Today’s Scrip-Bit 6 May 2019 Psalm 109:4.

06 May 2019 Leave a comment

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

​Psalm 109:4.   For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
 

Well at long , last, yesterday we had a sunny and dry day from begin to end! Glory Be! Let’s hope today will be the same. But who knows what the finicky weather will do these days eh? Anyway it’s Monday… and you know what that means – to labour, to labour, and yet to labour! 

Yes, it’s unfortunate that we need to labour, and labour so much and so often, (smile) but the truth of the matter is if we don’t labour, we won’t eat, nor have a roof over our heads. And having settled the question of labouring, (smile) let’s get on with life, get ourselves together and go out and labour, in Jesus’ glorious name. 

And yes, some of us will always have problems on a Monday morning, but thankfully we have this wonderful antidote for all of Monday’s ills, called our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; a crying out in prayer, in confidence, to our heavenly Father, who’s faithfully promised to hear and answer us whenever we come to Him humbly and reverently outlining our needs.  

So let’s do just that right now nuh; call on Him as one: ‘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!’ 

And as always, our heavenly Father answers by getting the Holy Spirit, which dwells within us, to ramp up His efforts of positive production in our souls so that we can step higher and lighter, throw our shoulders back with confidence and enthusiasm, while a holy fire lights up our eyes! Yes friends, we’re now ready to go out and do victorious battle against the enemy, all in Jesus’ name! 

Never doubt the power of prayer…neither the faithfulness of our omnipotent God! That’s why Bruh David made this immortal statement: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ Oh friends, we could never go wrong by declaring (steups – wrong again!) that same statement in sincerity and heartfelt truth. For like Bruh David, we ought to know where our bread is buttered…at the throne of the Most High God Jehovah! 

And Bruh David reinforced all of that with this other immortal statement: ‘O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.’ (Ps.65:2) Ah mih people, our God does hear prayer! That’s the way He set up communications with us, and we should be wise and knowledgeable, and mature enough in faith to go to Him with ALL problems, because that’s exactly what He desires. 

And Jesus, as He is ever wont to do, states it so clearly and plainly: ‘And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) Now that’s not me, but the Son of God making that bold statement! And if anybody should know about prayers and having them answered, it should be Him! 

But please note the one stumbling block in His statement; the word ‘believing.’ Yes mih people, when making those prayers to Almighty God, we have to believe that we will receive what we pray for. And Jesus is not talking about, frivolous, greedy, selfish prayers either, but serious stuff that we truly need.  

And that wasn’t the end of His wonderful advice either. Listen up, as Luke informs us: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto this end, that men ought always to pray, and to not faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) There again friends, if the Son of God makes such a definitive pronouncement, who are we mere sinful mortals to disagree eh? 

And we all know Jesus’ other famous pronouncement on prayer: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt.7:7-8) 

I don’t know about you nuh my fellow believers, but that is sweet music to my ears! Just keep on asking and seeking and knocking in prayer and I will be rewarded! I know to some of us it sounds too good to be true, but please remember Jesus is not a man to lie or make false promises, so if He says so, it is so! Matter fix! 

And just for good measure, as a lagniappe or brawtha, (not sure about that last spelling) (smile) here are a couple of admonitions from Bruh Paul on the subject. To the Thessalonians he said in no uncertain terms: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) And to Timothy, he exhorts: ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) 

So that seals the matter; we ought to keep on praying, anywhere and all the time in true belief, never get tired or give up! Much LOVE!

…sincere prayer…truly nectar for our souls…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 July 2017 Psalm 55:16.

28 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 55:16.   As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.

‘Alive! Still alive! Still alive and kicking! Give God the glory!’ Yeh friends, the ole fella is still alive and kicking! What an honour! 

That means God still has some plan for me to accomplish. And though I might not be kicking as healthily and actively as I’d like, once I’m alive, I have hope that things can get better. But if I’m not alive, things can’t get any better here on earth. (smile) 

So let’s praise our wonderful God and give Him much, much thanks for everyday we open our eyes to a bright new morning with Jesus the focus of our lives. Glory to God! 

So it’s Friday and the workingman is overjoyed at his short stint of upcoming freedom, and understandably shouts: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday mih breddren! No more labour till Monday! We going to laugh and sing and party like there was no tomorrow…

For who knows if there’ll be a tomorrow anyway! So let’s party up a storm and enjoy the fruits of we labour nuh like Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever, advised. Thank God for Fridays and the weekend oui!’  

And Cousin Sol did advise that my friends, but I don’t think he meant for us to go overboard with it, as the workingman seems to advocate. I believe he would have liked to see some boundaries, boundaries that did not allow the enemy to get into our lives. 

He’d much prefer a statement along the lines of our Friday Chant, which advocates a tad more circumspection. So let’s give voice to our Friday Chant nuh…declare it like we truly mean it. ‘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. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Ah mih people, I guess that’s what you’d call erring on the safe side (smile). But there is an enormous benefit to it; spending more time with God and less with the enemy! And anytime we can do that, we’re winning the battle of life. 

That brings us to our Bit; the proclamation of Bruh David from Psalm 55 – the cry against deceitful friends. In the midst of it all, he faithfully and boldly declares: ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.’ 

What awesome faith my brethren! How many of us boldly make such declarations when the trials and tribulations of life are coming against us eh? Not as many as should, I’d dare to say. 

When times are good, we talk a good talk, but when they get rough, the exact time when we desperately need God, too many of us forget Him, give up hope and allow the ever-lurking enemy to confuffle us even further. That’s foolish, unproductive and ungodly behaviour my fellow believers, which severely detracts from our faith walk. 

Instead, we should be declaring powerful acclamations like Bruh David did after our Bit: ‘Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.’ (Psalm 55:17) Yeh precious people of God, when our prayers are constantly being floated up to heaven, we are assured of more assurance in our faith walk. (smile) 

That’s why Bruh Paul told the Thessalonians: ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:16-18) And the scholars tell us that ‘the constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17, will help the believer to maintain gratitude (even) in the face of adversity.’ 

What more can we ask eh friends? Not a whole lot. To be grateful in the rough times is the mark of a true believer. And Bruh Paul also exhorted Timothy to prayer when he wrote. ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) 

So again we see that prayer should not only be constant, but it can be done anywhere, preferably ‘with a pure life without disputes.’ 

And we won’t forget to mention Jesus’ advice on the subject. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) 

And the scholars explain that verse thus. ’18:1. To faint means to “lose heart.” Precisely when tempted to give up, men ought to be strong in their resolve to pray.’ Exactly the message I’ve been trying to covey my fellow believers. 

Now we’ll close with a powerful example of what we’re talking about. It’s about Daniel, when his enemies plotted against him and had the king sign a law that forbade anyone to ‘ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save (except) of thee O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.’ (Dan.6:7b). 

They knew that the only way they could get to Daniel was through his God. But Daniel was not perturbed. The Good Book tells us: ‘Now when Daniel knew that the writing (written decree) was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a (that) day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime (had been doing all along). 

Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.’ (Dan.6:10-11) 

And we all know the story how Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den but the Lord stopped them from harming him. 

Oh friends, examples like Daniel have been placed in the Word to encourage and uplift us, so that we too can take courage in the efficacy of prayer. Please, let’s use them productively nuh, like our caring and compassionate God intended. Much LOVE!

…to pray…and yet to pray…and still yet to pray…that is the answer…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 January 2014 Psalm 5:3

20 Jan 2014 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 5:3.    My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.  

Oh Friends, it’s been another wonderful day on God’s Little Acre! Glory Hallelujah!

After church this morning, where a lady preached a sermon on sacrifice that brought tears to my eyes, and brunch at the nearby Magdalena hotel, the Duchess and I came home around 2 p.m. and just slept away the afternoon. I guess the old bones were just tired from all our cavorting. (smile)
 
Now I’m trying to get myself together so I can write a sensible Bit. Hn, hn! The Duchess is out on the balcony blagging to some long lost friend. But once she is happy, everything is all right in my world.
 
Anyhow, I saw this quote in my One Day More Devotional- Daily Meditations for People with Chronic Illness, and though I believe I’ve shared it already, it is worthwhile sharing again. It’s attributed to one Kyle Crichton, and says: ‘Life is a pretty precious and wonderful thing. You can’t sit down and let it lap around you… you have to plunge into it, you have to dive through it.’
 
And that’s the gospel truth Friends! Life is indeed a beautiful and precious thing – but only when you jump into it without too many reservations, especially if you are suffering from some chronic illness. It’s like learning to swim; you’ll never learn if you only stay in the safe, shallow areas, you need to jump off the deep end and realize what it  feels like to be drowning. And I can talk about that from personal experience, a long time aback. It certainly wasn’t as thrilling then, as it seems now though. (smile)
 
Yes my people, life is an advantageous system, a bully, so you can never allow it to get the better of you, otherwise it’s just going to keep on beating you down. So regardless of our physical condition, we have to take life by the horns and use it to our advantage. Shying away from life is the worst thing we can ever do, for that’s when the evil Lucifer will get into our minds and cause even more havoc than we’re already experiencing.
 
And the best way to handle life my people, is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! And all God’s people shouted out a long and loud ‘Amen!’
 
Yes Friends, accepting Jesus’ saving grace and submitting to His perfect will through obedience and prayer, is the answer to all life’s problems. Bruh David put it quiet nicely in our Bit, when he offered up his prayer for protection. ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’
 
Ah my people, there’s no way to a truly successful earthly life, followed by one in heaven, than through sincere and heartfelt prayer!
 
And we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that highlight that contention. In Acts 10, we read about the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, who helped to ease the pressure of the Jewish people under the harsh, authoritarian Roman laws. The Good Book describes him thus: ‘A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms (many charitable gifts) to the people, and prayed to God always.’ (Acts 10:2)
 
Cornelius was one of the first Gentiles to be saved. But as the scholars so wisely point out: ’10:2-4. Though Cornelius’s good works and prayers served as a memorial, they did not save him. He was saved after he heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. See verse 44; 11:10-14).’
 
So Friends, regardless of what we do, the most important aspect of our earthly life is to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, for without that monumental decision, all else in this evil, materialistic world is for nought, is worthless! But when we wisely recognize and accept Jesus as being The Way, The Truth, The Light and The Life, then our lives begin to have true meaning!
 
But my brethren, that’s only the beginning; for then we have to walk a narrow path of obedience intertwined with prayer, so that we can grow in character likeness to Christ, whom God so LOVINGLY sacrificed to pay for our abominable sins, and once again make us worthy to be called His children. And the perfect avenue for walking that walk successfully is down the avenue of prayer.
 
Listen to how Bruh Paul puts it to his protégé Timothy: ‘I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) Oh my brethren, that is without a doubt, everlasting truth and godly wisdom!
 
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘2:8. I will…that men pray every where (or, “I intend…that men in every locality pray”). The Greek word ‘andres’ means ‘males.’ Men are to lead audibly in public prayer; women are to pray silently. This directive remains the same “in every locality,” geography being no factor. The manner in which men are to pray is that of lifting up holy hands, that is, with a pure life, which is without wrath and doubting (disputes).’
 
Yes Friends, thankfully we no longer hold that only men can pray in public, but also women, otherwise I would have missed out on that moving sermon the lady preached this morning at the Mother’s Union service. However, wherever prayer is publicly uttered, it ought to be backed up by an obedient life and one lacking in doubts, anger, resentment and disputes. In other words, a positive, peaceful, believing life.
 
And we’ll close there for today. There’s more than enough material for us to ponder on, and try to bring our lives into sync with God’s plan for them. Till tomorrow then, if God is in favour of us meeting again, here on earth. And in the meanwhile, may He bless and keep us all safely under His amazing and enormous wings of LOVE! Much much LOVE my fellow believers!
 
…to walk this earthly life with God…through the medium of prayer…is the believer’s path to success…