21 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 hour spans of time, a bad habit, a deep abiding joy, a great family, a spiritual strength, a very present help in trouble, an intimate relationship with Jesus, cast into the future, christianity, comes from a relationship with god, curse, despising the shame, divine protection, do what God has assigned for today, don't worry about tomorrow, empowers believers to face challenges, encourage their joyful walk with the Lord, endured the cross, faith, favour, find strength in difficult times, for the joy that was set before him, fulfilment, getting ahead of ourselves, God is our refuge and strength, God's grace is sufficient in our weakness, God's joy, God's supernatural wisdom, good freinds, handle the challenges of each day, holy spirit, is set down at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' selfless sacrifice, knowing God's love and provision, like jelly in his hands, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of what's happening today, LOVE, mercy, negative word, panting for Friday, planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, promotion, propser, rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, reliance on God's prmises, reluctant to endure sacrifice and pain, robbed us of our joy, robbed us of our strength, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, stolen our joy, succeed, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, supernatural strength, take one day at a time, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the devil's plaything -worry, the Feast of the Tabernacles, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the things of itself, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the mountains shake, though the waters roar and be troubled, truth, undeserved blessings, use our blessings to help others, we will not fear, wisdom, worry and fear take over
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Then it was Thursday, our second to last day of the work week, and everyone’s panting for Friday and the weekend. However, before we get there, we need to navigate Thursday first, and enjoy the sunshine, with a touch of cloud cover, and the cool breezes it brings, while doing what God has assigned us for today. Yes, we do have a bad habit of getting ahead of ourselves, often to our detriment. (smile)
That’s why God broke up the time into 24 hour spans, with day to work and night to rest, because He knew we could not handle much more than that. Consequently, as the saying goes, we can only take one day at a time, and that’s today, that’s why it’s called the present, not the past or the future.
And Jesus fully understood this problem, that’s why He advised in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And many of us, even believers, ought to take those words to heart and sincerely action them in our lives, because our minds are too often cast into the future, or tomorrow, and thus we lose sight of what’s happening around us today.
No wonder Jesus said we should not worry about tomorrow, for each day has its own challenges and problems, which we need to responsibly handle and not concern ourselves with what might or might not happen the following day. And I’m sure we’ve all concocted possible fearful and disastrous happenings that will come upon us on the morrow, and not even one problem, or one iota of what we’d imagined presented itself on the day. Now, that doesn’t mean we must not make plans for certain possible outcomes, but we’re not to worry about them, especially if, in our own strength we cannot do anything to curtail or prevent the problems.
That’s the thing about worry, the devil’s plaything. It causes you to use up your hard earned energy and joy on things that you have no control over. So why worry about them when you can’t do anything about them eh? But that’s what the devil takes immense pleasure in doing; planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, so that he can steal our joy, for once he has stolen our joy, we are like jelly in his hands. Remember what the Bible says about our joy? ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means once Satan has robbed us of our joy in the Lord, then he’s also robbed us of our strength, and that’s something we should strive to never allow to happen!
And I like how this commentary explains ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ It says: ‘This verse (Neh. 8:10) emphasizes that God’s joy, experienced through a relationship with Him, empowers believers to face challenges and find strength in difficult times. It’s not a fleeting happiness, but a deep, abiding joy that comes from knowing God’s LOVE and provision.’
Yes friends, Nehemiah had been speaking to the Israelites after they had lost their joy through the destruction of Jerusalem. However, they had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in a miraculous fifty-two days through the astute, God-given leadership of Nehemiah, and were just getting to know the scriptures of the Lord through the public reading and explaining of them by the scribe Ezra and his associates, and were about to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles. Thus Nehemiah’s exhortation to encourage their joyful walk with the Lord.
And according to the commentary: ‘The joy of the Lord: is not simply a feeling, but a spiritual strength that comes from a relationship with God and reliance on His promises.’ Therefore, if we desire to have that spiritual strength, then we need to build a strong and intimate relationship with Jesus on an ongoing basis.
And there are several other scriptures that talk about the joy of the Lord as a source of strength. For instance these words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46 – Our Refuge and Strength. They confidently declare: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available hep) in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)
Now that definitely shows strong faith and joy in the Lord! That although things are turned topsy-turvy, we will not fear, and keep our joy knowing that the Lord’s faithful in His promises, and will not allow anything untoward to happen to us. Meanwhile, this other scripture from Hebrews 12, tells us about ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher (the 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 God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Yes my people, for the joy that was to come from His selfless sacrifice, Jesus endured the shame and disgrace and pain of the cross. So why are we so reluctant to endure a little sacrifice and pain for the joy that will eventually be ours eh? And to help us endure the problems we will obviously face in this ungodly and evil world, as well as to do His earthly work, the Lord has generously bestowed on us numerous undeserved blessings, that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that awesome declaration, (chuhhh!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…even if we lose our strength in the Lord’s joy…there’s no need to worry…for we will then find…His sufficient grace in our weakness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a licentious society, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, Ahimelech, be as a tree planted by the waters, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, boast of evil doing, Chrisitanity, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, Doeg the Edomite, duty bound, evildoers will be destroyed, faith, flourish like a green olive tree, God has given us all the good things we have, God shall likewuse destroy thee for ever, Goliath's sword, good freinds, good health, hallowed shrew bread, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever, I will praise thee for ever, I will wait on thy name, in the house of God, in the midst of thee, in thee are those who eat upon the mountais, it is good before the saints, Jesus Christ, Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake us, like a green olive tree, like a sharp razor, living like Satan dictates, LOVE, lying rather than to speak righteousness, men that carry tales to shed blood, mercy, negative word' favour, neither shall cease from bearing fruit, pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, promotion, rejected God and his word, root thee out of the land of the living, salvation, Selah, self-control, self-discipline, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, slander to cause bloodshed, spreadeth out her roots by the river, strife-filled and chaotic world, success, supernatural wisdom, take thee away, talent, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the goodness of God endureth continually, the land of the living, the penultimate day of the work week, the tongue deviseth mischief, the tongue plans destruction, they commit lewdness, thou deceitful tongue, thou lovest all devouring words, thou lovest eveil more than good, to help us whenever we call on him, trust in the Lord's goodness and mercy, truth, undeserved blessings, whose hope the Lord is, why boastest thou thyself in mischief, wisdom, working deceitfully
Psalm 52:8. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. And as the past many days, it’s opened bright and sunshiny, with a cool breeze wafting through the trees, but although it’s not too hot at midday, who knows how much the temperature will increase as the afternoon rolls in. But whatever happens, we will manage it wisely and successfully with Jesus’ awesome help, because He has promised to never leave nor forsake us and help us whenever we call on Him.
And today, the Good Library opened at an interesting but little considered Psalm 52, titled ‘Evildoers Will Be Destroyed,’ written by Bruh David when the betrayer Doeg, the Edomite, went to king Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech, the priest, at Nob, who had given him the hallowed shrew bread and Goliath’s sword aiding his efforts to escape from Saul’s murderous hand. And we can find that story in 1 Samuel 21.
The scholars tell us that the psalm is one of eight Bruh David wrote while fleeing from Saul. He begins this one thus: ‘Why boastest thou thyself in mischief (evil doing), O mighty man? the goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS) of God endureth continually. The tongue deviseth mischief (plans destruction); like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou LOVEST evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou LOVEST all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.’ (Ps. 52:1-4)
Wow! Those are truly tough words. It’s like the prophet Ezekiel said of the people of Israel: ‘In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood (slander to cause bloodshed): and in thee they (are they who) eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.’ (Ezek. 22:9) And isn’t that the very same thing that’s happening right now in our slanderous, dysfunctional and licentious society? Of course it is! For we have rejected God and His Word and are living like Satan dictates. No wonder the strife-filled and chaotic state of our world.
But getting back to the psalm, it’s interesting to note the scholars take on the first four verses. They say: ‘The description of Doeg is one of the most contemptuous in Scripture. But because of his betrayal Doeg will be destroyed.’ And Bruh David details that in the next verse. ‘God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.’ (Ps. 52:5)
Now that’s certainly a wish for thorough destruction. However something good will come from it. That is: ‘The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction)’ (Ps. 52:6-7)
Yes friends, there are indeed valuable lessons to be learned from the destruction of the wicked. Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers don’t learn from it, and continue going in the way of the devil, down the wide and winding way that leads to destruction. But please remember, that all these scriptures about the destruction of the wicked are for our benefit, to enlighten us to the foolishness of following the diviner of darkness, Satan.
Instead we should be like Bruh David describes. ‘But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 52:8) Oh my faithful brethren, that’s what happens when we trust in the Lord’s goodness and mercy, we thrive and flourish like a green olive tree.
Or, as Jeremiah so beautifully puts it: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from bearing fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8)
Oh my people, what a wonderful picture of what happens to those who trust in Almighty God! No wonder Bruh David ends the psalm thus: ‘I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps. 52:9) That’s our best bet friends! Praising God for ever and ever is what it’s all about. And it’s one of the reasons He created us. So if we are wise and put our trust in God, then praise should come automatically. And consequently His goodness and mercy will follow us all the day long. It’s so simple and wonderful; praise and trust, bring goodness and mercy!
And also, through God’s great generosity, come undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that sincere declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why don’t we LOVE, trust and praise our Creator…when He’s the one who’s given us all the good things we have…especially the breath of life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative situation, a prudent man forseeth the evil, a prudent man sees danger, a word to the wise is sufficient, alleviate our problems, and are punished, as a snare shall it come, avarice, be ye also ready, cares of is life, carousing, crapaud smoke we pipe, divine aid, done like dinner, drunkenness, embrace it like a stalworth friend, entitlement, faith, fellowship, for in such an hour as ye think not, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, grab the baton and run, grab the bull by the horns, heaven and earth shall pass away, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, laze away the weekend, lest at any time, LOVE, mercy, my words shall not pass away, of fame, of ory, our Father who art in heaven, our pants down around our ankles, party away the weekend, physical rest, practical foresight, pray always, prepare for Monday, preparedness, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual preparedness, spiritual readiness, spiritual renewal, stand before the Son of man, strong faith in Christ, take heed to yourselves, takes refuge, the ball is now in our court, the day come upon you unawares, the God who heals, the imple keep going and suffer for it, the Lord's house must be magnificent, the merry-go-round, the power to solve our many problems, the simple pass on, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, them that dwell on the whole face of the earth, throughout all countries, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, vim and vitality, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, wisdom, wise guidance, without complaining, words of warning, work ethic, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come, ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, your awesome grace and mercy, your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting
Matthew 25:13. ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’
One more time on the merry-go round called our work week my beauties! We cannot get away from Monday, no matter how hard we try, so it’s best we stop trying and rather embrace it like a good and stalworth friend. (smile) Otherwise it will just frustrate us for all of our working lives. And what a waste of a good life that would be! So all God’s people said a loud and frustrated ‘Amen!’ Yes, it’s best we just grab the bull by the horns and get on with it, or the bull will action us with his horns instead. And we all know that’s a very negative situation, which we want to avoid at all costs.
But all of what we just said there doesn’t come easily, no, it requires a few things of us. The first is a good work ethic, simply knowing that we must work to earn a living, so we just make up our minds to do it without complaining, because complaining will make no real difference, except to make us miserable. But then that calls for self-discipline and self-control, two things that are very difficult to come by in this age of avarice and entitlement.
We must learn to prepare for Monday, just like we do for the other days of the week, not just party or laze the weekend away. And in all of that there’s a call for some decent physical rest, as well as spiritual renewal, meaning church and fellowship time with other believers, for we cannot handle Monday properly unless we’re filled with new vim and vitality.
And right now, let’s be thankful that it’s summer time and many people are on vacation, so the traffic jams are not as deadly, neither do we have to be wading through the snow and sludge to get to work. That is also something we cannot avoid if we live in the northern climes, but we have a few months of reprieve still to go. But let’s also note that this is the 30th day of June, meaning that it’s now done like dinner, (smile) and the summer months will pass quicker than we realize, so please, let’s grab the baton and run with it like crazy! End of sermon!
And I guess all of that leads us to the topic of preparedness. And what do the scriptures have to say about that? They offer various teachings in both spiritual readiness and practical foresight. Let’s check out a few nuh. And this first one deals with practical foresight. It tells of when Bruh David wanted to build a temple for God, but God nixed the idea because of the great amount of blood he’d shed and said that his son Cousin Sol would build the temple.
However the Bible tells us that Bruh David began collecting supplies for the building of the temple. ‘And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame, and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) Yes friends, that’s how we ought to prepare for Mondays! (smile)
And here’s another interesting scripture highlighting practical foresight; this from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He writes: ‘A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.’ (Prov. 22:3) In other words: ‘A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.’
Then there are scriptures on spiritual preparedness, like this poignant warning from Christ where He’s talking about no one knowing the day nor the hour when He returns, except the Father. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)
Yes my brethren, we need to always be prepared and watching for whenever Jesus returns, for if He catches us with our pants down around our knees, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And He considered our readiness so important that He repeated it later on in the parable of the Ten Virgins: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13)Oh friends, there’s no more important preparedness for us believers than that!
And I like how Luke writes it. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (be weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’ (Luke 21:33-36)
Now those are powerful words of warning my people, so please let’s pay close heed to them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for all that ails us. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, please note what our prayer says we need to do to receive divine aid; turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God face. The ball is now in our court! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, being confident of this very thing, being justified by his blood, being made more like Jesus in conduct and character, bounden duty, broken right now, by grace are you saved through faith, Christ's death atones for our sins, Christ's righteousness is imputed to them through faith, created in christ Jesus unto good works, curse, divine protection, eternal life, faith, favour, follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, God commendeth his love for us, God demonstrated his LOVE for us.', God hath before ordained, God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, god's declaration that a person is righteous, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, grow in spiritual maturity, he that believeth in me, he which hath begun a good work in you, holy spirit, I am the resurrection and the life, in the name of Jesus, it is the gift of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, joy in God through Christ, justification, justified by his blood, keep God first place, lest any man should boast, LOVE, mercy, negative word, new life, not becuse of inherent righteousness, promotion, raised from glory to glory, receive clear direction for my life, received the atonement, reconciliation, reconnection to God, salvation, salvation is not of works, sanctified -set apart for God's work, saved from wrath through Christ, self-control, self-discipline, set apart for a sacred purpose, share our blessings generously, the numerous benefits of Christ's death and resurrection, the penultimate day of our work week, the recent heat wave, the righteousness of God in christ, the saving grace of God, though he were dead yet shall he live, truth, underserved divine favour, undeserved blessings, unless we have Christ we have nothing at all, we are his workmanship, we cannot earn salvation, we should walk in them, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, whosoever believeth in me shall never die, will perform it until the day of Jesus, wisdom
John 11:25. I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live:
Ah friends, it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and it looks like we’ve gotten through the recent heat wave without too much damage! Thank the Lord! And with a li’l rain falling in the early morning hours, and some falling outside right now, it’s helped to give us a cool, but somewhat cloudy day. And as we promised yesterday if God spared our lives, we would continue looking at some of the numerous benefits that His death and resurrection brought us.
Remember, yesterday we read this commentary that gave us a brief insight into some of those things: ‘‘Christ’s death and resurrection offer believers forgiveness of sins, new life, and the hope of eternal life, among other benefits. His sacrifice on the cross atones for our sins, while his resurrection conquers death, granting believers new life and the promise of eternal life.’ And we went through some of the relevant benefits and scriptures.
Today, as time and space permit, we’ll do a few more starting with one we touched on briefly yesterday. That’s reconciliation, or reconnection to God. That’s a major benefit, because our sins had separated us from our heavenly Father, and Christ’s dying and taking them, brought us back into communion with Him. And this passage of scripture touches on several of the things Christ’s sacrifice did for us. And one thing we should note is that it all happened because of God’s great LOVE for us.
Bruh Paul writes: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
Yes friends, in that passage we see God reaching out to us, although we were enemies, to provide reconciliation, salvation and justification through the death and the shed blood of His son. And what is salvation? Salvation is the saving grace of God, as Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
And the gist of all that is simply that we are saved by the grace or undeserved divine favour of God, it is a gift of God, and we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try. The fact is, we do good works because we’re expected to once we’re saved. We don’t do good works to be saved. And that’s something we all ought to understand, because many of us still believe doing good works will get us into heaven! Unfortunately it will not. Only faith, or belief in Christ Jesus will do so.
As Jesus said to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, before He raised him from the dead. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26) Now that’s a very crucial question! For belief and faith in Christ is the only way we will ever experience eternal life. His death paid the atoning price for our sins. ‘For he (God) hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.’ (1 Cor. 5:21)
And ‘the righteousness of God’ is another benefit we received from Christ’s death and resurrection. Earlier on we talked about being ‘justified by his blood” that’s another benefit. So what’s justification, and what’s the righteousness of God? They are both intertwined, as this commentary explains: ‘Justification is God’s declaration that a person is righteous, not because they are inherently righteous, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to them through faith.’ Yes friends, all that we are, all that we have is because of Christ and applied to us because of Him. We have been made righteous, justified, reconciled and sanctified because of His work on the cross.
And sanctified simply means been set apart to do God’s work for a sacred purpose. It’s the process of being made more like Jesus Christ in character and conduct. And it’s a lifelong journey, not a one time event. It calls to mind this verse: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus.’ (Phil.1:6) Meaning that once God begins changing you into the image of Christ, He will not stop until Christ returns, or He takes you home.
Ah mih people I know it’s difficult to take in and understand all that Christ has done for us, but as the Lord changes us into His image, and we work with Him to do so, we will grow in spiritual maturity and understand more and more, as He raises us from glory to glory. So there’s no need to worry, once we keep God first place and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit. And to show His goodness and mercy, God has bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings. Undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now!
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, it’s now our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, just as generously as God shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…unless we have Christ…we have nothing at all…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a simple formula for achieving peace of mind, almighty god, an undying affirmation of faith and trust, because they trust him, behold the upright, bring forth thy righteousness as the light., brings evil schemes to pass, cease from anger, commit thy way unto the Lord, communing with God, delight thyself also in the Lord, deliver them from the wicked, divine aid, dwell in the land, ease the pain, envious of the wicked, faith, feed on God's faithfulness, fellowshipping with other believers, forsake wrath, fret not thyself because of him who prospers, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, getting sufficient rest, give thee the desires of thine heart, God is their strength in the time of trouble, going to the Lord's sanctuary, grace, hate to pitch to him, he shall bring it to pass, hits us out of the park, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in the face of the wicked's propserity, it only causes harm, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lead off hitter, listen to the wisdom of God's Word, LOVE, mark the perfect man, mercy, not rocket science, of the many suffering from negative situations, our guidebook for earthly living, our troubled and ungodly world, praise and give thanks to God, pray, renewal of spirit, Rest in the Lord, salvation, save them, scripture must be put into action, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the BIBLE, the end of that man is peace, the God who heals, the Lord shall help them and deliver them, the only true source of help for man, the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, the transgressors shall be destroyed together, the unchanging character of God, these exhortations, thy judgement as the noonday, to alleviate our problems, to confidently trust the Lord, trials and tribulations, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, turn from our evil ways, urge the believer, use the confidence, wait patiently for him, wisdom, wise guidance, with all of life's problems
Psalm 37:40. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
And another work week has begun, with Monday as our usual lead-off hitter! And we all hate to pitch to him, because he so often hits us out of the park. (smile) But let’s not allow him to agitate us today and make us fearful of his big swing, by pitching him balls that he cannot hit. Yes friends, let’s use the confidence, the grace, and the renewal of spirit that we got from going to the Lord’s sanctuary yesterday and, with the Lord’s help, understand how to handle Monday on the mound for the opening week’s pitch.
Remember how the psalmist Asaph says in Psalm 73, that he was envious of the wicked for their earthly prosperity, but it was not until he went into the Lord’s house and communed with Him that he learned the answer to his problem. We can also learn to handle Mondays by communing with God. And learning to handle Monday is not always easy, because it takes a lot of self -control and self-discipline.
Meaning not wanting to party the whole weekend away, but getting sufficient rest that you will be fresh to begin anew on Monday. And most importantly, fellowshipping with other believers so that the Holy Spirit can work on you while you praise and give thanks to Almighty God, and listen to His wise and Holy Word. Amen! End of sermon! (smile)Yes friends, that’s the basic way to properly handle Mondays.
And now that we know how to handle Monday’s, what about the rest of the week, you ask? Well that’s easy. (smile) Here’s some practical advice from Bruh David from Psalm 37. He says: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on God’s faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement (justice) as the noonday.’ (Ps. 37:3-6)
So my brethren, we’ve got to begin with trusting God, doing good, delighting ourselves in Him, and committing our way to Him, before any serious and productive improvements come our way. But that’s not all, for it’s a big job, that we can only do with God’s help! The next step, as Bruh David lays it out, is to ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of a man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:7-8)
That’s basically how to handle the rest of the week friends. (smile) Remember, knowing scripture is of no use unless we put it into action, unless we live it in our everyday lives. That’s why the Lord gave us the Bible; to be our Guidebook for earthly living. And if we don’t use it as such, we’ll be sadly wasting all the heartaches, trials and tribulations that the godly men, the prophets and Jesus went through to live it, and then go through more hardship to get it written, so that we can have a good example of how to live this earthly life.
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on a portion of the psalm. ‘The psalm also contains a simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity: fret not … neither be thou envious (vs.1), trust …do good (vs.3), delight thyself also in the Lord (vs. 4), commit thy way … trust (vs.5), rest … wait patiently … fret not (vs.7), cease from anger …forsake wrath … fret not (vs.8). All of these exhortations urge the believer to confidently trust the Lord with all of life’s problems. The psalm concludes appropriately with an undying affirmation of faith and trust in the unchanging character of God.’
And these are the last words of the psalm: ‘Mark the perfect (blameless) man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.’ (Ps. 37:37-40)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord does all He does for the righteous because they trust sincerely and fully in Him. Let’s remember that most important aspect of our faith, so that we can live it out successfully. Now, it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help with our many serious problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And friends, we know exactly what we need to do to receive divine aid, for it’s not rocket science; our prayer clearly states it. God has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek His face. So please, let’s get to doing that right now nuh, because we desperately need divine help in our troubled and ungodly world! Much LOVE!
…the only true source of help for man…is that which comes from Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, abuse, against the dwelling of the righteous, against the workers of iniquity, all kinds of imaginary evil, all that do wickedly, all that's left behind on the moon is garbage, all the proud, as in a moment, behold the day cometh, bless them that curse you, brought into desolation, but as for me, cannot stand the constant buffeting, cast them down into destruction, climate change, courage, curse, disrupting God's amazing cycles and systems, do good to them which hate you, don't fall into the evil trap of envying the wicked, don't gloat over the destruction of your enemies, faith, favour, fret not thyself because of evildoers, God's a just and righteous God, God's justice shall prevail, God's promises about the wicked, God's supernatural wisdom, he turn away his wrath from him, holy spirit, I had almost stumbled, I saw the prosperity of the wicked, I was envious of the foolish, in the arduous process, it shall leave them neither root not brakch, Jesus Christ, lay not wait O wicked man, lest the Lord see it and it displease him, let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth, losing weak branches, LOVE, Love your enemies, man's cast off, mercy, my feet were almost gone, negative word, neither be thou envious, our greedy and avaricious selves, pollute God's great earth, pray for them which spitefully use you, prosper, ready to destroy and pollute wherever he goes, received a divine perspective, rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, salvation, says the Lord of hosts, self-control, self-discipline, set them in slippery places, shall be as stubble, spoil not his resting place, succeed, success, suppression, talent, that shall burn as an oven, that's man for you, the day that cometh shall burn them up, the righteous shall enjoy eternal life, the trees dancing to the wild tempo of the wind, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the wicked shall stumble into calamity, the wicked shall suffer eternal death, the workers of iniquity do flourish, the workers of iniquity shall be scattered, then understood I their end, they shall be destroyed for ever, they shall soon be cut down like grass, thine enemies shall perish, to eventually destroy the wicked and all they stand for, to sweeten the mix, truth, unrelentingly plunder, until I went into the sanctuary of God, utterly consumed with terrors, wait on God's promises and timing, when the wicked spring as the grass, who's to blame, who's to blame for climate change, windstorms, wisdom, wither as the green herb
Psalm 92:7. When the wicked spring (spring up or sprout) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
And it’s a bright and sunshiny, beautiful Thursday morning in my neck of the woods. Thankfully the wind is not as strong and persistent as it was all day yesterday. As I keep saying, these numerous windstorms that we’re now experiencing, only begun happening about three or four years ago, and this year seems to be the worst it’s ever been; at least a couple of days every week. I feel sorry for the poor trees, constantly dancing to the wild tempo of the wind, and in the arduous process, losing weak branches that cannot stand the constant buffeting.
And who’s to blame for that? We pour all the blame on our good friend, climate change! But who’s to blame for climate change? None but our very greedy and avaricious selves, as we ceaselessly and unrelentingly plunder and pollute God’s great earth, thus disrupting the amazing cycles and systems He’s set up to coordinate the earth’s weather system. But that’s man for you; ready to destroy and pollute wherever he goes. Take a look at the moon and any other planets where man has unfortunately touched, all that’s left behind there is garbage, man’s cast off.
We so desperately want to go to all those places, but we’re not in the least concerned about destroying and polluting them, like we’ve so sadly done to Mother Earth. We’re only interested in adding to our laurels; we’ve reached this planet and that star and whatever outer space projects we’ve planned. As we’ve seen down through the ages, man is simply an abusive and destructive force, always quicker to destroy than to build, and what it’s taken centuries to build, we destroy in mere minutes, if not seconds.
So what else can we expect eh, especially when the evil one is currently running rampant throughout the earth? Nothing less than destruction, abuse, suppression and all imaginary kinds of evil! But let’s not forget the many promises in the Word of the One who created the universe and all therein, to eventually destroy the wicked and all they stand for, because he is a just and righteous God and His justice will prevail! And Bruh David proclaims it very vociferously in the opening verses of Psalm 37: ‘Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.’ (Ps; 37:1-2)
It could not be said any clearer than that my people. And remember what Asaph said in his most heart rending psalm? ‘But as for me, my feet were almost gone (I had almost stumbled). For I was envious at the foolish (boastful), when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ (Ps. 73:2-3) And, unfortunately, in these current times the wicked and boastful are flourishing as never before. But please remember what Asaph learned later on about the destiny of the wicked. ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God: then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.’ (Ps. 73:17-19)
Yes friends, it’s only when Asaph went into the house of the Lord and communed with Him, did he understand the end of the wicked. He received a divine perspective on the wicked’s prosperity and finally found the answer to his problem. So please, let’s not fall into the evil trap of envying the wicked for their earthly prosperity. And yes, it’s hard to see them prospering, when you the supposed righteous are suffering, but we must learn to wait upon God’s promises and timing.
As the psalmist says so well in Psalm 92. ‘When the wicked spring (spring up or sprout) as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.’ (Ps. 92: 7-10) There again, we have strong evidence of the wicked being eventually destroyed. And we’re not going to forget Cousin Sol’s wisdom, as he always has something to add to sweeten the mix. (smile)
Listen to these wise words from his pen. ‘Lay not wait (do not lie in wait), O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not (assault not) his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity). Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.’ (Prov. 24:16-18) Oh friends, no wonder Cousin Sol, was called the wisest man ever! And we can see why, for in just those 4 verses, he warns the wicked, assures the righteous and also warns the righteous about being glad when the wicked falls or stumbles.
Why, because it might just displease the Lord, and make Him turn His wrath away from the wicked. Remember Jesus said we should not gloat over the destruction of our enemies, but rather to pray for them. And in His teaching on the treatments of others, He specifically notes: ‘But I say unto you which hear, LOVE your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you.’ (Luke 6:27-28) That’s the gist of Jesus’ teaching, and in this current evil world it’s oh so difficult to do, but we must do it as best we can, if we want to be truly His followers.
Now here’s the last word on the destruction of the wicked from the prophet Micah. ‘For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.’ (Mic. 4:1) Yes my fellow believers, in His Word, the Lord’s promised to destroy the wicked and evil too often for it not to be true. So please let’s listen to Him and not follow Beelzebub and his evil cronies. And tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll look at the promises of God for the righteous.
So, let’s now declare our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us to do the Lord’s 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 activated those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them for the benefit of others, just as generously as the Lord shared then with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the wicked shall suffer eternal death…but the righteous shall enjoy everlasting life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cloud of darkness, a future and a hope, a lamp unto our feet, a light to our path, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, all came to pass, all the days of thy life, as I was with Moses, be not dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, by day, by experience, by night, by trial and error, calamity, christianity, courage, creativity, curse, depending on God, faith, favour, fear thou not, God keeps all His promises, God's supernatural wisdom, grow in God, He will not fail thee neither forsake thee, holy spirit, I am thy God, I am with thee, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I will not fear what man can do to me, I will strengthen thee, I will uphold thee, in a pillar of cloud, in a pillar of fire, Jesus Christ, laying our lives on the line for God, let your conversation be without covetousness, lost my way, LOVE, mercy, negative word, no man shall stand before thee, not a word failed, nothing to worry about, of any good thing, put our total trust in God, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, so will I be with thee, stood behind them, talent, the angel of God, the BIBLE, the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel, the Lord he it is that doth go before thee, The Lord is my helper, the Lord went before them, the pillar of cloud went from before their face, there failed not ought, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give them light, to give you an expected end, to go by day and by night, to live for Christ, to make our paths straight, truth, wisdom, with the right hand of my righteousness
Joshua 21:45. ‘There failed not ought (not a word failed) of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’
Oh, it’s positively a rainy, rainy, dark and cloudy Thursday. The rain’s been falling since yesterday evening; a steady drizzle, and looks like it will continue for some time yet. But just like we need the sunshine, we need the rain, though not in too much quantity, for that could cause situations that we’d prefer not to experience. (smile) However, since we’ve put our total trust in the Lord God Almighty, we have nothing to worry about. There might be concerns, but definitely no worries. For God has promised in His Holy Word, several times, never to leave nor forsake us, and He keeps ALL His promises, as said in the Book of Joshua.
‘There failed not ought (not a word failed) of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.’ (Josh. 21:45) And the prophet Isaiah reiterates that sentiment by declaring: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Then the prophet Jeremiah agrees with those sentiments, when he declares: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11)
And there are many more scriptures relating to God’s faithfulness, but we will not experience it until we too grow in faith, believing that He is truly faithful. And unfortunately, that comes only by going through uncomfortable situations and depending on God to see you through. And each time you do that, and He proves His faithfulness, your faith grows stronger and you believe some more. That’s the only way to truly grow in God; by experience, by trial and error, by learning His Word and putting it into practice, by laying our proverbial lives on the line for him, and seeing Him fulfill each and every promise.
But yuh know what mih bredrin, it seems the ole fella has lost his way yes. For I originally planned to ruminate through some scriptures where the Lord promised to never leave nor forsake us, but then I apparently got sidetracked in looking at scriptures that spoke of His faithfulness to His promises. (smile) But that’s okay, because they are all enmeshed together as the Word of the Lord. So, let’s turn now to some scriptures that validate God’s promise to never leave or forsake us. And we’ll begin with a practical experience of God’s promised care for His people, through the way He led the Israelites when they left Egypt.
The Bible tells us: ‘And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.’ (Ex. 13:21-22) Now, there’s nothing that can fulfill words of promise better than the actual experiencing of them. And to further show our God’s faithfulness, when the Egyptian army trundled down after the Israelites to take them back to Egypt, the Lord literally blocked the Israelites from the sight of the Egyptians.
The Bible says: ‘And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud of darkness to them, but it gave light by the night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.’ ((Ex. 14:19-20) Oh my people, what a wonderful God we serve! Now who would have thought of such a marvellous manoeuvre but Him eh? Nobody! And since He is omnipotent and has power to do anything, that should come as no surprise.
So with all of that practical experience behind them, Moses was thus able to truthfully tell the young generation that would eventually enter the Promised Land: ‘And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be ye dismayed.’ (Deut. 31:8) And yuh know what friends? That message has never been rescinded. For today, the Lord our God still is the One who goes before us, to make our paths straight, and as the psalmist says, who gives us His Word to be a lamp unto our feet, and a light to our path. (Ps, 119:105)
How can we ever doubt or dispute the Word of our God eh my people, when we’ve seen it played out in the Bible, as well as in our own lives? It would be pure foolishness; stupidity at it’s highest to discount the Word of God! And if you still need more scriptures on God’s promise never to leave nor forsake His people. Then check out Joshua 1:5-9, where the Lord promises him: ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh. 1:5) Then the Lord goes on to encourage him to be strong of a good courage, the same things we need to be, if we intend to live for Christ.
Finally, in the New Testament, the author of Hebrews wisely advises: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb. 13:5-6) Yes my faithful brethren, this verse emphasizes God’s consistent presence and provision for believers throughout their lives. And our God is so wonderful that He’s also bestowed on us blessings we don’t deserve, but need to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…The most faithful and encouraging Being in the universe…is obviously…the Lord God Jehovah…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep desire for personal righteousness, a hungry animal, a message of hope, a mighty rushing wind, a new heart will I also give you, a new spirit will I put within you, a renewed relationship with God, a sound from heaven, a spiritual transformation, a strong will, a thirsting soul, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, began to speak with other tongues, believers, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, broken right now in the name of Jesus, broken the gates of brass, cause you to walk in my statutes, christianity, cloven tongues like fire, complete satisfaction, curse, cut the bars of iron asunder, divine protection, early will I seek thee, everything originates from God, faith, favour, filled with the Holy Ghost, for his goodness, fulfilment, give you an heart of flesh, good health, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he satisfieth the longing soul, his wonderful works to the children of men, holy spirit, I will bless thee while I live, in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, Jesus Christ, keep my judgements and do them, lift up my hands in thy name, LOVE, mercy, my flesh longs for you, my lips shall praise thee, my soul longeth for thee, my soul thirsteth for god, negative word, O God thou art my God, obedience to God's law, oh that men would praise the Lord, Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament, other languages, outpouring of righteousness, panting for food or water, promostion, proof of their spiritual rebirth, propser, put my spirit within you, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, share our blessings with others, so panteth my soul after thee O God, spiritual poverty, spiritual rebirth, spiritual renewal, succeed, supernatural wisdom, take away the stony heart out of your flesh, the Beatitudes, the BIBLE, The Day of Pentecost, the Holy spirit indwelling believers, the indisputable truth, the living God, the penultimate day of our work week, the prophecy of Ezekiel, the sons of Korah, they shall be filled, thy loving-kindness is better than life, to see thy power and thy glory, truth, underserved blessings, When shall I come and appear before God, wisdom, yearning for perishable things, yearning for spiritual things
Psalm 107:15. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
So we’ve come to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, a warm and sunshiny day, and we’re just panting for Friday, like a hungry or thirsty animal panting for food or water. Oh, how I wish we could be like the sons of Korah say in Psalm 42: ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2)
And Bruh David corroborates it in Psalm 63, ‘A Thirsting Soul’ while in the wilderness, running from his arch enemy King Saul. He writes: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul longeth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;’ (Ps. 63:1)
Yes friends, it’s the living God we should be panting and thirsting for; not the day when we get a break from work! For who do you think allows you to have that break eh? In the long run, it’s the living God! In fact everything that you have or get, initially flows from Almighty God! It might come through other people, but it all originates from the grace, mercy and LOVE of our heavenly Father! As Bruh David spells out in the next couple of verses. ‘To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee (looked for thee) in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-KINDNESS is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:2-4)
Now that’s how we supposed believers ought to be behaving, not looking forward to the material, perishable things of the world, as so many of us are currently doing. It’s like Jesus says in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of that verse. ‘These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst for righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which ONLY God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Ps. 107:9)
And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers! When we sincerely hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God, He fills us up, because that is His very nature, which He cannot deny. And we find one of the best examples of that in the Book of Acts, on the Day of Pentecost when the church members were sitting together in a room, ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave then utterance.’ (Acts. 2:2-4)
Oh my brethren, that was certainly an unusual outpouring of righteousness all at once, but it marked the beginning of the Holy Spirt indwelling believers and not operating outside on certain occasions. It’s what God promised the Israelites in the prophesy of Ezekiel. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.’ (Ezek. 36:26-27)
And this commentary offers an explanation of those verses. ‘They promise a spiritual transformation, where God will replace the Israelites’ “heart of stone” (stubbornness, resistance) with a “heart of flesh” (responsiveness, obedience), and infuse them with a “new spirit,” symbolizing a renewed relationship with God and obedience to His laws. This promise is a type of the New Covenant, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, offering spiritual renewal to all believers.
In essence, Ezekiel 36:26 is a powerful message of hope and spiritual renewal, promising a restoration of the Israelites’ relationship with God through a transformation of their hearts and minds. This transformation is also seen as a foreshadowing of the New Covenant, where God’s spirit dwells within believers, enabling them to live in obedience and righteousness.’
Now that ought to help us believe God’s Word even more, as those prophecies in the Old Testament keep being fulfilled in the New Testament. Consequently, our behaviour ought to be like the psalmist says in Psalm 107: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass (bronze), and cut the bars of iron in sunder.’ (Ps. 107:15-16)
Yes, friends, the Lord has broken all our chains and released us from the prison of sin and being hell bound through the auspices of Christ’s work on the cross of Calvary. That means we should be thankful, grateful and show it through our obedience and LOVE, especially since He’s further showered us with our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s declare and activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yeah!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…instead of yearning for perishable earthly things…we ought to ye yearning for imperishable spiritual or heavenly things…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a joy, bangles, baubles, bright shiny things, broken right now in the name of Jesus, climate change, curse, dem's the breaks, Demas hath forsaken me, discouraging message, divine protection, eyes fixed straight ahead, faith, favour, following Jesus is a serious commitment, fulfillment, go thou and preach the kingdom of God, hands fixed securely on the plough, having loved this present world, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, holy spirit, if any man love the world, is fit for the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Christ, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, let the dead bury their dead, life's lesser matters, look to the future not the past, looking back, looking back means you're not dedicated enough, LOVE, love not the world, lust of the flesh, mercy, meritorious benefits, moth and rust doth corrupt, negative word, no man having put his hand to the plough, not looking back, only a life with Jesus lasts forever, personal desires, physical desires, plow means work or task, pride, pride of life, prosper, rewards for faithful service, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, self-interest, share generously, springtime, strong faith in Christ, succeed, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, the disciple has more important things to do, the love of the Father is not in him, the lust of the eyes, the lust thereof, the spiritually dead, the spiritually dead can bury the physically dead, the spiritually living, the world passes away, thieves break through and steal, things of the world, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, winter climate, wisdom, working for God on earth
Luke 9:62. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit (suitable) for the kingdom of heaven.
Oh friends, Thursday has opened bright and sunshiny from the very beginning, although it’s still somewhat chilly. Let’s hope it stays that way…but luck of all luck, I just looked down at the bottom of the computer and saw this dreary and discouraging message: ‘3 cm of snow on Sunday.’ Brother, I thought that since we’re in springtime, we were all over with that white stuff, but apparently not. And we can’t write off the report, because last week when it said snow on Monday, we did get snow early on Monday morning, although not a great amount and it melted very quickly.
But dem’s the breaks! If you live in the winter climate, you must expect winter weather at any time, especially with the crazy weather patterns that we’re currently experiencing in the throes of climate change. Anyway, not to worry, we will overcome whatever comes against us through strong faith in, and the help of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. He’s promised it, and He keeps all of His promises.
So, today, let’s look at a couple of interesting verses from Luke’s gospel. The story behind it is that one man wants to follow Jesus, but he wants to go and bury his father first. To which Jesus replies: ‘Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9: 60) Now that sounds somewhat rough and unfeeling of Jesus, but this commentary explains it thus: ‘The man needs to let someone else bury his father; he needs to spread the news of the coming of God’s kingdom. Jesus’ play on words most likely means that the spiritually dead—those who refuse to follow Him—can bury the physically dead; in this case, the spiritually living—the disciple—has more important things to do.’
That leads to this next situation. Another man wants to go and say farewell to his family before following Jesus. ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit (suitable) for the kingdom of heaven.’ (Luke 9:62) Now that’s a big statement my people! And what does it mean? The scholars put it thus: ‘One who makes life’s lesser matters of greater priority than God’s work is of little use to him.’
Then this commentary explains: ‘Luke is showing that following Jesus is a serious commitment. We can’t look back at the past; we need to keep our eyes on our work and where it will take us in the future.’ Meanwhile this other commentary says: ‘Plow is synonymous with work or a task. The implication is that once you begin your walk with Jesus, but then look back to the worldly life you lived once before (i.e.: in longing for), you are not dedicated enough to continue and/or complete that task.’
There you have it my brethren: Basically, once we have begun our walk with Jesus we cannot look back or long for the things of the past, but need to press on to the things of the future that Jesus has in store for us. That’s why we have this statement in our Wednesday Wail: ‘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.’ It’s all about looking to the future my brethren!
And we have an interesting comment on just that from Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…’ (2 Tim. 4:9-10) Now, that’s the kind of thing Jesus is talking about. We cannot just up and leave our ministry for the world and expect everything to be hunky dory.
As John so rightly puts it in his first epistle. ‘LOVE not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man LOVE the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interest), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:15-17)
Ah mih people, I know Satan and his evil cronies are always throwing baubles, bangles and bright shiny things in our faces, and it’s hard to stay away from the entrancing and captivating things of the world, but we need to seriously realize that most of those things are either not necessary, ungodly, or not a part of God’s will for us, plus they will not last forever. Only a life with Jesus will last forever!
Jesus made it quite clear, when He delivered these teachings. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
Yes friends, we should not be so taken up with accumulating things here on earth, which rust and rot and thieves can steal, but with accumulating treasures in heaven, where they are safeguarded from moths, rust and thieves. And according to the scholars: ‘The concept of laying up treasures in heaven is not pictured as one of meritorious benefits, but rather of rewards for faithful service, as illustrated elsewhere in the teachings of Jesus.’
And yuh know what, our God is such a great God that He’s bestowed undeserved blessings on us so that we can better do His earthly work and thus earn more heavenly rewards for faithful service. We call them our Thurseday Blessings. So, let’s declare them out loud and thus activate them nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…working for God on earth…should be a joy…as we consider…the treasures we’re building up in heaven…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a dazzling effect, a desire for eternity, a positive outlook on life, abundance, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be a part of both worlds, Bible, bounden duty, bringeth forth much fruit, cannot serve God and mammon, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, entice to eat the forbidden fruit, enveloped by the bright rays of the sun, eternal separation from Almighty God, eternity, everlasting, faith, favour, from the beginning to the end, frustrated by his finite limitations, generous manner, God has made everything beautiful in his time, God's supernatural wisdom, greater love hath no man, he hath set the world in their heart, his ways past finding out, holy spirit, how unsearchable are his judgements, I am the vine ye are the branches, Jesus Christ, LOVE, major snowstorm, mercy, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative word, no man can find out, no pain sorrow tears or death, o the depth of the riches, of the wisdom and knowledge of God, on the same wavelength as God, our basic DNA, perpetuity, promotion, ride the fence, salvation, self-discipline, stick to Christ like white on rice, success, sunshine reflecting off the pure snow, talent, temporal mans quest for the eternal, the hope of salvation, the work that God does, truth, unsullied by human hands, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, what God has for his human creation, wisdom, without me ye can do nothing, you shall be as God, your eyes shall be opened
Ecclesiastes 3:11a. He (God) hath made everything beautiful in his time:
And then it was Thursday; the day of the big cleanup, after the evening of Wednesday’s big snowstorm. It’s definitely the biggest we’ve had so far and thoroughly disrupted the evening commute with people and traffic snarled for hours in the Greater Toronto Area. But yuh know what, it’s still not as big as some other parts of the country have received. And we need to be thankful for the dry day and the beautiful sunshine that’s reflecting off of the pure, driven snow, unsullied by human hands.
Now you might not like snow, but you cannot deny the dazzling effect it has when it’s enveloped by the bright rays of the sun. (smile) Remember, everything that God’s made is beautiful in its own way. And this is so eloquently and truthfully borne out by these words of Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘He (God) hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world (eternity) in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh (does) from the beginning to the end.’ (Eccl. 3:11)
And that’s a very interesting verse of scripture which says a whole lot to us. As the scholars explain. ‘The world is better translated “eternity.” God has given man a desire for eternity and perpetuity; therefore man cannot be satisfied with what is merely temporal. Man’s quest for the eternal, however is frustrated by his finite limitations.’
And Bruh Paul follows that up with this agreeing verse from Romans 11: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33) That’s for sure my people! We seek greater involvement and deeper understanding, because God’s put that in our basic DNA, but unfortunately our finite limitations indeed keep us from understanding the higher things and ways of God. God did that on purpose, to always keep us on our toes.
Remember what He says through the prophet Isaiah? ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) And for Him to be God, that’s how it ought to be, otherwise we’d be on exactly the same wavelength as Him, and therefore have no need of Him.
And that’s the deceitful trick the enemy played on Eve in the garden of Eden when he enticed her to eat of the forbidden fruit. ‘And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and shall be as gods (God), knowing good and evil.’ (Gen. 3:4-5) And it’s the same old trick he’s still plying with us today, deceiving us into thinking that if we do his bidding we’d be like God.
But friends, there’s nothing further from the truth. We can never be like God, in the sense that we’re a created being, and we simply don’t have the capacity to do much without His help. As Jesus so nicely tells us in the gospel of John. ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)
There again, truer words were never spoken my brethren! With Jesus we can do all things, because He strengthens us to do them, (Phil. 4:13) but without Him, we’re definitely not able to do a whole lot. That means we have to stay as close to Him as possible, like white on rice, (smile) if we ever hope to accomplish anything worthwhile in this world. And when we say worthwhile, we’re not speaking about what the evil and ungodly world considers worthwhile, but what Jesus considers worthwhile in His kingdom.
And yes, on a few occasions, they can be the same things, but oftentimes, they are not, because the things the world holds worthwhile, and the things Jesus considers worthwhile are usually the total opposite. That’s why you cannot serve God and mammon too. It’s either one or the other. Although many of us supposed believers foolishly try to ride the fence and be a part of both worlds, but in the long run you only find great disappointment in that tactic.
And it’s so much easier serving God than mammon. For the pleasures of the world are fleeting, and most of them only lead to hellfire and damnation, or eternal separation from Almighty God, while the hope of salvation and heaven are everlasting, and lead to eternity with God, where there’s no pain, sorrow, tears, death or any of those former things. And our God is so good to us that He’s even bestowed underserved benefits on us, so that we can do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings.
So, let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh, so we can get on with His business. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, with that awesome declaration (awright!!!) it’s become our bounden duty to use those blessings to help others, in the same generous manner that the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…greater LOVE hath no man…than what God has for His human creation…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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