03 Feb 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a time of storm, and said unto the sea, calm the storms of our lives, carest thou not that we perish, curse, even the wind and the sea obey him, faith, favour, good health, he arose and rebuked the wind, how is it that ye have no faith, in the name of Jesus, Jesus is our Guide and Comfort, LOVE, negative word, our less than sterling lives, peace be still, prosper, reverential awe, shivering of the timbers, spur people to deeper trust, succeed, the instantaneous dissipation of a violent storm, the One and Only Living God, Thursday Blessings, what manner of man is this, why are ye so fearful
Mark 4:40. Why are ye so fearful? How it is that ye have no faith?
Once more unto the snow dear friends, once more! Yes, another beautiful snowstorm has inundated us overnight! But thank God, it’s not as bad as the last one a couple weeks ago – at least not yet, because they are calling for 10-20 cm of the darling white stuff to fall between today and tomorrow. In some places there are still high snowbanks from the previous storm, so can you imagine the mess if this one deposits much more than we already have.
But as I keep saying, that’s why we have Jesus, our Guide and Comfort through the times of storm! Oh give Him some thanks and praise my believing brethren for His most honourable, diligent, compassionate and ever-faithful work in our less than sterling lives!
And I guess because we are in a time of storm, both literally and figuratively, we ought to talk about that occasion when Jesus showed exactly who and what He was during one particularly rough storm. All three gospels tell the story – Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25, but we’ll use Mark’s description for our purposes today.
Now, he describes it thus: ‘And the same day (after Jesus was finished teaching), when the even (evening) was come, he (Jesus) saith unto them, Let us pass (cross) over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there was also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (already filling). And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part (the stern) of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How it is that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this (who can this be), that even the wind and the sea obey him?’ (Mark 4:35-41) Now that’s an easy question to answer my brethren: Jesus is the One who created the wind and the sea, therefore He is able to tell them to be peaceful and calm!
Now many of us will make light of the concerns of the disciples, because they had seen Jesus do several miracles, but I know from personal experience out on Lake Ontario, that when the winds and the waves buffet your small boat on a large expanse of water, it’s no fun.
Oh, on that memorable day, some years ago, I learned from first-hand experience what ‘the shivering of the timbers’ meant, having only read about it before, and at times did fear for my life, as well as the five, mostly inebriated others, who were on the boat with me. (smile) And I daresay that many of the disciples couldn’t even swim, so even though they had seen Jesus do miracles, that was a new situation for them.
But here are a couple of interesting notes from the scholars. Re 4:40, where Jesus comments on the faith of the disciples, they say that He constantly questions in order to spur people to deeper trust. Then give examples in Mark 2:8, 19, 25, 26; 3:4, 23, 33; 4:13, 21, 30.’ And if you look at those verses, you will indeed see Jesus posing questions that cause His listeners to think seriously about whatever He was saying.
And per 4:41, they claim: ‘The fear must have been a mixture of reverential awe and real fright – it would be chillingly eerie to witness the instantaneous dissipation of a violent storm.’ No doubt it was! But friends, that’s the kind of person; the immutable, unchangeable, omnipotent, omniscient, omni-present Being, the One and ONLY Living God, that we have as our Lord and Saviour! And right now, in these troubled and trying times of storm, He’s asking us the same questions: why is our faith so small, why are we so fearful, when we have the One who created the universe and all therein as our Guide and Protector?
Yes, we ought to be anxious when the storms hit us suddenly, but not afraid, because He’s not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, LOVE and a strong and disciplined mind! And an article on the biblestudytools.com website puts it this way. ‘The symbolism behind the story of Jesus calming the storm should bring great encouragement and hope for anyone facing a storm in life.. The apostles were shocked and still lacked faith that Jesus was the Son of God who “Even the winds and water obey.”
But since we know more about Jesus and His kingdom than the young disciples did, we ought not to be as afraid as we ofttimes are when the storms of life come upon us. Oh, we must be concerned and do whatever is in our power to calm them, but overall, we should know deep down that Jesus is with us, and that as He faithfully promised, will eventually work everything out for our good. What’s the purpose of having Him as Lord and Saviour if we don’t trust him to look after our welfare eh?
And furthermore, Jesus has been so wonderful to us that He’s even given us tools to handle the storms of life and to help advance His kingdom. We call them our Thursday Blessings. And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared out loud, let’s do just that nuh. Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Oh my people, when we are so abundantly blessed, how can we still live in fear eh? No way! Now let’s go about Christ’s business with diligence and excellence, and use those blessings to care for, comfort and bless others, just as generously as He’s done to us! Much LOVE!
…ONLY Christ…can calm the storms of our lives…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
30 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant state of readiness, a Sunday evening walk in the park, according to his riches in glory, and lo I am with you always, as for me and my house, be ye also ready, courage, creativity, curse, even unto the end of the world, feel it in every fibre of our being, for in such an hour as ye think not, gain the whole world and lose his soul, good friends, good health, He shall give you another Comforter, I will come to you, I will not leave you comfortless, if any man will come after me, if god be for us who can be against us, let him deny himself, LOVE, my God will supply all your needs, negative word, Omicron variant, one days is with the Lord as a thousand years, prosper, Seasonal Affective disorder, self-control, succeed, take up his cross and follow me, the Only Begotten Son, the Son of man will come, this is the day the Lord has made, through Christ Jesus, Thursday Blessings, to them who are called according to his purpose, to those who love God, watch therefore, we know that all things work together for good, we will rejoice and be glad in it, we will serve the Lord, what is a man profited, whosoever shall lose his life for my sake
John 14:18. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.
And it’s another one of those SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) inducing days, with a ballooning Omicron virus adding the finishing touches, as if we need any more problems in this already problem filled world! That’s why we need Jesus so badly in these turbulent times! Yes friends, the Only Begotten Son is the ONLY One who can promise us sustenance and succour in these ungodly times, and faithfully keep that promise.
And we need to use His Word, His promises to boost our self-confidence and help us retain our sanity. Words like: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! My God will supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus! If God be for us who can be against us eh? NOBODY! Yes mih bredrin, if the One and Only True Living God is for us, not a single soul can be against us! Consequently, we can then declare: ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!’
But we need to believe it all, to feel it in every fibre of our being! Especially this all-encompassing verse: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Oh, it does sound like a tough verse to believe, but it’s the basis of everything in our faith, knowing that despite the trials and tribulation we will endure in this evil world, that eventually the Lord will work it all out for our good!
Wow! What other deity can make that faithful promise eh? NONE! None whatsoever! Only the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! I know that some of us unwittingly come to Christianity as an easy go, as a Sunday evening walk in the park, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth my people. Did Jesus have an easy walk in the park when He came to earth to save us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father?
Absolutely not! They gave Him a terrible time, ranging from disbelief, to slander, to physical punishment, and finally crucifixion, and anyone, who decides to take up their cross and follow Him will inevitably find struggles and possibly persecution, just like He did. Please remember these fateful words of Jesus, for they are the foundational authority to discipleship.
‘If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matt. 16:24-27)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s what we have to look forward to if we sincerely follow Jesus. And it’s a promise that seems will be soon fulfilled the way our world is showing many of the signs Jesus gave for His second coming. But soon with us and soon with God, are too entirely different things. Peter tells us that ‘one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.’ (2 Pet. 3:8) Now the early church thought that Jesus would soon return, but in our view, two thousand years have passed and He’s still not come back. However, that could simply be because to the Lord that’s only two days. (smile)
But please don’t be fooled, Christ’s return could happen at any time, that’s why He warned: ‘But of that day an hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, But my Father only… Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:36, 42, 44)
Oh my brethren, regardless of what signs we see or think we see, only the Father knows when the Son is going to return, that means we must be prepared, be ready for His Second Coming at any moment. That’s what those verses above are saying: ‘Be prepared!’ Are we prepared? Now that’s the big question. How many of us have set our house in order and are ready for if Jesus comes back today?
Remember they also say He can come as a thief in the night, (1 Thess. 5:2) that’s unexpectedly, at any time, day or night, today tomorrow or even another two thousand years from now. But the important thing is for believers to be in a constant state of readiness for whenever that marvellous occasion happens, because we know, are very sure, that it will happen eventually, just not exactly when.
And the wonderful thing about Jesus is that just like He promised before He went back to heaven, He has faithfully done: ‘And I shall pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever… I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:16,18) And at that first Pentecost after His ascension, (Acts 2:1-4) He did indeed send the Holy Ghost to indwell all believers, to keep us safe, to lead and guide us in the direction He desires, that is, provided we are willing to listen and abide by the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
Thus my fellow saints, the ball is now in our court! And our Jesus is ever so wonderful that He’s bestowed all kinds of blessing on those who believe that they can do His earthly work. And what a potent and plentiful set of blessings they are! We call them our Thursday Blessings, and since a blessing is not a blessing until it is declared out loud, let’s declare them right now nuh.
Altogether, in 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!’
MamaYo! What a magnificent set of blessings my faithful brethren! It now behooves us to put them to work in our lives and share them with others just as generously as Jesus shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…and, lo…I am with you always…even unto the end of the world… (Matt. 28:20b)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, all praise honour and glory to God, as the heavens are higher than the earth, But God commendeth his love toward us, Christ died for us, courage, creativity, curse, disobedience to God, don't bow to the foolishness of Satan, eternal life in heaven, experience God's wrath, faith, favour, God is no pushover, God is the source of all our blessings, God is the source of healing, Happy Thanksgiving U. S of A, hell fire and damnation, if the Son sets you free, if ye continue in my word, kick God out of our soicety, LOVE, love the Lord with all thy heart soul and mind, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, negative word, neither are your ways my ways, on the junk pile of history, on which side their bread was buttered, One Nation Under God, prosper, set free from the tentacles of sin, sinful children of men, so are my ways higher than yours, succeed, sufferation, the greatest commandment, the truth shall set you free, Thursday's Blessings, to God the Father all gratitude and thanksgiving, too big for his britches, while we were yet sinners, ye shall know the truth, you shall be free indeed
John 8:32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING U.S. of A!
All praise, honour and glory to our heavenly Father this Thursday morning, my faithful brethren! It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Let’s hope that they do not get caught up and lost in the festivities and forget on which side their bread is buttered and spend some serious time considering their Creator because He is the source of all their blessings and also the source of the healing that their nation so badly needs. For their motto ‘One Nation Under God,’ no longer holds true, since they are now as divided and cantankerous as the days before the Civil War a couple hundred years ago, with Almighty God no longer the mainstay in the land.
And yes, to God the Father all gratitude and thanksgiving should go from all of us, for our awakening, our ability to walk, talk, eat and have a job to go to, for He is an awesome deity, the ONLY true and living God there is! And ALL Jehovah God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Father for your unconditional and undying LOVE, mercy, grace and faithfulness to us, sinful children of men. We LOVE You and praise Your holy name! Amen!’
And so we ought to friends, on account of the heartache that the Lord put Himself through for us, by sacrificing His only Son Jesus Christ so that we could be set free from the overwhelming tentacles of sin. Please note these heartrending words from the Good Book and let them soften our hearts. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8)
Can you imagine that? Sacrificing your only Son to set a bunch of ungrateful sinners free, when they did not seem the least bit interested in you. Hn! But the Lord did it because of His great LOVE for His best creation. However, to be set free from the bondage of sin we must acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Like He said to the Jews at one stage in His ministry. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ (John 8:31-32)
That means if we really want to be set free from enslavement to sin, then we need to know the truth, and the truth is found in Christ’s written word. So, we have to read the word carefully and study it diligently. That’s the only way to know what it says. Then, most importantly, we need to obey what it says, for knowing and not obeying is sin. A dusty, unopened Bible is of no use to us. We need to always have a well-read one close by, and also have what it says written indelibly in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
For remember, the greatest commandment is ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ (Matt. 22:37) And you can only truly LOVE the Lord when you know who He is and what He’s about, and you can only discover that when you read His word, His enlightened description of Himself and His ways.
And just one li’l footnote here to remind us of why He is God. As He says through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) It would do us all a whole lot of good if we would just keep those words at the front of our minds as we go about our daily living and don’t bow to the foolishness that Satan and his cohorts are trying to do in the land, like kick God out of our society.
Satan is a bloody fool, a created being who got too big for his britches! He couldn’t kick God out of heaven, what makes him think he can kick God out of the earth that He created eh? Hogwash! But unfortunately, too many of us are believing Satan’s lies and deceptions and are turning away from God. That’s the worst decision we can ever make my people, for all Satan has to offer is hell fire and damnation, while Jesus has eternal life in heaven with the Father, the Holy Spirit and Himself.
Now which one seems the best offer eh? Jesus’ obviously! But we fear what the world will say and do, and neither are we willing to put out the effort it takes to live sincerely for Jesus. But friends, if we read and study the Good Book, we will see how it ends, with God’s wrath levied against the evildoers. And believe me, our God might be LOVING, merciful and all those good things, but He’s no pushover, and I don’t think any of us will willingly want to experience His wrath. Just read about the ‘sufferation’ the Jewish people underwent for their disobedience to God, and all those other nations who got too big and proud to follow God. Where are they now eh? On the junk pile of history.
But that’s a decision each one of must make, so I am pleading with us to make the decision to live for Jesus, because that’s the ONLY wise and sensible one. As Uncle Charles (Charles Stanley) likes to say, there are consequences to every decision, but eternal wisdom decrees to: ‘obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’ You can’t argue with that statement. So, for those of us who have already committed our lives to Jesus, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and confident 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, let’s rise up and go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know, LOVE and glorify Him as we do! Much LOVE!
…if the Son shall set you free…you shall be free indeed… (John 8:36)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
18 Nov 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, be not afraid only believe, because thou hast seen me, believe in thine heart, believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ, blessed are they that have not seen yet believed, confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, curse, God raised Christ from the dead, God so loved the world, God's grace covers everything, God's grace is perfect, good friends, grace and peace, he gave his only begotten son, if thou wouldest believe, LOVE, negative word, prisoners of doubt, prosper, succeed, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the eternal peace of Christ, the importance of believing, thou hast believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God, Thursday Blessings, thy faith hath made thee whole, unexpected adventure, with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
Mark 5:36. Be not afraid, only believe.
Grace and peace friends! Grace and peace from our heavenly Father this damp and cloudy Thursday morning in my neighbourhood! But as we know, that unwelcome physical day is no barrier to our living for Jesus, because in that grace and peace He gives us the wherewithal to handle whatever we need to in His awesome name. Ah mih people, God’s grace covers everything, every aspect of our life, and it just keeps overflowing when we stay in touch with Him. In other words, His grace is perfect!
And when you add His eternal peace to the mix, your life becomes so wonderful, so miraculous and mysterious that you find it hard to believe. But please believe it, because it’s true! With Jesus in our lives, any number can play at any time, unexpected adventure is always in the air, we just have to believe and be prepared, waiting expectantly with bated breath.(smile) For who knows where He will lead us on any particular day? But it’s for sure that wherever He leads, He will also be there to protect, since He’s faithfully promised never to leave nor forsake us.
And the beauty of the situation is that we only need to believe. And there are so many scriptures which highlight the importance of believing that we ought to look at some of them. Now let’s begin with this one from John’s first epistle, where he says: ‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment.’ (1 John 2:23)
And if you don’t believe John, then listen to Jesus with this seminal, formative, ground-breaking scripture. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Oh my people, that’s a scripture we all know and quote but obviously don’t truly or fully believe, otherwise there wouldn’t be as many doubts about Jesus as are currently running rampant through our church, and the fear and anxiety that are holding so many supposed believers’ prisoners of doubt.
Don’t forget Jesus’ words to Martha when He asked that they roll away the stone from her brother Lazarus’ grave, and she balked because of the expected stench that would emanate from the tomb. ‘Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40)
And listen to Jesus again as He was on His way to heal the daughter of a synagogue leader, but tarried a moment to talk to the woman with the issue of blood who had touched the hem of His garment and was made whole. To her He said: ‘’Daughter thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:34) And what is faith eh mih brethren? Simply, strong belief in something or someone. That woman believed that if she could only touch some part of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed, and that’s exactly how it turned out.
But while Jesus was dealing with the woman, the synagogue leader’s people came and told him that his daughter was dead. However, ‘As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36) Meaning to keep on believing that He would do what He set out to do; that is heal his daughter, which He eventually did. (Mark 5:41-42)
And how can we not remember Jesus’ memorable words to the disciple Thomas who refused to believe that Christ was risen from the dead until he saw Him and put his hands in the scars of His wounds. When Jesus finally appeared to Thomas, He said to him. ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29)
That’s us friends! Jesus is referring to people like us who haven’t seen Him in physical person but still believe in Him and all that He stands for. Then we have that very interesting situation when Bruh Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi, praying and singing psalms at midnight and a sudden earthquake occurred, broke down the prison doors and set all the prisoners free from their chains… but none escaped.
And when the jailer found that his prisoners were all accounted for, He turned to Bruh Paul and Silas and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).’ (Acts 16:30-31) That’s exactly what he did. After hearing the word of God, he believed! He and his whole household were baptized. (Acts 16:32-34)
Now, there are many other scriptures encouraging belief, but we’ll end with these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (put to shame). For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ (Rom. 10:9-12)
And that’s the truth in spades! The Lord treats ALL who call upon His holy name richly, regardless of who or what you are. One caution here though. The scholars tell us, re ‘Confession made unto Salvation: One is not saved by his mouth’s confession, but rather, the mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ which has been received by faith.’ So the confession of the mouth is just a vehicle for one’s testimony. (smile)
And one of the many benefits of sincerely believing in Jesus is that He endows us with numerous blessings which enable us to be His ambassadors and do His earthly work. However, since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared, (chuh!!!) let’s declare what we call our Thursday Blessings in strong voice with mucho gratitude.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our responsibility to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as Christ shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…only believe…only believe…in JESUS…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a still small voice, abundance, according to his riches in glory, all the days of my life, be ever ready to repel his assaults, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, clear direction for my life, curse, divine protection, he leadeth me beside still waters, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I shall not want, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, in the presence of mine enemies, keeps coming relentlessly against us, LOVE, make evil inroads into our lives, my cup runneth over, my God shall supply all my needs, negative word, neither be thou discouraged, our part to play, prosper, reading and studying god's word, stand strong and steadfast, succeed, supernatural wisdom, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, talent, the awesome light of Jesus, the enemy though toothless and powerless, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord thy God is with thee, the world and all its evil minions, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, thou anointest my head with oil, thou mayest prosper, thou preparest a table before me, Thursday Blessings, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, whithersoever thou goest, wise guidance for everyday living
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Well, it’s definitely not a bright, sunshiny day in my area today. Unfortunately, it’s wet and cloudy. But as we keep reminding ourselves, the physical state, the colour of the day doesn’t really matter, once we have the awesome light of Jesus shining within us, through the amazing Holy Spirit. That means, every day is a bright and shining day for believers. Glory to God!
But it all doesn’t come automatically, we have our part to play in the relationship. The enemy, that’s the world and all its evil minions, though toothless and powerless, still keeps coming relentlessly against us, and if we falter, for even just one moment, he will make evil inroads into our lives. Therefore, we have to be ever ready to repel his assaults, and we can only do that successfully by consistently reading and studying God’s Word, then obeying it.
That recalls the serious words the Lord spoke to Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death. ‘Only be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper (have success, act wisely) whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall constantly be 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. Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou discouraged: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:7-9)
Wow mih bredrin! What marvellous promises! But it’s only our holding to God’s word and the truth of His promises that will make us successful. And after Jesus came, we also got the Holy Spirit to help us. Listening to Him is a real Godsend, for He gives us good and wise guidance for everyday living. It’s like Isaiah said to the Israelites long ago, re turning to the Lord for help: ‘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)
That’s the way the Holy Spirit usually guides us; through a still small voice in our souls and spirits. But as we specified yesterday, it is of the utmost importance to learn to listen to Him, and then follow His wise guidance. And no, living a good and righteous life in this evil and ungodly world is not easy to accomplish, but there again, Jesus doesn’t ever ask us to do something without giving us the wherewithal, the strength and wisdom to do it. That’s why we can confidently say: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) But we must sincerely believe it, and then put it into action in our lives, otherwise it doesn’t work.
Oh friends, there are some promises of God that are unconditional, and some that are conditional, that means we have to do something to reap that promise, and standing strong and courageous in Christ Jesus is one of them. And when we do that, then promises like this one Bruh Paul made to the Philippians and also to us, will be fulfilled. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes my fellow believers, when we stand strong for Christ, sacrifice for Him, the Lord will gloriously meet our needs in proportion to His unlimited resources, for everything in the world belongs to Him.
As Bruh Paul said to the church at Corinth in his second letter. ‘And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.’ (2 Cor. 9:8) Our spiritual and financial needs will be met if we listen and obey. Furthermore, as Bruh David so confidently stated in our favourite Psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1)
And we see it in his life. Though he made many mistakes, and paid a hefty price for them, he never forsook the Lord, always kept Him first place in his life, and the Lord greatly rewarded him. And He will do the same for each of us my brethren, if we stand strong and steadfast for Him. And I believe this is a most opportune time for us to uplift our faith by repeating those marvellous words of Bruh David.
‘The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ Amen…and Amen! (Ps. 23:1-6)
Yes friends, if those magnificent words of faith didn’t raise your spirits this wet and cloudy morning, I don’t know what will nuh. But for those of us who take it seriously, let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And the only way those blessings will benefit us is if we now go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if we believe God…and do what He says…He won’t let us down…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
07 Oct 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, a neat package of ethics, as a burning fire, burns within me, clear direction for my life, crooked places become straight, curse, darkness becomes light, free choice, good friends, gung-ho, hanging in there, He giveth power to the faint, his word was in mine heart, I could not endure it, I was weary with forbearing, indisputable truth, invigorates me, lack of strength, like a martyr, my heart was hot within me, negative word, One Year Book of Bible promises, our guidebook for earthly living, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, poor sleep patterns, prosper, Ruth Harms Calkin, sharper than any twoedged sword, shut up in my bones, succeed, the Book of All Books, the Good Book, the Lord's word is alive and kicking, the One who makes all things new, the Word of God is quick and powerful, Thursday Blessings, to them that no might he increaseth strength, while I was musing the fire burned
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (alive, living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…
And then it was Thursday…a rather trying and tiring morning, because of my poor sleep patterns. Hn! Hn! What else can one expect when one doesn’t adhere to good sleep patterns eh? I’m like the sun out there, too weak to shine with any brilliance and strength. (smile) But with the ever-present and amazing help of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I am hanging in there like a martyr, as gung-ho as possible to do His marvellous work.
What does the Good Book say about lack of strength? ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’ (Is. 40:29) Glory be mih people! That’s exactly what I am seeking and praying for this morning. And I know that our God will grant me it because He is a faithful God, and I only want that strength so I can do His work with diligence and excellence.
And what I did just say…that our God is a great God and will show the way…? And has He ever. He’s guided me to this oh so appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Verses with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that’s titled ‘Book of All Books!’ Wow! I guess He’s sending the message that His Word, His Book, has all the answers. When you’re looking for anything, like I was looking for strength, you can open His Word and find an answer.
So please pray with me: ‘Lord, I am overwhelmed As I read Your living Word. What power, what pungency I find within its pages. It stirs me, burns within me It challenges me, invigorates me And often disturbs me. When I obey its commands The results are what you claim. Darkness becomes light Crooked places become straight The more I seek, the more I find. Within its pages, God I see beyond a neat package of ethics. I crash head-on with a living Person The One who makes all things new. No other book can claim as much.’
And that’s the indisputable truth my brethren! No other Book can claim what the Bible, the Word of the Living God does, because all others are written by frail, finite and dispensable man! And I like how our poem declares that the Good Book ‘stirs me, burns within me, challenges me, invigorates and often disturbs me.’ And it’s all true. A very good example of that is me a li’l while ago. I got up tired, miserable, not knowing what to write, but then I put my mind in the Word and…Voilà! It stirred me up, invigorated me, and I found strength to do what I needed to do.
So friends, you can’t ever go wrong turning to the Word of the Lord when you are lost, indecisive, weak, weary or whatever the situation. It will always give you a wise and sensible way to handle your condition. And that part of the poem that says ‘it burns within me’ recalls the verse in poor Jeremiah’s story, where he is a reluctant prophet of the Lord, suffering all kinds of violence and reproach on the Lord’s behalf. Finally, he gives up. ‘Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing (of holding it back), and I could not stay (endure it).’ (Jer. 20:9)
Oh my people, that’s the way it is with the Lord’s Word! Once it gets into you, it’s like a burning fire that just consumes you and you can’t hold it in, you have to release it, to speak and action it, if you are to find any peace in your soul and spirit. As Bruh David concurs in Psalm 39 – A prayer for self-understanding. ‘My heart was hot within me; while I was musing (meditating) the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.’ (Ps. 39:3)
Yes, my fellow saints, the fire was so hot within Bruh David that he had to speak and let it out, otherwise it would have consumed him. And I know it’s so with a lot of us, but we insist on holding it in, only to our own detriment. And why does the Word of God have such a magnetic and moving effect on us eh?.
Because as the Bible verse that backs up our poem says: ‘For the word of God is quick (alive, living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in (hidden from) his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (must give account to).’ (Heb. 4:12-13)
That says it all! The Lord’s Word is alive and kicking, just like Him! It’s sharp and dangerous, can cut apart joints and marrow, soul and spirit, so please be careful in dealing with it. And in any case, we can’t hide from our Maker, who sees all, knows all and is all omnipotent in power! Yet we still try to hide from Him and dodge the words of His book. But that’s oh so foolish my brethren, for the simple truth is that we can neither run from nor hide from Almighty God, Creator and Controller of the universe!
And right now, in this time of pandemic and many other problems, it would be ever so wise for us to turn back to Him with repentant hearts and souls because He is the ONLY One who can truly help us solve those problems. But our hearts, being full of foolish pride and arrogance insists on using our free choice to ignore and stay away from Him…only to our own sorrow friends.
But our God is so wonderful, LOVES us so much, that despite our disconnection, He still showers down numerous blessings on those of us who are willing to hear and work on His behalf. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and when we declare them out loud, they give us the strength and wisdom we need to do the Father’s bidding.
So, as one strong and sincere voice, let’s shout them out loud nuh: ‘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 since we’ve taken those blessings to heart, it is now our bounden duty to go out and share them with others, just as generously as Christ shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…the Word of God…the Bible…it is our guidebook for earthly living…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
30 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, burn the candle at both ends, causeth us to triumph in Christ, Christ has overcome hell death and the grave, Christ's triumphant resurrection on Easter morning, clear direction for my life, compromise our eternal destiny, curse, faith, favour, freedom of choice, he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, his commandments are not grievous, I am the way the truth and the life, late to bed - late to rise, LOVE, my yoke is easy and my burden light, negative word, no man comes to the Father but by me, only one way to God, prosper, reborn of water, refusing to accept Christ s Lord and Saviour, self-control. self-discipline, succeed, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the bllod of Christ's atoning death, the indwelling of the Holy spirit, the old adages are true, this is the love of God, Thursday Blessings, very troubled and dangerous times, walk the straight and narrow path, we keep His commandments, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world
1 John 5:3. For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).
Well, the old adages are certainly true, especially this one; late to bed, late to rise. (smile) Yes, friends, the ole fella was up until the early hours of the morning, consequently my time of rising was even later than usual. But when the body needs rest, there is nothing we can do to stop it. That seems to have been my predicament this morning; the ole bod was crying out for rest. I seem to forget that I’m not as young as I used to be, and consequently can’t burn the candle at both ends like I once did, because it takes a quicker and greater toll on me in these later stages of life.
But one thing mankind is famous for is being stubborn and hard-headed, and doing things that He knows will hurt Him, if not right away, but in the near future. Why else are so many of us refusing to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, when we know deep down that’s the wrong decision, one that will seriously compromise our eternal destiny?
Because we have freedom of choice and we believe that the yoke of Jesus is too heavy, when He declares it’s easy. We refuse to walk the straight and narrow road because it doesn’t have enjoyable sins that we seem to desire. The broad and directionless road with all the foolishness of sin, with it’s nice looking outer shell, and no serious or sincere substance catches our eyes and draws us to it like a fly to a spider’s web. And you know what happens to an insect when it’s caught up in the silky, nice looking but deadly web of a spider; death invariably occurs.
And it’s the same thing that happens to those who chose to follow the broad and deadly path of the world and its ruler Satan; eternal death and damnation is their lot. But those who choose to accept the yoke of Jesus and follow Him on the straight and narrow path will one day receive everlasting life and not everlasting death like the evil doers. And Jesus says it so clearly and sincerely: ‘For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:30) Now Jesus has no reason to lie like Satan does, because He knows His power and LOVE will overcome, in fact has already overcome the world, the devil and his evil minions.
And for those of us who think that Christ’s yoke is burdensome, John tells us quite differently in his first epistle. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) And John should know, because he walked with Jesus on this earth, had personal knowledge of Jesus and His ways. That means if he says Christ’s commandments aren’t burdensome, they aren’t, for why would a young man like John lie, if his teacher’s rules were hard to follow? No reason whatsoever!
And John, though young in years, was wise enough to understand what Christ was teaching them, and the great benefits it held for their future, unlike the evil doings of the world. Thus, he continues in his epistle. ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.’ (1 John 5:4) Yes friends, every believer, everyone born of God; that is born of water and of the Spirit, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, has the opportunity, or rather the ability, to overcome the world through his faith!
Hear how John puts it nuh: ‘Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:5) Matter fix friends! Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and is reborn of water (the baptism of Christ), the blood of His atoning death and accept His indwelling Spirit can overcome the world! That’s it in a nutshell.
And the scholars explain it thus: ‘5:5. There is conquering power through this confession because God is sovereign over the world, and only through the Son does man have access to and find favour with God.’ And Jesus proclaimed that fact quite clearly when He told the disciples: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6) Clear, simple and self-explanatory words, my brethren!
And Bruh Paul, that other great man of God, also spoke of victory gained through Christ, when he wrote to the church at Corinth in his first letter: ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:57) And in his second missive, he reiterates his earlier contention: ‘Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth (leads) us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour (fragrance) of his knowledge by us in every place.’ (2 Cor. 2:14)
Please understand my brethren, that it’s only through faith and belief in Christ Jesus will we ever have victory in our lives, because He has overcome hell, death and the grave through His triumphant resurrection on Easter morning! So, if you want victory, then you have to hook up with Jesus And until we get that through our proud, stubborn and foolish heads, we will not have victory in this world nor the next. Now for those of us who believe that and try to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, generously bestowed on us by our LOVING heavenly Father so we can do His work down here on earth.
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, our duty is to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
there’s only ONE way…to God the Father…through Christ…the Son…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Sep 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be not wise in thine own eyes, bring ye all your tithes into the storehouse, compassionate heart, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, fear the Lord and depart from evil, find favour and good understanding, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, hearing the same old lies, honour the Lord with thy substance, if I will not open the windows of heaven, if ye love me keep my commandments, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, it takes time to mature in the grace and mercy of God, lean not unto thine own understanding, let thine heart keep my commandments, living for Jesus is not a walk in the park, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, my son forget not my law, negative word, obedience, pitfalls, pour you out a blessing, prince of peace, promotion, prosper, prove me now, salvation, saved from eteranl damantion and separation, succeed, the enemy of our soul, the first fruits of all thine increase, the Lord giveth the the power to get wealth, the Lord's ever-faithful promise, the new mercies and compassions of God, there shall not be room enough to receive it, Thursday Blessings, thy presses' shall burst out with new wine, tribulations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, walking the same old roads
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.
Oh friends, this cool Thursday morning in early September is another day for us to live gratefully and enjoy the new mercies and compassions of God. And if you have been walking the same old roads that are leading you to sure destruction, and hearing the same old lies from the enemy of your soul, then it’s time to turn to the One who can change all of that, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Yes, He’s the One that LOVED us so much that He sacrificed His life that we could be saved from eternal damnation and separation from Almighty God! And yes, that’s a mighty fine thing He did there, the only One who could have accomplished it, for being eternally separated from the Creator of this universe is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being. So please, it’s not wise to allow that selfless action of Jesus to go unused, to go to waste, by not accepting Him as Lord and Saviour, Redeemer, Prince of Peace and the many other things that He is and stands for.
But unfortunately, living for Jesus is not a nice easy walk in the park kind of life, for there are pitfalls and tribulations and all sorts of unhappy things can happen along the way. However, we are assured that despite the many problems we may face, there will also be lots of enjoyment and refreshment along the way, and eventually everything will work out for our good. That’s the Lord’s ever-faithful promise! And if you want to hook up with Jesus, you have to believe His many promises; that’s what we call faith! And with faith comes sincere obedience too.
And these wise words from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol, as he exhorts us to obedience, should take first place in our hearts if we are to enjoy all the beautiful things that Christ has promised us, ending with salvation, eternal life in heaven with Him and our Triune God. So, let’s check out these most important words from the Good Book that ought to be our guide for daily living. Cousin Sol begins thus: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.’ (Prov. 3:1)
Yes my brethren, it’s ever so important that we obey the rules and regulations involved in worshipping and living for Christ! All organizations have rules and regulations for its members to follow, otherwise there will be anarchy, with everyone doing as they please. And Jesus said it loud and clear to the disciples: ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15) So if you don’t intend to keep God’s commands, then you are just wasting His time and yours. And please remember that God doesn’t really need us nuh, but we definitely need Him. So all of this is for our benefit, not His.
And one of the major benefits that come from keeping His commandments is this: ‘For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:2) Oh mih people, who doesn’t want all of that eh? We all do! But we won’t get it unless we obey our heavenly Father’s commands. And Cousin Sol continues with his wise words. ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart (mind). (Prov. 3:3) And why should we do that? The answer is quite simple: ‘So shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:4)
Oh people, people, there is always a good reason for accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour and obeying His commandments! It’s not just a disorganized, quickly thrown together thing. It’s taken thousands of years for this plan to come to fruition, and it’s not quite done yet. But for us to be a successful part of it we must do wise, though sometimes hard stuff like ‘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)
Oh, how can we ever go wrong when we allow the Creator of the universe to guide our lives eh? No way! But it has to be a constant, continual way of life. Like Cousin Sol says: ‘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, refreshment) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7-8) Wow mih bredrin! Who again doesn’t want those benefits eh? We all do. But they don’t come by just wishing and hoping, but by being continually faithful, obedient and trusting!
Now hear this next directive from Cousin Sol nuh. ‘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) Ah mih people, that’s oh so important in the Lord’s economy, yet so many of us refuse to do it. We stubbornly refuse to give back to the Lord the first portion of what we earn or harvest through His bounty. Yes, it’s through the Lord’s bounty that we gain anything, as Moses reminded the Israelites long ago: ‘Remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…’ (Deut. 8:18)
And it’s not like the Lord needs it nuh, but He just wants to see if we really and truly believe Him when it comes to giving. In the Old Testament times they called it a tithe, or a tenth of what you earned. And it was also a means for the priests and people who worked in the church and could not work the land or raise animals, to get food, and to have food to share with the poor and the stranger.
And it was so important to the Lord that in Malachi, He claimed that the Israelites robbed Him, then challenged them thus: ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat (food) in mine house, and prove (test) me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.’ (Mal. 3:10)
Yes friends, that’s how generous and faithful our great God is! But we also have to be faithful and trusting by giving back a fair portion of our goods for His work. And believe me, no one that has ever tithed will tell you it doesn’t work! Now it’s not just a matter of giving to get, but it must come from a sincere place in our hearts; a place of true belief and trust. And it does take time to mature in the grace and mercy of God, so all that stuff we’ve spoken about won’t happen overnight, but we do need to make a serious effort to live it.
And when we do that, Almighty God blesses us even more, bestowing what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do a good job for Him down here on earth. So let’s declare them together now nuh, because they don’t come into effect until they are declared. 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!’
That’s for sure my fellow saints! But now we must go out and share those blessings just as generously with others as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…for an organization to be successful…all members must obey its rules…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
19 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, Advocate, believe on Jesus, curse, Day of Pentecost, deviation from the Spirit's guidance, divine protection, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words, God is a Spirit, God is immutable, God is light, God is LOVE, God is self-existent, God's supernatural wisdom, he may abide with you for ever, He shall give you another Comforter, help in time of trouble, I will come to you, I will not leave you comfortless, if ye love me keep my commandments, it is the spirit that quickeneth life, negative word, nothing is impossible for God, produce unwanted problems, promotion, prosper, succeed, the flesh profiteth nothing, the Holy Spirit is a person, the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Triune Godhead, Thursday Blessings, words taught by human wsidom, words taught by the Spirit, worship Him in spirit and in truth
John 14:18. I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.
Well come on down Thursday, the day before Friday! Are we ever so glad to see you, because it means that Friday is one day closer and the end of the work week is winding down nicely. The only problem is that we still have to deal with you Thursday, before we get to Friday. But with Christ Jesus leading and guiding us through His Holy Spirit, it’s a cinch that we will get it right! (smile)
However, that totally depends on our obedience to the prompting of the Spirit. Any deviation from His guidance will definitely produce unwanted problems, that will only make our lives more difficult than they already are. Consequently, we must understand the great importance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.
So let’s check out a few scriptures on that subject nuh. And we going to start right at the beginning where Jesus tells the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob: ‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:24) That’s the first thing we must realize when we come to God; that He is a Spirit Being and worshipping Him entails doing it spiritually, not in flesh and blood.
And the scholars offer this explanation re, the Definition of God. ‘4:24. John gives three descriptions of God. He is Spirit (John 4:24), LOVE (1 John 4:8), and Light (1 John 1:5). God is a spiritual being who is invisible and without a body. He is a divine person who reveals Himself in perfect intellect, emotion, and will. He is the source and personification of all material and spiritual life.
He is self-existent; He is eternal in relationship to time. He is unlimited in relationship to the immensity of space; He is immutable (unchanging) in His nature. He is the unity of all existence; and He is consistent in His being – that is, He corresponds in actual fact to His nature and attributes as they are revealed to us. (First Ref. Gen. 1:1; Primary ref. John 4:24).’
Yes friends, our God is a Spirit Being, but nonetheless, He is the source of all that exists, both spiritual and material. And sometimes our problems derive from the fact that our mortal minds cannot conceive of, or comprehend the real immensity of the God we claim to worship, thus we tend to underate His size and power, and though we say it, we don’t truly believe that nothing is impossible to Him.
And that first verse of His Word says it all: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.’ (Gen. 1:1) It’s speaking of ‘the absolute beginning of the temporal and material world, when God created the original heaven and earth from nothing.’ Now you can’t truly believe in God unless you believe the Creation Story and all it entails, otherwise you will end up minimising the great God you claim to serve, and that means also minimising the benefits and blessings you can receive from Him.
And I’m chuckling here because I never intended to veer off like I did, but it just seemed so relevant that I could not pass it up. (smile) So, getting back to the doings of the Holy Spirit, the third aspect of our Triune God… Oh that’s another important thing to realize, that the Holy Spirit is a person, a part of our Godhead. I guess you can say it’s the workhorse of the Godhead. He carries out the actual decisions made by them.
Now hear Jesus again on the subject of spiritual matters. ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth (gives life); the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ (John 6:63) Yes my people, spiritual things are more important than fleshly or material stuff, for the body dies, but the spirit lives on. That’s where our real life is found, in our spirit-person. The body is just a temporary cover for it. And that’s why our God communicates through our spirit, why the Holy Spirit is so important in our lives.
As Bruh Paul says to the Corinthians re Spiritual Wisdom: ‘We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. And this is what we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.’ (1 Cor. 2:12-15)
What we are seeing here is that the natural or unspiritual man is unreceptive to the truth of God because it is delivered through His Holy Spirit. However, the spiritual man, who ‘has founded his faith on God’s revelation is able to receive the truth of God’s Spirit. He can judge now both earthly and heavenly things. He can discern what is and what is not of the gospel and salvation, and whether a man truly preaches the truth of God.’
And then we come to Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. 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 (orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14: 15-18)
Oh friends, what a glorious promise! One which Jesus kept by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers after that fateful Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). And yes, the Holy Spirit is also our Comforter, our advocate, our help in time of trouble. But whereas, Jesus, as a man on earth, could only be at one place at one time, the Holy Spirit can be all about in each believer, all the time! Glory be my people!
And one of the mighty jobs that the Holy Spirit does is bestowing God’s blessings upon us, what we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work. Let’s declare (chuh!!!) them now nuh, to give them light and life in our souls and spirits. 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 now, to indeed be true followers of Christ, we need to go out and use and share all of those wonderful blessings with others, just as unselfishly and generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…only believe on Jesus…and the Holy Spirit automatically indwells you…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
22 Jul 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Abba Father, blaming others for our poor choices, compassionate heart, contrary to one another, curse, divine protection, faith, favour, for that which I do I allow not, for what I would that I do not, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son, going to hell in a hand-basket, good friends, into every believer's heart, laziness, live a God-pleasing life, live by the Spirit, LOVE, moral life governed by the Spirit, negative word, playing the blame game, procrastination, prosper, sin that dwelleth in me, sinful nature, sons of God, spoon feeed, succeed, success, take responsibility for our own actions, the consummation of their salvation, the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, Thursday Blessings, wait for the hope of righteousness, walk in the Spirit, what I hate I do, ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh
Galatians 5:16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
And now it’s Thursday…getting close to the end of July, and the end of summer too…what li’l true summer weather we’ve had so far. Some people claim that the days of this pandemic are moving too slowly, but I feel they are moving too fast! Look, we just celebrated Canada Day and the Fourth of July, and yet the month is almost finished. And everybody else seems so busy with stuff to do…except me. (smile)
Oh, I have lots of things I would like to do, but, for whatever reason, I’m just not doing as much as I would like to do. I don’t know if I simply want to do too much, or that laziness and procrastination are holding sway over my life. Most likely though, it’s a combination of all three. That brings to mind Bruh Paul’s predicament that he wrote about to the Roman church. ‘For that which I do I allow not (don’t understand): for what I would (want to do), that I do not; but what I hate, that I do.’ (Rom. 7:15)
Ah friends, I’m sure that many of us have that same problem, especially in these pandemic times, these unforeseen or unexpected times, when the world seems to be falling apart, going to hell in a hand basket. And I know that Bruh Paul blames it mostly on sin. ‘If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law (I agree) that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.’ (Rom. 7:16-17) And yes my brethren, sin does play a large part in our lives, but we can’t blame everything on it, or Satan, as so many of us like to do.
Listen as Bruh Paul talks to the Galatians, re walking in the Spirit. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.’ (Gal. 5:16) The Lord gave us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the way we should walk. Therefore, it is our responsibility to follow it. We can’t be making excuses and blaming other things and people for our poor choices, as we like to do.
Hear the scholars’ explanation of that verse. ‘5:16. Walk in the Spirit (i.e., “live by the Spirit”): Christians are to live with the Spirit’s help. How does one “live by the Spirit”? (1) The Christian must believe that the Spirit is with him, having been sent by God into his heart (4:6). (2) In every spiritual confrontation the believer must yield to the Spirit, that is, submit his own desires to those of the Spirit. (3) One must depend on the Spirit for help, enabling him to live a God-pleasing life (vs. 5). (4) The believer should anticipate the effects of the Spirit’s help in his daily life. The believer who “lives by the Spirit” will not fulfill (accomplish, carry out) the lust (strong desires) of the flesh (sinful nature).’
I could not explain it any better my people. But for good measure, I am going to spoon feed us with those couple of verses mentioned in the explanation above, because I know most of us won’t bother to look them up, although we don’t know them. (smile) And the first one that deals with God sending His Spirit into the believer’s heart says: ‘And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.’ (Gal. 4:6)
That’s because ‘Every child of God was divinely given the Holy Spirit the moment he was adopted by God. Abba is an Aramaic domestic term by which the father was called in the affectionate intimacy of the family. It corresponds to our “daddy” or “papa.” The Spirit gives us an awareness that God is our Father.’
And the next verse to which they refer is Gal. 5:5, which says: ‘For we through the Spirit (eagerly) wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.’ And ‘Through the Spirit means that by the Holy Spirit’s help, which is obtained by faith, believers wait for the hope of righteousness, that is live the Christian life awaiting the consummation of their salvation.’
And now that we understand it all, (smile) let’s move back to Bruh Paul’s writing on walking in the Spirit. ‘For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.’ (Gal, 5:17)
And the scholars explain. ‘5:17. One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is, they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who, in turn, attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires.’
Therefore, Bruh Paul continues: ‘But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal. 5:18) And the scholars have this to say about that. (smile) ‘5:18. Verse 17 may leave the impression of a believer being caught in a hopeless tug-of-war between the flesh and the Spirit. This is not the case. The Christian is led of (by) the Spirit, when yielding to Him, to turn away from the flesh’s evil yearnings, thus putting sin out of his daily life. The verb “led” indicates voluntary submission; the believer decides by whom he will be led – either by his flesh or by the Spirit. The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the Spirit.’
Mamacita! That tells us like it is my fellow saints in Christ! It’s time to stop blaming everything and everybody else for our problems and begin looking at the real heart of the problem – ourselves. For we have all the tools necessary to live a decent Christian life, we just have to put our hands to the plough and stick to the Lord’s plan for our lives. And we can’t doubt our God’s goodness, either, for not only has He given us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, but also all these wonderful tools that we call our Thursday Blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s go home reminding ourselves of them now nuh.
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!’
Now there’s no more we can ask for. It’s our bounden duty to now go out and share those blessings just as generously with others, as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…time for Christians to stop playing the blame game…and take responsibility for their own actions…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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