13 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a battlefield, a compassionate heart, all things are possible with Jesus, behind the eight ball, but the flesh is weak, change your attitude, Christian, clear direction, comparing ourselves to others, curse, divine protection, down to brass tacks, evil desires, faith, favour, fleshly, good health, I am carnal, lest ye enter into temptation, LOVE, magnanimous god, mea culpa, negative attitudes, negative word, over who we become, P.S. I Love You, promotion, prosper, sin, sin that dwells in me, sinful pursuits, succeed, the battle with sin, the battlefield of life, the chicken or the egg story, the evil I don't want to do, the flesh thwarts the Spirit, the good I want to do, the law is spiritual, the spirit frustrates the flesh, the spirit truly is ready, the struggle of two natures, Thursday Blessings, to change everything, total control, ungodly society, unhappiness, watch ye and pray, wisdom
Mark 14:38. Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
And then it was Thursday… a beautiful Thursday by the way! And we way way behind the eight ball because of my late bedding down and thus late rising, but also due to a couple of chores I had to do before getting down to brass tacks. And that’s my mea-culpa. (smile)
Today I have a couple of gems for us from our ‘P.S. I LOVE YOU’ Poster. Long time I haven’t shared anything from that. Some of you might not even know about. It’s just a cardboard poster with that title my young daughter gave me some years ago with some useful life quotes on it. And the first gem says: ‘Almost all of our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.’ Quite true that! And the second tells us: ‘We can’t do much about our appearance, but we have total control over the kind of person we become.’
In these modern times of advanced medicine and technology, the first part is not so true anymore, because through those avenues we can now change our appearance a whole lot, but the second half is still and will always be true! Changing our appearance doesn’t mean a blooming thing if the kind of person we are doesn’t improve with it. In the long run, who we are, not what we look like, will always be the deciding factor in the outcome of our lives. And since I’m so sweet and generous, here’s a langniappe, a brawtha, something extra thrown in for good measure. (smile)
‘To change everything, simply change your attitude.’ Wow! What wisdom and truth my bredrin! And do a whole lot of us ever need to change our surly, stupid, selfish, greedy, angry, resentful, hateful, gossipy, unforgiving, jealous, envious, ungodly, unkind, UNLOVING attitudes! Yes friends, all those negative attitudes are taking a severe toll on our individual lives and consequently are then flowing into our society, making it the negative, ungodly society it’s become.
Some of you might choose to argue that the society itself first had the negative attitudes and we as individuals then adopted them. But that’s like the chicken and the egg story, about which came first. It doesn’t matter who or what infected the other, it just matters that we’ve been infected, and must first begin with individual change if we want to right the situation. And how do we accomplish those changes? I just came upon some very interesting words of Jesus, that memorable night in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When the disciples couldn’t stay awake, He said to Peter. ‘Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:37-38) And is that ever so true friends! The Spirit of God that dwells within us is ever ready to help us set our lives aright, but the weak flesh that we naturally possess, that desires the ungodly things of the world puts up a pretty good fight against it. And if we aren’t careful, and prayerful, it’s so easy to fall into temptation and thus destroy the godly character we’re trying to build.
Bruh Paul calls it the struggle of two natures. As he explains in Romans 7: ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow (understand) not: for what I would (want to do), that I do not; but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto (agree with) the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would (want to do) I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:14-19)
Yeh friends, even the great Bruh Paul struggled with his flesh; the desire to do good, but doing evil instead. And because of that, he’s also a great example, showing us ‘the problems that all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ Yes my people, our flesh; our minds, bodies and souls through the ongoing efforts of the enemy, are often dominated by sin and sinful pursuits. And Bruh Paul said it this way to the Galatians. ‘For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal. 5:17) And that’s the gospel truth fellow saints!
As the scholars explain. ‘ 5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’
Oh, it’s definitely not easy my people! But let’s remember that with Jesus running our lives, we can do anything, for ALL things are possible with Him! We just need to bear down, to watch and pray, to stand steadfast and strong in our faith and belief in His crowning glory, and remember that through His death on the cross, and His resurrection, the victory’s already been won, we just have to walk it out now. And we do that by diligently and efficiently using the generous blessings bestowed on us to do Christ’s work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken, let’s declare (yeahhh!) them right now over ourselves nuh. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Wow! What a magnanimous God we serve! It blows my mind every time I consider how generous and LOVING He is! So to show our sincere appreciation, let’s go out and share those blessings just as generously with others nuh, as we are meant to. Much LOVE!
…the mind…the battlefield of life…
14 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beaten foe, a positive outlook, a power glitch, a seal, abides for ever, abundance, blip, brand new world, burns like a blazing fire, cannot be bought, cannot be dastroyed, cannot be extinguished, cannot quench love, coals, commercial set, compassionate heart, curse, day of Love, death, despised, dinosaur, dislike computers, easily shut down, evil desires, experienced, flames of fire, floods drown love, give all the substance for love, go home rejoicing, God is LOVE, Happy Valentine's Day, hold on tightly, horror of social media, human existence, increase their fortune, indestructible element, infiltrated, inhumane treatment, jealousy is cruel as the grave, love is strong as death, love not the world, LOVE Walk, loving-kindness, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, many waters, morbid thoughts, negative word, outward appearance, prosper, provocateurs of evil, self-control, share with the less forunate, sins, success, talent, technological contraptions, the enemy, the grave, the love of the Father, the pride of life, the will of God, the world passeth away, Thursday Blessings, ungodly world, unquenchable nature of love, upon thine arm, upon thine heart, vehement flame
Song of Solomon 8:6. Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for LOVE is strong as death; jealousy is cruel (severe, hard) as the grave: the coals (flames) thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Happy Valentine’s Day my people! I guess this is what we call the Day of LOVE in our current ungodly world. And even though it’s mostly about outward appearances and another chance for the commercial set to increase their fortune, I guess we’ll have to take it, since we won’t get anything better.
And I don’t know why I read some of the news headlines before I began writing the Bit nuh, because they made me later than I already was, and are the farthest things from LOVE and consequently dampened my spirit! It’s just about greed and power hungry people seeking the aphrodisiac of power through any means, and immense inhumanity to man from his fellow man.
It’s surprising that with all the supposed wonderful improvements we’ve made, that the inhumane treatment we mete out to each other is still so widespread and gut wrenching! And the horror of social media has just made it easier to do it from afar, anonymously, and get away with it too.
But what does the ole fella know eh friends? Apparently not a whole lot. And they will quickly say that I’m from another time and place; a minted dinosaur in a brand new world! And they might just be right. But the fact of the matter is that I prefer my dinosaur status to that of this brand new, unfair and oh so unjust world. Enough of my morbid thoughts though on this Valentine’s Day. (smile) It’s a day to celebrate LOVE, so let’s see what the Good Book has to say about it nuh.
And in my searching, I was led to this most interesting, but li’l known passage of scripture, most appropriately from Cousin Sol’s Song of LOVE. ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for LOVE is strong as death; jealousy is cruel (severe, hard) as the grave: the coals (flames) thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench LOVE, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance (wealth) of his house for LOVE, it would utterly be contemned (despised). (Song 8:6-7)
Ah friends, what powerful and heart-warming words on that most valuable, but most elusive attribute of our wonderful and ever-LOVING God! And the scholars offer this interesting explanation: ‘8:6-7. These verses are clearly the climax to the story. The maiden describes in the most vivid terms the unquenchable nature of true LOVE: it cannot be destroyed by death or the grave; it burns like a blazing fire that cannot be extinguished, and it cannot be bought.’
Wow! What an amazing thing is LOVE! It’s an unquenchable fire; an indestructible element, and most of all it has no price; it cannot be bought, it has to be experienced! So on this supposed day of LOVE my faithful brethren, please let’s remember those things and work seriously on our LOVE experience! (smile)
And to help us do just that, let’s review these memorable words of John in his first epistle. This verse sets the stage: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God IS LOVE.’ (1 John 4:8) That’s the first thing we have to know and believe friends if we want to be a part of God’s kingdom; that God IS LOVE!’ If we don’t wholeheartedly acknowledge that, then all bets are off, we can’t be a part of God’s realm.
But having faithfully acknowledged that, we then come to this next ever so important step in our LOVE walk. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Ah my people, to truly walk in step and in LOVE with God, we have to deny the evil desires and the sins that are so much a part of our human existence.
And you wonder why I dislike computers…I just turned aside to check the spelling of a word, and next thing a blip in the electricity occurred and the computer shut down. Then I had to reboot it twice to get it back up, losing more than ten minutes of time and also the two lines I had just written and not saved. Can’t even remember what it was now! Steups!
And that is what we are basing the entire future of our world on; technological contraptions that can be infiltrated and easily shut down by a simple power glitch. Chuh! That’s why I like being a dinosaur yes! (smile)
Yeh I remember now, I was writing about paying special attention to the provocateurs of evil who are always trying to turn us away from God. And yuh see that, the enemy didn’t like my warning, so he tried to expunge it by setting up the glitch. (smile) But li’l does he realize that he’s a beaten foe and the time of his eventual demise is near. So please let’s hold on dearly and tightly to the LOVE of God, which will NEVER be extinguished, destroyed or bought! Glory be!
Now let’s go home rejoicing in what we call our Thursday Blessings; the blessings our most magnanimous God has bestowed on us to use in His work down here on earth. All together now in strong faith and loud 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 everyday! Amen!’
So with all of that LOVING-kindness poured out on us, let’s go out now and share it with the less fortunate, as Jesus so greatly desires of us. Much LOVE!
…only true LOVE…can save our dark, evil and dismal world…
22 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, against the mother, Anselm, asks for gifts, aspires to inspire, attitudes, basic unit of soicety, being happy, busy world, callous, Christmas Saturday, come face to face, comfort zone, confidence, corrupt, culture, daughter in law, destroy, disagreements, disasters, disobedience, do evil, dodo bird, don't get so worked up, enjoy life, evil desires, extincition, eye contact, faithful God, falling apart, famine, feuds, friend, go with the flow, God will hear me, godd advice, greedy, guard thy mouth, his brother, hunt every man, in public, laugh more, learn life in private, lie in wait for blood, life, lighten up, look unto the Lord, LOVE, morally sinful, morass, morning chat, mother in law, my salvation, perilous times, persihed, petty, playing a violin, poverty, preparations, promises, punishment, recuperating, relax, scheme together, serious, sharp and thorny, shopping, sickness, smile, stick together, stress, stressful, support system, tense, the biggest killer, the daughter rises up, the family, the good man, the judge for bribes, the prince, the son dishonours the father, trust, uncaring, uplift, wait for God, what ent meet yuh ent pass yuh, who you are, words of wisdom
Micah 7:6. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.
Saturday, Christmas Saturday! And everybody is busy doing their last minute Christmas shopping and preparations! Thank the Lord that does not include the ole fella nuh! (smile) Yeh friends, the ole fella’s recuperating nicely I suppose. I’ve been up for some time now because I could not find a comfortable position in the bed, one that would alleviate all the aches and pains.
Yuh know how it is; when you find a comfort zone for one ache, it causes another to act up. And then I sat at the kitchen table having a coffee and a Saturday morning chat with the duchess – have to take them when I can get them (smile), so that’s why I’m only now getting to the Bit. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Now let’s see what words of wisdom our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote simply says: ‘Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don’t get so worked up about things.’ Oh mih people, those few words do contain lots of good advice and wisdom!
In this stressful and busy world we all need to lighten up and relax and just go with the flow! Have you ever walked down a busy street and seen how people are tense and serious, with very few smiling, everyone just intent on going about their business?
And it always amuses me when I get in an elevator and all the others in the car keep looking up at the roof, everybody apparently dreading making eye contact with a stranger. Chuh friends! Our society definitely needs to lighten up and not take ourselves so seriously, because it only draws us to unnecessary disaster. That’s why stress is the biggest killer in our midst right now, causing all sorts of illnesses! And then we wonder why so many of us are dying so young!
And the next quote declares: ‘Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.’ I guess that means you cannot learn life in private, and only as you go along that you really learn it. It’s a process and you can only deal with it as it comes against you. As the old people would say, ‘what ent meet you ent pass you!’ In other words, people can tell you about life, but you don’t truly learn life until you yourself come face to face with it.
And the last quote says: ‘At the end of the day, life is about being happy being who you are, and I feel like we are so blessed to have the support system and the best family to really just support each other no matter what we’re going through.’ Ah friends, I wish that was so much truer of our world than it actually is!
We ought to be happy being who we are, especially in Christ, and we do need good support systems to help us in those perilous times that all of us undergo at some time or the other. But unfortunately the basic unit of our society, the family, is being undermined and destroyed by the callous, greedy and uncaring attitudes and culture that proliferate in these modern times. Families turn against each other for small and petty reasons, as each one fights to make their mark in this evil world.
Steups! We don’t have to, and we won’t always agree, but when it comes to family, we ought to stick together, for who else are we going to turn to eh, since there is no unit smaller than that supposedly close knit group titled ‘family.’ Right here I’ve got to give thanks for my family yes! We don’t always agree, but we’re always there for each other!
That’s what family is about, why it’s called family. But nowadays there are so many feuds and disagreements between those of the same household, for whatever reason, that our society is falling apart. Whatever happened to that bond, that trust that families exuded once upon a time eh?
That brings us to this scripture where the prophet Micah describes a morally sinful Israel, a true reflection of our modern day society. ‘The good (faithful or loyal) man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together).’ (Mic.7:2-3)
And isn’t that exactly what is going on in our society today people? I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time that’s corrupt and evil as this one! But Micah is not done with us: ‘The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation (punishment) cometh; now shall be their perplexity.’ (Mic.7:4) Ah mih people, things are so bad, that even the best of us are sharp and thorny!
But as the Lord has warned so often in His word, continual disobedience will eventually bring His wrath and punishment! And we are seeing it in the failings of our supposed great and modern society; sickness, famine, poverty, natural and man-made disasters are proliferating in the richest times ever.
That’s why Micah advises: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic.7:5-6)
And when all those things are occurring, as they are in our current society, that means our society is on the way down and out unless we turn back to God as Micah so wisely advises: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic.7:7)
Yes friends, that’s the only way our society will ever rise up out of the morass that it’s currently embedded in! So please, let’s turn to our great and faithful God and LOVE Him with all our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, as He desires nuh, so that our society will not go the way of the dodo bird – extinction! Much LOVE!
…the Lord fulfills ALL His promises…be they to uplift…or to destroy…please remember that…
27 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversary, afflictions, almighty god, be subject to each other, Beelzebub, Bruh Paul, cast all your care on Him, Christ's Church, Christian, christianity, cliques, clothed with humility, conceited, crucified the flesh, daylight at the end of the tunnel, denomination, divided, dominion, dysfunctional, envy, envying each other, eternal glory, evil desires, exalt, faith, fear of God, fellowship, fractured, Friday, Friday chant, fruit of the Spirit, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, Galatians, generous help, gentleness, glory, goals, God gives grace to the humble, God of all grace, God resists the proud, goodness, governed by the Spirit, grace, harmonious, harmony, holy spirit, humility, in Jesus' name, in the reverence of God, inherit the kingdom of God, Jesus Christ, joy, kindness, leasure, led of the Spirit, like-mindedness, live in the Spirit, long-suffering, LOVE, lusts, meekness, moral life, not under the law, passions, peace, provoking each other, relaxation, religion, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, resentful, resentment, resist, rest, restraints of the law, reverent, roaring lion, self-control, shame, sober, spitefulness, steadfast, submitting to each other, temperance, Thank God it's Friday, the devil, the fear of God, the lust of the flesh, the mighty hand of God, the weekend, united, unity, uplifting, vainglory, values that please god, vanity, vigilant, vulture, walk in the Spirit, warring, works of the flesh
Ephesians 5:21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
‘Friday, oh Friday! How I LOVE that day! Friday, oh Friday! The weekend’s coming my way! Oh thank God it’s Friday! And I’m feeling okay! Friday, oh Friday! How I LOVE that day…’
Ah Friends, the amount of little ditties we can make up to celebrate Fridays eh. And rightly so, because Friday is a day when we finally see some daylight at the end of the work-week tunnel and envision a wonderful weekend of pleasure.
But please remember that the weekend is not only for pleasure, but should also include rest and fellowship with other believers. So let’s chant our Friday Chant, which gives us a better perspective on how to handle the weekend.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Now that’s more like it! (smile) And today we’ll continue looking at our simple sounding, but oh so important Bit: ‘Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’
And why is it so important? Because it deals with harmony, unity, like-mindedness, goals and values that please God, in His church. And right now there’s certainly not enough of that in the body of Christ.
Christianity is way too fractured, and thus dysfunctional to the serious work it’s called upon to do. In too many churches, regardless of religion or denomination, the congregations are divided in to cliques resentful of, and sometimes outright warring against each other.
Bruh Paul saw it happening even in the young churches he founded and strenuously pointed out the error to them. Here is what he said to the Galatians on the matter. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal.5:16-18)
Basically, he’s saying that ‘the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who in turn attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires…. The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the Spirit.’
And then Bruh Paul goes on to list the works of the flesh (Gal.5:19-21)…’and they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections (its passions) and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vainglory (conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal.5:21b-26)
Yes Friends, as true believers, the Holy Spirit ought to lead us to produce fruit that is harmonious, united and uplifting to God’s church. But unfortunately too many of us have not sufficiently crucified our flesh, and thus worldly lusts like vanity, envy, resentment and spitefulness still characterize Christ’s church today. What an awful shame!
Meanwhile, Peter, who also recognizes the problem, puts it this way. ‘Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet.5:5-11)
Oh Friends, I couldn’t say it any better! And my wish for all of us today, is that we walk carefully, recognizing that Beelzebub is constantly circling, like the vulture that he is, that we stand strong and steadfast, yet humble and reverent before Almighty God, living in harmony and unity, thus bringing untold glory to His Holy Name. Much LOVE!
…unity and harmony between God’s people…will not come simply by wishing it…but by diligently working together to make it happen…