17 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gold mine, be filled with the Spirit, being glad in God, bless the Lord, bounden duty, Christian, climb over, dissipation, encouraging, Ephesians, evil, exalt His name, exceedingly rejoice, excess, exhortation, face a mountain, fellowship, find a pass, forgiveness, Friday chant, fun, generous help, giving thanks always, glorious kingdom, grateful, holy spirit, hymns, in the fear of God, in the service of God, Jesus Christ, joy, joyful, keep on striving, let the righteous be glad, LOVE, magnify the Lord, making melody, Mountain Mover's Prayer, partying, patience, perception, pray without ceasing, psalms, quit, refreshed, rejoice, rejoice before God, rejoice evermore, relaxation, render evil for evil, renewed, rest, righteous, robert h schuller, singing, slave labour, spiritual songs, steadfast, strong, summer fun, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thankful, the weekend, the will of God, tunnel underneath, ungodly world, uplifting, wisdom
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Well mih people, I believe it’s what many consider the big day, Friday. But please don’t quote me on that, since I’m not so hot on what day it is. (smile)
However, if you’re going along and you hear lots of people declaring ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and a wonderful weekend is on the horizon. We taking a break from the slave labour, and instead is lot’s of partying and summer fun! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends yes!’
Then you can really believe it’s Friday. (smile) So since I am hearing all the hullabaloo over Friday, then I guess it must be okay for us to chant our Friday Chant and get a better perspective on how to spend the weekend.
So as one now, let’s chant: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh friends, we need to have a balanced weekend or else we won’t be able to rise to the occasion when Monday comes along. Now here’s a li’l reminder from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) re Mountain Moving Faith to help us stand steadfast and strong in Jesus’ name.
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, when I face a mountain, do not let me quit! Give me the strength to keep on striving until I climb over, find a pass through, or tunnel underneath. And if my best efforts fail, give me the patience to stay and the perception to see the possibilities of turning my mountain into a gold mine with your help. Amen.’
Yes mih breddren, that’s what we believers need today in this age of rampant ungodliness and fleshly lusts; a real mountain moving kind of faith that will keep us strong in the Lord, keep us focused on His will, not ours or the world’s.
And I believe that if we follow the wonderful advice of our Bit, we will stay close to and strong in the Father. ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Ah friends, rejoicing and being glad in our God is one of the many great benefits we enjoy as Christians, as followers of Jesus Christ! We’d be very foolish not to avail ourselves of such an uplifting and encouraging situation.
Now let’s check out some more of those scriptures that exhort us to be joyful and thankful in the service of our great and wonderful God. And we’ll begin with these inspiring words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous.
‘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.’ (Ps.34:1-3)
Oh mih people, mih people, that couldn’t be said any better! Magnifying and glorifying and exalting God’s name is our bounden duty down here on earth!
So much so that Bruh Paul exhorted the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
What a powerful and moving bit of scripture my brethren!
Now here is some info from the scholars on those verses: ‘5:19-21. There are four results of being Spirit-filled (v.18). (1) believers speak to one another with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; that is, they exhort and instruct each other; (2) there is singing and the making of melody, of individual song and praise for the Lord;
(3) there is giving thanks always – the Spirit enables the Christian to be grateful for all things divinely allowed to enter his life since they will be used for good; and (4) there is mutual submission, that is, showing deference to the wishes of one another, as long as that to which the believer submits is in the fear of God, which is to say, in accord with what pleases Him.’
Yes friends, it’s our duty and also a great enabler for us to be singing and giving thanks and praises to our God, to be exhorting each other and putting each other’s wishes before ours, for that’s the way of Jesus!
Now hear some more words of Bruh David on the subject, first from Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s justice. ‘I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (tell of) all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.’ (Ps.9:1-2)
And then from Psalm 32 – The blessedness of forgiveness: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps.32:10-11)
What wonderful advice precious people!
And we’ll close this set of messages with these enlightening words of Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians. ‘See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:15-18)
No better words than those to live by my people! So let’s get with the programme nuh and start living a more joyful life, for that’s wisdom at its highest! Much LOVE!
…oh, what joy and peace comes from being a follower of Jesus Christ…
15 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dry land, abundance, adoring, Alleluia, bless, blessed, blessing, bound in chains, broken, cheerful sound, Christians, circumstances, clear direction, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, defender, divine promotion, encourage, every land, every tongue, evil, exceedingly rejoice, excitement, extol, faith, family, Father, fatherless, favour, feel better, fill the earth, followers of Jesus christ, friends, from shore to shore, fulfillment, give thanks, glorifying God, glorious day, goodness, hand of the wicked, hate evil, health, heed, I am blessed, in the name of Jesus, in the presence of God, Israelites, Jah, Jesus Christ, joyful, joyful praise, judge, let the righteous be glad, let voices raise, light, LOVE, Love the Lord, loving kindness, magnificent and magnanimous God, mercies, negative word, positive outlook, praising, promotion, prosper, raised to high heaven, rebellious, rejoice, rejoice before God, rides upon the heavens, self-control, self-discipline, sense of purpose, set no more, sincerity, sing unto God, song of Deborah, souls of saints, strength, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, thanks and praise, the Creator's praise, the glory of God, the happiest people, the Redeemer's name, the remembrance, the righteous, Thursday Blessings, till suns shall rise, truth, vim and vigour, warms the cockles, wicked, widows
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Oh friends, oh friends, the ole fella’s just gushing with excitement this morning because a new and glorious day has been born, which means that we have another day ahead of us to give much thanks and praise to our wonderful Creator!
So let’s begin the praise and thanksgiving by singing this awesome song nuh. As one harmonious choir now: ‘From all who dwell below the skies, Let the Creator’s praise arise. Alleluia! Alleluia! Let the Redeemer’s name be sung, Through every land, in every tongue! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
In every land begin the song, To every land the strains belong. Alleluia! Alleluia! In cheerful sound let voices raise, To fill the earth with joyful praise; Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Eternal are your mercies Lord! Eternal truth attends your word! Alleluia! Alleluia! Your praise shall sound from shore to shore! ‘Till suns shall rise and set no more! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!’
Yes my faithful brethren, the sounds of our thanks and praise ought to be raised to high heaven as often as possible because our God is such a wonderful Deity! And besides that, He just LOVES to hear us praising and adoring Him! It warms the cockles of His heavenly heart! (smile)
And to prove His awesomeness, let’s now declare our Thursday Blessings with much vim and vigour, sincerity and sense of purpose. No other faith can do this, like we can.
‘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!’
Yes my people, a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken, so we need to remember to continually bless our friends and families, so that they can enjoy the goodness and LOVING-kindness of our merciful and oh so gracious God!
And all of that jives so nicely with our Bit taken from Psalm 68 – God has gone before His people. ‘But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.’
Oh my faithful followers of Jesus Christ, that directive of Bruh David is one we should all heed with joyful hearts! For where is there another Deity like ours eh? There is NONE whatsoever my brethren!
And as we keep saying Christians should be the happiest people on planet earth because we have such a wonderful faith, such a wonderful Lord and Saviour, and we serve such a magnificent and magnanimous God!
Oh, I know that our circumstances don’t always allow us, or encourage us to give such thanks and praise, but the whole point of the matter is that when we do, we feel better inside, our spirits are lifted and we can handle our situations better, because we are in the very presence of our God, who likes nothing better than hearing us glorifying Him in song.
Now hear how Bruh David continues after our Bit. ‘Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
God setteth the solitary (lonely) in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains (causes them to prosper): but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.’ (Ps.68:4-6)
Oh friends, right there is sufficient cause to praise God’s holy name! And that doesn’t even include all the other stuff He has done, is doing and will do for us!
Now let’s check out a couple more instances where praise and thanks are offered up to heaven. Listen to this excerpt from the song of Deborah and Barak when the Israelites overcame their superior enemies.
‘Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves (volunteered). Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.’ (Judg. 5:2-3)
And we’ll end with this exhortation from Psalm 97 – The Lord is far above all gods. ‘Ye that LOVE the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness (for the memory of his holy name).’ (Ps.97:10-12)
Oh my brethren, I do hope that today, as we go about the Lord’s business, that thanks and praise will continually be in our thoughts and mouths and reverberate in our souls and bodies, all to the glory of our magnificent and majestic God! Much LOVE!
…a Christian who isn’t joyful…is surely lacking in faith…
10 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a matter of time, a vision of the night, abuse the weekend, afflict, boast, break in pieces, brutish, busy as bees, call them to account, comeuppance, condemn, doom, encouraging, excellency, faithful friends, favour of the poor, fly away as a dream, formed the eyes, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glorious kingdom, godly, having fun, how long shall the wicked triumph, in His own time, innocent blood, insolent things, Jesus Christ, joy, knowledge, life of the righteous, LOVE, lustful, miserable, mount up to the heavens, our own fault, partying, physically, planted the ear, prospering, prosperity, refreshed, reinvigorate, relaxation, renewed, rest, restore their goods, righteous, senseless fools, sins, spiritually, teaches man, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the god of Jacob, the joy of the hypocrite, the Lord is my defense, the Lord knows, the Most High God, the offing of the wicked, the rock of my refuge, the thoughts of man, the weekend, thine heritage, tired, triumphing of the wicked, Triune God, ungodliness, ungodly times, unrighteousness, uplifting words, week of work, workers of iniquity, yoke of the wicked, Zophar
Psalm 94:3. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
Ah mih people, it’s that day called Friday again! And everybody is busy as bees preparing for the weekend. The Friday buzz is all over the land.
All you can hear is ‘TGIF! Thank the Lord for Fridays and weekends, cause that’s when we get to go about our business; our business of partying and having fun! Under those circumstances, how can we not shout ‘TGIF’ eh, and thank the Lord for Friday.’
Yeh friends, we need to be thankful for Friday and the weekend, but not simply for the opportunity to splurge and fete. The weekend was made for much more than that. So let’s chant our Friday Chant and discover the better way to use our weekends nuh.
As one new: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
So people, though there’s an element of partying involved in the weekend, it’s not only for lustful fun and games, but also to renew and reinvigorate us, both physically and spiritually, so that we can continue renewed and reinvigorated come the new workweek.
And that’s where so many of us fall down, we abuse the weekend, and come Monday morning we’re all beat up, tired and miserable and find it hard to get up to go out and labour. And then we complain as though we’re so hard done by, when it’s all our own fault.
That means we have to do a whole lot better in using our weekends more profitably my brethren. For listen to the questioning words of our Bit, taken from Psalm 94. ‘Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?’
Now that’s a very good question friends, for in these ungodly times the wicked does seem to be prospering much more than the righteous. And just like it bothered the psalmist, it bothers us today, so that like the psalmist we too can ask, can lament:
‘How long shall they utter and speak hard (insolent) things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard (pay attention to) it.’ (Ps.94:3-7)
Yeh mih people, the wicked are truly on a roll these days, doing as they wish to whom they wish and nobody seems to call them to account, and consequently they believe that the Most High God will not see or take notice of their iniquity.
But they are totally wrong my fellow believers in Jesus Christ, for as the psalmist warns the wicked. ‘Understand ye brutish (senseless) among the people, ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eyes, shall he not see?
He that chastiseth (instructs or disciplines) the heathen (nations or Gentiles), shall he not correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity (vain, futile).’ (Ps.94:8-11)
Yes my brethren, our great God who created everything in the universe, hears, sees and knows it all, and in His good and right time will repay the workers of iniquity for their unrighteousness and ungodliness, for their sins against the godly and righteous. But all in His own time my faithful friends, all in His own time.
I know we’re shaking it rough under the yoke of the wicked, but we just have to wait and be patient until our Lord and God decides it’s time to repay.
Now hear how Zophar, the Naamathite, Job’s friend, describes the offing of the wicked. ‘Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung (refuse): they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him. His children shall seek to please (seek the favour of) the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.’(Job 20:4-10)
Oh friends, the wicked are in for a very rough time when the Lord decides to strike. And you can read the rest of Zophar’s characterization of the fall of the wicked right up to verse 29. And it’s not a very pleasant image, so please don’t worry if the wicked seem to be overly prosperous and successful in their earthly sojourn, but rather be assured that their prosperity is short lived, and their doom is sure.
And listen to the final encouraging and uplifting words of the psalmist in Psalm 94. ‘They gather themselves together against the soul (life) of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness: yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off (destroy them).’ (Ps.94:21-24)
And that’s a promise we can all hold on to my faithful followers of Christ. The wicked will go up in flames when the time is right, while the righteous enjoy the good life with our triune God.
Please, let’s faithfully remember that and don’t allow the wicked to frighten us with their sinful ways, for our God is still on His throne running things. Much LOVE!
…it’s only a matter of time…before the wicked get their comeuppance…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella was somewhat under the weather. (smile) Much LOVE!
03 Jun 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a fine time, be sober, beginning work, believers in Christ, blasphemed, calm, Christ's sufferings, circumstances, difference, distraught, dominion, duty, ending work, fellowship, fervent charity, fiery trial, focused, Friday chant, fun, generous help, glad, glorified, glorify your Father, glorious kingdom, glory, glory to God, God's child, God's grace, good cheer, good stewards, good works, grumbling, heavenly Father, hobnobbing, hospitality, in Jesus' name, in the midst of the storm, Jesus Christ, joy, let your light shine, LOVE, magnanimous, magnificent, mature Christians, minister, multitude of sins, oracles of god, overcome, parents, peace, perspective, praise, prayer, refreshed, rejoice, relaxation, renewed, rest, sing psalms, sing unto him, suffer, talents, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ability, the end of all things, the nature of the beast, the weekend, things of the world, tribulation, understanding, watch unto prayer, week of work, wondrous works, work, worthy to be praised
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s the big day…Friday!
And everybody burst out into song: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Thank God for the weekend! We’ve waited all week for this! A fine time will be had by all! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
Oh my brethren, it’s certainly interesting how Fridays make such a big difference in our lives. I just wish we could get Monday to make such a difference. (smile) But I guess, because of the nature of the beast, a time for ending work will always be more welcome than one to begin work.
In any case, let’s chant our Friday Chant so than we can get a better perspective on the situation. Chanting: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes my fellow believers in Christ, furthering God’s kingdom is our duty, and we can’t perform that duty properly unless we’re well rested and properly focused. And that we definitely can’t get from hobnobbing a whole lot with the things and people of the world.
Now here’s an interesting little poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that shows the amazing difference between man and God. This one is titled ‘You’re in My Way.’
And it reads thus: ‘This morning, Lord I heard a distraught mother Say to her lively son “You’re in my way – move.” This very same morning You said to me “You’re in my way – stay.” How good it is to be your child.’
And that’s no lie my people! It is truly awesome to be a child of God! Whereas earthly parents want us to get out of their way, our heavenly Father wants us to be in His way! Glory to God!
And the Bible verse associated with that poem is: ‘Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of his wondrous works.’ (1 Chr.16:9) And is that ever what we should be about my people!
Now let’s get to our Bit, which should be finished today…no promises though, because one never knows what can crop up at the last minute. (smile)
Here is Jesus’ positive directive. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
And this morning we’re going to look at some scripture from 1 Peter where he talks about being good stewards of God’s grace. ‘But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity (LOVE) among yourselves: for charity (LOVE) shall cover the multitude of sins.
Use hospitality one to another without grudging (grumbling). As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in ALL THINGS may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Pet.4:7-11)
Yes friends, that is how we ought to behave as mature and true Christians; in LOVE, in prayer and hospitality, sincerely using the talents granted unto us, so that whatever we do, our heavenly Father will be glorified. Remember, it’s ALL about Him, not about us!
And Peter continues: ‘Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as (to the extent that) ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached (insulted) for the name of Christ, happy (blessed) are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of (blasphemed), but on your part, he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.4:12-14)
Oh my people, I know those are some hard scriptures to accept, but accept them we must if we want to be true believers and truly glorify God! It’s a simple philosophy; if you suffer for and with Christ, then when His kingdom comes you will rejoice with Him.
And remember Christ didn’t say that bad or wrong things wouldn’t happen to us down here on earth, but rather He warns of tribulation. ‘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)
However my brethren, if we stay in Christ, we can have peace despite our tribulations, despite the fiery trails that try us, because He has already overcome the world. So although times will occasionally be rough, let’s not focus on our circumstance, but on our magnanimous and magnificent God, who is able to give us peace and calm, even in the midst of the storm.
And all God’s people declared, loud and proud! ‘Praise His Holy Name, for He indeed worthy to be praised!’
Yes friends, our God is indeed worthy to be praised, so let’s go out today and do whatever He’s called us to do nuh, with a song of praise in our hearts and mouths and His wonderful peace in our souls. Much LOVE!
…our God offers such a high level of peace…that it verily surpasses our finite and limited understanding…
31 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cry of anguish, a friend of Jesus, a song of praise, abhorred, afflicted, an army rising up, awesome, awesome power, beliefs, break every chain, breath of life, Christian, comfortable, coming to Christ, contented, descendants, despised, disrepair, do better, earthly heaven, evil, fear, fear the Lord, fight tooth and nail, friend, glorify your Father, Glory be, glory hallelujah, good works, grateful, gratefulness, gratitude, hid his face, hurry, I'm not what I do, I'm not what I have, in Christ's army, Jesus Christ, joyful song, kick in the tail, let your light shine, LOVE Revolution, Lucifer, malaise, minions, my friend Jesus, power, power in the name of Jesus, praise, pressure, reverence, scared, seed of jacob, share His love, soldiers, song, Tasha Cobbs, tendencies, thankful, thanks, the beloved of God, the things of the world, trust, Tuesday Mantra, uplifted in spirit, walking away, what people say about me, worry
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Oh friends, oh friends, it’s another beautiful Tuesday on God’s earthly heaven! Glory be to our heavenly Father! It means we’ve been granted another day with God’s breath of life still flowing rich and strong through our physical bodies!
And for that we ought to be most thankful, be ever grateful for all that He’s done for us in the past, is doing for us right now, and has faithfully promised to fulfill in the future. Now that also ought to lead us to offering some sincere thanks and praise to His most holy and honourable name.
And the best way to give thanks and praise, to offer sincere gratitude and gratefulness is in joyful song. So let’s sing praises and give thanks to our Creator and Provider! Let’s shout out this powerful gospel song that I recently heard. Heard it a few times on different radio stations too.
The singer is blessed with the name Tasha Cobbs, and I believe she was in Toronto last weekend for a live concert. The song is appropriately titled, ‘Power in the name of Jesus.’
Please sing it with me. ‘There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. Yes there is power in the name of Jesus…. To break every chain… Break every chain…Break every chain.
There’s an army rising up. There’s and army rising up. There’s an army rising up…To break every chain…Break every chain…Break every chain.
There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus. Oh there is power in the name of Jesus…To break every chain…Break every chain…Break every chain…’
Now friends, I’m doing this from memory, but I’m pretty sure that’s how the song goes. In any case, that’s our version. (smile)
And oh yes my fellow believers, there is indeed power…and awesome power at that, in the holy and majestic name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! A power so absolute and strong that it’s able to break any chain that binds us, any chain that holds us captive to the evil tendencies of this evil world! Glory Hallelujah!
So please, let’s never forget that remarkable power and use it to break whatever is binding us to the things of this world. And now, since it’s Tuesday, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with much sincerity and sense of purpose.
All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Oh my people, whenever we declare that mantra, I just feel real uplifted in my spirit. Why? I’m not sure. But I guess it’s because it defines me in the best way possible: the beloved of God and a friend of Jesus!
Now there could never be a better definition of who we are than that…And better still, NO ONE can take it from us! Oh glory to our great God my believing brethren!
That brings us to our Bit; the avid desire and command of our Leader, Jesus Christ. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Unfortunately though my people, that is one command we don’t seem to be following too well because instead of coming to Christ, people are walking away from Him in droves. That’s definitely not good my fellow believers, because it means we’re not doing our part to assure the success of Christ’s LOVE Revolution.
Through fear and pressure from the evil world, we are allowing our spirits to fall into a sad state of disrepair; a malaise of enormous proportions seems to have taken over the Christian brotherhood, where we don’t fight as much and as hard as we used to do for our beliefs.
That’s not right my brethren. We are supposed to be soldiers in Christ’s army, and soldiers are supposed to fight; to fight tooth and nail for what they believe in!
What’s happening with us eh? Don’t we believe anymore? Or are we just comfortable and contented and want to enjoy the things of the world? Or are we simply so scared of Lucifer and His evil minions that we refuse to fight for what we say we believe in?
I don’t have the answers nuh friends. But I do know that we’re definitely not letting our light shine sufficiently before our fellow men, they’re not seeing enough of our good works, and thus are not glorifying our heavenly Father the way that He desires.
And we’ll end with an appropriate call from Bruh David from Psalm 22 – A cry of anguish and song of praise. ‘Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed (descendants) of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him (hold Him in awesome reverence), all ye the seed of Israel.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.’ (Ps.22:23-24)
Ah mih people, let’s try and do better than we doing nuh! Let’s look deep inside and see where we are falling down, then with all sincerity and truth call upon the Lord to help us. As Bruh David says, He will hear and help us. Much LOVE!
…Christ’s earthly army needs a boost…probably a good, swift kick in the tail…to get us going like we ought…
30 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abckbreaking labour, abuse, aura of love, celebrations, Christ is Lord indeed, condemned, confidence, conquerors, conscience, degradation, distress, diverse culture, doctrine, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, ever-faithful, ever-Loving, every foe is vanquished, evildoers, faith, fire water, friends, glorify your father in heaven, good conduct, good works, Granny's warning, gusto, holy spirit, humble servants, incorruptibility, Indentured workers, Indian Arrival Day, inroads, integrity, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, let your light so shine, lies, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, made alive, Memorial Day, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, progeny, put to death, quickened, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, reverence, rewarding, sincerity, sinful nature, slavery, sound speech, spiritual armour, stand up for Jesus, steadfast faith, suffer, taunts, the good fight, the trumpet call obey, the will of God, trust, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, well doing, wiles, wisdom
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
And then it was Monday… But fortunately, for many people it’s not a work day. In the U.S. it’s the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, where the brave men and women who died while serving their country in the military forces are remembered and honoured.
Meanwhile in T& T (Trinidad and Tobago) it’s a holiday celebrating Indian Arrival Day. That was the memorable day of May 30th 1845 when the Fath Al Razak docked in the harbor of Port of Spain with two hundred and something adult Indians; the first set of Indentured (contract) Workers from India.
Slavery had been abolished and it was difficult to find labourers to work in the sugar cane fields, so the Colonial masters turned to a new form of human abuse and degradation. I don’t know if it was any better than the slavery the African people suffered, because it was still back breaking labour and the Massa still held the upper hand.
If my history memory serves me right, I believe they were contracted for something like seven years and then were free to do their own thing on a plot of land so generously given to them by the plantation owners. Anyway, that’s how the diverse culture of T&T began, and continued down through the years with all sorts of other races coming to settle there.
That’s why T&T women are also some of the most beautiful in the world – and that’s no lie – (smile) with the progeny of all the different races mixed together.
Anyway, last weekend we in Canada were showing off with our Victoria Day holiday, now it’s our turn to face the music this Monday morning and go out to labour. And as always, to help us get up to speed, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with plenty gusto and sincerity.
As one heavenly choir now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, that wasn’t so hot nuh. Chuh! You could tell that the U.S. and T&T people with their hoarse, raspy voices were already into their cups. Hn! Our choirmaster, Jesus, just shook His head and sighed a knowing sigh.
And I guess I’ll have to take a little of the blame for that since I forgot to offer Granny’s warning per these long holiday weekends. ‘Sonny Boy, please, ah beg yuh; drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
And as true believers, we definitely have to remember that, because when we get into the celebrations, especially the fire breathing ‘waters’, we lose all sense of responsibility and give the ever lurking enemy a chance to get into our soul and disrupt it.
And with a disrupted soul we obviously can’t do what Jesus asks of us in our Bit. ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
When our brain is all muddled and befuddled our lights definitely are not shining, neither are we doing good works. And we’re definitely not glorifying our heavenly Father, but rather letting Him down, sullying His holy name.
So all you friends in the U.S and T&T, please be careful, let’s not spoil the good thing we have going, with our wonderful, ever-faithful, ever-LOVING God.
Now let’s check out what Bruh Paul had to say to his apostolic delegate Titus on the subject. ‘But speak thou the things which become (are proper for) sound doctrine… In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness (integrity), gravity (reverence), sincerity (incorruptibility), Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part (an opponent) may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.‘ (Titus 2:1,7-8)
Yes friends, it’s important that the enemy doesn’t have anything bad to say about us, as Peter talks about per suffering and reward. ‘Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation (conduct) in Christ.
For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (made alive) by the Spirit.’ (1 Pet.3:16-18)
Ah mih people, a Christian’s life can be indeed be difficult and somewhat unfair at times, but overall, believe me, it is very rewarding. And we’ll close with some explanations from the scholars. ‘3:16. A good conscience refers to a clear conscience, that is, one void of offense.’
‘3:17. In the will of God we are sometimes called on to suffer for well-doing as a testimony to others.’ ‘3:18. That he might bring us to God means in order that Christ might bring us to, or give us access to God.’
Oh my brethren, none of us like pain and suffering, but it is the lot of our sinful nature, and if we sincerely turn to God in our times of distress, He will give us the wherewithal to bear it. Please remember that. Now let’s go out and continue the good fight so that Jesus’ LOVE Revolution can be successful! Much LOVE!
…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…till every foe is vanquished…and Christ is Lord indeed…
26 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a godly life, a positive outlook on life, abundance, anxiety, believers, belly and backbone, belt, bounden duty, broken, challenge, Christian foundation, courage, creativity, curse, direction for my life, divine protection, doubt, eagerness, family friends, favour, fulfillment, generously gifted, girded, girt about, God's protective armour, godly armour, good, health, hoighty toighty, holy character, I am blessed, in the name of Jesus, indispensability of prayer, Jesus Christ, knowledge, loins, LOVE, moral conduct, negative word, obedience, opportunity, peace, perseverance, prayer, praying, promises, promotion, prosper, put on the whole armour of God, quench, ridicule, righteousness, saints, Satan, schemes., Scrip-Bit family, self-control, self-discipline, serve our Lord and Saviour, shod, sinful world, sitting ducks, soldier, spiritual belt, stand, strong will, succeed, success, supernatural strength, supplication, talent, the breastplate of righteousness, the devil, the fiery darts, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the preparation of the gospel, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the wicked one, the wiles of the devil, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, trust, truth, waist, watching, willingness, wisdom, ye may be able to stand
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Greetings and salutations my wonderful Scrip-Bit family on this glorious Thursday morning! It’s another most worthwhile opportunity for us to serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in this evil and ungodly world.
In fact, it’s not a choice, but our bounden duty as believers, and we only heap ridicule on Jesus’ holy name if we don’t pursue that challenge as we ought to.
And there’s no time to lose, so let’s get busy and declare our Thursday Blessings that will feed our faith, uplift us, and give us the wherewithal to go out and face the enemy with much needed belly and backbone.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
Oh glory to our wonderful God my precious people, for He has generously gifted us with all that we need to succeed in this sinful world! Now let’s go out and succeed…
But first we need to do this absolutely necessary thing as directed by our Bit: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
Yes friends, without God’s protective armour, we’re just like innocent, naïve, sitting ducks for the enemy. He’d be all over us in no time at all. That’s why Bruh Paul seriously warned us about wearing God’s armour at all times.
And I’m going to repeat the verses of yesterday about what the spiritual armour of God consists of, because I want to share some very useful info from the scholars on the subject. And don’t get hoighty toighty with me now because you think we’re wasting time by repeating those verses. (smile)
Friends, we can never hear those verses enough since they are a major part of our basic Christian foundation and the deeper we write them into our souls, the better off we will be.
Now hear Bruh Paul pontificate. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (one).
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18)
Listen to the scholars now: ‘6:14-17. The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word (cf.4:21). The ancient soldiers loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place.
Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the “truth” of Scripture.
(2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness).
(3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v15) means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called caligae on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him.
Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.
(4) The shield of (which is) faith (v.16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.
(5) The helmet of salvation (v.17a): Since the readers are already Christians (2:8), they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation.
(6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v.17b): The Greek term rendered “word” is not logos, referring to the whole Word of God, but rhema, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’
And that takes care of the basic armour of God. But we’re not done yet my people. Listen to these other explanations from the scholars.
‘6:18. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks.
In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And thus ends this refresher course on the armour of God! (smile) Oh friends, I know that some of the explanations might be somewhat confusing, but if you take your time and concentrate on what you read, you will understand what’s been said.
And above all, please note the indispensability of prayer! Without it, the armour of God is ineffective. Now may the Lord bless and keep us as we go forth clothed in His protective armour, totally backed up by sincere prayer! Much LOVE!
…no Christian soldier goes out to battle without his godly armour…and prayer…
24 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a friend of Jesus, a summer's day, adversary, apologies, armour, be able to stand, beauty of the day, belief, caring, celebrations, Christians, compassionate, deep down inside, eternal life, faith, fallen angel, flesh and blood, focused on God, foe, forgiveness, glad to be alive, glory to God, god, God's armour, God's protection, God's provision, grace, having done all, he that is in the world, He that is in us, how good god is to me, humanity, I've got a joy, Iam, inspiration, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, just one of those days, LOVE, loving, Lucifer, makes me want to shout, mercy, ministry, miserable, my friend Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, overwhelmed with joy, planet earth, powers of darkness, practice what we preach, put on the whole armour of God, rebelled, reggae riddim, resisting Satan, sacrificial death, salvation, schmes, share His love, shout, sincerity, spirit, spiritual warfare, the beloved of God, the happiest people, the Holy Spirit, the whole armour of God, the wiles of the devil, tiredness, to stand, trust, truth, Tuesday Mantra, unconditional LOVE, unhappy people, witness, wrestle
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Oh friends, oh friends, my sincerest apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but it’s just been one of those days. Hn! One of those days when my body rebelled, refused to get up before it was good and ready.
Believe me, I had no idea that the ole bod was so tired nuh, since I didn’t do anything tiring yesterday, and the celebrations didn’t cause me to get to bed any later than usual. I guess though that it was just a residual tiredness from my earlier activities.
Anyway, though I’m still physically groggy, when I went outside just now and experienced the wondrous beauty of the day – like a perfect summer’s day – my spirit was overwhelmed with joy. It made me feel truly glad to be alive.
And consequently, it brought to mind one of my favourite songs that I heard yesterday. It’s an easy lover’s rock reggae riddim that I’ve shared before, but as they say, these gems are never too tiring or old to be heard again and again, because they lend great inspiration to our souls.
It’s a song titled ‘I’ve got a joy,’ sung by a lady named Mounia Sahara. Please sing this very inspirational chorus with me. ‘I’ve got a joy deep down inside, that makes me want to shout, how good God is to me! Yes, I’ve got this joy deep down inside that makes we want to shout how good God is to me!’
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! All Christians ought to feel that way because our wonderful God has indeed been exceedingly good to us all!
Yuh know, Christians ought to be the happiest people in the world because of all that we have; God’s unconditional LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, plus salvation and eternal life paid for by the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
But unfortunately we are some of the most miserable and unhappy people on planet earth. Steups! Ah Lord eh, when are we going to learn to practice what we preach eh?
Anyhow, it’s a beautiful Tuesday, God is still on His heavenly throne, and still in control of His world! So let’s sing our Tuesday Mantra with true sincerity, strong faith and total belief.
All together now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen.’
Oh isn’t that just wonderful my fellow believers? It surely is! What can be better than being a beloved child of God and a friend of Jesus eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
And we certainly don’t have to worry about what the world says about us or how it defines us, because greater is He that’s in us – the Holy Spirit of Jesus – than he that’s in the world – the foolish, fallen angel Lucifer. (1 John 4:4)
And to help us prove that, let’s turn to our Bit, that remarkable verse of scripture, which so rightfully declares: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’
And that my people, is indisputable truth! When we are wearing the whole armour of God, we are invincible! Glory to God! And please note that it requires the whole armour, all of it, not bits and pieces.
And before we get to what that armour consists of, I’m going to repeat a couple verses from yesterday because there are some interesting and important explanations from the scholars that I did not get to share.
After our Bit, Bruh Paul declares: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against (hosts of) spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:12-13)
Now here are the scholars’ explanations of those verses. ‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian.
Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
Yes friends, a lot of powerful spiritual enemies are lined up against us. And per ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry.
The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again.’
And that’s no lie friends! The evil powers of darkness will continue to come at us, time after time, wave upon wave, trying to gain serious entry to our souls.
However, once we are clothed in God’s protective spiritual armour, and our minds are focused on God, rather than the world, those evil spirits won’t be able to harm us. And on that upbeat note, we’ll close today. (smile)
Now let’s put on that spiritual armour of God and walk strong, tall and proud, caring, compassionate and LOVING, about God’s great earth, because that’s what He expects of us. Much LOVE!
…as Christians in an evil world…God’s protection is ALWAYS necessary…
23 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenalin, armour, aura of love, barbecues, be strong in the Lord, buffeted and bombarded, ceasefire, Christians, circumspection, confidence, conquerors, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, faith, fireworks, footholds, friends, glorious kingdom, having done all, holy spirit, humanness, humble servants, infiltration, invincible, jealousy, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, let out hair down, lies, LOVE, moans and groans, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, party trappings, put on the whole armour of God, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, schemes., spiritual armour, spiritual battle, stand, stand against the wiles of the devil, steadfast faith, summer season, tactics, the rulers of darkness, the whole armour of God, truce, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, Victoria Day, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, weary souls, wisdom
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.
Awright friends, this notable long weekend in the best big country in the world is winding down. Yes, the Victoria Day holiday, named for the previous longest reigning monarch (63 years) in the British Empire, celebrated on the first Monday before May 25, is noted for the opening of the summer season.
It finds the privileged set flocking to their cottages in the country, while those who stay in town begin planting their gardens. And the weather this weekend has been rather appropriate for it all; warm and sunshiny, though with the occasional cloud cover. Hopefully today will continue to be the same.
And wonder of wonders, the traffic on the roads this weekend has been negligible in comparison to others of the recent past. What’s going to kill that though is the start of road repairs. Chuh! Sometimes the inconvenience caused by those road repairs makes you long for winter. But anyway, the barbecues and the fireworks and all the other attendant party trappings will be out in full force today.
That means I have to remind us of Granny’s warning: ‘Sonny boy, please, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’ It’s great advice friends, because it’s at times like these, when we let our hair down, that the enemy, who is always lurking in the background, finds footholds in our souls. And we definitely cannot afford to let that happen.
Now unfortunately, not everybody is celebrating Queen Victoria’s birthday with a public holiday. That means many of us still have to go out and labour this Monday morning… and I do detect the jealousy in some of the moans and groans I hear coming forth from the unlucky ones.
However, as usual, we have our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to help us overcome those jealous moments (smile), so let’s belt it out loud and sweet nuh.
As one harmonious choir now. ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Ah mih people, it was loud but inharmonious and somewhat scratchy. And you could tell by the hoarse and cracking voices the ones who were off today. They were obviously the most boisterous. Our choirmaster, Jesus, just sighed and shook His head, understanding the humanness of the situation.
But nonetheless, those of us who have to go out and labour, please let’s keep the adrenalin running and the Word of God constantly feeding our souls and minds, as we get out into the godless world and begin to do battle with Lucifer and his evil minions. Remember, once we have Jesus with us, the victory is assured! Glory to God!
And seeing that we’ve been talking about armour and battles and the enemy etc. I thought that today would be a good time to review Bruh Paul’s directives on the subject.
He tells the Ephesians: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts) of wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:10-13)
Oh my fellow believers, those are very critical and important verses of scripture, which we need to write indelibly in our hearts, souls, minds and bodies, so that we can indeed withstand the evil of this world.
Now let’s get some explanations from the scholars. ‘6:10. Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “from henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no ceasefire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on “till the end there is all out war.
The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.’
Ah friends, this shows that we are engaged in serious warfare. It’s no gimmick, but a spiritual battle unto the death, a battle for our very souls, and we have to be very serious about it if we expect to be good soldiers of Christ!
And some more explanations from the scholars. ‘6:11. Put on denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”). Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’
Yes my people, the enemy does set us up to fall, but with ALL of God’s armour on, we can defeat Him. And we’ll end here, because I know that many of you don’t want to have too much to understand and ponder on this holiday Monday. (smile)
So, God willing, we’ll continue it tomorrow. Till then, please go wisely and safely with God! Much LOVE!
…to party is nice…but it must be done with reasonable circumspection…to avoid the enemy’s untimely infiltration…
21 May 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a very present help in trouble, an opportunity, Anselm, anxious, be still, blow a task out of proportion, breath of life, challenges, Christ-like, coasting, composure, confession of sin, courage, Creator of the universe, cutting out, equanimity, ever-Loving, face your mountains, faith, fear, fearful, glory hallelujah, glory to God, God doesn't give us more than we can bear, God is our refuge and strength, god's greatest gift, haphazardly, hindsight, I am helped, I can do all things through Christ, I will be exalted, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, joy, know that I am God, Long may He reign, LOVE, loving kindness, lying by the wayside, maturity, mental calmness, merciful, mercy, miraculous ways, modus operandi, mountain, my heart trusted in him, my shield, mysterious, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, our earthly journey, potholes, praise his holy name, problems, procrastination, putting off doing it, reward, salvation, self-esteem, start doing, stop thinking, strength, the god of Jacob, the Lord of hosts, the obits, the thief of time, trust, truth, undoing, ungodly things, want for nothing, when one door closes another opens
Psalm 46:1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.
Oh friends, it’s such a wonderful feeling when you look through the obits and don’t see your name or your picture, especially on a beautiful and restful Saturday morning like this one!
Hn! It just makes you want to jump and shout for joy: ‘Glory Hallelujah! Glory to God! Praise His Holy Name! Long may He reign! Yes my people, it is a delight to be alive, despite all the negative and ungodly things happening in our world.
But remember though, that if the Lord saw fit to give us His breath of life for another day, that means He has work for us to attend to in His name.
And talking about that, here are two interesting and appropriate quotes from our friend Anselm, who always tries to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first quote wisely advises: ‘Stop thinking. Start doing. To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.’ And that’s no lie friends! Ofttimes we think about something for so long that we end up not doing it, or doing it haphazardly.
And the second bit of wisdom from Anselm is: ‘Don’t blow a task out of proportion. If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.’ Now that too is no lie! And I can testify to it, because every day I have stuff to do that seems somewhat difficult, and I keep opting to do the easier stuff first, till eventually the harder stuff just keeps lying by the wayside.
And believe me too, when I do get around to the supposed difficult stuff, it’s never really as difficult as I thought. So please let’s get a move on with the stuff that the Lord has planned for us to do. What’s that old saying; I believe its procrastination is the thief of time, and none of us knows how much time we do have down here on God’s great earth, so we can’t afford to waste any of it.
And we have more wise words of advice to share on the subject, this time from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H Schuller) Hour of Power Devotional, something he titles ‘Not a Problem – an Opportunity.’
It says: ‘God is going to give you a problem that will be your opportunity. He will give you challenges. That will be your mountain. That is God’s greatest gift to you. Face your mountains instead of cutting out or coasting. You’ll experience the greatest joy of life: the joy of self-esteem that comes when you know you did what you had to do. Every time one door closes, another door opens.’
Ah my people, that is indeed God’s modus operandi; He gives us challenges, which if we accept them fairly promptly, without fear, and having the bountiful faith that He won’t give us more than we can bear, and will also help us, then we will face those mountains with equanimity, mental calmness and true composure.
Yes fellow believers, that’s how the Lord builds courage, faith, strength and maturity in our lives. We cannot become Christ-like if we don’t have potholes and problems strewn along our earthly journey. And you will indeed notice that along life’s journey, when one door closes, another one eventually opens.
That’s our God moving in His mysterious and miraculous way in our lives. At the moment our world is being turned upside down, we don’t always see or appreciate His movements, but with hindsight, we definitely see His awesome hand moving in our affairs.
And why not eh, since our Bit so strenuously proclaims: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present (an abundantly available) help in trouble.’ And that’s the awesome truth my fellow believers! So if we worship the omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Creator of the universe and all therein, then there’s nothing to fear, and everything to look forward to!
As Bruh Paul told the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil.4:13) And that’s an indisputable fact friends! Whatever we need to do in the Lord’s name, He WILL enable us to do it.
The problem though is that sometimes the challenge or the problem looks so big and our faith isn’t as big, so we get somewhat anxious and fearful. But please remember that our merciful and ever-LOVING God will never allow us to carry burdens or do stuff that He knows we cannot do. So please believe that anything He throws our way, with His help, we can and will be able to accomplish it.
Now let’s turn to some scripture that verifies or supports our Bit. Listen to the prophet Jeremiah as he talks about confession of sin. ‘Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.’ (Jer.3:22-23)
Yes friends, salvation is ONLY possible through our Lord Jesus Christ! So all who are looking for it elsewhere are looking in vain. Now hear Bruh David from Psalm 28 – A prayer for God’s help.
‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.’ (Ps.28:7) Oh friends, that’s the awesome truth; if you trust in the Lord, He will help you and you will rejoice.
And we’ll end with these most appropriate words from Psalm 46 from which our Bit is taken. ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.’ (Ps.46:10-12)
And if we believe that friends, then the Lord will bless and keep us and pour our His mercy and LOVING-kindness upon us, we shall want for nothing. Much LOVE!
…be strong and faithful all who hope in the Lord…for He will eventually reward you…
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