11 Oct 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all I want to do is thank you, all that you mean to me, all the days of my life, always give thanks to you, auspicious occasion, be careful for nothing, Bebe Winans, become the chief cornerstone, been better to me than I've been to myself, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, can't live without your love, can't live without your touch, cast into the lake of fire, Christ is our emotional stalwart, Christ is the anchor and transformer of human emotions, Christ is the answer to it all, Christ keeps us strong, comforts us when we're in trouble, crushed by grief, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, even the youths shall faint and be weary, faith, fellowship, from the bottom of my heart, gathering in the Lord's sanctuary, get serious about living for Christ, give our heavy burdens to Christ, given among men, giving thanks from a thankful heart, grateful for our many blessings, He giveth power to the faint, heartfelt sincerity, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I could never repay, I will fear no evil, in everything, in the presence of mine enemies, Jesus Christ, Jesus' great invitation, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, mercy, mount up with wings like eagles, my cup runneth over, my heart's proclamation, my salvation, neither is there salvation in any other, no doubt about it, no lack of comfort in God's domain, no place I'd rather be, none other name under heaven', offer up our sacrifices of praise, over and over again, overcome through the awesome strength of Jesus, providing inner peace, run and not be weary, salvation, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, set my feet to dancing, standing here beside you, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, taking good care of me, thank you, thank you for being a friend, thanks for being a friend, Thanksgiving celebrations, Thanksgiving Sunday, the best act of thanksgiving, the Father of mercies, the forgiveness of sins, the God of All Comfort, the key to my emotions, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the love you're sending my way, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the source of my solution, the stone which was set at nought by your builders, the young men shall utterly fall, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, think of all you've done for me, this good land of Canada, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, truth, walk and not faint, when my life's uncertain, when things are going wrong, whereby we must be saved, wisdom, you are awesome and true, you keep me going strong, you're everything
Today’s Scrip-Bit 11 October 2026 Philippians 4:19.
Philippians 4:19. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
It’s Thanksgiving Sunday in this good land of Canada my fellow believers! And that calls for gathering in the Lord’s sanctuary to celebrate it with lots of thanks and praise for the wonderful life we live here through His goodness and mercy. Unfortunately though, the weather isn’t cooperating for this auspicious occasion. The day opened decently enough, but when we need the sun shining ever so brightly, the rain has chosen to fall instead, and give us a wet and cloudy Thanksgiving afternoon. But don’t worry, we’ll overcome it, just like we overcome everything else through the awesome strength of Jesus. (smile)
And for our song of worship, we have one aptly titled ‘Thank You’ written by the team of Bebe Winans, Rhett Lawrence, and Travon M. Potts, taken from the 1997 Bebe Winans album ‘In Harm’s Way.’ It says it all in a rocking up-tempo, rhythm and blues song, so let’s offer up our sacrifices of praise in the same up-tempo rocking riddim, with heartfelt sincerity as we open our Thanksgiving celebration. And please remember the background voices. (smile) So, let’s sing it like we truly mean it.
Singing: ‘Yeh, Yeh, Yeh! Say it again, say – Thank You, thank You! All I want to do is, Thank You, thank You! What I need to say is, Thank You, thank You! Thank You Thank You, thank You! The key to my emotions You keep me going strong The source of my solution When things are going wrong When my life’s uncertain There’s no place I’d rather be Than standing here beside You ‘Cause Your LOVE always comforts me.
(Chorus: So, thank You, thank You! Thanks for being a friend, yeah Thank You, thank You! Over and over again. Thank You, thank You. I could never repay The LOVE you’re sending my way. My way, yeah Thank You, thank You.) Something else I want to tell You, You are my salvation, yes, You are! Don’t you know You’re everything? Set my feet to dancing When I think of all You’ve done for me, yeah. (Chorus:) Here and now My heart’s proclamation… You are awesome and true! You’ve been better to me, Than I’ve been to myself. I’ll Always give thanks to You, to You. Yeah, yeah Yes, I will, yes, I will.
Heavenly Father Say, sing Right now I want to thank You For all that You’ve done for me. Right now, I want to thank You For taking good care of me. Right now, I want to thank You For all that You mean to me Right now, right now, I can’t live without Your LOVE! Yeah, said right now, say No d-d-doubt about it. I can’t live without Your LOVE No d-d-doubt about it! Hey, said, I can’t live without Your LOVE… Said, I can’t live without Your touch… Thank You, Thank You from the bottom of my heart… Thank You Thank You, for being a friend…over and over again… Thank You…Thank You…Lord, Thank You…’
Oh friends, that was a rocking good rendition of the song, and all who heard it had no doubt that we were grateful for the Lord’s many blessings upon us and upon our land. And for all the Lord’s done for us we can never give Him enough thanks and praise, but we ought to do the best we can. (smile)
And I do like the sentiments of the song, like ‘The key to my emotions.’ Yes, the Lord is the key to our emotions. As one overview puts it: ‘Christ is the anchor and transformer of human emotions, providing inner peace, renewal, and a model for processing feelings with grace.’ And we see that in scriptures like Bruh Paul writes to the Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:6-7)
That shows we can overcome worry with God’s surpassing peace through prayer. And we have this other verse from Psalm 34, where Bruh David writes: ‘The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit.’ (Ps. 34:18) That reassures us of God’s closeness when we are crushed by grief. And there are many other scriptures that portray Christ’s as our emotional stalwart.
And what about the rest of that first verse eh? ‘You keep me going strong The source of my solution When things are going wrong When my life’s uncertain There’s no place I’d rather be Than standing here beside You ‘Cause Your LOVE always comforts me.’ And there’s no doubt about all of that, for Christ does keep us strong, as we know through this most pivotal verse from Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil 4:19)
And how about this other well-known scripture from the prophet Isaiah? ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:29-31)
And Jesus is indeed the source of our solution. For only through Him can our major problem, the forgiveness of sins, be attained. As Peter so rightly and confidently pointed out to the Jewish Council after they arrested John and himself for preaching Christ crucified. ‘This is the stone which was set at nought of (rejected by) you builders, which is become the head of the corner (chief cornerstone). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:11-12) And that’s as it surely is!
Now, as per when things are going wrong in our lives and we’re uncertain, beside Jesus is indeed the best place to stand because He’s the most wonderful source of comfort. Firstly, Jesus offers us His Great Invitation to come to Him and drop our heavy burdens and get comfort rest and relaxation from bearing His easy yoke. (Matt. 11:28-30) Then Bruh Paul describes God as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us when we’re in trouble, so that we can comfort others with that same comfort we received from Him. (1 Cor. 1:3-4)
So there’s no lack of comfort in God’s domain. But I believe, in Psalm 23, Bruh David gives the best description of the overall scenario. ‘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 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.’ (Ps. 23:4-6)
So what else are we waiting for to turn to Almighty God eh? Satan certainly cannot offer those things, and even if he does, we know it’s all a lie, because he will eventually be cast into the lake of fire with all of his other evil cronies. So, let’s wake up this Thanksgiving Sunday and get really serious about Christ and living sincerely for Him nuh! For He is the answer to it all! Much LOVE!
…giving thanks from a thankful heart…is the best act of thanksgiving…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burned-out pastor, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a light in the midst of the darkness, a reggae version of the song, a sabbatical, a stormy period of life, beauty these eyes have seen, blessed is the man that trusts in God, bring us safely to land, by faith alone, cast adrift in the storm, christianity, condemned, crash on some rocky shore, delivered me from all my fears, delivers them out of all their troubles, dreams, dreams that slip through like grains of sand, evil and ungodly times, evil shall slay the wicked., face the raging seas, faith, fallen on my knees, fellowship, find a safe harbour, God proved His love for me, grains of sand, have been young but I'm older now, he keeps all his bones, held guilty, held them in my hand, helping people through the difficult times, His eyes were watching me, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and he heard me, I will wait for the God of my salvation, in spite of the storm, in the love of Jesus, in the night, is our faith strong enough, Jesus Christ, journeyed through the long dark night, judged to be righteous, Judith Gayle, Lawrence Chewning, life after the storm, look unto the Lord, lost the vision of our dreams, LOVE, many are the afflictions of the righteous, mercy, my God will hear me, mysterious movements of God, never knew, none of them are condemned, not one of them is broken, O taste and see that the Lord is good, only by faith can one walk with Jesus, out on the open sea, painful sorrows of real life, place our faith in His nail scarred hands, Ray Boltz, redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus, rejoice not against me o mine enemy, salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, sight unknown, sit in the darkness, slip right through, song of worship, sweet sacrifices of praise, take control of our anchor, Thank the Lord, that's what Jesus is all about, the anchor holds, the anchor holds when it's in the hands of Jesus, the BIBLE, the indisputable truth, the kind of faith we need need now, the Lenten season, the Lord delivers him out of them all, the Lord heard him, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, the Lord shall be a light unto me, the only safe place of shelter, the period of turbulence, the righteous cry and the Lord heareth, the wicked shall fall into mischief, they that hate the righteous shall be desolate, this poor man cried, though the sails are torn, though the ship is battered, through faith in Christ, through the storms of life, truth, visions, when I fall I shall arise, wisdom, with no one to help us
Psalm 34:19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
Come on down friends to the Lord’s sanctuary; it’s Sunday, the first one in the Lenten season, and hopefully the precipitations of snow and freezing rain won’t stop us from fellowshipping with each other, praising the Lord and giving Him much thanks for all the good things He’s done, is doing and has promised to do on our behalf. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful; ‘Thank You Lord!’
And today’s song of worship is one of strong faith, birthed in the painful sorrows of real life. The name of the song is ‘The Anchor Holds.’ And does it ever, when Jesus is the one who’s controlling it! The story behind the song goes something like this: It was 1992, and the writer of the song, Lawrence Chewning and his wife, were going through a stormy period of life. His father died, He was a burned-out pastor in a church that was having some problems, and then his wife had her third miscarriage. One would indeed call that a stormy period.
So, to ease the pain, he took a six-month sabbatical from the church and spent most of his time just playing the piano and talking to God. And with the ever-mysterious movements of our God, it’s no surprise he ended up writing the song during that period of turbulence. Sometime later, while talking to singer Ray Boltz, he mentioned the rough times and the song the Lord had given him during it. Ray decided to record the song and remodelled it into what it is today and released it in 1995. So, there is indeed life after the storm, and the anchor does hold with Jesus operating it.
Now, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, scintillating reggae version of the song, as done by Jamaican gospel artist, Judith Gayle. Singing: ‘I have journeyed, Through the long, dark night Out on the open sea By faith alone, Sight unknown And yet His eyes, were watching me. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams, I’ve even held them in my hand, But oh Lord, I never knew, They would slip right through, Oh my Jesus, Like they were only grains of sand.
The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Oh, I have been young, but I am older now, thank the Lord, And there has been beauty, that these eyes have seen, But it was in the night, through the storms of my life, Oh, that’s where God proved, His LOVE for me. The anchor holds, though my ship is battered. The anchor holds, though my sails are torn. And I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Yes, the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Thank You Jesus!
Oh my fellow believers, I know that many of us can attest to that fact: the anchor does hold when it’s in the hands of Jesus. The trouble though, is our faith strong enough to understand and accept it when the times get rough? For our sake, I certainly hope so, otherwise we’d be cast adrift in the storm and crash on some rocky shore, with no one to help us. And that’s what Jesus is all about; helping His people through the difficult times, but we must place our faith and trust in His nail scarred hands if we truly need help.
And there are many scriptures that reinforce that truth, especially the beautiful Psalm 34, where Bruh David writes: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears…This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Ps. 34: Ps. 34: 4, 6, 8) And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.’ (Prov. 24:16)
Then there’s this from the prophet Micah, as he talks about ‘A Light in the Midst of Darkness’: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.’ (Mic. 7:7-8) Wow! What faith the scripture talks of! That’s the kind of faith we need in these evil and ungodly times!
And there’s no better way to end than with these most encouraging and reassuring words of Bruh David from the end of Psalm 34. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them are desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
Now that’s the indisputable truth my people! The Lord has redeemed us through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, and none of us are condemned! Instead, we are judged to be righteous through faith in Christ Jesus. Yes friends, when we’ve lost the vision of our dreams, they’ve slipped through our hands like grains of sand, and the storm is raging around us, the only safe place of shelter is in the LOVE of Jesus, for He will take control of our anchor and eventually bring us safely to land. That’s why He’s our Saviour and Redeemer. So, let’s be wise and put all our trust in Him today, so that when the storms rage and our ships are battered, we will know where to find a safe harbour. Much LOVE!
…only by faith…and not by sight…can one walk together with Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a smiley kind of day, a winter storm, abundance, Accept god's sovereignty over our lives, action comes with a hefty price, Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed with God's supernatural widom, charged God foolishly, come to know and love christ like we do, community support, courage, curse, curse God and die, dent our spirits, faith, favour, fell upon the ground and worshipped, fulfilment, God can bring purpose out of suffering, guidance for navigating difficult times, He keepeth all his bones, holy spirit, if God spares life, immediate relief, in all this, it's the Lord's perogative to gie and to take, Jesus Christ, Job arose and rent his mantle, Job sinned not, LOVE, made of sterner stuff, many are the afflictions of the righteous, mercy, misfortune is a part of life, naked came I out of my mother's womg, naked shall I return thither, negative word, not one of them is broken, one of those day, perseverance, prosper and succeed, salvation, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, shaved his head, take difficulties in stride, talent, talk is cheap, the aberrations of winter, the BIBLE, the Christian life, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away, the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord's timetable, the response that God expects, the righteous cry, truth, undaunted faith in action, undeserved blessings, wisdom, without blaming something or someone, without complaining
Job 1:21b. the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Oh friends, as the song says, it’s just one of those days; one of those beautiful Thursdays when everything is covered in white, several inches deep. (smile) Yes, a winter storm has dropped a lot of snow on us during the past twelve hours, and it’s still sprinkling down as we speak. I can imagine the mess the morning commute must have been, and I’m sure many people could not even get to work because of it. But that’s the price we pay for living in the northern climes. Occasionally we’re hemmed in and severely restricted by the aberrations of the winter weather. (smile)
And after the storm … then comes the hard part; digging and shovelling ourselves out of it. The main roads in my area have not even been touched as yet, so you can imagine the chaos in the busier parts of the city. Usually, you’ll hear vehicles passing, but today nary a one is passing by, that’s to tell you the condition of the streets. But we’ll take it all in stride, as we usually do, and complain as we dig ourselves out, but we certainly won’t allow a li’l snow to dent or downgrade our spirits, for we are made of sterner stuff than that. (smile)
It’s a smiley kind of day. It has to be, or all the snow out there would just drive you crazy. And how do we do that? By turning to God’s Word which gives encouragement and reassurance in every instance of misfortune or disaster. It’s like the overview of this commentary says: ‘Scriptures on dealing with misfortune emphasize faith, perseverance, community support, and the belief that God can bring purpose out of suffering. The Bible acknowledges that misfortune is a part of life and provides guidance for navigating these difficult times.’
Yes my brethren, God’s Word certainly provides guidance for navigating difficult times. So let’s look at a few of them nuh, so we can gain some reassurance on this snowy day. And there’s no better scripture to begin with than this one from Job, where after losing everything; the Bible tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.’ (Job 1:20-22)
And yes, that kind of faith and righteous behaviour is indeed difficult to show forth when tragedy befalls us, but it’s the necessary response that God expects. Please note that the first thing Job did was worship the Lord. And that’s where it ought to begin, although it’s not easy to remember that or to do it, even when we remember. And then Job did not blame the Lord for His misfortune, although the Lord had to be involved in some form and fashion for He oversees everything that happens to us. Job simply stated the logic of it all: the Lord gave, now the Lord’s taken away what He gave. That’s His prerogative.
So although his life had gone from heaven to hell in a short time, Job did not blame God or curse him and die, as his wife told him to do. (Job 2:9) Unfortunately though, many of us don’t have that kind of faith which enables us to take our difficulties in stride without complaining or blaming something, or someone, God included. But that is the kind of faith we need to have if we expect to successfully navigate this world as followers of Jesus. We need to truly trust and accept God’s sovereignty over all the matters in our lives.
Meanwhile these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 encourages us to turn to prayer when difficulties arise. He writes: ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: bur the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:17-20)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord does all of that, but unfortunately it’s on His own timetable. We want immediate relief, but the Lord has what He considers important reasons for not granting immediate relief. And I can tell you about that from personal example. In the last few weeks I’ve been crying out to the Lord for relief from the pains in my stomach, and I did not doubt that it would eventually come, but for whatever reason, the Lord did not see fit to give me some relief until very recently. And as I said a couple of days ago, I don’t know if my attitude during that time was satisfactory in God’s eyes, for I did complain some, but I certainly did not curse Him.
That’s why talk is cheap, but action comes with a hefty price, which many of us are not prepared to pay. And sadly, it looks like time and space have run out on us, so we’ll stop there for today. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that encourage us in difficult times. Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, underserved ones, generously bestowed on us by the Father to help us do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life calls for showing undaunted, fearless faith in action…not merely in talk…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of peace, acceptable to God, actively pursuing peace, against them that do evil, approved of men, be as wool, be devoured with the sword, be not overcome of evil, be red like crimson, be white as snow, be willing and obedient, but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy ghost, cease to do evil, christianity, condemned, deceit, deepen my breath, defend, delivers them out of all their troubles, depart from evil, do good, dwell for evermore, eat the good of the land, end of sermon, evil shall slay the wicked, faith, fall short of the grace of God, follow after the things which make for peace, follow peace with all men, fomenting strife, for our own benefit, from before mine eyes, guilty, He keepeth all his bones, he that desires life and loves many days, his ears are open unto their cry, holiness, holy spirit, I marvel to think, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, judge the fatherless, keep thy tongue from evil, laze around, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, learn to do well, lest any man fail, let not your good be evil spoken of, let us reason together, looking diligently, LOVE, make hay while the sun shines, many are the afflictions of the righteous, many be defiled, mercy, none of them that trust in him shall be desolate, overcome evil with good, plead for the widow, put away the evil of your doings, quiet my soul, raise our hopes dreams and faith, relax my muscles, relieved the oppressed, reprove the oppressor, salvation, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, seasoned instruction, seek justice, seek peace and pursue it, slow my thoughts, spend some intimate time with the Father, teach you the fear of the Lord, thank you for this tenderness, that he may see good, that I may know you all the more, the BIBLE, the face of the Lord, the kingdom of god is not meat and drink, the Lord and His word dont ever change, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord redeems the soul of his servants, the Lord's loving-kindness, the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, the remembrance of them from the earth, the reverence of the Lord, the righteous cry, the root of bitterness springing up trouble you, they that hate the righteous shall be desolate, things wherewith one may edify, thy lips from speaking guile, to cut off, truth, upgrading our witness for Christ, vindicate, wash you make you clean, wisdom, without which no man shall see the Lord, ye refuse and rebel, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your sins be as scarlet
Psalm 34:14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
And then it was Saturday, our lazy-day Saturday, where we don’t have to do anything but laze around, if we so desire. (smile) And since it looks like it’s going to be another hot and hazy day, even with a promise of rain in the afternoon, the wisest thing is to stay inside and enjoy the calm and peace of an air conditioned situation. (smile) And to help us do just that, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Ah friends, just offering up the words bring a sense of peace and quietness, and when the Lord replies with His LOVING-KINDNESS, then it will be even better. So let’s raise our hopes, our dreams and faith as we spend some quiet, intimate time with the Father, this last Saturday in July 2025. Yes my brethren, July will be finished in less than a week’s time, so let’s make hay while the summer sun still shines by upgrading our witness for Christ. End of Sermon!
And as we promised yesterday, if God spared our lives today, we’d continue looking at the remainder of Psalm 34, as the scholars called it, the section of ‘seasoned instruction that can stem from such a deliverance,’ like Bruh David had from Saul and the Philistines with the Lord’s help. And that section begins thus: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and LOVETH many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit) Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’ (Ps. 34:11-14)
Yes my people, if we want to learn the reverence of the Lord those are some of the things we need to do; don’t speak or do evil, but do good and seek peace, and pursue it. As Bruh David says in Psalm 37: ‘Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.’ (Ps. 37:27) And as Isaiah proclaims on the Lord’s behalf: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice), relieve the oppressed (reprove the oppressor), judge (vindicate or defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.’ (Is. 1:16-17)
Now those are the things we’re supposed to be doing rather than doing evil and fomenting strife like we’re doing today. And it’s certainly interesting how Isaiah continues that passage. ‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.’ (Is. 1:18-20)
It’s laid out plain and straightforward my people. If we are obedient to the Lord’s word, we will prosper, if not, we shall be destroyed. And we can see evidence of it in the many heart rending problems that the Israelites faced when they disobeyed God, so why do we think it will be any different today eh? The Lord and His Word don’t change.
And as per peace, let’s note, it’s not only a matter of seeking peace, but actively pursuing it, looking for it, going out of our way to find it and make it happen! Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Romans, also warns us: ‘Let not the your good be evil spoken of: for the kingdom of God is not meat (food) and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom. 14:16-19)
And later on the author of Hebrews also encourages us to: ‘Follow (pursue) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God. Looking diligently lest any man fail of (fall short of) the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.’ (Heb. 12:1-5) So friends, we see how very important the pursuit of peace is in the believer’s life. And if we don’t actively seek it, we can cause a lot of problems in both our lives and the lives of others.
Then Bruh David continues explaining why we should fear the Lord and do good. ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off (destroy) the remembrance of them from the earth.’ (Ps. 34:15-16) Yes my brethren, the Lord dislikes evil, and has promised to destroy it and all memory of it from His world. Now, we don’t want to be amongst those that are destroyed, do we?
Obviously not! Then listen and inwardly digest these marvellous words of the rest of the psalm. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of contrite (crushed ) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned or found guilty).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
Oh my fellow saints, that’s what we have to look forward to when we fear the Lord, do good and not evil, and sincerely pursue peace! There’s nothing better to be gained in all the world! So please, let’s spend some time today contemplating those scriptures and seeing how they fit into our current lives. It can only be to our own amazing benefit. Much LOVE!
…be not overcome of evil…but overcome evil with good… (Rom. 12:21)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Aug 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, delivered me from every fear, evil shall slay the wicked., firsthand experience, He'll give you everything, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, I sought the Lord, I will bless the Lord at all times, let us exalt His name together, lovr, many are the afflictions of the righteous, musical perfection in gospel music, my mouth shall make her boast in the Lord, o magnify the Lord with me, Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, psalm 34, saved him out of all his troubles, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, the circle has come full circle, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the Lord heard him, the Lord hears the righteous, the Lord is nigh, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, there is no distance in prayer, there is no want to them that fear the Lord, this poor man cried, to them that are of a broken heart
Psalm 34:3. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Well, the circle has come full circle friends; (smile) it’s Sunday once again, time to give thanks and praise to our Lord God Jehovah as a corporate body, be it in actual physical contact, or by technological means. There is no distance in prayer, once we are all on the same page. And our song of praise and worship today is one of my favourite gospel songs, it’s based on the first nine verses of Bruh David’s words in Psalm 34 – The Lord hears the righteous – and is aptly titled ‘Psalm 34.’
Apparently the person who put this together is named Shane Bernard, and the version we are going to do today is based on the live performance made popular by that marvellous group of singers, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir… yes, I am biased. (smile) So in sweet, rich, soulful harmony, let’s wake all heaven with our voices of sacrificial praise… and please don’t forget all the bells and whistles, harmonies and background vocals, clapping and whatever, cause we putting on a most wonderful performance this morning.
Singing: ‘‘I sought the Lord And He answered me And delivered me From every fear. Those who look on Him Are radiant They’ll never be ashamed They’ll never be ashamed. This poor man cried And the Lord heard me And saved me from My enemies. The Son of God Surrounds His saints He will deliver them He will deliver them. Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good Oh blessed is he Who hides in Him. Oh fear the Lord Oh all you saints He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything.
(Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. Repeat) (Let us bless the Lord Every day and night Never ending praise May our incense rise. Repeat 4 times) Magnify the Lord with me Come exalt His name together Glorify the Lord with me Come exalt His name forever. {Repeat} Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. Oh taste and see That the Lord is good. He’ll give you everything He’ll give you everything. …He’ll give you everything…’
Oh friends, that was truly marvellous! We did almost as good as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (smile) and heaven just lapped it up! Wow! And some of you might think I’m overreacting, but if you’ve never listened to the choir sing it, please check it out on You Tube, make sure it’s the live version. And what I LOVE most about it, is the way the musicians get involved. You can see that they are feeling the music too, and it’s when the musicians are also into it, that music sounds real good.
Now, usually I don’t pay attention to the comments at the bottom, but this time I was certainly led by the Holy Spirit to do so, and was I ever amazed by the number of accolades for the song, by the amount of people who felt the same way I did. And this is just during the last few months. I just had to share some with you. These are all self-explanatory. ‘This is how it would be like in heaven. Every voice, musician, race, soul praising the name of God. Amen!!’ – ‘Every frame, every beat, every note, perfectly executed. THIS is musical perfection in gospel music.’ –
‘Every time I listen to this song, I imagine myself along with all the other saints in heaven worshipping. This song carries a strong anointing. You can feel the presence of the heavenly hosts.’ – ‘The worship that the people utter after the song is like Heaven, every race, every tongue raising up their voices in one accord unto The King of Kings.’ – ‘I just imagine being in heaven worshipping with this magnificent choir, just magnifying our great God! Hallelujah!!’
And I’ve saved the best for last, because this one truly shows the power of God working in a believer’s life. ‘I work in ER, single parent, uni student, worked through the pandemic. Got really bad Covid end of January. Still on long term recovery. Got too painful last week and I found myself ‘telling’ God what He could do to fix this. Went on YouTube and this song came up. I stood up and started worshiping even though I did not know the words. Before I knew it, I was down on my knees with my hands lifted up in worship. I’m back at work in ER but I have not stopped playing this song. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this worship. My deepest condolences to everyone who lost a loved one. God bless you and keep you safe.’
Yes friends, that’s what your faith and the amazing power of God can do! And Bruh David knew it from firsthand experience, that’s why he could pen these marvellous words, advocating the beauty and wisdom of worshipping Jehovah God. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My mouth shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear (reverence) him.’ (Ps. 34:1-9)
Ah mih people, I don’t see how we can get any better or truer sentiments than those nuh! For that’s exactly what our God does on behalf of those who sincerely seek, reverence and worship Him! That means we need to surrender our lives to Almighty God, put our trust and faith solely in Him, and then wait for Him to move in our lives. And if you don’t believe the first part of the psalm, then listen to the last part. (smile)
‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite (crushed) spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
And that’s the living truth friends! So please, let’s get wise and begin seriously living for God nuh. It’s what this life is all about! Much LOVE!
…God created us to worship Him…not Satan…
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18 Feb 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a part of the Christian life, all that labour and are heavy laden, be of good cheer, blessed be God, by the comfort, clear direction for my life, come unto me, courage, creativity, curse, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for thou art with me, from the Lord Jesus Christ, God is characterized by mercy and compassion, grace be to you, I am he that comforteth you, I am meek and lowly in heart, i have overcome the world, I will fear no evil, I will give you rest, in the world ye shall have tribulation, learn from me, LOVE, my burden is light, my yoke is easy, negative word, pardoneth iniquity, passeth over transgression, peace from God our Father, plenteous in mercy, prosper, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, succeed, take my yoke upon you, the Father of mercies, the God of All Comfort, the remnant of his heritage, though I walk through the valley of death, Thursday Blessings, thy comforts delight my soul, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, we may comfort them which are in trouble, wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, ye shall find rest unto your souls
2 Corinthians 1:3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies (compassion), and the God of ALL COMFORT.
A good Thursday morning to all you my faithful Scrip-Bit friends and family! As Bruh Paul would put it: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.’ (2. Cor. 1:2) Yes my brethren, it’s through the grace, peace and mercy of God that we are alive today! So let’s be thankful for it nuh, regardless of whatever problems we are currently undergoing, for our God is big enough, great enough and LOVING enough to get us through them safely, and even grow us spiritually while we’re undergoing the adversity.
And Bruh Paul continues thus:; ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies (compassion), and the God of ALL COMFORT.’ (2 Cor. 1:3) And that’s an indisputable fact my people! Our God is the Father of Comfort. There’s no one as comforting as Him. He is characterized by mercy and compassion. Bruh David describes it like this in Psalm 86. ‘For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.’ (Ps. 86:5)
Meanwhile Daniel declared: ‘To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him.’ (Dan. 9:9) And just for argument sake (smile) hear how Micah describes it. ‘Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by (over) the transgression of the remnant pf his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy (LOVING-kindness, compassion) (Mic. 7:18) Now that should convince us that one of our God’s many characteristics is compassion.
And if it doesn’t, then just check out all the scriptures where those needing comfort cried out to Him and He comforted them. The psalmist said: ‘In the multitude of my (anxious) thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.’ (Ps. 94:19) Yes friends, even when anxious thoughts conflict and bombard us, the comforting presence of our God is there to deflect them. Bruh David reminds us in Psalm 34. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.’ (Ps. 34:16-19)
Oh my people, these are indeed rough and unprecedented times for most of us, and we all have fears and anxious thoughts, but the best place to take them, as with everything else in this life, is to the God who made us, knows us better than we know ourselves and still cares for us with a LOVE beyond compare. We live in a sinful and evil world, therefore troubles and adversity must come against us, most devastatingly at times when least expect them. But God is ALWAYS there for us, if we cry out to Him. Jesus said very plainly: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Oh friends, I know that isn’t always easy to do, and no doubt the pain will hurt, possibly for some time too, but the Lord has a purpose for everything He allows in our lives. We may not know or understand it, but that’s why He is God. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, for He is the Creator and we are the created. Yes, I know you don’t want to hear about pain and suffering and reasons for them etc. etc., but that is all a part of the Christian life. However, getting back to the comforting aspect, hear how Bruh Paul continues his epistle to the church at Corinth, after telling them that our God is the God of all comfort.
‘Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:4) Glory be mih people! What a magnificent and thoughtful God we serve! Wow! He comforts us so that we can use that same godly and divine comfort to comfort our fellow human beings! Now isn’t that very thoughtful of Him? It surely is! Now just a few more scriptures to cement the fact (smile) that our God is indeed the God of all comfort.
Hear Isaiah as he talks about the faithful being comforted. ‘I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a (mortal) man that shall die, and the son of man which shall be made as grass?’ (Is. 51:12) Good question that friends. Please think on it. And from Psalm 119 comes this verse. ‘Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.’ (Ps. 119:76) And the amplified version of that is: ‘May your unfailing LOVE be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.’
Meanwhile, Bruh David says it simply and heartfelt like no one else besides Jesus can. ‘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.’ (Ps. 23:4) Yes my faithful saints in Christ, our God is always near and always ready to comfort us in times of trouble, but we need to cry out to him, come to Him with our tears and prayers. And there’s no better invitation in all the world than this one made by Jesus so long ago and is still in effect.
‘Come unto me, all ye that are 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) That is as simple and explicit as it can get my brethren. So the rest is up to us. We can only comfort or help ourselves so much, likewise our fellow man, but the God of ALL COMFORT can do a much better job than us. So let’s wisely turn to Him in these dark and tremulous times nuh.
Now, for those of us whom He has comforted and given us the opportunity and tools to comfort others, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, exulting with thanksgiving, for the wonderful tools He’s bestowed on us. 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 let’s use those blessings to uplift ourselves and others in Christ’s name nuh! Much LOVE!
…comfort ye oh my people…comfort ye…says our God…
