Discipleship is IMPOSSIBLE without MUCH Patience!

25 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 21:19.        In your patience possess ye your souls.

It’s Thursday friends! One more day to Friday, our day of escape from the drudgery of work! (smile) And though work might not be to our liking, let’s realize its utmost importance in our lives, for remember, if we don’t work, most likely we won’t eat. Nuff said. Now, let’s fulfill our promise of a couple of days ago to continue looking into that magnificent, but oh so hard to cultivate, fruit of the Spirit called patience. 

The last time we saw how James talked about counting it all joy when we fall into various trials, because those trials test our faith and produce patience. (James 1:2-3) And that’s the cut-tail thing about patience, it can only grow through adversity, through disappointments and such. Because patience is not only waiting for whatever we expect, but also waiting with a good temperament and behaviour. 

That’s why Bruh David says in Psalm 27: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And again in Psalm 35, he advises: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ (Ps. 35:7) 

But what does it mean to wait on the Lord? This commentary puts it quite simply. ‘In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. To hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end.’ Yes friends, we need all of those things to be able to acquire that elusive attribute overall called patience. And we cannot grow in spiritual maturity without it. and no, it’s not easy to acquire, but it’s an essential part of true discipleship. 

Look at the story of Job, where the Lord allowed Satan to come against him. He was a righteous man and had not done any apparent wrong, but yet, in short time he lost everything; health, wealth, children. And when he heard the terrible news, what was his response? The Bible tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly (accused Him with wrong).’ (Job. 1:20-22)  

Now, how many of us would have had that reaction to such a terrible loss? Very few, if any. But that was Job’s reaction. Then his wife said to him: ‘dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:9-10) 

And when three of Job’s supposed friends showed up to ostensibly comfort him, all they could think of and harp on was that Job had committed some big sin, that’s why such disaster had befallen him. And although he kept telling them he had committed no terrible sin, they still lectured him as though he had. Fine friends those. But here’s the very essence of Job’s faith. Despite his disaster, he could still declare: ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain (defend) mine own ways before him. he also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.’ (Job 13:15-16) 

Oh my fellow believers, what faith! As the scholars say; Job’s words ‘express the unquenchable faith of one who lives by faith, not by sight. Even when it appears that God Himself has turned against Job, he will still trust God.’ Now that’s the kind of faith we all need to have in these evil times if we desire to make a difference, to be the salt and light that Jesus desires us to be. Unfortunately though few of us have it…and even fewer want to develop it, because it takes sacrifice and adversity. 

But look at Job’s final situation. The Bible informs us that when Job prayed for his friends, the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10)  Also: ‘The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:’ and it goes on to tell of all the wealth and children Job received. (Job 42:12-15) And furthermore: ‘After this lived job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.’ (Job 42:16-17) 

Yes friends, it’s a great story, and it’s why Job is called the Father of Patience. But it’s certainly not an easy story to enact, especially in these times of ease, wealth and much entitlement. However, we do have to do better than we’re currently doing; increasing our patience, and thus our faith, and putting it as best we can into action…right now! 

Note too, this commentary on what Jeus taught on patience. ‘Jesus said, “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19). He also emphasized, “He who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13 NKJV). Some things don’t happen overnight, and it takes patience to get there.’ And that’s for certain sure my brethren, as these famous words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome indicate. 

‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); And patience, experience (character); and experience hope: And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint);  because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (has been poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5) 

Yes my people, patience is a difficult thing to acquire, but if we want to be true followers of Christ, we must sincerely seek to acquire it. Now let’s go home declaring (steupsss!!!) our Thursday Blessings so we can activate those blessings that the Lord has very generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, we’re duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

… “To lose patience is to lose the battle. —Mahatma Gandhi… “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau…

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

God always helps us to do His bidding!

11 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jonah 3:2.       Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching (message) that I bid thee (told you).

And on this summer Thursday, the rain has finally abated at mid-morning, having fallen during much of yesterday, both day and night! And though the sun is making a valiant effort to come out, right now the clouds have the upper hand. It’s also somewhat cool and windy for a summer’s day. But regardless of our environmental circumstances, the important thing is that we’re alive and kicking, some more than others (smile) and enjoying this new day that the Lord has granted us with all its new mercies and compassions! 

And everybody said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Lord for allowing me to see another wonderful day on your great planet earth!’ And most certainly that was Jonah’s thinking when the big fish vomited him out on dry land after his heartfelt prayer in the fish’s belly. So, since the Lord’s spared our lives today, let’s keep our promise and look further at Jonah’s ministry. But before we get into it, I want to note one significant statement that Jonah made in his prayer; one that bears especial significance to us believers in these turbulent and dangerous times. His second to last statement was: ‘I will pay that I have vowed.’ (Jon. 2:9) 

Now that’s an ever important statement for us to know and do, especially in these days of overwhelming fraud and deceitfulness, where vows or promises are not worth the paper they’re written on, or the air in which they’re spoken. But that’s a very big matter with our God. As Cousin Sol so wisely and rightly points out in Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5) 

Oh friends, those words are ever so important to us as believers in Christ Jesus, for the way we treat vows and promises can show very clearly if we are true believers. And God certainly doesn’t appreciate us making promises to Him and not keeping them, like so many of us do. The promises just roll off  our tongues when we desperately want something, then we conveniently forget them after we’ve received what we desired. Please, let’s stop doing that nuh, because it will only put us in the bad books of both God and men, and will eventually boomerang back on us. Awright, I just had to get that off my chest. (smile) 

So getting back to Jonah’s story. And what happened after he hit dry land? The Bible tells us: ‘And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching (message) that I bid thee (told you).’ (Jon, 3:1-2) Yuh see mih people, God gave Jonah the same task as before. He doesn’t change His mind and give you something else when you refuse to do the first one. No! He keeps harping on the same one until you do it. And I believe that’s an invaluable lesson we can learn form Jonah’s disobedience. Just do whatever the Lord asks the first time, for if you don’t, He will put you through tough times until you do. 

And I can tell you that from personal experience, because many years ago when the Lord first approached me with the idea of the Bit, I laughed and told Him I was not qualified to do it. I didn’t know enough scripture, which was quite true. But He kept after me, making it somewhat uncomfortable in the interim, until I eventually capitulated. And the first Bits were simply a few verses of scripture, but as time went by, the Lord opened my eyes and helped me to get better. Until now, some seventeen years later, I’m writing too much. (smile) But I still can’t do it without the Lord’s help! 

That’s another lesson we ought to learn; the Lord helps us in the tasks He asks us to perform. And Jonah must have known that, but apparently he disliked the people of Nineveh so much he just didn’t want to see them saved. However, on the second instruction from the Lord, Jonah did get up and go to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk from end to end. 

The Bible says: ‘And Jonah began to enter into the city  a day’s journey (on the first day), and he cried (out), and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 

And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd or flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent (relent), and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not.’ (Jon. 3:3-9) 

Wow! That does seem like it was rather easy. Jonah just walked through the city saying that it would be destroyed in forty days because of it’s evil doings and people fasted and repented. The king even decreed it. So why was Jonah so adamant about not going there in the first place eh? Who knows, but we’ll check it out tomorrow, if we’re alive to tell the tale. (smile) Now, let’s activate our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has undeservedly bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work. 

As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, we are now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!

…until you’ve fulfilled God’s first task…He won’t give you another…just keep giving you the same one…

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

Bringing Light to a Darkened World: The Purpose of Jesus’ Gospel | Podcast Available

13 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 8:12.        I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Another week of the month, of the year, of our lives behind us… And did we do anything in it that will leave a good legacy behind us for others to contemplate and possibly follow? For all our sakes, I surely hope so, (smile) otherwise it would have been just another wasted week in our wonderful, God-given lives. Ah friends, too many of us waste our lives either doing nothing or doing stuff that’s not really worthwhile, while God has a plan for us to do good work for His kingdom. And many of us shy away from doing God’s work, from putting His plan for our lives into action because we’re either sacred of failure, or find that God’s plan might be too big for us to handle. 

But remember friends, God NEVER asks us to do anything without giving us the necessary tools, the wherewithal, the anointing to do it. But we have to dredge up the conviction, the faith, the belief that we can do it, otherwise all the anointing will be of no use. We need to remember all the promises He’s made us, and all the times before when He’s helped us through whatever project He had assigned. That’s one of the most important faith builders in our Christian walk; remembering all the previous times when God saw us through whatever problems we encountered, and believing that if He could do it before, He can certainly do it again. 

Oh my people, the onus to make something of our lives is not on God, but  on us. He gives us whatever we need, shows us the way, then we have to get up and action the situation. And yes, it oftentimes takes a lot of faith to do stuff in the face of adversity, but the Lord has sincerely promised  to never leave nor forsake us, and since we full well know that He’s not a God who reneges on any of His promises, then we should have the gumption to get up and do His will. But laziness…and fear…the need for comfort…etc. etc. keep us from exercising our faith. 

Unfortunately though, when we fail to react positively to God’s will, it leaves the way completely open for the devil and his evil cronies to pile more evil into our world, enslave more of our brethren into the depths of darkness that the evil doers like to keep their captives in. And that’s against the very reason that Jesus came to earth. As He says in the gospel of John: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And Jesus’ coming was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) 

Then later on in John’s gospel Christ reiterated His purpose of bringing light to a darkened world when He cried out to the unbelieving people, some of whom believed in Him, but were afraid that the Pharisees would put them out of the synagogue if they showed their faith, for they LOVED the praise of men more than the praise of God. ‘Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.’ (John 12:44-46) 

Oh friends, Jesus did not come to earth to do His own will, but that of the Father, that means when we refuse to get up and do God’s will we are thwarting the very reason Jesus came into the world; to save it from the evil powers of darkness, and bring it into the bright and shining light of God the Father. Sin has caused our world to become a dark and frightening place with nothing good to ever come out of it. However, Jesus came to change all of that, to bring light to a darkened world, and we are a part of His plan to do so. 

Consequently, He’s depending on us to get up and help Him spread the good news of His gospel and bring the many captives and slaves of darkness into the bright light of His kingdom. Remember what He said: ‘As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:5) But once He left this world, He expects His followers; apostles, disciples or whatever you choose to call them to continue being the light and continue spreading the truth of His word. That’s why He also said in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth…Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13, 14,16.) 

Yes my fellow saints, that’s our basic purpose on this earth; to spread the light of Christ through His gospel, His word of truth. And when we refuse to do it, regardless of the reason, we effectively short-circuit the entire operation, for each chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So please, let’s wake up and stand up for Christ, the way He stood up for us! And as I said earlier on, God doesn’t ask us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it, and He’s generously blessed us with the very tools we need to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare them (chuhhh!!!) so they can be activated. 

Altogether: ‘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, with those amazing blessings under our belts, it’s our duty to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they can come out of their darkness into the light of Jesus, and come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…where light shines…darkness is displaced…and it only takes a li’l light to displace much darkness…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   6 June 2024 Lamentations 3:24.

06 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lamentations 3:24.        The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

It’s Thursday friends! One more day and it will be Friday, and the weekend will be here! Give the Lord thanks and praise! (smile) Ah, we do LOVE our weekends, especially the summer ones, where we can gad about free and easy and enjoy the hijinks of the summer season. However, though it’s good to be free and easy, let’s remember that when too many free and easy things are overdone, they eventually bring hardship and pain, and then we hold our heads and bawl, saying why didn’t I think about it before I did it. 
And yes, we have to do some of that to learn what life is truly all about. But the earlier we learn to have a modicum of circumspection, the better off we’ll be. Now, having expounded such wonderful advice, I’m at a loss for something to talk about today. So let’s see where the Good Library will lead us nuh. (smile) I’m sure it will never lead us astray. 
And lo, and behold, it opened unto the Book of Lamentations, where the prophet Jeremiah shed tears for both himself and his people. But then, he remembers the Lord’s faithfulness in all the negative situations that he and his people had faced. Then he laments: ‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope.’ (Lam. 3:19-21) 
Yes friends, though we go through tough times, experience the bitterness of wormwood-like stuff, it is essential that we never lose hope in our wonderful God. For He only tests or chastens us for our own benefit. And as Jeremiah so wisely and rightly continues: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And that’s the gospel truth my people. If it wasn’t for the Lord’s mercies, LOVE and compassion on us, we’d be wiped off the face of the earth long ago. He is ever so faithful to us, although we don’t return the faithfulness. 
As Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13) Yuh see mih bredrin, the Lord’s faithfulness is so embedded in Him, that even if He wanted to, He could not be unfaithful! And we’d better be thankful for that, with all the nonsense, all the sin and disobedience we commit, when it’s also a requirement for us to be faithful in our lives and service to God.  
But then, when things get hard, when we find ourselves at the end of ourselves, we run crying to Him, begging for mercy and He hears us and offers His mercy, compassion and unconditional LOVE! And it’s interesting to hear what the scholars say about real faith. ‘Real faith is more than inner belief, even more than whole-souled committal. It is a condition of the soul marked by such a stable character and an attitude of total trust that the believer’s whole life is imbued with consistent, responsible service to God. (cf. 1 Sam. 26:23; Ps. 37:3-6). From the biblical standpoint, true faith results in faithfulness in one’s life.’ 
And we admit that that’s not easy to do, with all the temptations and negative situations we encounter, but we have the help of the Holy Spirit, and I’m sure we can do much better than we’re currently doing, if we only paid greater attention to His still small voice that leads and guides us. And these words from Jeremiah’s lament point the way to where our hearts ought to be steadfastly directed. ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26) 
The question is my people, do we feel as strongly about those words as Jeremiah did? Obviously not. For if we did, then we would not be so disobedient and rebellious, and would show much more faithfulness, more discipleship, be full of salt and light in our daily lives. Remember that though our God is faithful, merciful, LOVING, and all those good things, if we claim to be believers, yet continue to be unfaithful, we will eventually pay a high price for it. 
That’s why the scholars referenced above, these wise words of Bruh David. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto he Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6) 
That’s all we have to do friends; trust in the Lord, and do good; delight ourselves in him, and commit our way to Him. He will do the rest. As Jesus said: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) The same thing goes for if we trust and delight in God and commit our ways to Him. Now let’s declare (chuhhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings so we can activate them. Those blessings so generously bestowed on us so that we can do God’s earthly work. 
As one: ‘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, let’s go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…faithfulness is a requirement…to whatever cause we hold dear to our hearts…
 
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 April 2024   1 John 4:18a.

25 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 John 4:18a.       There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment.        

Well, unlike yesterday, today, Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, has opened bright and sunshiny, though somewhat chilly. But that’s okay, for once there is sunshine in the neighbourhood, then many spirits will be uplifted just because of it. That’s the advantage that light has over darkness, specifically, the light that Jesus brings to our lives and our world, over the sinful and ungodly darkness that Satan desires to engulf it in. And to help us see and receive that amazing light of Jesus, let’s turn to God in prayer. It’s this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, Let Us Pray section. 

So please pray with me: ‘God, teach me the art of gentleness in a world of blaring car horns, furious voices, and grieved souls. May I offer softness to strangers and to people I know – the same tenderness You’ve shown me. Not harsh, rushed, or callous, You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE. When tempers start to rise and muscles begin to tense, when anger flares in people’s eyes, Let my presence bring a quietness – Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words. In Jesus’ name. Amen’ 

Oh friends, do we ever need that kind of quiet calming and gentleness that Jesus offers in this harsh, angry and strife-filled world! And the world can only experience it through us, His loyal followers. As the prayer says: ‘Your light warming hearts, Your peace flowing in my words.’ And sadly, that’s the only way the world will ever see light and peace; through us, if we wholeheartedly buy into Christ’s philosophy and seriously and sincerely put it into practice. And all I want to do today is remind us of a few important scriptures that sort of jumped out at me while reading the prayer. 

The first one deals with the phrase ‘You’re filled with compassion and perfect LOVE.’ And is our great God ever! And we all know this magnificent, heart-warming and uplifting scripture dealing with God’s wonderful compassion, as Jeremiah so rightly puts it in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam.3:22-23) And we’d better say, praise the Lord for those new compassion every day, otherwise we would have long ago been destroyed for our obstinate sinfulness and disobedience. 

And as per ‘perfect LOVE’ what’s that you ask? Basically, as this commentary explains: ‘Perfect LOVE is an expression of God’s LOVE for us, and it is only complete (or perfect) when we reflect it back onto Him.’ And the Bible is peppered throughout with the amazing LOVE of God for us. And John in particular deals with what we call perfect LOVE in his epistles. Listen up: ‘Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that He LOVED us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:10-11) 

And there is no doubting that logic my fellow believers, for without God’s LOVE we’d all be headed straight for hell fire and damnation, with no option whatsoever to receive salvation and eternal life. So we had better be thankful for God’s LOVE and be wise and reciprocate it as best we can. And as the scholars tell us: ‘No human LOVE is the standard for understanding God’s great compassion, but God’s own action on man’s behalf.’ That brings to mind God’s declaration (yesss!!!) in Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, therefore we cannot understand them. (Is. 55:8-9) But we can definitely understand what He tells us to do. 

Then John later continues: ‘Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the LOVE that God hath to us. God is LOVE; and he that dwelleth (abides) in LOVE dwelleth (abides) in God, and God in him. Herein is our LOVE made perfect (LOVE made perfect among us), that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:15-18) 

And I believe it’s important to note this commentary on what it means to be made perfect in LOVE. It says: ‘We normally use “perfect” to mean “flawless, without any blemish” (“He got a perfect score on his exam”). But ‘teleios,’ (Greek word translated perfect) primarily means to fulfill one’s purpose. So being “perfected in LOVE” means “having God’s LOVE fulfill its purpose in us.” Remember that though we can try with God’s help to achieve perfection, none of us can be truly perfect in this world, except in the sense that we truly fulfill God’s purpose in our lives. 

Ah my fellow saints, there seems to be much more I want to say, (smile) but time and space are not cooperating, so if God spares life, we’ll continue on this topic tomorrow. Now, let’s declare out loud, and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, those undeserved blessings bestowed on us by God to do His earthly work. As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen! 

And having set those blessings in motion, we are now required to go out and share them with 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!

…until Christians ramp up the LOVE of God in our world…evil will continue to have the upper hand…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   14 March 2024 Matthew 19:26.

14 Mar 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 19:26.       With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Oh friends, it’s Thursday, but unfortunately there’s no bright sunshine, only cloudy skies. However, the sun hasn’t given up, you can see it fighting a valiant battle against the dark clouds, and we might yet see it shining in all its glory later on in the day. For anything is possible when we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father running things! (smile) So don’t give up hope, don’t ever give up hope if Jesus is in your heart, for with Him in the lead, ALL things are indeed possible! 

And not surprisingly, all through the Bible there are scriptures pertaining to that fact, with one of the best examples occurring after Jesus told the rich young man who wanted to be a disciple, to go and sell all his possessions and come back and follow Him. The young man went away sad for he was very wealthy. That led Jesus to say to the disciples: ‘Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly (it is hard for a rich man) to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Matt. 19:23-24) 

On hearing that, the disciples were  amazed, and wondered who then could get into heaven, for at that time it was commonly understood that the rich were blessed and had a place reserved for them in heaven. But Jesus was obviously trying to correct that misunderstanding, by saying that it was extremely difficult, but not completely hopeless for a rich man to enter heaven. And as per the saying that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven; the scholars explain. ‘That has been interpreted as a camel-hair rope going through a needle; or an actual camel squeezing through a small gate, “The Eye of the Needle,” next to the main gate of Jerusalem; or the absolute impossibility of a literal camel actually going through a tiny needle’s eye. This last usage is most likely.’ 

Consequently, the disciples in total amazement, asked, ‘Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:25-26) Now, as true believers in Christ, we ought to have those memorable words indelibly written in our hearts and souls never to be removed; but always there to give us confidence in our great God, even in the most dire of situations. And since we said that there several other places in the Bible where God’s omnipotence was either questioned or proclaimed, let’s look at a few of those instances nuh. 

So, going right back to the earliest times, we have the Lord’s angel saying to Abraham that a child will be born to him and Sarah in their old age. But Sarah laughed because it was considered impossible to have a child at her advanced age. ‘And the Lord said unto Abraham, wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen. 18:13-14) Yes friends, Sarah’s unbelief made the Lord testy. (smile) And I’m wondering here if it wasn’t because of Sarah’s laughter and unbelief, that the Lord actually waited so long to fulfill the promise, some twenty five years later, when Sarah was ninety and Abraham one hundred, just to show His awesome power. Who knows? 

Then there’s this instance in Numbers 11, where the Lord promised that the Israelites who were clamouring for meat, would have so much meat: ‘That ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days: But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you, because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt.’ (Num. 11:19-20)  And when Moses himself questioned the Lord’s ability to provide food for so many Israelites in the wilderness, (Num. 11:21-22) it obviously raised the Lord’s anger. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ (Num. 11:23) 

And later, the Lord caused a wind to come forth which brought quails from the sea, and the Israelites had more than enough meat to eat; there were quails a day’s journey on either side of the camp, and piled two cubits high. And the greedy Israelites ploughed into the meat like there was no tomorrow. But while they were eating the meat, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote (struck down) the people with a great plague.’ (Num. 11:31-33) Oh my people, it doesn’t pay to doubt the Lord’s power, or be greedy when He is already looking after you.  

Then when Job repents of his audacity to question the Lord, and the Lord takes him to task, he finally says to Him: ‘I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee (no purpose of yours can be withheld).’ (Job 42:2) And that’s the gospel truth friends! Nothing the Lord desires can be thwarted by mankind! Next we turn to the prophet Isaiah, who in berating the Israelites for turning away from the God of their forefathers, calmly informed them: ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:’ (Is. 59:1) 

Yes my fellow saints, the hand of our God is never beyond the reach of salvation! Wherever we are, in whatever situation we find ourselves, His saving hand can always reach out and pluck us from the mire. As the prophet Jeremiah so rightly and truthfully says: ‘Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee.’ (Jer. 32:17) And lastly, the occasion when the angel Gabriel came to tell Mary, Jesus’ mother, the awesome but difficult purpose God had in store for her. And as we all know, this young, innocent girl accepted God’s purpose without batting and eyelash, quietly accepting the angel’s departing words: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) And so it was; Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, just like the angel said! 

And in keeping with the Lord’s purposes, He’s bestowed on us undeserved blessings to further His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but we need to declare them so they can be activated. So let’s do that right now nuh. As one 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!’ 

And having accepted those blessings, we’re now expected to go out into the world and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, Much LOVE!

…if the Lord created the universe and all therein…then obviously nothing is impossible to Him…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   29 February 2024 Philippians 3:14.

29 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Philippians 3:14.       I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Here it is friends, the final day of February, where every four years a day is added to the shortest month of the year to keep our calendar in tune with the astronomical and seasonal cycles. As far as I knew, every fourth year was a leap year, but apparently not, so 2024 doesn’t’ seem to be a leap year, and since I don’t understand the science and the maths behind it, I’ll just leave it alone. (smile) Let it be known that today is simply the 29th day of February 2024, and we’re alive and kicking, basking in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, our wonderful Lord and Saviour. 

And now, I want to share an interesting feature I found in the In Touch Devotional. Don’t know if it’s new, or I just never paid attention to it before. (smile) But it’s a section titled ‘Let’s Pause.’ And in this month’s edition, they pose this interesting question and answer. Please read with me. ‘Have you ever wondered if God is truly good? It’s an honest question, considering our broken world. Think back to a time you doubted. What started it? Were you alarmed? Ashamed because your faith wavered? We’re quick to judge ourselves, but God isn’t. Remember Jesus’ response to Thomas. He didn’t shame the disciple – He reassured him. And He’ll do the same for you. Picture doubt as a bird, one of many thoughts flying across the blue sky of your mind. Watch it come and go and be at peace, secure in God’s LOVE.’ 

Now isn’t that wonderful advice? It surely is! Because, regardless of how strong our faith normally is, things happen every so often that causes doubt to creep in, and though it doesn’t cause us to lose faith completely, it does drive us to ask some serious and sincere questions about our faith walk. And there’s definitely no need to beat ourselves up if once in a while a sliver of doubt enters our minds, since God doesn’t expect us to be perfect every living moment. He made us and knows all our faults and foibles and accepts and LOVES us just as we are. Now it’s our turn to do like Him and accept ourselves, just as we are. 

That however doesn’t mean we should not be continually making improvements and moving forward in our faith journey. No! Just that when we falter, we don’t think too little of ourselves or give up, but keep moving ahead, or as Bruh Paul wrote to the Philippians. ‘I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) Yes friends, pressing forward should always be the objective of Christians. And what does it all mean eh? 

The scholars tell us that The mark is the objective of verses 10 and 11, where Bruh Paul declares his utmost desire to know Christ: ‘That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain (arrive at) the resurrection of the dead.’ (Phil. 3:10-11) Now those are good but mighty goals, which not all of us can attain to or are as zealous in doing as Bruh Paul was, but that’s the direction in which we should always be moving. 

So, as the scholars say, we can reach ‘the prize which is the joyful satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ Now all of that might sound like hifalutin stuff to some of us, so let’s see if we can simplify it with a couple of other commentaries. This first one explains: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” To press toward the mark is to faithfully continue on the “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” with our Savior and our Father in Heaven.’ 

And the second commentary says: “Keep pressing.” Meaning, stay faithful and persevere in the midst of fatigue, hurt, or whatever it is that could make you discouraged. Sometimes in this walk, we grow weary and get tired, but I want to encourage you today with God’s word, “So don’t get tired of doing what is good.’ And I do hope that makes things somewhat clearer, as we ‘press on’ (smile) with a few more appropriate words from Bruh Paul: ‘Let us therefore, as many as be perfect (mature), be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.’ (Phil. 3:15) 

Yes friends, we need to keep on thinking about pressing towards the mark. And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Mature Christians must realize that they are not ethically perfect, but they tirelessly press onward for higher spiritual attainment. There is present then a bit of irony: perfect (mature) believers are those who admit they are not perfect in any absolute sense. The apostle urges all mature Philippian Christians to hold this attitude concerning that none has yet “spiritually arrived” but ever pressing on toward further development.’ 

Now that’s exactly what we need to do in these despairing and doubtful times my brethren; stand strong, and with fervent faith, keep pressing along the straight and narrow path. Then, as per If  … ye be otherwise minded, the scholars explain: ‘The writer realizes that not all of the Philippian readers agree with his conviction of verse 12-15. But he is confident that God shall reveal their erroneous thinking to them.’ And so He will to us also my people. If we are sincerely trying to walk God’s path, and happen to slip or slide, the Lord will definitely get us back on track, after teaching us whatever lesson He desires us to learn from our slipping and sliding. (smile) Nuff said! 

Now let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to do His earthly work. As one confident 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, it’s time to go out and put those blessings into action with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…the mark of a true believer…to be always pressing forward to know Christ better…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   22 February 2024 Proverbs 15:19.

22 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 15:19.        The way of the slothful (lazy) man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain (like a level highway).

Sorry friends, but we’re somewhat late with the Bit, this cloudy, spring -like Thursday. But that’s nothing new! (smile) However, the reason for today’s lateness is that I had to go out this morning and do some bloodwork. And would you believe I used my trusty Jamaican handcrafted cane for the first time in several years. A cane that sits unused beside it’s more polished,  professionally made and heavier brother at the edge of one of the steps between my bedroom and living room. 

Yes, the ole hip is still acting up, but I had to go out and do the blood work since I have run out of time to do it. That’s what happens when you keep putting things off until the last minute. Hopefully, today will be one of the few days I have to use the cane. Although if the hip-pain continues, I’ll probably use it to go into the city tomorrow to have a post-op check on my eye. Sadly, that means the Bit will most likely be also late tomorrow. But fear not; once there’s life in the ole fella, the Bit will arrive eventually. (smile) 

And today we’ll look at some Bible comments on the remark I made earlier; that of putting off things until the last minute, or even completely. God’s Word makes it very clear that we are to guard against laziness and sloth. And what better place to find wisdom than in Proverbs, the writings of Cousin Sol. On the subject of procrastination, he says: ‘The way of the slothful (lazy) man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain (like a level highway).’ (Prov. 15:19).  

As the scholars explain: ‘The lazy man multiplies his own obstacles, but the righteous man moves freely down life’s road.’ And that’s gospel truth. Procrastinators find all sorts of obstacles in their way, but those who face their tasks mano a mano, find smoother going. And earlier on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol also wisely advises. ‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard (lazy person); consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide (leader) overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat (food) in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.’ (Prov. 6:6-8) 

Yes friends, the ant doesn’t have a leader or guide, neither needs a taskmaster to stand up over it and tell it what and when to do something. It’s a self-starter; gets up on it’s own and does what it needs to do to live a good life. Furthermore, as verse 8 describes; ‘the ant is wise enough to prepare for predictable circumstances;’ like gathering food in the summer so they can have food stored up for the winter. And with that in mind, Cousin Sol continues by asking these very important questions of the lazy person. 

‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy), O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:9-11) In other words, the result of too much sleep, too much laziness and procrastination is dire poverty, and it won’t come as lazily or as ‘procrastinatingly’ as you, (smile) but it will come suddenly, unexpectedly and decisively as a thief does. Now that ought to wake us up some!  

But if you’re like the fellow who said: ‘I started to procrastinate, then decided to put it off,’ then you’re in a lot of trouble. For as James says: ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4;17) And I like this commentary on the subject from the website wf.org/daily-devotions/procrastination-costs-you-dearly#. It reads: ‘Procrastination is a form of disobedience. When God tells us to do something and we don’t do it, we can label our actions with all kinds of fancy words, but the bottom line is, it’s sin. Each day gives you 1,440 minutes. Days are passing and time cannot be stopped. You can’t call a “time out” in life. 

And time can’t be stored like money in the bank. A #1 hit song in the 70’s began, “If I could save time in a bottle….” You can’t. Really, the only thing you can do with time is use it or lose it. The oldest of all the psalms, written by Moses, says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Someone once wrote, “Lost: One golden hour, studded with sixty diamond minutes. No reward offered, for it is lost forever.” And Ephesians 5:16 cautions us, “Redeeming the time, because the days are [filled with] evil.” These are evil times. Make every minute count.’ 

Oh my fellow believers, I could not say it any better. Time is indeed of the essence in these evil and ungodly days, and we ought to appreciate it much more, and use it much more wisely than many of us are doing, if we intend to make something of our God-given lives, if we intend to live the life God planned for us, the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. No friends, we cannot procrastinate and be lazy while the enemy is active and seriously about his business of evil and ungodliness. We need to be up and about doing God’s work, standing up to and fighting the enemy by being the salt of the earth and the light of the world and LOVING each other like Christ LOVED us!  

And, unfortunately, we cannot achieve any of that through procrastination and/or laziness. So, let’s declare (chuh!!!) and thus activate our Thursday Blessings that have been so generously bestowed on us by Almighty God so that we can do His earthly work. Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! Much LOVE!

…believers must not be procrastinators…but be self-starters…like the lowly ant…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   25 January 2024 Luke 12:32.

25 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 12:32.       Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Aye friends, can you believe it’s already Thursday? How can it be eh, when I just wrote and harangued you about being prepared for Monday? (smile) But it seems like this year of 2024 is very intent on moving along quickly, as unbelievably, it’s also the 25th of the month, when some of us haven’t even gotten over our New Year’s hangover. (smile) That means we cannot afford to be lazy and procrastinating, we have to get up and spritely go about Christ’s work, for the devil and his evil cohorts are not sitting on their laurels, they are up and about their business, that’s why our world is in such an evil mess. 

We ambassadors and agents, disciples and believers in Christ need to do the same, and possibly even more, if we expect to make a dent in the devil’s armour and prosperity. Let’s also remember our New Year’s Resolution; to get more intimate with Jesus. We cannot do that if we’re just sitting on our fannies enjoying the comfortable life.  So please get up and get a move on. We all know what we’re supposed to do to, so let’s do it nuh. End of Sermon! (smile) 

And since I still have some scriptures on fear fighting faith, or vise vera, I’ve decided we can use another day of them. And believe me, we all can use them in these fear mongering times. 

As this commentary from the biblestudytools.com website by Micah Maddox reminds and warns us: ‘Fear isn’t something new we are dealing with in our lifetime. We can trace fear all the way back to the very beginning, when the evil one tempted Eve in the garden. At his sly request of questioning God’s truth, fear was ignited in Eve’s heart, and she took the bite of fruit, believing the devil was right. Fear is sneaky, quick, and sometimes debilitating. The hope we have is that God’s Word gives us everything we need to fight against the fears that seem to come at us at the most inconvenient times. 

We do not have to live riddled with anxious thoughts, heart-pumping doubts, and mind-racing possibilities. We can live at peace with ourselves and with God, but we have to practice using our faith muscle. It does not mean we try to do more good than bad, or try to check every box of our holiness checklists in hopes that we out-do someone less holy than us. It means we turn to God’s Word over and over again and we receive the truth and the promises He gives us when fear threatens to take us down. Here are seven verses to help us fight the battle of turning to faith over fear.’ 

And I’ll only use a couple of those verses, for I’ve already used the others she suggests. The first one being the reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 56, when the Philistines took him in Gath. He faithfully wrote: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) Now those are mighty powerful words of faith especially when you are living amongst your most deadly enemies, because you have nowhere else to turn. But Bruh David believed them, as he contrasted his threating enemies against his faithful God. And the Lord obviously made a way for him to get out of that scary situation. 

And the commentary on those verses reads: ‘ Choosing faith is choosing to trust God no matter what. It’s not that everything will be perfect or that everything will work out great. It’s in the moment of fear, we know where to turn. It’s not to Google, to a three-step process, a book, a mentor, or even a friend. It’s knowing when we are afraid to turn to Jesus because He is the one who can calm our anxious hearts.’ Now that’s the gospel truth my people! And if you haven’t learned that most valuable lesson as yet, you’d better get on with learning it, otherwise you’re going to fall flat on your face in this evil and ungodly world.

 Next up is this marvellous verse from Isaiah, where the Lord assures us: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now that gets straight to the point; don’t fear, I am thy God and I will help you with my powerful right hand! It could not get any clearer than that my brethren.  And I do like the commentary that Ms. Maddox gives per that verse. ‘God’s hand is a beautiful picture we find in Scripture. When we talk about having faith in God and in God’s hand in each situation, there is an instruction that often precedes the idea of trust. 

It is “fear not.” It’s easy to say but difficult to live out. But over and over God’s Word says, “Fear not.” The question we might follow up with is, but how? How do we fear not when everything around us calls us to questions, fear, and doubt? The answer is found in focusing our hearts and minds on what is true about God and about God’s promises. God is with us. God gives strength. God gives help. God holds us. His hand is not clenched closed seeing if we will survive. He is stretching out His hand to lift us up, hold us, and make sure we are going to make it.’ The problem then is for us to reach out in faith and take the strengthening hand God offers. And that’s left solely up to us. 

Now here’s the last verse for today, simple but powerful words of Jesus as recorded in Luke. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32) More awesome words of reassurance from our Lord and Saviour. If He says so, then it’s obviously so, as the words of this commentary explain: ‘This Bible verse reminds us that God always has our best interests in mind and that eventually, the kingdom of heaven will be ours. Throughout the Scriptures, He promises this to those faithful to Him. It is short and direct, making it one of the great Bible verses on faith over fear.’ 

Ah mih people, let’s hope that all these thoughts and scripture verses on faith that we’ve gone through over the last few days bring reassurance to our souls and spirits in these fearful times. And they won’t unless we know them and put them to good use. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings so that we can activate the many undeserved blessings the Lord has showered down on us to do His earthly work. 

As one 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!’ 

And having activated those blessings, it’s now our duty to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!

…faith can indeed diffuse fear…but only if we take the necessary action… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 December 2023   1 John 4:4b.

28 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 John 4:4b.       … greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Brother! Can you believe it’s another wet, drizzly, cloudy day? It’s at least the sixth day in a row that we haven’t had even a hint of sunshine. No wonder SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) takes its toll during such long durations of gloomy, uninspiring weather. I have a light on the deck in my backyard to frighten away animals at night, it runs on solar power, but I haven’t seen it lit for a while now, because there’s been no sunlight to recharge its battery. I believe this is what is known as English weather. (smile) And it’s a sure sign of climate change, if all we’re getting at the end of December is light rain and absolutely no snow. 

Now, it’s highly unlikely that we won’t get any snow at all, but by this time of year, we’ve usually had a few snowfalls. And yet many people still doubt the fact that climate change is occurring. As always though, when we don’t hear, we feel. But that’s also why we have Jesus as Lord and Saviour; to guide and protect us, to lead us in the way everlasting; in the way of truth and righteousness! Without Him, none of that is possible, for we cannot live a righteous and truthful life in our own strength, especially not with the immense pressure being exerted in these evil times for mankind to renounce the presence of Almighty God and bow to the master of darkness, Beelzebub himself! 

And John, in his first epistle explains that though Satan is fighting to gain power over us, we have all the tools to resist him He writes: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1) And that last phrase is the absolute truth my people; false teachers and prophets abound in these ungodly and evil times, and thus numerous spirits are flitting about trying to get a foothold in our lives. 

And yes, the Holy Spirit of God does assure us, but with the many spirits that are currently out and about trying to wreak even more havoc and chaos than is already happening, we still need to be very careful what and whom we listen to, and test whatever we hear. So John explains how we can test those spirits. ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:2-3) 

Now we need to make a distinction between  the person of ‘The Antichrist’ who is supposed to reign in terror over the world during the Great Tribulation, and what John is talking about here, more like a group, a body of ‘antichrists’ who are already in the world deceiving people and turning them away from the truth of God. The scholars tell us that ‘John’s opponents may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son who came in flesh was also one with the Father. This position was held by many Gnostics. John says that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come in the flesh. Jesus himself speaks of those who call Him “Lord” but are false followers. (Matt. 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)’ 

Yes friends, there are many around who pretend to be Christians, but are not true followers of Christ, just using His name for their own personal purposes. And per the Gnostics spoken of above: It’s said that ‘Gnosticism is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the proto-orthodox teachings, traditions, and authority of religious institutions.’ 

And John continues: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And that’s no lie! Christ who indwells believers is greater than Satan who is trying to cause chaos amongst us. But because we are born of God, and Christ has already defeated Satan, we don’t have to be afraid, just make sure that we are diligent in our worldly dealings. ‘They (those ruled by the spirit of the antichrist) are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.’ (1 John 4:5-6) 

It’s obvious that those who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist will find the world’s teaching more appealing than the truth of God. And the scholars explain verse six thus: ‘Those who acknowledge the truth of the apostolic (New Testament) witness to Christ will recognize and conform to the teaching John is presenting. Those who do not, are animated by a common and unifying spirit of error. John warns the readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ proclaims.’ 

Oh my people, our world today is full of heresy, blasphemy and outright lies about our faith, but we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Giver of eternal life and all the other wonderful things like grace and mercy, provided through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in each and every believer. Therefore, we do not need to fear what the world says about us, or does to us, we just need to keep on faithfully believing, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and be careful of whom and what we let into our lives. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 

As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having activated those blessings, we’re now obligated to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…to truly know Christ and be fruitful in Him…one must be obedient to the Holy Spirit… 

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

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