Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 August 2018 Psalm 4:7.

Psalm 4:7.   Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased.

It’s a beautiful though somewhat cool Thursday morning! Yeh, the vagaries of the weather are already showing up. And if the weather people are right, today won’t be anywhere as hot as the last two days. But as the man says: ‘That’s life!’ And so we have to live it as it comes. 

And yuh know what friends? When we live this life with God, ‘Beautiful Things Happen,’ as our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin tells us. 

Please pray with me. ‘O God Such beautiful things happen When I meet you day by day In quietness and confidence. There is a deep inner wholeness And the assurance of Your guidance. I am not so easily disturbed By changing circumstances. I am less dependent on others And more dependent on You. 

My eyes may be full of tears But my heart is full of joy. In discovering Your hidden treasures I learn how deeply I am treasured by You. When day by day I am responsive To Your whispered secrets You do more for me in one day Than I could do for myself in a lifetime.’ 

Indisputable truth friends! All of it! Every last word! When we hang with the Lord daily, beautiful things do happen in our lives! Glory to God, my brethren! Oh, if only the majority of the world would hear that, believe it and do it eh! What a wonderful place our world would indeed be! 

And we would all be saying like Bruh David does in our Bit, taken from his evening prayer of trust in God, which is the Bible Promise associated with the ‘Beautiful Things Happen’ prayer. ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and wine increased.’ 

Oh precious people of God, isn’t that saying something? It surely is, if we can have more joy in our souls than the people have at harvest time. For harvest time is indeed the most joyful time of the year in an agrarian society. That time when the whole populace exults over the bountiful blessings that the Lord has showered down on them. And if one can get happier than that that, then it is indeed a joyous time, and only possible through close association with our heavenly Father. 

And hear how Bruh David continues nuh. As a consequence of such gladness in God, he proudly proclaims: ‘I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’ (Ps.4:8) 

Oh my people, my people, what assurance we can get when we sincerely befriend our great and LOVING and comforting God! He allows us to lie down and sleep in peace, no worries whatsoever! Now who in their right minds wouldn’t want to have that experience eh? Apparently a lot of people, because a lot of them are turning away from God. 

All I can say to that though friends, is that as for me and mine, we WILL follow the Lord! No ifs and buts about it! Who doesn’t want to follow Him and enjoy the joy and peace of mind it brings, that’s their problem. We can only tell them about it and try to show it in our conduct. They still have to make their own decisions. 

Listen to what another psalmist says on the subject. ‘For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance (for the memory) of his holiness (His holy name).’ (Ps.97:9-12) 

Oh ye current day saints of God, are you living such joyful lives; rejoicing and giving thanks? I certainly hope so. And if you aren’t, then it’s all your fault, for the Lord our God and faithful Provider has placed it all out there for us to enjoy. It’s now left to us to accept the gladness and mercy that He offers. Please be wise and reach out and accept it, for it doesn’t get any better than God’s goodness. 

Now for those of us who have wisely accepted God’s goodness and seen the prosperity in our lives, let’s go home declaring the myriad blessings that the Lord has showered down on us; so much so that our souls can hardly contain them. (smile) 

As one strong, enthusiastic and sincere voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

Ah mih people, that shows God’s unsurpassable generosity! Now let’s go out and be just as generous nuh, for that’s why He showered us with so many blessings in the first place. Much LOVE!

…blessings are not truly blessings…until they are shared…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 April 2017 Psalm 97:10.

Psalm 97:10.   Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Oh mih people, it’s Wednesday! So jump and sing and shout! Shout praise and thanks to Almighty God for giving us one more blessed day on His great planet earth! Wow! We’re alive and kicking for another big day! Isn’t our God wonderful? He surely is! 

But don’t forget that we’ve been allowed to see today not only to enjoy it, but also to do whatever work or plan our heavenly Father has in mind for us, for there’s ALWAYS something our God wants to do through us. 

So let’s find out today’s task, then do it diligently, and also with excellence, because that’s the hallmark of a true follower of Christ; diligent excellence! (smile) 

Now here’s an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, it’s titled ‘My Personal Rainbow.’ 

Please pray with me: ‘Lord, right now I struggle with clutching fear. Waves of agony pour over me As I face the darkest moments In my life’s history. But my conviction still stands firm: You are my God! 

And though I cannot predict my future Or even tomorrow I am sustained by the reminder That the longest storm the world has ever known… And the worst… Came to an end one clear-sky morning. It was true for Noah It will be true for me. Though as yet I see no deliverance I watch I wait I expect My personal rainbow.’ 

Yeh friends, each of us will have our own personal rainbow if we continue to have such strong and far-reaching faith! 

I know that many of us are going through some very stormy times right now, but the answer to it all is to just put those problems in God’s hands, allow Him to be your pilot through the storm, and you will be guaranteed a safe haven eventually. 

Now it won’t necessarily be easy, but with God as your pilot, NO ONE, or NOTHING can defeat you! We just have to stay in faith, standing strong and walking tall for Jesus! Remember all the other times that God has bailed us out of trouble and sincerely declare that if He could do it then, He can also do it now! 

And very appropriately, the Bible promise for that poem is one we know and dearly LOVE, Bruh Paul’s admonition to the Roman church: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose. (Rom.8:28)  Glory to God! 

And if we believe that, then there should be no cause for worry. For concern, yes, but not worry, for everything is in the mighty hand of our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God! Glory Hallelujah! Give Him the praise and thanks that He so assuredly deserves my people! 

Now let’s turn to our wonderful Bit for the last time; a Bit that also lifts us up and warms the cockles of our hearts because of our God’s great promises contained therein. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ And that’s the immortal truth my brethren! 

And we’ll finish this series of messages with some corroborating scripture on the last part of our Bit: ‘he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ Listen to Bruh David tell it like it is from Psalm 37 – The true state of the wicked. 

‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 

He is ever merciful (merciful all the day), and lendedth: and his seed (descendants) are blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord LOVETH judgement (justice), and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.’ (Ps.37:23-28) 

Ah friends, what powerful and faithful promises from our great God! And remember that Bruh David wasn’t talking from hearsay nuh, but from personal experience, which means that all he’s saying is also possible in our lives if we are obedient to God’s will. 

And to add more wood to the already blazing fire, (smile) hear how he ends the psalm. ‘But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps.37:38-40) 

Yes mih breddren, more words of indisputable, gospel and immortal truth! And if you believe it, then please declare with me our Wednesday Wail which celebrates it all. 

‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Now let’s keep our hands fixed on that plough, while looking straight ahead to that glorious future with Jesus! Much LOVE!

…faithfully LOVING and trusting God…should be as easy as pumpkin pie…given all His faithful promises…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 April 2017 Psalm 97:10.

Psalm 97:10.   Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Oh friends, welcome to a wet and dreary Tuesday morning in my neck of the woods! But the spring rains are doing their job; rejuvenating the cold, dry, dead, winter earth, getting it ready for the planting of food to nourish our physical bodies. Just another one of God’s marvellous and miraculous ways of looking after us! 

And though the sun might not be out, the SON is certainly shining in all His brilliant splendour; guaranteeing us, LIGHT, LIFE, LOVE, and the ONLY TRUE WAY to the Father’s heavenly kingdom! 

All Glory and Honour be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His sinless life for us on Calvary, then rose triumphantly from the dead on Easter Sunday, totally destroying and defeating Lucifer’s kingdoms of hell, death and the grave! Give Him much thanks and praise my people, for He certainly deserves it! 

Unfortunately, I’m a bit under the weather myself, though I can’t understand why, since I went to bed at a reasonable hour and got up late. But I know that as I keep on writing, the strong and invincible power of our great and wonderful God will eventually permeate my body and soul and bring me the energy that I need to do His wonderful will. 

Wow! What a mighty, generous and merciful God we serve my brethren! That’s why I can’t understand why people, and I mean a lot of supposed Christians are so reluctant to faithfully serve Him! 

They will spontaneously serve Beelzebub, who can’t do anything worthwhile for them, only drag them down into Hades, but answering their Creator’s call takes a whole lot of contemplating. Steups! 

Then we wonder why He doesn’t answer our hurried, insincere prayers in times of trouble. Chuh friends! The Lord our God is not our servant, just there to lavish us with the sinful desires of our hearts! 

We were made to serve and honour, glorify and have good fellowship with Him. That means sticking with Him in both the good and bad times. As our Bit so wisely advises us: ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ 

And all of that is indisputable truth! So why the current stampede away from God eh? I really don’t know nuh. Anyway, let’s check out some scripture that corroborates the last part of our Bit: ‘he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’  

Hear the Lord’s assurance to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah if they repent and turn back to Him: ‘Therefore, thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them (the heathen). 

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brazen (fortified bronze) wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand (grip) of the terrible.’ (Jer.15:19-21) 

Oh friends, what more do we need eh, but to turn from our wicked ways and once more magnify and sincerely worship the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? We have His sincere promise, that should be ALL we need! 

But if you’re not into promises, then listen to an actual saving grace of our mighty God; that of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. 

The king had ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than normal, to destroy the three Jewish young men who had refused to bow to a golden idol the king had made. And what happened? 

The fire consumed the men who went to throw them into the furnace. But when the king went to check out the Jewish lads, he was most surprised because they spoke to him, and he in astonishment declared: ‘Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no (are not) hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God (a son of the gods).’ (Dan.3:25) 

And we all know that when the lads came out, ‘upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed (garments affected), nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ (Dan.3:27) 

Oh my people, if the Lord did that way back then, why do we think He cannot do it now eh? Because our faith is not strong enough! And this miracle even caused the heathen Babylonian king to later declare: 

‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed (frustrated) the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 

Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses made a dunghill (an ash heap): because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort (like this).’ (Dan.3:28-29) 

There’s nothing left to say friends, except that we need to seriously check the level of our faith and see how it compares to those Jewish lads. Now let’s go home, enthusiastically declaring and believing our Tuesday Mantra. 

‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

And if we believe, then let’s put it into action, as we ought to. Much LOVE!

…without true faith…one cannot come to God… 

P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but in between I had to go out the street and pick up my tech, for today is music day. Glory be! Much LOVE!

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 April 2017 Psalm 97:10.

Psalm 97:10.   Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Ah mih friends, once more it’s back to the common task and daily grind…and no short workweek either, but a full five days of labouring! And I hear some moaning and groaning and expletives I must delete, as we realize that it’s our favourite day, Monday. 

Hn, hn! But my working brethren, it is what it is, and we can’t do much about it, for even the very rich need to labour some to keep their wealth. So we just need to grin and bear it and thank the Lord that we’re alive and kicking on another glorious day on planet earth. And once we get up and get moving, we’ll forget all the puny and pitiful details of waking up on a Monday morning to go to work, cause by then we’ll be full of vim and vigour. 

And I hear some of you sourly declare: ‘Don’t bet on that nuh!’ But I’m betting on it, because I know the awesome power of our antidote for the Monday Blues, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s belt it out now nuh, like there was no tomorrow. 

‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. 

We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. 

But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. 

Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ 

Good going friends, good going! Jesus was pleased, as the affirmative nod of His head and bright smile attest to. And I know you are now feeling the strong ripple of adrenaline just moving and grooving through your system, and with your spiritual battle armour on, you can’t wait to get out on the battlefield called work to do serious battle in Jesus’ name. See, I told you about the power of our antidote! (smile) 

And all of that finally brings us to our Bit; those immortal words of wisdom from the psalmist:  ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.’ 

And some of you are muttering: ‘But we just did that a couple of days ago?’ Yes, we did. But I wasn’t quite finished with it, because there are three parts to it, and yesterday’s Bit was just more suited to the Sabbath Day. (smile) 

Now we’ve already covered the first part in our earlier messages, ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil:’, so let’s turn to some scriptures that deal with the second aspect: ‘he preserveth the souls of his saints;’ Listen up to these scintillating words of advice and wisdom and indisputable truth from Bruh David out of Psalm 145 – The Lord is gracious. 

‘The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The Lord preserveth all them that LOVE him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.’ (Ps.145:17-21) 

And if that doesn’t touch your very heart and soul, then hear Cousin Sol from Proverbs, as he talks about seeking wisdom. ‘If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear (reverential awe) of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 

For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up (stores up) sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgement (guards the paths of justice) and preserveth the way of his saints.’ (Prov.2:4-8) 

So friends, if you are one of the Lord’s saints, then you know that true wisdom is yours for the asking, and divine protection is guaranteed! 

And we’ll close with some more powerful and wise advice from Bruh David out of Psalm 31 – In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. ‘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.31:23-24) 

Words of gospel truth my brethren, and if we’re wise we’ll diligently heed them. Much LOVE!

…one can’t be a saint of God…and not be securely tuned in to Him and His Word…