28 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: believe not every spirit, bow to the master of darkness, clear direction for my life, climate change, curse, English weather, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, faith, favour, get a foothold in our lives, greater is he that is in you, he that knoweth God heareth us, holy spirit, is of God, Jesus Christ, LOVE, many false prophets are in the world, mercy, negative word, positive outlook on life, prosper, renounce God's presence, Seasonal Affective disorder, spirit of the antichrist, succeed, than he that is in the world, the spirit of error, the spirit of the antichrist, the Spirit of truth, therefore speak they of the world, they are of the world, Thursday Blessings, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, we are of God, ye are of God
1 John 4:4b. … greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Brother! Can you believe it’s another wet, drizzly, cloudy day? It’s at least the sixth day in a row that we haven’t had even a hint of sunshine. No wonder SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) takes its toll during such long durations of gloomy, uninspiring weather. I have a light on the deck in my backyard to frighten away animals at night, it runs on solar power, but I haven’t seen it lit for a while now, because there’s been no sunlight to recharge its battery. I believe this is what is known as English weather. (smile) And it’s a sure sign of climate change, if all we’re getting at the end of December is light rain and absolutely no snow.
Now, it’s highly unlikely that we won’t get any snow at all, but by this time of year, we’ve usually had a few snowfalls. And yet many people still doubt the fact that climate change is occurring. As always though, when we don’t hear, we feel. But that’s also why we have Jesus as Lord and Saviour; to guide and protect us, to lead us in the way everlasting; in the way of truth and righteousness! Without Him, none of that is possible, for we cannot live a righteous and truthful life in our own strength, especially not with the immense pressure being exerted in these evil times for mankind to renounce the presence of Almighty God and bow to the master of darkness, Beelzebub himself!
And John, in his first epistle explains that though Satan is fighting to gain power over us, we have all the tools to resist him He writes: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1) And that last phrase is the absolute truth my people; false teachers and prophets abound in these ungodly and evil times, and thus numerous spirits are flitting about trying to get a foothold in our lives.
And yes, the Holy Spirit of God does assure us, but with the many spirits that are currently out and about trying to wreak even more havoc and chaos than is already happening, we still need to be very careful what and whom we listen to, and test whatever we hear. So John explains how we can test those spirits. ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:2-3)
Now we need to make a distinction between the person of ‘The Antichrist’ who is supposed to reign in terror over the world during the Great Tribulation, and what John is talking about here, more like a group, a body of ‘antichrists’ who are already in the world deceiving people and turning them away from the truth of God. The scholars tell us that ‘John’s opponents may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son who came in flesh was also one with the Father. This position was held by many Gnostics. John says that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come in the flesh. Jesus himself speaks of those who call Him “Lord” but are false followers. (Matt. 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)’
Yes friends, there are many around who pretend to be Christians, but are not true followers of Christ, just using His name for their own personal purposes. And per the Gnostics spoken of above: It’s said that ‘Gnosticism is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the proto-orthodox teachings, traditions, and authority of religious institutions.’
And John continues: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And that’s no lie! Christ who indwells believers is greater than Satan who is trying to cause chaos amongst us. But because we are born of God, and Christ has already defeated Satan, we don’t have to be afraid, just make sure that we are diligent in our worldly dealings. ‘They (those ruled by the spirit of the antichrist) are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.’ (1 John 4:5-6)
It’s obvious that those who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist will find the world’s teaching more appealing than the truth of God. And the scholars explain verse six thus: ‘Those who acknowledge the truth of the apostolic (New Testament) witness to Christ will recognize and conform to the teaching John is presenting. Those who do not, are animated by a common and unifying spirit of error. John warns the readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ proclaims.’
Oh my people, our world today is full of heresy, blasphemy and outright lies about our faith, but we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Giver of eternal life and all the other wonderful things like grace and mercy, provided through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in each and every believer. Therefore, we do not need to fear what the world says about us, or does to us, we just need to keep on faithfully believing, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and be careful of whom and what we let into our lives. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one 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 activated those blessings, we’re now obligated to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to truly know Christ and be fruitful in Him…one must be obedient to the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
10 Jan 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a word fitly spoken, activate our dormant brain cells, bounden duty, Encyclopedias, every idle word that men speak, God will supply all of my needs, have good success, hurry, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if God be for me, If God be for me who can be against me, in god's eyes, like apples of gold in pictures of sliver, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, S.A.D., Seasonal Affective disorder, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, share His love with the world, something good is going to happen through me, something good is going to happen to me, the beloved of God, they shall give account of on judgment day, this book of the law, this is the day the Lord has made, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, we will rejoice and be glad in it, worry
Proverbs 25:11. A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.
And all I can say is: ‘Brother! Another cloudy day!’ Ah my my, where is the sun eh? And not for heat, but just a li’l light. Thankfully though, we’re not getting any unwanted precipitation like California, which is receiving all kinds of rain and stormy weather. But it would be nice to get a glimpse of the sun, and see it’s light shining through like Jesus, every so often. (smile) That’s why this S.A.D, or Seasonal Affective Disorder thing is so prevalent in winter and fall. When there’s no actual light in our lives, the body just goes into a state of natural downturn, a state of natural depression, where our moods can vary ever so dangerously.
But what a good thing that we believers have the light of Jesus shining within us, and all the uplifting scriptures of our faith to boost us, else we’d surely be in deep trouble in these S.A.D times. (smile) However, the problem is if we don’t know the scriptures, we obviously can’t use them. That’s why it’s ever so important to read and study the books of the Good Library so that we can have reassuring scriptures to fall back on. Why do you think that the Lord was so specific with Joshua after He made him leader of the Israelites on the death of Moses eh?
He commanded: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Wow! That’s from the Lord God Almighty Himself! As the old people would say, ‘straight from the horse’s mouth!’ And thus it should not be disobeyed, but rather taken to heart and sincerely followed. But nowadays, with our know-it-all attitude, because of the inroads we’ve made into science and technology, we choose to totally disregard the wisdom of our Creator. Remember friends, the Good Library was written to help us to find our way on this crazy and dysfunctional earth. It’s the Encyclopedia of Life and Living!
Remember the days when Encyclopedias reigned supreme, when they were the last word in everything, where we went to find anything we didn’t know about? And selling Encyclopedias was the first job that many of us had on first coming to Canada, because it was possible the easiest one to get back then. I remember a few cold nights out on the road, knocking on doors and getting rude remarks. After one particularly cold night somewhere out in the Ajax area, it was just a small town then, I just said forget it and did not even go back to collect the few dollars they owed me.
Many of today’s young people don’t even know the word Encyclopedia, and if they do, what it really means, or stands for, because we now go to Google for all our enquiries. And yes, it is much quicker, but there’s nothing like holding an Encyclopedia, that’s one volume, (smile) in one’s hand and thumbing through its numerous pages to find some unknown or unremembered fact. It certainly activated our brains more and we found more knowledge that way, than simply dialing it up on Google, which does nothing to activate our dormant brain cells.
Now, where were we, before we got into this talk on the dinosaur that’s Encyclopedias? (smile) Oh yes, we were talking about God’s instructions to Joshua to constantly meditate on His word, if he wanted to be prosperous and find success. And nothing has changed since then my people! The same advice still applies: to have true, or God-given prosperity and success, one must know the scriptures and faithfully follow or live by them! It’s the only way! And do we ever need them in turbulent times like our world is now undergoing, and the cloudy days that we’re experiencing, as well as all the other natural and man-made disasters that are happening all around the globe.
And we’re talking about enlightening and reassuring scriptures like these: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ (Ps. 118:24) ‘God will supply ALL of my needs through His riches in glory through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour!’ (Phil. 4:19) ‘I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!’ (Phil. 4:13) ‘As for me and my house, we WILL follow the Lord; that’s for sure!’ (Josh. 24:15) ‘If God be for me, who can be against me eh? NOBODY! (Rom. 8:31)
‘And the God of all grace, who has called me to His eternal glory in Christ after I have suffered a little while, will Himself restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast. Glory to God! (1 Pet. 5:10) ‘I am an overcomer through Christ.’ That’s just a shortened form of John’s words in his first epistle. ‘For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:4-5)
Then there are these other vibrant and reassuring scriptures: ‘I am above and not beneath. The head and not the tail.’ (Deut. 28:13) ‘I am more than a conqueror, through Christ who LOVES me! (Rom. 8:37) ‘Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.’ (Ps. 141:3) Now that last one is something we should ALL be praying EVERY DAY, because talk is so cheap, rampant and virulent, or bitter and hostile right now that it’s possibly the major contributor to our sad, ongoing demise.
Remember what Cousin Sol said about words in Proverbs. ‘A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.’ (Prov. 25:11) Meaning that a good word spoken at the right time is invaluable to the listener! Remember too, that our words have God-given power, and they can be used for either good or evil, so we should be very careful what we say and when, because Jesus warned: ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.’ (Matt. 12:36) Now that should make us all sit up and think and take care of the words we speak from henceforth!
And then there’s this last but ever so important saying from Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) that we should ALL also be declaring (yes!!!) every day! ‘Something good is going TO happen to me today! Something good is going to happen THROUGH me today!’ And that’s just a handful of the many useful scriptures that we can employ EVERY DAY to lift up our spirits and reassure us of the goodness of our most LOVING God, Jehovah! You can also peruse and meditate on the scriptures and find many more to use in your own situations.
Now, for those of us who are trying to sincerely live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong voice: ‘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 my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with all we meet, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…it’s impossible to live a successful life…without reading and following God’s instructions…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
20 Jan 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, be careful for nothing, but of power love and a sound mind, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, courage, creativity, curse, duty to share our blessings, every tongue that rises against you, faith, favour, fear and faith don't mix, feeling down, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, grieve not the Holy Spirit, I am persuaded, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, LOVE, my peace I give unto you, nay in all these things, negative word, neither let it be afraid, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, Peace i leave with you, plenty practice and perseverance, Rejoice in the Lord always, Seasonal Affective disorder, self-control, separate us from the love of God, shall guard your hearts and minds, that neither death nor life nor angels, the heritage of the Lord, the inclement weather, the Lord is at hand, the Lord's love for His people, the peace of God which passeth all understading, Thursday Blessings, we are more than conquerors, ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
2 Timothy 1:7. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.
Oh friends, our God is so good and thoughtful that over the last few days He’s opened each day with bright sunshine to help those of us who might be feeling down because of the inclement weather or suffering from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Praise His holy name! And thus, in conjunction with the light and life that Jesus brings, believers should have no problems adjusting to whatever comes against them in these turbulent times.
For just as the prophet Isaiah declared the Lord’s LOVE to the people of Israel, that same LOVE also applies to us right now. And Isaiah’s reassuring message was as follows: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
Now, add to that, Bruh Paul’s message to the church at Rome, where he declares: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) Brother! Does all of that ever provide an airtight cushion of LOVE to protect us from the enemy’s assaults. And all God’s children gave a grateful shout of: ‘Praise the Lord, for His goodness to the children of men!’
And to further encourage us, Bruh Paul continues his message by saying: ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:38-39)
And that should come as no surprise to us my fellow believers since Bruh Paul also told the Ephesians: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) That means once we receive Christ as Saviour and His Spirit comes to dwell within us, then we are sealed as belonging to Him, and no one can break that seal.
So there is no real reason to fear anything that comes against us in this life. Yes, we must be careful and concerned, and some fear will always come upon us when life surprises us, but lasting fear should not ever be numbered amongst our many attributes. That brings us to this other most encouraging scripture, more words of Bruh Paul, this time to his protégé Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! Through Christ Jesus we have received all the tools we need to run this race of earthly glory in His mighty name! And if you don’t believe Bruh Paul, then hopefully, you will believe Jesus, when He says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
But some of you remark, that’s all well and good for Him to say so, but how do we do that in real life? Well, I believe if you follow Bruh Paul’s recipe to the Philippians you can certainly accomplish it. Listen up as he details it. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation (graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand (He is coming back soon and He is always spiritually near).
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. 4:4-7) And there you have it my brethren; the way to find the peace of God in this unpeaceful world!
Now, that’s not always easy to do, especially with the evil and ungodly world doing their best to derail our good intentions. Meaning, it only comes through experience, in other words, through plenty practice and perseverance. (smile) But when we continually rejoice, are gracious, thankful and prayerful, with the wonderful fruit of the Spirit thriving in us and manifesting itself in our lives, then obtaining that peace of God should not be a problem.
And on top of all that, our God is so wonderful that He’s also bestowed numerous blessings on those who choose to sincerely follow His will and do His bidding. We call them our Thursday Blessings. And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been declared, let’s go home declaring (yeah!!!) them right now nuh, so that they can be put in place for godly use.
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 duty to go out and share all those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! That’s His ardent desire! Much LOVE!
…fear and faith don’t mix…but only through Christ…can the latter prevail…
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
29 Dec 2021
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a name which is above every other name, a type of depression, All I want is you, all things are become new, became obedient unto death, call in the heavy rollers, Dr. Charles Stanley, endure to the end, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, guiding light, he humbled himself, he is a new creature, he that followeth me, I am the light of the world, I don't want nobody, if any man be in Christ, Jesus christ is Lord, Jesus keeps us calm, lack of sunlight, leave all the consequences to Him, losing interest in once enjoyed activities, LOVE one another, low energy, my burden is light, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are on the plough, my whole life has changed, my yoke is easy, obedience, obey God, old things are passed away, practice what you preach, praise his holy name, problems with sleep, rewards attached to obedience, sad, Seasonal Affective disorder, seasonal bouts of depression, shall have the light of life, shall not walk in darkness, Since I met you Jesus, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the debilitating ways of the world, the number one rule, to a glorious future with Jesus, to tell my troubles to, to the glory of God the Father, Wednesday Wail
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Well it’s another dark, cloudy, damp winter’s day…just like the past few have been. No wonder so many people are depressed and sad, for that’s what miserable weather can do to you if you don’t have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. But when you have Yeshua, as your Guiding Light, even the worse weather won’t get you down. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) probably one of the enemy’s new tools, won’t disturb your calm soul. (smile)
And some of you might be wondering what’s SAD? ‘It is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same time every year. If you’re like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Some of the common symptoms include having low energy, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, having problems with sleep and feeling sluggish or agitated.’
It’s also been associated with the lack of sunlight during the winter months, and one of the treatments is having bright artificial light engulfing you. But when the LIGHT of the world dwells within you, in the form of the Holy Spirit, then you ought not to suffer from those seasonal bouts of depression, because Jesus constantly shines His light in your life and provides enough motivation for you to get on with His earthly tasks. The world tries to drive us crazy with all its busyness and complicated living, but Jesus keeps us calm and unshackled from the annoying and debilitating ways of the world.
Remember His fabulous claim: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). Now that was no spurious or boastful claim, but the awesome truth! For when Jesus comes into your life, you become a new person. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be on Christ, he is a new creature (creation); old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17)
And that’s just the way it is my brethren! You can’t come sincerely to Jesus and not have serious changes in your life, because accepting Jesus, automatically means making some changes, giving up some of the ungodly ways of the world, though not necessarily all at once, but over time. Remember Jesus is not a hard task master, for as He says: ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:30)
So He doesn’t expect you to change all at once, and will probably deal with you, one problem at a time, but deal with you He will. (smile) But in a LOVING and fatherly manner, unless you get stubborn and irascible. Then He can, and won’t be afraid to call in the heavy rollers to deal with your intransigence.
Yuh know friends, when we live for, or claim to live for Jesus, there’s one overriding factor that’s necessary in all our doings, and that’s OBEDIENCE! Like with any organization, you can’t be a true member and not pay obedience to its leader, and its aims and goals. The same holds true for being a part of Christ’s body, His church. Obedience is the Number One Rule!
And it’s not only something that Jesus asks of us, but something He also practiced. He’s not a leader, like the hypocrite Pharisees and them, who don’t practice what they preach. And the Good Book supports that truth by telling us: ‘And (Jesus) being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8)
Yes friends, Jesus didn’t want to go to the cross, like nobody really wants to, but because the Father asked, and that was the only way to justly save our sinful souls, He acquiesced to the Father’s wish. And that’s what we need to do as serious and sincere followers of Christ; acquiesce to His every wish, even when it seems difficult or impossible, because He never asks us to do something unless He gives us the wherewithal to do it. That’s the extent of His faithfulness.
Wow! And the good thing about doing Jesus’ will is that there are also rewards attached to them. Just like we read in the Good Book about Jesus’ rewards for being obedient to the Father. ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:9-11)
Ah mih people, likewise our obedience to Christ’s wishes will bring rewards, both here on earth and eternally. So, it’s ever so important that we obey if we want to be a solid rock of His church. And I believe the words of this old, reworked pop song, personify exactly what we’ve been talking about, and what it means to become a member of Jesus’ team.
It says: ‘Since I met you Jesus, my whole life has changed… And everybody tells me that I’m not the same. Since I met you Jesus, I’m a happy man…I’m going to do my best to please you, In every way I can. I don’t need nobody to tell my troubles to…No, No, No. All I need is Jesus, He makes my life brand new. Oh, since I met you Jesus, all I want is you. Yes, since I met you Jesus, all I want is you.’ Now that’s what meeting Jesus is all about my people!
And for those of us who have already met Him and are happy in His employ, and are doing our best to please Him in every way we can, then let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. So, as one sincere, powerful and confident voice:
‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And yuh better believe my fellow saints, that if we endure until the end, that the promised future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask of imagine! Wow! Praise His holy Name! Much LOVE!
…the best way to live this life…obey God and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
25 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new heart, a new spirit, a real simpleton, a revival in God's goodness and grace, admitted his sin, blot out my transgressions, body shaming, change in seasons, cleanse m from my sin, create in me a clean heart, dalliance with Bathsheba, depression, drowning us in the mire of sin, eyes fixed straight ahead, for the long haul, free will, give you a heart of flesh, glad to be alive, handle winter with kid's gloves, idol worship, imbues His followers with divine strength, inhumanity, looking forward to a glorious future, loving-kindness, mental abuse, mental health problems, murder of Uriah, not looking back at the past, not rocket science, purge me with hyssop, renew a right spirit within me, revival in godliness, rpented, sad, Seasonal Affective disorder, spewing out reams of hatred, sprinkle clean water upon you, take away the stony heart, the Archangel Lucifer, the breath of life, the fall of Satan, the joy of thy salvation, the multitude of thy tender mercies, the one and only superstar, the presence of Christ in our lives, the stigma on mental health, this mish-mash world, threw himself upon God's mercy, turning away from God, wash me thoroughly, Wednesday Wail
Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.
Winter, winter, winter! Yes, the snow, the ice and the cold, dreary days seem to be settling in for the long haul. But, as with ALL things in this world, we can handle the winter with kid’s gloves because of the presence of Christ Jesus in our lives! Wow! Jesus; the ONE and ONLY Superstar there is, who imbues His followers with divine strength to do ALL that they need to do in this mish-mash world! How wonderful He is when you come to really know Him my brethren!
But on a serious note, yuh know, this could be one of the roughest winters ever yes; what with the Covid-19 pandemic in full swing, and the flu season also upon us, then because of the cold dreary weather we also have our seasonal friend SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) dropping in for a friendly visit too. That’s the type of depression related to the change in seasons, mostly starting in the fall and running through the winter months, just sapping your energy and making you even less effective than normal.
So instead of one kind of depression, that aligned with the virus, we now have two kinds to deal with in the upcoming months. Brother! And who says that 2020 was going to get easier eh? And the sad part is that with all the depression and mental health problems we currently have in our world, we’re still not taking them seriously enough and doing enough to correct them. If possible, the stigma, the fear, and negative emotions about mental problems and depression are becoming stronger.
What a bam bam eh! We’ve supposedly come so far in our evolution, our enlightenment, but yet still we don’t pay serious attention to the things that really matter and can cause widespread problems in no time at all. It’s all about technology in this modern world, but we don’t notice that that same technology is causing most of our problems, especially the mental ones. Through our technology we’re spewing out reams of hatred, lies, resentment, body shaming, mental abuse and what have you!
Unfortunately, instead of using the technology for good and useful purposes, it’s been used for way too many negative things. So what’s the answer eh? I really don’t know nuh, but an interesting passage of scripture in the Good Book just caught my eye. It’s the Lord talking through the prophet Ezekiel to His people Israel of new things in their future after all their idol worship and turning away from the Lord, the God of their forefathers.
‘For I will take you from among the heathen (nations), and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.’ (Ezek. 36:24-26)
Oh my people, do we ever need such cleansing very badly in these idolatrous and wicked times! Times when we have turned away from God in droves, even to the point of trying to drive Him completely out of our society. But we’re such a foolish people, with all of our supposed learning, we still don’t realize that God will not allow Himself to be driven from the universe and the people He created with such LOVE and wonder! He will allow us the free will to play around with idols and other supposed gods, but His glory, majesty and superiority, He will NEVER give up, no matter how hard we try.
Why can’t we learn from the fall of Satan eh? The archangel Lucifer who was more powerful than any of us mortals tried to overthrow God, and where did that foolish pride and desire leave him eh? Unsavourily kicked out of heaven, to be forever seething in hell, suffering in the hot bowels of the earth! That’s what our tomfoolery will also get us my brethren!
And I must be a real simpleton yes, for when I see the number of times Israel turned away from God, suffered for her disobedience, then ran back to Him, I can’t fathom why we won’t do the same thing. It’s obvious that our way isn’t working, and He’s promised to take us back anytime we repent and seek Him sincerely. So what’s the holdup eh, what’s stopping us from a revival in God’s goodness and grace eh? Foolish pride, I guess. And the desire to do it our way, even though it’s just drowning us in the mire of sin and evil.
But friends, the whole thing is not rocket science nuh. And we have the perfect example of it in Bruh David finally coming to heel. Remember after his dalliance with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, he thought he was on easy street, but a year or so later the prophet Nathan draped him up over his obnoxious and abominable iniquities? What did Bruh David do eh? Without hesitation, He admitted his sin, repented, and threw himself upon the mercy of God.
Hear his plea: ‘Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy LOVING-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified (be found just) when thou speakest, and be clear (blameless) when thou judgest.’ (Ps. 51:1-4)
Oh friends, it might not be easy, but it’s simple! We have all sinned and come very short of God’s glory, and we all know it full well, so where is the wisdom and the backbone it takes to come before a forgiving God and say I’m sorry eh? That’s why the Lord called Bruh David His friend and a man after His own heart! Bruh David never turned away from Him, even when the going got real rough, and was always quick to repent when his evil doings were found out.
Now listen to his sincere plea, what he desired most of the Lord, as he says in the middle of Psalm 51. ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. Then I will teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (Ps. 51:7-13)
Oh yes, I know Bruh David was good with words, but even the most uneducated could ask God to wash him and cleanse him and forgive him. And friends, until we, in this current generation come to our senses and return to God, in the same droves in which we turned away from Him, our world will be forever awash in disaster, calamity, sin, evil, terrible inhumanity and ungodliness.
So for the comparative few of us who know the truth, and it has set us free, let us now go home telling all and sundry of our wonderful positing in Christ Jesus, through our Wednesday Wail. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we know that if we endure to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…only a real revival in godliness…can save our world…
14 Jan 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a crown of glory, a marathon, a name above every other, blazed the trail, compassed about, compassion, continuing instant in prayer, deliver us, endurance, endured the cross, every knee should bow, every tongue confess, exalted, faithfulness of God, falling into the common rut, finisher, friend of Jesus, from God the Father, gave himself for our sins, grace, greetings, heavenly witnesses, hurry, I make all things new, in god's eyes, January, Jesus is Lord, lay aside every weight, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, make time for God, marked-down trinkets, never leave nor forsake us, New Testament churches, One Year Book of Bible promises, originator, our Lord Jesus Christ, patient in tribulation, peace, perfector of our faith, perseverance, praise, race of faith, rejection, rejoicing in hope, resolutions, rewarded, run with patience, Ruth Harms Calkin, sad, salutations, Seasonal Affective disorder, set before us, shame, share His love, sin, so easily beset us, so great a cloud of witnesses, thanksgiving, that fadeth not away, the author, the beleoed of God, the devil, the fallen angel, the hardest to run, the joy set before him, the miserable month, the most rewarding to win, the race, the race of life, the right hand of the throne, this present evil world, to the glory of the Father, Tuesday Mantra, worry
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (endurance) the race that is set before us.
Greetings and salutations this dreary looking Tuesday morning my Scrip-Bit friends and families! And as Bruh Paul liked to say in his letters to the New Testament churches: ‘Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world (age), according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen!’ (Gal. 1:3-5) Yes my faithful brethren, EVERY DAY, we ought to remember the Father and the wonderful things He’s done for us through Christ Jesus and give Him the necessary praise and thanksgiving!
And please don’t tell me it’s too difficult, or you’re too busy and you don’t have time…Make time! You make time for other not so important stuff, but you can’t make time for God, the most important thing, being and element in your life? Steups! Just take a moment and consider your state if He had not shown His amazing LOVE and compassion through the incomparable gift of His Son! You’d be headed straight for hell and the eternal company of Lucifer, the fallen angel and now the deceitful, lying devil!
But through Christ, He’s offered us another option, much better than what we had – eternal life with Him and Christ in heaven – and yuh boldfaced enough to tell me that you can’t make time to spend a few minutes with Him every day! Chuh! Pure foolishness that mih breddren! Anyway, here’s a most appropriate writing for this time of year and our current winter affliction; SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder – from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And it’s also appropriately titled ‘January.’
Please pray with me: ‘It’s January, Lord – The drab, dreary middle – And my thoughts are as drab As the miserable month. Does everybody hit a January slump Or am I the only one? The first week wasn’t too bad: There were Christmas thank-yous to write A few resolutions to store away The huddle of year-end sales. But thank-you notes bring no returns And resolutions are quickly broken and marked-down trinkets fast lose appeal. When You said “Behold I make all things new” Did You forget January, Lord? Or in January do I sometimes forget You?’
Ah friends, I think the correct answer is more like the last one – we forget the Lord, because He’s promised NEVER to leave nor forsake us, and He always keep His promises. That we know for a fact. So if any forgetting goes on, it’s most surely on our side of the equation. And the strange thing is that the drearier and more downcast the weather and our souls are, the more we need to find consolation in God, not forget or move further away from Him. It’s like when you’re sick, that’s when you certainly need a doctor, and the worse you get, the more you need the medic! You run to Him more than ever then, not away from him.
And it’s the same with our great God; we need Him more than ever when things are not going so good. So let’s think on that some today nuh, and see if we’re falling into that common rut. And we should also think on the Bible Promise from the poem, which is our Bit for today. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (endurance) the race that is set before us.’
Yes friends, we have so many heavenly witnesses looking on at our race of faith, who earlier ran the same race and testified to the LOVE and faithfulness of God, that we need to get serious and put aside any and everything that will hinder us in our own faith walk. And please remember that our race of faith is not a sprint, but a long-distance race, a marathon; one that requires lots of endurance and energy, not merely simple patience. As Bruh Paul said to the Roman church: ‘Rejoicing in hope; patient (persevering) in tribulation; continuing instant (steadfastly) in prayer.’ (Rom.12:12)
That’s the kind of belly and backbone we need to run our race friends! And though we have plenty of other believers to look at as examples, the best and brightest is as the Good Book says: ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Oh my people, how can there ever be a better example than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ eh? NEVER! For He is the One who blazed the trail, made the way, didn’t consider the shame or rejection or all the other negative stuff thrown at Him, and finished the race in steadfast and enduring faith! Wow! What a giant is our Jesus! That’s why the Father exalted Him to sit at His right hand of His throne ‘and given Him a name which is above every other name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil.2:9-11)
And likewise my brethren, if we are faithful and run our race with an abundance of the necessary Christian elements, then we too will also be rewarded at the end. As Peter calls it: ‘a crown of glory that fadeth not away.’ (1 Pet. 5:4) So let’s up the ante this cold and dreary-looking winter’s day nuh – and even if you’re in the blazing sunshine too! (smile) Let’s raise the level of our faith so that we can witness for Jesus, like the true salt and light we’re meant to be.
And we can begin doing that by declaring (yeah!) our Tuesday Mantra with strong voice and sincere hearts. As one 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!’
Then the next move is to actually go out and share Jesus’ wonderful LOVE and amazing friendship! Much LOVE!
…the race of life…the hardest to run…but the most rewarding to win…
07 Nov 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a solid foundation, according to his riches in glory, all things, believe it, beside the still waters, by Christ Jesus, called to his purpose, casting a ll your care, clear direction, compassionate heart, curse, despair, expensive time, favour, first snowfall, furnaces, good health, he cares for you, humble yourselves, in a splendid manner, innocent, lie down in green pastures, my god, negative winter stuff, negative word, never forsake you, never leave you, ole faithful, pearl teardrops, propsper, sad, Seasonal Affective disorder, self-control, snow blowers, strength, succeed, supply all of your need, sustenance, the devil in disguise, The Lord is my shepherd, the mighty hand of God, the shadow of death, the valley, them that love God, they comfort me, they rod and thy staff, Thursday Blessings, unassuming, unlimited resources, welcome, winter season, winterizing, work together for good
Philippians 4:19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Welcome folks, welcome! Welcome to the first snowfall of this winter season in my area! And if you have forgotten, the snow does look beautiful when it covers the rooftops and the grassy areas. And how can you not admire it as it’s falling down like li’l pearl teardrops, so innocent and unassuming! (smile) Yeh, but it could also be the devil in disguise. Thankfully though, right now it’s the wet stuff that’s falling, so it’s not really causing any problems on the roads, and whatever is on the grass and rooftops hopefully won’t stay long as the day warms up.
Ah mih people, it’s a wake up call to begin winterizing; take out your winter attire; hat’s boots, scarves, gloves etc., winterize your cars, get your snow shovels and snow blowers ready, make sure your furnace is running efficiently and all the other little things we need to get done as we set in for a long, cold season. Ah, you friends living down south don’t know how blessed you all are nuh, because winter can be such a frustrating, difficult and expensive time.
And the days can be so dark and dreary, that they automatically weaken your spirit and your desire to do anything constructive. But as always, our great God is right there with us, providing the necessary sustenance, the necessary strength of all kinds, and lifting our spirits so that we don’t fall prey to the negative emotions of despair, hopelessness, and the winter blahs, or what we now calling ‘SAD,’ Seasonal Affective Disorder).
And there are two paramount scriptures that we need to hold dearly and tightly come the winter blahs. The first is that ole faithful; ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called (elect, saints) according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Ah friends, there is no better time to believe that verse of scripture than in the upcoming months of winter, as it gives us a solid foundation to handle all the negative winter stuff that comes against us, knowing that our wonderful God is working out everything, both good and bad, in our favour, because we truly LOVE and trust and surrender our all to Him!
And the next verse is like the first, (smile) producing overwhelming hope and faith in a rough and tough season. Remember these awesome words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ Yes my fellow saints in Christ, our magnanimous and magnificent God WILL satisfy all our needs as we sacrifice our thoughts, words and deeds in His honour.
Hear how the scholars explain it. ‘4:19. Because the Lord is aware of the sacrifice (v.18) the Philippians made in meeting Paul’s needs, God will surely supply all their need. God will meet their “need” (1) according to his riches, that is, in proportion to His unlimited resources; (2) in glory, that is, He will meet their need “gloriously” on “in a splendid manner”; and (3) by Christ Jesus.’
And we know that our God keeps all of His promises, so there is no need to be anxious over our earthly needs. And to really help us set up this strong winter foundation, let’s bring to mind some other foundational and faithful scriptures nuh. (smile)
Remember this big and oh so important one from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Himself? ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That says it all right there friends, but as they say, there’s strength in numbers, so check out this one. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6:7)
Mamacita! What can be more beautiful or inspirational eh? How about this one? ‘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) There again my people, we have the promise of God’s power, His generosity and unfailing faithfulness!
And we’ll close with some of the most awesome and inspirational verses in the Good Book; the immortal 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.’ (Ps. 23:1-4)
Oh my fellow saints in Christ, what wonderful words of hope and reassurance! And they are not meant to strengthen only those of us preparing for winter, but for ALL believers, so that we can remain strong and steadfast against the enemy, and do the work God has planned for each of us.
Now let’s go home declaring (steups!) our Thursday Blessings, blessings that the Lord has magnanimously granted us so that we can do His holy will. All together in 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 everyday! Amen!’
And if we’re sincere in those pronouncements, then the next step is for us to go out and put those blessings to work in Jesus’ name. Much LOVE!
…I will never leave you…nor forsake you…that’s God’s faithful promise…believe it…
28 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a different take, a fish, a serpent, accustomed, all things, ask, ask amiss, ask for in prayer, ask god for help, aura of love, awesome power of prayer, believe the best, believers, believing, confidence, contented, covet, earthly pleasures, enthusiasm, evil, experience the worst, faith, fervent prayer, fight, find, frequent prayer, friends, genuine prayer, get into your blood, give good gifts, glorious kingdom, have not, heartfelt pleas, heavenly Father, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, James, Jesus Christ, joy, kill, knock, lies, lifted spirits, LOVE, lust, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, motives, no excuse for failure, northern climes, overcome all odds, perseverance, prayer, receive, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, right motives, sad, Seasonal Affective disorder, seek, shall receive, sincere heart, smiles, spiritual armour, spiritual success, steadfast faith, striving with each other, sullen reply, the power of the Holy spirit, tired with it, treat others, trust, truth, ungodly world, war, will be opened, wisdom, work for Jesus, wrestling with God, ye ask not
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Well my Scrip-Bit brethren, in these northern climes, it’s a chilly Monday morning out there! Yes, it’s winter, so what else do you expect eh? ‘Oh we tired with it!’ comes the sullen reply. ‘Chuh! We tired with the snow and the ice…and the cold…and all the other problems that winter bring!’ But that’s nothing new eh? It’s something you ought to be accustomed to by now…
‘Foolishness!’ is the angry reply. ‘Who could ever get accustomed to that nonsense eh, much less like it? That’s why they call it the winter of our discontent! Every blooming time it comes around we discontented, so much so that we get sad and miserable and develop the winter blues, what they now call some big name…can’t even remember the blooming thing…Oh…Seasonal Affective Disorder! Yes, it happens every winter season, so how you could tell me about being accustomed and contented eh?’
And there is a point to be made there my people. When the dark, gloomy, often sunless, snowy and slippery days get into your blood, it’s hard to be enthused about the weather, especially if you have to be getting around on P2 (on foot). But as believers in Jesus Christ we have a somewhat different take on the situation (smile).
We are encouraged to believe the best, even when we experience the worst. Now that’s not easy to do, or even comprehend, but with the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, if we’re serious, we can overcome all odds.
And for those of us who are shaking it rough this Monday morning, let’s apply some salve to our wounds nuh; let’s declare our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, call upon the omnipotence and mercy of our heavenly Father to give us some succour down here on a turbulent and ungodly earth.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
And yuh see friends, our prayer has barely reached up to heaven when it’s quickly answered! Note the smiles on our faces now; the lifting up of our spirits, and the desire to get out there and work diligently and excellently for Jesus! That’s what we call the awesome power of prayer! With sincere heart, right motives and strong belief, any and everything is possible in Jesus’ realm!
But the responsibility to call out for help, through prayer, remains solely in our hands. If we don’t ask in prayer, we won’t get. And that needs the power of belief, both to get us to pray, and also for us to expect whatever we’re praying for to happen. And Jesus says it quite plainly in our Bit: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’
Oh my people, please remember that TWO conditions are necessary there; asking for in prayer, and believing. If those two aren’t present, then all bets are off. As Jesus also said earlier on: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’ (Matt.7:7-11) What an interesting question my people! And yuh see how Jesus builds up to it, ever the logical philosopher! (smile)
Now hear these explanations from the scholars: ‘7:7-10. The three imperatives ask, seek, and knock are in the present tense of the original language, suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Fervent and continued prayer is to be made on behalf of those for whom we are concerned. God promises to answer all genuine prayer (vs.8). Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves no excuse for failure.’
Yes friends, we have no excuses if we don’t pray, or if our prayer requests fail. As James, in his two cents worth on the topic declares, (wrong again): ‘Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (earthly pleasures).’ (James 4:2-3)
It couldn’t be any plainer than that nuh my fellow believers. We either don’t ask, or ask for the wrong things, for the wrong purposes, and ‘instead of wrestling with God in prayer,’ we ‘are striving with one another.’
So today, let’s consider our lives nuh, both our earthly relationships as well as our prayer life. Let’s ponder on how we treat others and the things we ask for and the motives behind them. Then as always, let’s ask God for His help to do better. He will NEVER refuse such heartfelt pleas! Much LOVE!
…if the heart and the purpose are not right…then Lord will obviously say NO…
19 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversaries, air of sadness, almighty god, an abomination, arsenal, ask in prayer, aura of love, awesome power of prayer, believing, boldly, Christians, Confess your faults, confidence, conquer the world, die for us, enthusiasm, evil, faith, fervent prayer, for my love, friends, fun and frolic, glorious kingdom, God's creation, God's delight, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, I give myself, in Jesus' eyes, invincible, jaded, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lift our spirits, Lord and Saviour, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, most powerful tool, permeates our society, pray, pray without ceasing, prayer, prayer of the upright, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salt of the earth, salvation, Seasonal Affective disorder, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, sufficient light, taunts, the angel of the Lord, the Good Book, the light of the world, the throne of grace, trespasses, trust, ungodly world, unto prayer, weekend, were yet sinners, wisdom, ye shall receive
Psalm 109:4. For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
So once again it is Monday friends; that day that so many of us dread without just cause. (smile) And no doubt, in these northern climes it’s also going to be another dreary and gloomy looking day, like the last few have been…Steups! No wonder an air of sadness permeates our society in the winter months, something which we’ve finally recognized to be a serious problem and now term ‘SAD -Seasonal Affective Disorder,’ or something to that effect. (smile)
And it happens a lot when the human animal is not getting sufficient light in their diet. And for sure we haven’t gotten enough in ours in the last little while! But the worse day for it to happen is on a Monday, when we’re already jaded and miserable over having to get up and go out to work after a weekend of fun and frolic.
But fear not my people, for we might not have the physical sun at our disposal today, but we have a bigger, better and even brighter light than that dwelling within us; that’s our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus…the LIGHT OF THE WORLD! His Holy Spirit is there to shed inner light on the darkness of our souls, which we are supposed to let shine on the outside to the rest of the world. For remember, we are the salt and light of the earth in Jesus’ eyes.
So what if we shaking it a tad rough this Monday morning eh? Please don’t let it get us down, instead, let’s join together in prayer, the most powerful tool in God’s creation, and allow it to lift our spirits, let them soar right up to the dark, dreary clouds above. (smile) So altogether now, with confidence, for remember we have to approach the throne of grace boldly but humbly.
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Yuh see friends, yuh see the awesome power of prayer? Yuh realize now that your mood has suddenly lifted and you are now rearing to get out into the evil world and give it all you’ve got for Jesus! Mama Yo! That’s why as believers we need to pray, we’ve been instructed do so, and to do it continually, without ceasing. (1 Thess.5:17)
And that’s why Bruh David wisely declared in our Bit: ‘For (in return for) my LOVE they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.’ He realized that on his own, he had no sway, or hold over those who came against him, but through prayer, with His omnipotent God by his side, he could be a mighty conqueror. And the same thing applies to us my brethren, if we would only give prayer a chance.
Now let’s look at some instances in the Good Book where prayer was greatly utilized. But first, hear these immortal words of Jesus on the subject to the disciples. ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ (Matt.21:22) However, please note the most important word in that sentence is ‘believing.’ You have to believe; otherwise it’s a waste of time!
Now hear Cousin Sol from Proverbs. ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ (Prov.15:8) Yeh friends, our wonderful God takes great pleasure in hearing from those who believe in Him. So much so that James could confidently say: ‘Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:6)
Then He goes on to give the example of how Elijah, a man just like us, prayed earnestly that it shouldn’t rain and it didn’t rain for three and a half years. Then he prayed for rain…and wonder of wonders…rain came tumbling down! (smile)
And I like this particular occasion when prayer worked its wonders. That’s after Herod kills James and locks up Peter, intending to bring him out after the Passover and make a public spectacle of him. The Good Book says though: ‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.’ (Acts 12:6) And that same night the angel of the Lord came and escorted him out of the prison without a soul being the wiser.
However, we also see here the problem of believing. For when Peter caught himself and realized what had happened, he made his way to the house of John Mark where people were praying for him. But when he knocked on the door and a lady who recognised his voice went and told the others that he was indeed free and outside, they foolishly claimed: ‘It is his angel.’ (Acts 12:15) So what’s the use of praying if you don’t believe that God can, and will answer your prayers eh? None whatsoever!
So friends, let’s ‘wisen’ up nuh, believe what our faith says, and above all, trust in the Lord God Almighty who LOVES us more than we can ever imagine, and who, while we were yet sinners, sent His One Son, Jesus Christ to die for us! Much LOVE!
…with LOVE and PRAYER in his arsenal…the believing Christian…can conquer the world…
P.S. And bringing it even closer to home. Yuh think I could write such wonderful Bits over such a long period of time without sincere prayer and belief? Not on yuh life! (smile) Much LOVE!
SCRIP-BITS 