The Overwhelming Importance of Having Unshakeable Faith in Almighty God!

23 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 33:20.        Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield.

And we’ve been so desirous of summer, let’s hope that we like it now that it’s here. I hope you detect the note of sarcasm there, because yesterday Sunday, was as hot as that proverbial place down below, (smile) with temps in the thirties, and wind that was just as hot. It’s also predicted that today Monday, and tomorrow Tuesday will be just as hot, with possible health problems to children and old folks, as well as a high U.V Index that can cause skin problems to all.

So, if you can’t stand that earthly heat then I’d strongly advise you to  make sure that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, so you will be in paradise with Him, and not in that fiery place down under with Satan. As the saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat, then stay out of the kitchen. Some of us might also remember the august warnings from our parents; be careful what you ask for, because there’s a high possibility that  when you get it, you’ll be very disappointed.

Therefore, let’s hope and pray that the summer won’t be as hot for too long, since it will probably set off more forest fires, and cause even more health problems. But yuh know what, let’s do what we’ve been taught by our faith to do, lay all those problems in the hands of Jesus. And what better words can we use for reassurance than these from Psalm 33 – Praise for God’s Goodness.

The Psalmist confidently declares: ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike (individually); as he considereth (understands) all their works. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing (false hope) for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.’ (Ps. 33:12-17)

Now that tells us something about the Lord’s power, that He is overseeing all that happens in the universe He created, and is controlling it as He sees fit, with neither man nor beast able to overcome Him or His desires. Then the psalmist continues with even more assurance: ‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him (have a reverential awe of Him), upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.’ (Ps. 33:18-22)  

Yes friends, the wisest decision we can ever make on this earth is to put our hope and trust in Almighty God, for as Bruh David so assuredly proclaims in Psalm 18 – A Call for God’s Deliverance: ‘I will LOVE thee, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock , and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler (shield), and the horn (strength) of my salvation, and my high tower (stronghold). I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.’ (Ps. 18:1-3)

And that’s how we ought to consider our God: strong, fortress-like, a shield to protect us, as well as to deliver us from our enemies, be they man, beast or nature. And when we think of Him thus, it allows us to put our total and sincere trust in Him, because we know that He will not let us down. No! NEVER!

And it’s all covered by the protective umbrella of Jesus’ Great Invitation, where He sincerely offers: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)

Wow friends! What a magnificent invitation! And the truth of the matter is that ONLY Jesus was and is able to make such an invitation and have the awesome power to keep it. And we would not only be unwise, but rather foolish to turn down such an exceptional offer, especially in these uncertain, very difficult and fearful times. So without further ado, let’s show Christ that we’ve accepted His wonderful offer by going to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our many earthly problems.

Altogether:  ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.

So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

But, having said all of that, we now have to begin doing the things that will cause divine aid to start flowing. That’s turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. So please, let’s get right to it nuh, because we cannot afford to waste even one more day without heavenly help! Much LOVE!

…for who is God…save (except) the Lord…who is a rock save (except) our God… (Ps. 18:31)

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 June 2023   2 Corinthians 12:9a.

09 Jun 2023 Leave a comment

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

2 Corinthians 12:9a.        And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weaknesses.

And then it was Friday, with the attendant shouting of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But in my area the thanking of God was not only because it was Friday and the end of the work week, we had a much more important shout of ‘Thank God for some rain at last!’ 

Yes friends, some time in the morning hours I heard some most welcome raindrops beating against my window pane, and although I had to drive through the drizzle to get to the doctor later on, I was happy to do so, for our land needed some heavenly blessing in the worst way. Let’s hope that some of that heavenly blessing also fell on the areas with forest fires, so that they can be put out more quickly and stop spreading the polluted air like they are currently doing. And all of God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Amen!’ 

And as per my ongoing illness, the doctor and I did not see eye to eye on the remedies for it, but you would have been proud of me, I was a well behaved Christian gentleman and just listened quietly to what he had to say, and will try to take his advice, although I don’t believe it will solve my current problems, and simply continue doing my own thing. 

I’m sure of this one thing though, these problems too will pass, for with the Lord guiding me, I will not be sick forever, and even with the illness, I know that the Lord’s grace will help me to get through whatever I need to do. For as Bruh Paul says after he asked the Lord to remove a thorn in his flesh three times. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weaknesses.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a) 

And believe me, several times I have recently experienced that power in my weakness. I guess it must have been exhibited before, but it’s only lately that I’ve noticed it. (smile) Although I don’t know if I’m quite ready to say like Bruh Paul did: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b) I doubt that if I will glory in them, but when they do show up, I’ll definitely turn to the Lord for His strengthening power. 

And I certainly haven’t reached this level as yet, where Burh Paul declares (yesss!!!): ‘Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:10) Now, I might suffer the bad stuff for Christ’s sake, and be strong in doing so, but I don’t know if I’ll take pleasure in it. (smile) 

Bruh Paul’s zeal is just too much for me. He was an exception to the rule. And I don’t think that the Lord expects us all to have that level of zeal, but I’m sure that we can all come up higher that we’re currently doing. If we just look around us, I’m sure we’ll see the lack of direction, the loneliness, the searching, the emptiness that so many of our fellow men are currently feeling and experiencing. 

Although we are seem so connected by technology, in actual fact we are very disconnected from each other. Just look on any gathering of individuals and you’ll see most, if not all of them on their cellphones, doing whatever, while their friends and families around them are doing the same thing. So, there’s no communication whatsoever with those directly next to them. And sadly, that’s what’s happening all around the world, despite the many almost instant methods of communication, we’re turning away from each other. 

And when you include the consequences of the Covid 19 pandemic, it just makes matters even worse. And if we ever hope to survive as a strong and vibrant society, we have to get back to the basics of true communication, caring and sharing from deep in our hearts, not the surface stuff that’s going on now. And again, only the LOVE of Christ can bring us back to that place of trust, compassion and kindness that we once had. Thus, it is very necessary, of the utmost importance, for we believers to stir up ourselves, each other and those whom we know are needy in some area. 

We are Christ’s ambassadors, His earthly agents, His hands and feet down here, and He’s expecting us to do much better than we’re currently doing. When He comes back, He expects to find plenty of strong faith on the earth, and that will only happen if we get up and get going. So please, for Christ’s sake, for the LOVE and gratitude we claim to feel towards Him, let’s make the effort to get up and get going nuh. Besides, that’s our bounden duty as believers. 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for the help we need to handle our problems and thus make this world a better place for Christ. Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to 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. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And it’s obvious that if we expect to receive positive answers to our petitions, then we also need to make positive changes in our lives. Much LOVE!

…it takes two to tango…one hand to wash the other…that means….help from God comes with obedience to His will and word…  

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 May 2023 Matthew 6:33.

10 May 2023 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 6:33.        But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Yes! It looks like we’re going to get three consecutive sunshiny days at long last! Glory be! You in the tropics wouldn’t understand how good that can be during the wet, rainy spring season. And yes, the frozen ground and the plants do need water to moisten them up and give them nourishment to grow, but too much of a good thing can also be bad. Just look at the recent severe flooding that’s occurred in the Western Province of British Columbia, where they got too much rain, and the forest fires in the middle Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, where they didn’t get enough. 

Life is meant to be a fine balancing act, and if anything drives it off that precarious scale, disaster often follows. And we can see that in the life of man too. He was made to live in communion with His creator and heavenly Father, but he’s stubbornly, and oh so foolishly turned away from Him! So what’s the result of that imbalance eh? A chaotic world, where wars and rumours of war reign, where hatred, religious conflicts, poverty, sickness, economic disaster, climate change and the disasters that they bring are running riot. 

And we can carry on with much more of the chaotic stuff that’s happening because mankind has turned away from a gracious, merciful, forgiving and LOVING God. That’s the tragedy of the ages! And until we wake up and realize why our world is in such a calamitous state, we’ll keep on the downward trend to total destruction. Can you believe that at this stage of our existence, knowing our very fragile current situation, despite the overwhelming disaster that one mistake, or one madman can trigger, we’re still in a race to build bigger and better weapons of mass destruction? 

What’s wrong with us eh? Why are we so pig-headed that we keep rolling along the path that will bring certain destruction, and not the one that will bring redemption and salvation? Didn’t we hear, or didn’t we understand what Jesus said so long ago? ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) Yes friends, man was made to seek first the spiritual things of God’s kingdom and not the material things of this evil and fallen world. 

If we make the righteousness that’s characteristic of God’s kingdom our priority, then Jesus promises that all the material stuff we need will be supplied. Bruh Paul also promised it when he said: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) What’s it eh? Don’t we have faith in the promises of God? Don’t we think we can live a life that’s characterized by the righteousness of God? If not, then the words spoken by Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,’ (Phil. 4:13) are a complete and utter waste of time. 

In fact, it’s a total lie! And all else that flows from it is nothing but fallacy and falsehood. Oh my fellow believers, Jesus will NEVER lie to us, or refuse us His help in anything we undertake in His will and His name. Let’s believe that nuh, because it’s what our faith is based on. Otherwise all the fuss we make about His death and resurrection, salvation, eternal life et al is a complete waste of time. We cannot believe one aspect of Jesus’ ministry and philosophy and don’t believe the others. So it’s very necessary that we believe it all if we are to benefit from it. 

And if you don’t believe that God will supply all our needs if we put our sincere trust and faith in Him, then listen to what He did for Cousin Sol, way back when, when he became king of Israel on the death of his father, Bruh David. One night, in a vision, the Lord asked Cousin Sol what He wanted, and he asked for wisdom and understanding to rule the people in a wise and godly manner. Now the Lord gave him that wisdom and understanding, that’s why to this this day, he’s still known as the wisest man ever, because the Lord said; ‘so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee, shall any arise like unto thee.’ (1 Kin. 3:12) 

But listen to this, as the Lord continues: ‘And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days.’ (1 Kin. 3:13) Yuh see that friends, Cousin Sol didn’t ask for wealth and honour, but the Lord gave them to him anyway, because of his trust and faith, and in such abundance too, that no other king was as rich and honoured as him. But yuh know what, the Lord interspersed one proviso amongst all the showers of blessings. 

Listen up: ‘And if you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen (prolong) thy days.’ (1 Kin. 3:14) Oh my fellow believers, the key to the whole thing, the key to all the wealth and honour of the kingdom of heaven is simply walking in the Lord’s will and ways. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He knows that He did not create perfect but imperfect, sinful, disobedient souls. Just look at some of the stuff that Bruh David did, nuh; adultery and murder, yet the Lord still considered him a friend and a man after his own heart and made him the greatest king ever of Israel. 

But the big difference is that Bruh David always sought the Lord. He knew on which side his bread was buttered, and thus brought every problem to God and did his best to stay on the straight and narrow path. So why is it so difficult for us to understand that our bread is also buttered on the same side as Bruh David’s was eh, and with even small faith, keep going to Him for refuge and understanding, and the things we need in this life? I can’t answer that question, but I do know that I’m trying to do like Bruh David, and though I’m far from perfect and have made many mistakes, the Lord has still blessed me with stuff that I certainly don’t deserve. 

Life hasn’t been easy, but all through it I can now see His hand working on my behalf. And He will work on the behalf of anyone who sincerely puts their trust in His Son Jesus Christ and do their best to stick to His statutes and commandments. And what better scripture to close with than these words from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ (1 Tim. 4:7-8) 

What more can I say eh? Not much. But for those of us who are sincerely trying to practice godliness, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Now friends, let’s just keep om seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness so that others can see that it works. Much LOVE!

…the devil is destroying our world…so why aren’t we turning to the One who wishes to save it eh…Almighty God… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 July 2017 Jeremiah 9:3.

12 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

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

Jeremiah 9:3.   And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.

A good Wednesday morning to you my Scrip-Bit friends and family! I hope the Lord has blessed you with health, strength and wisdom to face another glorious day. 

However, a lot of our fellow believers are not so lucky. I’m talking about the 14,000 people displaced in the Western Province of British Columbia, after being plagued for almost a week by some 219 brush fires; fires that are still in progress and threatening to spread even wider. 

I’m also talking about those saints on the side of Mt.Vesuvius, the smoking volcano near Naples in Italy. The volcano itself apparently has not erupted, just smoking, but its slopes are covered with numerous fires. 

Please friends, let’s pray earnestly and sincerely that those who live in these two disaster areas will be saved from any serious damage, especially loss of life. Remember, fire is probably the most devastating disaster that can happen to us, and that the Lord promised not water, but the fire next time. 

So probably we can just take some of these fiery disasters, (Portugal and California earlier on) as a warning to cease and desist from our evil lifestyle. Who knows? But a wise and prudent man will consider everything. 

That brings us to an interesting Bit. ‘And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.’ 

Ah friends, those words are just as true of our present world as it was of Jeremiah’s time. Truth is not considered as being overly important – we even have alternative truth now (smile). 

And evil…oh my people, evil is so rampant now that it just chills the soul when you hear of some of the ungodly and disgusting things that are happening in our world. And the sad part is that the more sophisticated and intelligent we become, the level of evil also increases. 

The people in the Bible would just die in amazement at the level of evil that we have reached. For, compared to ours, theirs was just a joke. But friends, we should also pay attention to Jeremiah’s warning after our Bit. 

‘Take ye heed every one of his neighbour (friend), and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour (friend) will walk with slanders. 

And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.’ (Jer.9:4-6) 

Ah mih people, fraud and deceit are major detractors of our current society. A person’s word is no longer his bond. And when you get to our leaders, our politicians, our captains of industry… Hn! You can’t take anything they say as truth, for that’s now become the nature of the beast. 

And deceit, fraud and lies are some of the few things that actually trickle or rather flow speedily down from the top to the bottom. Godliness, truth, LOVE and money don’t seem to do so. And they are the things that we need to flow down speedily and widely throughout our world. 

Now listen as Bruh David prays for protection from his enemies, in Psalm 64 – Plot and punishment. ‘Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer (meditation, complaint): preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret council of the wicked; from the insurrection (tumult) of the workers of iniquity: 

Who whet (sharpen) their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: That they may shoot in secret at the perfect (blameless): suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not. 

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune (talk) of laying snares, privily (secretly); they say, Who shall see them? They search out (devise) iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search (have perfected a shrewd scheme): both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart is deep.’ (Ps.64:1-6) 

Oh my brethren, Bruh David could have been talking about our society, so riddled is it with evil, lies and deceit, like his was; just on a higher scale. That means we have to be very careful in our dealings with our fellow man. 

We don’t have to be overly anxious and scrutinize everything to the last detail, but we must do our due diligence in whatever we undertake or get involved in, for our world is definitely not as trustworthy and faithful and true as it used to be just a generation or two ago. 

Please remember though, that Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe stands securely in our corner, so there is nothing to worry about or fear, but we must be diligent. Therefore, we can go home loudly, proudly and sincerely declaring our Wednesday Wail. 

All together 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 glorious future lies ahead of us with Jesus my brethren! Words cannot adequately describe it. Just trust and believe! Much LOVE!

…evil might predominate today…but in due course…the evil will all get their rightful comeuppance…thus says the Lord…