every idle word that men speak

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding the Great Power of the Tongue. Part 1!

23 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a beautiful masterpiece, a deceitful tongue, a positive outlook on life, a world of iniquity, abundance, achieving deeper intimacy with God, an everyday occurrence, an ungodly man diggeth up evil, an unruly evil, be able to bridle the whole body, boasteth great things, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, can a vine bear figs, clear direction for my life, cna the fig tree bear olives, come to know and love christ like we do, creativity, curse, curse and bless with the same tongue, deliver my soul from lying lips, doth a fountain send forth at the same place, driven of fierce winds, duty bound, every idle word that men speak, eye candy, faith, favour, from the hand of God, full of deadly poison, get ready for the deep chill, growing in spiritual maturity, guided by the Holy Spirit, holy spirit, how big a fire a small flame sets, how great a matter a little fire kindleth, if any man stumble not in word, in his lips there is a burning fire, in many things we all stumble, indisputable truth, inner mechanism, it defileth the whole body, Jesus Christ, leaves changing colours, less unholy words to answer for, LOVE, made after the likeness of God, mercy, negative word, no fountin can yield both fresh and salt water, our tongues cause much anguish and heartache, out of the same mouth, proceedeth blessing and cursing, programmed by God, prosper, put bits in horses mouths, salvation, set on fire by Satan, set on fire of hell, sets on fire the whole course of life, setteth on fire the course of nature, ships are turned around with a small rudder, so is the tongue among our members, succeed, sweet and bitter water, talent, the big day of reckoning, the gospel truth, the impulsiveness of our tongues, the lusts of the world, the same is the perfect man, the similitude of God, the tongue can no man tame, the tongue is a fire, the tongue is a little member, the tongue is a system of iniquity, the tongue is small but powerful, the tongue needs to be used wisely, therewith bless we God, therewith curse we men, they shall give account of on judgment day, those things ought not to be so, truth, unruly tongues, wisdom

James 3:6a. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members,

And this new day of life brings us to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week! The week is surely moving along very quickly, like the leaves on the trees, which are now swiftly changing colour and falling off as the weather gets colder and their inner mechanism programmed by God their creator, tells them it’s time to get ready for the deep chill. (smile) I hope our inner God-given sense also tell us the same thing and we follow it obediently, like the trees follow theirs. And by the way, that fiery red tree in my neighbour’s backyard, is now also filled with luminous yellow leaves, so it’s a startlingly beautiful masterpiece of red and yellow from the hand of our wonderful God.

Now, He’s doing His work to provide us with great eye candy, but are we doing ours, to help bring unbelievers to Him, as well as growing in spiritual maturity and thus achieving deeper friendship and intimacy with the One we claim to LOVE and worship? And sadly that answer is a big NO; for we are not being guided by the Holy Spirit as we ought to be, but instead we are allowing the world and it’s lusts to guide us, with our unruly tongues in the forefront. Remember yesterday we spoke of the impulsiveness of our tongues and the problems they consequently cause?

Today we’ll continue talking about that power of the tongue, for both good and evil. And James has a wonderful treatise on the tongue. He explains: ‘For in many things we offend all (all stumble). If any man offend not (stumble not) in word, the same is a perfect man, and be able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold, also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet they are turned about with a very small helm (rudder), withersoserver the governor listeth (the pilot wants). Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire). (James 3:2-5)

Ah friends, we see the power of small things to move great matters; like the bit in the horses mouth, the rudder on the ships and the ability of a small flame to cause a huge fire. And James continues delving into the matter of the tongue. ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:6) Wow! What an expose on our tongues!

And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan.’ And we see that awesome power of our tongues in our everyday life, where it causes arguments and strife, even wars, because of a few insensitive, demeaning or boastful words. James then further enlightens us: ‘For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.’ (James 3:7-8)

And is that ever the indisputable truth, as everywhere these days you can hear tongues spewing more vitriol than anything else. For as James points out: ‘Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (likeness) of God.’ (James 3:9) That’s more indisputable truth! How can we curse and bless with the same tongue eh? As James states: ‘Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.’ (James 3:10) And that’s the gospel truth! We should not be blessing and cursing with the same tongue, but it’s an everyday occurrence in this evil and ungodly world!

Then James puts forward these questions to prove his point. ‘Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:11-12) Oh my people, the unholy use of our tongues causes so much anguish and heartache in our world that we should pray for the Lord to dumb us all.

However, there’s one thing we forget about the use of our tongues, and Jesus said it quite plainly. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) Yes my people, we shall all give account for our words come the judgement day, so we had better start shaping up from right now, so that we will have less unholy words to answer for, come that big day of reckoning. (smile)

For as that wise man, Cousin Sol once said: ‘An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.’ (Prov. 16:27) There again we have the provoking and anger stirring problems of our tongues! And all we can do is mirror the worlds of psalm 120: ‘Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false (deceitful) tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty (a warrior), with coals of juniper (the broom tree).’ (Ps. 120:2-4)

Yes friends, that’s what some of our tongues deserve. But we’ll go out on a positive note by declaring our Thursday Blessings. That’s the many undeserved blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. So as one strong and sincere 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!’

Now friends, we’re duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the tongue is small…but ever so powerful…and needs to be used wisely…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 January 2023 Proverbs 25:11.

10 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a word fitly spoken, activate our dormant brain cells, bounden duty, Encyclopedias, every idle word that men speak, God will supply all of my needs, have good success, hurry, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if God be for me, If God be for me who can be against me, in god's eyes, like apples of gold in pictures of sliver, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, S.A.D., Seasonal Affective disorder, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, share His love with the world, something good is going to happen through me, something good is going to happen to me, the beloved of God, they shall give account of on judgment day, this book of the law, this is the day the Lord has made, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we will rejoice and be glad in it, worry

Proverbs 25:11. A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.

And all I can say is: ‘Brother! Another cloudy day!’ Ah my my, where is the sun eh? And not for heat, but just a li’l light. Thankfully though, we’re not getting any unwanted precipitation like California, which is receiving all kinds of rain and stormy weather. But it would be nice to get a glimpse of the sun, and see it’s light shining through like Jesus, every so often. (smile) That’s why this S.A.D, or Seasonal Affective Disorder thing is so prevalent in winter and fall. When there’s no actual light in our lives, the body just goes into a state of natural downturn, a state of natural depression, where our moods can vary ever so dangerously.

But what a good thing that we believers have the light of Jesus shining within us, and all the uplifting scriptures of our faith to boost us, else we’d surely be in deep trouble in these S.A.D times. (smile) However, the problem is if we don’t know the scriptures, we obviously can’t use them. That’s why it’s ever so important to read and study the books of the Good Library so that we can have reassuring scriptures to fall back on. Why do you think that the Lord was so specific with Joshua after He made him leader of the Israelites on the death of Moses eh?

He commanded: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)

Wow! That’s from the Lord God Almighty Himself! As the old people would say, ‘straight from the horse’s mouth!’ And thus it should not be disobeyed, but rather taken to heart and sincerely followed. But nowadays, with our know-it-all attitude, because of the inroads we’ve made into science and technology, we choose to totally disregard the wisdom of our Creator. Remember friends, the Good Library was written to help us to find our way on this crazy and dysfunctional earth. It’s the Encyclopedia of Life and Living!

Remember the days when Encyclopedias reigned supreme, when they were the last word in everything, where we went to find anything we didn’t know about? And selling Encyclopedias was the first job that many of us had on first coming to Canada, because it was possible the easiest one to get back then. I remember a few cold nights out on the road, knocking on doors and getting rude remarks. After one particularly cold night somewhere out in the Ajax area, it was just a small town then, I just said forget it and did not even go back to collect the few dollars they owed me.

Many of today’s young people don’t even know the word Encyclopedia, and if they do, what it really means, or stands for, because we now go to Google for all our enquiries. And yes, it is much quicker, but there’s nothing like holding an Encyclopedia, that’s one volume, (smile) in one’s hand and thumbing through its numerous pages to find some unknown or unremembered fact. It certainly activated our brains more and we found more knowledge that way, than simply dialing it up on Google, which does nothing to activate our dormant brain cells.

Now, where were we, before we got into this talk on the dinosaur that’s Encyclopedias? (smile) Oh yes, we were talking about God’s instructions to Joshua to constantly meditate on His word, if he wanted to be prosperous and find success. And nothing has changed since then my people! The same advice still applies: to have true, or God-given prosperity and success, one must know the scriptures and faithfully follow or live by them! It’s the only way! And do we ever need them in turbulent times like our world is now undergoing, and the cloudy days that we’re experiencing, as well as all the other natural and man-made disasters that are happening all around the globe.

And we’re talking about enlightening and reassuring scriptures like these: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) ‘God will supply ALL of my needs through His riches in glory through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord; that’s for sure!’ (Josh. 24:15) ‘If God be for me, who can be against me eh? NOBODY! (Rom. 8:31)

‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to His eternal glory in Christ after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast. Glory to God! (1 Pet. 5:10) ‘I am an overcomer through Christ.’ That’s just a shortened form of John’s words in his first epistle. ‘For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:4-5)

Then there are these other vibrant and reassuring scriptures: ‘I am above and not beneath. The head and not the tail.’ (Deut. 28:13) ‘I am more than a conqueror, through Christ who LOVES me! (Rom. 8:37) ‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3) Now that last one is something we should ALL be praying EVERY DAY, because talk is so cheap, rampant and virulent, or bitter and hostile right now that it’s possibly the major contributor to our sad, ongoing demise.

Remember what Cousin Sol said about words in Proverbs. ‘A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.’ (Prov. 25:11) Meaning that a good word spoken at the right time is invaluable to the listener! Remember too, that our words have God-given power, and they can be used for either good or evil, so we should be very careful what we say and when, because Jesus warned: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.’ (Matt. 12:36) Now that should make us all sit up and think and take care of the words we speak from henceforth!

And then there’s this last but ever so important saying from Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) that we should ALL also be declaring (yes!!!) every day! ‘Something good is going TO happen to me today! Something good is going to happen THROUGH me today!’ And that’s just a handful of the many useful scriptures that we can employ EVERY DAY to lift up our spirits and reassure us of the goodness of our most LOVING God, Jehovah! You can also peruse and meditate on the scriptures and find many more to use in your own situations.

Now, for those of us who are trying to sincerely live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong 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 said that, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…it’s impossible to live a successful life…without reading and following God’s instructions…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 July 2022 Matthew 12:37.

22 Jul 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a gift of God's grace, a means of restoring faith in you, a wise materbuilder, absent from the body present with the Lord, after this the judgement, appear before the judgement seat of Christ, be revealed by fire, bring backsliders back to your fold, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, combustible materials, Covid-19 virus, every idle word that men speak, faith without works is dead, faithful believers, for other foundation can no man lay than Jesus, Friday chant, hypocrites, incombustible materials, introduce a whole new flock, it is appointed unto men once to die, LOVE, our own indulgent purposes, show them the error of their ways, talk without action is useless, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, they shall give account of on judgment day, trusting faith, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee, whether it be good or bad

Matthew 12:37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

And although many of us have not done much for the entire week, we are still boldfaced enough to raise our voices in insincere thanks today, saying ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ What a bunch of hypocrites we really are! There is no real thanks in our declaration, just mere selfish desires that the work week is almost over and then we can do as we please; party, over-indulge, etc. etc. It’s surprising how we can call God’s name, use it for our own indulgent purposes, but not seriously and sincerely talk to Him about the things that truly matter in this mish-mash life and ungodly world in which we’re currently living.

But please remember friends that one day we will all be called to account for our life, for the words we spoke and the actions we took or did not take. Jesus told us quite plainly: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) Yes my brethren, come the judgement day we’ll answer for a lot of stuff that in the world view, we now think is quite all right, but it really isn’t.

So, for argument’s sake, (smile) crying out ‘Thank God it’s Friday,’ and not really meaning it, might be words you’ll be called to give account for. That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus in his second missive to the church at Corinth. ‘We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour (make it our aim), that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him (be well pleasing to him). For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done; whether it be good or bad.’ (2 Cor. 5:8-10)

Oh my fellow believers, as Bruh Paul already pointed out in 1 Cor. 3:10-15, all our works will be judged by fire, and rewards handed out based on those that survive the flames. And though we’re not under condemnation, nor fear being thrown out of heaven once we get there, we must be aware that God will still hold us responsible for the deeds done in the body. Now don’t think we can get away from that judgement either, (smile) because there are two certainties in this life, as the author of Hebrews puts it. ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb. 9:27)

So, all of us will die, and all of us will face the judgement seat of Christ! It means that if want to have less face time with Christ at the judgement and earn more rewards, then we need to ensure that our words, deeds and motives down here on earth are well-pleasing to Him. It’s as simple as that. And remember, no one is going to answer for us, neither are we going to answer for anyone else. It will be just the individual and Christ. So, please stop concentrating and worrying about what others are saying and/or doing and concentrate on what you are saying and doing.

And I guess the best way to make us understand is by quoting Bruh Paul’s words from 1 Cor. 3:10-15, about building our individual ministries and Christians being co-labourers. He says: ‘According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay that that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (straw); Every man’s work shall be made manifest (become evident): for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try (test) every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide (endures) which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by (through) fire.’ (1 Cor. 3:10-15)

Therefore my brethren, it’s imperative that we build our lives, our ministries, whatever we build, on the one true and solid foundation of Christ Jesus, the Rock! And that we build with gold, silver or precious metals which are incombustible and thus cannot be burned or consumed by the figurative fire or judgement. However, if our buildings are constructed of cheap, combustible materials like wood, hay, stubble or straw, they will obviously be consumed by the fire and we will lose any rewards we might have expected, which are all a gift of God’s grace.

The good thing though, is that we will not lose our salvation. But as the scholars point out: ‘The stress in this entire passage is not on a person’s relationship to Christ, but on service to Christ.’ So, although we believe, and are saved, we are still expected to do some useful work to build the kingdom. How would you feel if you are one of those in heaven who don’t have any rewards eh, because your service to the kingdom didn’t survive the judgement, while all around you are others displaying their gracious gifts for their worthwhile service?

None of us will be pleased, although I suppose jealousy and envy won’t be a part of our character then. (smile) To avoid that kind of situation then, let’s think about doing more worthwhile service now nuh. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace in sincere prayer, through our Friday Chant, laying all our wants and needs before the feet of our Creator.

As one confident but humble voice. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets.

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.

And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, 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!’

Now, if we want to see positive results, it behooves us to go out into the evil world and truly behave as faithful believers! Much LOVE!

…faith without works is dead…talk without action is useless…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8

Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 March 2022 Ecclesiastes 12:13a.

08 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: another anomaly, appear before the judgement seat of Christ, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, cast into the lake of fire, disobedience to God's law, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, eternal separation from God, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, free will, free will can work for or against you, God shall bring every work into judgement, he hath showed thee O man, hear the conclusion of the whole matter, I am the beloved of god, LOVE, no beating round the bush, no one can take that from me, reverence God and keep His commandments, share His love with the world, sin, that thy days may be prolonged, the Preacher, they shall give account of on judgment day, this is the whole duty of man, to do justly, to love mercy, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, walk humbly with thy God, what doth the Lord require of thee, what is good, whether it be good or evil, whosoever was not found, with every secret thing, written in the book of life

Ecclesiastes 12:13a. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Oh, what a difference between yesterday’s opening and today! Yesterday it was rain, and damp and dark, meanwhile today is bright sunshine on a background of sparkling white! Yes, the snow did eventually come, but thankfully not much. And here is another anomaly of the season. Usually, my driveway is the one filled with all the stuff that’s blowing around in the lane, like the stuff I had to pick up this morning from the windstorm on Sunday. But today, inexplicably, there was no snow in my driveway, while the others around me were covered in the white stuff. Who knows what’s going on eh? Only our Creator, the Lord God Jehovah!

And to prove the point, His word opened this morning on this perfect scripture from the pen of the Cousin Sol, the supposed wisest man ever, who had the whole thing down pat in the early years of his life, but did not keep the Lord’s word as he moved into his latter years. Anyway, he dispensed perfect wisdom to us as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes when he concluded in his search for meaning and pleasure in this earthly life: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13.14)

That says it all yes mih bredrin! Our duty on this earth is to reverence God and keep His commandments, for in the day of judgement He will call all of us to account. Moses, the man who gave us the earliest Law of God, said it to Israel thus: ‘Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgements, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it. That thou mightest fear (stand in awe of) the Lord thy God, to keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.’ (Deut. 6:1-2)

It’s as simple as that! The Lord gave us free will so that we would show our LOVE and appreciation by obeying His moral rules. And when we read that last clause up there, ‘that thy days may be prolonged,’ we often take it for a joke, but please remember how in the early days mankind normally lived for several hundred years, and bore children well into what we now call old age, as Genesis 5 points out. Adam bore Seth when he was a hundred and thirty years old and lived for nine hundred and thirty years, bearing children all through that time. (Gen. 5:3-5)

Meanwhile ‘Jared lived a hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.’ (Gen. 5:18-20) Then there was Methuselah, Enoch’s son, who lived for nine hundred sixty and nine years, the longest recorded in the Good Book. (Gen. 5:27) But eventually the wickedness of man became so great that the Lord decided to cut man’s day to a hundred and twenty years. (Gen. 6:3)

And by the time Abraham’s father Terah came around man was only living two hundred and odd years at most. And nowadays we celebrate living for a hundred years as such a big thing. But sin, disobedience to God’s holy law and irreverence to His name has a terrible effect on all aspects of our lives. As the prophet Micah said to Israel many years later: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8)

There is no ambivalence or anything contradictory in that statement friends! It’s loud and clear! And it’s the same thing the Lord has been saying from the beginning of time: LOVE me and obey my law and it will be well with you. But we have chosen the free will that He gave us to do the exact opposite. No wonder the time will come when He will finally call all of us to account; some to receive rewards in heaven, but others to go to the dreadful lake of fire to experience eternal separation with his Satanic majesty.

Remember Bruh Paul’s words to the Corinthians in his second letter. ‘For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.’ (2 Cor. 5:10) And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then hopefully you will believe Jesus, when he says: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) As always, my fellow believers, Jesus says it plain and straightforward, no beating round the bush for Him.

And at the end, the Good Book even warns: ‘And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.’ (Rev. 20:15) That means it’s ever so important for our names to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and that can only be achieved by accepting the sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and living the way He desires of us. Otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe, is lake of fire time. So please listen up now nuh people!. I plead with us, now is the time to come to Christ, for after you die, or He comes back the second time, then it will be too late, and you’re staring hell fire with Satan and his cronies right in the face. Can’t say it plainer than that.

Now, for those of us who have decided to do the right thing, that’s live for Christ and reverence Almighty God, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. So 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 the world. Amen!’

Now, let’s go out and do just that nuh; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to LOVE and worship Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…free will can either work for you…or against you…get you into heaven…or the lake of fire…it’s your choice…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 February 2022 Proverbs 18:21.

26 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a future and a hope, a talkative society, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, being confident of this very thing, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, can't hang out with negative people, death and life are in the power of the tongue, delight thyself also in the Lord, enjoy the worldly delights, every idle word that men speak, expect to live a positive life, give God thanks for seeing another day, gospel truth, he shall give thee the desires of thine heart, he which began a good work in you, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, LOVE, our dreams intertwine with God's will, our number one purpose on earth, quotes from our friend Anselm, sleeping in eternity, social media platforms, talk from personal experience, the best days of your life are ahead, they shall give account of on judgment day, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, times are less than stellar, to give you an expected end, to glorify God's name, will perform it until the day of Jesus, with Jesus complications are manageable, you will catch fleas from a flea-ridden dog

Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Sunshine, lollipops and roses… Well one out of three isn’t bad on this cold winter Saturday morning. (smile) Yes friends, the snow has been cleared away and we’ve gone back to a cold, crisp sunshiny day to rest and laze about in. Please give our great, gracious and merciful God thanks for been able to see another wonderful day on His amazing planet earth!

Yes, times they are currently somewhat rough, but how many of us would really prefer to be sleeping in eternity right now eh? Not many of us, because there’s something about this earthly life that very few of us want to leave, though times are less than stellar. For some of us it might be fear of the unknown, while others just want to enjoy the worldly delights available, but whatever the reason, we are not quite ready to leave the confusion and troubles of this earth. (smile)

So having ascertained that fact, let’s turn to our Saturday routine; that of checking out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us to a better tomorrow. And the first quote tells us: ‘You cannot hang out with negative people and expect to live a positive life.’ Now that’s the gospel truth, and it ought to be simple logic for most of us. But unfortunately it isn’t, for many of us hang out with negative persons, their negative words and behaviour and don’t expect any of it to rub off on us.

That’s foolish my brethren! It’s like playing with a dog that has fleas and don’t expect some of the hardy and annoying critters to rub off on us. And I know that we can only bring the negative believers to Christ by interacting with them, but we have to be very careful that our positivity in Christ rubs off on them, and not their negativity rubs off on us.

That brings us to the next quote, which ties in with the one above. It says: ‘The more you talk about negative things in your life, the more you call them in. Speak victory, not defeat.’ Another statement of gospel truth my people! You can’t talk in one way, that’s negatively, and expect to receive something different, meaning positivity, for each breeds the same thing, not the other. As they say, you reap what you sow, you can’t plant peas and expect to reap corn. (smile) But that’s what a lot of us do. We have a negative reaction to life, but expect it to end up positively.

That will never happen friends, as this next quote explains: ‘You can change your world by changing your words… Remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue.’ More truth from God’s word! Cousin Sol said it very clearly. ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21) Yes my brethren, whatever words we speak we will only receive the fruit they bear. So, if our words are negative, then we will reap negativity, and if they are positive, we will reap positivity.

Please note that we are talking about a constant pattern of both kinds of activity, not just one or two instances, because we all have moments when we briefly touch on the other side. And even more importantly friends, not only shall our words have a serious effect on our earthly lives, but also on our eternal ones, for Jesus said it loud and clear. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37)

Oh my people, that ought to put the fear of God in our hearts, especially in these times when idle talk rules in our society. The social media platforms and the great advances in, and interconnectivity of telecommunications has given rise to an inordinately talkative society, where we can speak about what we don’t know, and even do it anonymously. So, if we are wise, we’d better begin thinking about what we say now, since our words will count against us come the judgement day.

Meanwhile, the next quote also offers words of wisdom, as it advises us thus: ‘Why don’t you start believing that no matter what you have or haven’t done, that your best days are still out in front of you….’ It’s just another way of saying think positively and believe that with God’s help you can always rise up higher in your walk with Him. And we are only going to quote a couple of scriptures in support of that argument.

First up is one we all know but fail to put into action, the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah, where he declares: ‘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 what about this other verse from Bruh Paul’s missive to the church at Philippi? ‘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.’ (Phil. 1:6) Yes friends, the Lord will continue working His good work in believers until Jesus Christ returns to earth, meaning that our security is eternally assured, so there’s no need to fear that you will go backward instead of forward with Christ as your Lord and Saviour.

And the last quote directs us to ‘Do all you can to make your dreams come true.’ Now that sounds good and true, and Bruh David enshrined it in scripture in this memorable verse: ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) However, as a believer in Christ Jesus, we must be careful that our dreams intertwine with His divine will, otherwise they won’t come true. The Lord, the devil, or we might put desires in our hearts, but only the ones that fall within the will of God will come true.

And I can talk from personal experience here, because I’ve tried a lot of things, dreams that I believe He’d put in my heart. And although He allowed me to get involved in all of them, and I had some success, they never were as successful as I desired, because they were not really His will for my life. So, I eventually had to give them up for one reason of another. And to prove my point, writing this Scrip-Bit was never my idea, not even one that I thought I could accomplish, and laughed when He proposed it. But it was obviously in His will, for with His faithful help, I’ve been doing it successfully now for fifteen years.

That says it all! But don’t worry, I still have several other dreams that I’m working on, other desires of my heart that I believe He’s put there, (smile) and hopefully those will fit in nicely with His will, and we will eventually accomplish them…with His divine help of course! So please, let’s not jump around willy nilly thinking that every desire of our heart will be fulfilled, but let’s concentrate on finding those that fall into God’s will for our lives, so that He can raise us up and glorify His holy name. Remember, that’s our number one purpose on this earth. Much LOVE!

…life is certainly complicated…but with Christ in our hearts…the complications are certainly manageable…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8

Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 February 2022 1 John 5:5.

09 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a word to the wise is sufficient, acclamations of faith, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, called me to his eternal glory in Christ, during the rough times, easy to be a friend in good times, endure to the end, Euripides, every idle word that men speak, fair-weather friends, friends show their love in times of trouble, friends show their true mettle, glory hallelujah, gospel truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, he shall direct thy paths, he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, I am an overcomer through Christ, I will be debt free in God's time, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the day of judgement, Karen Del Tatto, keep the door of my lips, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, more glorious than we can ask or imagine, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, night-owl activities, not turning back, restore me and make me strong, separate the sheep from the goats, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, sleeping all night experiment, social media platforms, the borrower is servant to the lender, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the God of all grace, they shall give an account of, time for Christians to stand up and be counted, to a glorious future with Jesus, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, who is he that overcometh the world, without fear of retribution

1 John 5:5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’

Well, I don’t think I’m going to try that sleeping all night experiment again for a long while nuh, because my back hurt all yesterday – and still hurts today, despite pain medication! Yes, I’ll stick with my few hours of sleep here and there and continue with my night-owl activities since I believe I can handle the lack of sleep problem better than the back pain one. End of story! (smile)

So today we’ll continue with a few more acclamations, to enlarge our repertoire of sayings that can quickly raise the level of our spirits and keep our faith strong. And this first one is accredited to the famous Greek tragedian dramatist Euripides. It says: ‘Friends show their LOVE in times of trouble, not in happiness.’ Now isn’t that saying something? It surely is! And what is it saying you ask? (smile)

That true friends come to our help in time of need, of disaster, when we are desperate and can’t see up from down. Yes, it’s easy to be a so-called friend in the good times, but it’s during the rough times that real friends show their true mettle, show that they are not merely fair-weather friends. And that’s the type of friends we all need to encourage in our lives, especially in these sad and desperate times which we are currently experiencing. It’s now that we can truly separate the sheep from the goats, like Jesus will do when he comes back. (Matt. 25:31-46)

Now listen to this great Bible acclamation from the pen of Peter. ‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to His eternal glory in Christ, after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast. Glory to God!’ (1 Pet. 5:10) Oh yes my people, that is the gospel truth! Our great God will indeed bring us out of any trouble when He’s good and ready, when He’s satisfied that we’ve learned something valuable from the situation. And yes, it’s somewhat long, but it’s worth learning if it can lift our spirits.

Then there is this one: ‘I will be debt free in God’s time! Glory Hallelujah!’ Now that is an acclamation that many of us need to declare, believe and do our part in working towards it, because it won’t come through if we keep running up unnecessary debt which is so easy to get nowadays. And for that we have to thank Cousin Sol as he tells us in Proverbs: ‘The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.’ (Prov. 22:7) And that’s more gospel truth my faithful brethren, for the lender indeed has the borrower over a barrel and can use them as puppets, pulling their strings whenever they choose.

Now this next acclamation is also one that most of us need to pray every day, the profound words of Bruh David from Psalm 141 – A Prayer for help in trouble – where he petitions the Lord to: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door (keep watch over the door) of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3)

And yuh better believe that the Lord will be busy all day if we ask him for that protection, because these days our mouths run like never before. Even when we don’t what we’re talking about, we all have opinions and desire greatly to express them. And the social media platforms don’t help at all. In fact, they exacerbate the problem, because we can say all kinds of things on them without fear of retribution, since they can also keep us anonymous. But unfortunately, right now talk is very cheap and plentiful and lots of people are using it for their own evil and perverted purposes.

However, please, let’s remember these very important statements of Jesus about talking. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) So, as they say, a word to the wise is sufficient. (smile)

Now here is an interesting acclamation based on so many Bible verses. ‘I am an overcomer through Christ!’ Oh yeah! We ought to be friends, because Christ told us in no uncertain terms that He has already overcome the world, so we don’t need to worry about it. And we all know this scripture: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now it’s up to us to sincerely believe it and put it to work.

And John corroborates Christ’s words in his first epistle, where he declares: ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:3-5) He could not put it any clearer friends. Those who are born again, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, are the ones enabled to overcome this evil and ungodly world.

And this article on the subject by Karen Del Tatto on the growingtogetheringraceandknowledge.blog.com website tells us that the best way to be overcomers in Christ is by following these verses from Proverbs that we already know, but don’t seem to put them into practice like we ought to. ‘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 thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)

Yes my fellow saints those are two verses that if we sincerely live our lives by them, that’s confidently trust in the Lord and carry all our problems to Him, He will guide us so that we can become overcomers. Let’s remember that and put it into action nuh, especially in these turbulent and uncertain times. Now is the time for Christians to stand up and be counted, for this is the time and occasion that we were born for.

And having said all of that let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful and definitely enviable position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘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 believe me, if we endure until the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…why do we talk about trust in Jesus…but don’t show it in the way we live our lives…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8

Today’s Scrip-Bit 29 October 2021 Matthew 12:37.

29 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a gossip betrays a confidence, a trustworthy person keeps a secret, backsliders, biblical difference between gossip slander, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, Covid-19 virus, defeats God's purpose, divine help, embrace your love and compassion, every idle word that men speak, Friday chant, God in His awesome faithfulness, in the day of judgement, LOVE, pandemic, Pastor Jeff Adams, social media, spreading false information, they shall give account for, ungodly living, unrest in the streets, wake up and smell the coffee

Matthew 12:37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by words thou shalt be condemned.

Oh friends, the ole fella is at a loss for exciting words to begin today’s message. Would you believe it? (smile) Well, I guess these things happen at times to the best of us, but I’m not worried, because I know that in His awesome faithfulness, the good Lord will soon intervene with some divine help since it’s His word and gospel I’m trying to spread, and He has faithfully promised to help all those who work sincerely in His name.

What a sentence! (smile) But it’s all the truth, and that’s all that really matters. How something is put down doesn’t matter as much as what is put down. The thing must be positive, edifying and true, otherwise it defeats God’s purpose.

That recalls the story of one person wanting to tell another some news about a friend. But the listener stopped him in his tracks and asked if the news was true? The teller said he wasn’t sure. Then the listener asked if the news was something good. The teller answered no, it wasn’t good news. Then the listener asked if it would benefit him. The teller said he didn’t think so. Then the listener said he didn’t want to hear the news about his friend if it was bad, didn’t benefit him and was probably untrue.

That’s how we believers ought to operate as much as we possibly can. We are not perfect and will occasionally find ourselves gossiping about things we’re not sure of or listening to stuff that doesn’t benefit anybody. But we cannot make that kind of behaviour habitual. And here I am going to pull a few excerpts from a sermon on the ‘Biblical Difference Between Gossip and Slander’ by Pastor Jeff Adams found on the yelmonline.com website.

Pastor Adams begins: ‘Here are two practical statements: “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (11:13; 16:28, NIV).’ There he is quoting the words of Cousin Sol from Prov. 11:13 and 16:28, as translated by the New International Version of the Bible.

But just for comparison we will also provide the king James Version which we use. The first one reads: ‘A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.’ (Prov. 11:13) And the second one says: ‘A froward (perverse) man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief (good) friends.’ (Prov. 16:28)

Then Pastor Adams goes on to specify that ‘Biblically, gossip is sharing information that ought not be shared. It may or may not be true.’ Meanwhile ‘Slander is spreading false information. We need to understand that one can be gossiping and slandering at the same time, and one can be gossiping and not slandering at the same time. In other words, gossip can be true and slander is false. Some information is nobody’s business to share. So what if you have the dirt on somebody else? Why is it OK for you to spread other people’s personal and/or private information?’

Then he quotes Jesus’ advice in Matthew; ‘But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) And yuh better believe that in these days of easy communication, of much slander and gossip, many of us, including those in the church, will be answering for a lot of idle and untrue words come the judgement day.

Oh my people, it’s woeful, the amount of false and slanderous information that’s been spread like wildfire today, especially over the social media network. And don’t fool yuh fat (fool yourself), we believers also indulge a lot in the slackness. People’s lives, careers, self-esteem and what have you are being systematically destroyed by others who don’t care what they do to their fellow man. That’s mindful of Bruh Paul’s words in his second missive to the church at Corinth where there was apparently much feuding and false information being spread in his absence.

He therefore writes: ‘Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things dearly beloved, for your edifying. For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would (wish), and that I shall be found unto (by) you such as ye would (wish) not: lest there be debates (contentions), envyings, wraths, strifes (selfish ambitions), backbitings, whisperings, swellings (conceits), tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail (mourn) many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness (licentiousness) which they have committed.’ (2 Cor. 12:19-21)

And those my friends, would also be very appropriate words to write about our current society today. If Bruh Paul thought he saw or imagined reckless, ungodly living back then, his heart would certainly burst with utter disappointment at today’s dismal standards. Unfortunately my brethren, all most of us can do is to stand strong and do our best in our little corner of the world. So please let’s do that nuh, for every li’l bit of goodness and mercy helps to undo and discourage evil and strife.

But together, as a corporate entity, Christ’s church, we can do a whole lot, and it all begins with prayer. Therefore, let’s take our problems to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant, as He has asked us to. As one strong voice. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’

And as always, let’s remember that if we don’t keep our promises, God won’t answer our prayers the way we desire. Much LOVE!

…our words are more important to our destiny…than many of us realize…so please be careful with them…

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2021 Ecclesiastes 12:13.

27 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a figment of our imagination, a fool's wisdom, agree to disagree, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, come together, devolve into anarchy, directions for earthly living, endemic strife, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, fomenting disagreement, forgive us and heal our land, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's Word, guidance and direction, hear our prayer, humble servants, in the day of judgement, it's talk that won the war, Jehovah Rapha, learn to live in unity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, repentance in our hearts, right motives, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, submission to God and His revelation, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the killing machine, the sacrifices of God, they shall give account for, this is the whole duty of man, thou desirest not sacrifice, to do justly and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, turn from our evil ways, weapons of mass destruction, what does the Lord require of thee, whether it be evil, whether it be good, with every secret thing

Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Oh my brethren, let’s come together on this last Monday in September 2021 nuh! It’s the only hope we have of going forward in a relatively calm world. The anger scouring our world right now is tremendous and can lead to no good. There are too many divisive actions and responses to the many serious problems we face. Unless we at least agree to disagree and stop fighting each other on the important matters our world currently faces, the situation will just devolve into anarchy and full-scale violence.

The pandemic, the vaccines, climate control, worldwide poverty and endemic strife will never be settled through violence and bloodshed, which is where we are heading right now. As my Uncle Foster used to tell me: ‘It’s talk that won the war nephew.’ And he was quite right, for it’s in the peace talks after the war that everything’s really decided. So why can’t we have the peace talks before the war eh? Haven’t we been self-destructive enough over the last century, where we have killed more people than in all the wars of several centuries before?

The killing doesn’t prove anything, it just keeps the status quo going, where every few years we turn to killing each other again in a vain attempt to solve age old differences. And the next worldwide slaughter will most likely be the last one since we’ve improved our destructive methods like nothing else. The killing machine is our proudest and most significant area of expertise! Whatever’s happened to the peace and LOVE that so many of us romanticize in our societies eh? Is it really only a figment of our imagination? It certainly seems so, because right now those two attributes are totally lacking from the world scene.

We certainly have not spent half as much time on promoting peace and LOVE as we have on fomenting disagreement and building weapons of mass destruction, which has inevitably led to the vitriolic anger and hatred we’re currently spewing against our friends, families and neighbours. Whatever happened to the tenets of the Good Book eh, the Bible, God’s Word, His directions for living this earthly life? Obviously it’s no longer looked upon favourably. Instead, we are trying to remove it and God completely from our society, which is a fool’s wisdom and will never happen.

How many centuries have mankind tried to rid themselves of it eh, but it only becomes stronger and takes greater hold, especially since Jesus came to earth and showed us the true image of our heavenly Father and how much He cares for us, that He’d even allow His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. Yes friends, the Bible is God’s word to us, still fresh through all the ages, and if we’d but read it, we would find God’s wisdom on its pages. The amazing wisdom He desires His favourite creation to live by. Oh my people, what will it take for us to truly realize that there’s ONLY One Power and One Presence in this great universe eh: that of Almighty God, the Good Omnipotent!

And until we get it through our thick skulls that He created this universe and all therein, and will not allow it to be taken away from Him, so we had better learn to live in unity with each other and with Him, the sooner there will be some real semblance of peace and LOVE in our angry, hating, divisive world!

What then is the solution to our problems you ask? I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us as simply and clearly as possible. He wisely declares: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) That’s the gospel truth friends!

Now hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear (reverence) of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation (cf. Prov. 1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’

And that is not new news my fellow saints, it’s old stuff. Moses told the Israelites that in (Deut. 6:2, 10:12) and the prophet Micah reiterated it to them later on: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8) Meanwhile Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)

Yes, my fellow believers, that is what the Lord desires of His greatest creation; to come to Him humbly and in reverence, admitting His awesome sovereignty. And if you didn’t believe the prophets, then listen to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37).

Now, if Jesus says there will be a day of judgement, then there will be one. And all our words and actions will come before Him, and we will receive our just deserts, be it rewards in heaven or eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God. Let’s understand and believe that there is a price to pay for all that we do that does not line up with God’s will.

Disunity is our biggest problem right now. Why can’t we see that eh? We desperately need to come together and get back to worshipping and reverencing Almighty God. And there’s no better time to start than right now. So let’s go to Him in prayer with our problems nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.

As one voice: ‘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. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that 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. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.

And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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 as always, the Lord will search our hearts for the right motives and see how we keep our promises before answering our prayers. Much LOVE!

…the duty of man…to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 December 2020 Matthew 12:37.

31 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: blessed with success, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, calamitous world, compassionate heart, conspiracy theories, Covid-19 pandemic, curse, disastrous year of 2020, dissemblers of truth, every idle word that men speak, faith, favour, follow Christ more eagerly and faithfully, God's Word, greed, in the day of judgement, irresponsible people, like a faithful fountain, low esteem, misinformation, more contagious, negative word, new variant of Covid virus, New Year's Eve, O generation of vipers, obedience should bubble forth from them, one resolution for 2020, out of the abundance of the heart, power hunger, prosper, scandalous happenings, self-discipline, succeed, the body of Christ, the Book of Truth, the church, the current apostasy, the God of many chances, the Holy Bible, the Lord spoke the world into existence, the mouth speaketh, the one real truth, the shepherds leading the flock astray, the tree is known by its fruit, they shall give account for, Thursday Blessings, true love in our hearts for Jesus, turning away from God, we can't serve God and mammon, wipe our slate clean, words have power

Matthew 12:37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Well finally, the last day of this disastrous and complicated year of 2020! And will there be any big New Year’s Eve parties? Of course! Not on the scale we are accustomed to seeing, but for sure there are enough irresponsible people out there, irresponsible enough to hold big, everybody’s welcome gatherings. No wonder the Covid-19 pandemic is spreading despite the arrival of some vaccines. And what do you think that irresponsibility will do for the new year of 2021 eh?

Will that improve our situation? Not on your life, for regardless of how many vaccines we have, if our behaviour doesn’t improve, we’ll be bombarded by more difficulties, especially with the new variant of the virus that appears to be more contagious than it’s early relative.

That means unless and until we wake up and get some real sense in our heads and forget all the nonsense, all the conspiracy theories and misinformation and lies and deceits that are floating around and turn to the ONE real truth in this fallen world, God’s Word, the Holy Bible, we will be forever be plagued with some kind of demonic illness or the other!

Now listen to these words of the man who wrote the Book of Truth nuh, Jesus Christ. ‘Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt (bad), and his fruit corrupt (bad): for the tree is known by his fruit.’ (Matt. 12:33) Oh my people, that pertains directly to us believers in this current calamitous world!

Are we being known by our fruit? Certainly! But the problem is what kind of fruit are we being known by eh, good or bad? And sadly, it’s for too much bad fruit, because followers of Christ are some of the biggest hypocrites and dissemblers in today’s world. Christians don’t behave like true Christians, but are more immersed in the things of the world that the things of God. and that’s why the church, the body of Christ, and Christ Himself is held in such low esteem in our current society.

We are not worthwhile ambassadors of our Lord and Saviour! That’s the simple truth friends. And if you want to dispute it, then go right ahead and fool yourselves, but the world knows us for what we really are…dissemblers of the truth, with too many of us sitting on the fence trying to be in both worlds at the same time, but remember Jesus said that we can’t serve God and mammon, or the wealth, the evil riches of this world at the same time. (Matt. 6:24) And furthermore, too many of us are being a part of the current apostasy, turning away from God, just like Bruh Paul warned Timothy of so long ago. (2 Tim. 3)

But hear these telling words of Jesus, not only to the Pharisees and the people of His generation, but even more so to us, in these final days of the church age. ‘O generation (brood or offspring) of vipers, how can ye being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’ (Matt. 12:34) And isn’t that the living truth friends, whatever comes out of our mouths, is usually what’s in our hearts? But being the hypocrites that we are, we try to cover it up with falsehood and lies and innuendo, and half-truths.

But hear Jesus continue His monologue on the subject. ‘A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:35-37) Yes, my generation of vipers, we shall give account for all the idle, untruthful and ungodly words we’ve spoken.

Please remember that the Lord SPOKE the world into existence, so His words have power, and if we are His representatives, his ambassadors, that means our words also have power, but are we using those words of power in the right way, for good, and not for evil? That’s the trillion dollar question! And I’d venture to wager that too many of us supposed believers are not doing so.

Oh mih people, precious people of Christ, why is it so difficult for us to do right and good eh? Just take a good look at the church nuh, Christ’s body, His earthly bride. Its upper echelons are filled with more evil, greed, power hunger and scandalous happenings than even some principalities of earthly power. Every day you hear about some ungodly doings of Christ’s supposedly good and godly shepherds. And yuh know, it’s not the flock that’s crazy or evil, but it’s the shepherds that are leading them astray.

Now is that a bride Christ will be eager and anxious to come for? I doubt it. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why His Second Coming is taking so long. But anyway, for this coming year of 2021, let’s try and do better nuh. Yuh know we made one resolution for this year of 2020, that was to follow Christ more eagerly and faithfully and I don’t know whether we have actually followed it. Deep down though, I feel that we have not, for when the pandemic hit us, instead of being strong and faithful, too many of us simply fell apart.

But we have 2021 coming up, that means another chance to wipe our slate clean and begin again. Yes, our God is the God of many chances! Praise His holy name! And He’s still in the magnanimous blessing business, meaning we still have all those tools that He’s given us to work with. So let’s go home declaring (ah Lord eh!) those wonderful Thursday Blessings nuh, promising ourselves and Him, that with His awesome help, we will put them to better use this upcoming new year of 2021.

Altogether now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’

And it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings as generously and magnanimously with others, as the Lord has generously and magnanimously shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…if there’s true LOVE in our hearts for Jesus…then…like a faithful fountain…obedience should just be bubbling forth from them…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 5 May 2020 Proverbs 18:21.

05 May 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: arise and shine, bless me, by thy words, death and life, define your character, divide the day from the night, dry bones live again, enlarge my territory, eternal life, every idle word that men speak, fellowship, friend of Jesus, give account, hurry, I will rejoice and be glad in it, in god's eyes, in the Life of the Christian, let the waters bring forth abundantly, let there b light, lights in the firmament, make man in our own image, make or breack you, moral discernmnet, Mother Nature, my glory has come, not what I do, responsibilities, saints in Christ, self-consciousness, set the tone for the day, shall eat the fruit thereof, share His love, speech, spiritual resemblance, sun moon and stars, the day of judgement, the day the Lord has made, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord will provide, the power of the tongue, they that love it, thou shalt be condemned, thou shalt be justified, Tuesday Mantra, watch your words, worry, worship

Proverbs 18:21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it, shall eat the fruit thereof.

Prologue: Yes, couldn’t help it being long and late…but it’s oh so good! (smile)

A good Tuesday to you my friends, my fellow saints in Christ! Now words are particularly important in the life of the Christian, and we all say different things when we rise up in the morning, some appropriate, others not. Today though, I want to share a message I received some time last week re: ‘What Do You Tell Yourself Every Morning As You Start Your Day.’ Now friends those words we use at the beginning of every day are especially important, because they set the tone for the kind of day we’re going to have.

Now here are some of the things the mighty in faith would probably say. ‘Moses would say, “Lord if You don’t go with us or before us, we are not going anywhere.” Abraham would say, “The Lord will provide.” Jacob would say, “I won’t let You go unless You bless me.” Joshua would say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Samuel would say, Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.’ Nehemiah would say, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” David would say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,” and “This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Solomon would say, “Trust in the Lord, oh my soul, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Isaiah would say, “Arise and shine for my glory has come.” And “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” Jeremiah would say, “The Lord has plans to prosper me and not to harm or fail me.” Jabez would say, “Oh that You may bless me and enlarge my territory.” Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would say, “We will not bow down to any image but will serve the Lord.” Ezekiel would say, “Any dry bones in my life, live again.” Choose your daily statement of faith. Meditate on it! Speak it every morning. Could you please share this with someone else, and let them know that God LOVES them? I just did.’

Yes friends, it’s ever so important what words we use when we arise each and every day, because words, especially words from the Good Book, are chocked full of power and whatever you say, in faith and agreement with God’s will, will eventually come true! Remember the Lord used words to create the universe and all therein, except man and woman. ‘’And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’ (Gen, 1:3) That gave us light! ‘And God said, Let there be a firmament (an expanse) in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ (Gen. 1:6) That gave us heaven!

‘And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.’ (Gen. 1:9) That gave us the earth! ‘And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.’ (Gen. 1:11) That gave us the ever beautiful Mother Nature! “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.’ (Gen. 1:14-15) That gave us night and day and seasons and sun and moon and stars!

Wow! All of that with just a few words! But He wasn’t done yet: ‘And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (abound with an abundance of living sea creatures), and fowl that may fly (let birds fly) above the earth in the open firmament of heaven (across the face of the expanse of heaven).’ (Gen. 1:20) That simply gave us the multitude of creatures that inhabit the sea and the numerous kinds and sizes of birds that populate and fly through the great expanse of the heavens! ‘And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.’ (Gen. 1:24) That gave us the earthly creatures…all except mankind!

‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen. 1:26) But nothing happened until He got down and dirty! ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen. 2:7) Mamma Mia! Yuh see that friends? God got down in the dirt and formed us from it, then breathed His breath of life into us! That means we’re special, and also have special responsibilities!

And the scholars offer this interesting explanation. ‘1:26-28. In contrast to animals in verses 20 and 24 where God said, “Let the waters bring forth,” and “Let the earth bring forth,” He now says, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. All others reproduce after “their kind,” but man is the only one made in the image of God and reproducing in that image (5:3). The terms image and likeness are used synonymously and refer primarily to man’s spiritual resemblance (rationally and morally) to his Maker.

God placed a great chasm between man and beast, for only man has the capacity to eternal life, fellowship, moral discernment, self-consciousness, speech and worship. Even after the fall of man, he retained the spiritual image of God, (cf. 9:6; James 3:9), though it has been marred. Regaining a likeness of God is one of the accomplishments of salvation. Our spiritual likeness is restored in justification. Our character likeness is being continuously developed in the process of sanctification. We will be like Christ physically when we are glorified. God’s purpose in our lives today is to conform us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). (First ref. Gen. 1: 26; Primary Ref. Gen. 1:27; cf. Heb. 4:12).’

So you see precious people, we are the most important aspect of God’s universal creation, and thus we are also expected to come up higher than the lowly beasts who can’t think, reason or experience eternal life. And since we are made in God’s image, spiritually and mentally, we therefore need to pay particular attention to our words, for like God’s words, which created the universe and most therein, they contain great power. Thus we need to pay great attention to Jesus’s warning. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37)

What more can I say eh, but that our words are full of power. As Cousin Sol so wisely points out: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it, shall eat the fruit thereof.’

Now let’s go home declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra, using powerful but true words to show the world who and whose we are. All together now: ‘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 the world. Amen!’

Now it’s time to faithfully action those important words! Much LOVE!

…watch your words…they define your character…and can make or break you…

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding the Great Power of the Tongue. Part 1!

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 July 2022 Matthew 12:37.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 September 2021 Ecclesiastes 12:13.

Today’s Scrip-Bit 31 December 2020 Matthew 12:37.

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