The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Restraining Their Anger!

Ecclesiastes 7:9.       Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

Well, this second day of Lent, Thursday, has opened cold and wind and somewhat cloudy. But that’s fine by me, because that means the rain’s stopped falling and the snow has stopped melting and consequently my basement has stopped leaking, for however long the dry and cold weather continues! Glory Be! 

Ah friends, this owning a house racket is the biggest scam in our country. They tie you to a mortgage for umpteen years, at prices you can barely afford, and give you all the glowing accounts of house ownership, but never tell you a word about the many negative aspects, like the fast-risinginsurance premiums, ever increasing taxes and ever diminishing returns on those taxes, the untimely repairs and the numerous unforeseen things involved in owning a house. And sometimes I think it’s good that house prices have skyrocketed so that young people cannot afford them, and consequently don’t get shackled with a lifelong albatross around their necks. 

But that’s just my take on the subject, having been an owner of several homes, both old and new over the years. And believe me, even the new ones have unforeseen problems that can be both expensive to fix and also frustrating, because when you buy something brand new, you don’t expect to have any more layouts of time and money for a while. 

And it wouldn’t be so bad if most of us were making a living wage, meaning one that we can afford the necessities of life without too much hassle. But that’s not true for a majority of the population. However, that’s life in this fallen world my brethren, and we just have to grin and bear it as best we can, sincerely following the lead and guidance of Jesus’ Word and His Holy Spirit which indwells us. 

Enough of my complaining though, let’s check out some interesting and very appropriate words from Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. He declares: ‘Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’  (Eccl. 7:8-9) 

Excellent words of wisdom my people! And how I wish our world would hear those words and take them to heart, because right now it’s filled with an overabundance of proud, egotistic, entitled, angry, dissatisfied and vengeful humans. And if you follow Cousin Sol’s logic, then fools and foolishness are indeed predominant, because anger now has such a deep-seated position in today’s society. And it’s sad that there are so many scriptures that reject and rebuke that kind of attitude and behaviour, yet we persist in making it so predominant in today’s world. 

So to help us get a better perspective on the problem, and hopefully turn things around, let’s check out a few scriptures that detail the folly of anger and pride, beginning with this poignant one from James, where he talks about being hearers and doers of the word. ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) 

It could not be said any clearer and more straightforward than that my fellow believers. And we all know it, because whenever we get angry, we do and say things that don’t mix and mingle well with the Lord’s expectations. And that’s why we ought to not get angry too quickly, always try and instill a modicum of circumspection. (smile) But if we do get angry, let’s keep these words of Bruh Paul to the Ephesians in mind. ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27) 

Yes friends, the scripture acknowledges that anger is a natural human emotion, but it must be controlled and not lead to sin. The scholars put it thus: ‘Sinful anger is to be replaced by (briefly held) righteous indignation, that the devil may not be given opportunity.’ Oh so true! But unfortunately, not enough of us, both believers and unbelievers, ever tend to follow that route. Instead, we let it all hang out, and thus give the devil lots of space to breach our spiritual armour. 

But getting back to the scriptures on anger and pride, Cousin Sol has several in Proverbs. Let’s check out a few of them. This first one says: ‘In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth (restrains) his lips is wise.’ (Prov. 10:19) In other words, when you talk too much you run a much higher risk of committing sin than when you keep your words few. 

Then there’s this: ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) That’s self-explanatory. And what about this one? ‘A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife (contention).’ (Prov. 15:18) That’s also self-explanatory. (smile) And we’ll finish with this one: ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov. 16:32) Yuh see mih people, being slow to get angry is much better than being a mighty warrior. (smile) 

And to help us do His earthly work properly, our good God has bestowed showers of undeserved blessings upon us. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

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

And having made that declaration (awright!!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…anger comes naturally…but like fire…it must be tempered…lest it cause serious and unnecessary damage…

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

The Absolute Necessity for PATIENCE in this Crazy World!

Ecclesiastes 7:9.       Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

So it’s Friday and all the Halloween nonsense is over now, except for the children fighting their parents to get the candy they collected last night, so that they can eat them in almost one go. But that’s the nature of children, and sadly, also the nature of many adults in our current society which emphasizes speed and the give it to me now, if not yesterday, childlike attitude. We can’t seem to wait for anything, that’s why we have things like road rage on crowed highways, and blow ups in the grocery lines when a cashier seems to be too slow for our liking. Also when our computers take too long to boot up or find some site we desire, we rage at the poor machine. (smile) 

And though we know the motto; ‘SPEED KILLS,’ we continue to emphasize speed in too many areas of our lives. Take for instance the Ontario Provincial Government’s recent proposal to increase the speed limit on most of the big highways from one hundred to one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. In the first place the highways are usually so filed with traffic that you can seldom get up to the speed limit for any reasonable length of time. And secondly, too many drivers are already doing one twenty to one forty, with the hundred limit, so what do you think they’ll do with the one ten limit eh? Obviously up their speed! 

But thank the Lord, I’m not on the highway everyday like some unfortunate people nuh. It’s bad enough when I do have to get on it. And with the crazy driving that’s taking place out there, it’s a wonder that we don’t have more accidents than the large number we already have. So what’s the problem then, you ask? I guess it’s basically a problem of patience, versus impatience. Our society has become a rather impatient one, but if we continue along that path, we will just destroy ourselves sooner rather than later. Our resolve then should be to learn or acquire patience, which as we all know is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Bruh Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faithfulness, Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Yes friends, if those fruits flourish in us, then we’d be as holy and godly as we can ever be. (smile) But unfortunately they don’t just flourish when the Holy Spirit plants their seeds in our spirits, when we become believers. No. Like all the other seeds that sprout to healthy plants, we then have to nurture them; that’s water and feed and remove the weeds from around them, so that they can grow and flourish and show the world that Christ richly dwells in us. 

And sadly, possibly the most difficult fruit of the Spirit to acquire is the one Bruh Paul terms longsuffering, or patience, or perseverance, for that cannot be acquired without undergoing problems which then causes it to grow. And what’s patience? This definition from Wikipedia shows how difficult it is to acquire. ‘Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding with disrespect or anger, forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties; or being able to wait for a long time without getting irritated or bored. Patience is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms or opposites include impatience, hastiness, and impetuousness.’ 

And, as we said earlier, for the Christian, patience is a most important trait for us to develop as we walk with God, for He doesn’t do anything according to our timetable, but according to His. And the Bible, the Lord’s Word, talks very often about the need for patience. So let’s look at a few of those scriptures on patience nuh. And nowhere is it more popular than in Proverbs, or wise words of Cousin Sol. 

Listen up: ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) Or, as another translation puts it: “The patient man shows much good sense, but the quick-tempered man displays folly at its height” Then in the next chapter he writes: ‘A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife (contention).’ (Prov. 15:18) Or, “An ill-tempered man stirs up strife, but a patient man allays discord.” 

And in chapter 16, Cousin Sol states: ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov. 16:32) Or, “A patient man is better than a warrior, and he who rules his temper, than he who takes a city.” And then in Ecclesiastes, as the Preacher, Cousin Sol advises: ‘Better is the end of a thing than the beginning  thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ (Eccl. 7:8-9) Or, “Better is the patient spirit than the lofty spirit. Do not in spirit become quickly discontented, for discontent lodges in the bosom of a fool.” 

It could not be said any better my people. However, Bruh Paul adds his advice on patience thus in his first letter to the Thessalonians. ‘Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly (insubordinate), comfort the feebleminded (faint-hearted), support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.’ (1Thess. 5:14-15) 

And we’ll close with this exhortation from James. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (near).’ (James 5:7-8) Yes my fellow saints, patience is a most important trait in all aspects of our lives, but it is difficult to obtain, and without the Lord’s help, possibly impossible. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now nuh, through our Friday Chant asking for divine help to handle all the negative stuff that’s coming against us. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And I’ll just remind us that we won’t receive any divine help until we become better examples of Christian living! So let’s get on with it nuh! Much LOVE!

…the person who exhibits patience in his or her life…especially in this impatient society…is indeed a mighty being…

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

The Immeasurable Value of Patience in a Believer’s Life!

James 1:3.       Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience.

And then it was Tuesday, another warm and sunshiny summer’s day! We’ve left Monday far behind in our blazing path to glory in Jesus’ wonderful name! That means looking forward to another God-filled day down here on His chaotic but still beautiful creation called Planet Earth. And to be able to do all of that requires the believers in Christ Jesus to behave in a certain manner with certain boundaries that ought not to be crossed. However, since we’re all human, and thus tend to be sinful, selfish and rebellious, we need heavenly help to do our duty and stay within our boundaries. 

And this prayer from the In Touch Devotional for July gives us a good sense of some of the things we need to concentrate on. So please pray with me: ‘God, I pray for patience today – the kind that sits with an anxious friend, waits for a spouse to come around, listens to a child’s concerns. Teach me to hold space for others – and myself. There’s always time to extend your grace and forgiveness. Let my stillness be a declaration. I believe in You and trust in Your care for the people and circumstances in my life. There is no rush when all things are in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.’ 

Ah friends, that li’l prayer holds so many truths of which so many of us need to be aware of and action in our overly busy, modern lives. Things like having patience, which in today’s world is anathema to the human soul. Many of us claim we can’t find time to sit with a hurting friend, and we certainly don’t want to wait for a spouse to understand our point of view. No! We expect them to come around right away. And one of our big problems is paying serious attention to our children and their concerns. 

Too many parents in this modern technological and information age allow the television and social media to raise their children, and foolishly cater to their every whim and desire. Thus the children grow up to be selfish, with a mistaken sense of  entitlement, and no sense whatsoever of responsibility, with little, if any knowledge of God and no true LOVE for each other. No wonder our children have turned out so badly! I remember the days when it was said that it took a whole village to raise a child, but nowadays all it takes is a Television set and the social media platforms. 

All because we allow ourselves to fall into the false worldly trap of supposed busyness, then claim to have no time to look after the things and people we ought to be looking after. Oh my faithful believers, it’s all a façade of the world and the enemy. It’s only an empty storefront with nothing behind it, to keep us away from doing the things that God desires of us. If you ask the majority of us why we haven’t done so and so, the invariable answer would be, we’re too busy. But then, if you ask what we’ve been busy doing, the majority of us would be hard pressed to say exactly what we’ve been busy about. It’s just become a convenient cliche for avoiding stuff we don’t want to do. 

And what do the scriptures tell us about Patience eh? Plenty! But we’ll only have time and space to consider a few, starting with this one from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.’ (Eccl. 7:8) And then in Proverbs, Cousin Sol wisely informs us: ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) 

And what does all of that mean eh? Why is patience better than pride? Listen as this commentary explains. ‘Our pride, or ego, gives us many opportunities to be angry. According to this passage in Proverbs, “patience is better than pride.” What does that mean to us in everyday life? Simply that most of what makes us angry is foolishness and if we will just be patient most of these things will work themselves out.’ 

Ah friends, impatience is one of our biggest setbacks in this modern world. With all the quick technology we have nowadays, we expect everything to happen now for now, or even sometimes yesterday. Have you ever noticed that when  when you log on to your computer and it doesn’t come up almost immediately, how aggrieved and wronged you feel? (smile) I do. And I’m not a child of this technological age. I grew up when things took time to happen. So if that li’l matter can call up impatience in me, what’s it liable to do to those who were born to all this quick technology? 

Then there’s this perfect scripture on patience, where James writes: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) And that’s the road to spiritual maturity, to having true patience, to persevere, to be longsuffering like the Lord. As 2 Peter says: ‘The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.’ (2 Pet. 3:9) 

Yes friends, just as the Lord restrains Himself and allows us time to come to forgiveness, we likewise ought to offer our fellow man time to change, to improve. But the whole problem simply lies in our getting away, or moving away further and further from God, rather than closer to Him as this busy and ungodly society demands. And there are many more scriptures on patience, but they would make the Bit way too long to consider them today. (smile) So, if God spares life tomorrow, then we’ll consider some more. 

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

And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…in God’s grace and mercy…there’s always room and time for patience…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 August 2021 Galatians 5:22.

Galatians 5:22.     But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…

And then there was a big collective sigh…with a mumbling of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! I couldn’t go on for one more day like this nuh!’ Ah friends, we always think we can’t go on, that we’ve come to the end of our rope, because our capacity for stress and strain is ever so low these days in our affluent, entitled society. But in truth, when the heifer dust really hits the fan, we discover that there’s another gear we can put our lives into; that’s the one where Christ Jesus reigns. Glory be! 

Yes, if we needed to go on one, or even two more days, He would have enabled us to do it, because He is our enabler, the pent up or emergency strength that gives us our second wind. As Bruh David so assuredly writes in Psalm 138: ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.’ (Ps. 138:7) 

Wow! What a most definitive promise my people! That’s exactly what I was saying; the Lord will always give us the strength to go on, even though we think we don’t have it. And when Jesus says in His spiel on LOVING your enemies: ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain (two).’ (Matt. 5:41) How do you think we will get the strength to do that eh? He will provide it because we are doing whatever it is in His name, as His agent and ambassador! 

Ah friends, despite having the Lord God Almighty in our corner, these days we give up much too easily. That’s because we have become too soft and lazy, living the good life with all the wonderful amenities our society provides. We don’t have to struggle much for anything nowadays, for almost everything is right at our fingertips, which means our patience level has also declined, we want everything so quickly, sometimes even like yesterday. But in Christ’s economy friends, waiting, that’s patience, is a must! 

And the first thing we need to know is that patience doesn’t come overnight or easily. It is born of trials and tribulations. So, if you are thinking about acquiring patience, just be sure that you will endure problems, because that’s the only way to acquire it. And it’s ever so important in a believer’s life because it is listed as one of the fruit of the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, long-suffering…’ (Gal. 5:22) Yes, that’s patience. It’s only a nice word for long-suffering. (smile) 

Now let’s look at a few scriptures that try to teach us about patience nuh. And we’ll begin with this one from Jesus, that we seldom pay attention to. It’s when He is talking about the end times. He says to the disciples: ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess ye your souls.’ (Luke 21:17-19) That means we need to have patience and wait until whenever the Lord decides to do His thing. But in the waiting, we won’t be harmed. 

Meanwhile Hebrews tells us this about Abraham. ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ (Heb. 6:15) And we all know that the Lord called Abraham out from among his family to go out to an unknown land, and promised him a son from his own loins, but it all took a long time with much wandering and frustration, but Abraham kept the faith and eventually received all that the Lord had promised Him. 

Meanwhile we have this amazing but oh so truthful verse from Bruh David out of Psalm 37 that says it loud and clear. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.’ (Ps. 37:7) And Bruh David, like Abraham, was another man of God, promised great things, anointed king in his teens, but had to endure a lot of hardship and learn patience before he received the promise. 

We can never leave out this awesome verse from Isaiah either. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And Bruh Paul adds a few scriptures of his own too. First off, he tells Timothy: ‘Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering (patience), for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.’ (1 Tim. 1:16) 

Yes friends, Bruh Paul endured a lot of hardship for Christ, so that the Gentile believers, including us, could learn from him. Then to the church of Rome, he declared (steups!!!) ‘But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait for it.’ (Rom. 8:25) Then to the Colossians on the subject of Christian virtues, he strongly advised: ‘Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies (tender mercies), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering.’ (Col. 3:12) 

And it’s obvious the wisest man ever must have had something to say on patience, because he didn’t get to be the wisest and richest overnight. (smile) Listen to Cousin Sol. ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) And you can count on Cousin Sol to hit the nail on the head. 

And we’ll end with a timely word from James. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (has come near).’ (James 5:7-8) We can never go wrong with those words of wisdom my faithful brethren! Living for Christ does take a lot of patience, waiting, perseverance and long-suffering! But we can all do it, because He enables us with His awesome strength and power. 

Now, let’s end as we always do on a Friday, by going to God in prayer, through our Friday Chant. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. 

And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. Also, please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And I must remind us, that the answers to our prayers will only be as positive to the extent that we keep our promises. Much LOVE!

…wait (patiently) on the Lord…be of good courage…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait (patiently)…I say, on the Lord… (Ps. 27:14)                                                                                                                                   

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8