09 Jul 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a lack of wisdom, abundance, all the things that may be desired, all the words of my mouth are in righteousness, at the entry of the city, be life unto thy soul, be not afraid of sudden fear, be not afraid of trouble from the wicked, be ye of an understanding heart, blessed are they that keep my ways, blessed is the man that heareth me, by his knowledge, by the way, by understanding he established the heavens, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, curse, divine protection, do not disdain innstruction, doctor's appointment, doth wisdom not cry out, driven with the wind and tossed, faith, fools despise widom and instruction, giveth to all men liberally, grace to thy neck, he that sinneth against me, he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, hear instruction and be wise, hearken unto me, holy spirit, if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, in the place of the paths, Jesus Christ, keep sound wisdom and discretion, keep thy foot from being caught, knowledge rather than choice gold, let him ask in faith, let not them depart from thine eyes, light excelleth darkness, LOVE, mercy, my mouth shall speak the truth, my voice is to the sons of man, negative word, not comparable to wisdom, not doubting, not to compared to wisdom, nothing forward or perverse, nothing wavering, O ye simple understand wisdom, obtain the favour of the Lord, promotion, prosper and succeed, prudence, receive my instruction and not silver, refuse it not, right to them that find knowledge, salvation, seek and embrace wisdom and understanding, self-control, she cries out at the gates, she standeth in the top of high places, speak of excellent things, supernatural wisdom, talent, the BIBLE, the clouds drop down dew, the depths are broken up, the Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, the Lord shall be thy confidence, the penultimate day of our work week, they that hate me love death, thou shalt not be afraid, thy foot shall not stumble, thy sleep shall be sweet, truth, understanding put forth her voice, waiting at the posts of my doors, walk in thy way safely, watching daily at my gates, when thou liest down, where the paths meet, whoso findeth me findeth life, wickedness is an abomination to my lips, wisdom, wisdom excelleth folly, wisdom is better than rubies, without reproach, wrongeth his own soul, ye fools
Today’s Scrip-Bit 9 July 2026 Proverbs 8:11.
Proverbs 8:11. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. The week’s certainly on a fast track, and it looks like it’s going to be another scorcher. Yesterday, coming from a late afternoon doctor’s appointment, I got caught in the after work traffic, and brother was it terrible, for between accidents and road construction, that further backed up the already heavy traffic, it took me over an hour to get home, for what usually takes half an hour. My doctor’s appointment today should not be as bad, because it’s much earlier and not as far. Enough talk though, so I can finish the Bit before I go. (smile)
And it seems today the Lord wants us to continue talking about Wisdom, for the Good Library opened in Proverbs where Cousin Sol is saying that Wisdom is Better than Rubies. So please read with me: ‘Doth wisdom not cry (out)? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth (takes her stand) in the top of high places (high hills), by the way in the places of the paths (beside the way, where the paths meet). She crieth (cries out) at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors (the entrance). Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom (prudence): and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing forward (crooked) or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.’ (Prov. 8:1-11)
Oh my people, that last verse is of extraordinary importance to us, especially in these crucial times, where there seems to be a sad lack of wisdom. And wisdom must be very important if the Lord lead Cousin Sol to spend almost the first 10 chapters of Proverbs and also some of Ecclesiastes on that subject alone. And why shouldn’t it be one of the most important, if not the most important aspect of earthly life, when Cousin Sol writes these awesome words in an earlier chapter?
‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. My son let them not depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then thou shalt walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:19-26)
Wow mih bredrin! Look at all we get from pursuing wisdom and understanding nuh! It promises; life unto our souls, favour to our necks, walking in safety and not stumbling, going to sleep unafraid, and even better yet, sleeping a sweet sleep, not being afraid of either natural problems or those from the wicked. Why? Because our wonderful God shall be our Protector, Vindicator and whatever else we might need! And as supposed believers in Christ Jesus, we should automatically seek and embrace wisdom and understanding because it’s those two things He used to create the world and all therein, including us!
However, as Cousin Sol says right in the very first chapter of Proverbs: ‘but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7b) And is that ever so true! You just have to look at the great amount of foolishness that’s currently taking place in our world and know that there are many more fools than wise in it. And all I can do now is offer Cousin Sol’s plea at the end of Chapter 8.
‘Now therefore hearken uno me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not (do not disdain it). Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain the favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me LOVE death.’ (Prov. 8:32-36) It could not be said any better than that my fellow believers!
And just in case you’re wondering where this elusive wisdom and understanding can be obtained, listen as James directs us. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (without doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
So now that we know how and where to get wisdom, let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings that the Lord has generously bestowed on us to help do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere 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 every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…wisdom excelleth folly…as far as light excelleth darkness… (Eccl. 2:13)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a positive outlook on life, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, abundance, all things work together for good to them that love God, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, ask and it shall be given to you, blessed with a strong will, blessed with God's supernatural widom, blessed with success, come to know and love him like we do, commit thy way unto the Lord, courage, creativity, curse, delight thyself also in the Lord, depend on God's direction to live the Christian life, driven with the wind and tossed, everyone that asks receives, faith, favour, feed on his faithfulness, foundational truths of our faith, fulfilment, give thee the desires of thine heaert, giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, God's direction for earthly living, good friends, good health, he delighteth in his way, he is ever merciful, he shall bring it to pass, he shall not be utterly cast down, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, he that seeks finds, he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, holy spirit, I have been young and now am old, if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, in all sincerity and truth, in the name of Jesus, it pays to be righteous, it pays to wait on God, Jesus Christ, knock and it shall be opened unto you, lack wisdom, lends, let him ask in faith, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not doubting, not seen the righteous forsaken, not wavering, promotion, prosper and succeed, remind God of His promises, salvation, seek and ye shall find, self-control, self-discipline, so shalt thou dwell in the land, spiritual sunshine, supernatural strength, talent, the basics of living for God, the encouragement a little sunshine brings, the fountain of wisdom - Almighty God, the importance of faith in living the Christian life, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the Lord will eventually work it all out for our good, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, the sun's shining, thou shalt be fed, though he fall, to him that knocks it shall be opened, to them who are called according to his purpose, trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, use those blessings to help others, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, when we truly believe nothing is impossible, wisdom, wisdom shall be given to him, without faith it is impossible to please God, without reproach, you never miss the water till the well runs dry
Psalm 37:23. The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
Oh friends, at long last the sun has decided to bless us with it’s cold though shining presence! Yes! Although it’s wet out there from the melting snow, the sun is finally shining in my neck of the woods! Wow! And you wouldn’t believe the encouragement or reassurance or whatever you choose to call it, that li’l sunshine brings; like the light of Jesus breaking up the darkness that envelops the world! As they say, you never miss the water until the well runs dry, and so you never miss the sunshine until the darkness seems like an everyday occurrence. (smile) Who would have ever thought that we’d be so glad to see a li’l sunshine!
And with that lively and reassuring event, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that encourage us to seek God’s direction for living this earthly life, so that we can enjoy the spiritual sunshine that that wise behaviour brings. And we’ll begin today with several verses from that mighty psalm, Psalm 37, where Bruh David pours out his heart exhorting us to ‘Trust in the Lord.’ These first verses wisely advise: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-5)
Oh my fellow believers, you see the basics of living for God and getting His wise direction; trust, delight and commit. And yes, they sound simple and easy, but in this evil and ungodly they are not always easy to action. However, we must remember we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling within us, and when we truly believe, nothing is impossible, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
Then we have these later verses of Psalm 37, where Bruh David writes: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful al the day), and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:23-26)
Now my faithful brethren, what can be more encouraging about living a life under God’s direction than that eh? Absolutely nothing! That brings us to this gem from James, Jesus’ brother, where he wisely and rightly declares: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, not wavering (without doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.’ (James 1:5-6)
Oh friends, it cannot be more explicitly stated than that! You want wisdom, go the fountain of wisdom – Almighty God – and ask for it! However, you must go believing that you will get it, for remember what Hebrews says; ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) There again we have the importance of faith in living the Christian life.
And Jesus also says it quite plainly in the gospel of Matthew: ‘Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) Now that’s as clear as day my people! (smile) It means we must go after what we want with faith, but at the same time putting our absolute trust in God, waiting in faith on Him to give us what is best for us, at the right time.
And that’s not easy to do, when we believe we have so many immediate needs, but as Bruh David says in the psalm; he, was once young, then became old, but during all that time, he never saw the offspring of the righteous begging bread. So it obviously pays to be righteous; to live for God, to wait on Him, which means persevering through all the trials and tribulations the world hurls at us, knowing and faithfully believing that God will see us through it all. It’s like that great promise in Romans says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Now that friends, is one of the foundational truths of our faith, which helps us to undergo the storms and pressures of this earthly life; knowing that eventually the Lord will work it all out for our good. So today, please, let’s believe, let’s have strong faith, let’s use the Lord’s Word to go to Him and remind Him of the promises He’s made. That won’t annoy Him. In fact, He’d be overjoyed, because it would mean that you’ve been reading and studying His Word and you want to walk the right path. And he will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to him in all sincerity and truth.
So, having said that, let’s declare, in all sincerity and truth, (smile) our undeserved Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on 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 every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (steups!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…to live the true Christian life…one must depend on God’s direction…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a life in sync with God's word, a life where there is effective prayer, a means of restoring faith in you, Abide in me, abiding in God's will, aggressive driving attitudes, an important proviso, an understanding heart, ask, ask and it shall be given to you, ask what ye will, be in agreement with God's will, be responsible, by the example that we set, confidence toward God, crying out for help, discern between good and bad, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, do those things which are pleasing in his sight, driven with the wind and tossed, embrace your love and compassion, everyone that asks receives, faith, faithful believers, Friday chant, give therefore thy servant an understanding heart, good news, he that seeks finds, he that wavers, herein is my Father glorified, holy spirit, if any of you lack wisdom, if our heart condemn us not, introduce a new flock of believers, is like a wave of the sea, it shall be done for you, it shall be given you, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, knock, let him ask in faith, let him ask of god, living a life of purity before God, LOVE, lustful things, mercy, my words abide in you, not doubting, nothing wavering, now for now desires, omnipotent help, our sinful world, pleasing in God's sight, problems are escalating, rain, return backsliders to your fold, right living, right living is an important part of successful living, righteous living, salvation, seek, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, so shall you be my disciples, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that giveth to all men liberally, that will I do, the anxiety and confusion, the Christian's journey, the importance of faith, the nature of the human animal, the promise of the weekend, the Sermon on the Mount, the standard of christian living, the straight and narrow path, the throne of grace, times of speed, to him that knocks it shall be opened, to judge thy people, trusting faith, truth, turbulent times, unexpected storms, ungodly times, upbraideth not, wake up and smell the coffee, we keep His commandments, weekday lifestyle, wet snow, whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, wisdom, wise guidance, without reproach, ye bear much fruit, ye shall find
Matthew 7:7. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Oh friends, I’m sorry to say that the sun did not win yesterday’s battle! No sir! By early afternoon the wet snow and rain began and lasted until the middle of the evening, and it was just my luck to get caught out in it as I had to go for some tests. So, you can imagine the driving was not the greatest, with too many of us still rushing and being rather aggressive in our driving attitudes. But that’s the nature of the human animal in these times of speed and now for now desires.
Sadly too, Friday opened with some big, fat snowdrops falling down, but that has now stopped, so it’s just wet and cloudy with the sun trying to make an appearance. Let’s hope it’s more successful than it was yesterday. But yuh know what? None of that stopped the ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ prayer from rising up to heaven. Nothing seems to stop that, because we know on the other side is the promise of the weekend, which means a break from the same ole, same ole dreary, ofttimes frustrating weekday lifestyle.
But here’s some good news from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the latter part of His Sermon on the Mount, He sincerely declares: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) What a glorious, encouraging and assuring scripture that is my people! If we ask, we will receive, if we seek, we will find, and if we knock, doors will be opened to us. It couldn’t get any better than that.
However, there is one very important proviso to all that; whatever we ask for must be in agreement with God’s Will and Word, otherwise we’d just be asking for all sorts of wrong, foolish and lustful things! (smile) And there are several scriptures that attest to Jesus words, with a couple more from Him too. In talking to the disciples about His going away (ascension), He informs them: ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:13-14)
Then later on, when talking about the vine and the branches, Jesus tells the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:6-8) Please note my brethren that it all depends on Jesus words abiding in us, and we doing His will, and bearing good fruit, so that the Father can be glorified.
Then there’s this famous passage from James on the subject of asking. He writes: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
There now, we see the importance of faith and not doubting in asking of the Lord. And possibly the best example of that is when Cousin Sol became king of Israel, and in a vison, the Lord asked him his heart’s desire. We all know his marvellous reply. ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (1 Kin. 3:9) And the Lord was so pleased that he didn’t ask for riches and long life, or the lives of his enemies, that He made him the wisest and richest man ever! That’s what comes from abiding in God’s will and asking for sensible things. (smile)
Now that doesn’t mean you cannot ask for the desires of your heart, but they must be in line with God’s will. And John, in his first epistle says this about the topic. ‘Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him. because we keep his commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22) That says it loud and clear my brethren!
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on those verses. ‘If our heart condemn us not: We have confidence toward God if our lives are in line with the standard of Christian living set forth above (vs.11-20). John is not saying that whether a person is right or wrong is simply a matter of how he subjectively feels about himself. That is why John has given so many indicators and commands for Christians to take note of and assess themselves by. And one of the great results of a life lived in purity before God is a life where there is effective prayer. Right living is an important part of successful living.’
Wow! I could not have said it any better my people! Our prayers won’t meet with much success until and unless our daily living is in sync with God’s Word and Will. It’s as simple as that. And we all need daily help to handle the many trials that come our way, so let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, so that we can access divine aid in these turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, we have offered up our prayer, let’s see to our right living nuh, otherwise no divine aid will be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…salvation only begins the Christian’s journey…righteous living is what keeps it going…on the straight and narrow path…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, aiding and abetting the devil, all or nothing at all, Ananias And Sapphira, blessed with creativity, Christ's church needs cleaning up, Christians living more like the devil's children, courage, curse, faith, fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body, fear the Lord thy God, great fear came upon all the church, he that wavereth is like a tossed wave in the sea, holy spirit, if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, Jesus Christ, let him ask in faith, LOVE, lying to the Holy Ghost, mercy, negative word, not concentrating on our Christian duties, nothing seems right in our world, pay lip service, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, thou hast not lied unto men but unto God, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, Thursday Blessings, to tempt the Spirit of the Lord, truth, upon as many as heard these things, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind
Acts 5:11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Awright! So I’ve finally caught up on all my backlogged tasks and can now devote my time seriously to the Bit! Glory Be! And we had our first spell of winter weather yesterday evening and night with freezing rain amidst some heavy showers. The warnings had been sounded, but you know these days we’ve become so obstinate and know-it-all that we don’t pay sufficient attention to the warnings. And I’m sure many people paid for that lack of attention last evening as they made their way home from work. Anyway, that situation has now been rectified (smile) and there’s some sunshine out there amongst the clouds with a decent non-freezing temperature. So all’s right with the world!
Not true at all friends. Nothing seems to be right with our crazy, war-like, power hungry, hateful world, for everywhere you turn, there’s disaster and chaos aplenty. And most of it is man made. And when you add the many natural disasters constantly occurring, it balloons to a situation that only our great, omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God can fix! That is, if He so desires. But are we giving Him occasion to have that desire? Certainly not! For even His supposed believers are not living as right as we should be, and living more like the devil’s children than those of Almighty God.
There’s no way on earth, nor in heaven for that matter, for our world to be in such man-made chaos if the majority of Christians were actually living a truly Christian life. That is truly having God as the Number One priority in our lives, by doing as Jesus demanded. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) We only pay lip service to that scripture. As well as to this one about the great commandment in the law. To which Jesus answered: ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.’ (Matt. 22:37-38)
What’s so difficult in that to understand eh? Nothing whatsoever! It says quite plainly that you must LOVE the Lord with every fibre of your being, not to LOVE Him partially, or conveniently, as so many of us do. With the Lord it’s ALL or NOTHING at ALL! And until many more of us realize that and begin giving ALL of ourselves to Him, our lives won’t improve and thus our world will continue to sink into the evil mire that the devil so eagerly wants to happen. And we’re aiding and abetting him by not concentrating fully on our Christian duties. Oh friends, what will it take for us to shake up ourselves and rise to the occasion for which we’ve been called eh?
And I recently heard a pastor mention what might just be our problem. We don’t FEAR the Lord! Don’t truly reverence Him and consider His awesome power and sense of justice and righteousness. We claim to LOVE the Lord, trust Him, believe in His infinite grace and mercy, but you never hear us talking about fearing Him, both in terms of reverence and outright fear. Jesus said it thus: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28)
No my faithful brethren, let’s not be afraid of people, who can only kill our body, but cannot harm our souls. However, we should fear God who can destroy both our bodies and souls in hell. And Cousin Sol pointed that out right at the very beginning of Proverbs when he so wisely wrote: ‘The fear (reverential awe) of the Lord is the beginning (the principal beginning or very start) of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.’ (Prov. 1:7) There it is in black and white, written thousands of years ago, but it’s still the God-awesome truth!
You don’t achieve any kind of true, serious or lasting wisdom unless it comes from God, and you first have to fear and reverence Him to get it. As James so correctly said: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). for he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. a double minded man is unstable in all is ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
And I like the reference the pastor pointed out in the New Testament pertaining to God’s awesome sense of justice and righteousness. The scripture is found in Acts 5, where the New Testament church was growing and people were sharing what they had with each other. But this bumptious husband and wife (Ananias and Sapphira) decided to try and pull a fast one. They went out and sold a piece of land, but only decided to give a portion of the proceeds to the church. And that was quite okay, everybody only had to give what they wanted. But the fools went up to John and Peter, and said they’d given all they got for the land.
‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own, and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power (control)? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost (died): and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound (wrapped) him up, and carried him out, and buried him.’ (Acts 5: 3-6)
Yes friends, there was no need for him to lie. But that’s not the whole story. Listen to this next part that’s even more interesting. The Bible tells us: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then she fell down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11)
And yuh know what happened after that friends? The church settled down and it grew in numbers and grace and goodness to each other! And I believe we need some such awakening like that, or whatever it takes to bring great fear on the church today, so that we can get up off our fat, lazy, comfortable fannies and do what we’re supposed to do, instead of fighting each other and doing the things we ought not to do. And the sad part is that we have all the tools to do it in what we call our Thursday Blessings, conveniently bestowed on us for the express purpose of doing our earthly work. So let’s activate them right now by declaring (yesss!!!) them out loud.
As one sincere 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 every day! Amen!’
Now it’s time to rise up, to get out and use those blessings just as generously on Christ’s behalf, so that we can make the productive and positive difference we were placed here to make! Much LOVE!
…Christ’s church cannot positively affect the world…until it positively cleans up its own house…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a means of restoring faith in you, a society only grows through work, an injection of godly wisdom, avoid any more serious setbacks, be obedient, bring backsliders back to your fold, cause those that love me to inherit substance, driven with the wind and tossed, durable riches and righteousness, embrace your love and compassion, Friday chant, giveth to all men liberally, he that wavereth is like a wave, I lead in the way of righteousness, I love them that love me, if any of you lack wisdom, in the midst of the paths of judgement, introduce a new flock, keep the commandments, let him ask in faith, let him ask of god, LOVE, my fruit is better than gold, my revenue than choice silver, not doubting, nothing wavering, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, riches and honour, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, show them the error of their ways, smell the coffee, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the anxiety confusion and havoc, those that seek me early will find me, time to party, true obedience, trusting faith, wise guidance
Proverbs 8:17. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.
Then it was Friday, that long awaited day. And everybody shouted ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! And the weekend is here! Time to party!’ Yes, it’s surprising at how eagerly and addictively we look forward to the end of the work week, as though work is such an enigma, such a problem, that we just want to be rid of it. But friends, the only way we progress, get ahead, succeed, is through work. And we do need a break from it every so often, but the disgust and hate that our current society shows towards work is very disheartening.
So many of us tend to think that work is below us, we shouldn’t have to work, and we are entitled to just pay, play and party. But unfortunately, that’s a fool’s wisdom. A society only grows by the amount of work its members put into it. No work equals no growth. Little work equals little growth. Plenty work equals plenty growth. That’s just the facts of life. And that’s why our society is slowly going down the drain. Not enough of us are working to keep the standards high. And when the standards of a society fall, so does the society itself.
And how do we turn around that situation eh? I believe it’s through an injection of wisdom into our society, that’s godly wisdom, not the wisdom of the world. And I just rediscovered a li’l gem from Proverbs 8, where Cousin Sol is talking about wisdom is everlasting. Now that gem says: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren. Those of us who seek godly wisdom diligently will indeed find it.
And James, Jesus’ brother, said it thus. ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach), and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Now it couldn’t be put any clearer than that! So friends, strong, unwavering faith is also necessary to acquiring godly wisdom. We can’t be wishy washy about it; one day up, the next day down, but need to walk a steadfast path. And if yuh think is joke we joking here, (smile) just listen to the things that godly wisdom does for its benefactors nuh.
‘Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable (enduring) riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead (walk) in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgement (justice): That I may cause those that LOVE me to inherit substance (wealth); and I will fill up their treasures.’ (Prov. 8:18-21)
Oh my people, you see how godly wisdom gives you everything; riches and honour as well as righteousness and justice! And most important of all, those things are enduring. They don’t blow up unexpectedly in your face when some unfortunate situation occurs, like the stuff that comes from the world’s wisdom, because they come from God and are everlasting! Like Jesus said, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Ah my fellow saints, we only have two options, two ways of living this earthly life: either under the rule of Jehovah God, our Creator and Controller, or under the ham-fisted rule of Satan, the foolish usurper. And the truth is, that whatever Satan can give you, Jehovah God can give you the same, and more too. And what He gives you will be enduring and long lasting, not fragile and fanciful like Satan’s offering, without any real truth, substance, peace and joy to it. That’s because Satan’s storefront is only a pretty façade. When you go behind its fanciful front, all you’ll find is chaos, confusion, hellfire and eternal damnation.
And we do have to be ever so careful about where we will end up come the ending of this mortal life. That’s why it’s ever so important for us to choose to live by godly standards and wisdom rather than by that of the world. And yuh better believe that right now we desperately need God’s wisdom with all the problems that are engulfing our world and turning it into bloody battlefield, both literally and figuratively. So please, let’s go to Him in prayer, through our Friday Chant, not wavering, but with steadfast faith, asking for His omnipotent help and wisdom to handle the massive storm that’s currently overwhelming us.
As one strong, but faithful and humble voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And we need to remember that to get a positive answer, we must keep the vows we’ve just made, be obedient and keep the Lord’s commandments. That’s wisdom to the nth degree! Much LOVE!
…true obedience to anything…only shows…when we keep the rules…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Jul 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doubleminded man is unstable, as numerous as the dust of the earth, aura of love, confidence, Cousin Sol, Creator of the universe, enthusiasm, equity. Jehovah God, faith, fight the good fight, fountainhead, friends, glorious kingdom, God guards the paths of justice, God is a shield to those who walk uprightly, holy spirit, honour, humble servants, if any of you lack wisdom, invincible, invincible conquerors, Jesus Christ, jobs, keeping lives and families together, let him ask in faith, let him ask of god, lies, litigation, Lord giveth wisdom, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not doubting, out of God's mouth comes knowledge and understanding, Pan Am Games, prayer, proviso, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, riches, righteousness., Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto, see it through eyes of faith, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, take it to the Lord in prayer, that gives to all men liberally, the Lord gives wisdom, tourism. Caribana, traffic congestion, truth, ungodly world, wealth, weary souls, wisdom, without reproach, workings of man and nature
Proverbs 2:6. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Oh Friends, it’s Monday, and like summer has finally hit these parts! The last couple of days have been fairly warm and this week, Caribana week in T.O. is supposed to be sweltering. Thank God that the Pan Am games are now over, and the temporary HOV lanes on the highways which needed a special permit or three people in a vehicle to use them, will be once again opened for ordinary traffic. Now we can go back to our normal traffic congestion. (smile)
This should indeed be a good summer for tourism in Toronto, what with all the visitors for the games, and all those coming for Caribana, or rather to give it its official title, Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto. Steups! It’s all in the litigation over the use of the Caribana name. But I guarantee you, that as long as this festival goes on, it will always be called Caribana by the masses.
Anyway, despite all the games and the partying in the offing, the ordinary people still have to go to work this Monday morning, so to give us some encouragement, let’s sing a lusty and vigorous rendition of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
All together 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!’
Good going Friends! Our choir conductor Jesus was well pleased. But let’s see if we can also please Him by seriously considering the words of Cousin Sol in our Bit and writing them indelibly in our hearts minds and souls nuh. ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh wisdom and understanding.’
Yes my people, that’s where true wisdom comes from; the Lord God Almighty! And Cousin Sol continues: ‘He layeth up (stores up) sound wisdom for the righteous; he is a buckler (shield) to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgement (guards the paths of justice), and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness; and judgement (justice), and equity; yea, every good path.’ (Prov.2:7-9)
Yeh my brethren, only by honing in on the wisdom of Jehovah God, and not the wisdom of the world, can one truly understand things like righteousness, justice and equity. For He is the architect and creator of this great universe, the only source, the true fountainhead of all that pertains to it. And if we study the great and wonderful workings of man and nature, we will see that His knowledge and wisdom are both literally and figuratively out of this world. (smile)
That’s why James tells us: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him.’ (James 1:5)
However Friends, there is an important proviso to James’ words. ‘But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:6-8)
Ah Friends, words of indisputable truth! God will give us all the wisdom we desire if we come to Him in serious and sincere faith. And one of the best examples of that is in Cousin Sol’s own story. After Bruh David’s death, the Lord made him king over Israel, but he was still fairly young and had no real experience in governing, so when the Lord appeared to him one night in a dream and asked what he could give him,
Cousin Sol’s request was simply: ‘Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude (as numerous as the dust of the earth). Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.’ (1 Chr.1:9-12)
No wonder my people that Cousin Sol was so wise and wealthy! That’s how our great God operates, even to this day! Whatever you come to Him for in faith and sincerity, once it falls under His will, He will most likely grant it in His time. But you have to believe, to see it all through your eyes of faith.
Now let’s go out into the evil world that surround us and fight the good fight for Jesus, sincerely asking for the wherewithal to successfully engage the enemy. For that my Friends, is the undisputed wisdom of heaven, and of God. Much LOVE!
…whatever our heart’s desire…be wise…and take it to the Lord in prayer…
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