The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Acknowledging that They Cannot LOVE Both God and the World at the Same Time!

02 Mar 2026 Leave a comment

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

James 4:7.        Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

And now that Sunday has passed into the history Books, this new day must be Monday, for Monday follows Sunday like the sun follows the moon and the day the night. That therefore means, after a couple of days of rest, we must get back out into the crazy world. Yes, once again on this bright and sunshiny but cold day, we need to get into labouring mode, sometimes more like fighting mode, with all the pushing and shoving that occurs while commuting numerous miles, through various modes of transportation to the concrete jungles, where most of the work is located, so we can earn a dollar to keep life and limb together. (smile) 

Then suffer the same commuting fate to get back home at the end of the workday. No, it certainly doesn’t seem like the best of systems, but unfortunately that’s the way the working world is set up, and if you want to stand a fighting chance, then you need to go with the flow and over time enhance your situation as best as possible. But while doing that, please don’t sell your soul to Beelzebub for silver or gold, or the nice-looking material things of the world, for, when you do that in an effort to get ahead, you’re only making matters worse, because then you’ll be heading straight for eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.

The only way to live this life right, is by clinging steadfastly to Jesus, and then you’ll be headed for salvation and eternal life, the best rewards available. And James, Jesus’ brother, possibly says it best when he writes to his readers, who instead of wrestling with God in prayer, were striving with one another. He rightly asks: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts to have (desires for pleasure) that war in your members (bodies)? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:1-3)

And that’s exactly what’s happening all around our world today! For most, if not all of the strife permeating the world stems from selfish and unsatisfied desires to get what we want, as well as what the world has to offer. Remember what we said about prayer yesterday? Nothing’s wrong with asking, if you’re asking for stuff that falls into God’s will. That’s the basic qualification; it must be in God’s will. Then James continues with these words of wisdom. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself an enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)

That’s an indisputable fact, since Jesus spoke about His followers being IN the world but not OF the world. (John 17:14-16) That means we must not lust after the things of the world, or behave like the world behaves, because it brings us into wrong standing with our heavenly Father. And James rolls on: ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to (yearns) to envy (jealousy)?’ (James 4:5) There he’s referring to this scripture from Genesis. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts (intentions) of his heart was only evil continually.’ (Gen. 6:5)

Yes back then, just like today, most of what man thought, plotted or did was strictly evil all the time. Then James gets to the solution of the problem. ‘But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:6) And per the scholars, that means ‘God gives greater grace than the world’s attraction of verse 4 and the inner lust of verse 5, and so can withstand both.’ There, James is quoting from Romans where Bruh Paul writes: ‘Moreover the law entered, that the offence (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.’ (Rom. 5:20)

So wherever sin is, grace abounds there even more. In other words, sin can never outshine God’s grace! Thus, James dictates: ‘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 doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) And all of what James says there makes sense. It’s high time we get serious, forget our foolish pride and turn sincerely to God, for that’s where our hope and future lie. (Jer. 29:11)

And the scholars offer these explanations. Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil means: Do not submit to, fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Satan cannot lead into sin against one’s will. As per Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved. His welcoming response is always near. (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts mean the cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward and inward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps. 24:3).’  

Ah friends, it certainly seems like we have our work cut out for us, but if we want to have victory over Satan and the world, then those are some of the things we need to do. And to help us do them, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.

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!’ 

 Now let’s remember, despite God’s help, we still have our duty to do in the partnership, and He will not do our part. That means we have to pull up our socks and get moving asap! Why? Because it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!

…you cannot LOVE both God and the world…it’s either one or the other…and God is by far the better choice… 

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

The Struggles Believers Face In Their Attempts To Overcome Sin As Exemplified By the Apostle Paul! Part 1

19 Mar 2025 Leave a comment

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

Mark 14:38.       Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

Sunny days are here again! Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends it’s another sunshiny and warm day, warmer than yesterday, with temps up in the high teens, and people are already out walking without a lot of clothes on. Let’s hope that spring is truly in the air and the devious weather doesn’t turn around and bite us in the you know where. (smile) 

Now, et me apologize for the lateness of the Bit, what with it being Wednesday and I had to go to my church group at mid-morning, then I had an afternoon doctor’s appointment. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for the medical help, but it’s intruding too much on my normal day to day affairs. 

Anyway, today, we’re going to look at an interesting scripture…sorry, all scripture is interesting… (smile) where Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane with His most intimate disciples, Peter, James and John, going through an agony of soul and spirit over His upcoming crucifixion. But every time He goes away to pray in private, He comes back and finds them sleeping. One time when He came and found them sleeping, He admonished them thus, saying to Peter: ‘Simon, sleepest thou? couldest thou not watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:37-38) 

And right there my brethren we have a major human problem. Our spirits are ready to follow God, but our flesh is weak, readily falling to the temptation of the enemy and his evil associates. Unfortunately, this did not start recently, but way back in time as Genesis tells us of man’s wickedness. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (intent or thought) was only evil continually (all the day long).’(Gen. 6:5) 

And one could easily mistakenly believe that we’re living in those times because the wickedness of man in this generation is so perverted and pervasive that I’m sure the Lord is saying the same thing about us. Why are we so wicked and ungodly eh, and have no LOVE for ourselves and each other? Note I didn’t mention God in that, because it’s so obvious that we have no regard for Him whatsoever, otherwise our wickedness would not be so all pervasive. 

But thankfully, there are some scriptures that try to explain our wicked situation, like this one from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, where he talks about his struggle against sin. ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not (I don’t understand why): for what I would (want to do), that do I not; but what I hate, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:14-15) Now that’s a problem we all have my fellow believers, because we have a sin nature that tends to lead to sinful rather than godly stuff. 

And Bruh Paul was no different than us, as the scholars explain. ‘The law is spiritual, means that it has the characteristics of the Spirit and is consistent with the character of God. Meanwhile, I am carnal, explains the biographical nature of what follows and is designed to reveal the real struggle the apostle experienced in the flesh. His experience is also exemplary, for it shows the problems all believers experience in their battle with sin.’ And that’s no lie, as Bruh Paul continues to show. 

‘If then I do that which I would not (I don’t want to do), I consent unto (agree with) the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For then good that I would (want to do) I do not; but the evil which I would not (don’t want to do), that I do.’ (Rom. 7:16-19) 

Oh my fellow believers, how many times have we found ourselves in such a situation eh? Wanting to do the right thing, but ending up doing the wrong one, and we’re at a loss as to why we did what we didn’t want to do, instead of what we wanted to do. It’s certainly a human predicament, as we’re so often dominated by sin and sinful pursuits. And we’ll stop there for today, as Bruh Paul goes on make several other tough statements that would make the Bit way too long and confusing to digest all at once. If God spares life tomorrow, then we’ll continue with Bruh Paul’s epic struggle with our sin nature. 

Now, let’s go home declaring (chuhhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And please, let’s not forget the added promise that if we endure with Jesus right to the very end, then that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. So, let’s make plans to meet at the very end and together enjoy the marvellous future promised then nuh! Much LOVE!

…man’s sin nature was inherited from our forefathers…but it can be made to bow…by the works and words of Jesus

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

The absolute necessity of forsaking Evil for Good!

02 Jul 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 34:14.       Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

So my people, all the Canada Day partying is over now, and on this bright and sunshiny summer Tuesday, it’s time for us to get back to work, to seriously try and solve our many problems without resorting to violence, because in the end, violence never proves anything, it only breeds more violence. That’s why the Bible, the Law of God, tells us so much about refraining from evil. And just in case you don’t believe me, let’s look at some of those verses that repudiate evil, that warns the believer about accepting or indulging in the works of the devil.

 First up are these explicit warnings from Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good… Recompense to (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things)…. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord… Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12: 1, 17, 19, 21) 

Yes friends, all of that on the repudiation of evil in just one chapter. But unfortunately those warnings don’t seem to have any effect on  today’s modern world, since it’s filled with evil right up to the gills, with evil currently being the predominant force on the planet, while good runs a distant second. But that should not be so my faithful brethren, as our mandate from our Lord and Saviour is to fill the earth with goodness, joy, and LOVE! Remember these words He spoke to the disciples, and consequently to us? 

‘These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you…These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:12-13, 17) Yuh see friends, we should be all about LOVE and joy while we zealously pursue Christ’s command in the Great Commission. ‘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 what soever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) 

Now that’s supposed to be our job, but obviously, for whatever reason(s), we are falling down on it, otherwise the word would not be so filled with the evil and negative influences of Satan. What don’t we understand about the necessity for spreading God’s Word and staying away from evil eh? Now hear this further warning from Bruh David in Ps. 34. 

‘What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth.’ (Ps. 34:12-16) 

Oh my brethren, even if we’re the most simple minded of people, those words are very easy for us to understand. Stay away from evil because the Lord doesn’t like it and He will eventually destroy all that’s evil on His planet! But no, many of us seem to rejoice in and regale the works of evil. So much so that even in Christ’s own church, evil is very rampant. The divisions, the dissensions, the selfish cliques and petty differences keep us apart, so that evil can easily infiltrate the church and drive us even further away from God and each other. 

And if the father, Bruh David was wise, the Son, Cousin Sol, was even wiser. (smile) Listen, as he tells us about the abominations, that’s the evil things that the Lord hates. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him. A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that be swift in running to mischief (evil), A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.’ (Prov. 6:16-19) 

And sadly, all those things that Cousin Sol listed as abominations unto our God are front and centre in today’s world. And the rampant rise and spread of evil in our world is largely due to Christ supposed believers sitting much too idly on their fat fannies, enjoying the pleasures of the world, instead of doing the job they were commissioned to do. Our world would never be in such a dire state of chaos and disaster, if we were living up to Christ’s description of us: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth… Ye are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13, 14, 16) 

Yes friends, unfortunately our salt has lost its flavour, and our lights have become darkened, lost their lustre. And I believe we need a timely reminder of what happened way back when, when the world was in a state very much like ours. The Bible tells us: ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart (his intents or thoughts) was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord (He was sorry, regretted ) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart (His heart was deeply troubled). 

And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me (I am sorry, regret) that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.’ (Gen 6:5-8) And we’re infinitely lucky that Noah found favour with God back then, or there would be no life on earth now, allowing us to make the same dreadful mistakes, and even worse ones, with all of our modern knowledge and technology. 

Oh friends, if the Lord found the world wicked and evil enough to destroy it back then, what do you believe He’s thinking about ours now eh?  For our world is a million times more evil and wicked than Noah’s. And let’s remember, that the Lord never promised to not destroy the world again, just not by water. So, if we continue with our evil ways, anything is possible. However, from the way the worldly strife is heating up, and the talk of using nuclear weapons to settle our differences, the Lord won’t have to raise a finger, for we will do the deed ourselves.

Nonetheless, for those who are trying our best to serve the Lord, let’s go home now declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know of whom we belong to, lock, stock and barrel. As one sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said that, we now need to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…the wise fear the LORD…and shun evil…but a fool is hotheaded…and yet feels secure. (Prov. 14:6)

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