The Necessity for Christians to Retain Strong Faith in Christ, while Persisting in Prayer, and NOT Losing Heart even in the Face of Injustice or Delay!

12 Apr 2026 Leave a comment

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

Luke 18:8b.        ‘Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’

So we’ve come to the first Sunday after Easter… And what now? Well, we keep on being passionate about Jesus; His death, resurrection and the promise of salvation and eternal life those two events made possible! It’s time to be very concerned about our world and the great amount of negative stuff that’s overtaken it. If we truly LOVE and appreciate all that He’s done for us, then it’s our bounden duty to try and reduce the negativity; the evil and ungodliness in our world.

And to help us do that, we’re going to sing a most appropriate song titled, ‘Today I’m Gonna Try And Change The World.’ It’s a song released in 2010 by Canadian Country Music Artist, Johnny Reid, one that all believers’ ought to take to heart right now and staunchly put into action, for that’s the only way we’re going to turn things around. So, without further ado, let’s offer our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, sincere and heartfelt mid-tempo version of the song. 

And we’ll begin with the ‘(Chorus: Today I’m gonna try and change the world Gonna take it one day at a time I’ve made my resolution I’ve opened up my eyes Today I’m gonna try and change the world.) I’m gonna say hello to my neighbor Gonna greet him with a smile Shake the hand of a stranger Sit and talk for a while Gonna tell someone I love them From the bottom of my heart Today I’m gonna try and change the world.

(Chorus) Gonna make sure my children Know there’s a right and wrong I’ll never turn my back On those of us who need someone Always gonna try to see myself Through another’s eyes Today I’m gonna try and change the world. (Chorus: Today I’m gonna try and change the world Gonna take it one day at a time I’ve made my resolution I’ve opened up my eyes Today I’m gonna try and change the world…Yes,  I’ve made my resolution, I’ve opened up my eyes Today I’m gonna try and change the world Not for me, but for those I’ll leave behind I’ve made my resolution Gonna change it one day at time Today I’m gonna try and change the world. Yes, Today I’m gonna try and change the world…one day at a time.’ 

Oh friends, let’s hope we were not simply paying lip service as we sang that wonderful song, because I’m sure it would break Jesus’ heart, since His great desire is for us to indeed change this evil and ungodly world as much as we can! And my fellow believers, He is depending on us to keep faith very much alive on the earth until He returns, as He asks this question at the end of the parable on the persistent widow. ‘Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8b)

And as this commentary explains: ‘It is a rhetorical inquiry, suggesting that true, enduring faith will be rare or under severe strain during the end times, encouraging believers to remain faithful and prayerful. The question implies that a large part of humanity may have lost faith, rather than an abundance of it being present. Jesus is encouraging a specific type of faith—one that persists in prayer and does not lose heart, even in the face of injustice or delay. It highlights the necessity of trusting in God’s LOVE and justice, even when it seems absent or delayed. The verse is a warning and a motivation for believers to maintain their faith until His return.’ 

Oh my people, what more can I add to that eh? Not much. Except to say that from the way we’ve allowed the evil one to perpetrate his ungodly machinations without much pressure, with very little resistance or push back on our part, we’re definitely not shaping up to be the kind of followers Jesus truly desires and desperately needs. However, let’s not forget what the author of Hebrews tells us, as he recounts our former days, when our faith was much stronger than it currently is.

‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry (delay). Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition (destruction): but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.’ (Heb. 10:35-39)

Now there’s a very inspiring scripture passage! And it’s calling us to be faithful followers of Christ, to be patient, to endure to the end. That was quoted from the prophet Habakkuk, as the Lord told him. ‘Write the vision and make it plain upon tables (tablets), that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by faith.’ (Hab. 2:2-4)

So my people, whatever the Lord has promised, will eventually come to pass, but in the Lord’s timing, not ours. Our part is to wait faithfully and patiently until it comes true. But while we’re waiting, we must also put up a serious fight against the enemy, not let him make any further inroads into the culture and power structure of our world. And I know that only a handful of us are in positions to make big changes to our world, but all of us can make small ones, and as the Jamaicans say, ‘one one cocoa full basket.’ Yes, many small changes eventually become big ones.

And how do we do that? Simply by doing what the song we sang today says. Open up our eyes and see the many problems that we face. Then make a strong resolution to change them, one day at a time, by doing things like saying hello to our neighbours, greeting them with a big, genuine smile; shaking the hand of a stranger as you sit and talk to him for a while. And what about telling someone you LOVE them from the bottom of your heart? Now that alone would make a great difference in so many relationships. 

Obviously, we’re also going to teach our children the difference between right and wrong, while never turning our backs on anyone who needs our help, and seeing ourselves through the eyes of others, thinking of their situation rather than ours. And one big reason we should try and change our world one day at a time is not for us, but for those we leave behind, so that they will have a better world than we have.

So please my fellow believers, on this first Sunday after Easter in this year of 2026, it’s imperative that we take time to ponder the situations of both our world and ourselves, and as obedient disciples of Christ, make the resolution to implement whatever changes we can, in whatever time we have left to us, for that’s the godly thing to do! Much LOVE!

…all Christians need to do…is to put the major commandments into action…LOVE the Lord…and your neighbour as yourself… 

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 December 2020 Habakkuk 2:4.

17 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

Habakkuk 2:4.     ​Behold his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith.

So what we going to do with this new day called Thursday eh? What we going to do with this snowy morn of Thursday eh my people? Nothing different than what we do with each and every other day. We going to LOVE it, rejoice and be glad in it, give much thanks and praise for it, because it’s a brand new day granted us by our wonderful heavenly Father, a day filled with His wonderful new mercies, compassions, faithfulness and forgiveness! Glory to God my fellow saints in Christ! It’s a brand new day with unlimited possibilities, oodles of opportunities for us to fulfill God’s great plan and purpose for our lives. 

Yes, let’s never forget that the Lord has a plan and purpose for every one of our lives and that’s why we’ve been so greatly gifted with the opportunity to see another day. In the immortal words of the prophet Jeremiah, on the Lord’s behalf: ‘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) So let’s keep that uppermost in our minds today as seek to do God’s work, to continue building our earthly lives on the good purpose that He’s placed in our hearts. 

And thus we can confidently say: ‘Something good is going to happen to me today! Oh yeah! And something good is also going to happen through me today! Bless the Lord’s holy name my brethren, for He is indeed a good God, full of mercy and compassion, with only the best thoughts toward us, but we spoil it by shrinking and shirking away from Him, because we seem to prefer the lustful and evil pleasures of this evil world above the heavenly treasures He has to offer. So what else can we expect when we neglect to follow His path eh? Nothing but calamity and darkness! Which is exactly what we’re suffering now, simply because we’ve turned away from God and has allowed the prince of darkness to control our lives. 

But friends, if there’s one thing about our great God is that He’s full of forgiveness and mercy, and we need only to repent, sincerely now, and come back into His fold and He will forgive us and heal our land. That’s His awesome promise! And yes, we do need a worldwide Revival; a worldwide LOVE Revolution, if our world is to return to some semblance of sanity. It’s written bold and clear like the tables, the tablets on which God told the prophet Habakkuk to write His vision so that even those running will see it. (Hab.2:2) 

But yuh know what friends, we’re so immersed in our own li’l selfish and greedy, earthly oriented world that we run by the tablets and don’t even see them, much less read the vision. Remember though these words of the Lord to Habakkuk: ‘Behold his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him, but the just shall live by faith.’ (Hab. 2:4) And truer words were never spoken concerning this generation, our souls are so full of pride and selfishness that we have no time nor space for God! And that can only lead to calamity like so many other ages and societies have discovered. 

And as I always say, the fledgling nation of Israel might have been foolish to turn away from the God of their forefathers, but whenever they did and then experienced calamity for their disobedience, they were wise enough to turn back to Him and receive His forgiveness and mercy. But we, in this supposed modern, enlightened and knowledgeable age, don’t seem to be wise enough to know on which side our bread is buttered. 

That brings us to Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – written by Bruh David when he was running from Saul, hungry and unarmed and he went into the temple and ate the shewbread that was meant for priests, then took Goliath’s sword, the one he used to cut off the giant’s head some years before and fled to the land of the Philistines. (1 Sam. 21) 

And I like the superscription at the head of the psalm. ‘A psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech (the priest in the temple), who drove him away, and he departed.’ The psalm says it all friends. When one has narrowly escaped death and is on the run from serious enemies, changes will be forced into your life, either for good or bad. Thankfully in Bruh David’s life they were for good. 

Hear these memorable words he writes nuh. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. 

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:1-9) 

O yes, we supposed saints of Christ, if we sincerely trust in the Lord our God, reverence and worship Him sincerely we’ll lack nothing. Remember Jesus’ words: ‘But seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And it is certainly because Bruh David had a heart for God, that he was able to escape Saul’s wrath. And does our world currently have a heart for God? 

Hn! Absolutely not! We don’t even acknowledge His existence, much less consider Him of any importance! We’re more concerned with kicking Him out of our society than reverencing or magnifying or exalting Him! That just shows how foolish we are to think that the Almighty and Everlasting God, who created the universe and all therein, will just fade away quietly into the sunset because a bunch of evil ingrates He created desires it? Not on your life! 

Oh friends, let’s wake up and see reality nuh. Remember the last time we got so evil the Lord destroyed the world by water. So it means that He won’t allow us to continue our evil doings for ever. At some stage He will get fed up with our evil shenanigans and will intervene and bring us to heel in a very turbulent manner. Who knows if this is the time eh? But whether this is the time or not, it’s high time that we turn our lives and our world around and run back to the protective and comforting arms of Almighty God! Wisdom dictates it. 

Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do His will in this evil and calamitous world, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh) our Thursday Blessings that He’s so magnanimously granted us to do His earthly work. As one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

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

And having said all of that, let’s get to sharing those blessings just as generously and magnanimously with others nuh. Much LOVE!

…a word to the wise…should be sufficient…