us for no good reason. No! We have to sincerely seek and search for Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Remember Jesus said that was the first and great commandment. (Matt. 22:37) And if we don’t follow that first commandment, how can we expect to receive anything good from God eh?
That’s just a fool’s wisdom. You can’t dilly dally, or hob knob with Satan and sin, and then expect to receive salvation and eternal life from God. That’s never going to happen! Not even in our wildest dreams! So please, let’s wake up and see the frail, fickle and sinful state of our world nuh, and make the wise and wonderful decision to forsake sin and Satan and return to Jesus Christ and His righteousness. And to help us make that magnificent change, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in our time of great need.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And let’s not fool ourselves with that prayer, for divine aid will not be forthcoming unless we step up to the plate and become better examples of Christian belief! Much LOVE!
…God is good and merciful and compassionate…but He also expects us to…sincerely seek Him…and obey His will and ways…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a peace that transcends, a state of unbelief, avenge all wrongs, B.S. baffles brains, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, Bible, blessings, Christ's return is near, christianity, coming as judge, courage, creativity, curse, damnation, disruption, eternal life, eternal separation from God, extreme circumstances, faith, favour, frees the believer from fear and worry, fulfilment, god, heathenism, heifer dust, hellfire, in everything by prayer and supplication, invitation to dismiss legitimate concerns, irresponsibility, Jesus Christ, let not your heart be troubled, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your request be made known unto God, LOVE, mercy, my peace I give unto you, names written in the Lamb's Book of Life, negative distractions, negative effects, negative word, neither let it be afraid, no peace like the peace of God, not as the world gives, Peace i leave with you, Rejoice in the Lord always, salvation, self-control, shall keep your hearts and minds, thanksgiving, the church age, the Lord is at hand, the normal cycles of God's universe, the peace of God, the tranquility of mind, through Christ Jesus, Thursday Blessings, truth, weather, which passeth all understanding, wisdom, wreaking havoc
Colossians 3:15a. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
Wow! Is it really Thursday already? I can’t believe it. The week just began …and it’s already almost at an end. (smile) Something curious and serious is happening in the world; time and weather are moving along in extreme circumstances. The well-planned and hitherto normal cycles of God’s universe have been seriously disturbed by mankind; thus we are suffering the negative effects of their disruption. And that’s why they say B.S. baffles brains! (smile)
Believe me though, there’s a lot of heifer dust out there that’s baffling the brains of many, else why would our world be in such a sad state of unbelief and heathenism eh? Why are we refusing to accept the truth of Jesus and His gospel, which leads to salvation and eternal life, but believing Beelzebub and his B.S. which leads to hell fire, damnation and eternal separation from God?
Oh my people, in these trying times, which might just be the last days of the church age, we need the truth of Jesus more desperately than ever before, because of the great number of deadly and negative distractions fighting for our minds, bodies and souls. And Jesus is the only one who can bring us the kind of peace and understanding we need to handle all the unfortunate stuff that’s currently wreaking havoc in our world. That’s why, Jesus, before He left earth, reassured us with these encouraging words: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Yes friends, when we have the peace that Jesus gives, which is nothing like what the world offers as peace, we don’t need to be troubled or afraid. That’s also why Bruh Paul wrote these words of encouragement and warning to the church at Philippi. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:5-7)
And that’s all ever so true my fellow believers! If we are saved and our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then that’s more than sufficient cause to rejoice. And when we rejoice, we will most likely be gracious and reasonable with our fellow believers.
And I like how the scholars explain the Lord is at hand. They say it means two things; ‘His return to earth is near. His imminent coming as judge encourages the Christian to be “gracious” unto all men, for He will judge the believer for all of his actions toward all people, and will avenge all wrongs committed by others against him. Second, “the Lord is at hand” spiritually. The Lord’s being presently near should free the Christian from fear and anxiety. Hence the command of verse 6. Be careful for nothing.’
Yes my people, when we hold close to Jesus and carry everything to him in prayer, with thanksgiving, we don’t need to worry about all the stuff that’s happening to and around us. And as the scholars remind us, ‘This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concerns.’ Not at all. We have to still be on our p’s and q’s but not given to overall worry, since God’s peace is with us. As the scholars describe it. ‘That tranquility of mind that frees the believer from fear and worry.’
And it passes all understanding because ‘it’s a peace that’s divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it.’ It also means that God’s peace far surpasses our understanding, and He is thus able to handle and solve our problems better than us.
And this commentary gives us a brief, simple, but excellent idea of what’s meant by the peace of God that passes all understanding. It says: ‘This is a peace that transcends, outdoes, surpasses, excels, rises above, goes beyond and over the top of any other kind of peace. The implication is that people may try to find peace in other places, but there is no peace like the peace of God.’ And that’s no lie my brethren! There’s definitely no peace like that of our great God!
That’s also why Bruh Paul in writing to the Colossians about putting on the new man in Christ, included this verse. ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.’ (Col. 3:15) Obviously the peace of God is very important for believers to possess if they are to be successful in living a truly Christian life, and spreading the gospel of Christ to all nations, to all the earth.
And our God, who is so wise and wonderful, and knows all our needs, even gave us undeserved blessings to help us do just that. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) them, so that they can be activated in our souls and spirits.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if the peace of God truly ruled in the hearts of believers…His church would not be so divided and in such chaos…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Sep 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, all things were made by him, and without him, Bible, Canadian Thanksgiving, Christian witness, christianity, denounce injustice, destroy error, divine aid, easy living, escaped the edge of the sword, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faith, full of compromise, god, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep Christ first place in our hearts, LOVE, making a living, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mighty men of faith, obtained promises, out of weakness were made strong, put down falsehood, quenched the violence of fire, reclaim heathenism, salt of the earth, salvation, shall be strong and do exploits, stick to Christ like white on rice, stopped the mouths of lions, talk the talk, the armies of the aliens, the God who heals, the great commandment, the Great tribulation, the light of the world, the people that do know their God, the rapture of the church, the throne of grace, the worst Christian is a comfortable Christian, the worst kind of christian, through faith subdued kingdoms, truth, turn from our evil ways, turned to flight, walk the walk, waxed valiant in fight, wisdom, without him was not anything made, wrought righteousness
Daniel 11:32b. the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.
And it’s a new work week, a new Monday in the middle of September, calling for us to get ourselves together and get on with making a living. And though it’s only been a couple of weeks since school reopened, meaning the summer holidays are over, before we can say ‘John Henry,’ we’ll be celebrating our Canadian Thanksgiving in mid-October. That’s just how quickly the days, weeks and months are moving. And if we don’t move forward with them, we’ll get left behind.
But thankfully, there’s no fear of that happening if we keep Christ first place in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, as the Great Commandment says, (Mat. 22:37) for Christ is the very heart and soul of the universe! He made it, as John tells us: ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.’ (John 1:3) And the beauty of it all, is that He’s still in the forefront of it, controlling it with his awesome power. That means when we stick to him like white on rice, there’s no way we’ll ever get left behind! Glory Be!
For as the Bible tells us in Daniel: ‘the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.’ (Dan.11:32b) And Hebrews further explains with these marvellous utterances: ‘And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and of Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed (became) valiant in fight (battle), turned to flight the armies of the aliens.’ (Heb. 11:32-34)
Wow, mih bredrin! What mighty men of faith have gone before us and done wonderful exploits for God through their amazing faith. And likewise, in these turbulent and evil times, which might just be the last days of the church age, we too, desperately need to know our great God through amazing faith, so that we can do what He requires of us. For if this indeed means the soon coming of Jesus to Rapture His church, then we do need to get busy doing our best to bring others to Him, for those who are left behind after the Rapture, will undergo a real terrible time in the Great Tribulation. I don’t think we would wish that terrible time even on our worst enemy.
So it’s of the utmost importance that we get deeply involved with our wonderful God, and then seriously begin doing what we should have been seriously doing all along; that’s being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, like Jesus desires! How can we encourage others to come to Christ when our salt has lost its flavour, and our lights are dim, instead of shining brightly like a beacon on a hill? It’s virtually impossible! We need to remember that as disciples of Christ, as His ambassadors down here on earth, He’s expecting us to live lives that will cause others to want what we have, that’s salvation and eternal life.
And they can only acquire those marvellous things by accepting Him as Lord and Saviour. However, if we are not being great examples of Christian living, of righteousness and LOVE, of peace and compassion, of kindness and generosity, of forgiveness and mercy, then others won’t ever desire to come to Christ and accept the many benefits that He has to offer, only to be lost forever to eternal separation from God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
And sadly, right now my fellow believers, our Christian witness leaves a lot to be desired. For we’ve gotten fearful, lazy, easily intimidated, full of compromise and way too comfortable with the easy living and many helpful amenities of modern life. Consequently we find it difficult to sacrifice any of our time, talent and treasure for any one else’s sake. And as someone once said, ‘the worst kind of Christian is a comfortable one.’ And that’s the Gospel truth! For then we only talk the talk, but never walk the walk.
And I believe this except from an article on the freedomalliance.org website, by Leigh Kohler, says it all. He writes: ‘Daniel 11:32 teaches us that the knowledge of God combined with the strength that comes from God is the most powerful and enduring force against the evil in the world. As believers, when we see what is sacred to God desecrated all around us, we cannot just sit idly by.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said: A church that does not exist to reclaim heathenism, to fight evil, to destroy error, to put down falsehood, a church that does not exist to take the side of the poor, to denounce injustice and to hold up righteousness, is a church that has no right to be. Not for yourself, O church, do you exist, any more than Christ existed for Himself.’ And We certainly cannot dispute the truth of those words my fellow saints, for we have certainly been negligent in doing all the things Christ’s church was and is expected to do.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to turn it all around. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we ever hope to see divine aid, we need to do as our prayer says; turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…God gives believers wisdom and strength to do His will…why then aren’t we doing it…perhaps…because we are not true believers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be wise choose Christ, Bible, blessing and cursing, choose life, climate change, etenal life, eternal separation from God, everlasting life, faith, free from righteousness, god, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, holiness, howling winds, hurry, I call heaven and earth, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, made free from sin, mercy, not to condemn the world, pay for our rebellious ways, pay me now or pay me later, rian, righteousness, salvation, servants of sin, servants to God, set before you life and death, share His love with my neighbours, storms and tornadoes in the U.S., that both thou and thy seed shall live, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the beloved of God, the gift of God is eternal life, the goodness grace and mercy of God, the wages of sin is death, the world through him might be saved, to record this day against you, trust my freind Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, wisdom, worry
Deuteronomy 30:19b. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.
Well friends, yesterday was a crazy day in my neighbourhood. First there was rain early in the morning, then the winds just howled through the area all day, into the night, and is still carrying on out there, although thankfully, not as badly as it did yesterday. Brother! At one point in the evening, I went out to sit on my porch, but could only stay a short while because of the wind’s ferocity. The poor trees were dancing like crazy all day, with little respite from the wind storm. At one stage this morning I had to close my bedroom window as the wind was causing the aluminum blinds to bang loudly against the woodwork, disturbing my rest.
But it could be worse, much worse, as many people down in the U.S are finding out with all the storms and tornadoes that are currently tearing their areas apart. And it’s heartbreaking to see the awful wreckage these natural disasters are causing. Call it climate change, or whatever you choose, but it’s certain that our weather patterns have recently changed, and are still changing, much to the dismay of many. Where there was once rain, there’s now drought, and where there was once drought, there’s now flooding.
It’s all turning around, and I don’t know how much is our fault, but we do share a part of the blame for the ungodly and disgraceful manner in which we’ve treated our wonderful planet. And as the man so rightfully said, ‘You can either pay me now or pay me later, but the price later will be much higher than the one today.’ And that’s exactly what we’re seeing now, the high price of our earlier selfish and greedy decisions concerning our planet; not making sufficient plans to keep it clean or to clean it up after we’ve despoiled it.
And it’s the same way in our relationship with God. We will pay a hefty price for our rebellious ways, either right then or later, especially after He was generous and LOVING enough to send His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die a substitutionary death on our behalf, so that He could forgive our sins and reconcile us to Himself. For remember ‘the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.’ (Rom. 6:23) That means that whoever sins will be rewarded with death, but since Jesus paid our sin debt in full through His dying on the cross, we have been given a chance to come back to God’s secure fold if we believe in and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.’ (Rom. 6:20-22) Yes my fellow believers, when we were servants to sin, all we had to look forward to was death, or eternal separation from Almighty God, but with the acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we now are servants of God and have holiness, righteousness and eternal life to look forward to.
But just like we were foolish not to take care of our planet and are now paying a price for it, likewise we can be foolish not to receive Christ as Lord and Saviour and eventually pay a hefty price for that unwise decision. Please note these very instructive words of Jesus. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17)
That, my friends, says it all, and says it very clearly! Why? Because as Jesus continues: ‘He that believeth on him (the Son) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) It’s as simple as that. Jesus came to earth and died so that we could have a second option besides eternal separation based on our abominable sins. However, to receive this second option, eternal life with God, one must believe in the Son, and accept Him as Lord and Saviour.
That means the decision is still ours, the Lord is not usurping the free will that He gave us. He’s only saying that if you don’t believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, then you will still be in violation of His rules and regulations, still be a sinner, and thus will still be liable to death or eternal separation from Him. That’s the wonderful goodness, grace and mercy of God my brethren! He LOVED us so much, and did not want to see us perish under the burden of our sins, that He devised a plan whereby we could be forgiven; that’s getting His only Son, His sinless Son, Jesus Christ to die and bear our burdens, pay the price for our sins, once and for all time.
However, to avail oneself of that option, one has to believe in and accept the Son as your Lord and Saviour, and live the way He desires. Rejection of that option means that you are right back where you started… an awful sinner, only worthy of death and eternal separation from the omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God of the universe. Remember what Moses said to the Israelites: ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.’ (Deut. 30:19)
Likewise friends, the Lord is giving us the same choice today, that between eternal life with Jesus, or eternal death with Satan. The choice is all ours. So please, let’s be wise nuh, and choose Christ, so that we and our seed can live forever. And for those of us who have already made that wise, monumental decision, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that declaration, it means we now have to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God will never abuse His gift of free choice…but He does expect us to make wise choices…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a place of meaning, alive and remain, all be changed in a moment, as a thief in the night, Bible, christianity, comfort one another with these words, eternal bright and fair, eternal separation from God, faith, fellowship, gather over on the other shore, god, his chosen ones shall gather, I shew you a mystery, I'll be there, immortal, in the centre of the perfect will of God, in the twinkling of an eye, James M Black, Jesus Christ, labour for the Master, let God's grace guide you, LOVE, morning breaks, no man knoweth, of that day and hour, our work on earth is done, put on incorruption, renewed in spirit, sacrifices, salvation, the coming of the Son of man, the dead in Christ shall rise first, the dead raised incorruptible, the eternal salvation of God, the glory of his resurrection share, the last trump, the rapture of the church, the reward is worth the price, the saved of the earth, the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, their home beyond the skies, time shall be no more, to meet the Lord in the air, truth, watch therefore, what hour your Lord doth come, when all of life is over, when the roll is called up yonder, wisdom, yonder
1 Thessalonians 4:16c. and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Brother, do these Sundays ever come around quickly! But I guess that’s for our benefit, as it seemingly shortens the time between our Sunday visits to the Lord’s sanctuary, where we fellowship and worship and are renewed in spirit, body and soul for another active week in the devil’s den, our ungodly and evil world! But whether time is going fast or slow, the fact remains that we’re in church today and are going to sing one of the most popular Christian hymns of all time, ‘When the Roll is called up Yonder.’
The song was written in 1893 by James M. Black, the Youth Pastor at a church in Williamsport, PA, It’s central theme is being in Heaven when your time has come and not missing out on the eternal salvation of God. And it was apparently inspired by the idea of The Book of Life mentioned in the Bible, (Rev. 20) and by the absence of a child from a poor family in Black’s Sunday school class when the attendance was taken. The idea of someone not being in attendance in heaven haunted Black, and after visiting the child’s home and calling on a doctor to attend her for pneumonia, he went home and wrote the song after not finding one on a similar topic in his hymn collection.
So, now knowing some the song’s background, let’s sing it, offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo sincere and heartfelt version, letting all and sundry, including heaven, know of where we’re going one fine day when it’s all over down here on earth. Singing: ‘When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (Refrain:) When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there).
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (Refrain) Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous LOVE and care; Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. (Refrain:) When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there).’
Now that roll call up yonder is the expectation of finding a home in heaven when the days on earth are done. And we’re truly sorry for those who won’t find themselves in that heavenly home on that fateful day, that’s those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour while alive here on earth. Unfortunately, they will experience the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being, eternal separation from God. But that’s the choice they made. And by the way, no one knows when that day will be, for as Jesus said: ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be… Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.’ (Matt. 24:36-37, 42)
Yes friends, we don’t know when our Lord and Saviour is coming back, but we know for sure that He will return. And Bruh Paul and Peter both state that He will come as a thief in the night (1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). That reinforces Christ’s statement to be on guard. And where do we find the surety of these words in the song? ‘When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, and the morning breaks eternal bright and fair; when the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.’
Basically from these two scriptures from the pen of Bruh Paul. The first one to the church at Corinth: ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump (trumpet): for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.’ (1 Cor. 15:51-53) So on that day when the trump of God blows, our corruptible bodies will rise and become incorruptible and immortal.
Then in 1 Thessalonians, Bruh Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump (trumpet) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess. 4:16-18) Yes friends, that basically describes the Rapture of the church, where the Lord will come for us and take us away to yonder home forever.
But them some of us ask, what’s this ‘yonder’ all about eh? And I found this commentary that puts it rather nicely. ‘It says: ‘Yonder is the place of meaning, purpose, and destiny that God has planned for your life. It’s the place of being in the center of the perfect will of God. It’s the place of doing what you were created to do. Everything you go through in life will bring you to Yonder . . . if you will let God’s grace guide you. Are you willing to make the journey?’
Now that’s a question that each of us must ask ourselves. The wise ones will not only say ‘Yes!’ but also put their backs to the tasks, the sacrifices and tough times involved in the journey, knowing that the reward up yonder, will certainly be worth the earthly price we pay. Much LOVE!
…to end up up yonder…Christ must rule our lives down here…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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