The Grave Importance of Christians having Right Motives when Communicating with God!

30 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 15:8.        This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.

Okay, so today has again opened somewhat sunny with a cloud shadow, but it’s our lazy-day Saturday, so we don’t really care. (smile) We’re not planning on going anywhere, and possibly not doing anything either, for that’s the purpose of the early part of this day. And yes, celebrations for the long, Labour Day weekend will come later, but right now it’s time to just relax, let the world go by, while God comes into our hearts, through our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

So, as one strong and sincere voice, let’s offer up this heartfelt prayer to our heavenly Father. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And as we keep reminding ourselves, if our prayer was sincerely heartfelt, then the Lord who judges the motives of our hearts and not only what comes out of our mouths, will soon join us in a moment of greater intimacy, of peace and calm, for intimacy is what He most desires with His human creation. In fact that’s one of the very reasons He created us. So when we sincerely seek it, He cannot refuse to grant it. 

Now, that matter of lip service to God is a very huge one, that’s why He checks the motives of our hearts, before considering our prayers, and it’s a problem that’s been noted several times in the Bible. Let’s check out a few of them nuh, beginning with this scripture from Psalm 78, as Asaph, the writer talks about one occasion when the Israelites having received godly  punishment for disobedience, returned to the Lord. 

‘And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right (steadfast) with him, neither were they steadfast (faithful) in his covenant.’  (Ps. 78:35-37) 

Ah mih people, when we see the foolish disobedience that Israel constantly displayed and the many times that they were punished for it, it ought to give us great cause for thought, because all those things were written in the Bible as examples for us. But we are obviously not paying attention to that, because we have also rebelled against Almighty God in these times of much lawlessness and ungodliness. We’re possibly even worse that the Israelites because we have invented so much more evil than they ever knew about. 

And yet we don’t think or expect to be punished for our rebelliousness. That’s fools wisdom my brethren, for the Lord will eventually punish all who disobey Him. That’s a promise. And you know He never reneges on His promises be they good or bad. Let’s hope and pray that we learn to honour God with not only our lips but also with our hearts before it’s too late. Now, here is a second mention of people worshipping God with insincere hearts. This comes from the prophet Isaiah, as he talks about the marvellous work the Lord will do for the Israelites. 

‘Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men. Therefore, behold, I will (again) proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. 

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down  shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay (you have turned things around! Shall the potter be esteemed like the clay): for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed (formed) say of him that framed (formed) it, He had no understanding?’ (Is. 29:13-16) 

But yuh know what friends, that’s exactly how we are behaving – like the Lord didn’t make us, and He has no understanding of men’s affairs, which is totally untrue, and only works to our detriment. And all of that leads us to Jesus admonishing the Pharisees using Isaiah’s words when they complained about the disciples eating with unwashed hands. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:7-9) 

And unless we’re blind, we can see that happening all over our world today, where people are showing outward devotion with their words, but their actions show a lack of genuine faith and devotion in their hearts, for their worship is based on human rules, the doctrines of men, laid down in the tenets of religion, which are being taught as the commandments of God. And that’s what religion does, inculcate the traditions of men into the Word of God, that eventually the Word itself gets lost in the overabundance of tradition. 

That’s why it’s so important for individual believers to read and know the word, so that they can refute the doctrines of the many false teachers and pseudo-intellectuals who are leading people astray in these ungodly and uncertain times. That’s why Bruh Paul warned Timothy thus: ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly (clearly), that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing (deceiving) spirits, and doctrines of devils:’ (1 Tim. 4:1) 

And the scholars explain ‘depart as apostasy, which is the deliberate and permanent rejection of Christianity after a previous profession of faith in it.’  And we see that all around us today, where people are leaving the faith, having listened to false teachers, and doctrines of devils (doctrines taught by demons) evil spiritual beings working on Satan’s behalf. And as the scholars further say, ‘Underestimating their immense power would be a grave mistake. Christians who believe they can “wrestle” with demons without using “the whole armour of God are seriously deluded.’ 

So, let’s end today remembering that we cannot run nor hide from our Creator, for He knows and sees everything that we think or believe, therefore our words must be sincere and heartfelt. We must also be careful about what and whom we listen to, for there’s a whole lot of falsehood and deception out there in today’s ungodly world, that means knowing the Word and being continually dressed in the whole armour of the Lord! Much LOVE!

…our motives must be right with God…if we expect to receive answered prayer…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Backing Up their Faith with Good Works!

16 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

James 2:17.       Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

So it’s Thursday, and another week is almost done! It sure knocks me for six, how quickly the days pass by and therefore the weeks, but I guess that’s a sign for us to get real serious about the God we claim to LOVE and worship and begin doing the things He truly desires of us, and not just paying Him and His Word lip service, like so many of us supposed Christians do. 

And I bring up the same ole reason; if we were living a truly Christian life, our world would not be so filled with strife, anger, resentment and hatred as it is, and our children would not be mired in the current ungodliness that threatens them like an angry storm cloud just waiting to burst forth on their young and innocent heads. It’s as simple as that. If Christians talked less and did more, we’d have a much better and calmer world. 

James, Jesus’ brother said it very clearly in his epistle. ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.’ (James 2:14-17) 

And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! We can talk all the faith we want, if we don’t translate some of it into works, out faith is useless. Remember, Jesus came down here to work, to give His sinless life as a ransom for our abominable ones, and He didn’t accomplish that by simply sitting on his laurels like so many of us want to do. 

No! He worked His tail off, and we’re supposed to do the same thing. Jesus explained it thus: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And how do you think you save the world, by sitting on your fat, comfortable fannies? No! You get up and work, do the work you promised to do! 

Remember the vow we took when we became disciples of Jesus, what we agreed to do? Let’s revisit it, so that we can all be clear on it. Jesus said it quite clearly: ‘If any man will come after me (desires to follow me), let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) Remember that friends? 

And can I ask a most appropriate question on that subject: when last have any of us truly denied ourselves eh? Let’s stop for a moment and ponder that. Very likely, not lately, because we’re all too concerned with what we can get for ourselves to be concerned about giving up anything for someone else. And what about the other part of the vow; that of taking up our crosses daily and following Jesus? There too we have been tried and sadly found wanting. 

The sad fact is that too many of us are behaving like the heathen, like the world desires and expects, instead of like Jesus desires and expects. What else can we expect then but strife, chaos and disaster, which is all the heathen knows, instead of the godly calm and peace of Christ, which passes all human understanding. Now that’s what He desires us to bring to the world, not fall into line with the world. 

We are expected to be agents of change, and change never comes easily. It almost always requires sacrifice and hard work, things that so many of us supposed believers despise and don’t want to engage in. But how else will we leave a world that is somewhat decent for our children’s children eh my people? Only by stepping up to the plate RIGHT NOW, before it’s too late and doing like Jesus asked us to do, and we promised to do; that’s initiate and keep promoting the Great Commission until He returns. 

How can we forget these illustrious words eh? ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:18-20) 

Oh my fellow saints, are we following those expectations of Jesus? Possibly to a small extent, but certainly not to the extent that it will make a positive and productive change and reawaken godly influence in our world. Only we believers can do it. And if we don’t, as you can see, our world keeps getting more ungodly, evil and strife filled every day! 

All I can do is plead with us, exhort us in the name of Jesus, to get up and begin behaving the way we ought to; adding works to our faith, being the true salt of the earth and light of the world, so that the heathen can see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father. And I know that in this evil world that might be somewhat difficult to do, but in and with Christ, anything is possible, and He’s given us all the tools to do His earthly work, amongst which, is what we call our Thursday Blessings. 

So let’s declare (steups!!!) and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…it’s pointless talking about faith…if we’re not using it for the good of others…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien