The Overwhelming Importance of Understanding the Constant Presence of God with Us, and Not Being Afraid to Take Our Deepest, Darkest Secrets to Him!

17 Feb 2026 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 139:23.        Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my anxious thoughts;

Then it was Tuesday, and the Family Day partying finish! But it still continues in places like Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and New Orleans, where the Carnival celebrations are now in full swing, with today being the last day of music, costumes and masqueraders on the streets, carrying on like leggo-beasts. Then tomorrow, we’ll all get pious and godly for Ash Wednesday. Hn! What a life we living!

But judging isn’t our department, it belongs to the Creator and Controller of the universe, and several scriptures speak to that situation like these. Isaiah says: ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22) Meanwhile Hebrews tells us: ‘For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense (repay), saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.’ (Heb. 10:30)

Meanwhile James, the brother of Jesus puts it a bit sterner, when he writes: ‘Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:11-12) And that’s a very good question, which we will all have to answer on an individual basis.

Now, here is an interesting article from the ‘Consider This’ Section of this month’s In Touch Devotional, which can pertain to many of us. Please read with me: ‘Confronting sin is hard, isn’t it? At times it feels uncomfortable and scary. Lonely, even. But it doesn’t have to. Think about the closing verses of David’s prayer in Psalm 139: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24).

Such a frightening request – inviting God to examine our thoughts and motives, to uncover what lies beneath. But He is with us, even in those moments when we’d rather hide. He does not leave us to face anything alone. How do we know this? Go back and read Psalm 139 from the beginning. There you’ll find 18 verses that explore God’s with-ness, His unceasing presence and unfailing LOVE toward us. Like David, we can say to our Father, “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.’ (Ps. 39:5-6) We too, can take comfort in the Lord, knowing that even in our darkest moments, He remains beside us.’

Now how does all of that sit with us as individuals eh my fellow believers? Does it frighten us, or does it make us strong, in the knowledge that even when the Lord uncovers our darkest sins, He never leaves us, His presence is always with us? It should strengthen us, for remember what Moses said to the Israelites? ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6)

And it’s the same thing the Lord told Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh. 1:5) And it’s the very same thing the Lord is saying to us today my fellow believers. Regardless of what happens, or what we do, the Lord’s presence is, and will always be with us!

There’s no need to be afraid of walking this very stressful and dangerous life alone. We might be lonely, but we’re NEVER alone, for the Lord our God is always with us! And just that fact, ought to strengthen our sense of purpose and allow us to go on in good fashion. And as the article says, I hope you all took a moment to read the first 18 verses of Psalm 139, for it is a magnificent Psalm.

And I like how the scholars describe it: ‘Psalm 139. Certainly one of the grandest psalms in all of the Psalter, it is also one of the richest theologically. It combines an exposition of the greatness of God’s character with the reality of the human experience. From verses 19-22 we find that David wrote the psalm during a time of opposition. It therefore contains truths that were meaningful to him during these troublesome times. They may be summarized under four key thoughts as David addresses the Lord.: You know me (vs. 1-6); You are with me (vs. 7-12); You created me (vs. 13-18); and Your cause is my cause (vs. 19-24)’  

Ah friends, it is indeed a marvellous psalm, containing so much information about our relationship with God, and how we are continually in His presence from the moment we are formed in our mother’s womb…and even before. And I always remember my first introduction to the psalm. It was many years ago on the Hour of Power Programme from the Crystal Cathedral in California, when the greatest actor preacher, Dr. Robert Schuller, raised his hands and declared in such an amazing fashion:

‘Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’ (Ps. 139:7-10) Yes, that was a pivotal moment in my life, and it reminds me of the words of Bruh Paul in Romans, where He’s talking about how the Word reaches listeners. ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’  (Rom. 10:15b)

Oh my people, I hope and pray that what we’ve spoken of today will encourage and strengthen us in our faith-filled walk with Christ, because we can never get too much encouragement and confidence in these tremulous and uncertain times. Now, let’s go home declaring 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 said that, we’re 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!

…one thing we’re never lacking…that’s the divine presence of our God and Saviour…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 September 2018 Deuteronomy 31:6.

04 Sep 2018 Leave a comment

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

Deuteronomy 31:6.   Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.

And then it was the Tuesday after the Labour Day weekend; time to go back to school and work! And it seems like it’s going to be another hot, hazy and humid day in my neighbourhood. But we’ll take it, though some of the promised rain would be nice. However, we can’t blame the weather forecasters too much, because with the screwed up climate we have nowadays, their predictions can easily be thrown off. 

Anyway, today we’re going to talk about two words that play a very big part in our lives, both as normal humans and Christian believers. Those words are FEAR and COURAGE! First up are a couple of definitions of those words from Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) Here’s what he says about Fear. 

‘Fear – An uneasy feeling, a feeling of dread…an internal alarm that goes off inside of us when we are feeling imminent danger; feel threatened, or feel helpless to avoid or change it.’ In other words, Fear seems to be a negative disposition; one that has us nervous and jittery, feeling weak, especially when we can’t do anything about the prevailing circumstances. 

As per Courage, Uncle Charles says: ‘Courage: The quality of mind or spirit enabling us to meet danger, face opposition, or the challenges of life with fearlessness, calmness and firmness.’ Courage then boosts us up, makes us strong, has us feeling we can do whatever it takes to meet a certain situation. 

But for whatever it’s worth, both of those emotions play a very large part in our lives. These days with our world in such a sorry state of war, resentment, anger, hate and strife, fear is very common and a frequent visitor to too many of us. And it takes a lot of courage to ignore that kind of stuff and move on with a positive and productive life. 

Now we all entertain fear at some time or other in our lives, but as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, we need to do it afraid. So courage isn’t necessarily not having fear, but also doing whatever we need to do while being fearful or afraid. 

And one of the first directives Moses gave to the Israelites when he was dying are the words contained in our Bit. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’  

What a magnificent promise my brethren! And when the Israelites held to it, they were fine, and when they didn’t they suffered serious harm. And I’d like you to know that that promise still holds true even to this day, so many thousands of years later. 

And on the death of Moses, the Lord God Himself even reiterated it to Joshua after making him leader of the Israelites. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9) 

That seems to intimate that followers of Jehovah God should not be afraid of anything or anyone that comes against them because their great, powerful and caring God is always with them wherever they may go. And that’s the indisputable truth friends: our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God is all over, all the time! His eyes are always on us, as He walks, before, behind and beside us. 

So there’s no need to fear. We can be sometimes anxious, but definitely not fearful. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus with the ultimate word on the situation. ‘Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32) 

And Jesus was always cheering up His followers, advising them to have courage. Listen to him as He came walking on the water towards His scared disciples on the boat. ‘Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ (Matt.14:27) 

And hear Him again when He tells them He’s going back to heaven and promises to send the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide them. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) 

And later on He again warns them: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer (take courage); I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) That’s the faithful promise of our Lord and Saviour, my people! Powerful words for us to hold on to securely and courageously live by! If you’re a true believer, that’s the ONLY way to live! 

And Bruh David adds his two cents worth (smile) ‘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) More invaluable advice my brethren! So please take it. But now it’s time to go home, and we’ll do so declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. 

In strong voice with sincere hearts now:  ‘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!’ 

So what are we waiting for eh? Let’s go out and do as we just declared. Much LOVE!

…faith in Jesus…that’s the only thing that will quench…fear of the world…