29 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name which is above every other name, a type of depression, All I want is you, all things are become new, became obedient unto death, call in the heavy rollers, Dr. Charles Stanley, endure to the end, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, guiding light, he humbled himself, he is a new creature, he that followeth me, I am the light of the world, I don't want nobody, if any man be in Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus keeps us calm, lack of sunlight, leave all the consequences to Him, losing interest in once enjoyed activities, LOVE one another, low energy, my burden is light, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my whole life has changed, my yoke is easy, obedience, obey God, old things are passed away, practice what you preach, praise his holy name, problems with sleep, rewards attached to obedience, sad, Seasonal Affective disorder, seasonal bouts of depression, shall have the light of life, shall not walk in darkness, Since I met you Jesus, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the debilitating ways of the world, the number one rule, to a glorious future with Jesus, to tell my troubles to, to the glory of God the Father, Wednesday Wail
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Well it’s another dark, cloudy, damp winter’s day…just like the past few have been. No wonder so many people are depressed and sad, for that’s what miserable weather can do to you if you don’t have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. But when you have Yeshua, as your Guiding Light, even the worse weather won’t get you down. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) probably one of the enemy’s new tools, won’t disturb your calm soul. (smile)
And some of you might be wondering what’s SAD? ‘It is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same time every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Some of the common symptoms include having low energy, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, having problems with sleep and feeling sluggish or agitated.’
It’s also been associated with the lack of sunlight during the winter months, and one of the treatments is having bright artificial light engulfing you. But when the LIGHT of the world dwells within you, in the form of the Holy Spirit, then you ought not to suffer from those seasonal bouts of depression, because Jesus constantly shines His light in your life and provides enough motivation for you to get on with His earthly tasks. The world tries to drive us crazy with all its busyness and complicated living, but Jesus keeps us calm and unshackled from the annoying and debilitating ways of the world.
Remember His fabulous claim: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). Now that was no spurious or boastful claim, but the awesome truth! For when Jesus comes into your life, you become a new person. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be on Christ, he is a new creature (creation); old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
And that’s just the way it is my brethren! You can’t come sincerely to Jesus and not have serious changes in your life, because accepting Jesus, automatically means making some changes, giving up some of the ungodly ways of the world, though not necessarily all at once, but over time. Remember Jesus is not a hard task master, for as He says: ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:30)
So He doesn’t expect you to change all at once, and will probably deal with you, one problem at a time, but deal with you He will. (smile) But in a LOVING and fatherly manner, unless you get stubborn and irascible. Then He can, and won’t be afraid to call in the heavy rollers to deal with your intransigence.
Yuh know friends, when we live for, or claim to live for Jesus, there’s one overriding factor that’s necessary in all our doings, and that’s OBEDIENCE! Like with any organization, you can’t be a true member and not pay obedience to its leader, and its aims and goals. The same holds true for being a part of Christ’s body, His church. Obedience is the Number One Rule!
And it’s not only something that Jesus asks of us, but something He also practiced. He’s not a leader, like the hypocrite Pharisees and them, who don’t practice what they preach. And the Good Book supports that truth by telling us: ‘And (Jesus) being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8)
Yes friends, Jesus didn’t want to go to the cross, like nobody really wants to, but because the Father asked, and that was the only way to justly save our sinful souls, He acquiesced to the Father’s wish. And that’s what we need to do as serious and sincere followers of Christ; acquiesce to His every wish, even when it seems difficult or impossible, because He never asks us to do something unless He gives us the wherewithal to do it. That’s the extent of His faithfulness.
Wow! And the good thing about doing Jesus’ will is that there are also rewards attached to them. Just like we read in the Good Book about Jesus’ rewards for being obedient to the Father. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)
Ah mih people, likewise our obedience to Christ’s wishes will bring rewards, both here on earth and eternally. So, it’s ever so important that we obey if we want to be a solid rock of His church. And I believe the words of this old, reworked pop song, personify exactly what we’ve been talking about, and what it means to become a member of Jesus’ team.
It says: ‘Since I met you Jesus, my whole life has changed… And everybody tells me that I’m not the same. Since I met you Jesus, I’m a happy man…I’m going to do my best to please you, In every way I can. I don’t need nobody to tell my troubles to…No, No, No. All I need is Jesus, He makes my life brand new. Oh, since I met you Jesus, all I want is you. Yes, since I met you Jesus, all I want is you.’ Now that’s what meeting Jesus is all about my people!
And for those of us who have already met Him and are happy in His employ, and are doing our best to please Him in every way we can, then let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So, as one sincere, powerful and confident voice:
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And yuh better believe my fellow saints, that if we endure until the end, that the promised future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask of imagine! Wow! Praise His holy Name! Much LOVE!
…the best way to live this life…obey God and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a stumbling block, better not to vow than vow and not pay, call upon me in the day of trouble, delay not to pay it, divine help, Dr. Charles Stanley, ease the pain, every beast of the forest is mine, for thy sacrifices and burnt offerings, forgive us and heal our land, give us wise guidance, God is a good god, God puts great store by promises, He takes no pleasure in fools, hear our prayer, I will deliver thee, I will not reprove thee, if I were hunry I would not tell thee, Jehovah Rapha, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, much deserved thanks and praise, obedience, obey God, offer unto God thanksgiving, our Lord and Saviour Redeemer and Friend, our time of desperate need, pay thy vows unto the Most High, promises are made to be kept, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, take the bull by the horns, the best way to begin the work week, the God who heals, the power to solve our many problems, the psalmist Asaph, the world is mine and the fullness thereof, thou shalt glorify me, vowed a vow unto God, we have Jesus to boost our spirits
Psalm 50:14. Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High:
Well, mih bredrin, fighting the traffic with its numerous bad drivers, in the early morning darkness, on these wet and slushy roads is definitely not the best way to begin the work week! We all desire a bright, dry, sunshiny day to help us get back into work mode. But unfortunately, we’re stuck with what we have, and just have to make the best of it.
At least let’s give thanks that it’s not several inches of snow or tons of rain like what has been dumped on several other communities over the weekend. And best of all, we have Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, Redeemer and Friend to boost our spirits, lift our joy and get us to wherever we must go safely and on time! Wow! Give Him some much deserved thanks and praise my fellow believers!
That recalls the words of the psalmist Asaph as he talks about God being the judge in Psalm 50. As pertaining to not desiring blood sacrifices, God says: ‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God. I will not reprove (rebuke) thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. I will take no bullock (bull) out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds:
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls (birds) of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps. 50:7-15)
That says it all right there my people! The Lord doesn’t want animal or blood sacrifices, but the sacrifices of our hearts and mouths, through praise and thanksgiving and the keeping of our promises. Remember what Cousin Sol says in Ecclesiastes about promises? ‘When thou hast vowed a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)
Words of eternal wisdom my brethren. Promises are made to be kept, especially to our God. But we have a bad habit of making promises willy nilly when we desperately want something, then not keeping them. However, God puts great store by promises, both by His and those made to Him by others. And if we don’t keep ours, He won’t keep His either, because many of them are conditional on our behaviour. Meaning, if we do such and such, then God will do so and so.
And that’s one the reasons why many of our prayers go unanswered. We talk a big talk to God, but don’t walk the talk. So what else do we expect but unanswered prayer eh? And don’t forget about that thing called obedience; a small and piddling irritant in our eyes, but a most important element in God’s. That’s another stumbling block on which our prayers and lives falter.
Listen to what Samuel told Saul, Israel’s first king when he failed to obey God’s command to totally destroy the Amalekites, but instead he spared their king Agag and the best of their animals. ‘And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’ (1 Sam. 15:22)
Yes friends, that one disobedience caused Saul to lose his throne! And who knows how much we have lost through the glaring and rampant disobedience that is currently being carried out in our sinful and ungodly world, where the heathen wants to get rid of God, and too many supposed believers don’t have the parts to stand up strong and truly fight the battle on God’s behalf?
But thankfully, our God is a good God, a forgiving and merciful God, who will forgive and administer His grace and mercy to those who are sincerely repentant. As the psalmist so rightly reminds us above. ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’
And if you don’t believe that this is a time of serious trouble in our world, then something is seriously wrong with your mental apparatus. So please, let’s take the bull by the horns, believe God’s word and go to Him right now in prayer, with sincere repentance and thanksgiving flowing from our hearts, so that He can help us in this our time of desperate need. As one voice, let’s offer up our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now please remember that God’s promise is conditional on us changing our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…the wisest way to live this life…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley).
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
27 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a figment of our imagination, a fool's wisdom, agree to disagree, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, come together, devolve into anarchy, directions for earthly living, endemic strife, every idle word that men speak, fear God and keep his commandments, fomenting disagreement, forgive us and heal our land, God shall bring every work into judgement, God's Word, guidance and direction, hear our prayer, humble servants, in the day of judgement, it's talk that won the war, Jehovah Rapha, learn to live in unity, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, obey God, repentance in our hearts, right motives, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, submission to God and His revelation, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the killing machine, the sacrifices of God, they shall give account for, this is the whole duty of man, thou desirest not sacrifice, to do justly and to love mercy, to walk humbly with thy God, turn from our evil ways, weapons of mass destruction, what does the Lord require of thee, whether it be evil, whether it be good, with every secret thing
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Oh my brethren, let’s come together on this last Monday in September 2021 nuh! It’s the only hope we have of going forward in a relatively calm world. The anger scouring our world right now is tremendous and can lead to no good. There are too many divisive actions and responses to the many serious problems we face. Unless we at least agree to disagree and stop fighting each other on the important matters our world currently faces, the situation will just devolve into anarchy and full-scale violence.
The pandemic, the vaccines, climate control, worldwide poverty and endemic strife will never be settled through violence and bloodshed, which is where we are heading right now. As my Uncle Foster used to tell me: ‘It’s talk that won the war nephew.’ And he was quite right, for it’s in the peace talks after the war that everything’s really decided. So why can’t we have the peace talks before the war eh? Haven’t we been self-destructive enough over the last century, where we have killed more people than in all the wars of several centuries before?
The killing doesn’t prove anything, it just keeps the status quo going, where every few years we turn to killing each other again in a vain attempt to solve age old differences. And the next worldwide slaughter will most likely be the last one since we’ve improved our destructive methods like nothing else. The killing machine is our proudest and most significant area of expertise! Whatever’s happened to the peace and LOVE that so many of us romanticize in our societies eh? Is it really only a figment of our imagination? It certainly seems so, because right now those two attributes are totally lacking from the world scene.
We certainly have not spent half as much time on promoting peace and LOVE as we have on fomenting disagreement and building weapons of mass destruction, which has inevitably led to the vitriolic anger and hatred we’re currently spewing against our friends, families and neighbours. Whatever happened to the tenets of the Good Book eh, the Bible, God’s Word, His directions for living this earthly life? Obviously it’s no longer looked upon favourably. Instead, we are trying to remove it and God completely from our society, which is a fool’s wisdom and will never happen.
How many centuries have mankind tried to rid themselves of it eh, but it only becomes stronger and takes greater hold, especially since Jesus came to earth and showed us the true image of our heavenly Father and how much He cares for us, that He’d even allow His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. Yes friends, the Bible is God’s word to us, still fresh through all the ages, and if we’d but read it, we would find God’s wisdom on its pages. The amazing wisdom He desires His favourite creation to live by. Oh my people, what will it take for us to truly realize that there’s ONLY One Power and One Presence in this great universe eh: that of Almighty God, the Good Omnipotent!
And until we get it through our thick skulls that He created this universe and all therein, and will not allow it to be taken away from Him, so we had better learn to live in unity with each other and with Him, the sooner there will be some real semblance of peace and LOVE in our angry, hating, divisive world!
What then is the solution to our problems you ask? I believe the writer of Ecclesiastes tells us as simply and clearly as possible. He wisely declares: ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) That’s the gospel truth friends!
Now hear this explanation from the scholars: ‘12:12-14. God has not answered every problem of life, but He has commanded man to live joyfully, responsibly, and wisely. Finally, the controlling factor of all life should be the fear (reverence) of God, that is, submission to God and His revelation (cf. Prov. 1:7). The certainty of divine judgement demands it.’
And that is not new news my fellow saints, it’s old stuff. Moses told the Israelites that in (Deut. 6:2, 10:12) and the prophet Micah reiterated it to them later on: ‘He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to LOVE mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Mic. 6:8) Meanwhile Bruh David says it thus in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes, my fellow believers, that is what the Lord desires of His greatest creation; to come to Him humbly and in reverence, admitting His awesome sovereignty. And if you didn’t believe the prophets, then listen to Jesus, the Son of God. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37).
Now, if Jesus says there will be a day of judgement, then there will be one. And all our words and actions will come before Him, and we will receive our just deserts, be it rewards in heaven or eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God. Let’s understand and believe that there is a price to pay for all that we do that does not line up with God’s will.
Disunity is our biggest problem right now. Why can’t we see that eh? We desperately need to come together and get back to worshipping and reverencing Almighty God. And there’s no better time to start than right now. So let’s go to Him in prayer with our problems nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the Lord will search our hearts for the right motives and see how we keep our promises before answering our prayers. Much LOVE!
…the duty of man…to obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
16 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving gracious God, divine help, Dr. Charles Stanley, God cannot lie, God is not man that he should lie, God is truth, grab the baton, hath he spoken and shall he not make it good, humble servants, I am the Lord I change not, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, Jehovah Rapha, keeping our promises, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, neither the son of man that he should repent, obey God, right motives of our hearts, show this evil world, sincere repentance, stubborn and unrepentant heart, take the bull by the horns, the God who heals, the Immutability of God, them's the breaks, thoughts of peace and not of evil, thy hardness and impenitent heart, to give you an expected end, turn from our evil ways, wise guidance and direction, ye sons of Jacob
Numbers 23:19a. God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:
These weeks passing too quickly for me yes friends! We are already into the middle of August, and we just finish celebrating the 1st of August long holiday weekend. (smile) That means fall, or autumn is just around the corner. But them’s the breaks, time waits on no one, and we must therefore conclude that this Monday in the middle of August is another excellent opportunity for us to take the bull by the horns, grab the baton and run with it, put into motion, the amazing plan that our wonderful God has designed for us from time everlasting!
And yes, we have used a lot of clichés back there, but yuh know what, things become clichés because they are either the truth, or help us to understand the truth better. And the greatest truth in this universe is the Word of God found in His holy book, the Bible, our blueprint, our guide, our map for earthly living! So when we read in it, things like: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
We know, we are totally assured that we are hearing the honest to goodness truth., because it comes from the Word of our God. Our Creator has good plans for each one of us, plans He created us to fulfill. And you are even further empowered to believe His Word, when it says: ‘God is not man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Num. 23:19)
What a confidence builder that verse is my brethren! Our God has no need to lie, because He is omnipotent, possesses the power and the ability to do whatever He says He is going to do! As Jesus said to His disciples, talking about a camel passing through the eye of a needle: ‘With men, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:26) And we need to remember that most salient fact my people. Nothing is too big or too small for our God to do! He can do anything and everything! Therefore, there’s no situation He cannot put us into or take us out of.
But I want to go back to that verse from Numbers about God not lying, because the scholars offer an interesting explanation of it. ‘23:19. The immutability (unchangeability) of God is stated. The word repent is parallel to lie and is coloured in tone by this very association. Here His repenting is related to falsehood. The concept of the truth of Yahweh is related to immutability (His unchanging nature). Since God is truth, He does not lie; in fact, He cannot lie: He is unchanging. God is utterly different from man. Something that comes far too easily for many men is impossible for Almighty God. He cannot lie (cf. Is. 31:2; 51:6,8; Jer. 4:28; Mal. 3:6).’
Oh friends, those are some good verses for you to look up, I just did, and they are all interesting, revolving around the Lord’s unchanging nature and the keeping of His word. But I will only spoon feed us the last one from Malachi, (smile) which we all ought to know anyway. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6) And we better had be thankful for that yes my people, because just like the Lord’s mercy and LOVE are overwhelming, so is His wrath, and you definitely don’t want to feel it.
And His wrath is not just vengeful anger, but as Romans 2:5-6 says: ‘But after thy hardness (stubborn) and impenitent (unrepentant) heart treasurest up (stores up) unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God (when His righteous judgement will be revealed); Who will render to every man according to his deeds.’ (Rom. 2:5-6)
So wrath is basically God’s justice for disobedience and thus rounds out His basic attributes of Mercy, LOVE and Justice, or as one commentator asserts: ‘A God who didn’t have wrath towards sin would not be a God of LOVE, because how could a God of LOVE allow sin to go unpunished?’ Good question that my people. And believe me, it will not! However, our ever-LOVING God, has also ‘provided a way of redemption; faith in the atoning blood of his Son.’
Anyway, it’s the start of our work week and many of us have fears, anxieties and concerns, re the state of our lives and our world, weighing heavily on our souls and spirits, so let’s take this opportunity to carry them to the throne of grace in prayer nuh. As one strong, confident but humble voice, let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as always, the answer to our prayers depends on keeping our promises and the right motives of our hearts. Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
30 Jun 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a believer in Christ Jesus, a wide range of revelation, being confident of this very thing, conform to God's heavenly standard on earth, for therein I do delight, give me understanding, halfway home, he which hath begun a good work, I shall keep it unto the end, I shall keep thy law, I shall observe it with all my heart, I'm so glad to be alive, in a positive and godly manner, in the path of thy commandments, Incline mine heart unto thy testimonies, leave all the consequences to Him, make me to go, moving on, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands on the plough, not looking back, obey God, oodles of promisesto help you feel better, our entrance exams for heaven, our road map to earthly living, permanent and unchangeable regulations, quicken me in thy righteousness, reap a bushel of blessings, stablish thy word unto thy servant, teach me O Lord, thank God, the breath of life, the entire gamut of human response to God's Word, the joy of the Lord is our strength, the storms of life, the way of thy statutes, the Word of god, thy judgements are good, to a glorious future with Jesus, turn away my reproach which I fear, turn mine eyes away from beholding vanity, uproarious love for God's word, Wednesday Wail, will perform it until the day of Jesus
Psalm 119:34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law, yea, I shall observe it with all my heart.
Well, it looks like a new day, Wednesday to be exact. So I guess that means we’re moving on, hopefully in a positive and godly manner, for those are the only ways we will ever be truly successful! And if we’re being godly, then we most certainly will give, or will have given thanks for the wonderful blessing of being able to see another glorious day on God’s great earth, only rivalled by the exotic pleasures of heaven.
Ah mih people, if we’re down here now, we might as well enjoy it, since being miserable and unhappy won’t solve matters. And furthermore, if you’re a believer in Christ Jesus, then you have oodles of promises to help you feel better in the many storms of life and handle them in a positive manner, with your Lord and Saviour at the helm of your tossed and battered ship. Remember the joy of the Lord is our strength, and once we have Him bubbling up in us, we can handle anything that comes against us.
And if we’re finding it difficult to handle our current circumstances then listen to these words of comfort from Psalm 119, the section titled – ‘Give me understanding.’ Please pray with me: ‘Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law, yea, I shall observe it with all my heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
Incline my heart unto (cause me to long for) thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity (looking at worthless things); and quicken (revive) thou me in thy way. Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear (to fearing thee). Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgements are good. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken (revive) me in thy righteousness.’ (Ps. 119:33-40)
Yes friends, therein lies a path of prayer to understanding. (smile) Now, here are some explanations from the scholars on the meaning of some of the terminology found in the psalm. ‘The multifaceted character of God’s Word is revealed by at least eight key synonyms for it in the psalm. (1) Law (torah) is the most frequent of the words. It comes from a verb meaning “to teach,” and thus came to be applied to a wide range of revelation, from an individual directive to the entire Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). It emphasizes that God has taught us in His Word what He requires of us.
(2) Testimonies (‘edot) emphasizes the content of the Word as that which God has testified of Himself and His will. (3) Precepts (piquidim) refers to instructions from a superior regarding the duties of those under him, in this case, from God to man. (4) Statutes (huqim) is related to a verb meaning “to engrave” and thus implies permanent and unchangeable regulations. (5) Commandments (mitswot) is a word assuming the authority of the commander and the inherent necessity of obeying the content of the charge.
(6) Judgements (mispatim) or ordinances refers to decisions God has made as a judge in order to make earthly behaviour conform to His heavenly standard. (7) Word (dabar) is an all-embracing term for God’s revelation in any form. (8) Word (imra) might also be translated “promise,” though the translation does not distinguish it from the preceding term to whose meaning it relates closely. It comes from the verb “to say” and assumes that the content of revelations is from the mouth of God. Other terms that seem to speak of God’s Word include ways (vs. 3, 37), name (vs. 55), and faithfulness (vs. 90).
With these key words to express the substance of God’s revelation, the psalmist explores the entire gamut of human response to the Word of God: praise and thanksgiving for it, petitions that it may be kept, petitions that the psalmist may experience its comfort or conviction, confidence that its promises will be fulfilled, prayer for the ability to understand it, petitions that those who disregard it (the wicked) may be judged and so on. Because of this exaltation of the Word of God, this psalmist has sometimes been accused of worshiping the Word itself. However, his adoration of the Word always leads to its Author who inspired it. All believers should be accused of this kind of LOVE for the Bible.’
What a day that would be eh my people, when we are accused of such an uproarious LOVE for God’s word! Glory Hallelujah! But seriously though, that’s the direction in which our lives ought to be moving every day that we draw breath; a greater LOVE for God and His Word! That’s why we talk about moving up from glory to glory; everyday improving our understanding of the Word and becoming a li’l more like Jesus character wise.
Oh friends, if we’re not growing, becoming more mature in our faith, then we are not fulfilling the Lord’s desire for our lives. Remember Bruh Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving to the church at Philippi, where he declares: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath began a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil 1:6)
Yes my faithful brethren, our God will not stop working His goodness in us until His Son returns. That means we also have a responsibility to learn what He desires of us and behave the way He has set out in His Word. We have no excuses whatsoever, for He has laid out exactly what He desires in His Law. His testimonies are sure and true. In His superior position, He has made clear His precepts, the duties He expects us to perform and live up to.
And because His Word is so important to our earthly lives, He expects His statutes, steadfast and unchangeable as they are, to be engraved in and on our hearts, so that we can dutifully obey His commandments as our Guide and Leader. And if we don’t conform to His heavenly standard here on earth, then we will be subjected to His divine judgement, which can be pretty tough at times.
So friends, the long and short of the story is that we are God’s creation, and He desires us to be obedient to Him and His dictates, otherwise there will be a price to pay. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘The best way to live is to obey God, and leave all the consequences up to Him.’ And that’s wisdom in spades friends. If we obey God to the best of our ability, we will reap a bushel of blessings.
And now, since it’s Wednesday, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our most wonderful position in Christ Jesus! As one strong, sincere and confident voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we all know that if we faithfully endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious that we can ask or even imagine. Much LOVE!
…the Word of God…our guide, our road map to earthly living…our entrance exams for heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
18 Jan 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking butt, assault on the Capitol building, blessing and cursing, come short in obdeince, Corona virus, ease their suffering, faithfully promised, He doesn't mince words, I have set before you life and death, Jehovah Rapha, keep his commandments and statutes, leave all the consequences to Him, Love the Lord thy God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, need your divine help, negative situations, obey God, obey his voice, on tenterhooks, pandemic of Covid 19, pray and sincerely seek your face, release His people from bondage, Satan's evil inluence, shenanigans, show them your awesome grace and mercy, straightforward talk, technological revolution, ten kinds of plague on Egypt, that both thou and thy seed shall live, the God who heals, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, The Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh, the Lord tells it like it is, the Lord thy God shall bless thee, the only one, therefore choose life, thou mayest live and multiply, to hear and answer our prayers, ungodly level, vaccines in short supply, walk in his way, we have all sinned, when we humble ourselves, with the power to solve our problems, you are a merciful forgiving and gracious God
Deuteronomy 30:19b. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
Okay people, it’s a new day; Monday, to be specific, and we’re all on tenterhooks waiting to see what takes place this coming Wednesday in the U.S. of A, as the new President is inaugurated. One thing is for sure, it won’t be a quiet day. Be assured there will be lots of shenanigans all around the country and around the world, as we look on in further amazement after last week’s assault on the Capitol Building. Only in America, you say. Not really. In any other part of the world, all hell would have already broken loose. But let’s be thankful that the situation did not deteriorate to that ungodly level.
And just for your info, the corona virus and it’s several variants are also still alive and well and kicking butt… and the vaccines are still in short supply and not being properly distributed. I don’t think we want to get rid of it nuh, else we would be following the rules of engagement: stay home unless it’s absolutely necessary; then wear a mask, stay physically distant from those not of your own household, wash your hands. What’s so hard to understand in that eh?
I guess we either think we’re supermen or we want to die. It reminds me of when the Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh with instructions to release His people Israel from bondage, the Egyptian monarch blatantly refused. The Lord sent some ten different kinds of plague upon Egypt, but Pharaoh still refused. Possibly because the Good Book says: ‘But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.’ (Ex. 10:27)
Is He hardening our hearts now so that we are refusing to take the necessary precautions to stem the worldwide attack of the virus? Or is it Satan’s evil influence? I really don’t know nuh. What I know is that we’re not being very wise or godly, else our many negative situations would not have progressed to the disastrous levels they are at right now. Please people, let’s remember these memorable words of Moses to the children of Israel in the wilderness after they had left Egypt and were giving trouble.
‘See. I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil. In that I command thee this day to LOVE the Lord thy God, to walk in his way, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land which thou goest to possess.’ (Deut. 30:15-16) Very straightforward talk my brethren! And since the Lord our God does not change, that promise also holds good for us in these trying times.
So too do the rest of Moses’ words. ‘But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but wilt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce (announce) unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land whiter thou passest over the Jordan to go to possess it.’ (Deut. 30:17-18) More straightforward talk my people. Our God doesn’t mince words, He tells it like it is, which means the onus is on us to be obedient or not.
And Moses makes it even plainer and more straightforward for them. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (as witnesses) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.’ (Deut. 30:19) It’s set out so clearly in black and white, choose death, or choose life: ‘That thou mayest LOVE the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.’ (Deut. 30:20)
And we all know what the Israelites did? When they got prosperous they forgot the Lord, foolishly thinking that they had achieved prosperity through their own efforts, and they paid the price for that pride and stupidity. Friends, I am putting it to us today, that we have done the very same thing. With our recent amazing technological revolution we have forgotten the Lord and prided ourselves for it all. But please remember the Good Book says, ‘it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.’ (Deut. 8:18)
And though we have turned away from God, like the Israelites did, and are now suffering the consequences, let’s keep on following their example and turn back to Him nuh. He welcomed them back with opened arms and will do the same for us. So let’s turn to Him in prayer nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, so that He can cleanse our hearts, and renew a right spirit with us.
Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
It’s up to us now to keep our vows, so the Lord will answer our prayer. Much LOVE!
…the best way to live this life…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…. (Uncle Charles – Charles Stanley)
03 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a diligent and excellent God, a future and a hope, a God of peace and love, a wake up call, according to God's plans, action our words, all things work together for good, beloved of God, bring light to the darkness, carelessly mixing pigment, colours appear unblended, difficult times, dissolve my apprehension, divine purpose, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, false and selfish, frightening and mysterious days, god is still in control, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, keep our vow, leave all the consequences to Him, like an amateur artist, LOVE the Lord with all our hearts, Master Artist, more problems that before, mouth service, my song of affirmation, not of calamity, not of evil, nothing is ever left to chance, obey God, one thing's sure, set the captive free, settle my conviction, share His love with the world, splash across, strokes haphazard, the canvas of my heart, the greatest commandment, the pattern is perfectly clear, the world is unfurling as it ought to, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, to those that love God, total immersion of self, trials and tribulations, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, U.S. Presidential Electios, wasted strokes
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).
Well today is the big day friends; the final day for voting in the U.S. Presidential elections! And believe me, the only thing that’s sure, is that there will be a host more problems than we currently have because of all the craziness and foolishness that’s brought us to this crucial and most critical point. But I guess that means the world is unfurling as it ought to, according to God’s plans. Yes friends, never forget that regardless of what happens in our evil and ungodly world, our great God Yahweh is still in control and He allows whatever he wants for His divine purpose, and no man can say him nay! Argument done! (smile)
And furthermore, I sincerely believe that this poem titled ‘Master Artist’ from our One Year Bok of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is very appropriate for uncertain and difficult times like these, and crazy, anxious days like this one. So please pray with me: ‘There are days, Lord Frightening and mysterious When You seem to splash across The canvas of my heart with wasted strokes – Like an amateur artist Carelessly mixing pigment.
Frankly Your colours appear unblended Your strokes haphazard. Instead of design I see blobs of distortion. Today, Lord This very hour Dissolve my apprehension Renew my confidence Settle my conviction That You have planned The total design. Finally, Lord When the finished canvas Is luminously displayed Make this my song of affirmation: The pattern is perfectly clear.’
Oh mih bredrin, isn’t that the crazy, unblended, unplanned, helter-skelter pattern that so many of us are seeing as our lives today? But believe me, our great and wonderful God has not made us in a wishy-washy manner. He’s taken great pains to make us all different and unique individuals, so why wouldn’t He plan our lives and destinies properly too eh? Remember, He’s a diligent and excellent God! All He does has been perfectly planned to coincide with whatever divine purpose He has in mind. Nothing is ever left to chance in His realm, though it might ofttimes seem so.
But please, please, let’s remember what the Good Book proclaims about our lives nuh; the Bible Promise for our poem and our Bit for today. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Oh mih people, our God is not an evil God, but one of peace and LOVE, justice and mercy, righteousness and forgiveness! That’s why we can be assured that His plans for us are all for good and not evil.
Remember how Bruh Paul put it to the saints at Rome? ‘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) Yes friends, if we are called to do God’s work, and we sincerely LOVE Him, then our lives will eventually work out for good, regardless of what trials and tribulations we might endure on this evil and sinful earth. That’s the Lord’s promise! And we know that He’s a faithful keeper of ALL His promises, never reneged on a single one yet, and never will, so there’s no need to doubt His awesome words of truth and promise!
But that’s where our expectations, our heartfelt beliefs, our hopes and dreams, in other words, our faith comes in. Remember too, that in God’s economy we need to believe it before we see it. And if we don’t believe it first, most likely we’ll never see it. And the only way to build our faith to a level where we can accept God’s promises and Word without any doubt is by reading, by studying, by meditating on and by speaking His Word found in the Good Book! For as Jeremiah continues on the Lord’s behalf after our Bit. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Oh precious saints of Christ, that’s our problem right there in a nutshell: we haven’t been calling on the Lord, haven’t been praying sufficiently to Him, paying sufficient attention to His orders. And even when we have attempted to call on Him, our hearts have not been right, our motives have been false and selfish. And we all know that the Lord checks out our hearts before He considers answering our prayers. Remember too Jesus’ declaration of the greatest commandment. ‘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)
So you see, mouth service just won’t do, if we’re truly interested in serving the Lord. ALL of our heart, soul, body and mind must be involved! Serving the Lord calls for TOTAL immersion of self, which we obviously haven’t’ been doing, and all these trials and tribulations are a wakeup call for us to turn back to him in a serious manner, with absolute conviction of His goodness and mercy, LOVE and forgiveness, justice and righteousness. That’s just the way He set it up, and if we don’t obey, then there will be consequences, for there are always consequences to disobedience.
We’ve all seen and experienced that with our earthly fathers, so what yuh think will happen if we disobey our heavenly Father eh? Lollipops and ice-cream? No way Jose! That’s why Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) keeps reminding us that the best way to live this earthly life is to ‘obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him.’ We can’t go wrong with that wise and sensible approach friends.
So for those of us who are sincerely and seriously trying to live like that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Tuesday Mantra, boldly and vociferously proclaiming who and whose we are. All together 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!’
Now let’s keep our vow and go out and action those words nuh! Much LOVE!
…ONLY true faith in God…will bring light to the darkness…and set the captive free…
14 Oct 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful autumn day, a dire proposition, a major dose of pride, an individual choice, anger, be not proud, before your feet stumble, bitterness, bring us our better, celebrate our great God, collect his rightful dues, day and night, endure till the end, for your pride, Give glory to the Lord your God, great shall be the peace, greed, halfway home, hands fixed securely on the plough, hard-hearted, hate, have good success, in this sinful world, inhumanity, Isaiah's warning to Israel, Jehovah Rapha, knowledge revolution, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, more glorious than we can ask or imagine, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, negative consequences, not turning back, obey God, our duty to teach the children, power-hungriness, prideful, put the children at a disadvantage, reverencing God, run down with tears, see us through tough times, show faith and rust, strife, stubborn, sufferation, teach them diligently unto the children, thank God, the breath of life, the Lord our God is one God, the shadow of death, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, thou shalt meditate therein, thy children shall be taught of the Lord, to a glorious future with Jesus, ungodliness, Wednesday Wail, weep in secret places, willful disobedience, with all thine heart, with all thy might, with all thy soul, withstand the barrage of negative stuff, ye look for light
Deuteronomy 6:5. And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And then it was Wednesday; another beautiful autumn day! So let’s be glad and rejoice in it nuh, celebrate our great God and give Him thanks for all He’s done, still doing and faithfully promised to do for us in the future! Yeh, times might be a tad rough right now, but He has also promised to see us through those tough times, and bring us out better on the other side…if we have faith and trust in Him. That means we have to show faith and trust now more than ever, since the rough times seem like they’re going to last for longer than we expected. (smile)
As Jeremiah so wisely warned his people long ago, I am here today to warn us of the consequences of lack of faith and trust, of ungodliness and willful disobedience and sinfulness. ‘Hear ye and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.’ (Jer. 13:15-17)
Ah mih friends, I know that sounds like a dire proposition, but it’s a true one. Sinfulness and ungodliness, especially when laced with a major dose of pride, WILL undoubtedly bring negative consequences from Almighty God! And our society has been guilty of all those things, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise if we’re suffering some major heartaches now. And the sad part is that though our efforts to quell our problems in our own strength aren’t working, we still refuse to turn to the great healer, Jehovah Rapha for help.
Oh, we’re so stubborn, hard-headed and prideful, thinking that we know so much, when in actual fact, we don’t know a blooming thing! That’s why we can’t even cut down the numbers of the Covid-19 pandemic, for so many of us refuse to do the only things we know will ease the pain. So we not only disobedient and stubborn towards God, but also towards man. That means ‘sufferation’ will be in the cards…unless we smarten up and get back to LOVING and praising, sincerely worshipping and reverencing our Creator. It’s as simple as that.
And yuh know, the Lord doesn’t have to bring anything negative against us nuh, because we are doing it to ourselves. We are our own worst enemies with all the hate, anger, bitterness, strife, greed, power-hungriness and inhumanity that’s currently running rampant in our society. No society can withstand the barrage of negative stuff that’s happening right now and survive, much less prosper. And I have to chuckle sadly as I turned the pages of the Good Book and these rather appropriate words shot out at me. Isaiah’s warning to Israel. ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.’ (Is. 54:13)
Unfortunately though, we have not taught our children of the Lord, so they obviously cannot find peace. They know only one option; that put forth by the world. And I don’t blame the children, I blame us, the parents, because it’s our duty to teach them about God, and it’s obvious that we haven’t done such a good job because so many of them don’t believe, and don’t even want to hear about God.
But from day one, Moses instructed Israel and all those who accept the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob thus: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’ (Deut. 6:4-7)
And have we done those things? Hardly…or not to the extent that we should have. Our parents taught us about God and the way we ought to go, so we knew the two options available, but for some reason we have not done the same for our children, thus putting them at a disadvantage in this sinful world. Why? I don’t know. Possibly because we got too full of ourselves with the knowledge revolution that was going on in our time.
But hear what the Lord Himself told Joshua nuh. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) Now have we spoken of the book of the law, or meditated on it continually? Obviously not!
And yes, some of us have had what the world terms success, but it’s not the good kind, the lasting kind. We’ve sold our souls to the devil to acquire worldly things, but be it known that that gentleman – hn! – will eventually come calling to collect his rightful dues. And what then eh? Hellfire and damnation…? Most likely.
But when we adhere to God’s Word and Will, the result is heaven… and rewards.. a peaceful and prosperous eternity with Jesus as the Light and King of our lives. I don’t know about you, but I think I much prefer to live for Jesus than Satan. It might be harder, but it’s much more rewarding in the long run. In any case, it’s an individual choice we all must make, hopefully we ALL will make the right one…Jesus!
And for those of us who have already made that right and most wonderful choice, let’s go home now telling all and sundry our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, through our Wednesday Wail. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And as Jesus has so faithfully promised, if we endure until the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. Much LOVE!
…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him…that’s true wisdom… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
29 Sep 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be enraged, be not proud, before he cause darkness, bright lights, cataclysmic stuff, changing the world, Creator and Controller of all things, dimness of anguish, disobedience, don't have to hurry, don't have to worry, Dr. Charles Stanley, every evil thing, familiar spirits, foolish pride, for signs and wonders, fret themselves, give ear, Give glory to the Lord your God, gloom, great to be alive, hard pressed, he who hath ears to hear, hear ye, hungry, I am the beloved of god, if ye will not hear, in god's eyes, leave all the consequences to Him, let him hear, long-suffering, Lord God Jehovah, loving, mediums, my soul shall weep in secret places, no one can take that from me, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, obey God, one and only true God, removing God from our society, seek the dead on behalf of the living, share His love with the world, signs to the heathen, stubborn pride, the best way to live life, the Lord hates pride, the Lord hath spoken, the Lord of hosts, the Lord's flock is carried away captive, the shadow of death, the wisdom of fools, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, wizards, ye look for light, your feet stumble upon the dark mountains
Jeremiah 13:15. Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
Welcome to Tuesday friends! Last night the rain washed away all the muck from Monday, so we’re starting off with a nice, clean, fresh, sunny Tuesday morning. Wow! Isn’t it great to be alive, despite all the problems we have in our world? It surely is, because we believers don’t have to worry too much about changing the world, since we can’t. And anyway, we have the Lord God Jehovah, the Creator and Controller of ALL things sitting on His heavenly throne holding the reins and manoeuvring everything to suit His holy purpose and working them out for the good of those who LOVE and obey Him. Glory be!
And the Good Book opened this morning on an interesting scripture, and I believe a very appropriate one for our time. Hear the prophet Jeremiah to his people Israel, in the third of a trio of warnings he gave them. ‘Hear ye, and give ear, be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.’ (Jer. 13:15-17)
And carried away captive they were, because of their stubborn pride! Now friends, if we are truthful with ourselves, we will admit that we have been very disobedient and blasphemous and derogatory towards the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom we claimed to be our God in earlier times. But with the supposed advancement of knowledge and science and the great trove of modern inventions, we’ve gotten proud, like the Israelites did in their good times, and have thus believed our own lies; that it’s through our own strength and great wisdom that our society has improved so mightily.
But my people, that’s nothing but a lie and the wisdom of fools, for unless the Lord gives us the increase, we won’t get any. And that false and foolish pride has driven us away from worshipping and depending on Almighty God, and are more focussed on removing Him from our society than embracing Him. But then we all know that one of the things the Lord hates the most is pride, because it means we don’t need Him, and our God hates not being needed by His supposedly greatest creation.
So what else can we expect but the series of problems, sickness and strife that we’re currently experiencing eh? Oh yes, the Lord is LOVING and long-suffering and all that, but He won’t let us get away with indolent and wilful disobedience for ever. Unfortunately my brethren, there is very little, or no light whatsoever in us these days, that’s why we’re currently stumbling upon the hills of darkness with all the cataclysmic stuff that’s concurrently happening in our world.
Don’t know if there’s ever been a time when so much disaster and misfortune has happened all at once, on so many different fronts. And the sad part is that we don’t seem to be fixing or correcting any of them. In fact, with each passing day, the disasters seem to be getting worse, the strife increasing, the divisions and dissension widening, while the hate, anger, resentment, fear and panic increase. And Isaiah also shouts out an interesting and appropriate warning for these times. ‘Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion.’ (Is. 8:18)
Yes, we and our children are supposed to be bright lights and signs to the heathen. But listen to this next verse. ‘And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits (are mediums), and unto wizards that peep (whisper), and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead (should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?’ (Is. 8:19) And sadly that’s what a lot of us are doing these days; seeking evil spirits and mediums, witches and wizards, obeahmen and the like, instead of seeking the ONE and ONLY True Living God!
Does it make sense to seek wisdom and guidance from the dead, from man-made idols and other foolish stuff? It certainly doesn’t! But ‘in times of distress people often turn to witchcraft instead of God. And Isaiah warns Israel not to turn spiritism, but to the law and testimony of God.’ But nonetheless, in this supposed age of enlightenment, it’s surprising how much evil and spiritual worship is still taking place.
And Isaiah continues: ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (they have no dawn). And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead (hard pressed) and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves (be enraged), and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish (gloom); and they shall be driven to darkness.’ (Is. 8:20-22)
Oh my people, isn’t that exactly what’s happening to us in these ungodly times? There’s gloom and famine, natural and man-made disasters, sickness and every evil thing proliferating over and through our world. And sadly, the ONE thing we need more than anything else: God; filled with His godliness, is getting scarcer and scarcer in our godless, idol worshipping society. So what else can we expect but darkness eh? But as Jesus liked to say: ‘He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 11:15; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35)
Oh precious saints of Christ, this life is only about ONE thing; believing in, and faithfully serving the ONE and ONLY True God; Yahweh, Jehovah, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! And if wilfully refuse to do that, then we will suffer serious consequences. It’s as simple as that!
Now for those of us who understand that and are trying to live up to it, let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Tuesday Mantra, (didn’t forget it this week) (smile) letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong voice with sincere hearts. ‘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!’
Now we need to go out and share that strong and true friendship and LOVE of Jesus with those who don’t know or pay sufficient attention to Him. Much LOVE!
…the best way to live life…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles: Dr. Charles Stanley)
31 Aug 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beacon of hope and light, an enduring nation, bet yuh bottom dollar, casting all your care upon him, complain, disobedience, ease the anxiety in our souls, forgiving and gracious God, grace and mercy, Happy Independence Day T&T, he may exalt you in due time, hear and asnwer our prayers, humble yourselves, Jehovah Rapha, leave all the consequences to Him, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, obey God, only true and living God, pandemic situation, patient and long suffering, strife, subvert a man, take it to the Lord in prayer, the God who heals, the punishment of his sins, this year of calamity, turn from our evil ways, under the mighty hand of god, wisdom for the ages, wise guidance
1 Peter 5:6. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Happy Independence Day T&T! Congratulations on 58 years of sterling nationhood! (1962-2020) And in that time you have certainly made important contributions to all aspects of human life – been a beacon of hope and light in the Caribbean! We wish you many long years of success as an innovative, refreshing and enduring nation.
Wonder how the celebrations going to go on today with the pandemic situation and the resultant lockdown? Oh not to worry, T&T is the best partying nation in the world. Nobody LOVES a party like we, and we going to find some innovative way to celebrate Independence Day. It surely won’t pass without some kind of celebration, regardless of what the law says. (smile) You can bet yuh bottom dollar on that!
However, it’s Monday, the last day of August, and most of us are not concerned about celebrations, but rather about the start of a new work week, and possibly anxious about what this week in this year of calamity will bring. But as the Good Book tells us, when worries beset us, take them all to the Good Lord in prayer and He will ease the anxiety in our souls.
Peter puts it thus: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) And since that’s gospel truth, let’s do it now nuh through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So in confident, but humble voice, let’s come before God’s throne and empty our hearts of all the confusion and uncertainty residing there.
All together now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
And yes friends, we have certainly sinned against our great God, fallen into wilful disobedience, and are now experiencing the consequences of that disobedience. As Jeremiah says in his lamentation over Israel’s adversity. ‘Wherefore doth (how can) a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try (examine) our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted (pursued) us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.’ (Lam. 3:30-44)
Oh my people, if the Lord could punish His chosen people for their wilful disobedience, why wouldn’t He do the same thing to us eh? Yes, He is indeed patient and long suffering, but even the Lord’s patience will run out at some time if His prize creation keeps going headlong down the path of evil and disobedience. But here’s why He is indeed a great God, the ONLY TRUE and LIVING GOD!
Jeremiah himself said it earlier on: ‘For the Lord will not cast off forever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly (with delight), nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of man (justice due) before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.’ (Lam. 3:31-36)
Yes my brethren, our God is a merciful God, but He is also a holy and just Deity and to be true to His Word, He must cause justice to be done in the affairs of man. So if we have sinned and come short of His Word, then it’s expected that at some time we will suffer the negative consequences. But as He promised, if we repent and turn back to Him, He will indeed forgive us and heal our land. And without a doubt, right now our land is in dire need of healing, and the Lord God Jehovah is the ONLY ONE who can do it.
So let’s wise up nuh, let’s show ourselves to be the wise and wonderful creation He wonderfully made and repent and joyfully receive Him back into our society, so that our children, and our children’s children will have a decent future to look forward to. That’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…the wise way to do life…is to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
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