10 Jun 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Absalom, antidote, aura of love, bring it on, Christians, confidence, Davind encouraged himself, delivered me, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, fear the Lord, fellowship, foolish mistakes, friends, from all my fears, fun, glory hallelujah, good intent, grace, he heard me, his bread was buttered, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, hunted by Saul, I sought the Lord, in the Lord his God, invincible, Jesus Christ, join in prayer, joy, let us exalt His name together, lies, like a wild animal, living in exile, LOVE, loving kindness, magnify the Lord with me, mercy, Monday blues, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, on which side, peace, rebelled against his father, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, ride to battle, righteousness, righteousness., salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, sincerity, spiritual armour, stay alive, steadfast faith, taunts, the Lord's positive answer, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, Ziklag
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
And then it was Monday…And all God’s people shouted: ‘Bring it on Lord! Bring it on! We’re ready and able to go out and meet the enemy in Your Name this Monday morning!’ Now that would be the day eh! (smile)
And don’t think that the Lord doesn’t want to hear that kind of response from us, because that’s exactly the kind of thing He expects His true followers to do; just get up with good intent every day, especially on Mondays, when it’s usually the hardest to get going, and fearlessly mount their horses and ride…ride to battle with the evil enemy!
But don’t worry friends, our God is a just and good God, and He knows just what we’re capable of. And though we may never reach the plateaus He desires of us, once He sees us sincerely trying, then He will be merciful and gracious to His people.
And so for those of us who just can’t seem to get it together this first day of the new workweek, let’s all join in prayer, in what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, where we call on the Lord, humbly, but with the utmost confidence that He will hear and answer us in the affirmative, because it’s His will and work that we need energy and enthusiasm to go out and do.
So altogether, in strong voice 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!’
Oh friends, what an antidote to the Monday morning blues that prayer is! And what I LOVE about it, is that before we’re even finished praying it, we begin to feel the effects of the Lord’s positive answer in our souls and spirits! Oh give Him much praise, thanks, glory and exaltation my believing brethren, because He is ever so faithful to those who call upon Him in sincerity and truth!
And I’m chuckling here because I also seem to get carried away in the excitement and enthusiasm of the moment and can’t write or type fast enough to match the thoughts and words that quickly fill my mind! But that’s all because of the Lord’s mercy and LOVING-kindness, not my exceptional skill and writing talents. (smile)
Oh my people, my people, that’s exactly why we need to do as Bruh David so wisely and rightly declares (yes!) ‘O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.’ Wow! What words of wisdom and righteousness! And although Bruh David made a lot of foolish mistakes in his time, and paid for them dearly, he did know on which side his bread was buttered. And it came through hard experience too.
But his words after our Bit are certainly telling ones, and explain why he had such an awesome reverence for the God of his forefathers. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears… This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.’ (Ps.34:4; 6) Bless His Holy Name my people, for He still delivers those who sincerely call on Him out of their troubles and from their fears!
How yuh think Bruh David managed to stay alive through all the times that Saul hunted him down like a wild animal eh? It was the Lord’s doing! And when his son Absalom caused the people to rebel against him, the Lord warned him and carried him to safety.
And think about when he was living in exile, in the Philistine territory in Ziklag, and came home one day, only to find that the Amalekites had plundered the city, then burnt it and took all the women and children captive. Then, to make matters even worse, his men wanted to stone him, because they blamed him for the loss of their families, notwithstanding that he had lost his wives and children too.
Where do you think he got the strength and wherewithal to stand up strong and stare them down? From the Lord his God! The Good Book tells it thus: ‘But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam.30:6) Yes, friends, likewise we need to encourage ourselves in the Lord our God; every day, as often as we need to, so that we can get through each and every day successfully living for Jesus.
Otherwise, life will just beat us down and keep us down, and have us living for the devil instead. And that’s one thing we don’t want to do, because there’s no good future in that, only hellfire and eternal damnation. And we’ll end with some encouraging verses from the psalm.
‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps.34:7-10)
Oh friends, if those words don’t move you, then I don’t know what will nuh. They moved Bruh David, so much so that he became the greatest king that Israel ever knew! It’s now all up to you to decide whether to accept his words as truth or not. But I know, as for me and mine, we will serve the Lord. Much LOVE!
…of the two options we have…serving God…or serving mammon…the former is the wiser choice…
28 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merry springtime dance, Abednego, assured of God's goodness, beloved of God, conscious effort, Daniel, Darius, dominion until the end, eternal life, fiery furnace, forgiveness of sins, friend of Jesus, grace, he will deliver thee, hurry, Jesus Christ, less talking, like the Son of God, make a difference, mercy, Mesach, Nebuchadnezzar, not even smelling of smoke, of the shadow of death, peace be multiplied, righteous and godly living, salvation, shadrach, share His love, steadfast forever, the God of Daniel, the king spake to Daniel, the living God, the Love of Christ, the valley, thou servest continually, thy God, to follow jesus, Tuesday Mantra, ungodly circumstances, wet and wooly, work everything out for good, worketh signs and wonders, worry
Daniel 6:16b. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
And yes, it’s a wet and wooly Tuesday morning in my area, with the wind leading the trees in a merry springtime dance! But they seem to be handling it quite well with their new green leaves and strong springtime branches! Likewise, we saints of Christ ought to be handling the evil and ungodly circumstances of this world with the same kind of fervour, because we have a great, good and wonderful God looking out for us!
Glory be my people! He’s so concerned about us that He’s even numbered the hairs of our heads, and NOTHING happens to us that He doesn’t know about, so this Tuesday morning, let’s rise up and greet the day with the awe and splendour it deserves nuh, as we boldly proclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ It’s the only way to go my faithful brethren, if we want to enjoy heaven down here on earth, like Christ died for us to do.
And let me remind us once again of this awesome bit of truth from a Daily Bread Devotional: ‘In the darkest hours of life, only through the eyes of faith, can we see the LOVING hand of God!’ And yuh better believe that yes friends! For when those dark and dreadful times come, when you feel like you’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death, it’s only if your faith is real strong that you can even think about God, much less believe that He’s in the midst of it with you, and will work everything out for your good!
We just have to look at the example of those three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to worship the idol of King Nebuchadnezzar, and were thrown into the fiery furnace. Neb was so angered by their refusal that he commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than normal, and the mightiest men to bind them up and throw them in the fiery furnace.
And what happened eh? The fire was so hot that it killed the men who threw them in, but those boys came out scot free, not even smelling of smoke. Mama Yo! And what’s interesting is that Neb in his fury saw four men loose walking about in the furnace, when only three were thrown in. ‘And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’ he recounted. (Dan.3:25b) Neb obviously had no knowledge of Christ, but he realized that someone greater than Him was in there with the boys.
And Daniel in the lion’s den proved the same point my faithful believers in Christ! The king, Darius, didn’t want to put Daniel in the lion’s den, but the law forced him to do so. But hear the awesome words he spoke to him before doing so. ‘Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.’
Wow people! If an idol-worshipping king could sense God in Daniel’s life, and be so assured of His goodness and power, why can’t we sense Him in ours eh, and be thus assured, when we have greater knowledge of the Almighty, than those long ago faithful had? I truly don’t know why. Yuh know, sometimes the more information you have, the more confused you get.
It’s like having too many options, you don’t really know which one to choose. And do we ever have a bunch of options in this current world, options that are trying to drag us in all different directions at the same time. But friends, we only really need ONE, and that’s the ONE offering Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour! Mama Mia! There’s nothing better than that!
And it’s not like we don’t know it? Because there’s no other option offering us, forgiveness of sins, mercy, grace, salvation and eternal life in heaven for simply believing! But we’re so blinded by our sin and the false and fickle goodies that the world throws our way, that we dither, sit on the fence, hoping that somehow it will all work out. But it won’t friends, unless we make the determined and conscious effort to follow Jesus Christ!
And it’s interesting what the Lord made King Darius write to all the people under his rule after He rescued Daniel from the lion’s den. ‘Peace be multiplied unto you (shades of Bruh Paul). I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men (must) tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast forever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in the earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power (paws, hands) of the lions.’ (Dan.6:25-27)
Oh friends, that realization was made long, long before Jesus came, and it has stood the test of time! So why can’t we accept and believe it eh? Why do we have so much trouble living the life Jesus wants us to live eh? But turning back to Daniel’s life, I believe its most important aspect is the mighty effect his righteous and godly living had on those around him. It turned a pagan king into a believer, or at least one who recognized that there was a power mightier than him.
And yuh know friends, that’s all that Jesus is asking of us today; to live our lives in such a manner that others will see our truth, to walk our walk, so that they too will want to have what we have; the LOVE of Jesus Christ in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds! We are the tools He wants to use to change the world. So let’s live up to that holy billing nuh! (smile)
Now let’s go home loudly and proudly declaring (yes!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting this evil and ungodly world know who and whose we are! As one now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
And the next step is to go out and sincerely share that awesome LOVE and friendship of Christ! Much LOVE!…
Christians need to do much more doing…and far less talking…if they want to make a real difference…
23 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as Christ's church, be of good cheer, beloved of God, Christian life, compassionate heart, curse, death, disturb your equilibrium, famine, for the prize, for thy sake, forgetting those things behind, God's unmerited favour, God's valued gifts, grace, hell, Jesus conquered the world, killed all day long, let not your heart be troubled, life threatening storms, like sheep to the slaughter, literally calmed the strom, LOVE, mercy, more than conquerors, my peace I give unto you, nakedness, negative word, neither be afraid, not as the world gives, not to hoard, One Body, overcome the world, peace, Peace i leave with you, persecution, positive outlook, press toward the mark, prosper, punishment we deserve, reassuring scriptures, saints, seek first God's kingdom, separate us from the love of Christ, share generously, success, sword, take the bull by the horns, the evil one, the grave, the high calling of God, the winds and seas obey him, Thursday Blessings, tribulation
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
To all my Scrip-Bit friends and family, ‘beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!’ Yes fellow saints in Christ, may God’s grace and peace be with us this day, as we go out to do His will.
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of Bruh Paul’s favourite greeting. ‘1:7. Called to be saints: This tells how they got to be saints, namely by way of God’s call. (cf. Rom.8:30) Grace is the typical Greek greeting, whereas peace is the traditional Hebrew greeting.’
So canny man that he was, Bruh Paul put the two together to make his own. And believe you me friends, we need both the grace and peace of God, everyday we awaken to the cacophony and evil that’s currently going on in our world, if we’re to ever make a move forward! They are the only things that will keep us steady and steadfast and allow us to manoeuvre successfully in this world.
And what is grace you ask? It’s simply God’s unmerited favour! He gives us stuff that we don’t deserve; stuff to help us get through this life in His way, as we seek first His kingdom. Just like mercy is basically not receiving the punishment we truly deserve. Yeh, they are simple terms, but are they ever important and effective if we want to live a truly Christian life!
And peace…Oh friends, that’s the most wonderful of all God’s valued gifts. For when there is peace in your soul and spirit nothing moves you, nothing disturbs your equilibrium! Even in the most dangerous and life threatening storms you are calm and unmoveable because you have that wonderful peace of Jesus within you! Wow!
And what kind of peace are we talking about, what peace is that, that’s so powerful it can calm us even in the time of storm? Remember, He’s the man who literally calmed the storm! ‘Even the winds and the sea obey him!’ (Matt.8:23-27) Oh friends, there is ONLY one kind of peace that’s so powerful, and that is the peace we receive from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when we sincerely believe in and follow Him!
And all His saints gratefully cried out: ‘Thank You Lord Jesus! Thank You for Your amazing peace so that we can handle this crazy, strife-filled, ungodly and evil world!’ And why is this peace so different from any other kind of peace? Because it comes from Jesus and it’s just different. Hear him tell it: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Hello there mih breddren! Jesus’ peace is nothing like what the world offers, because He’s conquered the world and all it’s evil, and like a mighty conqueror gives his citizens peace after the war, so does Jesus give His peace when you come to Him in humble sincerity. Hear these winning words of His later on. ‘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 1:33)
Glory to God my people! Jesus, by His triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday, has indeed defeated hell, death and the grave and taken away the keys from the evil one. Therefore in that immortal victory, all of His followers can find a substantial peace, a peace that’s not available to anyone else, or from anywhere else!
As Bruh Paul so appropriately declared (yeh!) to the Romans: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom.8:35-38)
Mama Yo! What powerful and reassuring scriptures my brethren! If we sincerely believe in Jesus then all the problems of the world will not separate us from His awesome, amazing and ever-so-wonderful LOVE! That’s the power that’s found in Him! And you see it in Bruh Paul’s own life. All the trials and tribulation he endured, didn’t turn him away from Christ! In fact it made him stronger!
As he said so powerfully in his missive to the church at Philippi: ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil.3:13-14)
Yes friends, Bruh Paul wisely put his guilt from his earlier harassment of the church, as well as all his previous successes in building Christ’s church behind him, so that he could press on to the high calling of God, meaning there was still work to be done, and he could not afford to rest on his laurels.
Oh my people, the same thing applies to us today. Please, let’s put all our guilt and whatever else behind us and press forward to the high calling that God has in store for each and every one of us! It’s time we took the bull by the horns and just moved forward as one, as one body, as Christ’s strong and immovable church! Amen! (smile)
And with that stirring plea, let’s go home now declaring (yes!) our Thursday Blessings, outlining some of the grace that our God has so plentifully bestowed on us as believers in His only Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In full voice, sincere hearts and strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’
Glory be mih people! But please note the proviso in that bountiful display of grace: we are not to hoard it, but to share it generously with others, just like Christ shared it generously with us! Much LOVE!
…sailing in this life… with Jesus as your guide and pilot…NO storm can disturb your peace of mind…
18 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a certain sure belief, a dealer in hope, a leader, Achilles heels, affirmation, Anselm, believers in Jesus Christ, believing in jesus, colour commentary, condemn the world, delusion, discipline, don't find fault, eternal life, eternal living, exalt His name, faith, find the remedy, fleeting treasures, forgiveness, friend, God anointed Jesus, God so loved the world, good to be alive, goodness of jesus, great expectations, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hope, how high you've climbed, Immanuel, Jesus Christ, justification, long weekend, Lord, making a positive difference, Master of Hope, mercy, name that's higher than any other, part of the problem, part of the solution, prince of peace, promises, Redeemer, sanctification, saviour, should not perish, success, the blame game, the greatest, the world might be saved, to whom all knees must bow, Triune God, Victoria Day, went about doing good, whosoever believeth in him, words have power
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!
Oh friends, how good it is to be alive on this Saturday morning in May, the Victoria Day long weekend! Brother, life might not always be great, but it sure is good to be living with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Redeemer, Prince of Peace, our Immanuel, and the many other things He means to us! Glory to His holy name! The Name that’s higher than any other name in the universe, and the one that all knees will eventually bow to!
Wow! That’s our Jesus! Give Him much praise and glory my people! Exalt His name in all the earth, as Bruh David so rightly says! Oh, I guess the ole fella is really feeling it this morning! (smile) But why not eh? Life might not be fair, but our wonderful God is Good! That’s all we can ask! And as the man said: ‘Don’t ever confuse life with God, cause they are two entirely different things!
Now let’s see if I can get my head around these quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. (smile) It’s not always easy. And we’ll begin with this one: ‘Don’t find the fault, find the remedy.’
And oh, are we ever so good at finding fault in this modern day society. It’s known as the blame game, and we play it so well. But as the saying goes too, ‘If you’re not a part of the answer, then you’re a part of the problem!’ So let’s just remember that today nuh, and act accordingly.
And then there is this: ‘Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.’ I don’t know if it’s the beginning of delusion or not, but I do know that you will get nowhere in this earthly life without discipline…and plenty of it too. For everything you attempt to do down here on earth requires discipline to some degree or other.
So mouthing a lot of proactive words but not doing what it takes to put them into action, is a useless exercise. Remember friends, though our words have power, they don’t manifest themselves without some kind of action on our part!
Now hear this: ‘Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.’ And that is ever so true my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! The evil and ungodly world in which we dwell considers success as rising high in power, politics, wealth and other worldly things.
But in Jesus’ economy, those things are mostly colour commentary. What He considers important is what you’ve done to help your fellow man, how you’ve tried to pursue peace and LOVE in His name! That’s because all the things the world considers important are but fleeting treasures which you can’t take with you to eternal life!
But the peace, LOVE and goodness of Jesus go with you till eternity! So please, let’s stop trying to run down the things of the world nuh, because we’ll only kill ourselves in the process, then have to leave it all to others here to waste and fight over.
And then we have this interesting quote: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Now there is a lot of truth in that. If you inspire others to rise above their current station in life, be it for good or evil, then you do have some leadership qualities.
Jesus just wants you to inspire others to do good and not evil, as the Good Book says of Him. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38) Oh my people, there is no better example in God’s great world for us to follow than that of Jesus!
And that brings us to our last quote which encapsulates all the others that have gone before. It seems like our friend Anselm was on a leadership kick this week. (smile) But this last one says: ‘A leader is a dealer in hope.’ And that’s no lie! Else why would you follow someone if they don’t give you hope in whatever area you’re choosing to follow them in eh? No reason whatsoever! You might as well just do it yourself!
The sad part though is that leaders are also human and thus have Achilles heels so they can sometimes fall apart or lead us astray. But friends the greatest Leader in this universe is our one and only Leader, Jesus Christ! Talk about being the Master of Hope! Hn! He has that name so cornered that it’s impossible to ever take it away from Him!
Just look at the things He’s done for us nuh! Coming down from His comfortable perch in heaven to die for a bunch of ungrateful sinners! Going to the cross with nary a whimper, like a lamb being led to innocent slaughter, suffering the ultimate in humiliation, shame and ‘sufferation,’ just because the Father asked him to.
So that we could have hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow not wrecked by sin, shame and eternal damnation, but one securely and sincerely rooted in peace, LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, salvation and eternal life!
Wow! Which other Leader has ever promised that kind of stuff eh, much less given it like Jesus has? NONE!That’s why Jesus is the GREATEST: because He gives us the most HOPE of any Leader that this unfortunate world has ever known! Listen to these immortal words of His: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!’
Now where else is it possible to find such HOPE like that eh friends? Nowhere else but in Jesus! And He didn’t end there either: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh my people, don’t those fateful, faithful and true words just lift your spirits and give you a feeling of peace and HOPE, that you can’t find anywhere else in this world? It surely does for me! And what really is HOPE eh Friends? Merely a longing for something, preferably something good!
And the long and short of the story is that God promises, if we believe in His Son, have HOPE in Him, that feeling of great expectations, which lead to faith, a certain sure belief, and which grows ever stronger, as we see His awesome promises come true, that our lives will be filled with wonder and amazement, leading to days of beautiful, exhilarating, eternal living with our Triune God!
Now what can we long for that’s better than that eh, what better HOPE can there ever be? NONE whatsoever! Much LOVE!
…the beginning of true HOPE…begins with believing in Jesus…
13 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a formidable foe, a serious war, against flesh and blood, always get me down, anitdote, aura of love, Christians, confidence, demonic forces, demonic onslaughts, devious schemes, enthusiasm, evil, friends, glory to God, God's armour, God's provision, grace, having done all, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, in the evil day, individual believers, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Mother's Day, powers, pricipalities, put on, rainy days and Mondays, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, safe from harm, saints of Christ, salvation, Satan, spiritual armour, spiritual battle, spiritual wickedness, stand, the grace of God, the whole armour of God, the wiles of the enemy, trust, truth, ungodly world, victoriously, 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 (devious schemes) of the devil.
And after a rainy Sunday for Mother’s Day, it looks like we going to have a rainy Monday for work too! Chuh! What’s with this rain eh? And I know for many people it’s like the brother and sister duo, the Carpenters said in their 1971 hit song ‘Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.’
Yeh, there’s something about rain that brings out the sadness and blues in us, like sunshine brings out the joy and gladness. And when it’s the first day of the workweek, it just makes it worse! But please remember my people, we have the eternal light, the light of all lights, Jesus Christ in our corner, so even if you’re feeling down and blue this rainy Monday morning, we just need to turn to Him for help, and He will gladly assist us.
So let’s just lay it all before Him right now with true sincerity, as we declare (right ho!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one 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!’
Yes friends, that’s our antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning! And I see its working, because you’re stepping higher and lighter already, and your eyes have that bright light of Jesus shining in them, and you’re just more business like as the Spirit of Jesus works on you. Glory to God!
And today friends, the Lord has put it on my heart to talk to us, to remind us of that spiritual and protective armour we pray about every Monday, how important it is for us believers to be always ensconced in it. As Bruh Paul commanded the Ephesians: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (devious schemes) of the devil.’
Yes my faithful saints in Christ, we are in a war, a war against the forces of evil, and soldiers can’t go to war without proper protection. That’s why the scholars tell us to ‘put on’ denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. And to stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position.’
So we need to be always aware of what’s happening around us and stand strong for Jesus. But what makes it even more difficult is as Bruh Paul says: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (spiritual hosts of) wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you 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)
Oh friends, please don’t take this all lightly, we are in a serious war with the satanic forces of evil, and a lot of it exists in the high places and powers of this world, plus there are fallen angels, demons and Satan himself. And besides, it’s not only a war being waged against the church proper, but also against individual believers like you and me.
And the scholars explain verse 13 thus: ‘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 in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these things, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Oh friends, that last part is ever so true! If it’s one thing we can count on is that the forces of evil will always be on our case, especially since we’re believers, since their avowed plan is to make believers look foolish and fall for their wiles, lies and other evil schemes. That’s why we have to be ever so careful and take our Monday Morning Battle Hymn very seriously, because it’s a prayer for help, for the ability to resist the enemy, and even more to fight a strong and victorious fight in Jesus’ name!
Oh my people, my people, believe me, the battle is getting hotter with each passing day, because the enemy is seeing that he’s losing and is trying to fight back; yuh know like how a wild animal behaves when its back is against a wall, so we just have to stand up strong and steadfast, dressed in our powerful armour, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us out to battle! Glory to our great God!
And we’ll end there today. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the various parts of the spiritual armour that we need to stand before the enemy and defeat him. Till then, may the grace of God bless all His saints and keep us safe from harm, as we step out courageously to fight the enemy, and may we all live to fight another day! This we pray, in Jesus’ name! Amen! Much LOVE!
…God’s saints can’t fight His spiritual battle victoriously…if they’re not clothed in His spiritual armour…
10 May 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a drop of water, a great gulf, another rainy day, another week of work, dogs licked his sores, fires of hell, Friday chant, Hades, he lifts up his eyes, he who has ears to hear, hear not Moses, in hell, Lamb's book of life, Lazarus in his bosom, Lazarus the beggar, let him hear, LOVE, mercy, pleading for mercy, pray, rain on my parade, seeth Abraham afar off, shirtsleeves, shorts, smally mercy, spoilsport, sufferation, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the prophets, the rich man, the workingman's song, those suffering from floods, to wet, will eventually feel, yuh flaming tongue
Luke 16:23. And in hell (Hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Another wet and cloudy morning! But that’s nothing new, and the good news is that the sun does look like it’s going to put up some kind of battle to come out later on. But the best news is that as believers in Jesus Christ we have His bright light surrounding us and living in us all the time! Glory Hallelujah! So, regardless of what the physical day looks like, we are always clothed in His sunshine! Give Him some thanks and praise my people!
Unfortunately though, one community in the Ottawa Valley is still suffering from the effects of the recent floods, apparently their area has now been made an island with water all around it, and they have to use boats to get around. Hn! Can you imagine that? Please, let’s pray for them to return to normal soon, for all these unforeseen and unexpected difficulties when they drag out for a long time also take a severe toll on people’s humanity.
But the fact that it’s Friday takes away a li’l of the rain pain, (smile) and the workingman is just dying to broadcast his song. ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! And the weekend’s here! But this blooming rain just looking to spoil my weekend activities yes! With the weather getting warmer, I expected to be able to go outside and frolic in just mih shirtsleeves and shorts…possibly even set up the barbecue and have a few while the meat cooking.
But chuh! This rain becoming a real spoilsport yes! Curtailing all mih outdoor fun! You could only have so much fun inside for just so long, before the wife and children get tired of you. But anyway, thank God is Friday and the weekend oui, no more labouring for the greedy slave master for a couple days! Thank God for that small mercy yes!’
Yeh friends, many of us are thankful for the two days off from work, though as believers we don’t get as worked up as the workingman when the rain rains on our parade… ‘Who says so?’ you shoot back? ‘We have the same feelings like the workingman, but we just don’t show them to his extreme!’ Sorry mih people, sorry! And since we’re not that extreme, let’s chant our Friday Chant nuh to show our less extreme feelings. (smile)
As one now: ‘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!’
Ah mih people, we are a li’l more reined in by Jesus’ dictates than the ordinary workingman is by his worldly desires. But please, let’s not resent it, because it’s only for our benefit! It helps to keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation and eternal life, which we all believe is the best option we have going here on earth.
You know there are ONLY two options; Satan and Jesus, and as for me and mine we will gladly follow Jesus because he has the best long-term plans and solutions. Satan has a lot of stuff he offers in the here and now, but what happens in the hereafter eh? Nothing but hellfire and damnation! And if you think that’s all a bunch of hogwash, then go ahead and accept the earthly benefits of the devil. But just supposing it’s true eh? What then when you pass into the next world?
Some of us know the parable of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar, but for those of us who don’t, here is a brief outline. The Good Book says: ‘There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously (lived in luxury) every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried into Abraham’s bosom (enjoying the messianic banquet in Abraham’s company): the rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell (Hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ (Luke 16:19-24)
Now friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ spoke that parable, and if, as we contend, He cannot lie, why is it so hard to believe the presence of hell eh? And please note the reply the rich man received from Abraham.
‘But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.’ (Luke 16:25-26)
Yuh see friends, after our earthly death, there is no second chance. All the second, third, fourth and numerous other chances are present here on earth. And to make matters worse, there’s no mercy available in hell, just here on earth! And if you read the rest of that passage (Luke 16:27-31) you’ll see that in hell you’re still aware of what’s going on, both in heaven and on earth, but you can’t do anything about your situation or your family’s.
As Abraham told the rich man when he asked for him to send someone to talk to his family about the terrible situation he was in. ‘And he (Abraham) said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.’ (Luke 16:31)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ’16:31. If here carries the weight of “since.” They were not paying attention to the light they already had. Hard-heartedness is not necessarily overcome by miraculous signs.’
So friends, it just comes back to prove that we need to make the right decision before we die, and since we don’t know when that will be, it’s best to decide for Jesus RIGHT NOW, so that your salvation and eternal life can be secured, your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and yuh not lost somewhere down in the burning fires of hell, tormented like crazy, going through ‘sufferation’ that you couldn’t even imagine in earthly life, crying out, pleading for mercy, begging for just a drop of water to wet yuh flaming tongue! Much LOVE!
…as Jesus said…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…else he will eventually feel…
29 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a thorn in the flesh, accomplishments, answer the bell, any man should boast, aura of love, blessings, born again, bounded duty, confidence, conquerors, created in Christ Jesus, deserve, diligently, doing good, enjoy god's largesse, enthusiasm, evil, exalted above measure, example, excellently, faith, for good works, friends, generous help, giging back something, glory in my infirmities, glory to God, God hath ordained, God was with him, God's creation, grace, His workmanship, holy spirit, humble servants, in the Spirit, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus went about, Jesus' atonement, lies, LOVE, mercy, merit, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pep in your step, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, spiritual armour, spirtual blessings, steadfast faith, surrender our all, taunts, the cross of our Lord, the gift of God, the weekend, to buffet me, truth, ungodly world, we should walk in them, weary souls, wiles, wisdom
Ephesians 2:10. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.
At ‘em friends, at ‘em! The weekend is done now and work calls, and as a true believer in Christ, you have to answer the bell on time, diligently and efficiently! And I hear some of you steupsing and muttering: ‘What is his problem eh? Who he think he is eh, to tell us when to reach to work and how to do our work eh?’
Ah mih people, is not me saying that nuh, but your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; that is the example He wants us to set to the world. So please don’t get on my case nuh, cause I’m just the messenger. Doh kill the messenger, just accept the message! (smile) Remember the Good Book says that whatever you do, you ought to do it as unto the Lord and not unto man.
Anyway, the important thing is to get ourselves out into the workplace and do our duty. And if the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak this morning, then we have something that will liven up both body and spirit; our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; that wonderful antidote for whatever ails us on a Monday morning. Glory to God! So let’s get right with it nuh!
All together in sincerity and strong sense of purpose: ‘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!’
Oh yes, I can see it’s working already, by the new pep in your step and the light that’s shining in your eyes. Give God the glory! Then let’s get out into the evil world and do the work God has destined for us; having His grace and mercy and strength to do it diligently and efficiently.
That brings us to this pertinent reminder of Bruh Paul’s to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any many should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph.2:8-10)
Yes friends, those are important things we ought not to forget. It’s only by God’s grace, His unmerited and undeserved favour that we are saved. It is only when we believe in Jesus Christ, are spiritually born again and develop faith in Him, that God’s grace flows down on us and salvation becomes a reality, and not by any good works that we might have done. In fact, there are no good works that we can ever do to merit or deserve salvation!
And the Lord in His ultimate wisdom made it thus, because He knew that if it were otherwise, men would be boasting all over town about their good works and what it had earned them. That’s why Bruh Paul says that with all his accomplishments and revelations, he was given a ‘thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me (beat him), lest I should be exalted above measure.’ (2 Cor.12:7)
Whatever it was, it was painful and problematic, causing shame and embarrassment, so that he could not get too big for his britches. And even when he asked the Lord three times to remove the blemish, the Lord refused, stating: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. ((2 Cor.12:9a) And that’s the gospel truth! God’s awesome power is usually more apparent when we are going through times of weakness.
All of this drove Bruh Paul to declare: ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me…for when I am weak, then I am strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b, 10b) Good logic friends, so that God’s power may show up more in his life.
Bruh Paul also resisted boasting of his achievements, when he told the Galatians: ‘But God forbid that I should glory, save (except) in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.’ (Gal.6:14) And so should we too friends, only boast, take pleasure in Jesus’ atonement and all the spiritual blessings it brings, not our own accomplishments.
But all of that aside, the Lord does want us to do good works, that’s one of the purposes for which He morally recreated us in Christ Jesus. He expects us to be like Christ and do good works when we are born again in the spirit, not just enjoy His largesse without giving back anything. So on this day that we are once again blessed with earthly life and the free gift of salvation, let’s go out and do our bounded duty nuh; good works in Christ’s name. Much LOVE!
…Jesus went about doing good…for God was with Him… (Act.10:38)
22 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hard row to hoe, a modicum of circumspection, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, an open licence, anti-climatic situation, arch-foe Satan, assurance of resurrection, aura of love, Christians, confidence, constrained by our faith, darkness, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, Easter celebration, Easter Sunday, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, evil for evil, faith, forgiveness, friends, glory to God, God's grace, Good Friday, goodness, Granny's warning, gumption, hell death the grave, holy spirit, humble servants, in Jesus' name, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, light, LOVE, massacre, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, praise, provide things honest to all men, recompense to no man, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, rest, retaliate in kind, righteousness., sacrificed, salvation, senseless violence, sinless Son, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, thanks, the Good Book, triumphant victory, trust, unconditional LOVE, undeserving sinners, ungodly world, wisdom
Romans 12:17. Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men.
Ah my fellow believers, what an anti-climatic situation! Yes, in the heat, in the heart of our Easter Celebrations, the most important event in our faith, or rather the most important event in man’s history since the Creation, Easter Monday rolls around and many of us have to go back out to labour for our daily bread!
Chuh! How unfortunate that the evil and ungodly world doesn’t consider Easter important enough to make the Monday following a public holiday. But some of them do think that it’s okay, in fact quite right to massacre Christians in their churches and elsewhere at Easter, as was so shamelessly done this past weekend in Sri Lanka! Ah Lord eh! When will the foolishness end eh?
But let’s leave that topic alone for now and consider the importance of what happened at Easter time; the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ from the grave! Glory to God! And yuh know what friends, even though the ungodly world would like to trample on our physical celebrations, they can’t trample on the joy that the resurrection of Jesus Christ stimulates in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls! Absolutely not!!! And yes we need three exclamations marks there! (smile)
For by God’s great grace, mercy and forgiveness, they can’t destroy the assurance of our own resurrection, and the ever-faithful promise of salvation and eternal life that Jesus’ triumphant victory over hell, death, the grave and our arch-foe Satan provides! Glory to God my people!
Give Him overwhelming praise and thanks for the overwhelming and unconditional LOVE He showed for us undeserving sinners when He sacrificed His only, sinless Son so selflessly for us on that old rugged cross of Calvary!
So today, even if you’re out labouring, please keep that joy and assurance flowing freely and joyfully as you go about your tasks diligently and excellently, as Jesus desires of His followers.
And yes, you might have needed this a tad earlier, but it’s NEVER too late to pray. So let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with the gumption, confidence and enthusiasm that Easter Sunday has raised up in us!
Altogether 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!’
Oh friends, by the enthusiasm, gravelly voices and slurred words, I can tell that I’m not the only one caught up in the throes of excitement and celebration of this most wonderful Easter Season! As always, those of us not going to work are rather vociferous on these occasions, but please remember Granny’s warning, ‘Sonny boy, please, please, ah beg yuh, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business!’
Yes my brethren, at times like these the evil one and his evil cohorts are out there seriously trolling for believers who might slip and allow them a foot or toehold into their righteous souls. So we do have to be careful and curtail our celebrations with a modicum of circumspection.
But coming back to the massacre of Christians recently in Sri Lanka, it seems like it’s open season on believers these days. All over the world somebody or other is killing believers for no apparent reason other than that they believe! Hn! And to tell the truth, I think it’s high time that we retaliate in kind, because these people only understand one thing, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, in other words, violence!
Are we going to be continually led like sheep to the slaughter with no resistance? I certainly hope not! Oh, I know our faith and the Good Book says: ‘Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest (have regard for good things) in the sight of all men.’ But that’s extremely difficult friends, when the enemy is killing us with such joy and gay abandon with no one doing anything worthwhile to stop them!
There must be something we can do to curtail this offensive and sinister state of affairs. It’s obvious that the governments of supposed Christian countries aren’t really interested in doing anything but talk when these senseless murders occur, because they soon get back into bed with the same offenders in search of money and power. So it’s definitely up to us believers to stand up in some form and fashion and do something about it.
But then again we are constrained by our faith as to what we can actually do, for the Good Book purposefully says: ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom.12:21) Now that’s a real hard row to hoe friends, but we just have to find some way to mitigate this senseless slaughter of our fellow believers in certain parts of the world.
And please don’t ask me how, because you’ll just get me in trouble with the Lord! (smile) But some of you deeper and better thinkers than me, will have to come up with something, else the nonsense will just continue unabated…and possibly get worse, as the enemy begins to believe they have an open license to do their evil work. Much LOVE!
…the darkness and evil of Good Friday…has now been overcome…by the light and goodness of Easter Sunday…please…in Jesus’ name…let’s keep it going…
15 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: bondage of sin, broke their chains, conquerors, Creator of the universe, dangerous, enthusiasm, evil, fills the hungry soul, for his goodness, God is faithful, goodness, grace, Guide, holy spirit, humble servants, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, impractical, incredible aura, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lead, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, meet the enemy in battle, men would praise the Lord, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, not afraid, one true God, our Lord and Saviour, rebellious nature, rebellon, satisfies, show thanks, sin, sincere hearts, spiritual armour, talk thanks, taunts, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the longing soul, the Most High, the word og God, to the children of men, unfair, ungodly world, useful purpose, vitality, weary souls, week of work, wiles, wonderful works
Psalm 107:8. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Monday, O Monday! We LOVE you dearly, but please go away and come again some other day nuh! Now that would indeed be nice, but it’s just a tad impractical, for whatever you call the first day of the work week, we will have problems with it. It’s just the nature of the beast. I’m talking about us, not the day. (smile)
But thankfully, as believers in Jesus Christ, we have something that can cure whatever first day of the working week blues we have. It’s called prayer, the most powerful force on God’s great earth! Through prayer, we communicate with our Maker and Provider and He satisfies our needs. And today’s prayer is most appropriately titled, our ‘Monday Morning Battle Hymn!’ So let’s get to it without any further dilly dallying nuh.
All together now in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Yes friends, I can feel the Holy Spirit of God moving in me now, raising the level of my enthusiasm and conviction…and I’m sure you can feel it too! That’s the omnipotence, the amazing power of our awesome God to transcend reality, and have His Spirit move in our lives. And with that increase in power, and faith, we can now go out and transcend the world by doing wonderful stuff in Jesus’ name!
Oh glory to our great God my brethren! Give him much thanks and praise for His amazing goodness, grace and mercy to the undeserving children of rebellious and disobedient man! That’s why the psalmist so adamantly proclaimed: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron (prisoners); Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned (despised) the counsel of the Most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder (broke their chains in pieces). Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!’ (Ps.107:8-15)
Yes friends, we can’t ask for a more wonderful Deity than the One we already have! Which other supposed god gives us second, third, fourth…and such numerous chances to change our rebellious nature and thus come out of the bondage of sin that that rebellion imparts on us eh? None other than the One True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
He’s so wonderful, that regardless of how long we’ve been in rebellion towards His holy counsel, when we do call on Him with sincere hearts, even in our darkest times, times when we’re under the shadow of death, He responds with LOVING-kindness? And furthermore, even though we rebel against Him, He’s faithfully promised: ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb.13:5)
What more can we ask for eh friends? Not much, for that’s the ultimate in promises! And we know that if nothing else, our God is faithful to keep His promises, for they are not given idly, like the promises of men! And the psalmist felt our Bit so keenly that he introduces it four times in the psalm. (vs.8,15, 21, 31).
Now hear how Bruh David adds his two cents worth to the equation nuh, (smile) from Psalm 108 – Israel looks to God for help. ‘O God, my heart is fixed (steadfast); I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery (lute or lyre) and harp: I myself will awake early (awaken the dawn). I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy (LOVING-kindness) is great above the heavens (skies): and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.’ (Ps.108:1-5)
And that’s exactly how our great God should be praised and exalted my fellow believers! Unfortunately though, in these very evil and ungodly times we’re not even coming close to the standard of praise and exaltation truly needed.
So please friends, I’m imploring us to truly sit up and take notice of how good God treats us, especially with the free gift of salvation and eternal life through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ! Let’s be truly thankful nuh, because we have so much to be thankful for! Much LOVE!
…you can’t just talk thanks…like LOVE…you’ve got to show it…
10 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 21st century, a glorious future with Jesus, a sound mind, Abel, Abraham, according to your faith, be it unto you, David, disciples, do their own thing, eagerly, enemy's false fire, enoch, expectantly, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, Gentiles, Gideon, glad to be alive, glory hallelujah, God is the same, grace, halfway home, hands on the plough, hebrews 11, immortal words, impossible to please God, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Jewish people, Joseph, lived and died by faith, LOVE, mercy, Moses, not by sight, not looking back, O ye of little faith, power, Samson, second wind, the breath of life, the Good Book, the Roman centurion, the spirit of fear, walk by faith, Wednesday Wail, wherefore didst thou doubt, without faith, your faith has made you whole
Matthew 9:29. According to your faith be it unto you.
And so we come to Wednesday…the mid-week catch yuh breath, second wind day! Everybody feeling refreshed now, having gotten back into the work week routine, and looking forward with much expectancy to the big day of Friday, so they can do their own thing.
Ah mih people, I wish we could look forward with the same amount of expectancy to the things of Christ, to the things that concern our faith! Yuh remember how Jesus kept complaining about the faith of His people…’O ye of little faith!’
He said that several times. Even to His disciples who had been with Him for years and saw all the miracles He had done. When the storm arose on the Sea of Galilee and He was asleep in the back of the boat, they woke him up scared to death. Only to be rebuked after He calmed the storm, by His lashing words: ‘O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?’ (Matt.14:31)
And remember too what He said when He healed people. ‘Go, your faith has made thee whole!’ Even when He healed the Roman Centurion’s slave from afar, He commented: ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’ (Matt.8:10) Yeh friends, in several circumstances Gentiles, or people of other nationalities showed more faith in Him than His Jewish people. But overall people were not being buoyed by their supposed faith.
And I believe the same thing is also happening now. A lot of us talk a good talk about faith, but when it comes to putting that supposed faith into action we sadly fall down and start thrashing about and looking for other avenues instead of first turning to God and waiting on Him. But friends, it’s ALL about our faith, our sincere trust and reliance on the powers and mercy and grace of Jesus!
Remember what He said to the two blind men who came to him to have their sight restored? ‘Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened…’ (Matt. 9: 28-30)
And nothing has changed since then my people, for our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. So why do we think that our faith won’t get us through these rough and difficult times like it did those people of old eh! We have numerous examples of how faith propelled people, armies and nations to victory. Just check out that great chapter of the Good Book, Hebrews 11, where it tells you of all kinds of people who lived and died by faith.
Think about Abraham leaving his homeland at seventy five to journey into an unknown land just because God told Him to and promised Him great things. That could only come through faith. His wife Sarah also had a son in her old age when she lived up to the faith expected of her. Look at the stories of Isaac and Jacob, of Bruh Joseph and Moses, of Abel and Enoch, of Gideon and Samson, of Bruh David and Bruh Paul, and even of Jesus.
It was faith by which all of them traversed this evil world. Though Jesus was God, He was also man in the flesh and He too had to have strong faith in His Father else He would not have been able to do all those amazing things He did! Yuh think He just suffered all the abuse and pain of the cross just so? No! The Father enabled Him to go through it all!
And God hasn’t stopped working in believers lives just because this is the 21st century and mankind is on top of His technological and greedy wealth seeking game! In fact we need faith even more now with all the distractions and lies and falsehood and wiles that are now coming against us.
We need faith to help us discern the sense from the nonsense that is so prevalent in today’s evil and ungodly world. And faith isn’t something we can just pick up or set down anytime we want to! It’s a process, like sowing a seed and watching and waiting for it to grow. And the Lord has done many good things for many of us over our lifetimes, but yet when the rough times come, we forget about those fulfilled promises and cower and fear and doubt under the onslaught of the enemy’s false fire!
But remember too friends, these precious and immortal words of Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (1 Tim.1:7)
And what is this thing called faith you all ask? The Good Book tells us that ‘Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb.11:1) Yeh friends, simply put faith is what we don’t see now, but which we hope for and believe that we will get later on. We never seen Jesus, but we believe in Him. We never seen God create the world or us, but we believe it.
All of that is done through faith! For as Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Cor.5:7) That’s it plain and simple my brethren! In God’s economy and universe He expects us to believe His Word and the promises contained therein and walk expectantly and eagerly with faith, knowing that they will all come to pass in His time!
And if we can’t do that, if we need to see everything before we believe, like the world proposes, then our faith is small or even non-existent, and we won’t receive ALL the wonderful benefits we can from our wonderful God. Nuff said!
So for those of us who say we believe and have faith, let’s go home now declaring (right ho!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know our enviable position in Christ. With much fervor and sense of purpose: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now don’t forget, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or even imagine…and it’s all based on our faith! Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to please God… (Heb.11:6a)
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Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 May 2019 John 3:16.
18 May 2019 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a certain sure belief, a dealer in hope, a leader, Achilles heels, affirmation, Anselm, believers in Jesus Christ, believing in jesus, colour commentary, condemn the world, delusion, discipline, don't find fault, eternal life, eternal living, exalt His name, faith, find the remedy, fleeting treasures, forgiveness, friend, God anointed Jesus, God so loved the world, good to be alive, goodness of jesus, great expectations, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, hope, how high you've climbed, Immanuel, Jesus Christ, justification, long weekend, Lord, making a positive difference, Master of Hope, mercy, name that's higher than any other, part of the problem, part of the solution, prince of peace, promises, Redeemer, sanctification, saviour, should not perish, success, the blame game, the greatest, the world might be saved, to whom all knees must bow, Triune God, Victoria Day, went about doing good, whosoever believeth in him, words have power
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!
Oh friends, how good it is to be alive on this Saturday morning in May, the Victoria Day long weekend! Brother, life might not always be great, but it sure is good to be living with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, our Leader, Redeemer, Prince of Peace, our Immanuel, and the many other things He means to us! Glory to His holy name! The Name that’s higher than any other name in the universe, and the one that all knees will eventually bow to!
Wow! That’s our Jesus! Give Him much praise and glory my people! Exalt His name in all the earth, as Bruh David so rightly says! Oh, I guess the ole fella is really feeling it this morning! (smile) But why not eh? Life might not be fair, but our wonderful God is Good! That’s all we can ask! And as the man said: ‘Don’t ever confuse life with God, cause they are two entirely different things!
Now let’s see if I can get my head around these quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. (smile) It’s not always easy. And we’ll begin with this one: ‘Don’t find the fault, find the remedy.’
And oh, are we ever so good at finding fault in this modern day society. It’s known as the blame game, and we play it so well. But as the saying goes too, ‘If you’re not a part of the answer, then you’re a part of the problem!’ So let’s just remember that today nuh, and act accordingly.
And then there is this: ‘Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.’ I don’t know if it’s the beginning of delusion or not, but I do know that you will get nowhere in this earthly life without discipline…and plenty of it too. For everything you attempt to do down here on earth requires discipline to some degree or other.
So mouthing a lot of proactive words but not doing what it takes to put them into action, is a useless exercise. Remember friends, though our words have power, they don’t manifest themselves without some kind of action on our part!
Now hear this: ‘Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.’ And that is ever so true my fellow believers in Jesus Christ! The evil and ungodly world in which we dwell considers success as rising high in power, politics, wealth and other worldly things.
But in Jesus’ economy, those things are mostly colour commentary. What He considers important is what you’ve done to help your fellow man, how you’ve tried to pursue peace and LOVE in His name! That’s because all the things the world considers important are but fleeting treasures which you can’t take with you to eternal life!
But the peace, LOVE and goodness of Jesus go with you till eternity! So please, let’s stop trying to run down the things of the world nuh, because we’ll only kill ourselves in the process, then have to leave it all to others here to waste and fight over.
And then we have this interesting quote: ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.’ Now there is a lot of truth in that. If you inspire others to rise above their current station in life, be it for good or evil, then you do have some leadership qualities.
Jesus just wants you to inspire others to do good and not evil, as the Good Book says of Him. ‘How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38) Oh my people, there is no better example in God’s great world for us to follow than that of Jesus!
And that brings us to our last quote which encapsulates all the others that have gone before. It seems like our friend Anselm was on a leadership kick this week. (smile) But this last one says: ‘A leader is a dealer in hope.’ And that’s no lie! Else why would you follow someone if they don’t give you hope in whatever area you’re choosing to follow them in eh? No reason whatsoever! You might as well just do it yourself!
The sad part though is that leaders are also human and thus have Achilles heels so they can sometimes fall apart or lead us astray. But friends the greatest Leader in this universe is our one and only Leader, Jesus Christ! Talk about being the Master of Hope! Hn! He has that name so cornered that it’s impossible to ever take it away from Him!
Just look at the things He’s done for us nuh! Coming down from His comfortable perch in heaven to die for a bunch of ungrateful sinners! Going to the cross with nary a whimper, like a lamb being led to innocent slaughter, suffering the ultimate in humiliation, shame and ‘sufferation,’ just because the Father asked him to.
So that we could have hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow not wrecked by sin, shame and eternal damnation, but one securely and sincerely rooted in peace, LOVE, mercy, grace, forgiveness, redemption, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, salvation and eternal life!
Wow! Which other Leader has ever promised that kind of stuff eh, much less given it like Jesus has? NONE!That’s why Jesus is the GREATEST: because He gives us the most HOPE of any Leader that this unfortunate world has ever known! Listen to these immortal words of His: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!’
Now where else is it possible to find such HOPE like that eh friends? Nowhere else but in Jesus! And He didn’t end there either: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)
Oh my people, don’t those fateful, faithful and true words just lift your spirits and give you a feeling of peace and HOPE, that you can’t find anywhere else in this world? It surely does for me! And what really is HOPE eh Friends? Merely a longing for something, preferably something good!
And the long and short of the story is that God promises, if we believe in His Son, have HOPE in Him, that feeling of great expectations, which lead to faith, a certain sure belief, and which grows ever stronger, as we see His awesome promises come true, that our lives will be filled with wonder and amazement, leading to days of beautiful, exhilarating, eternal living with our Triune God!
Now what can we long for that’s better than that eh, what better HOPE can there ever be? NONE whatsoever! Much LOVE!
…the beginning of true HOPE…begins with believing in Jesus…