Man’s ONLY True Source of Help is Almighty God, His Creator and Controller

Psalm 37:40.        And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

 And another work week has begun, with Monday as our usual lead-off hitter! And we all hate to pitch to him, because he so often hits us out of the park. (smile) But let’s not allow him to agitate us today and make us fearful of his big swing, by pitching him balls that he cannot hit. Yes friends, let’s use the confidence, the  grace, and the renewal of spirit that we got from going to the Lord’s sanctuary yesterday and, with the Lord’s help, understand how to handle Monday on the mound for the opening week’s pitch.

Remember how the psalmist Asaph says in Psalm 73, that he was envious of the wicked for their earthly prosperity, but it was not until he went into the Lord’s house and communed with Him that he learned the answer to his problem. We can also learn to handle Mondays by communing with God. And learning to handle Monday is not always easy, because it takes a lot of self -control and self-discipline.

Meaning not wanting to party the whole weekend away, but getting sufficient rest that you will be fresh to begin anew on Monday. And most importantly, fellowshipping with other believers so that the Holy Spirit can work on you while you praise and give thanks to Almighty God, and listen to His wise and Holy Word. Amen! End of sermon! (smile)Yes friends, that’s the basic way to properly handle Mondays.

And now that we know how to handle Monday’s, what about the rest of the week, you ask? Well that’s easy. (smile) Here’s some practical advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. He says: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit  thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)

So my brethren, we’ve got to begin with trusting God, doing good, delighting ourselves in Him, and committing our way to Him, before any serious and productive improvements come our way. But that’s not all, for it’s a big job, that we can only do with God’s help! The next step, as Bruh David lays it out, is to ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of a man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:7-8)

That’s basically how to handle the rest of the week friends. (smile) Remember, knowing scripture is of no use unless we put it into action, unless we live it in our everyday lives. That’s why the Lord gave us the Bible; to be our Guidebook for earthly living. And if we don’t use it as such, we’ll be sadly wasting all the heartaches, trials and tribulations that the godly men, the prophets and Jesus went through to live it, and then go through more hardship to get it written, so that we can have a good example of how to live this earthly life.

And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on a portion of the psalm. ‘The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not … neither be thou envious (vs.1), trust …do good (vs.3), delight thyself also in the Lord (vs. 4), commit thy way … trust (vs.5), rest … wait patiently … fret not (vs.7), cease from anger …forsake wrath … fret not (vs.8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’

And these are the last words of the psalm: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)

Yes my fellow believers, the Lord does all He does for the righteous because they trust sincerely and fully in Him. Let’s remember that most important aspect of our faith, so that we can live it out successfully. Now, it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help with our many serious 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!’ 

And friends, we know exactly what we need to do to receive divine aid, for it’s not rocket science; our prayer clearly states it. God has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek His face. So please, let’s get to doing that right now nuh, because we desperately need divine help in our troubled and ungodly world! Much LOVE!

…the only true source of help for man…is that which comes from Almighty God…

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

The Solid Reasons for Believers to Resist the Devil’s Lure!

Psalm 37:1.       Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

Oh friends, it’s another beautiful, sunshiny day in my area, with temperatures supposedly around plus 7 degrees. Wow! Now, yesterday it was also supposed to be around the same temperature, but it surely didn’t feel that warm. Thankfully though, most of the snow has now melted, and if this warm weather continues, then it shall soon be all gone. 

And by the way, I heard some other good news this morning; some birds chirping outside my bedroom window. Was I ever surprised. Birds chirping in the second week of March? It’s either they didn’t go south for the winter, or they believe that spring is near, so they came back. And when I came downstairs just now and looked out the kitchen window, I saw a couple of them frolicking in their usual fashion out there. It would surely be a boost to our collective spirits if spring was right around the corner, giving us a much-needed break from the tough winter that we’ve now become unaccustomed to. (smile) 

Yes, we’ve gotten so accustomed to the easy living of these modern and prosperous times that what in earlier times would have been a normal winter, has now become a winter of huge proportions. What a set of wusses, that’s weak, shallow, ineffectual people we’ve become! No wonder we feel so entitled to living the good life without even lifting a finger to make it happen. But do not fear, we will all get our comeuppance in due time. The Lord’s promised it, and we know that whatever He promises will come to pass…in His good time. (smile) 

And what’s on tap for today, you ask? Well, I just opened the Good Library, and this most interesting and most relevant psalm jumped out at me. It’s Psalm 37, where Bruh David writes about Trust In the Lord. So let’s read it together nuh, and see what good and useful information we can glean from it. He begins: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps. 37:1-2) 

And right there in the opening verses my people, we have some very important and reassuring words. Don’t be jealous and envious of those who do evil and seem to prosper, for their undeserved prosperity will eventually be diminished by God’s intervening hand. Now, those words of reassurance have never been needed more than in these very evil and ungodly times, where Satan’s rule is at it’s highest. And how do we counter Satan’s attempts to inveigle us into his evil doings. 

Bruh David lays it our very plainly in these following verses of the psalm. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-6) Yes my brethren, those are the basic ways to keep the devil at bay and the Lord in first place in our lives, so that He can uplift and exalt us in due time. 

And we all know that sticking to the Lord like white on rice is not easy in these very turbulent and chaotic times, but He’s given us all the tools we need to do it, we simply have to get up the gumption to use them, and not let the seemingly pleasurable things of the world get us off track, like Beelzebub is trying so hard to do. And if we do that to the best of our ability, here’s what Bruh David says will happen. ‘And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:6) For sure! The Lord will ensure your justice and righteousness, if you make Him number one in your life. 

Then Bruh David adds a li’l langniappe, or extra for good measure, when he continues: ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who propsereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place (look diligently for it), and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.’ (Ps. 37:7-11) 

Oh my fellow saints, the wicked are ruling the roost right now, but we know that eventually the Lord will cut them down like the grass withers at high noon, so we should encourage ourselves and each other not to give up, not to let the worthless baubles and bangles that the enemy flashes in front of our faces to lure us into his evil trap. The Lord’s promised, and He’s faithful. So let’s stand strong and wait on Him. He knows what He’s doing. Remember His thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours, that we cannot even begin to understand them. (Is. 55:8-9) 

Remember too, that Satan is a created being just like us, and his power is nonexistent in our lives, unless we allow him to use it. And the Bible tells us that when the Lord’s ready, He will get rid of him forever. ‘And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.’ (Rev. 20:10) So friends, it’s certainly within our power to resist the devil, but we have to use the tools provided, if we wish to do it successfully. 

And I like how the scholars explain it. ‘The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not…neither be thou envious (vs. 1), trust…do good (vs. 3), delight thyself also in the Lord (vs. 4), commit thy way…trust (vs. 5), rest…wait patiently…fret not (vs. 7), cease from anger…forsake wrath…fret not (vs.8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust in the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’  

Yes friends, our God is immutable, unchangeable! And we see the Lord saying that in Malachi: ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) ‘That implies that God’s character and eternal purposes do not change, which gives a solid foundation for his people’s faith and hope.’ Amen! 

Now let’s go home with boosted faith and spirits, declaring 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 made that declaration (steups!!!) we’re now duty bound 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!

…Jesus reaffirmed Bruh David’s promise in the Beatitudes…blessed are the meek…for they shall inherit the earth… (Matt. 5:5)

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Diligently and Sincerely Seeking God, if One Wants to Live the Abundant Life!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   8 March 2025   Deuteronomy 4:29.

Deuteronomy 4:29.       ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him, with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’

And it’s another sunshiny, clear, dry day in my neck of the woods, although some snow fell during the midnight hours. But that’s all gone now. So, we can be out and about frolicking on this lazy-day Saturday, or simply stay inside, and enjoy the comforts of home, with the added joy of knowing that it’s beautiful outside. (smile) And to ramp up our joy even further, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, with all sincerity and truth. 

As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And there’s nothing more pleasant or desirous than having God’s peace and presence increased in our souls! And it’s assured when we pray sincere prayers like those, because our God LOVES nothing more than to hear us asking Him to come deeper and more plentiful into our lives, spirits and souls. For that’s why He made us; to have good and strong communion with us; to shower His LOVE on us, and receive our LOVE in return. 

Now that’s why there are so many scriptures in the Lord’s Word about seeking Him. So, let’s check out a few today nuh, starting with this one from Jeremiah that we all know. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) It could not be any clearer or more straightforward than that my fellow believers! 

And, earlier on, Moses told the Israelites the very same thing when cautioning them about repentance of sin. ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him, with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’ (Deut. 4:29) Then Isaiah, in his reminder that God abundantly pardons, tells his people: ‘Seek the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55: 6-7) 

Oh my people, that is exactly what our evil and ungodly world desperately needs RIGHT NOW! A return to God and acceptance of all the good things He has to offer. As Bruh David so sincerely and truly puts it 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. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) 

Wow mih bredrin! Who wouldn’t want all those wonderful benefits eh? Well, they are readily available by simply turning to the Lord God in repentance and becoming the new man that requires, with the awesome help of His Holy Spirit. And if you’re wanting more scripture about getting good things from God, listen to these two nuh. The first from Isaiah, from that scripture on God’s continual strength and unsearchable understanding: ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) 

We all know it, but do we practice it? Now that’s another quandary, or difficult position in which we find ourselves; there’s something that we want, but apparently are not willing to do what it takes to get it. The same goes for this scripture from Psalm 37, titled Trust in the Lord. Bruh David writes: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-5) 

And that’s only a few of the things we can do to get the desires of our heart from God! So who’s to blame if we don’t get them eh? No one else but us! But let’s get back to some more modern scriptures that blatantly tell us to seek the Lord. Here’s this one from James, where he admonishes us: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded….Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10) 

And Peter echoes the same sentiments: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 6-7) And we spoke about that early on when we said that God created us to LOVE us, and be LOVED in return. That’s because He cares the whole world about us. Why else would He send His Son to earth to die for our sins eh? The basic reason was LOVE for his sinful, disobedient creation, as Jesus so eloquently puts it. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) 

That’s as good as it gets my fellow saints, and why Jesus therefore strongly advised us; ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) The long and short of the story then is we have all the information and tools before us, it’s our choice how we choose to use them. But please, please hear this last admonition from the scriptures; where Moses tells the Israelites as they are preparing to enter the Promised Land. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) 

I offer this same admonition to us today my people. Why? ‘Because the quality of your life isn’t determined as much by the breaks that you get, as its determined by the choices that you make.’ Much LOVE!

…one can only find God….when one seeks Him diligently and sincerely…

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

The Necessity of Praying in God’s Will!

1 John 5:14.        And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:

It’s a rainy lazy-day Saturday morning… just right for lying in bed, cozily wrapped up under the covers, doing something you simply cannot do during the week. (smile) Unfortunately though, I could not take advantage of such largesse because I went to bed early last night, spending more hours than normal in the bed, and just when the rain began falling, my ole back complained about too much lying down, and pained enough that I was forced to get up from the warm, comfortable bed and get a move on with my day. 

Hn! What a calamity in my old age! But them’s the breaks! And it wasn’t like I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep. However, it would be nice to lie for as long as one desires in one’s own bed, without any complaints from one’s body. (smile) Anyway, enough with my petty troubles, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. 

As one voice. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And, as our prayer was sincere, and the Lord LOVES those kinds of prayers, requiring His awesome  presence in our lives, we know it’s only a matter of time before we begin feeling His presence lifting our spirits. It’s as John says in his first epistle. ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) 

Yes friends, if we pray according to God’s will, then we will inevitably receive the desires for which we asked. But it must be His will for us, and also His time. So, sometimes when we pray in His will and seem to get a no answer, it’s not necessarily a definite ‘NO’ but possibly, it’s just not the right time, you’re not ready for that as yet. But in any case, we should take these words of Bruh David from Psalm 37 very seriously, where he writes about not fretting and placing our sincere trust in God. 

Please read with me: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 

And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:1-9) 

Oh my people, that’s one passage of scripture, like a few others, if you don’t read anything else, and just follow the directives contained therein, they would marvellously sustain you in your Christian walk. What does it say eh? ‘Fret not…Trust in the Lord, and do good… Delight thyself in the Lord…Commit thy way unto the Lord…Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently… Cease from anger, and forsake wrath…those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth.’ 

Yes mih bredrin, that’s it in a nutshell! Everything you need to know and do in a practical sense to serve the Lord and enjoy the awesome benefits that come from truly serving Him. And no, those things are not always easy to do especially in these unsavoury and distrustful times, but if we stand strong in our faith, the Lord will help us to rest, trust, not fret, delight, commit and wait patiently for His will to come to pass. That’s what faith is all about: standing strong, even when the world is falling down around us. 

And as we saw earlier on this week, the Lord will not allow us to go through the fire, flooded rivers or any thing that can harm us without offering a helping hand. But we have to believe that sufficiently so we can do whatever is necessary to make a stand for Jesus. As Bruh Paul says in Ephesians: ‘…and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph. 6:13) Yes my fellow believers, it’s ever so important that we stand strong for Jesus in this evil and ungodly world, so that we can make a significant difference and turn things around, looking unto heaven instead of hell. 

By the way, another of those scripture passages that contain almost everything we need to know and do is Proverbs 3:5-12. It might be a good idea for us to review it soon, so that we can do what Bruh Paul advises in Colossians: ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly (abundantly) in all wisdom;’ (Col. 3:16a) 

And what does it mean to let the word of God dwell in you richly? This commentary explains it thus: ‘Letting God’s Word dwell in us means we spend time reading Scripture, memorizing it, and letting it change our hearts, words, and behaviour. Doing that impacts three areas of our lives: what we teach, how we counsel, and the way we worship God.’ 

And having said all of that, it’s now time to get up and put it work, action those seemingly simple but oh so difficult and important things we need to do to walk worthily of Christ and bring honour and glory to His holy name! Much LOVE!

… if God’s Word is our greatest treasure…then deception will have no place…to rest its evil feet in our lives…

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

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

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

It’s Thursday friends! One more day and it will be Friday, and the weekend will be here! Give the Lord thanks and praise! (smile) Ah, we do LOVE our weekends, especially the summer ones, where we can gad about free and easy and enjoy the hijinks of the summer season. However, though it’s good to be free and easy, let’s remember that when too many free and easy things are overdone, they eventually bring hardship and pain, and then we hold our heads and bawl, saying why didn’t I think about it before I did it. 
And yes, we have to do some of that to learn what life is truly all about. But the earlier we learn to have a modicum of circumspection, the better off we’ll be. Now, having expounded such wonderful advice, I’m at a loss for something to talk about today. So let’s see where the Good Library will lead us nuh. (smile) I’m sure it will never lead us astray. 
And lo, and behold, it opened unto the Book of Lamentations, where the prophet Jeremiah shed tears for both himself and his people. But then, he remembers the Lord’s faithfulness in all the negative situations that he and his people had faced. Then he laments: ‘Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall (bitterness). My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled (bowed down) in me. This I recall to mind, therefore have I hope.’ (Lam. 3:19-21) 
Yes friends, though we go through tough times, experience the bitterness of wormwood-like stuff, it is essential that we never lose hope in our wonderful God. For He only tests or chastens us for our own benefit. And as Jeremiah so wisely and rightly continues: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:22-23) And that’s the gospel truth my people. If it wasn’t for the Lord’s mercies, LOVE and compassion on us, we’d be wiped off the face of the earth long ago. He is ever so faithful to us, although we don’t return the faithfulness. 
As Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13) Yuh see mih bredrin, the Lord’s faithfulness is so embedded in Him, that even if He wanted to, He could not be unfaithful! And we’d better be thankful for that, with all the nonsense, all the sin and disobedience we commit, when it’s also a requirement for us to be faithful in our lives and service to God.  
But then, when things get hard, when we find ourselves at the end of ourselves, we run crying to Him, begging for mercy and He hears us and offers His mercy, compassion and unconditional LOVE! And it’s interesting to hear what the scholars say about real faith. ‘Real faith is more than inner belief, even more than whole-souled committal. It is a condition of the soul marked by such a stable character and an attitude of total trust that the believer’s whole life is imbued with consistent, responsible service to God. (cf. 1 Sam. 26:23; Ps. 37:3-6). From the biblical standpoint, true faith results in faithfulness in one’s life.’ 
And we admit that that’s not easy to do, with all the temptations and negative situations we encounter, but we have the help of the Holy Spirit, and I’m sure we can do much better than we’re currently doing, if we only paid greater attention to His still small voice that leads and guides us. And these words from Jeremiah’s lament point the way to where our hearts ought to be steadfastly directed. ‘The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:24-26) 
The question is my people, do we feel as strongly about those words as Jeremiah did? Obviously not. For if we did, then we would not be so disobedient and rebellious, and would show much more faithfulness, more discipleship, be full of salt and light in our daily lives. Remember that though our God is faithful, merciful, LOVING, and all those good things, if we claim to be believers, yet continue to be unfaithful, we will eventually pay a high price for it. 
That’s why the scholars referenced above, these wise words of Bruh David. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto he Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6) 
That’s all we have to do friends; trust in the Lord, and do good; delight ourselves in him, and commit our way to Him. He will do the rest. As Jesus said: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) The same thing goes for if we trust and delight in God and commit our ways to Him. Now let’s declare (chuhhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings so we can activate them. Those blessings so generously bestowed on us so that we can do God’s earthly work. 
As one: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 
Now, let’s go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…faithfulness is a requirement…to whatever cause we hold dear to our hearts…
 
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Today’s Scrip-Bit 8 March 2021 Psalm 37:1.

Psalm 37:1.     ​Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

The 5. a.m. alarm sounds…and I roll over and mutter, ‘O Lord, is Monday, got to get up and go and open the shop. Customers will soon be there knocking on the door anxious to get in…’ and I see myself bustling to fix up the place before opening time. But then something significant happens. I finally open my eyes and realize that it was all a dream, a cruel one, but still a dream. No real alarm went off, and one won’t go off until I don’t know when, for I have not opened the shop in months, because of the lockdown, and it won’t be opening this morning either, although the lockdown has been eased some. 

I am a barber, I am a hairdresser, I am an esthetician, but my premises must still remain closed, while the liquor stores, the pot stores and the big groceries are open and making a killing. They won’t even allow me one or two customers at a time. Steups! But they still want me to pay rent on a shop that they’ve closed up, not me. And how do I get money to do that eh? From the li’l pittance the government so graciously grants me every few weeks? Chuh blast! And what am I supposed to live on, and feed my family with eh? It’s B.S! It’s all B.S! 

The rich as usual are getting richer, while the poor are getting poorer, and the status quo still holds; the privileged ones are enjoying their usual privileges, while the underprivileged and disenfranchised scrape the bottom of the barrel for the crumbs that remain. But isn’t that the way it’s always been, from the beginning of time? The haves sometimes talk a good talk, but their actual walk leaves a lot to be desired. 

I know it’s a balancing act, but the powers that be are not doing a good or even fair job of it. Those at the bottom of the feed trough are suffering so much more than those at the top, but they are still talking about we are all in this together. Yes, we are, but not equally or equitably! For the many are suffering a lot more than the few! 

And how do we rectify this rather untenable situation eh? Let’s see now. The first thing is that we must not give up. Come hell or high water we must continue fighting, because like all adversity, this too shall and must pass! And how do we do that? There’s only ONE sure way that I know, and that’s to trust in our Creator, Almighty God. Surrender our lives and souls to Him completely. He created us and still cares for us, and is the best one to lead and guide us through the universe He’s created for us to spend our formative years – eternity is our adult years. (smile) 

And believe me, our God is allowing this pandemic to terrorize us because He’s trying to wake us up from our sinful slumber and bring us back to Him. Now the best way to do that is by taking His holy word to heart. Listen, as Bruh David teaches how from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’(Ps. 37:1-2) 

Oh  friends, that’s the initial step; do not envy or be jealous of the wicked who seem to prosper in their wickedness, for when the Lord is ready, their time of reckoning will come upon them. He has faithfully promised us that: ‘the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.’ (Ps. 37:28b-29) 

Then here comes the mainstay: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6) 

Yes my faithful brethren, that’s the starting point for us to stay strong and never give. Trust and delight in the Lord, and commit our way to Him, follow His lead and guidance, His plan for our life. No it’s not easy, but once we truly surrender to Him, He will enable us to do it. Then, as Bruh Paul would say: ‘And having done all that, thenSTAND!’(Eph. 6:13b) (smile) 

But Bruh David puts it this way. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:7-9) 

And that my people, is the only way to get through this pandemic successfully; turn your eyes heavenward to the One who made you and cares a whole lot about you, judging from the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, that He made on your behalf. So let’s begin at the beginning nuh, turning our lives over to God through sincere prayer, namely our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

As one voice now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the many natural disasters that now seem more prevalent than ever. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land 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!’ 

Now let’s go out and live up to our word. Much LOVE!

…like the haves…we Christians also talk a good talk…but in these troubled times…we desperately need to walk our talk…Jesus is depending on us to show others the way…