20 Jan 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a muscle, a sound mind, adding value, admonition, Anselm, astound ourselves, average results, be not afraid, be not dismayed, be strong, buckled down, business people, busyness, capable of, celebrity culture, conquered, conquering fear, deliverance, earn a living, Egyptians, exercise, faith, fear, fear thou not, fearful spirit, fearlessness, fears, first-world economy, forgiveness, formal education, foundation, friend, get a job, give you the kingdom, good pleasure, gospel truth, grace, grateful, greedy desire, help thee, hold your peace, I am thy God, I am with thee, I will strengthen thee, insane world, Joshua, little flock, LOVE, make a living, make you a fortune, mercy, minimum wage, Moses, not challenged, of a good courage, Ontario, our full capability, our welfare, power, profit margins, quality of work, right hand, righteousness, run ragged, secreted in our hearts, self-education, separate us from God, set our minds, slept in, stand still the salvation of the Lord, standard of education, strive, succes, thankful, the enemy, the Red Sea, the spirit of fear, threatening retribution, Timothy, Tin Horton's, up in arms, uphold thee, value, walk arm in arm with God, \
2 Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
And then it was Saturday…somewhat late in the day though, and many of you won’t notice, because like the ole fella you also slept in some. (smile) But what’s life eh, if once in a while you can’t sleep in and not be run ragged by the busyness of this insane world? The Lord’s LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness will still be there when we get up.
Oh how wonderful is the God we serve and worship my brethren! He is always thinking about our welfare, so we need to be very thankful and grateful as we walk arm in arm with Him. And remember too, that NO ONE can separate us from Him, but us. And such a move on our part would be rather foolish. Nuff said.
Let’s see what our friend Anselm has to say on this bleak and gloomy Saturday morning. First off, he tells us that ‘Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.’
I have serious doubts about that yes, because in this society there are oodles of people right now with lots of formal education, who can’t even get a job, much less earn a living. And if and when they do get one, the wage is definitely not in line with their standard of education. It’s surprising that in this supposed first-world economy, the number of university grads who are making minimum wage.
And in my province of Ontario, at the beginning of the year, the government raised the minimum wage from eleven something to fourteen something, and as expected all the business people are up in arms, threatening all sorts of retribution.
Some Tim Horton’s franchises have already cut back paid breaks, tips and stuff, taking away what little the employees already had, in their greedy desire to keep their profit margins high. So who knows, self-education might just be the answer.
And I like this next quote. ‘If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.’ That’s oh so true my fellow believers. I’m sure most of us have had that experience at some time(s) in our lives.
Times when we actually buckled down and did stuff we had to do, and was surprised at the quality and quantity of work we accomplished because we had set our minds to it. Many of us never reach our full capability, because we’re either not challenged to, or we just settle for average results.
That leads us to this quote. ‘Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.’ And there’s much truth in that advice, especially in these modern times, where a lot of supposed successful people add li’l or no value to the society. Check out the celebrity culture that currently rules the world.
How many of them add anything worthwhile to the society eh? Not many. That’s a big reason why the world is in such a mess. So friends, in our lives, please let’s concentrate on adding value to our lives and our society. Value usually means success in the real world, but not necessarily the other way around.
And finally Anselm tells us that ‘Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it, the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.’ There is indeed substance to that remark, because the more we practice not being afraid, the more we will learn to conquer fear.
But the basic foundation for conquering fear comes from our association with Jesus Christ. That’s who gives us the strength and wisdom to conquer fear. Oh friends, throughout the Good Book there are numerous warnings about fear. And one of the most powerful is that found in our Bit; Bruh Paul’s admonition to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’
And that’s gospel truth friends! Our wonderful God has not given us a fearful spirit, we allow the enemy to put fear into our hearts. And all I want to do today is highlight a few scriptures where God warned us not to be afraid. And one of my favourites is the one He commanded Joshua, when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9) Ah mih people, the Lord could not have been more explicit.
Then in Isaiah, re the final restoration of Israel, He warns His people the same way. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be thou not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is.41:10)
Now hear one of the first ‘fear not’ instructions; that from Moses when the Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace (be quiet).’ (Ex.14:13-14)
And so said, so was it done. The Lord drowned the Egyptians in the closing of the Red sea. And we’ll end with these words of Jesus as He talked about care and anxiety and seeking God’s kingdom above all else. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32)
And it is indeed the Lord’s desire to give us the kingdom, if we seek Him above all else. So friends, there is no need to fear man nor beast once we are walking hand in hand with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Please, let’s therefore rid ourselves of all the unwanted and unnecessary fear that is secreted in our hearts, by giving it to God. That’s wisdom of untold proportions! Much LOVE!
…fear can only be conquered by faith…
22 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: afraid, annals of mankind, another one bites the dust, be not dismayed, be strong, believers in Christ, blessed is the people, blessings, bolstered, Book of the Law, calamity, celebrating, debilitated, depart out of thy mouth, devastation, disturbed, earthquake, eat drink and be merry, encouragement, enemy, even keel, evil, exalted, faith, fear, fear not, fellowship, fight the good fight of faith, followers of Jesus, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, God's sure promises to David, godlessness, godlier society, goes overboard, good success, hurricane, I am thy God, I am with thee, I will strengthen thee, in Jesus' name, in the light, Isaiah, Joshua, lagniappe, lead us astray, leeway, let the waters flow, make thy way prosperous, Maria, meditate, Mexico City, of a good courage, only time will tell, party hearty, Puerto Rico, rejoice, relaxation, repentant, retro, righteousness, rise from the ashes, seek God's kingdom, sinful nature, soldiers of Christ, summer weather, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the Dominican Republic, the glory of their strength, the Holy One of Israel, the joyful sound, the Lord is our defense, the Lord thy God, the music blast out, the promise, the right hand of my righteousness, the weekend, the workingman, to give you the kingdom, uphold thee, we shall die, week of work, wiser, young folks, your Father's good pleasure
Luke 12:32. Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
And another one bites the dust…well possibly two! Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have recently felt the wicked lash of hurricane Maria, and who knows where it’s going to land next. Meanwhile, they are still trying to come to terms with the earthquake in Mexico City…
Ah mih people, these are certainly rough and tough, but also interesting times in the annals of mankind. How will we end up, what will our society look like after the devastation eh?
Will it be more of the same evil, godlessness, or will a wiser, repentant and godlier society rise from the ashes of our calamity? Only God knows. And only time will tell. For all our sakes though, let’s hope our future is based sincerely on the latter option.
But with all that misfortune going on, it still doesn’t stop the workingman from declaring his Friday anthem: ’TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is finally here! Regardless of what’s happening in the rest of the world, we going to party hearty…eat, drink and be merry!
For who knows, tomorrow, or even today we shall die! So bring on the good times, especially in this extra summer weather we getting here! Let the waters flow…the food pile up…and the music blast out! Thank God is Friday and we done work for another week!’
Oh friends, that is exactly the kind of attitude we’re trying to counteract. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating the end of the workweek, but the limits to which we go is another story. The workingman’s definitely goes overboard. A more sober and constructive one would be like our Friday Chant.
So let’s chant it with nuff enthusiasm nuh! ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh mih breddren, to many of the young folks that might sound too retro for them, but it’s the kind of thing that the Lord desires; we enjoy His blessings, but keep our feet on an even keel so the enemy doesn’t get any leeway into our lives.
And quite rightly, though we are all concerned about what’s happening worldwide, and also close to home, if we are living with and for Jesus then we should not be disturbed or blatantly afraid.
For as He said, if we seek God’s kingdom as our priority, the Lord will satisfy all our needs. And as a lagniappe, or extra encouragement, Jesus tells us in our Bit: ‘Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’
And if Jesus says it’s so, then it’s obviously so, for He has no reason whatsoever to lie or lead us astray. However, our natural sinful nature encourages fear much more than faith, so today we’re just going to concentrate on a few passages from God’s word on the subjects of fear and faith, beginning with this famous verse from Deuteronomy.
‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6) Oh my faithful followers of Jesus, our God can’t say it in any plainer language than that.
But in Isaiah, He unfailingly repeats the promise, the invitation to partner with Him. ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is.41:10)
And friends, if we truly believe the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the Creator and controller of the universe, then we should not have any problems believing His word. But my favourite verses on fear and faith come from God’s command to Joshua, when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shall 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.
Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:8-9)
And if that doesn’t grab you right in your heart my people, then I don’t know what will. But we’ll end with these uplifting words from Ethan, the Ezrahite from Psalm 89 – God’s sure promises to David.
‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (strength) shall be exalted. For the Lord is our defense; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.’ (Ps.89:15-18)
That’s for certain sure my fellow believers in Christ. Now let’s stand strong as soldiers of Christ, and fight the good fight of faith, as He desires of us nuh! Much LOVE!
…one can only stand strong…if one is bolstered by faith…and not debilitated by fear…
06 Dec 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be content, be nor dismayed, be strong, beloved children of Almighty God, caring, challenging weekend, Christians, conduct, covetousness, David, encouraging words, ever-present help of God, faith, faith building, fear not, flying colours, friends, grace, grace and mercy of God, he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, Herculean task, hurry, Jesus, magnanimous god, majestic, mercy, Moses, neither forsake thee, of a good courage, praise his holy name, Praise the Lord, promise, share His love, Solomon, the beloved of God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the Godhead of the Holy Trinity, the Good Book, the Holy Trinity, the Lord goes before thee, The Lord is my helper, the Lord thy God is with thee, trust, trust my friend, Tuesday Mantra, understanding God, weak, what a privilege, whining, wishy-washy, worry
Deuteronomy 31:8. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Ah friends and neighbours, at last there is some decent heat in the ole homestead! Praise the Lord!
It has indeed been a challenging weekend without proper heat. A couple of heat space savers can never replace a central system. But through the good grace and mercy of our wonderful God we made it through. Praise His Holy Name!
You know you always hear about certain situations and imagine what they feel like, but not until you personally go through them do you really appreciate the good side of the equation. Hn! Now I know what it’s like to be without proper heat for a cold weekend. (smile)
But we’ll simply chalk that up to faith building, because that’s exactly what it was; an exercise to see how we’d react under less than perfect conditions. But again, with the ever-present help of our magnanimous, caring and understanding God we came through it all with flying colours! Please give Him the wonderful praise He so rightfully deserves!
And on this chilly Tuesday morning, to further boost our spirits and our faith, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra with sincere enthusiasm and strong belief, otherwise, we’re simply wasting our time.
In unison now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Yes my people, that’s indeed who we are; beautiful and beloved children of Almighty God! Wow! What a privilege! And to make our situation even better, we are also friends of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! It certainly couldn’t get any better than that my faithful, believing brethren!
But we’re wrong, it does get better. Listen to our Bit nuh. ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.’
Ah mih people, what a majestic and magnanimous God we serve! He had Moses make that statement to Joshua when he assumed leadership of the Israelites many moons ago, but the excellent thing is that that awesome promise still exists today, and still applies to each and every one of us who proclaims true belief and faith in the Godhead of the Holy Trinity.
No other supposed deity makes such a promise…and faithfully keeps it too. That’s why I find it mind-boggling when others say they don’t believe in the ONE true and LIVING God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Now hear the refreshing and encouraging words of Moses to the people of Israel, before he spoke our Bit to Joshua. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
Oh friends and faithful believers that ought to resonate deeply within our souls, because it is the gospel truth! And it’s a promise that’s been used, been given several times throughout the Good Book. Let’s look at a few of them, beginning with the Lord’s words to Joshua after Moses died and he took on the Herculean task of leading the Israelites.
‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh.1:5) And it’s a promise the Lord faithfully kept.
But in the very next verses, the Lord point out Joshua’s responsibility. ‘Be strong and of a good courage… Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest do all the law which my servant Moses commanded thee… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:6, 7, 9).
Yes precious people of God, three times in four verses the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous, and it’s the very same message that He’s sending out to each of us today. We need to believe His promises and stand strong and faithful upon them.
Now hear Bruh David’s words to Cousin Sol re the building of the temple. ‘And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.’ (1 Chr.28:20)
The same thing applies to us today my brethren: The Lord will be with us all the way in our service to glorify His name. He will not fail nor forsake us, so we have no reason to be afraid and dismayed.
And we’ll end with more encouraging words, this time from Hebrews, re Service well-pleasing to God. ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb.13:5-6)
Ah mih fellow believers, from the beginning of the Good Book, right through to the end, we’ve been admonished to be strong and courageous because our omnipotent God will never fail not forsake us.
Please let’s take it all to heart and go out and fight the good fight nuh, knowing that the Creator of the universe is always with us. It’s the only way to successfully handle this earthly pilgrimage. Much LOVE!
…weak, whining and wishy washy Christians…cannot do God’s work successfully…
04 Nov 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: another glorious day, assurance, be not dismayed, blame, blessed, boggles the imagination, condolences, different perspective, diligently, encouragement, end times, evil world, fail thee, faith, faithful God, faithfully, fear not, fellowship, forsake thee, Friday chant, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, God the Good, godlessness, godly upbringing, gospel truth, hold thy right hand, I am thy God, I am with thee, I will help thee, I will uphold thee, in Jesus' name, Isaiah, Israel, judgement, leadership, like there was no tomorrow, live it up, miracles, mortality, of a good courage, omni-present, omnipotent, omniscient, on God's great earth, our work for christ, plodding on, promises, rampant, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, righteousness, sad news, security, Selvin Goldson, sincerely, smell the roses, stand strong, strong, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the grim reaper, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, the onus, the right hand of my righteousness, the weekend, the Word of god, thy Redeemer, time of grief, wake up, week of work, widespread, worm of Jacob
Isaiah 41:10. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Ah friends, the working people as usual declaring their loud shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! Hurray! The weekend finally here and we going to live it up like there was no tomorrow. Thank God for Fridays and the weekend yes!’
But my heart really isn’t in the celebration nuh, because once again I turned on my computer this morning and received the sad news of the passing of one of my University mates, Selvin Goldson in Jamaica.
Apparently he died of a heart attack while driving. That’s all I know. But…Chuh! This scenario is playing out too often these days yes! One day I might just turn on the computer and see news of my own demise. (smile)
But seriously friends, each passing of our friends and associates makes us think more acutely about our own mortality. We know we all have to go over to the other side at some time or other, but for some reason or other we never seem prepared for it. It always seems to take us unawares.
Anyhow, there’s not much we can do when the Grim Reaper comes a calling, and I’d like to extend sincere condolences to the Goldson family, and let them know that our thoughts and prayers are with them in their time of grief.
Those of who remain though, have to keep diligently and faithfully plodding on in our work for Christ, and since today is Friday, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincere appreciation for being blessed to see another glorious day on God’s great earth.
All together 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.’
Yeh mih people, we need to handle our weekends differently than the majority of the world. We need to put a different perspective in place if we truly want to be followers of Christ. And our God is so wonderful that He gives us oodles of encouragement and security in these difficult times.
Listen to our Bit: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’
What awesome promises my brethren! The problem though is that God makes them, but we have to receive them, and that’s where we often fall down. Our faith sometimes doesn’t allow us to accept and believe them, since they seem contrary to what we’re facing in this evil world.
But friends, by now we should all know that our wonderful God is also a faithful God! He never promises stuff that He can’t deliver. And since He’s the Creator and Controller of the universe, since He’s omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present, then there’s absolutely NOTHING He can’t do.
That means the onus is on us to build our faith, to stand strong on His word. That’s why He also gave us His Holy Spirit; to help and comfort us in times of need and sorrow. And if we don’t find strength in our Bit, then listen to Isaiah a few verses later.
‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is.41:13-14)
How much more encouragement and assurance do we need eh my brethren? With all the Lord has done for us, the many miracles He’s wrought in our lives, our faith should be much stronger by now.
And the scholars offer these insights on that section. ’41:10-20. In view of the judgement that is coming upon Israel, God reminds her, I am with thee…I am thy God.
The designation thou worm Jacob is a reminder to Israel of her frailty and need for God who is pictured as her redeemer and the Holy One of Israel. The latter designation is Isaiah’s favourite expression for God and appears equally throughout both halves of the book…’
And friends, do we ever need God’s help in these end times. I believe we’re in even worse shape, even frailer than Israel back in those days, for godlessness is so rampant and widespread now that it’s unbelievable to us of the older generation.
We have seen it go from being pretty good to being pretty bad in such a short time, that it boggles the imagination. But then again, a lot of the blame lies with us; we weren’t as strong and faithful as we ought to have been, therefore this generation doesn’t have the same godly upbringing that we had.
But it’s not too late for us to try and recapture some of what we’ve lost, if we sincerely and diligently get in the groove with Jesus and work steadfastly towards it.
Now let’s end with some help from Moses, as he passes on the mantle of leadership to Joshua. He tells him: ‘Be thou strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go before thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut.31:6)
And that’s gospel truth precious people of God! Therefore, let’s wake up and smell the roses and try to make the world a better place than it currently is nuh. Not so much for us, but for our children, and our children’s children. That is wisdom for all time! Much LOVE!
…there is only one Power…and one Presence here…God the Good Omnipotent…!
28 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, abundance, advice, at low ebb, battle, be not afraid, be strong, be terrified, blessed, blessing, chariots, claiming, creativity, despair, dismayed, do not tremble, doubts, dread not, Egypt, enemies, enjoy, faith, favour, fear not, for His name's sake, frightening shadow, fulfill the statutes, God is faithful, God's goodness, God's laws, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, health, help, horses, I shall not want, integrity, judgements, keep the law of God, let not your hearts faint, lie down in green pastures, more than thou, Moses, nor be afraid, of a good courage, One Year Book of Bible promises, prosper, queries, quietly, quivering emotion, rejoice, restoreth my soul, secretly, self-control, self-discipline, slowly, still waters, strain, strength, success, takest heed, talent, thankful for life, the Lord be with thee, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord thy God goes with thee, the Old Testament, the paths of righteousness, the promise, the promises of God, the wilderness, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday's Blessings, times of peace, times of stress, to fight for you, to save you, true to your word, unblemished integrity, understanding, we will be glad and rejoice in it, weak, wealth, weary, wisdom, worn
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
Awright mih breddren, another bright and beautiful day is upon us! So let’s be thankful for life, for health, wealth and strength by declaring as the psalmist did: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
Yes friends, we need to rejoice and enjoy God’s goodness and blessings, because that’s why He bestows them on us. But unfortunately, sometimes our faith is at low ebb, and thus we have doubts and queries like found in this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings from Ruth Harms Calking.
Listen to it. It’s called ‘The Promise.’ ‘O dear God, I continue to believe Your personal promise still stands Though every quivering emotion within Shouts that it will be broken. I am claiming Your help through the wilderness Despite every frightening shadow and vale.
Often you do the most When you seem to do the least. Sometimes secretly Sometimes quietly Often slowly But always most certainly You are true to Your word.
And so, my Lord Though I am weak, weary, and worn Help me not to despair. You see me, You hear me. You know I am depending utterly Upon Your unblemished integrity Surely You will keep Your word.’
Yes my people, the Lord WILL keep His word! There’s absolutely no doubt about that! So when we go through those rough patches, we need to remember that our God is ALWAYS faithful to His promises and we can utterly rely on Him to fulfill them!
And the scripture verse attached to that poem is one we all know, rely on and LOVE! I’m talking about those magnificent and encouraging words of Bruh David: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (waters of rest): He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.’ (Ps.23:1-3)
Oh my fellow believers how tender, moving and reassuring are those sentiments eh! Millions of us turn to that psalm for comfort in times of stress and strain. But here’s another powerful, reassuring and mountain moving promise of our great God that we can also hold on to.
It features the words of Moses found in our Bit. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
Ah precious people of God, what more can we ask of our God eh? Nothing really, for it’s all found in those words! And the promise is so pervasive, it’s found in several parts of the Old Testament. Let’s check out a couple of them, beginning with when Moses was laying out God’s laws concerning wars to the Israelites.
‘When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies and seest horses and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them,
Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is he that goeth before with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ (Deut.20:1-4)
Yes friends, in times of war, our wonderful God will surely fight for His people! Now listen to Bruh David as He counsels Cousin Sol re being strong in times of peace.
‘Now, my son, the Lord be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee. Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God.
Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfill the statutes and judgements which the Lord charged (commanded) Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.’ (1 Chr.22:11-13)
Oh my fellow believers, a parent couldn’t give their child any better advice, because it’s in keeping the Lord’s commandments that one prospers!
And no, I did not forget, I was just keeping the best for last. (smile) It’s Thursday, so let’s go home with a powerful, sincere and overwhelming declaration of our Thursday Blessings nuh.
As one now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Remember friends, a blessing is not a blessing until its been declared! Much LOVE!
…one can utterly rely on the promises of God…for they are never broken…
27 Jul 2016
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: an inheritance, at heart, awesome words, be anxious, be strong, close communication, dread, encouragement, faithful, fear, fear not, fellowshipping, for our benefit, forgiven, frail, fret, go adrift from God's will, God is faithful, He will not fail, I am halfway home, I'm not looking back, in all your ways acknowledge Him, Israelites, Joshua, joyfully declare, lean not unto thine own understanding, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms, lift the spirit, meditation, Moses, moving, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, neither forsake thee, nor be afraid, of a good courage, our best interests, possession, powerful, praise, prayer, promises, reading God's Word, reneges, rough times, sins, soulful anthem, stand up and be counted, Thank You Lord, the breath of life, the eternal God is our refuge, the everlasting arms, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God goes before you, the middle of the workweek, to a glorious future with Jesus, to stand before thee, trials, tribulations, trust in the Lord, very courageous, Wednesday Wail, words of strength, worry, worship
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And then it was Wednesday; the middle of the workweek, when we get our second wind and then just hustle to the weekend!
Yes mih people, the universe is progressing as it should, under the plan and control of our heavenly Father, the Creator of all therein! We therefore need to understand how He works so that we don’t go adrift from His will.
And that can only be accomplished by reading His word, fellowshipping with other believers and staying in close communication with Him through prayer, meditation and worship.
Now here is a soulful anthem I heard the Hour of Power choir singing last night. It touched me so much that I had to write it down to share it with you. It’s an amalgamation of different important and interesting scriptures. Please sing it with me.
‘Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid. For the Lord your God will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. The eternal God is our refuge. And underneath are the everlasting arms. (Chorus) Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be afraid…
Trust in the Lord with all your might. And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And he will direct your paths. (Chorus)
What have I to dread, what have I to fear? Leaning on the everlasting arms. I have blessed peace with my Lord so near. Leaning on the everlasting arms. Leaning…leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning…leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms. Be strong and of a good courage…Fear not!’
Ah friends, those words of praise and worship just lift the spirit and give us encouragement to carry on!
So we’ve had worship, now let’s have prayer. (smile) And since this is Wednesday, it’s only right that we should declare our Wednesday Wail with much sincerity, enthusiasm and truth. So let’s wail!
‘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!’
Ah mih people, every week we declare that, it just touches something deep in me. I am awed and amazed at the breath of life that courses through my body. Though it sometimes seems frail, it is in fact powerful and very moving.
And when I stop looking back at the past and instead look to the glorious future that Jesus has promised those who believe in Him, the Holy Spirit just rises up in me and causes me to joyfully declare a loud and sincere ‘Thank You Lord!’
But unfortunately, not all of us react that way. Many of us are still locked in the past, in the trials and tribulations that we’ve endured, and it scares us to think about the future, because there may be more of those negative problems involved.
But friends, once we’ve trusted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, there’s no need to look back, because all our sins have been forgiven, and the Lord has promised to be with us, even through the trials and tribulations that come our way. That’s why I figured those powerful and encouraging words of Moses to the Israelites should be our Bit today.
Just listen to these awesome words nuh, my brethren.‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
Oh friends, oh friends, what awesome promises! And if you’re a believer, then one thing you’re positive of is that our God is not only great and powerful, but He’s also faithful, faithful to a fault! He NEVER reneges on a promise. So if He promises to go with us and never leave nor forsake us, then that’s exactly what He will do.
That means we don’t have to worry and fret and be anxious about anything, for even the rough times He will eventually turn to our benefit. Another great promise of His!
So my people, this Wednesday at the end of July 2016, I’m asking us all to take courage, to be strong in the might and power of our God! Remember it’s He who created the universe and all therein, so He is not exactly a weakling.
And I know that it’s not always easy to be strong and courageous in this dangerous and disgusting world, but we have to stand up and be counted if we want to survive and succeed.
Oh my fellow believers, all throughout the Good Book our magnificent God has planted words of strength and encouragement, so that we can take heart and continue undeterred under His banner. And there is none more encouraging than God’s words to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
Listen up: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance (you shall give as a possession) the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous… Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:5-6, 7a, 9)
Oh friends, in four verses, the Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous three times! In like manner He is commanding us to do the same today, because He knows what tests and trials will beset us in this life, but He also knows that He WILL have our best interests at heart and eventually work it all out for out good!
So please be strong and very courageous today my people! It will work miracles in our lives! Much LOVE!
…the wonderful promises of God…imbue and inspire His people with strength and courage…
Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 