29 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horse of a different colour, a still small voice, be prepared, being proactive, Bible, divine aid, Dr. Charles Stanley, faith, forgotten our mistakes, get enough rest, god, have good success, he will guide you into all truth, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a chicken with our heads cut off, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more than you sow and later than you sow, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, one of the realities of nature, pay for our sins sooner or later, power to solve our problems, pray and sincerely seek your face, pray without ceasing, put the word into action, ready fro whatever may come, rebellious, renew our fellowship with God, salvation, shall not depart out of thy mouth, shew you things to come, sincere meditation on God's word, sinful behaviour, speak the word, take us by surprise, the God who heals, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this book of the law, to show us the truth of Jesus, truth, turn from our evil ways, vacillating nature, when he the Spirit of truth is come, wisdom, wise guidance, you reap what you sow
John 16:13a. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
And once again Monday has graced us with its presence, as it will many more times in our long lives. It’s just one of the realities of nature; day will change to night some seven times … and bother it all, Monday will appear again. (smile) So, since we know it’s going to keep cropping up every seven days, we ought to be prepared for it.
But because of our vacillating nature, and our penchant for overdoing the weekend festivities, Monday seems to take us by surprise, thus, often we’re not ready for it and we get miserable and frustrated by our lack of preparation. And all being prepared means is ‘being proactive and taking steps to ensure that you are ready for whatever may come your way.’
And if we know that Monday is coming, then hopefully on Sunday, we go to church and renew our fellowship with God and other believers, then we stop partying in time for us to get enough rest and get all of our stuff ready for the next morning, so that there will be no need to rush and get angry over the lack of preparation. But knowing what’s right and doing it, are two entirely different things.
So, because of our proud and rebellious nature, plus the deceitful egging on of the devil, we end up foolishly believing that we can handle it all in the morning. But when the morning arrives and we get up late and tired and have to rush around like a chicken with our heads cut off, then it’s a horse of a different colour. And we berate ourselves for not getting enough rest, and not having our things in order, and promise ourselves to do better in future.
However, by the time the next weekend rolls around, we’ve conveniently forgotten our mistake(s) of the previous week and simply do it again, allowing it to become a frustrating cycle. And how do we break that cycle? First, by not listening to the father of lies, the devil, when he sneaks into our subconscious and encourages us to do stuff that we know is obviously wrong. Then we get on the positive track and do what is right by listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus promised the disciples: ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you.’ (John 16:13-14)
Yes friends, that’s one of the major purposes of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life; to show us the truth of Jesus, so we can repel the lies of Satan. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t happen automatically. We also have a role to play in the proceedings; that’s to attune our hearts and souls to the working of the Holy Spirit, by listening to His still small voice, and paying close attention to the circumstances He creates or changes in our lives.
But that calls for continual prayer, or as Bruh Paul says, ‘Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17) Then sincere meditation on God’s Word, and finally, putting the Word into action in our lives, with help of the Holy Spirit. And all of that ties in quite nicely with what the Lord told Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) 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) It’s not rocket science friends, just good, ole, diligent work: study the Word, speak it and put it into action.
That’s the basic formula for godly success. But too many of us supposed believers find that too hard to do, and thus resist the prodding of the Holy Spirit, while listening to lying voice of Satan, encouraging us to do the easy thing, to give into our carnal lusts and desires. And carnal lusts and desires can be indeed nice for a period of time, but please, let’s remember that all our actions have consequences, either bad or good, and there comes a time when that rebellious and sinful behaviour must be paid for.
And no, we won’t like the steep payment required, for as the Maytag repair man famously said: ‘You can pay me now or pay me later, but later will be more expensive.’ That’s why we ought to consider the consequences of our actions before we commit them. And the easiest way to do that, is as the late departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’
Yes my fellow saints, our major aspiration should be simply obeying God, for if we do that, then He will take care of all of the consequences. And for help to do just that, lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether: ‘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.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 friends, the long and short of the story is, only if we turn from our evil ways, with humility, prayer and sincerely seeking God, will divine aid be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…you reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glowing example of faithfulness, abundant in goodness and truth, all men have not faith, do Jesus' work, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, faithfulness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, Glory to God for his faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, he is faithful and just, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, He is faithful that promised, hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, humble ourselves, humble servants, if we confess our sins, in thy light we shall see light, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and for ever, keep you from evil, longsuffering, LOVE, make a living, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, pray and sincerely seek your face, put our noses to the grindstone, steadfast love and faithfulness, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the Lord God merciful and gracious, the Lord is faithful, the Lord shall establish you, the undeserving children of men, thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds, truth, turning from our evil ways, unfavourable weather conditions, with thee is the fountain of life
2 Thessalonians 3:3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one).
Oh brother, what a cold, wet, windy, snowy, dreary weekend we’ve had! But thankfully, we won’t have to go out to work today under those same unfavourable conditions. (smile) The day has turned out to be dry with a touch of cloudy sunshine. (smile) Just having to get up and go out to work after a couple of restful, comfortable days is bad enough, but having to do it in such nasty conditions certainly doesn’t enamour us to it. Anyway, the important thing is we’ve got to make a living, as well as do Jesus’ work, so please, let’s get out there, enamoured or not, bad weather or not, and put our noses to the grindstone, knowing full well that Jesus will enable us to do anything He desires of us!
Glory to God for His faithfulness to the undeserving children of men! And there are so many scripture verses that talk about God’s faithfulness to mankind that we can go on for days on end and never completely finish them. (smile). But let’s check out a few anyway to remind us of His ever-faithful attribute. And the first scripture is a most appropriate one, where the Lord passes before Moses on Mt. Zion when He gave Him the two stone tablets bearing the Ten Commandments.
The Good Library says: ‘And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him (Moses) there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (steadfast LOVE and faithfulness). Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.’ (Ex. 34:6-7)
Yes friends, that was the Lord blowing His own trumpet. But who knows better than Him, what He’s about eh? Nobody! Meanwhile Hebrews 10:23, encourages us: ‘’Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)’ And that’s the gospel truth as Hebrews 13:8 reminds us: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.’ Our Lord and Saviour does not change. If He was faithful yesterday, then He’s always going to be faithful!
Then Bruh David puts it this way in Psalm 36. ‘Thy mercy (LOVING-kindness), O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains (the mountain of God); thy judgements are a great deep (ocean): O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent (precious) is thy LOVING-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness (fulness) of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see thy light.’ (Ps. 36:5-9)
Oh, what wonderful and true sentiments of our most excellent God! And if those verses don’t convince you that our God is ever-faithful, then try these from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, where he expatiates (elaborates) with full confidence. ‘This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3:21-23) Oh my people, truer words were ever spoken, for if it wasn’t for the Lord’s faithfulness and LOVING-kindness, we’d be consumed long ago!
And Bruh Paul said it thus in his second letter to the Thessalonians. ‘Finally brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course (run, rein), and be glorified, even as it is with you. And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil (the evil one). And we have confidence in the Lord touching (concerning) you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts unto the LOVE of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ (patience of Christ.)’ (2 Thess. 3:1-5)
And we’ll close with these words of John on the subject, from his first epistle. ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.’ (1 John 1:8-10) There again friends, the Lord is faithful to do what He’s promised; that’s forgive us of our sins, if we sincerely confess and try to turn away from them!
Now, those verses we’ve quoted are only a few verses on the faithfulness of our God, and if they don’t convince you of the Lord’s faithfulness, then I don’t know what will. But believe me, there are many more scriptures on the subject that you can check out, and I’m sure before you’ve exhausted them all, you will believe, (smile) Now, let’s allow our Monday Morning Battle Hymn to take us to the throne of grace, as we seek divine help in these desperate times of need.
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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 if we truly expect to see divine help, then we need to get the ball rolling by turning from our evil ways. No divine help will come until that matter is sincerely addressed! Much LOVE!
…faithfulness…one of God’s great, unchanging attributes…and also a must for true believers…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: blowing away the heather, breathed the breath of life, faith, free choice, friendship with the world is enmity with God, giveth grace to the humble, he shall lift you up, heavenly light, holy spirit, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is our everything, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, nothing without Jesus, on the cross at Calvary, pray and sincerely seek your face, reconciled back to the Father, resist the devil and he will flee from you, sacrificed His sinless life, salty flavour, submit yourselves to God, the earth is the Lord's, the God who heals, the good shepherd, the grim reaper, the Lord giveth thee power to get wealth, the way the truth and the life, truth, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing
James 4:10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
And we’ve been blessed with a bright sunny Monday to begin our new work week, with double digit temperatures! Please give the Lord some thanks and praise for it, because it could have easily been rain and snow instead! (smile) Ah friends, I do hope that we’re out there blowing away the heathen with our superb salty flavour and blinding them with our heavenly light, so that they can know we’re not just ordinary people, but sincere followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the One who sacrificed His sinless life on the cross at Calvary so that our sin debt could be paid in full, and we could thus be reconciled back to our heavenly father. Glory be!
What a wonderful Lord and Saviour is our Jesus! He is the shepherd of our souls: He said it Himself: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep….I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:11, 14) And not only is Jesus our good shepherd, but He’s also the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through him! (John 14:6) Wow! Jesus has the best way for us to live this earthly life! In other words, He’s our EVERYTHING! And we are NOTHING without Him!
Listen as He tells it loud and clear: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
Mama Mia! What a powerful, all-encompassing statement! Without Jesus we can’t do much of anything. And that’s the gospel truth, for the universe and all there is belongs to Him, He created it, for His pleasure. Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2)
And likewise friends, the Lord created us in His own spiritual image to honour and glorify Him. He breathed the breath of life into each human being He created and can just as summarily take it away. And we had better learn to respect that li’l piece of info, for it’s why, when the Grim Reaper appears to take us home, we are helpless to say no.
Furthermore, since the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord, that means it’s also the Lord who allows us to get wealth and live the good and comfortable life. As Moses reminded the Hebrew children so long ago on their way to the Promised Land. ‘But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.’ (Deut. 8:18) In fact my faithful brethren it’s the Lord who gives us power to get or do anything whatsoever! And physical wealth and abundance is one of God’s great blessings for those who are obedient and follow His divine will.
And since God did not want us to be merely robots, He gave us what we call free choice; the ability to do as we please. However, that free choice does come with serious repercussions if we don’t do His will. He gave us the free choice expecting that we’d be wise enough to use it follow Him not the evil Satan, like so many of us are doing. And that’s why the sin and evil in this world are eating us up and spitting us out like wood chips from a wood factory. We cannot control the evildoers and their evil deeds by our own efforts. No, we need the health and strength and the complete wherewithal of Christ Jesus to do it.
And it’s not always easy to fight off the devil, but as James says it begins thus: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) Now that right there says it all friends. We need to humble ourselves in God’s sight, not behave proud and arrogant and like we have no need for Him.
As James says earlier on: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will (wants) to be a friend of the world, is (makes himself) the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy (yearns jealously)? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:4-6)
Oh my people, once upon a time we were complete enemies of God, but when the time was right He sent Jesus to die for us so that we could become His children once again. Now we have the choice, the option of being a child of God or one of Satan. It only makes complete sense to choose the best option, that of being a son of God, for the other option only leads to hellfire and damnation. But that calls for humbling ourselves before Him. So let’s do that right now nuh, approach the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, asking for divine help.
Altogether now: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 if we’ve truly learned our lesson, then we’ll turn from our evil ways and humble ourselves before Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…the Lord hates the haughty…they are an abomination unto Him… (Prov. 6:17)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
02 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a banner year for peace and love, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, changes or raiment, climate change, enjoy the good weather, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, for reproof, for the good of the land of Egypt is yours, fulfill Christ's demands, gave them provision for the way, governor over all the land of Egypt, he believed them not, humble servants, I will go and see him before I die, It is enough, Jacob's heart fainted, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Joseph my son is yet alive, later than we sow, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more than we sow, pray and sincerely seek your face, profitable for doctrine, see that ye fall not out by the way, sinned and disobeyed your Word, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the Bible is the inerrant infallible Word of God, the Bible is the Instruction Manual for Living, the body of Christ, the church is not involved enough, the God who heals, the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, to help society in times of need, we reap what we sow, when we don't hear we feel
Genesis 45:26b. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.
Oh my people, I don’t know what’s happening nuh, but it’s forecasted to be warm and sunny all week, with temps in the low to mid-twenties! Wow! And this in the first week of October to booth! I must say I like this climate change business yes! (smile) But the trees have not been fooled, they’re still cautiously changing the colours of their leaves and preparing for the frosty season, because they know that when it comes, as come it must, it will come without any warning. Anyway, let’s say thanks to our God and enjoy the good weather while it lasts.
Now, let’s see what’s happening in that enlightening and oh so teachable story of Bruh Joseph. When last we saw him, he’d revealed his identity to his brothers, and all of Pharaoh’s house knew that his brothers had come to him. And strangely enough, this pleased Pharoah and his household so much that Pharaoh commanded Bruh Joseph to give his brothers wagons and food to bring down their father and families to Egypt. ‘…for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ Yes my brethren, when the Lord is working on your behalf, you don’t get favour and goodness in small amounts, but He causes even your enemies to like you and bestow their abundance on you!
Thus, the Bible reports: ‘And the children of Israel (Jacob) did so: and Joseph gave them wagons (carts), according to the commandment of Pharoah, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment (clothing); but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses (donkeys) laden (loaded) with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses (donkeys) laden with corn (grain) and bread and meat (food) for his father by (for) the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out (meet with calamity) by (along) the way.’ (Gen. 45:21-24)
Ah friends, that is the way families should treat each other. In fact, that is the way all Christians, all believers in Christ Jesus should treat each other; be generous with whatever we have to those in need. Unfortunately though, these are greedy and selfish times, and even supposed believers are not being as generous as they can, or ought to be towards the large amount of people who are suffering from dire want. The body of Christ, the church itself is not as involved as it should be with the poor and needy. But that’s one of Jesus’ intentions behind its formation; a certain help to society in times of need. And we certainly need to improve our efforts in that area if we are to fulfill Christ’s demands.
Anyway, getting back to the story of Bruh Joseph, the Good Library tells us: ‘And they (Bruh Joseph’s brothers) went up out of Egypt, and into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.’ (Gen. 45:25-26) They were lucky he didn’t just drop dead on them with the surprise of such news. His favourite son, missing and thought dead for twenty years, is still alive and governor of the most prosperous and powerful land on the planet! Brother! That was more than enough to jolt the heart of an old man.
But that was not in God’s script. (smile) So Jacob simply felt faint with the amazing news. ‘And (in his disbelief), they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he (Jacob) saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel (Jacob) said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.’ (Gen. 45:27-28)
And all yuh still thing our God isn’t a great dramatist? No sir! He is the best! For His Word, from Genesis to Revelation, the sixty-six books are filled with all sorts of drama: good, bad and indifferent! So why don’t we pay more attention to God’s Word then eh? Nothing that man has ever written on his own can even come close to the drama filled words of the Bible, which is the infallible and inerrant Word of God written for man’s benefit through the intercession of the Holy Spirit.
For as Bruh Paul writes to Timothy, describing the unique character of Scripture: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (what to believe), for reproof (what is wrong), for correction (how to correct wrong), for instruction in righteousness (how to live): That the man of God may be perfect (proficient, capable), thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works (having all he needs to do what God wants).’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Yes my fellow saints, the Bible is our Instruction Manual for life down here on Mother Earth! And if we don’t follow its directions, we will pay the price, the consequences for disobedience, sooner or later. For as Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) used to say: ‘we reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow.’ And that’s the gospel truth! In one form or another, our misdeeds do not go unpunished. And a good example of that is how the evil deeds of Bruh Joseph’s brothers came back to haunt them long after the fact.
So please, I plead with us, especially in these very evil and ungodly times, let’s read and study that heavenly written Information Manual and put it into sincere and serious actions in our lives nuh, so that we don’t have to pay serious consequences later on. And the first step in that direction is going to the throne of grace in sincere and humble prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and asking for divine help in time of earthly need.
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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 before the Lord will keep His promise, we have to keep ours; turn from our evil ways and sincerely seek His face! That’s the ONLY WAY to enlist divine help! Much LOVE!
…our God is good and forgiving…but like a good parent…He doesn’t put with continual disobedience from His people…when we don’t hear…we feel…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
31 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, doth our law judge any man before we hear him, eternal life, every one that is born of the Spirit, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, how nay ways do I love thee Monday, humble servants, improve our less than stellar attitude, Jehovah Rapha, Joseph of Arimathea, last day of July, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Nicodemus, our unpreparedness, pray and sincerely seek your face, secret disciples of Jesus, share our weekend thrills and spills, sincere repentance in our hearts, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, spiritually the strongest and most confident on Mondays, the God who heals, the throne of grace, thou art a teacher come from God, ye receive not our witness
John 3:3a. Except a man be born again (or from above) he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Monday, O Monday, how I do LOVE thee! Let me count the ways. No friends, I ‘m not losing my marbles by talking about LOVING Monday. There are several good reasons for LOVING Monday; first of all, it’s another new day on God’s great planet earth, and we’ve been chosen by the Almighty to see and enjoy it, plenty others did not get that chance, so we should be very thankful.
Then Monday is the first day of the work week, the day we’re spiritually the strongest and most confident after fellowshipping with other believers on Sunday, and therefore the day we’re most likely to do our best witnessing for Christ. And Monday is also the day we get back into the swing of things and share our weekend thrills and spills with our co-workers. So Monday is not as bad as we like to make out; it’s just our unpreparedness for it that makes us give it a bad name.
Now what does the Lord want us to talk about this last day of July 2023 eh? Yes, I did say the last day of July 2023! Can you imagine it? July’s done and over with, which means that the summer’s drawing to a close, with only August left to navigate, then the cold weather is back with us. And I don’t care what anybody says, this year has certainly gone by a lot quicker than the last few have done! (smile)
And it seems like the Lord wants us to talk about the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus, because that’s where the Good Library just opened unto. And what was that all about eh? John wrote in his gospel: ‘There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles (signs) that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again (or from above) he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:1-3)
Now let’s stop there for a moment and consider the implications of what we’ve just read. First of all, the scholars tell us that ‘Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, probably because he was afraid of the repercussions from his fellow Pharisees, who didn’t believe in Jesus. Then, Nicodemus accepted Jesus as a teacher and a rabbi from God who worked miracles, but Jesus was not impressed with the depth of Nicodemus’ belief or understanding. Many unbelievers still agree that Jesus was a “great man,” and not the Son of God.’
And re Jesus’ statement of being born again, they say ‘it may be translated either “again” or “from above.” And perhaps both ideas should be combined here, to indicate the repetition of an act from another source. Only John uses this expression in the Gospels. This concept of the New Birth includes these implications: (1) It undercuts Jewish dependence on being sons of Abraham (cf. 8:39). (2) It reveals there must be a work of God “from above,” since the Jews considered children (new births) to be God’s blessing. (3) It teaches the necessity of a new beginning.’
And since Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about, he questioned: ‘How can a man be born again when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth (wishes), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but cannot tell whence it cometh, and wither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’ (John 3:4:8)
Yes friends, we must all be born of the Spirit, have a spiritual rebirth before we can enter God’s kingdom, and the Spirit is like the wind; you can’t tell where it’s coming from or going to, but you know it’s there. Now, poor Nicodemus was even more confused. Thus, he answered and said unto Jesus. ‘How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master (teacher) of Israel, and knoweth not these things. Verily, verily I say unto thee, We speak that (what) we do know, and testify that (what) we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.’ (John 3:9:11)
And unfortunately, the very same thing is still happening today; so many people are refusing to believe Jesus’ witness, and that’s why our world is in such and evil and ungodly mess. But there is hope for us yet, if we do like Nicodemus and sincerely listen to and accept Jesus. And I like how the scholars check up on Nicodemus’ conversion. They say, he was a member of the ruling Jewish group, the Sanhedrin, like Joseph of Arimathea, and both appeared to be secret disciples of Jesus.
And they point out that Nicodemus is mentioned three times in the New Testament, all in John’s gospel. In these three passages, John seems to focus on the progression of Nicodemus’ spiritual life. In chapter 3, that we just looked at, he comes to Jesus without any change evident in his life. In John 7:50 a change is observable in that he defends Jesus against the charge of the Sanhedrin. ‘Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them.) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?’ (John 7:50-51) Then at the Crucifixion, both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea boldly and publicly stand as disciples of Jesus (John 19:38-39)
Now that’s how we ought to be my brethren, standing up boldly and publicly for Jesus, if we consider ourselves His followers, not the wishy washy, fearful, doh care attitude that so many of us adopt. And now, to help us improve our less than stellar attitude, let’s go the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and lay our cares and anxieties before the Lord.
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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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 if we truly want the Lord’s help, then we need to do our part to deserve it. Much LOVE!
… being born again of water and the Spirit….is essential for experiencing eternal life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Sep 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all things work together for good, be careful for nothing, bring all things to your remembrance, called according to His purpose, he may abide with you forever, He shall give you another Comforter, humble servants, I will pray the Father, in everything by prayer and supplication, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus is your umber One, let not your heart be troubled, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, neither let it be afraid, not as the world gives, Peace i leave with you, pray and sincerely seek your face, Scrip-Bit friends and families, teach you all things, the God who heals, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the Spirit of truth, times of trials and tribulations, with thanksgiving
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever.
Well, a good Monday morning to you, my Scrip-Bits friends and family! Hope all is well in your world at the beginning of this new work week. And if by chance, things aren’t so great, then I sincerely hope that you have the Holy Spirit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ standing in the forefront endeavouring to straighten them out, because that’s one of His many jobs.
Oh my people, it’s so wonderful to know that even in times of trials and tribulations, when we are living for Jesus, we can have peace and comfort in them. Why is that eh? As Jesus so compassionately told the disciples: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15:18)
Yes friends, that’s the kind of caring and compassionate person our Jesus is! He knew that after He left earth the disciples and His many other followers would be desperate and lonely for guidance, teaching and comfort, so He went about making arrangements for another helper like Himself, this time the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity to eventually dwell in all believers. And the great benefit of the Holy Spirit was it being a spiritual being, not flesh and blood as Jesus was, it could do what He couldn’t do, namely, be in more than one person or place at the same time.
And Jesus continued explaining the situation to them: ‘These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter (Helper), which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:25-26) That’s called making sincere and good preparations for your LOVED ones after you’ve gone home. (smile) So that even though Jesus wouldn’t be there in the flesh, His Spirit would replace Him, and remind His followers of the things He had taught them, as well as lead, guide and comfort them in their tough life’s journey, facing persecution for His name’s sake.
Now how can you get a better deal than that eh? You just can’t! And we all know the marvellous promise that came after that. ‘Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
And yes, that is much easier said than done, but the longer you stick with Jesus, the more experience you have with the truth of His words and promises, the easier it becomes for you to have peace and quiet in times of adversity. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have problems, and possibly even more than you had before accepting Him as Lord and Saviour, as you are tested by both the Lord and the evil one. However, as you come to truly believe in the scripture that says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28) Then your faith will rise up and help you find peace in the midst of difficulties.
And as Bruh Paul wisely advised the Philippians on the subject. ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7) And the long and short of all that is simply not to worry about anything.
As the scholars explain: ‘This is not a summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied with thanksgiving.’
Meanwhile, as per ‘The peace of God, that is the tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. And the “Peace” which passeth all understanding means: (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; and (2) God’s peace far surpassing one’s own understanding of the problem, and His ability to cope with and solve it.’ That peace of God shall stand guard duty over your hearts and minds, when Christ is your Lord and Saviour!
And it’s very sad that so many believers don’t have that peace in these extremely difficult and troubled times. That’s why so many of us are suffering so much heartache and fear. Possibly because our faith is not as strong as it ought to be. But remember the age-old advice; take it to God in prayer…with thanksgiving. So let’s do that right now 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!’
Now my fellow saints, let’s set our house in order, as we just promised, start truly believing, and stop worrying! Much LOVE!
…if Jesus is your number One…then you might have cause for concern…but none to worry…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
08 Aug 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lifelong process, about the Lord's business, be of good cheer I have overcome the world, beholding as in a glass, communication method of prayer, conformed to the image of his Son, fight the good fight for Jesus, from glory to glory, humble servants, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jehovah Rapha, lip service, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, positive motives, pray and sincerely seek your face, salvation is a free gift of God, shall be strong and do exploits, stay close and intimate with Christ, step up boldly to the plate, take up our cross and follow Christ, the backing of the Holy Spirit, the God who heals, the Lamb's Book of Life, the Love of Jesus transforms the weak into the strong, the people that do know their God, the weak or faint of heart, turn from our evil ways, we all with open face
Daniel 11:32b. …but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits (take action).
It’s time to hit the road friends, as we get about the Lord’s business on this Monday morning that holds so much promise if we live up to our godly potential. Yes, we’ve had ample rest, relaxation, revelation and renewal, which should make us hungry, excited, can’t wait to get into the spiritual battle out there and fight the good fight for Jesus! As the Good Book so rightly declares in Daniel. ‘And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt (pollute) by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits (take action). (Dan. 11:32)
Oh mih bredrin, that’s us he’s referring to there; ‘the people that do know their God.’ Wow! It’s exactly what we were just saying, that we can’t wait to get out into the world and fight the devil mano-a-mano on Christ’s behalf! We have all the tools to conquer the enemy, including the backing of the mighty Holy Spirit, we just have to want it badly enough. And after all that Jesus has suffered and sacrificed for us, it ought to be a no brainer for us to come up to scratch, to step up boldly and courageously to the plate and mow down the enemy in His marvellous name.
The problem though is that too many of us supposed believers are either too afraid of the enemy, or just don’t care enough about Jesus and His most worthwhile cause to sacrifice some of our time, talent, treasure and energy. But we do want to participate in the good things that His death and resurrection have made possible. And yes, when we believe on Jesus, our name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and we’ll probably go to heaven, but that’s only the beginning and end points of the story.
However, there is also a middle portion, which is what intimidates or scares most of us, because it involves us becoming Christ like, conforming to Christ’s character and godly habits and also helping others to seek salvation through Him. It’s like Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Rome. ‘For whom he (God) did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:29)
And all that means is that from the beginning of time, God decided that all those who decided to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ would go through a training period to become like Him, so we could all be the wonderful children of God, with Christ as the first born. Meanwhile, to the church at Corinth Bruh Paul wrote: ‘But we all with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (transformed) into the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18)
Oh, it’s indeed a lifelong process in which the Holy Spirit is engaged, it doesn’t happen overnight, because it involves changing our inherent sinful nature to Christ’s godly temperament. It’s not easy, and we must do things like die to the flesh, die to ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ, while giving up many of the ungodly things we did before we knew Him as Lord and Saviour.
Yes, for many of us that transition can be very difficult, but with Jesus’ help, through the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit it’s very doable. But we need to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to do it. And it does call for sacrifices, as Jesus plainly tells us in the gospel of John, when He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And so He has my fellow believers. He defeated hell, death and the grave when He died on Good Friday then rose again on Easter Sunday, trampling on the devil and his evil followers, clearing the way for us to also have salvation and eternal life. And while we are becoming transformed, we are also expected to spread the good news of Christ to others and encourage them to come to know Him too. But that’s better done by example, by the godly action they see in our lives, rather than just by our talking a good talk, which we are very adept at. (smile)
So you see friends, becoming a Christian, saying a prayer, believing it, and thereby accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour is indeed the easy part, for salvation is a free gift of God, so that none of us can boast about what we’ve done or not done. Living the life of a true believer is the difficult aspect, with all its ups and downs, pain and sorrow, and hard times that seem more than the good ones. But if we’re serious, and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we’ll do marvellously.
And why is that you ask? The answer is very simple. Because Jesus doesn’t ask you to do more than you can handle, and He also gives you the tools to do whatever He desires. All that’s left for us to do is to stay close and intimate with Him, and don’t be afraid. Yes. I know it’s all easier said than done, but the only way you’ll ever experience His warm and wonderful LOVE is by jumping right into the deep end and trusting Him to save you. (smile) After that, you’ll be completely hooked, without a doubt or a fear.
And to stay close and intimate with God, we must use the communication method of prayer that He developed for that purpose. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether now: ‘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 to get positive answers to our prayers, we must now show positive motives and true godly behaviour, not just lip service, because the Lord reads our hearts before he answers our prayers. Much LOVE!
…the Christian life is not for the weak or faint of heart…but the LOVE of Jesus…transforms the weak into the strong…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
11 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a race for salvation and eternal life, despising the shame, divine help, endured the cross, finished my course, for the joy that was set before him, heads up, him that endured such contradiction of sinners, hit the pavement running, humble servants, I have fought a good fight, is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, Jehovah Rapha, kept the faith, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, let us lay aside every weight, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no dilly dallying, not become tired or discouraged, pray and sincerely seek your face, right heart motives, run a good race for Christ, run with patience, seeing we are compassed about, so great a cloud of witnesses, take Monday by storm, the author and finisher of our faith, the God who heals, the Holy Spirit to empower us, the righteous judge, the sin which doth beset us, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, to run our race, unto all them that love his appearing, wait with eager and expectant patience
Hebrews 12:3. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged).
Heads up my people! It’s Monday, and that means no dilly dallying, we’ve got to hit the pavement running, charging into the enemy’s ranks, not foolishly, but wisely, spunky and unafraid, living out the gospel of Christ in our godly, worthwhile actions. Yes, we’ve got to take Monday by storm and let it know unequivocally that we mean business, this first day of the work week…and each and every day after that too!
Ah mih bredrin in these troubled times it is indeed necessary for us to run our race, to run a good race for Christ, one without too many hindrances. And we can only accomplish that if we follow the guidelines of the Good Book. The author of Hebrews tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (snare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us.’ (Heb. 12:1)
Yes friends, we have a whole ‘cloud of witnesses’ looking on, that’s the heroes of our faith referred to in chapter 11, and we need to do them proud; set the same kind of example that they set, living by strong faith in Christ. However, to do that successfully, we must first remove any impediments that are weighing us down, be it excessive clothing or body weight. Then get ourselves out of any entangling sin that’s holding us back and finally move forward with endurance, keep persevering, because this is a race for salvation and eternal life, one race in which we cannot quit, cannot give up.
In fact, we can’t even come second, (smile) we’ve got to win it for those who need to come to Christ. And the best way to do all of the above is like the author of Hebrews continues: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Oh my people, there could be no better example for us to follow than that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who first blazed the trail of our faith and crossed the finish line miles ahead of all the other participants. We’ve got to keep our eyes fixed steadfastly on that finish line and just keep going in the direction that He set without turning to the right nor to the left. And the next verse puts it all in true perspective. ‘For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged).’ (Heb. 12:3)
Yes faithful believers, we must remember the suffering and rejection that Jesus went through on our behalf and not become tired and/or discouraged when we face the many problems that will crop up in all of our lives. That’s just par for the course. Remember though that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to empower, lead and guide us in all righteousness, so it’s not as difficult as it would otherwise be.
And here’s the sort of situation we ought to end up in. They are Bruh Paul’s words to Timothy. He said: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that LOVE his appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
Wow! What a powerful testimony! That’s how we need to go out of this world my fellow saints; a winner in the race of life, ready to receive that crown of righteousness from our ever-faithful God! Now, all that we’ve said above is both true and wonderful, but the whole process has got to begin somewhere, and that beginning somewhere is always prayer! So, let’s go confidently to the throne of grace in prayer, outlining our current position 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!’
Now friends, we’ve got to wait with eager and expectant patience (smile) for heaven’s answer, and while doing that, keep our promises and develop right heart motives. That’s the only way we will receive positive answers. Much LOVE!
…JESUS…our champion and glowing example…in the race of life…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 May 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a prisoner of hope, a very present help in trouble, according to the multitude of his mercies, Beauty for Ashes, divine help, dogging our footsteps, God is our refuge and strength, gospel truth, grieve the children of men, he doth not afflict willingly, He will have compassion, heaven and earth shall pass away, hope springs eternal, humble ourselves, I will render double unto thee, Jehovah Rapha, keep our promises, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my words shall not pass away, pray and sincerely seek your face, repentance in our hearts, the bread of affliction, the garment of praise, the God who heals, the Lord will not cast off for ever, the oil of joy for mourning, the road to recovery, the spirit of heaviness, this too shall pass, though he cause grief, trees of righteousness, while there is life there's always hope, with the Lord's help
Lamentations 3:31. For the Lord will not cast off for ever.
Oh my people, it’s been a somewhat rough beginning to the Monday morning. For the last four or five days I’ve been plagued with some stomach problems, that’s why the Bit has been so late. It seems that if the stomach is not working properly, the mind won’t function well either. (smile) And thankfully, we are on the road to recovery…we hope. And the Lord in His great care and concern has just caused the duchess to bring me some porridge and dry toast to assist in alleviating the problem. Ah friends, between the both of them I certainly can’t go wrong. (smile)
And that’s why, when the Good Book opened just now on this awesome scripture of promise, I simply had to use it. It comes from that awesome Chapter 3 of Jeremiah’s Lamentations, when he was undergoing some persecution and difficulties as he tried to do God’s work. However, despite his problems, at one stage he earnestly claimed: ‘For the Lord will not cast off for ever. 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.’ (Lam. 3:31-34)
Yes, my faithful brethren, though our God might sometimes allow us to be smitten with the bread of affliction, He will never cast us off forever. Because that’s just not His nature, not His style; He’s a genuinely merciful, forgiving, caring and compassionate God. That’s who He is! And, if like me, today you are embroiled in some kind of difficulty that you can’t fix, or doesn’t seem to want to go away, then please do like me too and have hope, be a ‘prisoner of hope,’ turn to the Lord and sincerely ask for His help, for as the sons of Korah truthfully declare in Psalm 46: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ (Ps. 46:1)
And that’s the gospel truth my people! Our God is indeed an abundantly available help in time of trouble. And though He might not deliver us immediately, or the way we desire, He will help us get through whatever is dogging our footsteps. Don’t worry, I need to believe that too because this stomach problem is certainly painful and annoying, like a li’l mouse just gnawing away at my insides. But it’s also very distracting, not allowing me to concentrate properly on the things I seek to do. Anyway, with the Lord’s help, I know that it will eventually pass, and I will return to normal…it’s just taking so long though. (smile)
That’s why we say, and believe, that this too shall pass. Jesus reminds us that ‘Heaven and earth, shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ (Matt. 24:35) And when we believe that, we gain the strength to understand and accept that our problems, though real and difficult, will not last forever. As one contributing writer to the website, ibelieve.com, Debbie McDaniel writes in an article on the subject. ‘The great news is this: God never leaves us to fend for ourselves in difficult times. He promises to be with us in all that we face, and His whole heart encompasses our pain, surrounds us in peace, and gives us incredible hope and grace to keep pressing through.’
Now that ought to reassure us and make us an even bigger prisoner of hope in God! And for those of us who are not familiar with the scripture about the prisoner of hope, it comes from the prophet Zechariah’s prophecy about Zion’s future king coming to bring peace and salvation: ‘lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’ (Zech. 9:9) And we know that prophecy was fulfilled on Palm Sunday when Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the sign of peace when kings entered a territory.
Then to encourage his listeners, Zechariah later said: ‘Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render (restore) double unto thee.’ (Zech. 9:12) Yes friends, our stronghold is the Lord God Jehovah, and if we will become a prisoner of hope in Him today, that is, remain hopeful despite our less than favourable circumstances, in due course He will give us double for our trouble. Like Isaiah said of the Lord in his good tidings of salvation. ‘…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.’ (Is. 61:3)
Oh my fellow saints, our very existence is all about the glorification and honour of our great God, and until we truly appreciate that fact and let it guide our lives, we will not enjoy the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And to help us come to that awesome realization, let’s approach the throne of grace in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, letting heaven know of our needs and desires.
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!’
Now, let’s remember, that if we hope to receive positive answers to our supplications, then we need to keep the promises that we’ve made. Much LOVE!
…hope springs eternal…and while there is life…there’s ALWAYS hope…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a little folding of the hands to sleep, a little slumber, all grown over with thorns, as one that traveleth, ashamed and repentant, become lax lazy and complacent, caught flat-footed, confident in God's great mercy, diligently goes about his business, Family Day Holiday, get up off of our fat fannies, glory to God, how long wilt thou sleep O sluggard, humble servants, I looked upon it and received instruction, I saw and considered it well, Jehovah Rapha, live sincerely for God, LOVE, mass confusion, nettles covered the face thereof, positive answers to prayer, pray, pray and sincerely seek your face, prepare for unpredictable situations, sinned and disobeyed your Word, small surrenders lead to great disasters, so shall thy poverty come, strong faith in Christ, suffering from negative situations, the ant is a self-starter, the ant with no leader, the barrage of unexpected problems, the field of the slothful, the God who heals, the motives of our hearts, the salt and light of the earth, the stone wall was broken down, the vineyard of the man void of understanding, thy want as an armed man, turn from our evil ways, when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep, wise guidance, yet a little sleep
Proverbs 6:9. How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy) O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Well, this Family Day holiday in Ontario is a somewhat damp and cloudy Monday morning, but the sun seems to be fighting through the clouds so its glorious sunshine can prevail! Glory to God!
And you know that’s exactly what we supposed believers in Christ ought to be doing; fighting through all the sin, the evil, the darkness and ungodliness of this world in His holy name! But unfortunately, too many of us have become lax, lazy and complacent, while enjoying the amenities that the world has to offer, and thus have been caught flat-footed and unprepared when the barrage of unexpected problems recently descended on us.
So we’re afraid…and anxious…and don’t know what to do. But nothing has changed friends, we’re still supposed to do what we know is right to do: that’s get up off of our fat fannies, pray and live sincerely for God! And Cousin Sol puts forth the correct question for us today after showing us the magnificent work ethic of the ant, who has no leader or overseer to force him to work, but nonetheless, diligently goes about his business. In other words, the ant is a self-starter. He is wise enough to prepare for predictable situations. (Prov. 6:6-8)
Cousin Sol asks this poignant question: ‘How long wilt thou sleep (lie down, be lazy) O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?’ (Prov. 6:9) Now that’s a question that many of us need to answer right away by getting up and doing God’s work, for if we had been doing it, had been the salt and light of the earth like Christ desires of us, our world would never have fallen into such a sad state of disrepair and disrepute.
And like the lazy and sleepy sluggard, our just deserts will fall on us, in fact, they have already fallen on us. Like Cousin Sol says: ‘Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (a prowler), and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 6:10-11) Yes my brethren, as the scholars tell us: ‘The result of such laziness is dire poverty, which will come as suddenly and decisively as a robber.’
And yuh better believe that the Covid 19 pandemic, the worldwide strife, the race and religious problems and the many natural disasters of the last couple of years have indeed come upon us without our ever seeing them, much less being prepared for them. And later on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol mentions an interesting fact that ties in quite nicely with what we are talking about.
He solemnly declares in chapter 24: ‘I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face (surface) thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep (rest): So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth (a prowler); and thy want (need) as an armed man.’ (Prov. 24:30-34)
Oh friends, you noticed that Cousin Sol learned from the mistakes of the slothful man. And what did he learn? According to the scholars, he learned that ‘The slothful is too lazy to keep thorns and nettles out of his vineyard or to keep his stone wall repaired (vs.31). His laziness is further exhibited in sleeping late when he should be working (vs.33). Therefore, his poverty will come as one that traveleth: that is, a bandit or a vagabond. Small surrenders lead to great disasters.’
Now what wise words those are my fellow saints: ‘small surrenders lead to great disasters.’ It’s the gospel truth! It’s the li’l things in life that we despise and don’t do that ofttimes cause us a whale of a problem. And we are experiencing that in spades right now, with all the various problems howling around us and we don’t know how to solve them. However, if we had been paying attention all along, living the way Christ desires us to live, those many problems would not have caught us off guard, they might not have even seen the light of day.
But sadly they have, so now we have to wake up from our slothful slumber and try to fix them as best we can. However the problems have gotten so deep and involved, that now we can only fix them with God’s divine help. So as the wise people we are (smile), let’s go to God, ashamed and repentant, but confident in His great mercy, and sincerely ask for His omnipotent help.
Altogether now: ‘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 doesn’t only listen to the words we speak, but more importantly checks out the motives of our hearts, to see if our words are truly sincere. And we all know what that means! Much LOVE!
…no right motives in hearts…no positive answers to prayer…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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