In Touch Devotional Magazine

The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Knowing God’s LOVE for the Unfortunates, and Acting Like Him on Their Behalf!

28 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: another unexpected difficulty, be toast right now, believers in Christ Jesus, care for the orphans and widows, cherish those who follow you, children of God, don't afflict any widow or fatherless child, endure to the end with Jesus, executes just for the oppressed, faith, give food to the hungry, gives food to the hungry, giving him food and clothing, God is mighty and awesome, God shows no partaility, God takes no bribe, God takes umbrage when we mistreat our fellow man, grin and bear it, halfway home, hands on the plough, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, he doth execute the judgement of the fatherless, healing, help me remember, help the poor and suffering, holy spirit, I rest in your care, if it's not one thing it's another, in this world of plenty, In Touch Devotional Magazine, is still flowing through me, Jesus Christ, keepeth truth for ever, kill yoi with the sword, knee pains, let hope rise in me, lift up the brokenhearted, Lord of Lords, LOVE, love ye therefore the stranger, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my wrath shall wax hot, neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, non-understandable pain, not looking back at the past, not turning back, one limb compensates for another, open the eyes of the blind, our actions are not similar to God's, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, plagued with all kinds of illness, protect strangers, raises them that are bowed down, relieves the fatherless and widow, remind me of all the ways you are working, restoring, salvation, second wind day, set prisoners free, suffering overwhelms me inside and out, surely hear their cry, te Lord loveth the stranger, tending, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord be praised, the Lord executes justice on behalf of widows and orphans, the Lord gives freedom to prisoners, the Lord looseth the prisoners, the Lord loves the righteous, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord turns the way of the wicked upside down, the Lord watches over the strangers, the Lord your God is God of gods, the way of the wicked he maketh crooked, this too shall pass, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unravel plans meant for evil, vow to improve our efforts, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, what seems hopeless isn't hopeless to you, when despair whispers nothing changes, wherever there's suffering you're there, who you are in my life, who you are in the world, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wisdom, ye were strangers in the land of Egypt, your children fatherless, your wives shall be widows

Deuteronomy 10:18. He (the Lord) doth execute the judgement (justice) of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment (clothing).

And Tuesday has morphed into a sunshiny Wednesday, our second wind day! And many of us do need to catch that second wind after the harrowing last few days with the winter snowstorm and the resultant digging out and cleaning up. But let’s remember that we’re are children of God, believers in Christ Jesus and thus can do anything He desires us to do, because He enables, He strengthens us to do His will. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’

Now, let’s to look at this month’s prayer from the In Touch Devotional, which is certainly an interesting and most appropriate one. So, please pray with me: ‘Lord, when suffering overwhelms me inside and out, help me remember what seems hopeless isn’t hopeless to You. You give food to the hungry and set prisoners free. You open the eyes of the blind and lift up the brokenhearted. You cherish those who follow You and care for the orphans and widows,

You protect strangers and unravel plans meant for evil. You do. You do. You do. In every place where there’s suffering, You’re there – tending, healing, restoring. That is who You are in the world. That is who You are in my life. When despair whispers, “Nothing changes,” remind me of all the ways You’re working. Let hope rise in me as I rest in your care. In Jesus’ name, amen.’

Oh my people, that prayer surely resonated with me, because in the last couple of months I’ve just been plagued with all kinds of illness, one directly after the other and if my faith wasn’t fairly strong, I’d be toast right now. And I have to laugh here, because right now I’m going through another unexpected difficulty; my right knee began seriously acting up a couple of days ago, although I was at home during the snow storm and did not do anything too strenuous to disturb it. And although I have intermittent knee pains, this was the worst I’ve ever felt, like my whole knee was going to disintegrate on me.

So, here I’ve been for the last two days hobbling around the house, in excruciating, non-understandable pain (smile) trying to get down to the basement to write the Bit, then get back upstairs. And I must admit that today the pain in the right knee has calmed somewhat, but because of my having to use the left one to compensate for the right, the left one is now beginning to act up. Ah Lord eh! As the old people would say, if it’s not one thing, then it’s another. And I know that this too shall pass, but the problem is when?

But the truth of the matter is that our wonderful God is always with us, healing, cleansing and comforting us. So although I’m in pain that I don’t like, I know that the Lord is working, and in His own time, He will bring the matter to a successful end. And I just have to grin and bear it, and say the Lord be praised! (smile) But on a more serious note the Lord has always been partial to the sick and suffering, the poor and brokenhearted, widows, orphans and strangers. And it’s no coincidence that right from the beginning the Lord warned the Israelites about looking after those kinds of people.

Listen to His directives through Moses in Exodus, as they begin their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. ‘Thou shalt neither vex a stranger (sojourner), nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.’ (Ex. 22:21-24) Oh friends, it could not be put any clearer than that.

Then in Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the younger generation of God’s directives. ‘For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (the great God, mighty and awesome who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe). He doth execute the judgement (justice) of the fatherless and widow, and LOVETH the stranger, in giving him food and raiment (clothing). LOVE ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ (Deut. 10:17-19) And I like how the Lord keeps reminding them that at one time they were strangers in Egypt and were treated handsomely by the Egyptians.

Meanwhile in Psalm 67, which advises us to ‘Trust in the Lord,’ the psalmist writes: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners:

The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked). The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:5-10)

Yes my fellow believers, that’s the nature of our great and wonderful God, and there are several other scriptures that describe Him in that manner, but the important point here is if we consider ourselves children of God, then our actions should be similar. Unfortunately though, our actions don’t seem to be similar, otherwise in this world of plenty, so many would not be suffering. So let’s take those words we’ve read today very seriously nuh, write them deep and indelibly in our hearts, and vow to improve our efforts to help the poor and suffering.

Now, let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And if we truly LOVE Jesus, then we will endure with Him to the very end, so that together we can enjoy the promise of an even more glorious future than we can either ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…God LOVES us all…but He takes umbrage when we abuse or mistreat our fellow man…

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

The Utmost Importance of Believers Understanding Their Total Dependence on Almighty God!

27 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a state of weakness, addicted to perfection, allowing them to accomplish things beyond their own capabilities, be not wise in thine own eyes, become avenues for divine strength and grace to manifest, brokenness, calls for trust and dependence on God's grace, Christ's power manifests in our lives through our weaknesses, depart from evil, despairing in hardships, direct thy paths, do the right thing, encourages believers, endure to the very end with Christ, evil ruling the roost, faith, fear the Lord, feel like failures, glory in my infirmities, God's power is most effective, God's strength is not diminished by our weaknesses, guiltiness, halfway home, hands on the plough, he said unto me, health to thy navel, help me let go of perfection, help me remember, holy spirit, I expereince your healing and sufficiency, I learn to depend on and trust you, I try so hard to follow your ways, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in those moments, In Touch Devotional Magazine, Jesus Christ, Jeus is the only perfect one, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, most gladly therefore, my brokenness is where we meet, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my failures, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, not in fine fettle, not looking back, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, not up to scratch, often falling short, open my arms to you, opportunities for God to demonstrate His strength and support, our sufficiency is of God, paradox, perceived failings, perfection was never part of your plan, redemptive history, remove the thorn from his flesh, salvation, sit heavy on my heart, so glad to be alive, supernatural powers, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the power of Christ may rest upon me, the sufficiency of Scripture, their vulnerabilities, to a glorious future with Jesus, to face difficulties, to overcome personal limitations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trusting, truth, vulnerability, Wednesday Wail, wisdom

2 Corinthians 12:9a. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.

Well friends, this sunshiny Wednesday morning, we’re on a later bus than normal, and it’s not because of our Wednesday morning gathering, because that doesn’t start back for another couple of weeks. But the ole fella got up late and was just not in fine fettle. And the sad part is that I could not pin point the problem. I just knew that I wasn’t up to scratch. And there’s nothing that annoys me like feeling lousy and not knowing the reason. But that’s my story for today…and I’m sticking to it. (smile) Anyway, after a shower and some coffee, I’m not feeling to badly now; good enough to write the Bit.

So here goes. This last Wednesday in August we will look at the prayer from the In Touch Devotional for this month. Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I try so hard… to follow Your ways, to do the right thing. But it often seems as if I’m falling short, and those failures sit heavy on my heart. In those moments, help me remember perfection was never part of Your plan. Rather, my brokenness is where we meet. Where I learn to depend on and trust You, where I experience Your healing and sufficiency. Lord, help me let go of perfection and instead open my arms to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.’

And unfortunately, many of us believers do suffer from that addiction to perfection. Oh, we are expected to do excellent work, but not kill ourselves to be perfect, because the Lord knows He did not make perfect human beings. The only one in human form that’s ever been perfect is Jesus! The Lord made us less than perfect so that we would have to turn to Him in our weakness. It’s like when Bruh Paul asked the Lord three times to take away the thorn from his flesh. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)

And this commentary explains that verse by saying: ‘It suggests that God’s power is fully displayed and most effective when a person is in a state of weakness or vulnerability. This paradox encourages believers to embrace their perceived limitations, trusting that their vulnerabilities become avenues for divine strength and grace to manifest, allowing them to accomplish things beyond their own capabilities.’

That’s why Bruh Paul exulted thus in the next half of the verse. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b) Yes, Bruh Paul then glories in his weaknesses, realizing that it’s through those weaknesses that the power of Christ would manifest in his life.

So, as the commentary continues: ‘The core idea is that God’s strength is not diminished by our weaknesses but rather highlighted by them, allowing for a greater demonstration of His power working through us. But it calls for trust and dependence on God’s grace and strength to overcome personal limitations and face difficulties, rather than trying to rely solely on one’s own abilities. So, rather than despairing in hardships or perceived failings, believers are to see these as opportunities for God to demonstrate His strength and support.’

And we all know that is not easy to do, especially in light of our failure to achieve perfection, when guiltiness comes upon us and we feel like failures. But until we learn to let go of our own perfection desires, and place our total trust in God, we will forever feel guilty and consider ourselves failures.

It’s like those marvellous verses of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs that we all know and quote but then don’t action them in our lives. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8)

And my people, if we’d only follow those few simple commands – trust in the Lord and not in our own prideful selves, reverence Him and depart from evil – then our lives would be much more enjoyable, and we would not feel the guilt and failure we will always experience when we rely on our own comparatively puny, finite strength and wisdom. And let’s not forget that most telling verse that Bruh Paul wrote earlier on his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5)

And what does that mean? Firstly, it means that God is self-sufficient in Himself; has always been so, and will always be so. However, we His human creation don’t have the supernatural powers that He possesses, and thus need to rely on Him for our sufficiency. And on top of all that, we have this commentary that asks and then explains: ‘What is the biblical definition of sufficiency? “We can define the sufficiency of Scripture as follows: The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God that He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying …’

And you know what my fellow believers, there’s never been a time like right now, with evil and ungodliness ruling the roost, when we desperately need to believe, trust, obey and seek the sufficiency of Christ, rather than our own ineffective efforts. End of the Sermon! (smile) Now let’s declare (steupesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’

And it’s been faithfully promised, that all those who endure with Jesus to the very end, will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to endure to the very end nuh, in order to enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…God made us to be dependent on Him…not on our inferior powers…

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

The Necessity For Believers to Lean On God’s Infinite Wisdom, rather than Leaning on Their Finite Own.

27 May 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: asking for intervention, at the top of our game, await your blessings, be of good courage, becoming Christ-like, besieged by doubts, beyond repair, chaos in our world, come to know and love him like we do, count your blessings, craving speed, duty bound, faith, false wisdom, give thanks always, God always answers, God is our main source of hope, God wipes away all tears from our eyes, greed, he shall direct your paths, he shall strengthen your heart, he will save us, holy spirit, hurry, I put my hope in you, impatience, impatient society, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in god's eyes, in Jesus' name, in need of a miracle, in need of restoration, In Touch Devotional Magazine, Jesus Christ, lacking in common sense, lean not unto thine own understanding, leaning on you is all I know to do, LOVE, mercy, negative things, no more crying, no more death, no more pain, no more sorrow, our guiding light, power-hunger, risky to ask for your help, salvation, Satan's playbook, self-aggrandizement, selfishness, share His love with my neighbours, share the Love and friendship of Christ, speed kills, spiritual growth, the beloved of God, the former things are passed away, the Master Planner, the Millennial kingdom, things in my life, this is our God we have waited for him, times of uncertainty, trials and tribulations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Mantra, turn to Christ in times of uncertainty, wait I say on the Lord, wait in faith on the Lord, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation, what if you don't answer, whatever the outcome, wisdom, worry, you'll be with me

Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Oh, it’s a good looking Tuesday, sunshiny and bright! And they say the temps will be in the high teens, if not higher, so let’s give thanks for the good weather, life and LOVE and all the other wonderful things we enjoy in this blessed land! Yes, though life might be somewhat on the rough side, it’s always to our benefit to give thanks, as we said on Sunday when we sang the hymn, Count Your Blessings, because, if we do that, we’ll find that our blessings outweigh our troubles…every time. And to help us do that, here’s this interesting prayer from the In Touch Devotional Magazine for May.

Please pray with me. ‘Lord, things in my life feel beyond repair, in need of a miracle. Yet it feels risky to ask for Your help. What if You don’t answer? But leaning on You is all I know to do. So here I am, God, in need of restoration. Here I am, asking for intervention, knowing, whatever the outcome, You’ll be with me. I put my hope in You and await your blessings. In Jesus’ name. Amen!’

Ah friends, that prayer says a whole lot, gets right down to the nitty gritty of the problem. We need help, but we’re not sure what to do. God is supposed to be our main source of hope, but we’re afraid that He might not answer our cries for help. However, our hope and trust in Him does win out in the long run. And that’s just the way it ought to be my faithful brethren. We all have troubles, and are ofttimes besieged by doubts, but if we claim that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, then He’s the One we should always turn to in times of uncertainty.

And as per that comment that we’re afraid God might not answer our petitions, that’s never true. For God always answers; sometimes He may say yes, sometimes wait, and sometimes no. But there’s always an answer. We might not like it, but it’s usually in our best interest. And I like the line that says; ‘But leaning on You is all I know how to do.’ And so it should be, if we follow Cousin Sol’s directive in Proverbs. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight or smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)

Yes my people, when we make that our guiding light, then there’s nothing else we’ll know how to do, except turn to God! And that’s exactly what our wonderful God desires of us; turning to Him, in every situation and circumstance. And I know sometimes that’s hard to do, because we believe we have all the answers to the situation, but it’s never wrong or foolish to run them by our Creator before we try to put them into action, for He’s the One that knows all, sees all and has all power. So who better to turn to than Him eh?

But with our impatience and false wisdom we feel we know it all, so we move on with our plans without running them by the Master Planner, perhaps afraid that He might give us a negative decision, when we’re so sure that what we want to do is right. Or He might just hold us up for too long … until the opportunity disappears. But that might be His way of telling us it’s not a good decision, or it’s not the right time. And I can tell you from hard experience, that it’s always best to consult with the Lord before you make any important moves or decisions, for He will never lead you astray, and yes, sometimes He might tell you to wait, but He knows best.

For as Bruh David, from personal experience so wisely advises in Psalm 27: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) Oh my brethren, that is such wonderful advice, although we so often ignore it, much to our detriment. Yuh think Bruh David would ever have become king of Israel, although he had been anointed for it, had he not patiently gone through the trials and tribulations that befell him after the anointing. No way! That was a learning and testing and waiting period. And in our spiritual growth, in becoming Christ,-like, we will all encounter such periods.

And the prophet Isaiah makes a glorious statement on the subject when speaking about death being swallowed up in victory. ‘And it shall be said in that day (the beginning of the millennial kingdom), Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is. 25:9) Now that’s true waiting! So, if we can’t wait for a little time for Him to deal with our small earthly problems, how will we ever be able to wait for the big day eh? That day when God wipes away all tears from our eyes, with no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, for all the former things are passed away. (Rev. 21:4)

Ah mih people, we have to learn to wait. Unfortunately though, our current society is filled with impatience, and requires speed in everything, but the truth is that speed can be very inefficient, and speed also kills, as we can testify by the numerous speeding deaths we have on our roadways. But sadly that doesn’t stop us from craving speed, from crying out for it, and also dying from it. How foolish and lacking in common sense we’ve recently become, although we claim to have so much wisdom, to be at the top of our game.

But just look around at the chaos and disaster that typifies our world, and then tell me if that’s the product of wisdom. That isn’t even man’s wisdom, much less God’s! That’s only selfishness, greed, power-hunger, self-aggrandizement and all the negative things that come from Satan’s playbook. And, very unwisely, too many of us believers are following those bad plays, that’s why our world is getting worse and worse every day. But we desperately need to stop it from sliding right down into the quagmire of Satan’s desire.

So please, let’s stand up like the strong, wise and courageous disciples of Jesus that we are nuh, and begin fighting back and turning things around in Jesus’ name. That’s our purpose and destiny! And for those of us who are already trying to do that, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’

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

…leaning on God…and waiting in faith on Him…are two of the wisest decisions we can ever make…

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

Doubts and Fears are normal in a Believer’s Life, but they should ALWAYS be taken First to Jesus!

29 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a word picture, alleviate our problem, apt to make mistakes, asking questions, beat upon the house, beliefs, believers cry out to God in their confusion, built his house on a rock, choose time and again, christianity, Christians, consider and hear me.O Lord my God, Consider This, covered by prayer, don't fell guilty, doubt God's presence, doubts, enlighten me, faith, faith and doubt are vital to one another, felt ashamed, for ever, gently confronted honest skepticism, God wants to hear everything that's on your mind, good with bad, had doubts about God, having sorrow in my heart daily, he hath dealt bountifully with me, hesitating, holy spirit, how long must he struggle seemingly alone, how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me, how long wilt thou forget me, how long wilt thou hide thy face from me, human, hurry, I am the beloved of god, I have prevailed against him, I have trusted in thy mercy, I will sing unto the Lord, in god's eyes, in times of doubt, In Touch Devotional Magazine, indisputable truth, it behooves us, it fell not, it was founded upon a rock, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus did not shame him, lest mine eney say, let the world know to whom we belong, lighten mine eyes, liken him unto a wise man, live by Christ's teaching, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, loving-kindness, mercy, misgivings, more fully understand faith because of doubt, not uncommon emotions, only one person to turn to, our faith is founded on the solid bedrock that's Jesus, prayer is our number one recourse, rejoice when I am moved, salvation, seemingly alone, share His love with my neighbours, simply talk to God, sleep the sleep of death, sorrow and doubt, spiritual strength, take counsel in my soul, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the floods came, the Lord has forgotten him, the necessary proof, the rain descended, the winds blew, their constructed life, Thomas doubted Jesus' resurrection, those that trouble me, times of uncertainty, to affirm our beliefs, to go out and share the love and friendship of Christ, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesuss, truth, Tuesday Manrta, turned his face away, uncertainty, whosoever hears these sayings of mine, wisdom, wondering, worry, ye must coexist with no

Psalm 13:5. But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

Oh friends on this cloudy and somewhat warm, but rainy and windy Tuesday morning, let me apologize for a mistake I made in yesterday’s Bit, claiming that only Lot and his family were saved during the Great Flood, when it should have been only Noah and his family. Hopefully, most of you knew better and recognized it as the mistake it was. I don’t know where my head was when I wrote that and then reread it a couple of times too. But it just shows that I am human, and thus apt to make mistakes. (smile) And since you are beautiful Christians, you will also graciously forgive me. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your forgiveness, and I know that Jesus is proud of you for your forgiving spirit. (smile)

Anyway, today we’ll look at an interesting article in the April In Touch Devotional Magazine, under the heading of ‘Consider This.’ So please read with me. ‘No matter how long you’ve been a believer, you’ve probably had doubts about God and felt ashamed of them. However – just as yes must coexist with no and good with bad – faith and doubt are vital to one another. We more fully understand what faith is because we doubt.

By asking questions, wondering, and hesitating, we choose time and again to affirm what we believe. Remember that Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection, but Jesus did not shame him. Instead, He gently confronted honest skepticism with the necessary proof. Whenever you wonder about your faith or a trial makes you doubt God’s presence in your life, don’t feel guilty. Simply talk to God. He wants to hear everything that’s on your mind – even your uncertainty.’

And that’s the indisputable truth my brethren! Our God wants to hear everything that’s happening with us, because He LOVES us so deeply and desires to be involved in whatever we’re doing or thinking, even our doubts and misgivings. Once it’s a genuine doubt or question, the Lord will ensure that we receive whatever we need to ease or alleviate our problem. And please, let’s not feel guilty or unchristian if we ever have doubts or questions regarding our faith, because even the most righteous of believers sometimes have problems that cause them to doubt or question what’s happening.

And a great example of that is Bruh David, the supposed man after God’s own heart. Look at the problems he endured in the many years that he was anointed king of Israel before that event actually took place. His constant running from King Saul, in all innocence, must have caused him to question the truth and sincerity of God’s promise. And he certainly voices his concerns in Psalm 13 – A prayer for God’s Grace, when he cries out: ‘How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?’ (Ps. 13:1-2)

Now, if such a righteous believer could put forth those questions of doubt and uncertainty during his many trials, so can we, when we’re uncertain about what’s happening in our lives. And Bruh David continues his cry to God thus: ‘Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes (enlighten me), lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.’ (Ps. 13:3-4)

And this commentary explains Bruh David’s predicament thus. ‘Psalm 13:1–4 exposed David’s sorrow and doubt. These are not uncommon emotions, and Scripture includes moments when believers cry out to God in their confusion. In this situation, David feels the Lord has forgotten him and turned His face away. He asks the Lord how long he must struggle, seemingly alone.’

Ah friends, how often have we been faced with serious situations that we were unable to handle eh…and hopefully, we cried out to Almighty God for help. I know I have done it numerous times over my many years of life. But the difference between Bruh David’s cry and ours can possibly be summed up in the last two verses of the psalm, where, despite his problems, Bruh David acknowledges his absolute faith in God. ‘But I have trusted in thy mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS); my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.’ (Ps. 13:5-6)

And the scholars offer this explanation of the psalm. ‘The distance between four occurrences of How long, punctuated with question marks (vs, 1-2) and the confident and joyful song at the end (vs. 6) is covered only with prayer (vs. 3-4) and trust (vs. 5).’ Yes my faithful brethren, sincere prayer must always be our number ONE recourse in times of doubt or trouble, for our faith, though it can be sometimes shaken, it can never broken, because it’s founded on the solid bedrock that’ s Jesus.

It’s like Jesus Himself described it. ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a (the) rock.’ (Matt. 7:24-25)

And what does all of that mean? This commentary explains: ‘Jesus is using the word picture of building a house. This “house” is a person’s spiritual strength, their beliefs, and the life they construct as a result. Those who live by His teaching will be like a man who has built a house on a foundation of rock.’ And that rock is Jesus! Let’s never forget that my fellow believers!

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

Now, it behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…in times of uncertainty…there’s ONLY ONE place or person to turn to…that’s Jesus…the author and finisher of our faith…

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

SCRIP-BITS

The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Knowing God’s LOVE for the Unfortunates, and Acting Like Him on Their Behalf!

The Utmost Importance of Believers Understanding Their Total Dependence on Almighty God!

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