The Overwhelming Necessity for Christians to Keep Their Spiritual Fires Burning Brightly by Seeking Strength from Their Faith!

09 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

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

Zechariah 4:6b.        Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

It’s the first day of the week friends! The Lord’s Day, and the church bells are ringing for the early morning gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship and worship our great God Jehovah. Unfortunately though on this Remembrance Day weekend, our first snowfall of the season might inconvenience you, but at some time during the day, do your best to join with other believers to celebrate God’s goodness to the children of men. Yes friends, the white stuff has made it’s presence felt early on in the season. But thankfully, it was mostly wet snow, and at midday, it’s petered out and the streets seem to be fairly clean, although the sidewalks, trees and rooftops are covered with the white stuff. 

Now, today, our song of worship is an old gospel spiritual titled ‘Give Me Oil in My Lamp.’ It’s an old revival time hymn that stirs up the blood and gets you dancing, clapping and opening your heart in true joyful worship. But it’s not a frivolous song, because it asks for things that are near and dear to our faith and which can only be had from Jesus. It’s based somewhat on the parable of the 10 virgins. (Matt. 25:1-13). 

And I like what this commentary says about it. ‘For the religious, one interpretation is that it signifies a thirst for spiritual food—spiritual food to get one through the darkest of times in hopes of a brighter day, a clearer vision of one’s path or until one gains their salvation.’ And do we ever need that inspiration, reassurance and spiritual food in these evil and ungodly times. So, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in an up-tempo, revival time, heartfelt version of the song. Letting all and sundry know that we’re serious about what we’re crying out for. 

Singing: ‘Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning. Give me oil in my lamp, I pray. Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning. Keep me burning till the break of day. (Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!) Give me LOVE in my heart, keep me sharing. Give me LOVE in my heart, I pray. Give me LOVE in my heart, keep me sharing, sharing, sharing… Keep me sharing till the break of day. (Refrain) 

Give me joy in my heart, keep me singing. Give me joy in my heart, I pray. Give me joy in my heart, keep me singing, singing, singing. Keep me singing till the break of day. (Refrain) Give me faith in my heart, keep me praying. Give me faith in my heart, I pray. Give me faith in my heart, keep me praying, praying, praying. Keep me praying till the break of day. (Refrain: Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King of kings! Sing hosanna, sing hosanna, sing hosanna to the King!)’ 

Oh friends, all that we are asking for is our birthright as Christians. It’s what we get from Jesus when we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. The oil in our lamps to keep us burning. Like this commentary states: ‘In the song someone is asking God for the “oil” of the Holy Spirit to light up their lamp – or their life – and keep them “burning”.  I think they want to be on fire for their Lord!’ And why not eh? That’s why He came to earth and died for us. So that we can be His representatives and keep the fires of His faith burning brightly. 

And you can’t have a fire without some kind of fuel to feed it. It’s like Isaiah says: ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach the good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound (in chains).’ (Is. 61:1) That’s Isaiah’s introduction to Jesus who came to do those things and afterwards sent His Holy Spirit to keep us keeping on. And here’s how Zechariah puts it: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Zech. 4:6b) 

Keeping our lamps burning also teaches us about stewardship and readiness. Jesus speaks of the 5 virgins who were wise and took extra oil for their lamps in case the bridegroom was late, while the other five did not contemplate such a situation and when their lamps ran out of oil they had to go and purchase more, but by the time they got back the bridegroom had arrived and the  doors were locked, effectively keeping them out of the party. 

That’s why Jesus warned: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13) That means we must be in constant readiness for Jesus can comeback any time, like a thief in the night, and if we’re not ready, then crapaud smoke we pipe! 

Oh…and there’s’ nothing we need more than LOVE, the LOVE of Christ in our hearts, so that we can share it with others. It’s God’s greatest attribute and the reason He sent Jesus to sacrifice His sinless life for us. As Jesus told Nicodemus, the Jewish teacher who came to Him under cover of night for answers: ‘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) Only a great and precious LOVE for His human creation could have caused the Lord to sacrifice His only Son, and we ought to be everlastingly grateful for it, instead of the doh care attitude so many of us show. 

And then there’s’ joy my people; the joy of the Lord which is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) Yes, for without that joy and the strength it gives us, the enemy would walk right over us. And that’s why he tries to steal our joy before anything else. The joy of the Lord keeps us singing, walking tall and being proud of who we are, because we know that once we have that joy, nothing can stop us. That leaves faith. 

Wow! That’s what we get from being followers of Jesus, that allows us to undergo any trials and tribulations that may come against us. And if you read Hebrews 11, you’ll see all the people of great faith who stood up strong and did the Lord’s bidding. As the author says; ‘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) 

Sadly though, a lot of us don’t have strong faith and thus fall prey to Satan and his evil schemes. But again, we need to do like the author of Hebrews tells us: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke (stir up) unto LOVE and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:23-25) 

And that says it all my fellow believers! It gives us good reasons for gathering together in the Lord’s sanctuary. So, let’s get out there today and do that nuh, because Jesus’ return gets closer with each passing day! Much LOVE!

…It’s right to sing Hosanna to the King…that cry for salvation…because Jesus answered our cry…and saved us… 

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

The Great Value and Importance of Christians having Unshakeable HOPE In God!

14 Feb 2025 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 42:5.      Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).

And the shouts went up in loud unison this Valentine’s Day morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here!’ That said, a Happy Valentine’s Day to all you my Scrip-Bit friends and families! Let’s hope that this day of LOVE will indeed be one that brings God’s greatest attribute sincerely to our hearts, and stay there after the day is done. Because we talk a lot about LOVE, but many of us don’t know what it really means, or don’t show it enough in our relationships with others. 

Anyway, it’s been a bright, sunshiny, though somewhat windy day in my area, but at least the streets are clean and the snow has been mostly removed. I heard the snow crew working diligently all night, until around four this morning to get it done. However, after the 25-30 cm. of snow we recently received, it’s forecasted to have another big downpour this weekend. Let’s hope that there’s enough money in the Snow Removal Budget to clean that up also, and we don’t end up like we’ve done in some past years, with not enough money to facilitate a quick and thorough clean up. (smile) 

But you know the most important word in that sentence is the li’l word HOPE! It’s small but ever so powerful, so that without it, one is without true life, but with it, all things are possible. Especially if we have Christ Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. And we’ll dedicate this Valentine’s Day Friday to not only LOVE, but also to HOPE, because, if we have those two things in abundance, we are truly blessed.  And we’ll begin with this most appropriate prayer on HOPE, from the recently published Prayer Series of Cards by the In Touch Ministries. 

So please pray with me: ‘Thank You, God, for the Hope I have today. The trail ahead is shrouded in darkness, but You’re my light. Though I’m tempted to fear all is lost, I know You never fail. Guide my steps, because You know the way. When plans evaporate and goals vanish, give me new direction. Every morning is a fresh beginning in Your great faithfulness. So I take Your hand in this place and sing a song of praise. In You I always have hope.’ And all God’s people said a loud and sincerely grateful ‘Amen!’ 

Yes friends, In Christ our Saviour there’s ALWAYS HOPE! Let’s never forget that. And there are no better words from the scriptures to describe our great hope in God than these awesome words from Psalm 42, penned by the Sons of Korah. Please read with me: ‘As the hart panteth after (deer longs for) the water brooks, so panteth (longs) my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 

When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (a pilgrim feast). Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:1-5) And that’s the best advice we can ever take or give anyone else; continue hoping in God and His amazing presence! 

Now we don’t have time for all of the psalm, but these words of explanation from the scholars bring it’s truth home to us. In the first place, they claim that Psalms 42 and 43 could be read as one, and in fact are joined together in some Hebrew texts. So here, they are talking about both psalms together. 

‘Using the refrain Hope thou in God as a marker, the poem yields three stanzas. First, the psalmist expresses his deep longing for God (42:1-5); second, his sad lament and dejection before God (42: 6-11); finally, his sure confidence in God (43:1-5). The three stanzas reveal the changing moods of the psalmist: from longing and regret to perplexity, then to trust and assurance. If only every downcast soul could end up in that third stanza!’ 

Yes friends, if only. However, we can, because we have the true and real hope in God, for when our souls are cast down and disquieted, we can go confidently, but ever so humbly, to the throne of grace, seeking divine aid to help with our earthly problems. So let’s do that right now nuh, go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant for aid in these dire times. 

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!’ 

But please remember, divine aid all depends on our level of obedience, trust and the quality of witness we give for Christ. Much LOVE!

…as long as there’s life…there’s ALWAYS HOPE in Almighty God…

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