The Importance of Christians Believing that through Jesus, They Have Direct Access to the Throne of God!

16 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

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

Hebrews 4:16.        Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

One more Sunday to add to our long list of them my fellow believers, which means another time to go to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers; that’s to sing, praise, worship and give thanks for all our good God has done for us, and has promised to do in the future. In return for our praise, worship, and thanksgiving, we receive forgiveness, renewed confidence, faith and spiritual strength, so that we can go back out into the workday world this week and be a good Christian witness for Christ. 

And today for our song of worship, we have a beautiful Christian hymn whose words were penned way back in 18 something by Daniel Herbert (1751–1833) with music written by Clint Wells and Brian T. Murphy, in 2004. The song is most appropriately titled ‘Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace.’ So, since we’re invited to do that, let’s do it nuh, offering up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, scintillating, sincere and heartfelt version. 

Singing: ‘Come boldly to the throne of grace, Ye wretched sinners come, and lay your load at Jesus feet, And plead what He has done. How can I come? Some soul may say, I’m lame and cannot walk; My guilt and sin have stopped my mouth, I sigh, but dare not talk. Come boldly to the throne of grace, Though lost, and blind, and lame; Jehovah is the sinner’s friend, And ever was the same. He makes the dead to hear His voice; He makes the blind to see, The sinner lost, He came to save, And set the prisoner free. 

Come boldly to the throne of grace, For Jesus fills the throne; and those He kills, He makes alive; He hears the sigh or groan; Poor bankrupt souls, Who feel and know, the hell of sin within; Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in. Come Boldly to the throne of grace; The Lord will take you in…the Lord will take you in…Yes the Lord will take you in…take you in.’ 

And that’s for certain sure my faithful brethren! If we go boldly to the throne of grace our good God will surely take us in! And why is that a sure thing, you ask? Because the Lord’s Word itself tells us to do so. Listen to this most enlightening scripture from the author of Hebrews: 

‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession of faith). For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16) 

What a delightful, encouraging and uplifting scripture my fellow believers! That’s why we can go to the throne of grace boldly, which means with confident humility, not arrogance! For our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our new high priest, experienced temptation here on earth like we do, yet never sinned, therefore He can sympathize with what we go through, and thus encourages us to come to Him seeking mercy and grace. 

One point the scholars make here is that ‘Temptation can be a reality apart from sin.’ In other words, though Jesus could not sin, He was well able to be tempted, as we see from when the Holy Spirit led Him directly after His baptism by John the Baptist, into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. (Matt. 4:1) 

Then there’s this other scripture from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians, where in talking of the Unsearchable Riches of Christ, he says: ‘In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of (in) him.’ (Eph. 3:12) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘This verse affirms that Christians have boldness (freedom of speech before God) and access (the right of entering His presence) with confidence (assurance of being heard by God) by the faith of him (through relying upon Christ to gain God’s ear).’ 

Yes friends, all that we have comes through the selfless sacrifices of Jesus! Without Him, we’d have nothing! We certainly could not go to the throne of God with the assurance that we’d be heard. That’s why it’s so foolish not to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. Just look at what the song says we can do because of him: Wretched sinners that we are; we can still come and lay our burdens at His feet. And why is that? As the song further says: ‘Though lost, and blind, and lame, Jehovah is the sinner’s friend. And ever was the same.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my brethren. For even when we were yet sinners God would not turn us away if we came to Him in sincere repentance. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to this most wonderful invitation issued by Jesus to all and sundry. ‘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, what a beautiful invitation to come to Jesus and receive all the good stuff He has lined up for those who believe in Him. And no, it won’t just be a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park, but you will certainly do much better with, than without Him. That’s a proven fact! 

The song says, ‘The sinner lost, He came to save, And set the captive free.’ And that’s exactly what the scriptures tell us. Jesus Himself said this: ‘For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.’ (Luke 19:10) Then the prophet Isaiah, said this about Him. ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek (poor); he hath sent me to bind up (heal) the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.’ (Is. 61:1) 

And remember that day in the synagogue when Jesus read those words from scroll, (Luke 4:18-19) what He said afterwards? ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).’ Luke 4:21) That just goes to show that all the words of the song are ever so true, and we’d be real foolish not to accept all that Jesus has to offer us. So please, let’s be wise and accept Him as Lord and Saviour…right now! Much LOVE!

…Faith doesn’t make it easy…but Faith surely makes it possible… 

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Grace in a Believer’s Life!

03 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 2:8.         For by grace are (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

So after a lazy-day Saturday, we come to a spiritually refreshing Sunday, where in the sanctuaries of God, the voices of prayer and worship ascend up to heaven and return with renewed confidence, faith and spiritual uplifting. And this long August weekend, with the Caribana celebrations on tap, is no different, although we might be doing a bit more celebrating than usual. (smile) But please, let’s not allow the secular celebrating to stop us from going to the Lord’s house and celebrate His day as we are accustomed to doing every Sunday.

And today’s song of worship is one of the most popular Christian hymns ever, aptly titled ‘Amazing Grace.’ And why do we say it’s aptly titled? Because, as this commentary tells us, it is not a song of theology, but its author, John Newton’s own heartfelt expression of gratitude to God, who helped him turn from his profane and wicked life of slave trading and eventually fight against the ills he once practiced.

The song was written around 1772, by which time Newton had become and English clergyman and a poet, and thus was able to describe the transformative power of God’s grace, especially in his own life, after a period of spiritual turmoil and self-searching during the years of his life at sea, and his involvement in the lucrative but very evil and dehumanizing slave trade. And it’s rather amazing to hear the story of Newton’s life and subsequent transformation.

Apparently he went to sea from a young age, around 11, and though raised as a Christian by his mother, he rejected all her teachings, and was supposedly even more profane and debauched and coarse than what’s normally expected of sailors. But as our Lord is won’t to do, one night while steering his battered ship, the Greyhound through a particularly bad storm, he considered his ruined life, and thoughts of Christ began to fill his confused mind.

Obviously he considered himself beyond hope and saving, but sometime later he found a copy of the New Testament, and as he read Luke 11:13, ‘If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?’ Now that is a very powerful scripture, claiming that God will save anyone who asks for it. And that apparently began Newton’s turn from evil to godliness.

To make a long story short, he gave up his slave trading occupation, became a minister, and even helped William Wilberforce who led the fight to abolish slave trading in the British Empire with the passing of the British Slave Trade Act in 1807. So now that we know the story behind the song, let’s lift up our voices in sweet sacrificial praise, offering up a soulful, scintillating, heartfelt version of Amazing Grace, because it’s God’s amazing free gift of grace that has saved all of us unworthy sinners.

Singing: ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease, I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who called me here below, Will be forever mine. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun…. Yes, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.’ And isn’t that the awesome truth friends? Singing God’s praises is what we’ll be doing until the end of time!

Now, the song is about grace and salvation. And there are a couple of scriptures that illustrate that God’s gift of grace is our saving grace. (smile) Listen to this first one as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath ordained (prepared) that we should walk in.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)

And that’s the first thing we need to learn about grace; that’s it a gift of God, not of any works that we can do. We get saved by having faith in Christ and thus receiving God’s amazing grace. And that Grace alone, which brings salvation,  means that God LOVES, forgives, and saves us not because of who we are or what we do, but because of the work of Christ. And that is further explained by Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Roman church when talking about Adam’s transgression causing death to all mankind.

He says: ‘But not as the offence, so also is the gift free (the free gift of salvation is not like the false step of Adam). For though the offence of one (Adam) many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many.’ (Rom. 5:15) In other words, Adam’s sin brought forth death, but Jesus’ sacrifice brings forth life. However, the important difference is that sin causes all to die, but grace only comes to those who accept Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Then there’s this interesting scripture from the gospel of John where Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath day by anointing his eyes with clay, then telling him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, which he did, and received his sight. (John 9:1-7) But as always, fast neighbours intervened and wondered if it was the same man. Then the Pharisees ever looking for a way to get something negative on Jesus, got hold of the situation and begun badgering the man and his parents about who healed him and how.

‘Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.’ (John 9:24-25) What a wonderful answer my brethren! That’s what the grace of God will do for you, make you see, when you’re spiritually blind, like it did for John Newton and so many of us.

And the moral of the story is that no matter how far gone you are, you are only one step, one sincere prayer, one cry away from Jesus’ saving grace and arms! That’s His promise to us. And let’s hope that we are all wise enough to take hold of that marvellous opportunity today. Much LOVE!

…God’s LOVE for mankind is so obvious…that only if we’re blind…we wont see it…

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

The Great Importance of Christians wearing the Lord’s Protective Armour in the Fight against Satan!

13 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:10.       Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Here we go again with a new work week, hope we are all prepared for it, with sufficient rest and renewed confidence and faith over the weekend, for the enemy is raising the level of spiritual warfare that’s taking place, daily putting more evil weapons and people into the fray. And if we are not aware and alert, we will certainly be caught napping and made to pay a horrendous price. 

That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to get down with the Word, be much more acquainted with it; read it, study it, meditate on it, and put it into practice in our lives. For that’s the only way we will ever defeat the enemy. Remember, the Bible is God’s Guidebook for our earthly lives, and if we don’t know what it says, or how to put it into action, then crapaud smoke we pipe! 

Friends, the enemy is not joking, this is not a friendly war… No! It’s a fight for life and death! If we lose it, then we’ll be facing eternal death and separation from Almighty God, and if we win, we’ll be spending eternal life with Him. And that’s the most important aspect of this whole earthly life; where we spend eternity! 

And at the start of this new year, we cannot go wrong by examining some of the weapons we have to fight this spiritual warfare. Some of which are outlined by Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians, where he talks about the whole armour of God which is necessary for us to have, if we intend to fight and win the spiritual battle. He begins with this exhortation: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10) 

And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease-fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities, “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely,  by His mighty power.” 

Oh friends, yuh see this is a most serious and deadly affair, not some li’l mickey mouse matter, where we playing childlike games. Bruh Paul then makes another most significant statement. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11) 

Now the scholars tell us that the words used for ‘Put on in the Greek language, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate attention,’ and that’s a very crucial fact right now as the battle lines are narrowly drawn. Meanwhile ‘To Stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle.’ 

That ought to bring home the seriousness of the situation to us. In other words, we cannot stand against the wiles or evil schemes of the enemy unless we’re dressed in the full armour of God. And believe me, Satan carefully crafts schemes and tactics against believers. So please don’t think that He’s just fooling around. He’s more serious about our destruction that ever. 

Then Bruh Paul goes on to give us some idea of whom we’re fighting against. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts of wickedness) in high places.’ (Eph. 6:12) So we’re not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual foes. 

The scholars explain that ‘Wrestle, used of hand to hand combat emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refer to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’  

Then Bruh Paul reemphasizes the importance of God’s armour in our fight. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’  (Eph. 6:13) And the  scholars explain that means ‘because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’ 

Now that’s something we have to be very cognizant of; the devil never stops for good. Every so often, he will take a break, especially if he is not getting anywhere with you, possibly to devise new strategy, but he will always come back while we’re alive, it’s his reason for living. We can clearly see that in the scriptures. After Satan unsuccessfully tempts Jesus, the Word says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season (until an opportune time).’  (Luke4:13) 

Yes my fellow saints, the devil doesn’t tempt us willy- nilly, but has very deep and deceptive strategies in place to encourage us to fall. However, we will not do that today, because we will go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us overcome his evil schemes. 

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

But let’s remember that before divine aid can be granted, we need to humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. In other words, turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!

…to fight God’s fight successfully…one must have His protective armour…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 1 January 2019 2 Chronicles 7:14.

01 Jan 2019 Leave a comment

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

2 Chronicles 7:14.   If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
HAPPY  NEW  YEAR !
 
Well a Happy New Year to all you my faithful Scrip-Bit Friends and Family! 2019 certainly came in with a bang in the Northern Climes as it rained on our New Year’s Eve Parades! Hn! Can we read something into it being very warm and rainy instead of cold and snowy as it usually is? I guess only the Good Lord knows. But nonetheless we’ll pray for a much better 2019 than the much troubled and controversial 2018 we’ve just been through. 

And speaking of prayer, here is a good one to begin the year with. It’s one of those prayers that keep rotating through the Internet, but that doesn’t make anything wrong with them. Someone recently sent this to the duchess and she sent it to me. It begins with this intro: ‘Please pick four people you want God to bless.’  And yuh know what? I picked all of you, my beautiful people in Christ! Glory be! 

And it continues: ‘This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.’ Now isn’t that the gospel truth! ‘Let’s always pray for one another.’ And do we ever need lots of prayer on behalf of each other in this evil and ungodly world! It’s a big part of our faith. 

So please let 2019 be a big year of prayer! The more prayers we send up to heaven, the more answers and blessings we’ll receive. Remember, we have not because we ask not! And when we do ask, we tend to ask for the wrong things, or with the wrong motives. 

Anyway, here is the prayer at last. (smile) Please pray with me: ‘Father, Thank You for each and every day You have blessed us here on earth. Thank You for Your tender mercies. Thank You for giving us friends and family to share these joys with. I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. 

Where there is joy, give them continued joy, where there is pain; give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence. Where there is need, fulfill their needs. Bless their homestead, families, finances, their going out and their coming in…In Jesus’ name; Amen!’ 

And here is the postscript: ‘(If you choose to send this to more than four people, you are truly blessed to have such friends).’ That means I’m truly blessed! Glory to God! ‘Never postpone!’ That’s more wisdom there again, because we are such procrastinators, our lives are so comfortable that we keep putting off things we ought to do. 

Please let 2019 be the year of NO procrastination! And I’m taking that personally, because I get confused between waiting on God and doing what I think, or know I should do. (smile) And since we’ve been talking about that most powerful tool called prayer, I guess it’s only apropos that we find a Bit dealing with it. 

And here is this one from way back when, when the Lord made His covenant with Cousin Sol when the temple was dedicated. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ 

Oh my people, it’s amazing how our God puts things so simply, but we make them so complicated. Now what could be simpler than that statement above there eh? Nothing really! If His people, those called by His name, that’s us; children of God, humble our selves and pray sincerely and seek Him diligently and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear us and heal our land. 

And yet we wonder why our land is in such disarray, such a disastrous state? The answer is simple my friends? We’re not humbling ourselves, and seeking God’s face and turning from our evil ways…Chuh! In fact we’re becoming more evil every day! So I ask again, how do we expect our land to be healed eh? 

And the Lord continued to Cousin Sol: ‘Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place.’ (2 Chr.7:15) Yuh see another great promise there mih breddren! When His people come to the temple and pray, He promised to hear them. The same thing goes for us today. 

And the scholars offer this wonderful explanation on those verses. ‘7:14-15. While this promise was originally given to Solomon regarding the people of Israel, it is certainly applicable to all who call on the Lord in repentance and faith. These verses stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people (cf. 6-37-39; James 4:8-10).’ 

Oh friends, I couldn’t have put it any better! And I strongly suggest that you read those two references the scholars gave. The first is Cousin Sol praying at the dedication of the temple that when sinners come to it and pray, the Lord would hear them. And the Lord granted his wish. The next one is James telling us to ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw night (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’ (James 4;8) It’s all simple and straightforward friends! 

 Now on this first Tuesday in 2019, with a strengthening of our faith, and an improvement of our prayer life front and centre, let’s go home telling the world, in no uncertain terms, who and whose we are, as we declare our Tuesday Mantra with great gusto! 

As one entity now: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world.  Amen!’ 

And there’s no better way to begin this New Year than by sharing Christ’s amazing LOVE and undying friendship with those who don’t know Him! Much LOVE!

…if you believe that Christ is a wonderful person and Saviour…don’t keep that good news to yourself…joyfully share it with others…