20 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man's enemies are the men of his own home, a state of chaos, alleviate our problems, bacchanal, Carnival, curate a godly lifestyle, Family day, family feuds, family the backbone of our society, fathers provoke not your children to wrath, godlessness, good principles of living, heal our land, her that lieth in your bosom, honoue thy mother and father, hooliganism, humble ourselves, Jehovah Rapha, keep the doors of thy mouth, lawlessness, live long in the land God's given thee, LOVE, mas in yuh mas, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative sitautions, none upright among men, pray, President's Day, put ye not confidence in a guide, seek your face, single parent homes, strong faith in Christ, teh removal of God from schools, the first commandment of promise, the God who heals, the good man is perished, trust ye not in a friend, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance
Micah 7:5. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
As the man in the song sings: ‘Mas, mas: mas in yuh mas! Play mas!’ And that’s exactly what’s happening in countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil where big Carnival Celebrations are now taking place, where, for the next two days, the streets will be filled with all kinds of floats, all kinds of music bands, all sorts of performers in pretty costumes and thousands of onlookers there to enjoy the party. Yes, it’s going to be bacchanal fuh so!
Meanwhile, in the U.S it’s President’s Day, and in staid Canada we are celebrating a holiday known as Family Day in some Provinces and by local names in others. I guess the day is held in recognition of the importance of home and family to the founding Fathers of the nation. And in these desperate and trying times, do we ever need the foundations, the groundings of a strong family situation in our nation, as well as our world. That’s because the breakdown of the original family unit is one of the main causes of the godlessness and hooliganism that’s terrorizing the earth today.
Once upon a time the family was the backbone of our society, the intimate group that raised us, taught us about God, and good principles of living. But then the family unit began falling apart as our lives got busier, where mothers now went out to work, so the family could make ends meet, and thus they could not pay as much attention to their children. Then, with the rate of divorces on the rise, it meant many single parent homes with less fathers around to bring discipline and proper structure.
Unfortunately, it was aided and abetted by the removal of all aspects of God from schools, and public places. It also meant less families, and less people overall going to church. Obviously that elemental family unit could not be sustained under all the pressures of our modern lifestyle, and so it eventually crumbled, leaving us with no proper single unit to curate a godly lifestyle. No wonder we are now in a state of chaos and lawlessness, despite the many amenities and advancements we’ve achieved.
It’s like the prophet Micah described when talking about no goodness or trust in the land of Israel. ‘The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly (successfully), the prince asketh (asks for gifts), and the judge asketh for a reward (bribe); and the great man he uttereth his mischievous (evil) desire: so they wrap it up (scheme together) (Mic. 7:2-3)
Ah friends, that’s exactly the picture in our world today; selfishness, greed and evil schemes rule the roost! That’s why Micah continues with these words of wise advice: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.’ (Mic. 7:5-6)
And sadly, in way too many cases, that is the indisputable truth! We don’t only have a lot of national and worldwide strife; we also have more strife and family feuds than we’ve ever had before. It’s truly pitiable to see how siblings and parents behave towards one another these days. Whatever happened to that first commandment of promise which so boldly stated: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ (Ex. 20:12) It has obviously gone the way of the dodo bird…become extinct.
The same seems to be the fate of Bruh Paul’s words to the Ephesians. ‘Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother: which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (training) and admonition of the Lord.’ (Eph. 6:1-4)
But then, the Lord is no longer as important a part of our society even as He was just a generation ago. So, if that’s the case, there must then be a dearth, a shortage or scarcity of children being brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, thus our family units remain broken. But as we keep saying, while there is life, there is hope in Jesus, and today, this Family Day holiday, is one of those days when we believers have to step up and take the bull by the horns and begin bringing the godly family back into our world. That’s the only way our world will ever survive and prosper.
And the first phase in any revival is always prayer. So, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and place our problems before our wise and compassionate God. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Our next move is now to keep our promises, turn from our evil ways, so that the Lord an do His part. Much LOVE!
… family is God’s wise desire for His children…devoted mothers, fathers and children…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godless society, A Maschill of Asaph, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a stubborn and rebellious generation, appointed a law in Israel, divine help, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, give ear O my people to my law, he established a testimony in Jacob, heal our land, his strength and wonderful works, humble ourselves, Jehovah Rapha, keep his commandments, living in the tundra, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Mutts comic strip, negative situations, no foundation in the laws and works of God, not forget the works of God, open my mouth in a parable, set not their heart aright, shewing to the generation to come, sincerely seek God's face, the God who heals, the praises of the Lord, they might set their hope in God, turned away from God, utter dark sayings of old, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, whose spirit was not steadfast with God, wise guidance and direction
Psalm 78:7. That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
‘Ugh!! Another Monday? But didn’t we just have one last week?’ Yes friends, we surely did, and unfortunately, whether we like it or not, we’re going to have one every week that the world stays afloat. By the way, that intro was from an old edition of the Mutts Comic Strip. And I know that’s the way many of us feel on a Monday morning, but like so many other things in this crazy world, we just have to grin and bear it, get out there with Jesus in our hearts and with His awesome help spurring us on, make a difference for Him. Remember, ‘we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.’ (Phil. 4:13)
And once we have that written indelibly in our hearts, souls and minds, then things won’t be as difficult, or appear as hopeless as they often do. Now, facing Mondays should also get easier in the northern hemisphere because the sun seems to be rising a tad earlier, so you don’t have to go to work in the dark. And please note that I didn’t say winter would be soon over. (smile) We still have at least another two months to go before we can safely that. And even then it’s not a certainty, because I’ve seen snow in May and June, and with the crazy weather patterns we now have, anything is possible.
But we really can’t complain because it’s not been that cold so far, and we haven’t received as much snow as some other parts of the country, and of the U.S in particular. For some reason they seem to think that because we’re a little further north than some parts of their country that we’re living in the tundra. But the reality is that they are often colder than us, and this year for sure they’ve received much nastier weather than we have.
And as I was just skimming through the Good Library, looking for a worthwhile scripture to address, I came upon this most important passage, especially for us in these ungodly times, from Psalm 78, a Maschill or Contemplation of Asaph, titled ‘Teach Children God’s Laws.’ So please read with me. ‘Give ear (listen), O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings (riddles) of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.’ (Ps. 78:1-4)
Yuh see that friends, God has done wonderful works all down through the ages, which our fathers have told us about, which we in turn are supposed to tell the next generation about, so they would not lose the knowledge of God. But unfortunately we have not done as good a job as we ought to in that direction, that’s why this generation is as godless as it is.
And listen closely as the psalmist Asaph continues: ‘For he (the Lord) established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.’ (Ps. 78:5-8)
Now doesn’t that remind you a whole lot of our generation my fellow believers? It certaindoes! The Lord established a covenant with Jacob that fathers would teach their children about God, about His laws and of His great and mighty works on behalf of men. That way the word of God and His praise would be passed down from generation to generation, since they didn’t have as much of the written word as we now do. But even if you have the written word and you’re not directed to it, or taught about it from young, in your parents house, how are you to gravitate to it eh?
For the main point of the psalm is verse 7: ‘That they (the children) might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.’ And that’s where our generation has seriously fallen down on the job. We’ve turned away from God like Israel did, thus our children know precious little about God, because we have not taught them about God at home, and since God is no longer taught in the schools, how will they know about Him eh?
The society is becoming more godless every day because that’s what’s been taught in the Educational System. And since our children have no basic foundation in the laws and works of God, they have nothing on which to disprove the new education, even if they desired to. Remember the words of Cousin Sol: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, and (even) when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ (Prov. 22:6) Now it’s obvious that we haven’t trained up enough of our children in the way they should go; that’s the way of God. So it’s one of the reasons why our society is so lawless and immoral; God is not in so many of our hearts.
But it’s never too late to turn things around, for with Christ, while there is life there is hope. And as always, the first step in anything we do ought to be prayer. So let’s go to God right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn for help to turn our godless society around, for He is the ONLY One who can enable us to do it. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now it’s up to us to do what we know we need to do, so that God can bless us and our out of control world. Much LOVE!
…if God and His Word had not been passed down to us…how would we know of them eh…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
06 Feb 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new commandment I give unto you, all baptized by one Spirit in one body, as I have loved you ye also love one another, aw shucks, by this shall men know that ye are my disciples, celebrate Monday, Christ is love, consider Jesus in all our endeavours, embrace the new week's potentiality, for brethren to dwell together in unity, forgive us, go to God in prayer, good intentions are just that, heal our land, hear our prayer, hook actions to good intentions, how good and pleasant it is, humble ourselves, Jehovah Rapha, let brotherly continue, let there be no strife between me and thee, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, sincerely seek your face, take the bull by the horns, the body is not one member but many, the God who heals, the unity of Jesus' is essential, we be brethren, wise guidance and direction
Psalm 133:1. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
Aw shucks friends, it’s Monday again! But you know what: ‘Today I will celebrate Monday. I will embrace the potentiality of the new week!’ Glory to God! By Jove, that’s how we ought to do it! And that bit of wisdom comes from a cutting of the comic strip ‘Between Friends’ that I recently found in my old Bible. No doubt I’ve shared it before, but it’s never too old for a rerun. But here’s the clincher, the last panel spoils it all by grumpily saying: ‘tinged by the aftershocks of the old week.’
And sadly that’s how many of us behave; desiring to be strong in the new week, but allowing the negatives of the past week to intrude on our good intentions. But please, let’s remember that good intentions are just that, they don’t pay the bills or cook the food. It’s only when we hook actions to those good intentions that things truly begin happening. Therefore, I’m asking us this week to secure positive actions to our good intentions, so that we can make it a great week for our Lord and Saviour Jesus, because that’s to whom all our efforts ought to be directed.
And here’s why we must consider Jesus in all our endeavours and actions. Just before telling Peter about His upcoming denial, where Peter would deny Him thrice, before the cock crowed twice, Jesus informs His twelve main followers: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another; By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Yes friends, showing LOVE; that’s compassion, kindness, mercy and forgiveness to each other is a mighty good way for people to know that we are sincere followers of Christ Jesus. Too often though, the way we treat fellow believers doesn’t show that distinction at all. I don’t know what it will take for us to truly believe that regardless of our race, class, colour or creed, that once we hold up Jesus as Lord and Saviour, then we’re all in the same boat and we should not allow petty differences to cause us to give Christ a bad name, like the uncalled for strife and unwise disunity amongst us are currently doing.
When you are in the same boat on a rough and tumultuous sea, any unwise behaviour will mean the ruin of all. And yuh better believe that our world right now is indeed a rough and tumultuous sea; a raging storm like we’ve probably never seen before. Consequently, if we want to ride out this raging storm and come out as the chief survivors, then unity of Jesus’ people is absolutely essential. Because we all know the enemy’s favourite tactic is to divide and conquer.
But we have to conquer that divisive action with a strong and steadfast togetherness in Christ, despite our differences. It’s as Bruh David acknowledges in Psalm 133: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.’ (Ps. 133:1) And that’s the glorious truth my people! It’s one of the greatest blessings we can ever have! There’s nothing as wonderful and precious in this world as unity; people dwelling together in good faith and being kind and forgiving to each other!
Here’s how Bruh David describes it nuh. ‘It is like the precious ointment (oil) upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts (edge) of his garments; As the dew of Hermon (Mt. Zion), and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing; even life for ever more.’ (Ps. 133:2-3) That’ how it is when people dwell in unity; God blesses them! Remember Abraham’s wise plea to his nephew Lot when disunity disrupted their lives. ‘And Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen. 13:8)
Yes my fellow believers it couldn’t be said any simpler or clearer! And let’s not forget what Bruh Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians, re the body or church of Christ. ‘For as the body is one, and hath many members (parts) and all the members of that one body, being many are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slave) or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor. 12:12-14)
And that’s the indisputable truth! We are indeed all a part of one body, that’s Christ church, but like our human body, the church has many members, and also like the human body, if it doesn’t work together in harmony, the whole body falls into disrepute and disrepair. That’s it in a nutshell. All aspects and parts of the church of Christ must work together in unity if it wants to stay alive and of good enough account to make a significant difference in our divided and upended world.
Now, let’s take the bull by the horns and go to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn asking for His help to come together in unity and uplift Christ’s church. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
It’s obvious now that our next move is to pray and turn from our evil ways, if we want to see positive help from heaven. Much LOVE!
… let brotherly LOVE continue…for Christ is LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Dec 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as I have loved you, bring glad tidings of good things, compassion, forgive us, give Jack his jacket, God's plan of salvation, God's unmerited favour, Happy New Year, heal our land, how beautiful are the feet, humble ourselves, Jehovah Rapha, Jim his gym boots, kindness, LOVE, LOVE one another, mass confusion, Merry Christmas, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, of them that preach the gospel of peace, office parties, our embittered and embattled world, peace, promised to hear and answer our prayers, reconcile us back to Himself, shopping, sincere repentance, the God who heals, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance
John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
And then it was the Monday of Christmas week, and I hope that we are all excited to go to work this morning to meet and greet our friends and co-workers with a ‘Merry Christmas and a ‘Happy New Year!’ Yes my people, if the Monday before the birth of Christ can’t get us enthused about work, then I don’t know what will, especially when a lot of us don’t do much at this time of year anyway. (smile) What with the shopping, office parties and what not.
But please, I implore us to take a moment every so often and remember the real reason for this Christmas celebratory season, which is unequivocally the birth of Christ, some two thousand years ago. Without that incarnate birth of the Son of God, there would be no holidays and/or celebrations now. So, as the old people would say, let’s give jack his jacket and Jim his gym boots. Yes, let’s give Jesus the recognition He so appropriately deserves, by remembering Him in our hearts and souls and sharing the miraculous and marvellous story of His birth with others.
Let them know that Jesus’ birth was the first step in God’s plan of salvation, in His plan to bring us woeful sinners who had gone astray from Him, back into His fold. To redeem us, to make us righteous, to reconcile us back to Himself, so that we could be rightly called the children of God, and eventually enjoy eternal life in His company! Now nothing could be better than receiving God’s unmerited grace and favour my faithful brethren!
And we who believe, are supposed to be His disciples, His ambassadors and spread His Word all over the earth. As he said in the Great Commission He assigned to us: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always.’ (Matt. 28:19-20) Now that is our basic assignment as believers.
And I just LOVE how Bruh Paul explains the spreading of Christ’s gospel, as he talks about righteousness by faith in Christ to the church at Rome. Quoting the prophet Joel (Joel 2:32), he writes: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ (Rom. 10:13-15)
And it’s ever so interesting how Bruh Paul uses his vast knowledge of the Old Testament scripture to make his New Testament points. In that last verse he quoted Isaiah 52:7 and Nahum 1:15. Now not everybody needs to be a preacher, but every believer needs to know and grow in the scriptures so that they can share their faith with others. For how can you truly share what you don’t know about eh? Neither do we have to breathe down people’s necks with the scriptures, but the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us when an opportunity arises for us to witness in Christ’s name.
And there’s no better season to witness than at Christmas time, when everyone is joyful and receptive to good tidings. But friends, you know the best witness ever? Our everyday lifestyle. If we model it on that of Christ, then we won’t have to do any shouting from the rooftops, but others will just see the difference in us and want to live the life we’re living.
And that’s just what I want us to go out and do this Monday morning, and all through this Christmas week: live a life that’s reflective of Christ; one filled with LOVE, kindness, compassion, mercy, goodness, gentleness and peace, while getting in some scriptures edgewise, as the Holy Spirit directs us! I don’t think we can do a better job of reminding the world of the reason for this holiday season than to live a rich and full life based on Jesus’ teachings.
So, this Christmas season, let’s be the salt of the earth and light of the world as He desires. Not forgetting this most important directive: ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
Oh my fellow saints, it’s remarkable that because of the birth of Christ, this is the season when even the unbelievers show LOVE and caring to each other, so why can’t we do the same eh? And I’ll leave us to ponder for a moment on that thought. Selah. Now, let’s go to God in heartfelt prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, it’s time to get our hearts and our motives right with God showing the world the LOVE of Christ! Much LOVE!
…only the birth of Jesus… could bring peace and tidings of good things…to our embittered and embattled world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prisoner of hope, a very present help in trouble, according to the multitude of his mercies, Beauty for Ashes, divine help, dogging our footsteps, God is our refuge and strength, gospel truth, grieve the children of men, he doth not afflict willingly, He will have compassion, heaven and earth shall pass away, hope springs eternal, humble ourselves, I will render double unto thee, Jehovah Rapha, keep our promises, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my words shall not pass away, pray and sincerely seek your face, repentance in our hearts, the bread of affliction, the garment of praise, the God who heals, the Lord will not cast off for ever, the oil of joy for mourning, the road to recovery, the spirit of heaviness, this too shall pass, though he cause grief, trees of righteousness, while there is life there's always hope, with the Lord's help
Lamentations 3:31. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
Oh my people, it’s been a somewhat rough beginning to the Monday morning. For the last four or five days I’ve been plagued with some stomach problems, that’s why the Bit has been so late. It seems that if the stomach is not working properly, the mind won’t function well either. (smile) And thankfully, we are on the road to recovery…we hope. And the Lord in His great care and concern has just caused the duchess to bring me some porridge and dry toast to assist in alleviating the problem. Ah friends, between the both of them I certainly can’t go wrong. (smile)
And that’s why, when the Good Book opened just now on this awesome scripture of promise, I simply had to use it. It comes from that awesome Chapter 3 of Jeremiah’s Lamentations, when he was undergoing some persecution and difficulties as he tried to do God’s work. However, despite his problems, at one stage he earnestly claimed: ‘For the Lord will not cast off for ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly (with delight), nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth.’ (Lam. 3:31-34)
Yes, my faithful brethren, though our God might sometimes allow us to be smitten with the bread of affliction, He will never cast us off forever. Because that’s just not His nature, not His style; He’s a genuinely merciful, forgiving, caring and compassionate God. That’s who He is! And, if like me, today you are embroiled in some kind of difficulty that you can’t fix, or doesn’t seem to want to go away, then please do like me too and have hope, be a ‘prisoner of hope,’ turn to the Lord and sincerely ask for His help, for as the sons of Korah truthfully declare in Psalm 46: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ (Ps. 46:1)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! Our God is indeed an abundantly available help in time of trouble. And though He might not deliver us immediately, or the way we desire, He will help us get through whatever is dogging our footsteps. Don’t worry, I need to believe that too because this stomach problem is certainly painful and annoying, like a li’l mouse just gnawing away at my insides. But it’s also very distracting, not allowing me to concentrate properly on the things I seek to do. Anyway, with the Lord’s help, I know that it will eventually pass, and I will return to normal…it’s just taking so long though. (smile)
That’s why we say, and believe, that this too shall pass. Jesus reminds us that ‘Heaven and earth, shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt. 24:35) And when we believe that, we gain the strength to understand and accept that our problems, though real and difficult, will not last forever. As one contributing writer to the website, ibelieve.com, Debbie McDaniel writes in an article on the subject. ‘The great news is this: God never leaves us to fend for ourselves in difficult times. He promises to be with us in all that we face, and His whole heart encompasses our pain, surrounds us in peace, and gives us incredible hope and grace to keep pressing through.’
Now that ought to reassure us and make us an even bigger prisoner of hope in God! And for those of us who are not familiar with the scripture about the prisoner of hope, it comes from the prophet Zechariah’s prophecy about Zion’s future king coming to bring peace and salvation: ‘lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech. 9:9) And we know that prophecy was fulfilled on Palm Sunday when Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the sign of peace when kings entered a territory.
Then to encourage his listeners, Zechariah later said: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech. 9:12) Yes friends, our stronghold is the Lord God Jehovah, and if we will become a prisoner of hope in Him today, that is, remain hopeful despite our less than favourable circumstances, in due course He will give us double for our trouble. Like Isaiah said of the Lord in his good tidings of salvation. ‘…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is. 61:3)
Oh my fellow saints, our very existence is all about the glorification and honour of our great God, and until we truly appreciate that fact and let it guide our lives, we will not enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And to help us come to that awesome realization, let’s approach the throne of grace in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, letting heaven know of our needs and desires.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, let’s remember, that if we hope to receive positive answers to our supplications, then we need to keep the promises that we’ve made. Much LOVE!
…hope springs eternal…and while there is life…there’s ALWAYS hope…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
07 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep desire for personal righteousness, a privilege and a gift, according to the riches of his glory, all the fullness of God, be strengthened with might, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, by the Holy spirit, faithful believers, God grant you, God satisfies the thirsty soul, humble ourselves, hungry and thirsty, in a dry and thirsty land, in the inner man, indisputable truth, Jehovah Rapha, know the love of christ, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my flesh longeth for thee, my soul thirsteth for god, negative situations, physical food, read the obits, rooted and grounded in love, sincere repentance, spiritual nourishment, strong faith in Christ, successfully live the Christian life, the God who heals, the living God, they shall be filled, thou art my God, time to rise and shine, turn from our evil ways, we have all sinned, When shall I come and appear before God, where no water is
Psalm 42:2a. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God.
Well, a good Monday morning my Scrip-Bit friends and family! It’s time to rise and shine and begin another new day in God’s great universe. But first thing we need to do every day is to give thanks for being alive, for being able to have the awesome breath of Jehovah God still coursing through our human bodies. That’s a great privilege and gift, because if you read the obits, you’ll see many who didn’t receive that privilege and gift this morning. And since we are alive, it means that the Lord still has important work for us to do down here on planet earth.
But the only way to find out His plan for each of us, is by sincerely seeking Him out and asking what He has in mind. However, we can’t just go to God in any wishy-washy manner, but we must be primed, hungry and thirsty to know His will. And one of the best opening prayers in the Good Book is that from Psalm 63 – God satisfies the thirsting soul, where Bruh David solemnly declares: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.’ (Ps. 63:1)
Yes my brethren, that’s how we ought to long for communion with our God; like a thirsty man in a desert, as though we will die from thirst if we don’t contact Him to get the living water that His Son Jesus, our Lord and Saviour has offered to those who sincerely believe in Him. And it’s not only Bruh David who wrote that way, but also the sons of Korah. Listen to them from Psalm 42 – An intense longing for God. ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after (longs for) the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2)
Oh my people, do we have that insatiable hunger and thirst for God and the things of God? We ought to, if we are true believers. For, like Jesus says in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
As the scholars explain. ‘Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: ‘He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Ps. 107:9).’
And we all know that’s the indisputable truth my fellow saints! When we come to the Lord seeking Him and His amazing gifts, He fills us up with His Spirit, and all the other good things that we need to do His will. Consequently, Bruh Paul did not pray for believers to be rid of problems, or not experience any, but for them to experience inner growth that would enable them to handle the problems in a Christian manner.
Listen to his prayer for the church at Ephesus. ‘That he (God) would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man: That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye be rooted and grounded in LOVE, May be able to comprehend (understand) with all saints what is the breadth (width), and length, and depth and height; And to know the LOVE of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.’ (Eph: 3:16-19)
Wow! What a rich and marvellous prayer! And if it all seems a bit much for our understanding, let’s allow the scholars to explain. ‘3:16-19. In these verses, Paul makes three prayer requests for the addressees: (1) That they would be strengthened with might by his Spirit (v.16), that is, that they be divinely enabled to successfully live the Christian life. (2) That the readers be able to comprehend…the LOVE of Christ, that is, to better understand the enormous LOVE Christ has for them. And (3) that they might be filled with all the fullness of God, that is, that the life, character, and virtues of God Himself may be fully developed in them.’
Now that is the kind of prayer we ought to be making for our fellow believers, not to simply bless them, although that’s better than nothing. (smile) And having awakened both our bodies and spirits with a hunger and thirst for both spiritual and physical food, let’s go to our omnipotent God for help and guidance, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, as we step out today to do His kingdom work.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now,, let’s remember if we want those prayers to come through, we have to change our evil ways and become faithful believers. Much LOVE!
…just like our bodies can’t survive without physical food…our souls and spirits can’t survive without spiritual nourishment…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
11 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a most dreary time, be careful for nothing, bless the LOrd o my soul, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, drink the asweet, eat the fat, Ezra, faith in Christ, forgive us and heal our land, go your way, God so loved the world, Happy Thanksgiving Canada, he gave his only begotten son, humble ourselves, in every thing, in everything give thanks, Jehovah Rapha, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord, let your requests be made known unto God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Nehemiah, O Give thanks unto the Lord, please be careful, reverence and appreciate our Creator, send portions unto them for whom nothing has been prepared, show our gratitude, sing psalms unto him, sing unto him, take precautions, talk ye of all his wondrous works, Thanks be to God, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the breath of life, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God which passeth all understading, this is the day the Lord has made, this is the will of God, we will rejoice and be glad in it, who redeemeth thy life from destruction, wise guidance and direction
HAPPY THANKSGIVING CANADA!
Philippians 4:6. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.
Oh friends, is it ever good to awaken to another day, another Monday, another Thanksgiving Monday! And all God’s people said: ‘Thanks be to God, who keeps the breath of life flowing through our earthly bodies!’ And why does He do that? Because He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, which includes enjoyment of the day. That’s why we say: ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) Yes, my brethren, that’s the only way to go!
And on this Thanksgiving Day of 2021, where life is somewhat rough, and we can’t gather as carelessly as we’d like, we ought to be thankful that we can even gather at all. Remember last year Thanksgiving Day was a most dreary time. No set of food and family and good cheer, all because of the Pandemic situation. So, there’s oodles of thanks to be given for just being able to get together more than last year. But please, please be careful. This thing is not over yet – far from it – and we still need to take as many precautions as possible to minimize further problems.
And to show our gratitude for that improvement, let’s intone the opening verses of Psalm 105, subtitled – God’s wondrous works in behalf of Israel. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek ye the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.’ (Ps. 105:1-4)
Now I am sure if we were doing that as much as we ought to, we would not be having half as many problems as we do! I am convinced that many of our problems stem from the fact that we don’t reverence and appreciate our Creator as we should. But this Thanksgiving time is the right occasion for us to turn back to Him, remembering all that He has done for us, and has promised to do.
In the marvellous words of Bruh David: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) And are we ever so glad that this Thanksgiving we have sufficient food to eat. But having said that, let’s not forget there are many of our fellow brethren out there who don’t have enough, possible nothing at all to eat, and it’s our bounden duty to provide for them as best we can.
That recalls the glorious day when many of the children of Israel heard the word of the Lord for the first time as it was read to them, by Ezra and his associates. Then Nehemiah, the Governor, said unto them: ‘Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 1:8)
And is it ever my fellow saints! That’s why the enemy does his best to steal our joy. He knows when he gets us sad and downcast, it’s much easier to have us do his evil bidding. But not today mih bredrin, for today is a day of exceeding joy, and a time to remember our biggest blessing, our greatest gift and benefit. Like Bruh David said: ‘who redeemeth thy life from destruction.’ And yes friends, God’s greatest gift, His biggest benefit is that of freedom from the bondage of sin, of salvation through His free gift of grace, earned through the finished work of Christ.
As Jesus puts it: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Glory be my fellow believers! If we are not thankful for anything else, we should be exceedingly thankful for that, because it’s nothing that we earned, or could ever earn, but though God’s infinite grace and mercy, it was bestowed upon us. And all we have to do is to believe in His Son! But so many of us stubbornly refuse to do it because of foolish pride and belief in the world’s evil systems. But there will be consequences for that stubbornness.
And let’s not think that just because we call today Thanksgiving Day, that this is the only day we should give thanks. Absolutely not! Bruh Paul reminds us of that in his epistle to the church at Philippi, when he says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7)
Oh my fellow believers, we wonder why we don’t have peace? Well, the answer is right there. We don’t take our requests to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. And there’s no better time than right now, for us to get wise and do just that. So, in sincere prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let’s make our requests known to Almighty God through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, let’s go and keep the promises we just made, if we want to see positive answers to our prayers and supplications with thanksgiving. Much LOVE!
..in everything give thanks…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…concerning you… (1 Thess. 5:17)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, and hope maketh not ashamed, belly and backbone, fill you with all joy and peace, humble ourselves, I know that my Redeemer lives, Jehovah Rapha, justified by faith, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, real hope comes from God, rise up on wings like eagles, run and not be weary, sincerely seek your face, take thy rest in safety, the God of hope, the God who heals, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, trials and tribulations, walk and not faint, we can't live without it, written for our learning
Romans 5:5. And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Oh praise the Lord, Monday has come around again! And I know that many of us don’t like Mondays, because it means we have to go out to work, to face the drudgery and same old, same old after a relaxing weekend. At least it used to mean that in the pre-pandemic times. (smile) But fellow believers, regardless of what day it might be, in whatever situation we might find ourselves, we should find a joy in just being alive one more day with God’s Holy Spirit leading and guiding us into all truth.
Remember, once we’re alive, we have hope, that marvelous expectation that rises up in us, that never says die. As one commentator says: ‘Hope is something we can’t live without. Real Hope comes from God and is ours when we put our trust in Him.’ And that hope breeds faith, which keeps us fighting on because we are children of the Most High God Jehovah! We who have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Christ.
And Bruh Paul tells it thus to the church at Rome. ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience (produces perseverance); And patience (perseverance), experience (character); and experience (character), hope: And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5)
Yes friends, as believers in Christ Jesus, we have everything to live for, and everything we need to live through whatever situations we encounter in this cruel, crazy and godless world! The trials and tribulations we encounter down here only build us up, make us stronger in Jesus. Now isn’t that enough to make us come alive, despite whatever problems we’re currently facing? It should be. And if it’s not, then there are a whole lot of other scriptures of hope, faith and promise for us to feast on, scriptures that will strengthen us, give us some much needed belly and backbone for the tough times that will come our way at some time or other in our earthly lives.
So let’s look at a few of those scriptures nuh, bury them deep in our hearts, minds and souls, so that we can resurrect them in our time of need. First up is that magnificent promise our God made way back when 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 that promise has not changed. In fact, it’s gotten even better, because after that God sent Jesus to die for us, so we could have salvation and eternal life if we believed in Him. Now there’s no hope or future that’s better than that! And God’s children joyfully and gratefully shouted: ‘Thank You Lord for Jesus!’
Now listen to this other old, but more easily understood and practical promise; this one through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak), and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 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. 40:28-31)
Oh my people, how can such a mighty scripture not lift our spirits and renew our faith eh! Now listen to Job, whom we consider the father of patience, of perseverance, on the subject of hope. ‘And thine age (thy life) shall be clearer (brighter) than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid, yea, many will make suit unto you (shall court your favour).’ (Job 11:17-19)
Mama Yo! What encouraging words my brethren! And we all know that though Job lost all his wealth and family, because he stood strong in the Lord, the Lord replenished him with twice what he lost. And furthermore, listen as he states his faith. ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter (last) day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.’ (Job 19:25-26) Powerful words of hope and faith friends! Words that ALL believers ought to be able to say in all sincerity and truth.
And the last scripture on hope is very appropriately from Bruh Paul, explaining the reason for Old Testament hope. ‘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) Yes my fellow believers, the scriptures were written so that we could have hope. But that means we have to seriously study them, they are not going to simply seep into our consciousness by osmosis. Or as Bruh Paul says: ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ (Rom. 12:12)
And since there’s no doubt that we are currently facing much tribulation, let’s take Bruh Paul’s advice nuh, to rejoice in hope, stand strong in the tribulation, and steadfast in prayer, by taking our troubles to the Lord in sincere prayer right now through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one strong voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank Youthis Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations.
Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, we must prove to the Lord that we mean business by changing our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…now may the God of hope…fill you with all joy and peace in believing…that you may abound in hope…by the power of the Holy Spirit… (Rom. 15:13)
25 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lesson learned, a lot of negativity, adversity, anxiety, be of good cheer, Christian tenets, contentment, divine help, fear, forgive us, God is good, hardship, heal our land, hope, humble ourselves, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have learned, i have overcome the world, I speak in respect of want, in me ye might have peace, in the world, in whatever state I am, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus is just a prayer away, joy, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my God shall supply all your needs, neither in a classroom or overnight, peace, practical experiences of life, standing in faith, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the God who heals, the promise of eternal life, therewith to be content, these things I have spoken unto you, troubled circumstances, ye shall have tribulation
Philippians 4:13. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.
Monday’s on the board friends! How are we going to greet it eh? I hope it’s with plenty hope, LOVE, joy and peace, as our Christian tenets teach us, rather than with fear, anxiety and a whole lot of negativity based on our present troubled circumstances. Yes, we will have trouble, persecution, tribulation and what not in this sinful world, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ said that, but then He went on to conquer the negative stuff, like hell, death and the grave by His crucifixion and resurrection so that we would not have to worry about all the negative stuff that came our way.
Here’s how He put it: ‘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, I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) What wonderful news that is my brethren! Jesus has already overcome the world, so we just have get ourselves together and maintain that victory! Maintain it with good cheer; that is LOVE, assurance, hope, faith and the promise of eternal life if we endure to the end.
And no, living the Christian life in this sinful and ofttimes godless world is not easy, but with Christ’s divine help we can do it. Remember how Bruh Paul characterized it? ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Now that’s quite true, but there’s something more we must learn, and that’s the context in which he said it. He was referring to a gift from the church at Philippi. And though he appreciated their care and consideration and gift very much, he told them: ‘Not that I speak in respect of want (in regard of need): for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.’ (Phil. 4:11)
And that my fellow believers is something that we all need to learn in these troubled times and times of expected entitlement. Bruh Paul was grateful for their financial gift, but he could also have done without it, because he had learned how to be content whether he had a lot or a little. And the scholars add an interesting message. ‘The Greek here suggests that contentment is a lesson learned neither in a classroom nor overnight, but through many practical experiences in life.’
Oh my people, that is a truth that so many believers need to learn. Yes, we ought to be contented in any state in which we find ourselves, with Jesus’ help of course, but it doesn’t happen overnight, and like all other growth it comes with hardship and adversity. So if you’re having trouble in that area, like so many of us in this pandemic time, just remember that you can do all you need to handle the situation with Christ in your corner, but it will take time and also some effort from you.
As Bruh Paul continues: ‘I know both how to be abased (live humbly), and I know how to abound (live in prosperity): every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need.’ (Phil. 4:12) Yes friends, it’s something that many of us are learning in these Covid times, when work is scarce and the essentials of life are difficult to come by.
But we do need to learn how to discipline ourselves in times of prosperity and in times of want, to learn the secret of how to be well fed even in the rough going. So let’s not beat up ourselves if we’re not doing as well as we ought to or want to in these troubled days, remember Jesus is just a prayer away with help.
Yes, I know it might not come right away, but our faith teaches us to wait and be patient and expectant. No wonder Bruh Paul could promise the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) He is aware of their sacrifice on Bruh Paul’s behalf, and thus will generously meet their needs.
My fellow believers, that’s what God is about; providing, meeting our needs when we sincerely call on Him. That’s His ever-faithful promise. So why don’t we do that right now nuh through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Let’s bare our very hearts and souls to our Creator, as He desires of us.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
Now we have to do our part; wait with eager and sincere expectation, that’s faith, and stay repentant and be obedient so the Lord can see that we’re truly sorry for turning away from Him. Much LOVE!
…life’s not easy in this sinful world…but God is good…Glory Hallelujah…
23 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: chip being put in our bodies, Covid-19 records, ease their suffering, for your purposes, forgive us, God's Word, heal our land, hear our prayer, humble ourselves, if ye love me, Jehovah Rapha, keep my commandments, keep them from the evil one, leave behind a setta garbage, lose sight of the real truth, mass confusion, misinformation, misunderstanding, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, natural disasters, our God doesn't change, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, racial protests, red stages of pandemic, religious strife, repentance in our hearts, sanctify them, set them apart, sincerely seek your face, the truth shall set you free, through your truth, thy word is truth, turn from our evil ways, ultimate truth, unfounded theories, vaccine will change our DNA, virgin whiteness, winter wonderland, ye are my disciples, ye shall know the truth
John 17:17. Sanctify them (set them apart for your purposes) through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Welcome to the winter wonderland! Ah friends, that white stuff made its first grand entrance into my area for this pandemic year of 2020! And every time you see the vast amount of angelic and virgin whiteness covering everything, you can’t help but think how beautiful it looks! That is until mankind dirties it. (smile) Yes, you know we spoil everything we touch. Just look at the mess we left on the moon; everywhere we go we leave behind a setta garbage.
And though the snow has stopped falling, with the temperature dropping overnight and freezing up stuff, it’s going to be a rough commute this Monday morning. So if you have to be out there in those unpleasant conditions, please be very careful, especially for the crazies. However, I do believe that the traffic will be somewhat less than normal because of the red stages of pandemic lockdown in the Greater Toronto and surrounding area, where the incidence of the Covid -19 has recently been heightened, setting new records almost every day.
And sadly, there is so much misunderstanding, misinformation and unfounded theories on the virus that our society is terribly conflicted about it. That means, even when we do get a vaccine that will ease the pressure, many people will refuse to take it for any number of reasons, including these two that are currently making the rounds; a chip is being put in our bodies to control us, or whatever is in the vaccine will change our DNA, and thus our lives.
Hn! How strange it is, that the more advanced our society becomes, the more we seem to question, disbelieve and come up with all kinds of ridiculous theories and truths, and eventually lose sight of the real truth: God’s Word. Like if there can be more than one truth eh? The truth is always the truth, it doesn’t change.
And how do we know that God’s Word is the ultimate truth eh? In the first place, Jesus, amongst other things said that He was the truth. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) Then in that same chapter, when Jesus talks about the promise of the Holy Spirit, He tells the disciples: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:15-17)
Yes friends, the Holy Spirit, another part of our Godhead, the Holy Trinity is also truth, and He dwells in ALL believers. And later on, when Jesus prays for the disciples, He says: ‘I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart for your purposes) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:15-17) So you see, however you take it, truth stems from our Godhead!
And furthermore, as Jesus said to the Jews who believed in Him. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) What more can I say eh mih people…to know truth you have to know Jesus, abide in Him and He in you, and then that glorious, that everlasting truth, the truth which changes not, like our God doesn’t change, will set you free, and bring peace, joy and eternal life to your spirit which is made in the magnificent image of our mighty God!
Wow! Isn’t that wonderful? It surely is! So now, let’s come to that same Godhead in sincere prayer, just like He desires us to, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, place all our wants, desires and needs, cast all of our cares upon Him, because He cares for us.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
So what’s the next move now eh? To stand by our vow of repentance and abide in His word and truth, that He can heal us and our land! Much LOVE!
…only when one knows God…can one know truth…
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