22 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a disciplined mind, a strong will, a very present help in trouble, abundance, all these things shall be added unto you, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, an abundantly available help, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, be brave, be strong, be strong in the Lord, bear our sins on His sinless shoulders, but of power love and a sound mind, Christians think too much about tomorrow, come to know and love christ like we do, come unto me, curse, divine protection, enough to drive a body crazy, faith, favour, find rest unto your souls, gentle and humble, give us this day our daily bread, go out and use those blessings, God has not given us the spirit of fear, God is our refuge and strength, grace for trials, help from above, holy spirit, I am meek and lowly in heart, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I will give you rest, in the name of Jesus, in the power of his might, Jesus Christ, Jesus loved us enough to die for us, Jesus walked the walk, learn of me, light for the way, living in the northern climes, LOVE, manna, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, not enough about today, promotion, quit you like men, rely on God's provision for our daily needs, rest amid labour, run and not be weary, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, snow, stand fast in the faith, strength for the day, success, supernatural strength, take my yoke upon you, take one day at a time, taking the Great Invitation to heart, talent, the cross of Calvary, the great invitation, the joy of the Lord is your strength, The Promises and Non-Promises of God, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, truth, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, walk and not faint, watch ye
Matthew 6:11. Give us this day our daily bread.
Oh brother! Am I ever tired of this snow already. We had snow yesterday, then this morning we had some more. Granted not a lot today, but any amount of snow whatsoever is hazardous and dangerous to human life. (smile) I remember going to bed at minutes after four this morning and my driveway was clean, as my maintenance man had cleaned it during the night. Now, imagine my angry surprise when I got up this morning around eight, and although the sun was shining brightly, saw more snow in my driveway.
The foolish snow has been keeping me from going out and doing some things I want to do. And to make matters worse, the Duchess tells me that they are forecasting snow for today and also tomorrow. Mama Mia! It’s enough to drive a body crazy! (smile) But rest assured I won’t allow it to do that, for once there’s no urgent reason for me to go out, the snow could fall day and night as far as I’m concerned. And I hope you realize that’s a lie! (smile) But enough of my ranting about the snow. As the Lord tells me, if I didn’t want to encounter that beautiful, fluffy white stuff, I should not have come to the northern climes. And as usual, He’s right.
And today, I want to again address that poem we looked at yesterday; ‘The Promises and Non-Promises of God,’ in particular the last verse that concerns God’s promises. It says: ‘But God hath promised strength for the day, rest amid labour, light for the way; grace for trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying LOVE.’ Now, let’s see what scriptures we can find that articulate those promises. And there are many scriptures that promote the first one ‘strength for the day,’ but I want to begin with this particular verse from the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus gave the disciples, and consequently us, an example of accepted prayer.
And the verse I want to centre on is ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt. 6:11) Yes friends, as both the poem and Jesus say, all we really need is bread and strength for each day. It’s like when the Lord fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness, He instructed them to pick up only enough for ONE day, unless it was for the Sabbath, then they could pick up for two. And anything left over one day spoiled immediately. (Ex. 16) It was a way of teaching them to rely on God’s provision for their daily need. It’s also something we have to learn today; take one day at a time, and God will provide all that’s necessary. As Jesus says: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Then there are other verses which magnify the Lord’s strength like this one we all know and like to quote: ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And what about these reassuring words from the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’ (Ps. 46:1) Then Bruh Paul gives us this magnificent assurance in his letter to the Philippians. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And this one from Nehemiah is one we must always bear in mind: ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
And I’m chuckling here friends, because I’m now realizing that this is a two day task and not a one day like I had imagined, for there are so many scriptures that we can quote, and leaving out any, seems like a travesty of justice. (smile) So here are a couple more on God’s strength for the day. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10) Then Bruh Paul exhorts the Corinthians: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men, be strong.’ (1 Cor. 16:13) Then finally, this reassurance of Bruh Paul to Timothy, one we all know but don’t action fully. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) And there are many more you can check out for yourself. (smile)
Now turning to the promise of ‘rest amid labour,’ I believe there’s only one scripture needed to cover it all, that’s the Great Invitation, where Jesus invites all and sundry to: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Oh my people, anyone who doesn’t take advantage of that glorious invitation from Jesus is a fool! And that’s putting it mildly. For who else offers such and invitation, or who else can ever deign to do so, for nobody else has the wherewithal to do it but Jesus!
So let’s remember that today and place our trust in the One and Only, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour; the One who didn’t just talk the talk, but more importantly walked it, and LOVED us enough to die on the cross of Calvary and bear our sins on His sinless shoulders. Now let’s go home declaring and thus activating our undeserved Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether: ‘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 (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…sometimes we Christians think too much about tomorrow…and not enough about today…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a positive outlook on life, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, abundance, all things work together for good to them that love God, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, ask and it shall be given to you, blessed with a strong will, blessed with God's supernatural widom, blessed with success, come to know and love him like we do, commit thy way unto the Lord, courage, creativity, curse, delight thyself also in the Lord, depend on God's direction to live the Christian life, driven with the wind and tossed, everyone that asks receives, faith, favour, feed on his faithfulness, foundational truths of our faith, fulfilment, give thee the desires of thine heaert, giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, God's direction for earthly living, good friends, good health, he delighteth in his way, he is ever merciful, he shall bring it to pass, he shall not be utterly cast down, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, he that seeks finds, he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, holy spirit, I have been young and now am old, if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, in all sincerity and truth, in the name of Jesus, it pays to be righteous, it pays to wait on God, Jesus Christ, knock and it shall be opened unto you, lack wisdom, lends, let him ask in faith, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not doubting, not seen the righteous forsaken, not wavering, promotion, prosper and succeed, remind God of His promises, salvation, seek and ye shall find, self-control, self-discipline, so shalt thou dwell in the land, spiritual sunshine, supernatural strength, talent, the basics of living for God, the encouragement a little sunshine brings, the fountain of wisdom - Almighty God, the importance of faith in living the Christian life, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the Lord will eventually work it all out for our good, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, the sun's shining, thou shalt be fed, though he fall, to him that knocks it shall be opened, to them who are called according to his purpose, trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, use those blessings to help others, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, when we truly believe nothing is impossible, wisdom, wisdom shall be given to him, without faith it is impossible to please God, without reproach, you never miss the water till the well runs dry
Psalm 37:23. The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
Oh friends, at long last the sun has decided to bless us with it’s cold though shining presence! Yes! Although it’s wet out there from the melting snow, the sun is finally shining in my neck of the woods! Wow! And you wouldn’t believe the encouragement or reassurance or whatever you choose to call it, that li’l sunshine brings; like the light of Jesus breaking up the darkness that envelops the world! As they say, you never miss the water until the well runs dry, and so you never miss the sunshine until the darkness seems like an everyday occurrence. (smile) Who would have ever thought that we’d be so glad to see a li’l sunshine!
And with that lively and reassuring event, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that encourage us to seek God’s direction for living this earthly life, so that we can enjoy the spiritual sunshine that that wise behaviour brings. And we’ll begin today with several verses from that mighty psalm, Psalm 37, where Bruh David pours out his heart exhorting us to ‘Trust in the Lord.’ These first verses wisely advise: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-5)
Oh my fellow believers, you see the basics of living for God and getting His wise direction; trust, delight and commit. And yes, they sound simple and easy, but in this evil and ungodly they are not always easy to action. However, we must remember we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling within us, and when we truly believe, nothing is impossible, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
Then we have these later verses of Psalm 37, where Bruh David writes: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful al the day), and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:23-26)
Now my faithful brethren, what can be more encouraging about living a life under God’s direction than that eh? Absolutely nothing! That brings us to this gem from James, Jesus’ brother, where he wisely and rightly declares: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, not wavering (without doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.’ (James 1:5-6)
Oh friends, it cannot be more explicitly stated than that! You want wisdom, go the fountain of wisdom – Almighty God – and ask for it! However, you must go believing that you will get it, for remember what Hebrews says; ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) There again we have the importance of faith in living the Christian life.
And Jesus also says it quite plainly in the gospel of Matthew: ‘Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8) Now that’s as clear as day my people! (smile) It means we must go after what we want with faith, but at the same time putting our absolute trust in God, waiting in faith on Him to give us what is best for us, at the right time.
And that’s not easy to do, when we believe we have so many immediate needs, but as Bruh David says in the psalm; he, was once young, then became old, but during all that time, he never saw the offspring of the righteous begging bread. So it obviously pays to be righteous; to live for God, to wait on Him, which means persevering through all the trials and tribulations the world hurls at us, knowing and faithfully believing that God will see us through it all. It’s like that great promise in Romans 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)
Now that friends, is one of the foundational truths of our faith, which helps us to undergo the storms and pressures of this earthly life; knowing that eventually the Lord will work it all out for our good. So today, please, let’s believe, let’s have strong faith, let’s use the Lord’s Word to go to Him and remind Him of the promises He’s made. That won’t annoy Him. In fact, He’d be overjoyed, because it would mean that you’ve been reading and studying His Word and you want to walk the right path. And he will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to him in all sincerity and truth.
So, having said that, let’s declare, in all sincerity and truth, (smile) our undeserved Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one strong 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 (steups!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…to live the true Christian life…one must depend on God’s direction…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, abundance, believe me for the very work's sake, believe me that I am in the Father, blessed with God's supernatural widom, born of the virgin Mary, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, disobedience is the Christian's downfall, divine protection, divinity, do our own thing, faith, favour, follow Jesus example of obedience, from hencefort ye know him and have seen him, go our own way, God's character words and deeds are manifested in jesus, God's nature is revealed through Jesus, God's plan of salvation, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, holy spirit, human sinfulness, I am the way the truth and the life, I came down from heaven, I speak not of mine own authority, it will satisfy us, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the perfect revelation of God, Jesus was obedient to the Father's will, Jesus' incarnate birth, Jesus' oneness with the Father, LOVE, mercy, more obedient to the dictates of Jesus, my judgement is just, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me, negative word, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, not to do my own will, promotion, prosper, salvation, shew us the Father, six feet under, succeed, talent, the Father doeth the works, the father in me, the Father that dwelleth in me, the penultimate day of our work week, the same divine essence, the thoughts of Christin our hearts, the wealth and power of the world, the will of him that sent me, the words that I speak unto you, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, thoughts of christ getting more intense, to understand Jesus is to understand God, truth, unity, when ye turn to the left, when ye turn to the right hand, wisdom
John 14:11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Thankfully, the snow has stopped falling and the sun is shining but it’s cold. However, we’ll take the cold with the bright shining sun any day though, rather than the white stuff falling from the skies. (smile) And as we move closer to Christmas Day, the preparations are ramping up and getting even more intense. Let’s hope that the thoughts of Christ in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds are also getting more intense, as we look forward to that awesome day when we celebrate His incarnate birth.
How He was born of the virgin Mary, with the Holy Spirit planting the godly seed in Mary’s womb, so He could become human, but not have a human being as his biological father. It was the first step in God’s enormous and awesome plan of salvation for His human creation; Jesus being born sinless, so that He could eventually pay the hefty, soul draining price for our sinfulness.
But He also came to earth to show us what the Father, the God we’d worshipped for so long was really like, not in body, because the Father is a Spirit, but in ways and means, hopefully giving us a better understanding of what He expects from us. Remember Jesus talking to the disciples about His going away, and they claiming to not know where He was going and how. (John 14:3-4).
‘Then Thomas saith unto him, Lord we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself (of my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.’ (John 14:5-11)
Yes friends, as Jesus told Philip, when we see Him, we also see the Father, for although they are separate, they are one in certain respects. And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘Jesus asserts his oneness with the Father, indicating they share the same divine essence, emphasizing their unity, divinity, and the Father’s presence in Jesus’ words and works, revealing God’s nature through Him. Jesus acts as the perfect revelation of God; to understand Jesus is to understand God, as God’s character, words, and deeds are fully manifested in Him.’
And that was exactly what Jesus did while living as a human being here on earth; teach us about the ways and character of God, through His works, deeds and words. Remember He said that His words and actions were not from His own authority, but from the Father’s. And throughout His earthly sojourn He made it crystal clear that He was obeying the will of His Father, not His own.
And we see that in verses like these. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34) Then in John 5, Jesus declares: ‘I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just (righteous); because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.’ (John 5:30) And again in John 6, Jesus says; ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38)
Ah friends, if there’s one thing Jesus modelled perfectly was obedience. He did nothing without consulting His Father, for it was His will Jesus came to earth to pursue. That’s why Isaiah reminds us: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21)
Oh, my fellow believers, the Holy Spirit is trying to lead and guide us in a godly and righteous manner, and how much better off we would all be if we could be even a tad more obedient to the dictates of Jesus, as His followers and ambassadors. For one of our greatest failings is we simply like to go our own way and do our own thing. But please, let’s look at the example Jesus set for us and do our best to follow it nuh. Killing ourselves to acquire the pleasures, wealth and power of the world won’t do us any good when we’re six feet under. But living seriously for Jesus now, will certainly help us in the next life.
And the Father has been so good to us, even to the extent of bestowing undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. So why not be wise and live for Him eh? And in keeping with that great idea, (smile) let’s now declare and activate those Thursday Blessings, that we can rise to our calling. 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!!!) we are now expected to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…disobedience is the Christian’s downfall…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a light unto my path, a positive outlook on life, a reverential fear of God, abundance, as a father the son in whom he delighteth, be not wise in thine own eyes, bind them about thy neck, challenges to be responsibly handled, come to know and love him like we do, courage, creativity, curse, depart from evil, despise not the chastening of the Lord, divine protection, don't worry about tomorrow, duty bound, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, evildoing, faith, favour, fear the Lord, find favour and good understanding, fulfillment, get it deep in our hearts, God causes us to get wealth, God will make the paths straight before you, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, have fellowship and intimacy with God, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, high esteem, holy spirit, honour the Lord with thy substance, hypothetical problems of tomorrow, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, keep the Lord's commandments, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, my son forget not my law, negative word, neither be thou weary of his correction, promotion, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the result of such devotion, the wise council of Solomon, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to put it into proper practice, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, use those blessings to help others, whom the Lord Loves He corrects, wisdom, with God and man, with the first fruits of all thine increase, worry gets you nowhere, worry is the devil's handiwork, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Ah friends, Thursday has rolled around somewhat quickly, and we’re all looking forward to Friday and the weekend, but remember we have to get through Thursday first, (smile) so let’s concentrate on today as Jesus so wisely warned us: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) Yes friends, the Lord knows what we need, and if we keep Him first place in our lives He will provide it. It’s like Bruh David says in that favourite psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1)
And we don’t need to worry about what will happen tomorrow, for like the scholars tell us; ‘each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ That is not to say we should not make some cursory plans, or consider what consequences can follow from today’s problems, but not to fret and worry over them, so that we cannot handle today’s problems properly. Remember, worry, is the devil’s handiwork, and it get’s you nowhere, but heartache and sickness.
And that’s why Cousin Sol gives us this wonderful advice from Proverbs, which we all can quote, but do not properly put into practice, otherwise our lives would not be as difficult as they are. So let’s listen once again to the wise and wonderful council of Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever, and see if we can get it deep enough in our hearts and souls to put it into more serious practice than we’re currently doing. (smile)
So please read with me: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:1-2) Now that’s the first lesson. Keep the Lord’s commandments for they shall bring us long life, and peace.
Then he continues: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck ; write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind): so shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) There’s another lesson; to let mercy and truth be thoroughly bound within your heart, wear them like a necklace around your neck, for when those things are foremost in your behaviour, you will find favour with God and man.
Next comes the verses we all know and are quick to quote with our lips, but are not well written in our hearts. Cousin Sol lays it right on the line when he wisely declares: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
There it is my faithful brethren, the two verses that you can break the whole Bible down to. Place your complete trust in the Lord, lean on, depend on, and rely on Him, don’t go your own way, and faithfully acknowledge the Lord, or as the scholars tell us; ‘ have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’
Oh my brethren, that’s the gospel truth, for it’s all about trust and faithfulness. The Lord is indeed trustworthy and faithful, and if we sincerely turn to Him for guidance, He will lead us along right paths, lead and direct our footsteps in this crazy world. Remember that memorable verse in Psalm 119: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) That’s what Cousin Sol is referring to there.
And having given us those two majestic verses, he continues: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7-8) More precious wisdom friends! If we don’t consider ourselves as overly wise and have a strong and reverential fear of the Lord, as well as not give evil any place in our hearts, our bodies will stay strong, for evildoing and boasting wreaks havoc on our bodies in due course.
Then Cousin Sol reminds us to ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) Wow! And that’s certainly the undeniable truth! For when we give back to God as generously as He gives to us, our wealth grows. However, it must be the first fruits of our increase, not the last. Remember it is God who causes us to get wealth, (Deut. 8:18) and He desires His share first.
Then we come to the final words of wisdom in this awesome passage of scripture, where Cousin Sol so wisely advises: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be thou weary of his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) More gospel truth my people! For just like our earthly fathers punish or correct us when we do wrong, so does the Lord admonish those whom He LOVES. And yes, none of us like to be punished or corrected, but what kind of Father would He be, if He didn’t correct us when we did wrong eh? Certainly not a LOVING One!
And having heard the marvellous wisdom of Cousin Sol one more time, let’s hope that this time it will sink even deeper into our hears and souls so that we can practice it, because it’s all for our benefit. Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings which God has so generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.
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!’
That means we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessing to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if we truly believe that God is our Creator and controller…then why do we refuse to put our complete trust in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, abundance, cast down but not destroyed, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do excellent work, do our own thing, failure is when you stop trying, faith, favour, follow God's leading, forgetting those things which are behind, glory in my infirmities, God is the strength of my heart, God offers strength and guidance, god's plan for a hopeful future, God's presence during hardship, good friends, good health, he shall direct thy paths, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I count not myself to have apprehended, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I press toward the mark, If you're doing your best, in all thy ways acknowledge him, Jesus can be proud of us, Jesus Christ, keep on keeping on, King of Kings, laid hold of the fulness of christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, Lord of Lords, LOVE, mercy, most gladly therefore, mount up with wings as eagles, my flesh and my heart faileth, my grace is sufficient for thee, my portion for ever, my strength is made perfect in weakness, negative word, no failing or giving up in christ, no failure in Christ's kingdom, ought always to get up, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, perseverance, place our total trust in God, promotion, reaching forth to what lies ahead, reaching forth unto those things that are before, resilience, run and not be weary, salvation, scriptures on failure, self-control, self-discipline, setbacks are a part of life, shining our bright lights, spreading our salty flavour, talnet, the darkest hour is the one before the dawn, the goal of spiritual maturity, the gospel truth, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the idea of perseverance, the name above all nameas, the power of Christ may rest upon me, the promise of new beginnings, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the wicked shall stumble into calamity, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, this one thing I do, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you and expected end, troubled on every side, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, undeserved blessings, walk and not faint, we'll bend but never break, wisdom, won't have time to worry about failure, yet not distressed
2 Corinthians 12:9a. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.
Oh my, my, it’s already Thursday, the week has quickly passed by. Only one more day to that time we all look forward to, the weekend, when we get to do our own thing. But in the meantime, let’s concentrate on doing an excellent job at our work places, spreading our salt and shining our bright lights so that Jesus can be proud of us and also be glorified.
And that segues very nicely into what we are going to talk about today, a quote from my ‘P.S I LOVE YOU’ Poster my young daughter gave me several years ago. It says: ‘If you’re doing your best, you won’t have time to worry about failure.’ And that’s the gospel truth! For failure won’t even enter the situation when you’re concentrating on giving your all. However, failures do happen, and we must be aware of them, not just put on blinders and behave as though we won’t be affected by them.
And there are a number of scriptures that advise us on dealing with failures. This commentary gives us an interesting insight into them. ‘Scriptures on failure emphasize that setbacks are a part of life, but God offers strength, guidance, and the promise of new beginnings. Other verses focus on God’s presence during hardship, the idea of perseverance, and the promise of God’s plan for a hopeful future.’ Now there’s more truth that we need to see us through this crazy and mixed up life.
So let’s check out some of those verses that help us handle failure. And we’ll begin with some that tell us about God’s guidance and hope. Up first are these ones that we all know from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) And there’s no better place to begin than right there my people. If we want to refute as much failure as possible, we must place our total confidence and trust in the Lord God Jehovah and follow His leading.
Meanwhile Isaiah gives us another big scripture on depending on God’s providence. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And if those two scriptures don’t get you going, then listen to this one from Jeremiah, where the Lord Himself assures us: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
Oh friends, if the Lord God Himself assures us of that future and a hope, why won’t we believe, expect and work towards it eh? Only if we don’t truly believe in Him and His promises. Now, let’s turn to some scriptures that guide us on perseverance and resilience. And there’s none as big as this one from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity). (Prov. 24:16) And that’s something we Christians ought to have very deeply engraved in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. There is no failing or giving up in Christ! We ought always to get up and keep on keeping on.
As they say, you’ve not failed until you stop trying, for the darkest hour is just before the dawn and who knows what will happen on our next attempt. And then we have these beautiful and most reassuring words from Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians, where he boldly proclaims: ‘We are troubled (hard-pressed) on every side, yet not distressed (crushed); we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast (struck) down, but not destroyed.’ (2 Cor. 4:8-9)
Wow! What towers of power are we believers in Christ Jesus! They can bend us as much as they want, but we won’t ever break, because we’re supported by Jesus Christ, the name that’s above every other name; the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! Now here’s another gem of perseverance and resilience from Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (laid hold of the fulness of Christ): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead), I press toward the mark (goal) of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we ought to be, forgetting what’s behind us and ever pressing forward to meet the goal of spiritual maturity in Christ! And finally we come to some scriptures that reassure us by telling us about God’s strength in weakness. Hear this most famous one from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. After asking the Lord three times to remove an annoying thorn in his flesh, the Lord said unto him, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest on me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9)
What an awesome promise from our great God! His power increases and strengthens us when we are weak. How much better can it be eh? Well just listen to this other promise from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) What a marvellous Saviour we have! We can do anything that He desires us to do through His awesome strength! And we’ll close with this tidbit form the psalmist Asaph from Psalm 73: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps. 73:26)
Oh my brethren, how much more reassurance can we ask from our God eh? He is with us every which way we turn. The problem though is if we are with Him? And our God is so wonderful, that on top of all we’ve said above, He’s also generously granted us what we call our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings to help us do His earthly work. So let’s declare 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 said that, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…failure in Christ’s kingdom… is not an option…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a broken and contrite heart, a broken spirit, a new heart also will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you, a state of sinfulness, a strong and steadfast soldier in christ's army, a strong will, abundance, afraid of what man can do, ambassadors of Christ, blood and burnt offerings, bring light to a dark and evil world, cause you to walk in my statutes, Christ-like duties, clear direction for my life, clemency, come to know and love christ like we do, confess Jesus openly, curse, deliver me from bloodguiltiness, divine protection, do good in thy good pleasure, exalt you in due time, faith, forgiveness, give you an heart of flesh, God-given purpose, good friends, good health, guide us in the way we should go, holy spirit, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, humility, in all sincerity and truth, Jesus Christ, keep my judgements and do them, living a Christ-like example, LOVE, mercy, my mouth shall shew forth thy praise, negative word, no freedom to live in known continual sin, not to the best of our ability, open thou my lips, our avowed enemy, paid obeisance to God, pride, promotion, prosper and succeed, quiet as lambs, saddened by our disobedience, salvation, Satan, self-control, sharing the knowledge of Christ, sing aloud of thy righteousness, sinners shall be converted, spreading the good news of Christ, supernatural wisdom, take away the stony heart, talent, teach transgressors thy ways, the believer's earthly role, the gift of God, the God of many chances, the help of Jesus Christ, the sacrifices of God, the trademarks of Satan, thou delightest not in burnt offering, thou desirest no sacrifice, too comfortable in the pleasures of the world, truth, turning away from the faith, use those blessings to help others, wisdom, without shame or embarrassment
Psalm 51:13. ‘Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’
So we come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week, and we’re all anxious to see Friday and the beginning of the weekend, but unfortunately we have to make it through Thursday first. (smile) But that should be a problem we can easily overcome with the help of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for the very purpose of leading and guiding us in the way we should go as faithful believers in Christ. So let’s hunker down with Him and do our Christ-like duties nuh. (smile)
And today we’ll continue looking at Psalm 51, where David pleads for forgiveness, then for cleansing from the Lord for his adulterous sin with Bathsheba, the wife of his solider Uriah. And it’s interesting that after Bruh David pleads for forgiveness and cleansing, he then offers Praise for Forgiveness with these words of ministry. ‘Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (ps. 51:13) Now, that’s also our God-given purpose. But are we doing it to the best of our ability? Absolutely not! Otherwise our world would not be in such a terrible state of sinfulness, hate, greed, strife, envy and deceit; all the trademarks of our avowed enemy, Satan.
And Bruh David continues with his promise of ministry: ‘Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.’ (Ps. 51:14-15) There again my fellow believers, those are things we should also be doing, but unfortunately are not doing them very well either. How many of us are truly singing aloud the righteousness of God eh? Or how many mouths are proclaiming His praise? Certainly not enough! In other words we are not being good ambassadors and disciples of Jesus Christ, as He desires and expects of us.
That’s why so many are turning away from the faith and not enough others are taking their place. We seem to be too afraid of what mankind will say or do to us if we confess Jesus in all sincerity and truth. In church we carry on everlasting, but out in the world where it really matters we are quiet as lambs. It’s easy to talk up Jesus amongst a group of believers, however that’s not we’ve signed up for. We signed up to bring light to a dark and evil world by unabashedly spreading the good news of Christ. That means doing it without embarrassment or shame, being a strong and steadfast soldier in Christ’s army.
Now, no army would be victorious if many of it’s soldiers are afraid of fighting, like so many of us supposed Christians are. And if by chance we’re not afraid, then we’ve become too comfortable in the ways and pleasures of the world, and don’t want to make the effort it takes to glorify Christ to the world. But please note what Bruh David then says in the psalm. ‘For thou desirest not sacrifice; else I would give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.’ (Ps. 51:16-17)
Yes friends, that’s what the Lord desires when we sin against Him; a humble spirit and heart; our inner being saddened by our disobedience. As Peter tells us: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.’ (1 Pet. 5:6) Humility is the number one attitude of the true believer. We cannot seriously engage with the Lord if pride is uppermost in our souls, for it’s one of the things He most dislikes. That’s why our first move in pleading for forgiveness is to become humble in God’s sight. For remember, we don’t deserve clemency, but it’s the awesome gift of God’s compassionate nature.
And I like what the scholars say about verses 13-17 in the psalm. ‘This passage clearly teaches that those who have failed God may be restored to the service of God.’ And isn’t that the most wonderful truth! Yes my people, our God is the God of many chances! Once you come to him with a sincere and humble heart seeking forgiveness, He will indeed offer you another chance. But please note that does not give us the leeway to live in known continual sin and then continually plead for forgiveness.
And Bruh David concludes the palm with a Plea for Blessings on Zion. ‘Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering, and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.’ (Ps. 51:18-19) Ah mih people, back then the Israelites paid obeisance to God, through blood and burnt offerings, but those are no longer necessary, for what the Lord requires of today is the sincerity of our hearts.
And it all falls into line with the prophecy of Ezekiel. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony (hardened, unresponsive to God) heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh (tender, responsive to God). And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.’ (Ezek. 36:26-27) Yes mih brethren all of that came through when Christ returned to heaven and the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. Therefore, it’s no longer about physical offerings, but the offerings of our hearts.
Now, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 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 (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him as we do! Much LOVE!
…sharing the knowledge of Christ…while living a Christ-like example…is the believer’s earthly role……
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a continuous drizzle, a genuine and unfeigned love, a sense of shame or remorse, a shared commitment to christ, a short downpour, a volitional caring for others, abhor that which is evil, abundance, as much as it depends on you, as much as lieth in you, as your Father in heaven is perfect, associate with the lowly, avenge not yourselves, be kindly affectioned one to another, be not wise in your own conceits, be not wise in your own estimation, be of the same mind one toward another, be ye therefore perfect, bless and curse not, bless them that curse you, bless them which persecute you, brotherly LOVE, cleave to that which is good, come to know and love christ like we do, compassion, condescend to men of low estate, creating havoc, curse, disharmony, distributing to the necessity of the saints, disunity in Christ's church, don't set your mind on high things, duty bound, even the publicans the same, faith, favour, fervent in spirit, give place unto wrath, given to hospitality, giving preference to one another, God spared our lives, God's supernatural wisdom, goes agins the grain of our culture, good friends, good health, great family, greet your brethren only, grounded in humility, harmony, have regard for good things, heap coals of fire on his head, holy spirit, Hurricane Melissa, hypocrisy, hypocritical posture, if he thirst give him drink, if it be possible, if thine enemy hunger feed him, in honour preferring one another, in the sight of all men, infighting in the church, Jesus Christ, Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, kindness, lagging in diligence, let love be without dissimulation, like-minded purpose, live peaceably with all men, LOVE, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, Love your enemies, mercy, mind not high things, negative word, no questioning of Christ's directives, not slothful in business, patient in tribulation, persevering in tribulation, petty differences, positive outlook on life, promotion, prosper, provide things honest to all men, recompense to no man evil for evil, rejoice with them that rejoice, rejoicing in hope, salvation, self-discipline, serving the Lord, sincere love, slef-control, steadfast in prayer, succeed, talent, the originator and perfecter of our faith, truth, unity, use those blessings to help others, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, weep with them that weep, what reward have you, wisdom
Romans 12:18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men.
It’s raining, it’s raining, on this Thursday morning! But it’s merely drizzling, as it’s done the last couple of times. And although a continuous drizzle can be just as bad as a short downpour, when I think of rain it evokes a sense of more than a drizzle. (smile) But unfortunately all the rain might now be centred in the Caribbean in Hurricane Melissa where she’s created untold havoc in places like Jamaica and Cuba…and might not be done just yet as she flies northward in search of more prey.
And unfortunately too, in those circumstances, all we can do is pray and offer whatever physical help we can afterwards. So please, let’s keep those unfortunate people in our prayers, and help however we can, for we never know when our circumstances might turn bad, and we’ll also need help. And since God seems to have spared our lives today, let’s turn to His Word as promised and check out some more scriptures that deal with unity, harmony and likeminded purpose. Or, as that commentary yesterday so nicely put it: ‘passages that emphasize unity in purpose, LOVE, and harmony, grounded in humility and a shared commitment to Christ.’
Now reading that just makes me feel so sad about the state of Christ’s church with all the disunity and infighting. And we’ll begin today with more words on Christian unity and compassion from Bruh Paul’s epistle to the church at Rome. He writes: ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (affectionate) one to another with brotherly LOVE; in honour preferring one another (giving preference to another). Not slothful in business (lagging in diligence); fervent (boiling over) in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer; Distributing to the necessity (needs) of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not (do not set your mind on) high things, but condescend to men of low estate (associate with the lowly). Be not wise in your own conceits (estimation). Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things). If it be possible, as much as lieth in you (depends on you), live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head (a sense of shame or remorse). Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:9-21)
Ah mih people, Bruh Paul just laid out the basics of our Christian faith. To LOVE each other with a sincere LOVE, not a hypocritical posture, treat others with kindness and compassion, don’t resort to evil, but to replace it with good, and even when wronged, don’t resort to your own vengeance for the Lord says that is His prerogative. Also to feed your enemies, which might cause them to be ashamed and turn to Christ through your kindness. And as per the scholars: ‘The Christian’s conduct in the local church toward fellow believers is to be a volitional caring for others (done of one’s own free will), LOVING faithfully in spite of the response received. The LOVE is to be genuine and unfeigned.’
Now, if we could only have more of that in the church than the hypocrisy and strife that’s currently deep seated in it, our lives and that of the world would be so much better. I don’t think we fully realize that it’s we Christians who are expected to make the world a better place, for the evil doers will not. It’s not on their agenda, but it’s on ours. And it’s like Jesus said: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) do so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
And if Christ, the originator and perfector of our faith says that’s how it should be, then that’s what we ought to do. So, if you consider yourself His true disciple and follower, then there’s to be no questioning of His directives. But because some of the things Jesus desires us to do seem difficult and run against the grain of our culture and religious denomination, we tend to question and shy away from doing His bidding. And that’s why His church is in such a mess; awfully divided, in disharmony, with many petty differences keeping it from being united.
Ah friends, it’s a sad day when you look at our world and see the turmoil it’s in, and know that with a little effort on our part we could help to make it better. But for whatever reason(s) we refuse to make that effort. Even with the amazing, undeserved blessings that we call our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. But nonetheless, with great hope and faith in our hearts, let’s declare 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!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they can also come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…unless there’s first sincere LOVE and unity in Christ’s church…our world will never see peace…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a strong will, abundance, all the negatives of evil, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, be no priest to me, beautiful weather, blood toucheth blood, bloodshed follows bloodshed, break all restraints, Canadian Thanksgiving, ceased obeying the Lord, change their glory into shame, come to know and love him like we do, commit whoredom, committing adultery, confessing sins, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, duty bound, eat and not have enough, eat up the sin of my people, everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, fall in the day, favour, forgotten the law of the Lord, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, holy spirit, hot tub Christianity, I will also reject thee, in the night, Jesus Christ, killing, left off to take heed to the Lord, let no man strive, like people like priest, LOVE, lying, man's incessant greed, mercy, millions of humans are languishing, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, negative word, new wine take away the heart, no knowledge of God in the land, nor eprove another, penultimate day of our workweek, pesticides, priests are a large part of the problem, promotion, punish them for their ways, reject thy children, rejection of knowledge, repay them for their deeds, reward them for their doings, salvation, self-discipline, set their heart on iniquity, shall also be taken away, shall not increase, sinned against me, slef-control, stealing, stumble, success, swearing, take most of the blame for our sinful state, taken pleasure in the sin of the people, talent, the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of heaven, the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, the people of god, the priests have gloried, the prophet also shall fall, therefore hsall hte land mourn, they break out, they that strive with the priest, thou hast rejected knowledge, truth, undeserved blessings, use them to help others, waste away, whoredom and wine, wisdom
Hosea 4:6a. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,
Another almost completed week friends, as it’s already Thursday, the penultimate day of the work week! And although most of the days are sunny and beautiful, they are surely passing by very quickly. We’re already up to the 9th of October, a month that just recently began. And since this weekend is also our Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, you know it’s going to be a vey lively one. Let’s hope the beautiful weather stays put for it.
Oh friends, I just opened the Good Library, and lo and behold, it opened at this interesting passage in the Book of the Prophet Hosea. And as I read it, it felt like I was reading the story of our own current world. The passage is titled, ‘No Knowledge of God in the Land.’ And isn’t that what it seems like in today’s world? It surely does. So please read with me as Hosea talks to his people Israel.
‘Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with (a charge against) the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out (break all restraints), and blood toucheth blood (bloodshed follows bloodshed).’ (Hos. 4:1-2)
Now doesn’t that sound just like what’s currently happening in our world, where all the negatives of evil are running rampant, and the Word of the Lord, His truth, grace and mercy are barely noticeable? Of course! And don’t talk about bloodshed following bloodshed…that’s happening all over the world, for strife has become our number one occupation.
And Hosea continues with the Lord’s warning. ‘Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish (waste away), with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.’ (Hos. 4:3) And sadly, in this time when there’s plenty, more than enough to go around, all those things are still happening; the land is not as rich and fruitful as it once was, what with all the pesticides and other poisons we’ve spread over it.
So crops are not as plentiful or as nourishing, while countless millions of human beings are languishing, wasting away all around the globe, and even the wild animals, the birds and fishes are dwindling in number, all due to man’s incessant greed for more. And in his drive to do so, he’s sadly destroying Mother Nature, slowly turning the earth into a veritable wasteland. Now, a lot of that is simply because we do not reverence God nor respect the earth any longer.
And the warning of the Lord continues: ‘Yet let no man strive (contend), nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive (contend) with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall (stumble) in the day, and the prophet also shall fall (stumble) with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also reject thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.’ (Hos. 4:4-7)
And it’s all happening right before our very eyes. We suffer from not so much a lack of knowledge, because this is the most knowledgeable generation ever, but because of our rejection of the most important knowledge, that of the law of God. And a lot of the blame for that has been placed on the shoulders of the priests, who don’t uphold God’s law. And believe me, the children of priests are liable to me more evil and disgusting because they have been forced into the religious mode, and so, much more is expected from them than from the children of ordinary men.
Thus verse 8 continues: ‘They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart (desires) on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward (repay) them for their doings (deeds). For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom (harlotry), and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to (ceased obeying) the Lord. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.’ (Hos, 4:8-11)
Ah friends, all that happened in olden Israel is still happening today, just in greater numbers and more intensity, for we have developed so many more ways of wrong doing, that it would make those old time people shake their heads in total wonder. The long and short of the story though is that the priests are a large part of the problem, for they have not helped the people to face their sin and deal with it. It’s what one Pastor calls ‘hot tub Christianity.’ Where, instead of confessing sins, we tone them down so that they no longer bother us. Or as the scholars suggest, ‘the priests have gloried and taken pleasure in the sin of the people. However, the priest of God is corrupted and made like the sinning people’
In all honesty though, in these modern times we cannot blame the priests for all of our turning away from God, since there’s much bigger and more powerful machinery running the affairs of men than back in olden Israel. We the people, the supposed people of God, have to take most of the blame for our sinful state, for if we know the Word of God, then we won’t stray from it, regardless of what false preachers and teachers tell us. And it’s rather unfortunate that we’re turning away from God, when He’s so generously blessed us with undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare 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!’
Now having activated those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…a righteous God…will deliver justice…where there is unrighteousness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a different set of norms, a great family, a positive outlook on life, a shield around me, a strong will, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, be life unto thy soul, be not afraid of sudden fear, blessed with God's supernatural widom, by understanding, clear direction for my life, come to the end of myself, curse, dark clouds threatened rain, divine protection, do as I say not as I do, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, faith, father revive me, favour, good friends, grace to thy neck, he established the heavens, he heard me out of his holy hill, holy spirit, human frailties, human imperfections, I awaked, I cried unto the Lord with my voice, I laid me down and slept, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, in Jesus' name, in those moments, instruction in righteousness, irreparable damage, Jesus Christ, keep sound wisdom and discretion, keep thy foot from being caught, let me lie down in peace at night, LOVE, mercy, more than in the time, my glory, negative word, prayer and thanksgiving, problems are a part of earthly life, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, promotion, salvation, Selah, self-control, self-discipline, September Edition of the In Touch Devotional, show me your tender care, struggles, that set themselves against me, the desolation of the wicked, the lifter up of mine head, the Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, the Lord shall be thy confidence, the Lord sustained me, the Lord us made us to need Him, the Lord's anointed, the man of God may be perfect, the vagaries of climate change, their corn and wine increased, there is no help for him in God, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, thou hast put gladness in my heart, thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety, thou shalt not be afraid, thy foot shall not stumble, thy sleep shall be sweet, to revive our souls, total surrender to Christ, truth, unwillingness to listen, use those blessings to help others, wake again to your mercy, walk in thy way safely, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, weakneses, when thou liest down, which is always waiting for me, wisdom, you alone strengthen my soul, you know my limits, you know my soul
Psalm 3:5. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
And I guess after many sunny and dry days, it’s only natural to expect some cloudy and damp ones, thus we’re not surprised that Thursday is as cloudy and damp as Wednesday was. Now, what’s interesting is that yesterday, the dreary, scary looking dark clouds threatened rain all day, but it’s only in the evening hours that some actually fell, and not a whole lot either. But who really knows what the weather will be like in these uncertain days of climate change eh? I’m sorry for the weather forecasting people, who now have a different set of norms to deal with, if one can call the vagaries of climate change norms. (smile)
However, be that as it may, today we’ll focus on the prayer from the September Edition of the In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘Lord, You know me – my limits, struggles, and weaknesses – and when I’ve come to the end of myself. In those moments, Father, revive me. Show me Your tender care by day; let me lie down in peace at night and wake again to Your mercy, which is always waiting for me. You know my soul, and you alone strengthen it. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Yes friends, because of our human frailties and imperfections, we all come to the end of ourselves at some time or another. I guess the Lord made us that way, so that we would need to depend on Him in those rough times, to revive our souls and spirits through prayer and thanksgiving. And there are all kinds of scriptures that promise the stuff we’re asking for. So let’s look at a few of them nuh. Like these scriptures from Psalms 3and 4.
In Psalm 3, when Bruh David fled from his son Absalom, who was seeking to overthrow him, he writes: ‘Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps. 3:2-6)
Yes my people, when we place our trust, our total surrender in the Lord God Jehovah, then He works continually on our behalf. It’s like Bruh David declares in Psalm 4: ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Ps. 4:7-8)
Oh my faithful brethren, it’s only when our hearts and souls are truly immersed in Almighty God, can we say and do those things. And Bruh David proved it when king Saul sought to kill him for so many years, but was unable to, because he was the Lord’s anointed, and was kept safe by His grace and mercy. And we can’t have scriptures on subjects like these and not hear from Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever. Of course not! For he has something to say on almost every topic under the sun. (smile)
Thus, he reminds us that: ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down dew. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:19-29)
Oh my fellow believers, what encouraging words those are from Cousin Sol. Words that he himself experienced when he sought the Lord, and consequently, in his old age, when he allowed his numerous pagan wives to turn him away from the God of his father David, he paid a huge price for his foolish transgression. So like Bruh David, he knows what he’s talking about from hard experience, not merely hearsay. Thus, we ought to listen to them both and follow their advice.
And as the old people would often tell us: do as I say, not as I do. But the young people today simply don’t understand that wisdom. They believe that they ought to do as we do, even if our behaviour doesn’t follow our words. But there’s wisdom in listening to wiser souls, which many of us forego, and thus often suffer irreparable damage for that unwillingness to listen.
And please remember that the Bible was written to give us wisdom and understanding, to give us examples of how to and how not to live, if we want to be righteous and successful in this earthly life. For as Bruh Paul so wisely wrote to Timothy. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
And with all of that wisdom now under our belts (smile) let’s get to declaring our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us, so that we can do His earthly work. 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 now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!…
earthly life consists of problems…but in Jesus…we can do all things through Him…who strengthens us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, acquiring money, avoids evil influences deeds and attitudes, blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, blessings bestowed on the righteous, bringeth forth fruit in his season, Christians, climate change, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do according to all that's written therein, doth he meditate day and night, faith, followers of Christ, god, God causes him to prosper, God's supernatural wisdom, godly behaviour, got a zeppo, have good success, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his leaf also shall not wither, holy spirit, in his law doth he meditate, in league with the wicked, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, like chaff, like night follows day, like the chaff which the wind driveth away, live in a godly and righteous manner, live righteously and be blessed, live unrighteously and persih, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, material possessions, mercy, negative word, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, nor stands in the seat of sinners, only a matter of time, our guidebook for godly living, personal power, promotion, put the Lord's word into action, receive clear direction for my life, salvation, share our blessings, sit in hallowed halls, social status, spiritual growth, supernatural strength, talent, the Bible is our guidebook for living, the blessed man is the righteous man, the cold weather is inevitable, the righteous, the ungodly, the ungodly are not so, their destiny is judgement, truth, whatsoever he does shall prosper, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper, wisdom
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Oh friends, one more beautiful summer day! In all my years in Canada, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful, summery month of September! But we’re definitely not complaining, just saying thank the Lord and climate change for making it possible, because the real summer months were too hot and filled with the smoke from the many wildfires that were then happening. Now, it’s temps in the low to mid-twenties, with a cool breeze ruffling through the trees to keep things at a modest heat. So let’s pray that it will last a while longer, as the cold weather is inevitable, like night follows day, it’s only a matter of when it will show up. (smile)
So what’s on the agenda for today? Well, I was just searching through the scriptures for something to talk on, but nothing caught my interest, then I got this sudden zeppo to go to Psalm 1. So here we are. And according to the scholars, ‘It’s an appropriate introduction to the Psalter (Book of Psalms) since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God.’ And so it does, but also more importantly, it begins by telling us about the blessings which are bestowed on the godly.
So please read with me. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.’ (Ps. 1:1) Right away friends we are told what a blessed or righteous man ought not do. That’s basically not get in league with the wicked, the scornful, the blasphemer etc. etc. And how should that man who desires to be blessed behave? ‘But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night.” (Ps. 1:2)
That means we now have the basic idea of how the righteous man ought to behave. And what happens when he behaves in that prescribed manner? Then he’s blessed! ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps. 1.3) Wow mih bredrin! What wonderful news! Prosperity will be ours if we read,, understand and put the Lord’s Word into action!
And that’s something the Lord also drilled into Joshua’s head when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He told him in no uncertain terms. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (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)
Now what’s so difficult to understand in all of that eh? Nothing whatsoever! So why aren’t many more of us doing that eh? Don’t we like prosperity? Of course we do, but the problem is that we consider propserity to be simply acquiring money, the material possessions of the world, social status and personal power within the society, with no regard to the acquiring of godly behaviour and spiritual growth.
But let’s remember what Psalm 1 says on that matter. ‘The ungodly are not so (shall not prosper); but are the like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.’ (Ps. 1:4-5) Yuh see that friends; the ungodly are not worth anything; they are like the useless chaff that the wind blows away. And they certainly won’t be allowed to sit in the hallowed halls with the righteous, but their destiny is judgement.
Ah my people, it’s time we wake up and learn that propserity does not only relate to things like money and material possessions, but also to our quality of godly life. As the scholars tell us: ‘The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves here as a pronouncement upon a man – a certain kind of man. In essence, the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs. 1); he delights in God’s Word (vs. 2); therefore God causes him to prosper.’
And who’s going to decide and evaluate the righteous and the ungodly? God Himself. As the psalm concludes: ‘For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:6) In other words, God knows the ways of the both righteous and the ungodly, and the former will be blessed, but the latter will perish.
Now, let’s remember that God does not make idle promises. So whatever He promises in His Word, the Bible, our Guidebook for Godly Living, He will fulfill in His own time. In the meantime though, if we want to call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, then we are required to live the way He desires us to live, and that’s in a godly and righteous manner. That’s all there is to it.
But our God, being a righteous, just and generous Deity, has also chosen to bestow on us undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare 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, (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord did with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…life is simple…with only two options…live righteously and be blessed…or live unrighteously and perish…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
Previous Older Entries
SCRIP-BITS 