14 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, a song of praise and encouragement, abject misery, after the rain comes the sunshine, all things work together for good, bad times don't last forever, be not dismayed, behind each cloud there's a silver lining, better must come one day, Christians must get tough, clouds all over the land, delivered of a child when she was past age, disobedient children, don't give up, encourage each other, faith, fear thou not, fear thou not for I am with thee, forgotten them, from the very core of our beings, George Banton, giving God thanks and praise, go to the Lord's sanctuary, God is not a man that he should lie, hath he said and shall he not do it, Hold On Better must come, hold on for dear life, hold on until the end, holy spirit, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I thanked the Lord for another day, I woke up this morning, I've been there, in each life a little rain must fall, Jesus Christ, Jesus will fix it for you, joy comes in the morning, judged him faithful who had promised, keep on keeping on, know that the sun will shine again, like the clouds give way to the sun, looked through my window, LOVE, mercy, no relief in sight, praising and worshipping God, refresh our spirits, remember this song, right from our hearts, salvation, sometimes I get a little weak, strong faith, sweet sacrifices of praise, tell your friend, tell your mother and father, telling you to be strong, the darkest night is just before the dawn, the gospel truth, the Hall of Fame, the Lord does not lie, the sun will shine, there was sunshine everywhere, they acknowledged him faithful who promised, though times and things look bad, through faith also Sarah received strength to conceive seed, to see these tough times through, toiling in the boiling sun, tough times don't last but tough people do, truth, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, weeping may endure for a night, when I opened my eyes, when you're down and out, who are called according to His purpose, wisdom, with no one around, with sunshine on my mind, with the soul of our forefathers, without faith it is impossible to please God, your change is going to come
Psalm 30:5b. …weeping may endure for a night, but joy (a shout of joy) comes in the morning.
Another Sunday has rolled around warm and fairly sunny friends, and thus it behooves us to go the Lord’s sanctuary and have our souls, bodies and minds renewed and refreshed, through hearing His Word and giving Him thanks and praise for His goodness to His wayward and disobedient children whom He still LOVES so dearly. And is it ever to our great benefit that we experience His unconditional LOVE! That’s for sure!
So, today, in appreciation for God’s great compassion, we will open with a song of praise and genuine encouragement for all of us who are finding it difficult to keep our faith strong in these terrible strife-filled times. And the title of the song is ‘Hold On, Hold on (Better Must Come One Day).’ It’s a song done by Jamaican Canadian Gospel Artist, George Banton from His 2002 Album, ‘Jesus will fix it for You.’
Now, there’s also a ska version of the song, but for our purposes today we need to get really soulful, to allow the music and the words to come up right from our hearts, from the very core of our beings, with the soul that our forefathers felt when they were toiling in the boiling sun, but praising and worshipping a God who seemed to have forgotten them in their abject misery. But their faith was strong, they acknowledged Him faithful who had promised, and so they stood strong and held on, just like we’re doing today, because we know that better must come. The Lord promised it, and He doesn’t lie.
So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a truly soulful and sincere version of the song. Singing: ‘You know in each life, a little rain must fall, and sometimes the darkest night is just before dawn. I’m here to tell you, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. Oh let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. I woke up this morning, with sunshine on my mind, but as I looked through my window, there were clouds all over the land. Then I thanked the Lord for giving me another day.
And when I opened my eyes, there was sunshine everywhere, telling me to hold on, hold on, better must come someday. The clouds were all rolled away, yes they did, And I’m here to tell you, Oh I just can’t keep it to myself now, I’ve gotta tell somebody else, to hold on, hold on, better must come one day. Hold on till the end, and don’t give up now, I know your change is going to come, like the clouds give way to the sun.
Whenever you’re down and out, and you have no one around, remember this song, telling you to be strong. Let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. The sun will shine, yes it will! So, go tell your friend, go tell your mama, tell your sister about it, tell your daddy, to hold on, hold on, better must come one day.
And sometimes when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and happiness is nowhere in sight. But I’m here to tell you that trouble don’t last always, behind each dark cloud there’s a silver lining. Yeh, let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day, better will come, I know, Oh I know it will, Hey, hey, you’d better hold on, hold on, for better must come one day.
I’d like to share this with every man, every woman, with every boy and every girl. Let me tell you, you’d better hold on. I don’t know about you nuh, but sometimes I get a little weak, yes, I’ve been there, and know that the sun will shine again, so I’m holding on, and you’d better hold on too, hold on, for better must come one day, Yes hold on, hold on, for better must come one day…better must come one day…’
Oh friends, the Lord promised it, and He doesn’t lie. It’s as the prophet Balaam said to King Balak who wanted him to curse Israel, but the Lord would not allow it. ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)
Of course! If He said it, He will indeed do it! That’s why in the Hall of Fame chapter 11 of Hebrews; the author could write: ‘Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of (bore) a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who hath promised.’ (Heb. 11:11) And that’s one of the necessities of faith. As the author of Hebrews earlier wrote: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6)
Consequently as believers in Almighty God, we need to hold on faithfully to the promises He’s given us in His Word, as well as those given to us individually, or we’ll never see them come true. That’s why we need to steadfastly hold on, though things and times look bad, for bad times don’t last forever. For as Bruh David says in Psalm 30: ‘weeping may endure for a night, but joy (a shout of joy) comes in the morning.’ (Ps. 30:5b)
And that’s the gospel truth friends. The nighttime might bring fears and worries, but when the daylight appears, our fears and worries don’t ever seem half as bad. And we know that after the rain comes the sunshine which makes everything look so much brighter. As the song says: ‘trouble don’t last always, behind each dark cloud there’s a silver lining.’ And that means better must come, so we cannot afford to give up, especially since there’s no giving up in Jesus’ vocabulary.
No! We need to keep on keeping on in faith, for as this magnificent promise of God tells us: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Yes friends, that says it all! Life is not all comfort and good times; that’s just the way of the world. However, when times get rough and there seems to be no relief in sight, if we hang in there in faith, the Lord will eventually see us through them all, because that’s His promise and as Sarah found out, he who promised is faithful.
So, in these tough and uncertain times, let’s hold on, hold on for dear life, and also encourage each other, for as the Lord God Jehovah said so long ago: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now that ought to keep us strong and steadfast in our earthly work for Christ! Much LOVE!
…in the words of Dr. Robert H. Schuller…tough times don’t last…but tough people do…therefore, Christians must get tough…if they want to see these tough times through…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, as I have loved you that ye also love one another, assurance that we're not alone, be not dismayed, be responsible and stay safe, bring every evil tongue to judgement, by this shall all men know that ye are my disiciples, christianity, concerns, confusion of these ungodly times, crises, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent and dissatisfaction, dissension, distill fears, divine promises, do not fear, fade away over the weekend, faith, fear thou not for I am with thee, Friday chant, frustrations of the work week, God is active in our everyday lives, God's unwavering support, hang all the law and prophets, holy spirit, I am thy God, I will help thee, I will strengthen thee, if ye have love one to another, if ye love me keep my commandments, improve our Christian witness, it breaks Christ's heart, Jesus Christ, joy, like they never existed, LOVE, love is missing from our world, Love thy neighbour as thyself, mercy, no love no peace, no weapon formed against us shall prosper, omnipotent help, on these two commandments, our chaotic world, peace, persoanl struggles, petty differences, problems are escalating, salvation, stand strong and steadfast, strife within Christianity, take comfort in God's presence, Thank God it's Friday, that ye love one another, the BIBLE, the first and great commandment, the main attraction in our lives, the straight and narrow road of Jesus, the throne of grace, the wide and winding road of Satan, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, trusting faith, truth, under divine protection, unexpected storms, up in arms, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, with all thy heart soul and mind
John 13:35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.
And then it’s Friday! Thank God for that! Although the day is going to be sunny, but much cooler than the last few, we’re still excited to welcome the weekend! For the concerns and frustrations of this past work week will fade away over the weekend like they never existed, and we’ll begin afresh next Monday. How true that is my people. There are always concerns and frustrations to deal with in this crazy and ever more chaotic world.
But with Jesus as the main attraction in our lives, we don’t have to be overly concerned with them, or be concerned to the point of worry, for He has promised that no weapon formed against us will prosper, and that we will bring every evil and lying tongue to judgement. (Is. 54:17) That means we are under divine protection., for as the prophet Isaiah also writes on God’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)
Yes friends, we’re commanded not to be afraid, because our great God is active in our everyday lives. There’s assurance that we are not alone. We have divine assistance, which provides comfort, strength and unwavering support. That means in any personal struggles or crises, we must remember that we’re not alone, that God is fighting alongside us, for us, and we can therefore take comfort in His awesome presence. And let’s hope those faithful, divine promises distill any fears or worries that me might currently have, because that’s what they were given for.
And remember one of Jesus’ most spoken phrases was ‘Do not fear.’ So, if we’re true believers in Jesus, then we ought to abide by His commands. As He says in John’s gospel: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) And one of His most important commands was this: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my people, I’m sure it breaks Christ’s heart when He sees how terribly we follow that commandment! For we certainly do not treat each other with the LOVE that’s expected of us. There’s so much dissension and petty differences in the lives of individual believers, as well as the church as a whole, that we definitely could not say we’re LOVING each other the way Christ LOVED us. Not even close!
No wonder there’s so much strife within Christianity, as well as the world, because that most godly attribute, LOVE, is sadly missing. And where there’s no LOVE, there can be no peace, joy or comfort. And the sad fact is that we all claim to be searching for peace and joy, but how can we find those when we refuse to have LOVE, for God, ourselves, and for each other.
Remember the great commandments? Jesus stated them thus to the arrogant lawyer who tried to tie Him up with foolish questions. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
So you see my fellow believers, everything in this world hangs on one thing, that’s LOVE! LOVE for God, ourselves and our neighbours. Without that divine attribute first and foremost in our individual lives, the Church, and the world in general, there’s no hope whatsoever of us ever attaining joy, peace and minds free from worry. That means all the foolishness that’s being tried and proposed in the world for joy and peace are simply talk, or rather a waste of time, for there’s NO LOVE between those of us trying to make peace. Everybody’s up in arms over some real or imagined slight or ill treatment, but no one’s willing to forgive and forget those real or imagined affronts.
So, we’ll apparently continue going down the wide and winding road that Satan has laid out for us, rather than the straight and narrow one that Jesus has initiated. But one thing’s for sure; we won’t lose hope! No sir! So, with that most miraculous and provocative thought in heart, mind, body and soul, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid for whatever ails us.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let’s not fool ourselves by thinking that because we’ve prayed sincerely, that divine aid will be quickly showered down upon us. Not at all! And why is that, you ask? Because our witness for Christ is not good enough, and until we make some serious improvements to it, no divine aid will be forthcoming. We need to do our part before the Lord does His. Much LOVE!
…it’s impossible to understand…why so many hearts and souls…made from, and for LOVE…refuse to LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, accounted as sheep for the slaughter, adversity, all things work together for good, anxiety, any other creature, as it is written, be not afraid of life, be not dismayed, Bible, christianity, clear direction for my life, curse, depth, distress, faith, famine, favour, fear thou not for I am with thee, for thy sake, God gives us the tools to do His work, God is greater than any potential enemy, God's desire for us, God's desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, God's purpose, good friends, good health, hard tiems, hjeight, holy spirit, hunker down, I am persuaded, I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, I will uphold thee, in a state of alarm, in all these things, in Christ Jesus our Lord, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make the right decisions, mercy, nakedness, negative word, neither death, nor angels, obedient to God's will, peril, persecution, powers, prevailing circumstances, principalities, prosper, salvation, show our mettle, statements of trust and faithfulness, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, sword, the right hand of my righteousness, things present, things to come, through him that loved us, to grow in spiritual maturity, to separate us from the Lorve of God, to them that love God, tribulation, truth, undeserved blessings, want to have things easy, we are killed all the day long, we are more than conquerors, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, who are called according to His purpose, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, wisdom, with God's help
Romans 8:35a. Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ?
And it’s a somewhat cold and cloudy Thursday morning in my part of the universe. The sun’s striving valiantly to come out, but not with a whole lot of success. Thankfully, that does not apply to us faithful believers in Christ Jesus, for He’s promised that when we are obedient to His will, we can do all things through the strength He provides us. (Phil. 4:13) Therefore we should not be dismayed, or afraid to keep on keeping on when things look somewhat dismal, and we can’t seem to make the right decisions in our prevailing circumstances.
That’s why I LOVE this verse from the prophet Isaiah, where God tells 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) Oh friends, there could not be a better promise than that from the Lord our God, Creator and Controller!
And just for your information, they say that the phrase ‘do not be afraid,’ occurs 365 times in the Bible. Therefore, it must surely be important for our wellbeing. And this commentary offers an interesting take on the subject. It says, ‘There’s a word in that verse, you don’t hear much anymore… dismayed. Dismayed means feeling distress or anxiety, typically at something unexpected. It also means to look around in terror. God is speaking with tenderness here, telling us not to look around as one might do in danger or in a state of alarm.’
Now that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! For all through the Lord’s Word we are reminded not to be afraid, not to live in fear, not to be dismayed, because our great and ever-faithful God is always with us! That’s why Bruh Paul could make these wonderful statements of trust and faithfulness in that mighty Chapter of Romans 8.
‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
Wow! What a wonderful scripture! And the scholars offer this explanation per the last two verses. ‘We cannot be separated from God’s LOVE, because it is set forth in a person who is God Himself, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. God’s desire to redeem believers cannot be frustrated, because He is definitely greater than any potential enemy. His plan will be realized because it is His purpose (cf. vs. 28).’ Which says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) More acknowledgement that though life will not always be easy, God will eventually work it all out for our good.
And all these promises that our great God has made are certainly wonderful, but the problem is that they don’t just happen automatically. No! We must have the hope, faith, and trust to believe them, and live a life, an obedient life, that will allow them to come true. And yes, we all want to have things easy, but that obviously is not God’s desire. He desires that we grow in spiritual maturity, and the only way to grow is through adversity, through hard times. That’s because in the good times we learn nothing at all, or very little, but when the times get tough, we need to hunker down and show our true selves, show the mettle that we truly possess, all with God’s help!
And the marvellous thing about our God is that He not only helps us in all situations, but that He’s also bestowed underserved blessings for us to do His earthly work. He’s not asking us to do stuff in our own strength, which He knows we are incapable of doing. So, He gives us the tools to do it. We call these particular tools our Thursday Blessings. And to activate them, we must declare them aloud. So, let’s do that right now nuh.
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 awesome declaration (yesss!) we must now go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…true believers in Christ…ought not to be afraid of life…and the troubling circumstances that can and will confront them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend of the world, a future and a hope, all things work together for good, be not dismayed, Bible, buckle down, calamity, called according to His purpose, Christ as the centrepiece of our lives, christianity, contentment, direct his wy, disaster, don't give up, don't lose faith, endure right to the end, established it upon the floods, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, fear thou not for I am with thee, godliness brings responsibility, halfway home, hands on the plough, hang all the law and the prophets, he hath founded it upon the seas, holy spirit, I am thy God, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I will help thee, I will strengthen thee, if god be for us who can be against us, in complete control, Jesus Christ, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, make his way smooth, mercy, no one, not turning back, salvation, second wind, thank God, the abundant life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the earth is the Lord's, the fulness thereof, the great commandment, the right hand of my righteousness, the righteousness of the perfect, the valley of the sahdow of death, the wicked shall fall by their own wickedness, the world and they that dwell therein, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to a glorious future with Jesus, to give you an expected end, to them that love God, truth, understanding, unrighteousness brings chaos, uphold thee, weather the tough times, Wednesday Wail, wisdom, with a good attitude, with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul
Psalm 24:1. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Here we are friends, one day older, wiser, closer to death, but with also more wisdom and health as we live and enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have! And yes, it’s actually Wednesday, our second wind day. What a way it’s come so quickly. But I’m sure we’ll notice that everything’s happening very quickly these days. Whether it’s actual fact, or merely our imagination, who knows, (smile) but it surely seems that way. But with Christ as the centrepiece of our lives, we don’t really need to worry about how quickly or slowly things are moving, because we know that He has complete control over everything!
And there are so may scriptures that pertain to that glorious fact, I think we should spend some time remembering a few of them, to help us with our earthly problems. And what better scripture to begin with, than this one from Psalm 24, where Bruh David writes in no uncertain terms: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) Now those two verses put everything right up front. The earth and all therein belong to the Lord because He created it. It could not get any clearer than that.
But then there’s this verse that I also like, because it offers certain encouragement from the Creator of the universe. The prophet Isaiah says 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)
Wow mih bredrin! What wonderful encouragement from our God, the Creator of the universe and all therein! That means whatever happens the Lord will be with us to protect us. He won’t always lead us by the easy way, but will walk through even the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ with us. That’s how much He LOVES and cares for us.
Then there’s this everlasting promise from that mighty chapter of Scripture, Romans 8, where Bruh Paul confidently informs us: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) What another wonderful and encouraging scripture! Life will not always be easy, but for certain in the end the Lord will work everything out for the good of those who LOVE Him and obey His will.
And what about this other marvellously encouraging scripture from the prophet Jeremiah eh? ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope) …And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11, 13) Yes friends, the Lord’s goodness is earmarked for us, but we also have to sincerely seek Him with all of our hearts. It doesn’t just fall down on us without any involvement from us.
It’s like Jesus said when asked what the great commandment was. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40) There you have it my people, the two basic commandments on which God’s law is based. And they both have to do with LOVE: LOVE for God, for ourselves and for our fellow man!
No wonder our current world is in such a chaotic and disastrous state; there’s no real LOVE, or very little in existence in it. It’s mostly the negative and sinful things of Satan that are currently ruling the roost. So what else can we expect eh? For godliness brings responsibility and contentment, but unrighteousness brings chaos and destruction. As Cousin Sol so wisely says in Proverbs 11: ‘The righteousness of the perfect (blameless) shall direct his way (make his way smooth or straight): but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.’ (Prov. 11:5)
And we’re certainly seeing that in all parts of our world, where the wicked are reigning destruction on themselves with their wicked and ungodly behaviour. But the houses of the righteous are indeed flourishing, according to God’s faithful promise. And we will continue to flourish if we don’t give up hope, or lose faith, but buckle down and weather the tough times with a good and faithful attitude and belief in Almighty God.
Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) 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!’
Now, we also need to know that if we endure right to the end with Christ, then that glorious future will be even brighter and more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So, with all wisdom and understanding, let’s plan to meet there and enjoy it nuh! Much LOVE!
…if Almighty God…the Creator and Controller of the universe…is for us…then who can be against us eh… absolutely NO ONE…!
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
27 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong will, abundance, be not dismayed, Bible, blessed are ye, christianity, conditional promises, courage, creativity, curse, discipleship, even to the end of the world, faith, fear not, fear thou not for I am with thee, for my sake, god, great is your reward in heaven, heavenly blessings, holy spirit, I am thy God, I am with you always, I have called the by name, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, I will strengthen thee, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like the Son of God, LOVE, meditating on the scriptures, negative outlook on life, neither shall the flame kindle thee, our response to God's promises, persecute you, rejoice and be exceeding glad, say all manner of evil against you falsely, show our mettle, stand strong in Faith, stepping up to the plate, supernatural wisdom, talent, Thank You Lord, the form of the fourth, the help of God, they shall not overflow thee, they that strive with thee shall perish, thou art mine, thou shalt not be burned, through the rivers, unconditional promises, uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, when men shall revile you, when thou pass through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, wisdom
Isaiah 43:1b. O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, a somewhat cool and cloudy summer’s day. It’s definitely not as hot as those of the last week, and neither is the wind as strong as it’s recently been. The beleaguered trees must certainly have sent up a ‘Thank You Lord Prayer’ for this break in the cruel wind dance they’ve been forced to perform for way too long. (smile)
But you know what friends, in this crazy and cruel world, oftentimes we are also called on to perform deeds we don’t want to perform, for long periods of time, and it’s only with the help of God, through His Holy Spirit are we able to hang on until a period of rest comes. And it’s of the utmost importance for believers to note and to remember that we have the assurance of our great God that He will enable us to hang in there, though our world seems to be falling apart at our very feet.
Listen to these comforting and reassuring words of God from the Book of Isaiah, as he let’s the children of Israel, and also we believers today, know that we have been chosen by Almighty God. ‘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. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded (disgraced): they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.’ (Is. 41:10-11)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s a sure promise of our ever-faithful God for us to hold on to in these dark and very dangerous times. Now it won’t all happen automatically… No! We have to make our contribution to the situation by sincerely believing and having the faith that allows us to do what’s necessary while holding on the Lord’s promise. And those things are only attained by constantly meditating on the scriptures, putting them into action, praying and fellowshipping with other believers.
Remember, we are partners with God, and in almost every situation we have a partner’s part to play, for the Lord won’t do it all, every time. And, unfortunately, that’s why so many of us supposed believers don’t see the Lord’s hand at work in our lives; we don’t do our part, simply expecting the Lord to show up and make every thing right.
Oh, sometimes He will, but certainly not all the time, because He expects us to pull our weight. He’s given us the promises, some of which are unconditional, but many that are conditional, or depend on our coming up to scratch, stepping up to the plate. So, to avail ourselves of the Lord’s promises, it’s often necessary to show our faith, our mettle and stand up strong, do whatever it takes to make the promises come true in our lives.
Now here’s another interesting promise from the Lord through Isaiah, as He assures the children of Israel of their redemption. ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.’ (Is, 43:1-2)
And my beleiving brethren, we’ve seen those promises literally come to pass, like when the Hebrew teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire for not bowing down to the idol made by the Babylonian king, but they came out untouched, not even smelling of smoke. (Dan. 3) The king when looking into the furnace even said that he saw four people instead of three in there… ‘and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods) (Dan. 3:25)
You see friends, Jesus Himself was in there with those faithful teenagers. And it’s the same way He’ll be with us when we suffer trials and tribulations for His sake. Remember His words from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ (Matt. 5::11-12)
And no, it’s not always easy to put up with false accusations and unjust persecutions while doing Jesus’ work, but unfortunately it’s all part of our discipleship. And while giving us the wherewithal to handle it, He will also stand beside us during the whole time of trial. For He’s also promised: ‘and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b)
Yes my fellow saints, life on this earth never was easy, and never will be, until Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, but in the meanwhile He’s assured us of His awesome help by coming to earth and dying on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt in full, redeeming us like promised in Isaiah. Then rising from the dead and assuring us of that same resurrection if we believe in Him, then sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to lead, guide and comfort us in our times of trial, and finally to return and take us back with him, so that wherever He is, we might also be. We certainly cannot expect more from Him. No! The rest of it is up to us… providing we believe.
And God is so good to us that He’s also given us a bunch of undeserved heavenly blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s declare them so they can be activated in our lives. As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) 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!
…God’s promised us a lot…but a lot depends on…our response to the promises…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, be not dismayed, Christians cannot be lazy, clear direction for my life, curse, enjoying the comfortable life, faith, faith can diffus fear, fall flat on your face, favour, fear, fear not little flock, fear thou not for I am with thee, God gives us help, God gives us strength, God has our best interests at heart, heart-pumping doubts, holy spirit, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I will not fear what flesh can do to me, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, In god I have put my trust, it is your Father's good pleasure, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make a dent in the devil's armour, mercy, Micah Maddox, negative word, New Year's hangover, our hope is in God's word, prosper, reach out in faith and take God's hand, riddled with anxious thoughts, sitting on our fannies, succeed, Thursday Blessings, to give you the kingdom, turn to god's word over and over again, what time I am afraid I will trust in thee, wisdom
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
31 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anointing him with oil, be not dismayed, beloved of God, bless the Lord oh my soul, call for the elders, crowneth thee with loving-kindness, diligently hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy god, do that which is right, every breath I take, every thing begins with prayer, fear thou not for I am with thee, fill me with the healing power of your Spirit, find favour in the sight of God and man, forget not all his benefits, forget not my law, give ear to his commandments, healeth all thy diseases, hurry, I am thy God, I live under your power, in the name of he Lord, keep scriptures close at heart, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, natural parts begin to decay, pray without ceasing, recreate me, redeemeth thy life from destruction, restore me to full health, serve you for the rest of my life, share His love with my neighbours, talking to God first not last, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, the warmth of God's healing love, touch me with your power, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, with his stripes we are healed, worry, write them upon the table of thine heart
1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing.
Well, it’s a fairly sunny morning in my neck of the woods, although my computer tells me that the temperature outside is like minus 8 Celsius. Now that’s something we haven’t seen so far this year, but it’s winter, and on this last day of January 2023, anything is possible. (smile) Once it doesn’t snow and the sun’s shining, I’m happy.
Anyway, today I want to share a prayer that a friend gave me some time back, which I might have shared before, but it’s one that I now use every day before I begin to write the Bit. Don’t ask me how and why that came about, because I don’t remember. (smile) Let’s just say that it’s now become a part of my daily routine. So please pray with me: ‘Heavenly Father, I call on You right now in a special way. It is through Your power that I was created. Every breath I take, I live under Your power. Father, I ask you now to touch me with that same power. For if You created me from nothing, You can recreate me.
Fill me with the healing power of Your Spirit. Cast out anything that should not be in me. Mend what is broken. Root out any unproductive cells, open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild any damaged areas. Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection. Let the warmth of Your healing LOVE pass through my body to make new any unhealthy areas, so that my body will function the way You created it to function. And Father, please restore me to full health in mind, body and spirit, so that I may serve You for the rest of my life. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Ah friends, it’s not a spectacular prayer, but a simple, down to earth, plea for basic healing, reworking and restoring of our bodies and souls and spirits. Something that we all need from time to time, especially as we get older and our natural parts begin to atrophy and decay from age and constant use. And I guess the natural path from there is to check out some scriptures on healing, and there are many more than we can ever cover. But it’s always useful to review them and have some close at hand, or rather close at heart, for when we need them.
And this first one is probably one of the most important. It’s what Moses said to the people of Israel when they murmured and complained at the bitter waters of Marah, where he cried to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree to cast into the waters that made it sweet. And Moses said of the Lord: ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ (Ex. 15:24)
Yuh see right there my fellow believers, the first thing to do to avoid sickness and disease, is to obey the Lord’s commandments. So we ought not to wonder and complain because our world is filled with sickness and disease, for sin is the first step therein, and we do have a very sinful society. Then we have this marvellous reminder from Bruh David in Psalm 103: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVINGKINDNESS and tender mercies:’ (Ps. 103: 2-4)
Oh my people, how can ever forget the goodness and mercies of our great God eh? But unfortunately, for whatever reason(s), we do forget Him and go about our own business, foolishly thinking that we don’t need Him. But that’s a fool’s wisdom. That’s why Cousin Sol warns us in Proverbs. ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:1-4)
There you have it again friends, the first thing we ought to do to ensure health, wealth and longevity is to obey God’s Word! It couldn’t get any clearer than that. Then we have this awesome promise of God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘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 how can we ever forget or refute such a promise eh? But again, sadly we do.
Then Isaiah further tells us about the coming of Jesus and His awesome power to heal. ‘But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes (the blows that cut into Him) we are healed.’ (Is. 53:9) That just goes to show how very important Jesus is to our health. Now, because of lack of time and space, let’s conclude with this scripture that all of us know and quote, though not always appropriately or reverently.
It comes from James, where he strongly advises about the power of patience and prayer. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry (cheerful)? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16)
Yes my fellow saints, the prayer of the righteous can do wonderful things. Granted it doesn’t always work the way we desire, but one never knows what will happen until one tries. We don’t understand how our great God thinks or moves, but we do know that He answers prayer, especially when it falls into line with His will. So please, let’s not forget the power of prayer. As Bruh Paul so rightly said to the Thessalonians, and consequently to us: ‘Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:17-18)
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 all that, let’s go out and keep our promise to share Christ’s awesome LOVE and friendship with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…every thing ought to begin with prayer…that’s talking to God first…not last…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
17 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: behind each cloud there's a silver lining, everlasting life with Jesus, fear thou not for I am with thee, George Bnaton, God is not a man that he should lie, God so loved the world, hath he said and shall he not do it, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, health to thy navel, Hold On Better must come, hold on till the end, I know that the sunwill shine again, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I thanked the Lord for another day, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, in each life a little rain must fall, Jesus will fix it for you, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the best will eventually come, the darkest night is just before the dawn, the God awesome truth, to give you an expected end, toiling in the boiling sun, trouble don't last always, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Well, it’s gathering time once again for praise and worship my fellow believers in Christ Jesus! Sunday is the day we put everything else on hold and join together to acknowledge our wise and wonderful God; He of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. And per our custom, we open the proceedings with song, with beautiful, throaty, harmonic praises (smile). Today’s song comes from the 2002 album titled ‘Jesus Will Fix It for You,’ performed by the Jamaican Canadian Gospel Artist, George Banton. But the name of the song we are going to sing now is called ‘Hold On (Better Must Come).
Now, there’s also a ska version, but today is a day for seriousness, so we need to get really soulful, let the music and the words come up right from our hearts, from the very core of our beings, with the soul that our forefathers felt when they were toiling in the boiling sun, but praising and worshipping a God who seemed to have forgotten them in their abject misery. But their faith was strong, they acknowledged Him faithful who had promised, and so they stood strong and held on, just like we’re doing today, because we know that better must come. The Lord promised it, and He doesn’t lie.
So, let’s raise those sweet, soulful, harmonious voices in sacrificial praise to high heaven, letting our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ know that we staunchly believe in Him, and totally trust Him to keep all the promises He’s made to us. Altogether now: ‘You know in each life, a little rain must fall, and sometimes the darkest night is just before dawn. I’m here to tell you, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. Oh let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day.
I woke up this morning, with sunshine on my mind, but as I looked through my window, there were clouds all over the land. Then I thanked the Lord for giving me another day. And when I opened my eyes, there was sunshine everywhere, telling me to hold on, hold on, better must come someday. The clouds were all rolled away, yes they did, And I’m here to tell you, Oh I just can’t keep it to myself now, I’ve gotta tell somebody else, to hold on, hold on, better must come one day. Hold on till the end, and don’t give up now, I know your change is going to come, like the clouds give way to the sun.
Whenever you’re down and out, and you have no one around, remember this song, telling you to be strong. Let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day. The sun will shine, yes it will! So, go tell your friend, go tell your mama, tell your sister about it, tell your brother, tell your daddy, to hold on, hold on, better must come one day.
And sometimes when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and happiness is nowhere in sight… I’m here to tell you that trouble don’t last always, behind each dark cloud there’s a silver lining. Yeh, let me tell you children, hold on, hold on, better must come one day, better will come, I know, Oh I know it will,
Hey, hey, you’d better hold on, hold on, for better must come one day. I’d like to share this with every man, every woman, with every boy and every girl. Let me tell you, you’d better hold on. I don’t know about you nuh, but sometimes I get a little weak, yes, I’ve been there, and know that the sun will shine again, so I’m holding on, and you’d better hold on too, hold on, for better must come one day, Yes hold on, hold on, for better must come one day…better must come one day…’
And that’s the God awesome truth my brethren: better will come one day! As we said earlier on, Jesus promised it, and He doesn’t lie. And right off the bat, here is a scripture that says it all. From way back in time, the prophet Balaam said unto Balak, king of Moab: ‘God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)
Yes friends, whatever our God promises He will make come true. But just to refresh our memories and offer some encouragement and reassurance, let’s look at a few of the many promises of good tidings in God’s word. Hear this one from Isaiah, re the final restoration of Israel. ‘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)
And if that doesn’t move you, then try this one from Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Now we all know that, and if you don’t believe it, then you’re in the wrong club. (smile)
Or perhaps you prefer how Bruh Paul puts it to the Roman church. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Oh friends, if we sincerely LOVE God and are called to do His will, then we ought to know and believe that eventually all things will work out for our good, or as George Banton puts it, ‘better must come one day.’ Otherwise we’re just wasting our time and God’s.
And here’s another scripture that we all know. This one from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol. He writes In Proverbs: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8)
And we could continue all day (smile) because there are many more promises of the good times to come at the end if we endure as faithful believers, so that when Christ returns, He finds us faithful, ready and waiting; eagerly expecting His coming. That’s because we truly believed His most important words down here on earth. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
And that’s exactly why we need to hold on in faith my fellow saints! Please remember that the whole purpose of this earthly life is to end up in heaven with Jesus. Yes, let’s hold on, because better… no the BEST, will eventually come in the form of everlasting life with Jesus! Much LOVE!
…only true faith in Jesus…will cause us to see heaven with Him…
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