25 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a thousand shall fall at thy side, a very present help in trouble, an abundantly available help, be a refuge for those caught, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, be renewed and refreshed, beyond their control, Blessed are the peacemakers, blessed be God, by day in a pillar of cloud, by night in a pillar of fire, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, called the children of God, caught between nations and forces, children of God must stand up now and make peace, Christians, Christians must play their part, comfort the grieving, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, established it upon the floods, faith, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, from the noiseome pestilence, further your glorious kingdom, God is a refuge for us, God is indeed our help and refuge in troubled times, God is our refuge and strength, God provides a safe shelter in difficult times, God's omnipotent help, God's generous help, guding those fleeing violence, guide those who are fleeing, he hath founded it upon the seas, he is my defence, he is my refuge and my fortress, He only is my rock and my salvation, He shall cover thee with his feathers, he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, hear my prayer, help us to be responsible, his truth shall be thy shield and buckler, holy spirit, I shall not be moved, I will say of the Lord, In God is my salvation and my glory, in him will I trust, inner power, it shall not come nigh thee, Jesus Christ, lack of proper witness for Christ, Lord you reign over all things, LOVE, may I rest in your care, mercy, most need divine aid, move in the hearts, my expectation is from him, my god, my refuge is in God, my soul silently wait thou upon God, not be afraid of the terror by night, our evil and ungodly world, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, our world will continue sinking, pour out your heart before him, protect the innocent, protection, remind me that nations rise and fall, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rest and relaxation, Selah, Septemebr In Touch Devotional Prayer, shall not come near to you, sinking into the mire of evil and ungodliness, stand strong and steadfast, ten thousand at thy right hand, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the arrow that flieth by day, the BIBLE, the destruction that wasteth at noonday, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the good example that we your faithful believers set, the Lord went before them, the pestilence that walketh in darkness, the rock of my strength, the weekend is here at last, the world and they that dwell therein, therefore will we not fear, those empowered to bring peace, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the mountains share with the swelling thereof, though the waters roar and be troubled, to give them light, to go by day and night, trust in him at all times, trusting faith, truth, under his wings shall thou take refuge, under the mighty wings of God, wars and rumours of wars, when the news is heavy, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, wisdom, wise guidance, wonderful protection
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 September 2026 Psalm 62:8.
Psalm 62:8. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
It’s Friday friends, that day we all look forward to, and it’s another beautiful sunshiny day, without the brisk breeze of the last few days. But the best news is that not all of the sun’s heat has already migrated to the south. No! Because just now I went outside and felt it flush and wonderful on my face. That’s why our Friday Mantra was possibly so loud and sincere this first Friday of autumn! ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Who wouldn’t be overjoyed at the prospect of a warm and sunshiny weekend in the last week of September eh? (smile) And with all the joy of the expected warm and sunshiny weekend, let’s offer up the prayer from this month’s In Touch Devotional.
Please pray with me: ‘Lord, when the news is heavy, I turn to You. Hear my prayer: Be a refuge for those caught between nations and forces beyond their control. Protect the innocent. Comfort the grieving. Guide those who are fleeing. Move in the hearts of those empowered to bring peace. And through it all, remind me that nations rise and fall, but You reign over all things. Lord, I entrust this to You. May I rest in Your care. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ Oh my people, that is certainly a prayer that we need today, with all the wars and rumours of wars that are being fought and heard around our evil and ungodly world.
And there is no one better to put our total trust and confidence in when bad tidings befall us than Almighty God, who created the universe and all therein and still rules it from His heavenly throne. Remember these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
Then, talking about a place of refuge, there’s also no place better to run to and hide than under the mighty wings of our God. As Bruh David again points out in Psalm 46. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountain shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1) Yes friends, God provides a safe shelter, protection, and inner power when we face difficult or frightening times.
As Bruh David further says in Psalm 62: ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62:5-8) Oh my people, it could not be put any clearer than that! God is indeed our refuge and help in troubled times!
And as per protection for the innocent, I like this verse from Isaiah. ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:11) Where else can we get such protection? Nowhere else! But listen as the psalmist further informs us: ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler (bird trapper), and from the noisome pestilence (perilous or deadly forces).
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shall thou trust (take refuge): his truth shall be thy shield and buckler (small shield).Thou shalt not be afraid for (of) the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth (lays waste) at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.’ (Ps. 91: 2-7) Ah mih bredrin, if that isn’t wonderful protection, then I don’t know what is!
And when talking about comfort, there’s certainly none better than our God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Corinthians. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all out tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4) Wow! What comfort can be better than that eh? God comforts us so that we can comfort others with that same comfort we receive from Him!
And as per guiding those who are fleeing violence, we know the Lord is the best at that, as He proved when the Israelites fled from slavery in Egypt. The Bible tells us: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) That’s what you call godly guidance! (smile)
But what we need most of all today my fellow believers is as the prayer says, for God to ‘Move in the hearts of those empowered to bring peace.’ Yes, that is today’s most needed divine aid, for there is way too much unnecessary suffering, killing, oppression, poverty, evil and ungodliness in our world right now! We need as Jesus says in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’ (Matt. 5:9) Oh my people do we ever need those peacemakers, those children of God to stand up right now and make peace, because our world is dying from lack of it!
And to help us do our small part, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And friends, it’s also time for us to wake up and smell the coffee, because our lack of proper witness for Christ has contributed greatly to our world’s current ungodly and evil state! Much LOVE!
…if Christians don’t play their part…our world will continue sinking…into the mire of evil and ungodliness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Theophany, artificial intelligence, be renewed and refreshed, be they sinners or siaints, bring thy seed from the east, by grace are ye saved through faith, by the example your faithful believers set, called thee by name, Chrisitanity, Chrisitans, conserve our energy for actual work, created him for my glory, created in christ Jesus unto good works, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disgruntled employees, don't seem interested, end of sermon, every one that is called by my name, face commuting twice a day, face the consequences, faith, fear not, five days a week, for God so loved the world, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, Gentiles also offered salvation through the coming of Jesus, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, give our leaders the wise guidance, glad to see the weekend, glorify God in your body and spirit, go where you can get a job, God loves all his creation, God wants all to come to salvation, God's omnipotent help, God's generous help, Gord loves us with an unending love, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hebrew teenagers thrown into the fire, help us to be responsible, holy spirit, I am the Lord thy God, I am with thee, I gave Egypt for thy ransom, i have loved thee, I have redeemed thee, I will be with thee, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus died on the cross for us, keepin the plebs in their place, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, lest any man should boast, LOVE, make a productive impact on our world, mercy, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, never ending traffic jams, new found miracle-worker, not a hair of their head was singed, not of works, not of yourselves, O Israel fear not, our indebtedness to God, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, parted the Jordan, people for thy life, precious in my sight, refused to bow down to an idol, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, serious problems are escalating, serves their shortsighted purposes, Shadrach Meshach Abednego, stand strong and steadfast, take the pressure off from commuting, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the form of the fourth, the fourth is like the son of God, the greatest news, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord parted the Red Sea, the powers that be, the protection of our great God, the weekend is here at last, there must be a better way, therefore will I give men for thee, they did not even smell of smoke, they saw four walking loose unhurt in the fire, they shall not overflow thee, thou art mine, thou hast been honoured, thou shalt not be burned, through the rivers, thus saith the Lord that created thee, thy Saviour, to come up with a solution, trusting faith, truth, uplifting Old Testament Scripture, we are his workmanship, when thou passest through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom, wise guidance, witness for Christ is insuffcient, ye are bought with a price, ye are not your own
Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 September 2026 Isaiah 43:1b.
Isaiah 43:1b. O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine.
So we’ve finally arrived at Friday, and today’s Mantra was floated up to heaven loud and clear on this warm, sunshiny day: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ And people must be glad to see the weekend, when they have to face commuting twice a day, five days a week, in never-ending traffic jams on some of the worst roads around. Thankfully, I don’t believe it was this bad in my day, and the roads were better kept, although I complained some in my time too. (smile) But unfortunately, if you want to make a living and thus support yourself and your family, you have to go where you can get a job, and face the consequences of getting to and from there.
As I keep saying, there must be a better way to take the enormous pressure of from the disgusting spectacle that commuting has become, so we can conserve our energy for the actual work we’re supposed to do. But the powers that be don’t seem interested in doing so, because it serves their shortsighted purposes, while keeping the plebs in their place. Apparently they don’t care that it also causes inferior work because of tired and disgruntled employees. I guess we will have to turn to our new-found miracle worker, Artificial Intelligence (AI) to come up with a solution to this world wide problem. (smile) End of Sermon!
And to help us handle these tiresome problems, let’s look at some encouraging and uplifting Old Testament scripture, beginning with these marvellous words from the prophet Isaiah, per Israel’s redemption. ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give (them) up; and to the south, Keep not back (keep them not): bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.’ (Is. 43:1-7)
Now everything the Lord says in that scripture is true my fellow believers. He made us, created us for his glory, and LOVES us with an unending LOVE, and He showed it all to Israel in the early days. The Lord parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could get away from the Egyptians and cross on dry land. (Ex. 14:21-31). Then He did the same when they tried to cross the Jordan River during the flood season. (Josh. 3) Then when the three Hebrew teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were cast into the fire, in Babylon because they refused to bow down to an idol, what did the Lord do eh?
They threw three men in, but then they saw four walking loose unhurt in the fire, and ‘the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods).’ (Dan. 3:25) And most likely it was the Son of God, Jesus Christ in one of His several appearances in the Old Testament, called a Theophany – a visible appearance of a divine being. And furthermore when the teenagers came out of the oven, the fire had not had any power over them, not a hair of their head was singed, nor their coats affected, and they didn’t even smell of smoke. (Dan. 3:27)
Wow! Such was the protection of our great God! But the greatest news though friends is that the Lord didn’t do it only for the Israelites, but for everybody, by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary for us. Why? It’s as Jesus said: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’(John 3:16) Just like the Jews were offered salvation in the early days, we Gentiles were also offered it with the coming of Jesus.
And the Lord is calling all those who are called by His name and thus belong to Him, to come unto Him and be saved. As Bruh Paul says: ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
And one last New Testament Scripture friends to show our indebtedness to God. Bruh Paul declares to the Corinthians: ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’ (1 Cor. 6:19-20) So let’s concentrate on doing just that nuh. And to help us do so, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And it’s not only the sinful world that needs to wake up and smell the coffee, but also we Christians, for our current witness for Christ is most definitely insufficient. We need to do better, if we’re to make a productive impact on our world! So let’s get with it nuh! Much LOVE!
…God LOVES all His creation…be they sinners or saints…and wants all to come to salvation…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Sep 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fear to mine acquaintance, a reproach among all mine enemies, against the righteous, all ye that hope in the Lord, an house of defence to save me, be of good courage, be silent in the grave, be thou my strong rock, believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, blessed be the Lord, bow down thine ear to me, by the good example we your faithful believers set, christianity, Christians, considered my trouble, courage, crying out to God is always the best solution, cut off from before thine eyes, daily grind and common task, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, deliver me in thy righteousness, deliver me speedily, divine aid, especially among my neighbours, faith, faith rose to the forefront, fear was on every side, feel the warmth of the sun, for thy name's sake, forgotten as a dead man, fortitude, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, from the pride of man, from the strife of tongues, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, God's omnipotent help, hated them that regard lying vanities, hated them that regard vain idols, have laid privily for me, have mercy upon me O Lord, he shall strengthen your heart, heard the slander of many, help us to be responsible, hide them in the secret of thy presence, holy spirit, I am in trouble, I said in my haste, I trust in the Lord, I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy, In thee O Lord do I put my trust, in times of trouble, into thine hand I commit my spirit, Jesus Christ, keep them secretly in a pavilion, known my soul in adversities, laid up for them that fear thee, lead me and guide me, let me never be ashamed, let the lying lips be put to silence, let the wicked be ashamed, like a broken vessel, LOVE, make hay while the warm sun still shines, make thy face to shine upon thy servant, mercy, mine eye is consumed with grief, my bones are consumed, my life is spent with grief, MY rock and My fortress, my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, my times are in thine hand, my years with sighing, O Lord God of truth, O love the Lord all ye his saints, oh how great is thy goodness, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, our witness for Christ is not good enough, our world would not be in tottal disarray, out of my mind, perilous times, plentifully rewardeth the proud doer, proudly and contemptuously, pull me out of the net, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, rock of refuge, salvation, save me for thy mercies sake, schemed to take away my life, serious problems are escalating, set my feet in a large room, shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city, shut me up into the hand of the enemy, smell it sweet and strong, speak grievous things, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the Lord preserveth the faithful, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, them that trust in thee, they devised to take away my life, they fled from me, they have laid secretly for me, thou art my rock and my fortress, thou art my strength, thou hast redeemed me, thou heardest the voice of my supplication, took counsel together against me, trust in thee before the sons of men, truth, turn to the God of his forefathers, unexpected storms, wisdom, wise guidance
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 September 2026 Psalm 31:1.
Psalm 31:1. In thee, O lord, do I put my trust (I take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
And if you didn’t know it was Friday, the loud shout of our Friday Mantra would certainly have informed you. Yes, it went up to heaven on a wing and a prayer: (smile) ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Both the children and parents will be glad for a break from school and work, while trying to acclimatize themselves once more to the common task and daily grind. And it’s another beautiful sunshiny summer’s day! Oh how I just LOVE to wake up and see the sun shining brightly and also feel it’s warmth on my skin, because I know it won’t be long now before I might see it shining, but it’s warmth would have disappeared with the incoming cold weather. So let’s make hay while the warm sun still shines! (smile)
And today, we’ll contemplate some interesting words of Bruh David from Psalm 31, titled My Rock and My Fortress. So please pray with me: ‘In thee, O lord, do I put my trust (I take refuge); let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock (rock of refuge), for an house of defence (fortress) to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. I have hated them that regard lying vanities (vain idols): but I trust in the Lord.’ (Ps. 31:1-6)
Oh my people, can we make those same claims that Bruh David makes about trusting in God, of Him being our rock and refuge, our fortress and strong tower? I certainly hope so, because if you read verses 9-13, you’ll see that Bruh David was going through a very rough time, but he still had the faith, courage and fortitude to turn to the God of his forefathers, as he says: ‘I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities (troubles); and hast not shut me up into (given me over to) the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room (a wide place).’ (Ps. 31:7-8)
And after acknowledging God’s goodness, then he explains his cry for help and entreats the Lord to do so. ‘Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed (wastes away) with grief, yea, my soul and my belly (body). For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed (waste away). I was a reproach (a despised thing) among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without (outside) fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead (perishing) man out of my mind: I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised (schemed) to take away my life.’ (Ps. 31:9-13)
Life was indeed not easy for Bruh David at that particular time, but then again, his faith rose to the forefront. ‘But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies sake. Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence which speak grievous (insolent) things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.’ (Ps. 31:14-18)
Yes friends, through all his laments, Bruh David is still finding time and place to praise the Lord and give thanks for His help. And this last section is no different, when he declares: ‘Oh how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear (reverence) thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence (secret place) from the pride (plots) of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion (shelter) from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth (fully repays) the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’ (Ps. 31:19-24)
Yes my faithful brethren, we will certainly go through many trials and troubles in this evil and ungodly world, but if we stand strong in faith and cry out sincerely to our God foe help, He will help us, not always in the ways we desire, but in much better ways than we can help ourselves. And we can do that right now by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these perilous times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let’s note that we supposed believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee sweet and strong, because our current witness for Christ is certainly not good enough or else our world would not be in total disarray! Much LOVE!
…when troubles drive us crazy…a sincere cry to Almighty God for help…is always the best solution…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name written that no man knew except himself, a seven day work week, a twoedged sword in their hand, addicted to the weekend, be renewed and refreshed, beautify the meek with salvation, become too self-righteous, believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, by the good example we your faithful believers set, christianity, clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine help, efforts for Christ are inadequate, faith, faithful and true, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, glorification of the righteous, God is indeed worthy of our praise, God's omnipotent help, God's generous help, help us to be responsible, his eyes were as a flame of fire, his name is called the word of God, his praise in the congregation of saints, holy spirit, in righteousness he doth judge and make war, Jesus Christ, judgement of the wicked, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, let Israel rejoice in him that made him, let Israel rejoice in his maker, let the children of Zion be joyful in their king, let the high praises of God be in their mouth, let the saints be joyful in glory, LOVE, mercy, numbered amongst the righteous, on his head were many crowns, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, praise his name in the dance, praise is related to the kingdom of God, Praise ye the Lord, punishments upon the people, Rejoice in the King, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, righteousness will triumph over wickedness, rule the nations with a rod of iron, salvation, serious problems are escalating, shout Hallelujah, sing aloud upon their beds, sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp, sing unto the Lord a new song, sitting on a white horse, stand strong and steadfast, taken in a prophetic sense, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the Lord intends to establish His kingdom on the earth, the Lord taketh pleasure in his people, the righteous judge, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the wrath of Almighty God, their nobles with fetters of iron, this age of grace, this honour have all the saints, thy kinkdom come, to bind their kings with chains, to execute upon them the judgement written, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wisdom, wise guidance, your livelihood
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 August 2026 Psalm 149:1.
Psalm 149:1. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
And this last Friday in August has opened bright and sunshiny, although the computer is promising rain for later in the day. Let’s hope that they are wrong though. In any case it did not stop our Friday Mantra from joyfully rising to the heavens earlier this morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ We’re so addicted to the weekend that I don’t know what we’d do without it. We’d be totally lost. What would have happened to some of us in the time when a seven day work week was the norm?
I can remember doing that with a mere two days off after the seven long night shifts. But you got accustomed to it, and didn’t complain, because it was your livelihood. Now we’re so pampered that just the very thought of working five consecutive days, much less seven, drives many of us crazy. But as one friend would say; that’s progress! And in some respects it is, though the entitlement aspects we’re now becoming accustomed to is not helping anyone, and is in fact a step backward. But who am I to question it eh? (smile) End of Sermon!
Now, let’s do our duty as Psalm 149 – Rejoice in the King – advises us. Please read with me: ‘Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah). Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him (their maker): let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek (humble) with salvation.
Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgement written: this honour have all the saints. Praise ye the Lord (shout Hallelujah).’ (Ps. 149:1-9)
Yes friends, praise should always be forthcoming from our mouths to our great God Jehovah, both in song and dance, privately and publicly, for He is indeed worthy of our praise, as so many scriptures declare. However, as the scholars explain, this psalm is not a straightforward one. They say: ‘The unique aspect of praise highlighted in this psalm is that praise is related to the kingdom of the Lord. Though the psalm begins with the normal call to praise (vs. 1-3), the cause for the praise (vs. 4-9) is quite unexpected; it is because the Lord intends to establish His kingdom on the earth. This kingdom includes both glorification of the righteous (vs. 4-6) and the judgement of the wicked (vs. 7-9).
This aspect of judgement is apparently to be carried out by the righteous (vs. 6-9). This passage should be taken in a prophetic sense to refer to the time when God will in fact establish His kingdom on the earth with His glorified saints right behind Him (Rev. 19:11-21). Even in this age of grace, believers are instructed to pray “Thy Kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10), a petition that includes not only the glorification of the righteous but the destruction of the wicked.’
Oh my people, the Lord has indeed promised to set up His kingdom on earth with His saints around Him, while He destroys the wicked. And you can read more about that situation in Rev. 19:11-21, when Jesus comes, sitting on a white horse, as the Righteous Judge. He’s ‘called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture (robe) dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite (strike) the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture (robe) and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ (Rev. 19:11-16)
Yes my brethren, that’s how Jesus is coming back to judge and do battle against the wicked, with the armies of the righteous zealously behind Him. Let’s sincerely hope, pray and do whatever we need to do, to be numbered amongst the last group and not the first. And for divine help to do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And before we get too self-righteous, let’s acknowledge that we believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, because our efforts for Christ are totally inadequate! Much LOVE!
…in the end…righteousness will triumph over wickedness…through the person of Jesus Christ…that’s the Lord’s promise…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a common denominator, a fine summer's day, a real late bus, appear beautiful outward, at the least convenient time, being honest, beleivers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, by the good example we your faithful believers set, Christ demands integrity from His followers, christianity, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, derogatory remarks, diligence, divine help, do our best to make our actions match our words, doing the right thing, doing the right thing even when no one's watching, don't get too self-righteous, enjoying the weekend, faith, for Christ's sake, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, full of dead men's bones, full of hypocrisy and iniquity, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, God's omnipotent help, God's generous help, he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool, he that is perverse in his ways, help us to be responsible, holy spirit, hypocrites, iin soul body and mind, incorruptible, integrity, Jesus Christ, Jesus was a perfect example of integrity, like unto whited sepulchres, LOVE, mercy, never too late to share God's word, no internet connection, of all uncleanness, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, people who don't do what they say, perverse in his ways though he is rich, renewed and refreshed, salvation, serious problems are escalating, sincerity, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, strong mral prinicples, technology can nake and break you, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the gospel truth, the weekend is here at last, to handle unexpected storms properly, trusting faith, truth, ungodly times, wisdom, wise guidance, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, ye outwardly appear righteous unto men
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 August 2026 Proverbs 19:1.
Proverbs 19:1. ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.’
Ah friends, we’re on a real late bus today. At one stage I wondered if it would even come. But it did come eventually, and it’s not too late to write a short sweet Friday Bit, because I hate missing any days, unless I’m too sick to do so. (smile) And this lateness stems from the fact that I have had no internet connection for the last 24 hours. Technology, technology, technology! It can make you, but it can also break you, and at a time when it’s least convenient.
I won’t even bother to explain what I’ve been going through for the last two days with my internet service provider. Trying to fix one problem caused a whole black out of internet and TV service, and it was only late this afternoon that a technician came and fixed it. The problem though is that all of them have problems, and getting them fixed in a timely and unstressed manner seems to be a common denominator, so moving from to another doesn’t make much sense, for you’ll be only faced with a different kind of problem and go through the same stress to have it fixed. End of my complaining! (smile)
Oh, by now, everybody will have already shouted up their Friday mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ gone to work on a fine summer’s day and be enjoying the weekend activities, after a long and tiring five days of consecutive work. But it’s never too late to share the Word of God. So let’s delve in and come up with a short, sweet Friday Bit! (smile)
And here is the perfect scripture to titillate us today. It comes from the Proverbs of Cousin Sol, and warns: ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.’ (Prov. 19:1) And isn’t that the gospel truth my faithful brethren, for if it’s one thing Christ desires from His followers is integrity. And what’s integrity eh?
Basically, it’s like this overview describes. ‘Integrity means being honest. It means having strong moral principles. A person with integrity does the right thing. They do this even when no one is watching. The word also means being whole, complete, or undivided, as well as incorruptible. Small examples are like returning extra change given to you by a cashier by mistake, or keeping a promise even when it is hard to do.’
And our Lord and Saviour Jesus was the perfect example of integrity! Now, following Him is not always easy for us, but we must always do the best we can, especially in respect of things like integrity, sincerity and diligence. That’s because those around us might not hear what we say about the gospel, but they will certainly see it from our lifestyle. And remember examples speak for forcibly than words. So although others may not remember what you say, they’ll certainly remember what you do, how you behave in certain situations.
Now that’s one of the big problems in Christ’s church today. Too many of us supposed Christians say one thing and then do something entirely different, something that does not jive with our words. It’s why Jesus made these derogatory remarks about the Jewish leaders of His day. ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:27-28)
And that my friends is one of the reasons why the unbeliever doesn’t pay much attention to supposed Christians; because many of us are simply a bunch of hypocrites! And why would you knowingly want to mix with a bunch of people who don’t do what they say, keep promises, or show true integrity eh? And integrity was so important that Cousin Sol wrote about it twice: ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness (integrity), than he that is perverse in his ways, though he is rich.’ (Prov. 28:6) That just goes to show that neither wealth, power or any other earthly trapping ought to make us lose or lack integrity!
So, to get divine help in that most important aspect of our Christian lives, lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And remember, let’s not get too self-righteous, because we too need to wake up and smell the coffee, so that we can do a better job for Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!
for Christ’s sake…let’s do our best…to make our actions match our words…and vice versa…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Aug 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a boost to our spirits, a cloudy rainy day, a man's heart deviseth his way, a modicum of circumspection, a prevalent habit, a vapour that apeeareth for a little time, all good things will come to an end, all such boasting is evil, all such rejoicing is evil, always seek God's opinion, and doeth it not to him it is sin, anxiety and confusion, be responsible, boast in your arrogance, boast not thyself of tomorrow, buy and sell and get gain, Christians, continue there a year, doing our own thing, eat drink and be merry, faith, fleshly lusts and desires, following the world, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, God's omnipotent help, God's generous help, help in troubled times, holy spirit, if the Lord will, invoke God's mercy and will for our lives, is not rich toward God, Jesus Christ, life is full of surprises, LOVE, make a profit, man made idols, man plans and God laughs, mercy, no concern for what God expects of us, no room to bestow my fruits, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, our witness for Christ is unacceptable, plans of the heart belong to man, problems are escalating, pull down my barns and build bigger, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, say to my soul, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the asnwer of the tongue is from the Lord, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, the BIBLE, the example we faithful believers set, the Lord can ditch all of our best laid plans, the Lord directeth his steps, the Lord is a jealous God, the Lord is sovereign over man's scheming and planning, the Lord is sovereign over our thoughts and words, the preparations of the heart in man, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, then vanisheth away, these ungodly times, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou fool, thou knowest not what a day may bring forth, to him that knoweth to do good, today or tomorrow, truth, we don't come up to scratch, we shall live and do this or that, we will go into such a city, wealth driven society, what is your life, whose shall those things be which thou hast provided, wisdom, ye know not what shall be on the morrow, ye ought to say, ye rejoice in your boasting
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 August 2026 Proverbs 27:1.
Proverbs 27:1. Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
And finally the streak of bright, sunshiny summer days has ended, corroborating the saying that all good things will come to an end sometime, leaving us all hoping that it will happen later rather than sooner. (smile) Anyway, this first Friday in August is a cloudy, rainy one, but that didn’t stop us from sending up a boisterous Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Regardless of what’s happening or what the weather is like on a Friday, we always seem to get a boost to our spirits simply because the weekend is at hand.
And some of us want this weekend even more than normal, so we can catch up on our rest, after the great amount of partying we did last weekend and from which we have not yet recovered. But going to work tired is the price we pay for overdoing it, for that lack of the modicum of circumspection. (smile) And that is a fitting start to the situation we’re going to address today, conveyed by these wise words of Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.’ (Prov. 27:1)
But unfortunately, in today’s busy and ungodly world, that’s a very normal situation. We all talk about and plan for what we’ll do tomorrow, not knowing whether we’ll even be around to put those plans into action. For who knows when the Grim Reaper will show up and announce our time has come? No one. And many of us have made future plans but never woken up to action them. It’s like the parable Jesus told of the rich man, whose land was very productive.
‘And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits (store my crops)? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow (store) all my fruits (crops) and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God.’ (Luke 12:17-21)
And in this current wealth and power driven society, that’s a very prevalent habit. We’re all seeking our individual treasure, with scant, if any concern for God and what He expects of us. That’s why so many of our supposed well-laid plans fall by the wayside, and have thus led to sayings like, ‘man plans and God laughs,’ or ‘the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry,’ meaning that life is full of surprises. Or as Cousin Sol wisely puts it in Proverbs: ‘The preparations (plans) of the heart in man (belong to man), and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.’ (Prov. 16:1) And the scholars tell us, that means the Lord is sovereign, even over a man’s thoughts and words.
Then later on in that same chapter, Cousin Sol writes another wise saying on the subject. ‘A man’s heart deviseth (plans) his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.’ (Prov. 16:9) And per the scholars, the Lord is sovereign over man’s scheming and planning. So if the Lord can ditch all of our best laid plans, how are we to approach the situation eh?
I guess it’s like James describes it. He writes: ‘Go to now (come now), ye that say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain (make a profit): Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is you life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boasting (boast in your arrogance): all such rejoicing (boasting) is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:13-17)
Yes friends, the answer to the question is ever so simple; invoke God’s mercy and will for our lives! What will it take for us to understand that God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, and since He is our Creator and Controller, He is able to do exactly as He desires if, in His opinion, we don’t come up to scratch. But no, we insist on following the path of the ungodly world and doing our own thing without any thought of or consultation with our Maker. And remember, He is indeed a jealous God and does not want us bowing to any other gods, be they man-made idols or our own fleshly lusts and desires.
So the only wise way to live this earthly life is by talking to Him about our desires and plans, and then listening for His replies. So let’s do that right now nuh, by confidently but humbly, approaching the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, so we can find grace and mercy to help in these very troubled times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them.
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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And before our egos get too puffed up, let’s note that we believers need to also wake up and smell the coffee, because our witness for Christ is totally unacceptable! And it’s high time we improve it! Much LOVE!
…God’s opinion should be sought…in every plan or decision we make…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a Messiah, a Saviour, a solid foundation of hope, and now abideth faith hope love, anxiety, anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, basic kind of enthusiasm, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, by the good example we your faithful believers set, calamity, Christians, cleanse and wash away our sins, Comforter, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, do some serious work for Christ, eagerly waiting with patience, eternal life, faith, faith is strong hope in Christ, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, generous help, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, get up off our derrieres, God does not lie, God is a god of hope, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, God's omnipotent help, Guide, heard of your faith in Jesus Christ, holy spirit, hope, hope for that we see not, hope is an essential ingredient in our Christian journey, hope is something in the future, hope that is seen is not hope, hope that leads to faith, I know the thoughts I think toward you, Jesus Christ, life will improve, LOVE, man Friday, mercy, need your help to fix our problems, our bounden duty, our sinful world, positive exuberance, problems are escalating, rally round the cross of Christ, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, show our hope faith and love, society won't degenerate any further, stand strong and steadfast, Thank God it's Friday, the BIBLE, the expectation of good things to come, the God of hope, the greatest of these is love, the hope laid up for you in heaven, the love you have to all saints, the scriptures encourage us to have hope and patience in God's Word, the throne of grace, the truth of Christ's gospel, the weekend is here at last, the word of the truth of the gospel, things will get better, thoughts of peace and not of evil, through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost, to give you an expected end, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, unity of Jews and Gentiles, wake up and smell the coffee, we are saved by hope, whatsoever things were written aforetime, wisdom, wise guidance, with patience wait for it, written for our learning, ye may abound in hope, you cannot have faith without hope
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 July 2026 Romans 8:24.
Romans 8:24. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
‘It’s Friday, it’s Friday, it’s Friday! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ It was indeed an ecstatic Friday Mantra that we declared this morning, what with a beautiful, cool, sunshiny summer’s day in the offing, and knowing that the work week will soon end. It’s certainly interesting and amusing the change that the upcoming weekend can produce in us. Only wish Monday could produce the same positive exuberance. (smile) But I don’t think we’ll ever see that the way our society and its working conditions are now set up.
However, there’s one thing we always have as believers in Christ Jesus, that’s HOPE! Hope, which in general is a basic kind of optimism that things will get better, life will improve and our society won’t degenerate any further. But the Christian hope goes deeper than that; for we are assured that things will indeed get better through the Word of God. So let’s check out a few scriptures that give us that solid foundation of hope, of expectation, of optimism.
And the first one comes right from the Lord Himself, when He declares through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) And if the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Controller of the universe says that, then we know we can believe it, because He does not lie and His promises are true and faithful.
Then, as Bruh Paul writes in Romans: ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime (beforehand) were written for our learning, that we through patience (perseverance) and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’ (Rom. 15:4) There we have more confirmation, more of a solid base for our hope, because the scriptures were written to encourage us to have patience and hope in God’s Word.
And way back in the Old Testament the Lord also promised that He would send us a Messiah, a Saviour, who would cleanse and wash away our sins, and when the time was right, He sent His Son Jesus Christ, to die on the cross at Calvary to pay for our sins, and give us the options of salvation and eternal life, with the Holy Ghost dwelling in us, as our comforter, guide and all around man Friday. And we get that salvation through a hope that leads to faith.
Bruh Paul puts it thus in Romans: ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25) Yes, hope is something in the future, not something you can see or already have, and as Christians we are expected to be filled with hope of all the good things that the future will bring, and are expected to wait eagerly for them.
Therefore, Bruh Paul, when talking about the unity of Christian Jews and Gentiles could say: ‘Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.’ (Rom. 15:13) Yes friends, our God is a God of hope! He promises and He comes through when we put our hope and faith in Him.
And if you’re wondering what’s faith; faith for our purposes is basically strong hope in Jesus Christ. We believe that He is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do; receiving His promises as truth and living the way He desires. And you cannot have faith without hope, for hope is the very basis of faith. As it’s broken down in the LOVE chapter of 1 Corinthians: ‘And now abideth faith, hope, charity (LOVE), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 13:13)
So hope is indeed an essential ingredient in our Christian journey, for without it, we’re lost, we have no starting point, and belief in Jesus begins with hope. And that hope is certain, as Bruh Paul says in his letter to the Colossians: ‘We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the LOVE which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.’ (Col. 1:3-5) There we have it my people, hope is laid up in heaven for us, we’re sure of that from the truth of Christ’s gospel.
Consequently, we can now go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these turbulent and uncertain times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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 you know what friends, we too also need to wake up and smell the coffee, for all the talk and prayer in the world won’t help until we actually get up off of our derrieres and get out into the evil world and do some serious work for Christ! It’s our bounden duty! We need to at least try and stop our world from degenerating any further. So let’s rally round the cross and show our hope, faith and LOVE! Much LOVE!
…HOPE…the expectation of good things to come…and eagerly waiting with patience for them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, air quality warnings, all this I have proved by wisdom, anxiety, be it good or evil, be responsible, christianity, confusion, current witness for Christ is unacceptable, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, diabolical schemes, even of foolishness and madness, exalt her, faith, fallen short of the glory of God, fear God and keep his commandments, foolishness, for all have sinned, forest fires, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, get wisdom, give to thine head an ornament of grace, God made man upright, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's omnipotent help, gospel truth, holy spirit, I applied my heart to know, I said I will be wise, it was far from me, Jesus Christ, LOVE, madness, man cannot attain God's righteousness without His help, man has sought out many inventions, mercy, not a wise woman among them, one wise man among a thousand, our fallen nature, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, proble, problems are escalating, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, saw his face as the face of an angel, she shall promote thee, Solomon's wisdom was insufficient to understand life fully, stand strong and steadfast, supposed righteousness, take no heed to all the words that are spoken, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that doeth good and sinneth not, that which is far off and exceeding deep, the BIBLE, the boldness of his face shall be changed, the face of wisdom, the reason of things, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, there is not a just man upon earth, thou hear thy servanr curse thee, to know the wickedness of folly, to search, to seek out wisdom, trusting faith, truth, two short days off, unexpected storms, ungodly times, who can find it out, who is as the wise man, who knoweth the interpretation of a thing, wisdom, wisdom is the principal thing, wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men, wise guidance, with all thy getting get understanding, with every secret thing, with your generous help, your own heart knows you have cursed others
Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 July 2026 Ecclesiastes 8:1b.
Ecclesiastes 8:1b. a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (strength) of his face shall be changed.
It’s Friday, so most working people are happy, and very early in the morning, have joyfully sent their Friday Mantra up to high heaven: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ But let’s remember, we still have to work and live through Friday before we can truly relax and let out hair down, because Friday also has challenges for us to navigate with the help of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who strengthens us so that we can do His awesome will.
And for the third day in a row we have air quality warnings, and today’s warning claims it’s severe. What a way July has begun, not only with several heat warnings but also now with air quality warnings because of the many forest fires burning in the northern part of the province. And one would think that as the days progress the quality would improve, but apparently not. The first day, Wednesday the sky was very dark, which led me to forecast rain, until the duchess informed me otherwise.
Yesterday it wasn’t dark, jut a bit cloudy and the sun was shining fairly bright so I decided to go out and run some errands. But as soon as I left home, I had to close my windows and put on the AC, because the smoke smell was fairly strong. I did the few errands that were in a small area, but left those that required me going further afield undone, for the smoke was getting to me. So now, although the sun is shining brightly with not much cloud cover, and with the air quality possibly worse, I’m wondering if I’m going out again this afternoon to find my errands. Who knows? But we’ll consider that when the time comes.
Right now though, let’s consider some wise and interesting words from Cousin Sol talking about the Face of Wisdom, as the Preacher in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He declares: ‘Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness (strength) of his face shall be changed.’ (Eccl. 8:1)
And that’s no lie, for as Cousin Sol asserts in Proverbs: ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head (place on thine head) an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.’ (Prov. 4:7-9) Yes friends, when we seek wisdom and understanding they brighten both our physical and emotional selves.
And Luke corroborates that in the Book of Acts when he describes Stephen’s features as he stood before the Jewish council on charges of blasphemy. ‘And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.’ (Acts. 6:15) And earlier on in Ecclesiastes, Cousin Sol argues: ‘Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men (rulers) which are in the city. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’ (Eccl. 7:19-20)
Now there can be no argument with the last statement, for as Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘For all have sinned and come short (fallen short) of the glory of God.’ (Rom. 3:23) Yes, for as the scholars tell us: ‘Man can exceed his own standards but never, left to himself, can he attain to God’s righteousness.’ That’s why we need God in our lives.
And Cousin Sol continues: ‘Also take no heed unto (don’t take to heart) all the words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.’ (Eccl. 7:21-22) And isn’t that the gospel truth! We can’t listen to everything or we’ll find much that discourages and disappoints us. And for sure, many of us have likewise spoken badly against others.
Then Cousin Sol makes these very interesting statements. ‘All this I have proved (tested) by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
…Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one (adding one thing to another), to find out the account (reason): which yet my soul seeketh, but find not: one (wise) man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions (schemes).’ (Eccl. 7:23-25; 27-29) And that’s oh so true. God made man upright, but in our fallen nature we have searched out the most wicked and diabolical schemes, especially in these times of great learning and knowledge.
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived, but even his wisdom was insufficient to understand life fully (7:23). In his search for wisdom Solomon found many sinful people (7;26), but few righteous (7:28; cf. Prov. 31:10). In spite of the failures of wisdom, it is still the most attractive virtue since it helps bring inner happiness (8:1).’ Now can you imagine if the wisest man’s wisdom was not enough to fully understand life, what does that say about us, less wise beings eh?
But that’s exactly why Cousin Sol ends Ecclesiastes thus. ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) Yes my people, it’s so simple. All that’s really required of us is to reverence the Lord and keep His commandments. Nothing else. But we make life even more difficult than it already is by adding all sorts of foolishness and evil to it.
Anyway, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us stick to the true programme. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And let’s not get carried away by our supposed righteousness, for the truth is that our current witness for Christ is totally unacceptable, which means we also need to wake up and smell the coffee sweet and strong. Much LOVE!
…if more of us…sought true wisdom and understanding…our world would not be in the terrible mess it’s currently in…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hiding place, a place of comfort, be of good courage, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, blessed is the man maketh the Lord his trust, by the good example we your faithful believers set, christianity, deal treacherously, defeat and destroy the enemy, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, established my goings, faith, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship and relaxation, God always gives the best, God is a refuge for us, God shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities, God's omnipotent help, God's timing is perfect, he brought me up also out of an horrible pit, he hath put a new song in my mouth, he inclined unto me, he is my defence, He only is my rock and my salvation, he shall exalt thee to inherit the land, he shall strengthen thine heart, holy spirit, I shall not be moved, I wait for the Lord, I waited patiently for the lord, In God is my salvation and my glory, in his word do I hope, in soul body and mind, Jesus Christ, let me not be ashamed, let none that wait in faith on thee be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me, let them be ashamed which transgress without cause, LOVE, many shall see it and fear, mercy, more haste less speed, more than they that watch for the morning, my expectation is from him, my hope is from God, my refuge is in God, my soul, my soul doth wait, my soul silently wait thou upon God, my soul waiteth for the Lord, O my God I trust in thee, our best interest, our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffe, our society's desire for speed, out of the miry clay, pour out your heart before God, praise unto our God, relax in God's uprightness, respecteth not the proud, rushing about but going nowhere, salvation, Selah, serious problems are escalating, set my feet on a rock, speed kills, stand strong and steadfast, such as turn aside to lies, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the Lord heard my cry, the rock of my strength, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, time for Christians to rise up, trust in him at all times, trusting faith, trusting in God's will, truth, two short days off, unexpected storms, wait in faith I say on the Lord, wait in faith on the Lord, wait on the Lord and keep his way, wisdom, wise guidance, with him is plenteous redemption, with the Lord there is mercy, with your generous help, you shall see when the wicked are cut off
Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 July 2026 Psalm 27:14.
Psalm 27:14. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.
And on this hot and sunshiny summer Friday morning, the shouts of our Friday Mantra obviously rang out loud and clear to high heaven! ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ To tell the truth, the weekend doesn’t seem as though it took long to come, but came rather quickly, just like July began only last week and we’re already into double digit days. There doesn’t seem to be anything like slow moving time again, it all seems to have speeded up just like our society’s desire for speed in everything.
But please, let’s remember that very true adage; speed kills, not only on the roads but in many other areas of life too. Not taking time to make wise decisions has become a norm in our society; too many things are being rushed into without proper consideration, and like so many of us we’re simply rushing about, but going nowhere. It’s like that other old adage; more haste, less speed. And most of us have experienced that in several areas of our lives, where we hurry to do things or go places, but we simply end up taking more time that we expected.
That’s why there’s such wisdom in these words of Bruh David from Psalm 27: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And friends there’s nothing better than waiting in faith on God, for His timing is perfect and He always gives us the best of whatever He has to offer. If, and when we learn to wait in faith patiently on Him, then we’ll see and experience a great calm and trust in our spirits, we’ll not be as anxious and fearful as before, because we’ve accepted the Lord’s timetable and are no longer desirous of pursuing our own will, but trusting in His.
And that statement of waiting on the Lord in faith seemed to be rather important to Bruh David, because he mentions it in several psalms. In Psalm 25, My heart Shall Not Fear, he declares: ‘O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause (deal treacherously).’ (Ps. 25:2-3) Then in Psalm 37, Trust in the Lord, Bruh David advises: ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34)
Ah friends, it’s all about trusting God, being sure of His supremacy and of His wonderful and generous LOVE and compassion for us; therefore we can rest in His timing and relax in His uprightness and righteousness. Meanwhile in Psalm 40, Praise for God’s Deliverance, Bruh David sincerely informs us: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my goings (steps). And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps. 40:1-4)
Oh my people, those are the kinds of things that happen when we trust in the Lord and wait on Him, for He is ever generous to those who truly trust, rely and wait on His timing and promise! Then in Psalm 62, My Rock and My Salvation, Bruh David declares: ‘My soul, (silently) wait thou only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’ (Ps. 62:5-8)
And that’s the glorious truth my brethren! God is a refuge, a hiding place, a place of comfort, calm and peace for those who trust, believe in and wait patiently on Him! And it’s not Bruh David alone that writes about the importance of trusting and waiting on God. Listen to this passage from Psalm 130, Hoping and Waiting for the Lord.
The psalmist acknowledges: ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING KINDNESS), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Isreal from all his iniquities.’ (Ps. 130:5-8) And that’s exactly what happens when we wait patiently for the Lord, put our trust in Him and aspire to live the way He desires!
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to do all the things we need to do to live sincerely for God. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now, let’s be reminded that we believers also need to wake up and smell the coffee, because our current Christian witness for Christ is totally unacceptable. It has to be, if the enemy is dominating our world to such a great extent. It’s time for us to rise up, resist, defeat and destroy the enemy! Much LOVE!
…waiting in faith…patiently on God…is in our best interest…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bright light suddenly shined down from heaven, a glorious truth, a heat warning in effect, anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, arise and go into the city, be not afraid of their faces, be renewed and refreshed, be responsible, before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, before thou camest forth out ot the womb, Behold, Christian witness for Christ, christianity, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, faith, far from perfect, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, get sufficient fun fellowship rest and relaxation, go to all that I shall send thee, goads, God does not call us by chance but by choice, God gives you all the tools you need to do His work, God's omnipotent help, holy spirit, How high Lord, I am Jesus, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest, I am with thee to deliver thee, I cannot speak for I am a child, I have put my words in thy mouth, I have this day set thee over nations, I knew thee, I sactified thee, it is hard to kick against the pricks, it shall be told thee what to do, Jesus Christ, LOVE, made havock of the church, make excuses, making life difficult, mercy, not enough religious knowledge, ordained thee a prophet unto the nations, our sinful world can wake up, over the kingdoms, personal experience, problems escalating, reading and studying the word, refuse God's call because we feel unworthy, renewed and refreshed in soul body and mind, salvation, Saul harassing the church, Saul Saul why persecutest thou me, Saul was blind and did not eat or drink for three days, say not I am a child, set thee apart, sharpened sticks used to prod animals, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the Creator of the universe, the example we faithful believers set, the great persecutor of the church became its greatest zealot, the long process, the Lord always gets his man, the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, the sufficiency for God's service comes only from God Himself, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the word of the Lord came unto me, to build, to destroy, to plant, to pull down, to root out, trembling and astonished, trusting faith, truth, two short days off, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, what wilt thou have me to do, whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak, when God comes a calling, who art thou Lord, wisdom, wise guidance, young and inexperienced
Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 July 2026 Acts 9:6a.
Acts 9:6a. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And finally, our long awaited day of Friday. Obviously the shouts of our Friday Mantra rise to the sky. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ And many of us are just dying to get it over with so we can rest up after the Canada Day celebrations earlier on in the week. But please be careful, because it’s going to be another hot, sweltering day, with the heat warning still in effect. So stay inside, or make sure you’re well protected if you’re outside.
And today the Lord caused the Bible to open to the beginning of the Book of Jeremiah. Why? Because He wanted to point out an example to many of us who make excuses to do His bidding, like Jeremiah did. Jeremiah relates it thus: ‘Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child (youth).
But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull (tear) down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant.’ (Jer. 1:5-10)
Yes friends, many of us make excuses when the Lord calls us to do something for Him, claiming we’re not capable for whatever reason. Jeremiah claimed that he was young and thus inexperienced. When He approached me to write the Bit, I laughed, because it did seem like a joke, and claimed that I did not have enough religious knowledge, which at the time was perfectly true. But the Creator of the universe and all therein knows what He’s doing and does not call us by chance, but rather by choice. Yuh see how He told Jeremiah that He knew him and set him apart as a prophet from before his birth, then touched his mouth and made him understand.
Unfortunately, with me, He did not touch my mouth and make we wise, No. After making life difficult for me until I accepted His call, I had to go through the long process of reading and studying His Word and trying to understand what He was saying to me through the Holy Spirit. And even after nineteen long years of writing the Bit, I’m still far from perfect. But I have improved from first writing only a few lines to now writing too much. (smile) And don’t think we’re alone in refusing God’s call because we feel unworthy, for many great men of God at first refused for just that reason.
Here are some examples that the scholars give. ‘Moses (Ex. 3:4), Barak (Judg. 4:8), Gideon (Judg. 6:15), Saul (1 Sam. 10:22), Bruh David (2 Sam. 7:19), and Cousin Sol (1 Kin. 3:7), and many others who understood clearly that sufficiency for God’s service comes only from God Himself.’ And that’s a glorious truth my people, for God does not call you to do something and leave you in the lurch. No! He takes time and teaches you what He expects from you, gives you all the tools you need to do His work efficiently and peacefully.
And my best advice is if and when the Lord calls you to do something, make a true excuse, if there’s one, but if He persists, then right away say, ‘Yes Lord, how high do you want me to jump?’ (smile) That’s because He will make your life miserable in so many different ways until He finally breaks you down and you agree to His offer. And I’m speaking there from personal experience. Please understand, that if the Lord truly wants you, He will get you.
And there’s a fine example in Bruh Paul. He was out there harassing the church. The Bible says: ‘As for Saul (Paul), he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling (dragging off) men and women committed them to prison.’ (Acts 8:3) And he was present when they killed Stephen. Then, one day while on his way to Damascus to do more harassing of the church, this bright light suddenly shined down from heaven blinded him and knocked him off his horse.
And he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, sharpened sticks used to prod animals). And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what to do.’ (Acts 9:4-6) And Saul got up from the ground blind, and they led him to Damascus, where he stayed blind and didn’t eat nor drink for three days.
Oh friends, yuh see how easily the great persecutor of the church became it’s greatest zealot. Yes, because the Lord desired it. He had planned it that way from long before. And what amazes me is how Bruh Paul gave in so easily, with no fight or bluster at all. It just goes to show that when the Lord wants your services, He will get them one way or another. So when next He comes a calling, just agree from the very beginning, and save yourself some trouble. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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 please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good 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!’
And unfortunately, it’s not the unbelievers alone who need to wake up and smell the coffee, but also believers, for our Christian witness for Christ is certainly not good enough! Much LOVE!
…don’t try to kick against the pricks (goads)…for the Lord ALWAYS gets His man…or woman…eventually…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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