28 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chaotic mess, a just man falls seven times, addresses the problem, anchored to you, anxious, be a weatherer, bends but doesn't break, Bible, by my side, christianity, Christians, come to know and love him like we do, controlled by circumstances, controlled by Satan, diligence, endures peacefully, evil and ungodly times, excellence, experience every day, explores uncertainty with gentleness, faint in the day of adversity, faith, fear of man, fear of negative circumstances, fearful, God is in the middle of our every battle, good or bad, Guide, he delights in his way, he shall not be utterly cast down, holy spirit, hurry, I can't take it anymore, in a timely and efficient manner, in god's eyes, in Jesus' name, in the face of overwhelming odds, in the swing of things, In Touch Devotional, Jesus Christ, know who we are in Christ, laughs easily, learn from our mistakes, learn the word, like an ocean wave, lock stock and barrel, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, make mistakes, many are the afflictions of the righteous, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, mourns losses wholeheartedly, negativity, no resilience in us, none of his bones are broken, one who celebrates victories liberally, overwhelming odds, pilot, rewards are worth the sacrifice, rise fall and carry on, rises up again, run and not be weary, salvation, shall renew their strength, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, storms of life, stumble into calamity, successfully navigate the storms, surfing, surrender our all to Christ, teach me to ride each circumstance, the beloved of God, the Lord delivers him out of them all, the Lord upholds him with his hand, the poisonous atmosphere of the world, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the world is troubled, they that wait upon he Lord, though he fall, thy strength is small, to determine the shape of my life, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, walk and not faint, wisdom, worry
Proverbs 24:16. For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).
And after Monday comes Tuesday; a day we don’t dislike half as much as Monday. (smile) That’s because by the time Tuesday rolls around, we’ve sort of gotten back into the swing of things. You’ll be surprised at how anxious or even fearful one can become on returning to work after a mere two days off, because anything untoward could have happened in the break, especially in these ungodly and evil times. And this prayer from the January In Touch Devotional addresses the problem in a most timely and efficient manner.
So, please pray with me: ‘Lord, the world is so troubled. Sometimes I can’t take it anymore. But I don’t want negativity to determine the shape of my life. God, don’t let me be controlled by circumstances. Instead, teach me to ride each one, good or bad, like an ocean wave – to rise, fall, and carry on. Let me be a weatherer: one who bends but doesn’t break, no matter what comes my way – a person who celebrates victories liberally, mourns losses wholeheartedly, explores uncertainty with gentleness, laughs easily, and endures peacefully. May I be anchored to You through it all, knowing You experience every day by my side. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Now that’s a good prayer, and if many more believers could follow that behaviour, our world would definitely not be in the chaotic mess that it’s currently in. But too many of us cannot weather the storms of life, we bend and do break. There’s no resilience in us. Who knows why? Perhaps through fear of man, and fear of our very negative, heartbreaking and painful circumstances. We lack encouragement to stand strong in the face of overwhelming odds. And that will most certainly be the case if we don’t have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, our Guide and Pilot though the many storms that life throws at us.
That’s why the prayer pleads to be anchored to God through all our ups and downs, for He is right there in the middle of them all with us. Not by the side, or somewhere off in the distant, but right in the middle of every battle that we’re called on to fight. Therefore, accepting Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour is the number One priority in any human’s life, because it’s only with His help, though His Holy Spirit Living in us, that we can ever successfully navigate the stormy, evil and poisonous atmosphere of this world, currently controlled by Satan and his dangerous cronies.
And I like how the prayer asks for the ability to ride out each circumstance, be it good or bad. It brings to mind the sport of surfing, where adventurous people attempt to ride the high and ofttimes rough waves as they crash toward the shore. Now, like everything else we desire to be good at, that takes much practice. You have to fall off, get enveloped in the waves, and on occasion even feel like you’re drowning, but with each unsuccessful attempt, it’s ever so necessary to get back up and try again, until you can perform the feat successfully.
And life is just like learning to surf my fellow believers. You’re going to make mistakes, but each time you have to get back up and learn from it. That’s why Cousin Sol offers this lifesaving advice. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) Yes friends, falling is a natural aspect of life, but getting up is where the boys are separated from the men. And you can only do that on a consistent basis if you have the Lord God Jehovah, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as your God.
That’s what Jesus enables us to do; get back up and move forward with vim and vigour. And this verse from the prophet Isaiah exemplifies it like no other. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) Now, isn’t that a most excellent reason to make Jesus the Lord and Saviour of your life? Of course it is! Because we are all struggling for health, wealth and strength in this difficult and disastrous world, and ONLY Jesus promises to help us achieve our goals.
However, what we must realize from the very outset is, although we’re in league with Jesus, we will still face problems; many of them, and big ones too. Jesus is not there to always take away our problems, but mostly to help us through them. As Bruh David says in Psalm 34: ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:19-20) And in Psalm 37, Bruh David again tells of God’s delight in a good man. ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.’ (Ps. 37:23-24)
Yes friends, that’s how it is when we obey the Lord’s will and stay in His good graces. But the onus is on us to get close to God, and stay close to Him. And that can only be done if we seek God sincerely, through His Son Jesus Christ. That requires surrendering our all to Him, asking Him to come into our lives and lead and guide us from henceforth. Then we have to learn His Word, the Bible, so that we can know who we are in Christ. For we are nothing without Him! Then live the new life He desires of us with diligence and excellence. It’s not easy, but the rewards are certainly worth it. And you’ll never know about it until you try it.
So, if you’ve never tried Jesus, please do so today nuh. It’s the best decision you’ll ever make in this mortal life. Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out into the world and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if thou faint in the day of adversity…thy strength is small… (Prov. 24:10)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a familiar spirit, a good fight of faith, a positive outlook on life, a wizard, abominations, an ancient Celtic festival, an ungodly celebration, be blameless before the Lord, be perfect with the Lord, Bible, children offered as sacrifices to idols, Chrisitans, christianity, Christians not willing to sacrifice, creativity. courage, curse, dangerous, demons, detestable things, disater filled world, divination, divine protection, enchanter, evildoers, faith, favour, fear of God, fear of man, god, Halloween, it makes money, Jesus Christ, lose a generation to Satan, LOVE, negative word, pagan rituals, pass through the fire, prosper, put to death, salvation, Samhain, shirking our repsonsibility, sorcerer, spread lies, succeed, suffer not a witch to live, take the bull by the horns, the betterment of our world, the darker side of life, the penultimate day of our work week, the salt of the earth, the souls of the dead, their blood on their own heads, to thwart the kingdom of God, truth, ungodly, wisdom, witch
Deuteronomy 18:13. Thou shalt be perfect (blameless) with the Lord thy God.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek. But today is also October 31, the day when we celebrate the old pagan festival of Halloween, another opportunity for the greedy money men to raise the level of their coffers at the expense of foolish parents buying ugly, frightening costumes for their children, who then go about the streets in the dark knocking on houses for candy and whatever stuff the houseowners have on offer.
It’s not only an ungodly celebration, where things like witches and other dark, negative bodies are embraced, but it’s also dangerous, for the wicked and evil people in today’s world have begun putting all sorts of dangerous stuff in the things they give away. But, while it makes money for the business men and dentists, I guess it will continue to be celebrated.
And just for your information, ‘Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which was held on November 1 in contemporary calendars. It was believed that on that day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits.’ It just goes to show how little we truly LOVE and appreciate our great God, when we still adhere to such pagan rituals, where the things of the dark side are lifted up.
And there are several instances in the Bible of not accommodating negative things and rituals in our lives. For example this directive in Exodus: ‘Thou shalt not suffer (permit) a witch to live.’ (Deut. 22:18) That meant that people who embraced the darker side of life, like sorcerers and sorceresses, who dealt in drugs and potions and spirits should not be allowed to live, for they were not pursuing godly behaviour and would most likely encourage others to do so.
Meanwhile the Book of Leviticus tells us: ‘A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit (ghost, demon) or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.’(Lev. 20:27) That means their blood shall be upon their own heads. And what are familiar spirits? Spirits or servants ready to obey the commands of their evil masters.
This commentary from the gotquestions.org website puts it thus. ‘Familiar spirits and spirit guides are under the control of their master, Satan. They influence people to spread lies and deceit in order to thwart the kingdom of God. To knowingly open oneself to the work of demons is an evil thing.’
And to support that, we have this warning to Israel to avoid pagan practices. ‘When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations (detestable things) of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire (be burned as an offering to an idol), or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination (a detestable thing) unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect (blameless) with the Lord thy God.’ (Deut. 18:9-13)
It couldn’t be put any clearer than that my people. But do you think Israel listened? Not on your life! Several times they turned to worshipping the pagan gods of other nations and paid a hefty price each time for their disobedience. Likewise, our society today is embracing many pagan customs, rites and those who take the lead in such abominations. Is it any wonder then that our world is a state of chaos and upheaval like never before.
Both man-made and natural disasters are proliferating in a world that’s the most prosperous and enlightened it’s ever been. Why is that eh? The efforts of the evildoers are stronger than those of the godly. It’s as simple as that. We have more than enough supposedly godly people to turn this disaster filled world around if we would only get up and do something about it.
But because of things like fear of man more than fear of God, laziness, and a desire for the comfortable life, Christians are not prepared to sacrifice much for the betterment of our world, or rather, as much as it would take to turn our world around. Then we cringe, whine, hold our heads an bawl when we see the ungodly and evil happenings in our world.
Hn! If we were the shining lights of the world and the salt of the earth, as we’re supposed to be, many of those evil things would not be happening. But because we’re shirking our Christian responsibility, the evildoers are ruling the roost, even running away with the first prize. Oh my fellow believers, if we allow the world to continue as it’s going on its evil bent, what kind of world will our grandchildren and their children inherit eh? A totally evil and ungodly world!
Is that what you want for them? I certainly hope not. But then it means that we need to get up right now, take the bull by the horns and make as many godly changes as we can. We cannot afford to lose that generation to Satan, as we’ve lost the current one. And it’s not like we don’t have the tools to do it, for the Lord has generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings; blessings that enable us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare them right now, and thus activate them in our lives.
As one strong and sincere voice! ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now 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!
…the evil forces will completely overtake our world…unless Christians put up a good fight of faith for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a healthy fear, a reverential awe of God, a word to the wise is sufficient, and follow me, another glorious day on earth, are not able to kill the soul, Bible, blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, Caribana Week Festivities, christianity, endure to the end, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fear God and obey his commandments, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, fear of God, fear of man, glad to be alive, god, going to hell in a handbasket, halfway home, hands on the plough, his righteousness endureth for ever, his seed shall be mighty on the earth, if any man will come after me, Jesus, Jesus anoints us to do His work, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, LOVE, love of the comfortable life, loved the praise of men, more than the praise of God, not turning back, regain our second wind, sacrifice for Jesus, silence our witness for Christ, stand in awe of God's supreme authority, strife, strife is still rampant in the wolrd, take up his cross daily, thank God, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the end of all matters is this, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, to a glorious future with Jesus, wealth and riches shall be in his house, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with a good attitude, worth it's weight in gold
Matthew 10:28. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
So our work week is moving along quite nicely; we’ve endured the pangs of frustration and tiredness on Monday, then the less hectic and frustrating passage of Tuesday, until now, we’ve come to the soothing calm of Wednesday, the last day of July, where we hope to regain our second wind. But that’s difficult to do with all the summer activities on hand, especially the Caribana Week Festivities that are already in full swing, just building to culminate in the big parade on Saturday and all the other glorious weekend entertainment!
And though we’re hanging in there, nothing much has changed; we’re still doing the same ole, same ole stuff, not making any progress in our personal lives or in that of the world. Strife is still rampant on the world stage, and we are not doing much to change it, because we’re still resisting the necessary call to our duty; that’s witnessing sincerely for Christ! Now, since the Lord blessed us with the privilege to see another glorious day on His earth, as promised, we’ll continue looking at the two things that seem to stop us from doing the Lord’s work as we ought to.
Yesterday, we said they were fear, fear of what man can do to us, but not what God, who is so much more powerful can do. And we proffered the serious warning of Christ on the subject: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) And the second thing which keeps us from doing Christ’s work is our LOVE of the comfortable life. Oh friends, there’s nothing we LOVE as much as the comfortable life, especially in these times of plenty and numerous amenities that just make life so much easier to handle.
But before we get into that aspect, I want to share a few more words on the fearing of God and not man. And you ask what does it mean to fear God? Well this commentary gives us some insight into the matter. ‘To fear God is to stand in awe of His supreme authority, the most excellent authority that is or ever will be. If you will do that, things will be well with you. That is what God wanted for the Israelites, but they would not fear Him like they should.’ And sadly, neither are we fearing Him like we should.
And this other commentary further expounds on the subject. ‘Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” and Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “The end of all matters is this: to fear God and to obey His commandments.” So, the first step to entering into the kingdom of God is to fear God. All true saving faith has in it the fear of God.’ Now that fear is not a fear that causes us to tremble with fright, to shake in our boots, although we should also have that fear of God in the background, a God who can destroy us seven ways from Sunday, as Jesus mentions in the scripture above, but it’s more a reverential awe of His sovereignty, of His majesty.
As the scholars tell us it means ‘submission to the Lord and His revelation. When one is afraid of something, he either runs from it or submits to it. The latter idea is in view here. It is a healthy fear. like the fear of electricity, or the fear of one’s parents, which causes one to act in an appropriate manner.’ Unfortunately though, not enough of us have that supposedly healthy fear of God which causes us to act in an appropriate manner. Instead, we seem to have the unhealthy fear of man which causes us to act in an inappropriate manner.
And friends, that fear of man rather than God is a deadly force in the believer’s life. For instance it can silence our witness for Christ, as John writes in his gospel. ‘Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him (Jesus); but because of the Pharisees they did not confess (publicly acknowledge) him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue. For they LOVED the praise of men more than the praise of God.’ (John 12:42-43) And sadly nothing much has changed down through the years, every day, by our lack of witness, we still show our fear of man and our LOVE of his praise, rather than that of God.
But please listen to these wise words from Psalm 112 – The man who fears the Lord. ‘Praise ye the Lord (Hallelujah). Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 112:1-3) That’s just the beginning of the good things that happen to those who fear the Lord, and I strongly suggest that you read the rest of the psalm before the day is out, so you can get the full message it proclaims. (smile)
Finally, let’s turn to the other thing that keeps us from doing a good job for Christ, that’s our LOVE for comfort and the comfortable life. And nowadays, can life ever get comfortable! For we have almost every amenity known to man right at our fingertips, and we just hate for any of them to be even unavailable for a few minutes. We hate to be uncomfortable even for a minute, but let’s remember that being a disciple of Jesus can be one fraught with discomfort. For Jesus defined discipleship thus: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Now that doesn’t mean living entirely in comfort, but when necessary to give up one’s comforts, to sacrifice something for Jesus, like He sacrificed so much for us. And if it means doing it every day, then we do it with a good attitude EVERY DAY! That’s what sincere discipleship is all about; doing whatever is necessary to promote Christ’s kingdom, regardless of the difficulty. And let’s remember that Jesus NEVER asks us to do anything that He won’t do, and always gives us the wherewithal to do it.
So if He gives us a difficult task, it’s surely means that He will anoint us to do it, and will also be in the fray with us, as He’s faithfully promised: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) So please, let’s wise up nuh my fellow believers and get serious about being ambassadors for Christ. For if we desire to see better days in this world, then it’s up to us to instigate the necessary changes, for the enemy will not do it, since they like things as they are – going to hell in a handbasket! A word to the wise is sufficient!
Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And if we endure to the very end with Christ, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So let’s plan to meet at the very end nuh! Much LOVE!
…being a disicple of Christ is not easy…but it’s surely worth it’s weight in gold…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all scripture is given by inspiration of God, be not dismayed, be thou strong and of a good courage, believers are catalysts for Christ, Bible, biting the bullet, blaspheme Christ's name, but of power love and a sound mind, christianity, divisions, do not fear, don't walk the walk, eternal life, even unto the end of the world, faith, fear him which can destroy both soul and body, fear not them which kill the body, fear of man, fear thou not for I am with thee, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, god, have I not commanded thee, hurry, hypocrites, I am the beloved of god, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I am with you always, I stand at the door and knock, I will come into him, if any man hear my voice and open the door, in god's eyes, instruction in righteousness, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, petty jealousies, poor witnesses for Christ, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, salvation, share His love with my neighbour, talk a good talk, teach all nations, teaching them to observe all things, the Bible authored by the Holy Spirit, the Bible is our guidebook for earthly living, the Great Commission, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the love of a comfortable life, to live for Christ, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, will sup with him and he with me, wisdom, worry
Revelation 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.
And then it was Tuesday! Praise the Lord for His awesome goodness and mercy in allowing us to see this brand new day! But friends, let’s remember that God didn’t allow us to see another day just for the fun of it. No! He has things in mind for us to do; purposes for us to accomplish that will raise up, that will spread His kingdom all over the face of the earth.
That was the overall purpose of the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His followers. ‘Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20)
And I believe that in these modern, technological and busy times, although we have many more avenues to do our duty, we’ve sadly neglected our basic purpose on God’s earth. It’s to live the way Christ desires of us, in a manner that others will see it and want to have what we have. In other words, our basic purpose is to bring souls to Christ, or at least open the way for Him to knock on their hearts and come into them. Let’s remember these poignant words of Christ to the church at Laodicea. ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20)
Oh friends, that’s what Christ is doing each and every day; knocking at the doors of human hearts, waiting for an invitation to come into the hearts of unbelievers, and we believers are expected to be the catalyst for that circumstance. By our witness and example the hearts of unbelievers ought to be softened, so that when Christ knocks on the doors of their hearts they will be readily amenable and available to let him in, so that He can offer them the great benefits of salvation and eternal life that He has to offer!
And we all know that we’ve not been doing a good job of softening the hearts of unbelievers with our witness and lifestyles, otherwise so many people would not be rooting for Satan, and living the life that he desires them to live. And why is that eh? What has made us such poor witnesses for Christ eh? Why do people choose to blaspheme His name and laugh at us, call us hypocrites eh? Because that’s the witness we show them. We talk a good talk, but unfortunately don’t walk the walk.
Look at all the division, dissensions, petty jealousies, and evil doing that’s to be found in Christ’s church…and that’s not in the church buildings, but in the members who are supposed to represent and validate the body of Christ. And, as I’ve said before, but it’s certainly worth saying again. The two main things that keep us from representing Christ in a fulsome way is firstly fear, fear of man, and secondly the overwhelming LOVE of a comfortable life.
As per fear, we seem to be scared of what the world can and will say about us; the names they will call us, or what physical harm they will do to us if we break out in full bloom and voice about being believers in Jesus Christ. But let’s not forget this warning of Jesus and take it very seriously. ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
In other words my fellow believers, fear of man should not be our overwhelming concern, but rather fear of God, who can destroy both our souls and bodies in hellfire and damnation! And, furthermore, one of the most repeated commands in the Bible is: ‘Do not fear!’ And God doesn’t mean we should never feel fear, because fear is one of the emotions He’s built into us. What He wants to see, is what will we do and where we will go when the power of fear overcomes us.
And the basic answer is to turn to Him in faith and let him help us deal with our fear. As the prophet Isaiah said to the Israelites on the Lord’s behalf. ‘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) Then Bruh Paul told Timothy this scripture, which we all quote but don’t put into action, else we would not be as fearful as we are. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
And if you don’t believe those two scriptures, then try this one on for size. (smile) It’s the Lord talking directly to Joshua, when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He said to Joshua, mano a mano! ‘Have not I commanded thee? be thou strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) It couldn’t be said in any firmer words or tone than that my brethren!
And Joshua, though most likely afraid of the vast responsibilities suddenly placed on his shoulders, took the Lord’s words to heart and went out and did the job expected of him. Likewise, we are expected to take all the encouraging and reassuring words found in the scriptures and use them in our daily lives. What’s the purpose of knowing the scriptures if we don’t put them into action? None whatsoever!
Please, let’s remember the awesome purpose of the scriptures as Bruh Paul told Timothy. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (Tim. 3:16-17) Yes friends, the Bible is our Guidebook for Living, authored by the Holy Spirit of God. And if we want to live a good, full, interesting and eternal life, we ought to follow it much more closely than we’re currently doing. End of Sermon! (smile)
And if God decides to give us another wonderful and exhilarating day on planet Earth, then we will continue with today’s topic… the lack of good witness from believers. Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know of whom we belong to lock, stock and barrel! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that sincere announcement, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…to live for Christ means…biting the bullet whenever necessary…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city set on a hill, a glorious future with Jesus, advertise, benefits, cannot be hid, Christian, christianity, christmas day, come to know Jesus, commotion, compromise, contentment, decorations, disunity, divisions, environment, factions, faith, family interacts, fear of man, flavour, gentleness, gives light to all, glorify your father in heaven, glory, glory hallelujah, god the father, godly manner, good for nothing, good works, halfway home, hands on the plough, He was in the house, healthy, Jesus Christ was born, joy, kindness, laughter, laziness, learn of your presence, let your light so shine, light of holiness, looking forward, lost his savour, LOVE, men light a candle, miracle, negative aspects of life, neighbours know it, never a secret, not looking back, on a candlestick, One Year Book of Bible promises, outward atmosphere, praise, prayer, presents, problems, radians, righteous body, righteousness, Ruth Harms Calkin, sinful men, sinful world, sloth, Spirit of Christ, spiritual accent, strangers, strife-filled environment, thanks, the breath of life, the Great First, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, thrown out, trod underfoot, under a bushel, unified, way of life, Wednesday Wail, You cannot be hid, you live in a home
Matthew 5:14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Oh friends, the time is drawing ever nearer to that most significant day – Christmas Day – when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was born! Glory Hallelujah! Give God the Father all thanks, praise and glory for the awesome miracle that He wrought in the lives of, and on behalf of sinful men that day some two thousand years ago!
And even more importantly, please, we need to see that thanks and glory reflected in our homes as the poem ‘You Cannot Be Hid,’ from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin so avidly describes.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I’ve discovered it’s never a secret When You live in a home For You simply cannot be hid. The neighbours soon know You are there Even strangers learn of Your presence. When You are the Great First in a home
There is a radiance that speaks of joy There is gentleness, kindness Laughter and LOVE. There is commotion mixed with contentment There are problems mixed with prayer. Lord, Your own word says it so vividly: “It was known that He was in the house.”
Yes my people, anytime the Lord God Almighty is the ‘Great First’ in our homes, that most excellent and welcome fact cannot be hid, because it shows in the way the family interacts with each other and with those who come around them!
Wow! What a joyful home that becomes! That doesn’t mean that problems and other negative aspects of life don’t exist in the homes where God is FIRST. It just means that they are dealt with in a healthy, godly manner, and a continual strife-filled environment doesn’t exist there.
Oh how I wish many many more of our homes, especially the Christian ones, were truly like that. Yeh friends, we all know that a lot of homes that seem Christian on the outside don’t really behave in good Christian fashion on the inside.
So please, for this Christmas season, in these ongoing strife-filled and negative times, let’s try and bring a true Christian feeling, a true Christian environment to our homes nuh. Let our neighbours and the stranger just passing through see it written loud and clear in the way we interact, so that they can appreciate our way of life and come to know Jesus too.
Remember, it’s not just the presents, the food, decorations and outward atmosphere that are important at Christmas time, but also the internal, the spiritual accent, for they bring the true Spirit of Christ to the situation. And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit, the well-known words of Jesus to His disciples and also to us. ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.’
Oh my people, that is exactly what Jesus expects from us; to be a blazing light of holiness and righteousness to the evil and sinful world that surrounds us! Then He continues with an addendum: ‘Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lamp stand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.’ (Matt.5:15)
Yeh friends, Jesus expects us to show our Christianity to the whole world, so that they can see and believe the awesome benefits inherent in becoming His follower.
And furthermore, in the verse before our Bit, He declares another truth that He expects from His followers: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot by men.’ (Matt.5:13)
Oh friends, yuh better believe that Christians, as a unified and righteous body have lost their salt and their light is not shining as brightly as it ought to! Who knows exactly why?
But there are some reasons that definitely contribute to the unfortunate situation; reasons like fear of what man can do to us, disunity between Christians, too many factions and divisions of Christians, unnecessary compromise with the world, and simple sloth and laziness, with the avowed intention to just enjoy the things of the world and the things of God be put on the back burner.
But friends, our avowed intention ought to be what Jesus demanded of us: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.5:16) That’s the crux of the matter right there my believing brethren! We simply need to come up higher in our Christian living.
And this Christmas season is the best time to do it. So please, let’s all promise our God, and ourselves, that this Christmas, Christ will truly be in our houses and our lives, and be clearly visible to all and sundry. And having made that promise, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know our position in Christ.
In truth and sincerity now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home.
My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And what a truly glorious future that will be my people! And it all began with Christ’s birth at Christmas! Much LOVE!
…if Christians don’t advertise their wonderful faith…then who will eh…
26 Mar 2013
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awesome followers, birds praising God, budding leaves, charles stanley, Christ, comfort of God, confidence in God, confidence in man, enemies, ever-faithful God, ever-LOVING God, faith, fear of man, flowers fade, god, God is for me, God's commands, God's Word lasts forever, gospel truth, grass, grass withers, joyful singing, light, living truth, lovely attributes of spring, mere believers, mortal man, move mountains, naked branches, refreshed ground, religion, salvation, skype, spring, spring rain, true believers, true followers, trust in the Lord
Isaiah 51:12. I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.
Ah Friends, it’s another day in the life, in the spring of 2013. Only thing is we haven’t seen any of that spring rain yet, a whole week after its official declaration. And though the temps are above freezing during the day, the nights are still fairly chilly, and there are still mounds of snow all over. One would have thought that all the snow would have melted away by now. But unfortunately that hasn’t happened. The only true indication of spring so far, is the joyful singing of the birds as they offer up their thanks and praise to the Creator in the early morning hours. Hope we supposed sensible humans are doing the same. Anyway, as true believers, we just have to press on and have the faith that sooner or later, hopefully sooner, we’ll see all the lovely attributes of spring; no snow, some blessed rain, that will cause green grass and beautiful flowers to pop up from the refreshed and regenerated ground, with the trees excitedly showing their rejuvenation through budding leaves on their now naked branches. Oh Friends, spring is such an awakening in these parts, that only a real hardhearted fool doesn’t appreciate it. Oh by the way, I want to make a point here, re believers and followers of Jesus Christ. I believe I read it in the In Touch Devotional yesterday. According to Uncle Charles, Charles Stanley, there is a huge difference between mere believers and awesome followers. Believers, believe in Jesus, are saved and will go to heaven. But followers are believers who in addition to believing, follow, or do, or obey God’s commands. The difference my people could really be substantial. So please let’s all aim to be steadfast followers rather than mere believers. Let’s get the action going in Christianity, let’s move the mountains on behalf of Christ and His church! And now we’ll turn to our Bit: ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ Yesterday, we began dissecting it by looking at the first of the three parts, ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you:’ that’s the comfort that our God both promises and faithfully delivers. Today we’ll continue the dissection by looking at the other two parts; fear of man and his lifespan. As pertaining to the fear of mortal man, ‘who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die…’ let’s look at some reassuring scriptures from the Psalms. The first one comes from Psalm 118; Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation. The psalmist boldly writes: ‘The Lord is on my side, I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. (Re the scholars, that’s the middle verse of the Bible). It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.’ (Ps.118:6-9) And all of that is the living truth my people! There’s no better place to put our trust and faith than in Almighty God! And Bruh David concurs with that in Psalm 56, a confident prayer for help, when he ran to his enemies, the Philistines in Gath, away from his own people, who wanted to do him in. He confidently declares: ‘When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word. In God I have put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.’ (Ps.56:9-11) Oh my brethren, those words certainly convey the gospel truth! For what can mortal man do to us if we are truly ensconced in the powerful arms of Jehovah God eh? Absolutely nothing! And the final scripture on the fear of man is a biggie, one we all know and like to spout, but from our actions, don’t seem to as strongly believe in our hearts. Bruh David boldly and proudly proclaims: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ (Ps.27:1) And as always my people, the answer to that question is a big and bold, ‘NO ONE!’ And Bruh David goes on to further state: ‘When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up (devour) my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host (an army) should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.’ (Ps.27:2-3) Oh Friends, that’s the kind of awesome confidence we should have in our mighty, ever-LOVING and ever-faithful God! So please, let’s stop allowing the mortal man like ourselves to make us afraid, even though he be evil. For just like us, he’ll one day return to the dust from which we all were formed. And though some may have a bit more power than us here on earth, eventually we all have to answer to Jehovah God. That brings us to the last part of our Bit: ‘and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.’ Isaiah describes this in spades when talking about comfort through trust in God. ‘The voice said, Cry (out). And he said, What shall I cry (out)? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness (loveliness) thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit (breath) of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.’ (Is.40:6-8) Oh Friends, what words of godly assurance! And there’s no better way to end than on them. So please remember all that we’ve learned; namely, God is our comfort and strength, therefore we shouldn’t be afraid of mere mortals like ourselves, even the evil ones with earthly power, because they too shall wither and die like the grass and the flowers, taking nothing with them. ONLY the WORD of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will last forever. Much LOVE!…true logic declares…fear not the creation…but rather…fear the Creator of the creation… P.S. You can blame some of the lateness of the Bit on my daughters who skyped me a while ago and had me talking, while yet complaining that the Bit was late. Ah Lord eh! You can’t please people nuh. (smile) Much LOVE my fellow followers of Christ!
SCRIP-BITS 