11 Apr 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, advanced age, be quiet, best laid plans, breakfast, bribery, bubol, choose me, circumstances, cockles of Jesus' heart. love, confidence, corruption, crime, curse, destruction, distractions, dwell safely, fear, fear of evil, Galleon, headlines, lunch, negative word, noise, promises, prosperity, rest, self-control, self-discipline, T&T Spirit, talent, terror, Thursday's Blessings, walk hand in hand with Jesus, whoso hearkeneth unto me, wisdom crying out, word return void
Proverbs 1:33. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, at ease) from fear of evil.
Well friends, circumstances do have a natural way of disturbing our best laid plans. And so it was with me and the Bit this morning. (smile) And I guess you’re wondering what’s my excuse today eh? (smile)
Well it’s simply that I had to catch a boat to Trinidad at 6.30 this morning and thus had to be up and about early to get to the docks on time, and there was no way I could write the Bit on the boat because of excessive noise and distractions and no Wi-Fi, and by the time I got to Trinidad and the hotel it was 11 o’clock and we were famished.
Unfortunately breakfast had already ended and we had to wait another half an hour for lunch, so by the time that was done, it was one p.m. and the advanced aged people had to rest, and now I’m finally up and about, so here we are. That’s the living truth, I swear it by my Boy Scout’s honour! (smile) You wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to get a plane ride from Tobago to Trinidad and back!
The boat’s not much better, because I only wanted to spend a couple days in Trinidad but ended up having to spend four. And that’s by the fast boat, the T&T Spirit, that only takes about three hours. Nobody wants to ride the other boat, the Galleon or something so, because it’s slow, about five hours and cramped.
To besides, there’s an awful political row going on right now in T&T about the buying and leasing of boats from all over the world, for oodles of dollars, but unfortunately boats that apparently don’t suit the situation for which they have been purchased. But as they say: ‘Only in T&T oui!’ Like most countries T&T always have some scandal hitting the headlines, and right now it’s the boat business intermingled with all the bubol (bribery) and corruption and crime taking place in the country, and nobody not doing much of anything to lessen it.
But yuh know, as long as mankind has anything to do with power and money, our natural greed is going to surface and always cause problems for the majority, who always seem to be poor and powerless. And as all we believers know the only way to handle these disturbing matters of life is walk hand in hand with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. That’s wisdom and common sense personified!
Listen as Cousin Sol spells it out for us long before Jesus did. Wisdom, the fear, reverence and awe of the Lord, is like a prophetess, constantly crying out for us to come to her. But in our haughty and prideful arrogance, with insouciance, total indifference and lack of concern we skin up our mouths and turn up our noses at her.
Thus Cousin Sol warns: ‘When your fear (terror) cometh as desolation (a storm), and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early (diligently), but they shall not find me. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would (have) none of my counsel: they despised all of my reproof.’ (Prov.1:27-30)
And unfortunately my people, that’s exactly what’s happening in our ungodly, evil, narcissistic, greedy, power-hungry and strife-filled world! Too many of us have rejected the wisdom and knowledge and reverence to Almighty God! In fact, instead of hungering for, and hunkering down more with Him in these turbulent times, we’re trying our best to remove Him completely from our society! Now if that isn’t utter madness and stupidity, I don’t know what is!
And if you don’t believe me, then I hope you believe Cousin Sol, as he speaks on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away (the waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them.’ (Prov.1:31-32)
And aren’t we seeing a whole lot more waywardness and complacency today than we’ve ever seen in man’s history? We certainly are! And all our nations are now in total uproar because we have defied the Lord, rejected Him, and chosen to go our own way and sit on our fat fannies! I don’t know why so many of us refuse to believe the Lord’s promises both of prosperity and destruction nuh?
By now we should realize that whatever He says, He does. His word does not return to Him void, and if He promises destruction, then it is destruction you will have. ‘But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (secure, at ease) from fear of evil.’ What an enormous promise friends!
And Cousin Sol repeats it in greater detail on the Lord’s behalf, later on. When the Lord is the light of your life: ‘Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:23-26)
That says it all friends! It’s a choice we all have to make. And for those of us who have made the right one, walking with the Lord, let’s go home declaring (right ho!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord in His magnanimity and generosity has bestowed on his saints. All together 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!’
One important reminder my faithful friends; those blessings were meant for us to share with others, not to hoard for our own use. So let’ go out and do that nuh, and thus warm the cockles of Jesus’ heart. Much LOVE!
…true wisdom is crying out…choose me…choose me…won’t you be wise…and choose her…
21 Mar 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a righteous man, appointed unto men, Beelzebub, believe in Jesus, blaspheme His holy name, broken right now, bruised and battered, Christ died for the ungodly, Christ died for us, crapaud smoke yuh pipe, cried out in anguish, curse, embodiment of evil, eternal hell fire and damnation, eternal life, eternal souls, fallen angel, favour, filled with, finite minds, for a good man, forsake his only son, free offer of grace, God commendeth his love, God so loved the world, good health, grace, guidebook, hanging helplessly, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heartbreaking deed, in the name of Jesus, LOVE, Lucifer, My God my God, my soul is still, negative word, once to die, our earthly lives, peaceful, positive outlook on life, prosper, salvation, satanic majesty, self-control, self-discipline, share the blessings, should not perish, sinful creation, sinful exploits, sins, some would dare to die, spins on only one thing, succeed, the BIBLE, the Good Book, the heart of God, the heart of his universe, the wonderful love of God, then the judgement, Thursday Blessings, ultimate destination, unconditional LOVE, ungrateful sinners, while we were yet sinners, whosoever believeth on Jesus, why hast thou forsaken me, without strength, wooden cross
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ah mih people, the ole fella doesn’t have a jump out at you, in your face intro for this morning! (smile) Neither does he have anything explosive to talk about today. His soul is still and peaceful, filled with the wonderful LOVE of God! So I guess that’s what we’ll talk about then…the wonderful LOVE OF GOD! (smile)
And I guess there’s nothing better to talk about in these evil and trying times than God’s amazing, awesome and unconditional LOVE for His sinful creation. Sorry Lord, you did not create anything sinful, you created mankind very holy like yourself, it’s just that the creation turned sinful when it came into contact with Beelzebub, so we can’t blame you for that.
But you were so enamoured of that creation that even though it turned against you, you couldn’t leave it to die and suffer eternal hellfire and damnation on account of it’s unholy and sinful exploits. Bless Your holy name our heavenly Father! But what’s truly amazing and incomprehensible about God’s LOVE, are the unbelievable facts noted in these immortal words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome.
‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his (demonstrates his own) LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom.5:6-8)
How can you beat that show of LOVE eh friends? NO WAY! Can you imagine the size God’s heart had to be to be able to do that overreaching deed? To put the sins of the whole world on the shoulders of His wonderful Son; to commit such a heartbreaking deed to forsake His only Son!
Can you imagine the state of the Father’s heart when His Son, hanging helplessly from that wooden cross, all bruised and battered, cried out in anguish: ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matt.27:46b) It’s the only time that Jesus ever really cried out to the Father in true despair, because it’s the ONLY time that the Father had ever turned away from Him!
My fellow believers, I don’t think our puny and finite minds can really comprehend it nuh! That’s why we don’t appreciate and don’t pay as much attention to it like we should. It must be a godlike thing to sacrifice one’s sinless Son to pay for the debts of ungrateful sinners! But He did it!
And wonder of wonders too many of His creation are not thankful or grateful for it, because they blaspheme His holy name and totally reject His salvation through His free offer of grace. And the sad part is that all it takes to receive eternal life is to believe in and on His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
And Jesus proclaimed this fact so strenuously Himself: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) But unfortunately, a large portion of God’s creation prefers to believe on the fallen angel Lucifer; his satanic majesty, the embodiment of all evil and sin!
How sad my brethren! We take the Lord’s words for a joke when He says that those who believe on His Son will have everlasting life, while those who reject Him will be cast out into hell fire and eternal damnation! It’s amazing how foolish we can be, believing the parts of the Good Book that serve our purposes and not believing the rest!
Friends, I’m here to tell you that the Good Book is ALL TRUTH! So you either believe ALL of it, or NONE of it! You can’t be like so many of us, just sitting on the fence hoping that our number will play sometime and we can fall either which way the wind blows. Friends, our number’s been played already!
Two thousand years ago Jesus died to pay for our sins! Nothing else is needed! And furthermore, the Lord wrote the Bible for us, as a guidebook for our earthly lives, not for His benefit. He knows it all already! So those of us who choose to ignore Him, His Word, His Son and His Holy Spirit are playing a real dangerous game with the ultimate destination of their eternal souls.
For as the Good Book so rightly proclaims: ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.’ (Heb.9:27) Yes friends, mankind dies once, please note that, ONLY ONCE, and after that he will be judged by God Almighty! And even more importantly, if you don’t make your peace here on earth before you die with Jesus, then all bets are off, unfortunately crapaud smoke yuh pipe, then it’s TOO LATE!
So please, please, I implore us to be wise and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour RIGHT NOW nuh, because you never know when you’ll be called home, it can happen at anytime. And even if you don’t want to believe, then be wise and hedge your bets nuh; accept Him just in case it’s all true. And if it happens that it isn’t, then you haven’t lost anything.
However, if it all turns out to be true, then you’d have won and be on the inside looking in! Glory to God!
Now for those of us who truly believe, let’s go home declaring (steups – wrong again- going to have to stop using it yes (smile)) our Thursday Blessings, wonderful benefits that our great, merciful, forgiving, generous and ever-LOVING God has magnanimously bestowed on us.
In strong voice and full belief 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 everyday! Amen!’
Now don’t forget that those wonderful blessings weren’t given to us to hoard, but to share with the less fortunate of this sorry world, so please let’s go out and do the now nuh! Much LOVE!
…the heart of God…and thus the heart of His universe…spins on one and only ONE thing…LOVE…
28 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: . the pain of loneliness, a human soul, Abide in me, agent, ask what ye will, bless your Holy Name, bring forth much fruit, cannot bear fruit of itself, cast forth, cast into the fire, compassionate heart, created us, curse, DETERMINATION, disciple, divine protection, eased up on the pedal, embrace Jesus, eternal separation, evil, except it abide in the vine, fierce pride, glorify the Father, God's kingdom, hell fire and damnation, hooking up, I am the vine, I love and adore you, in His own image, intercession, Jesus, LOVE, magnificent carthorse, make a difference, negative word, New Year's resolution, our broken down wagons, our legacy, positive outlook, promotion, prosper, self-discipline, strong walk with Jesus, success, take Jesus more seriously, Thank You Lord, thankfulness, the branch, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity, the only antidote, the worst thing, Thursday Blessings, ungodliness, walking closer with Jesus, withered, without me, ye are the branches, ye can do nothing, zeppo
John 15:4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Well it’s pretty white out there still, but the snow seems to have abated…till when who knows? But thankfully, I did not have to go into the city and face the mess yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, I was all prepared to do it, but during the mid morning hours when the stuff just kept falling my resolve began to weaken, (smile) and I got the bright idea…or rather the Holy Spirit gave me a zeppo to call the clinic and find out how early I could get another appointment if I cancelled that one?
Obviously I could not find a living soul to talk to since in this age of modern communications less people are answering phones, it’s all artificial intelligence. (smile) But I left a message…then waited and waited for an answer. None came until an hour before I had to leave home. The lady offered me an appointment for next week and I gladly took it, thanking her effusively, then I gave more effusive thanks and praise to our wonderful God for His timely intercession.
Isn’t our God wonderful people? But certainly! Though His timing could be just a li’l less ‘just in time.’ (smile) The things He does for us eh, when He doesn’t have to. He could have very well said yesterday, ‘No let him go and experience the struggle out there and let it purify and strengthen him!’(smile) But instead, in His omniscience, He saw that I might not have been able to handle it, it was just too much for me to bear, so He mercifully and graciously eased up on the pedal!
But whatever the reason, believe me friends, the ole fella is exceedingly glad and thankful that I did not have to go into the city yesterday, especially after some of the horrible stories I heard. ‘Thank You Lord, Thank You! I LOVE and adore and exalt You even more today than yesterday! Bless Your holy name! I give you thanks and praise from the very depths of my being! Help me to live the life that You’ve planned for me and run a good and strong race! In Jesus’ name I pray! Amen!’
Now enough about me and my thankfulness! (smile) Let’s turn to a more important subject on this last day of February; that of how we are doing with our New Year’s Resolution two months into the year? And some of you must be wondering, ‘what New Year’s Resolution is he talking about eh?’ The one that we made, on January the first, namely to walk closer with Jesus this year! I guess if we have to shrug our shoulders and jiggle our minds to remember it, then most likely we have not been doing it?
Ah friends, what do we have to do to get us to take Jesus more seriously than we’re currently doing eh? Our world is falling apart under the tremendous evil and ungodliness that’s bearing down on it, and a strong and certain walk with Jesus is the ONLY antidote to save us from hell fire and damnation! If we continue the way we’re going, our world is going to blow up, both literally and figuratively, at some stage of the game!
And is that what we want? Is that the legacy we want to leave for our children and grandchildren? Certainly not! Well then the only option we have to prevent that disaster is to embrace Jesus and ALL He stands for with a fierce pride and determination, for He is the ONLY One who can help us make a sincere and satisfactory difference!
As He said so clearly to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’ Wow! What can be clearer than that eh friends? But as is Jesus’ wont, He goes on to explain in greater detail: ‘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)
Mama Mia! What a powerful statement of truth is that last clause, my fellow believers! Without Christ we can do nothing! And whoever thinks otherwise is just fooling themselves! For as Jesus explains: ‘If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.’ (John 15:6) Yeah friends, that’s what’s going to eventually happen when the Lord sets up His judgement court.
And believe me, that day will surely come, when all those who don’t believe will be cast out into eternal separation from the Holy Trinity, which I’ve often said is the very worst thing that can happen to a human soul! And the only way to avoid that rather disastrous ending is to do as Jesus says: ‘If ye abide in me (be my agent, my disciple), and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue (abide) ye in my LOVE!’ (John 15:7-9)
Oh friends, remember our major job down here on earth is to let others know about God’s kingdom and thereby glorify the Father who created us in His own image. And the ONLY WAY we can accomplish that is by hooking up our broken down wagons to the magnificent and powerful carthorse that’s Jesus! So let’s wake up, let’s be wise and get with Jesus’ programme nuh. That’s our only hope!
Now let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Thursday Blessings that our Lord and God have so magnanimously bestowed on us to help us do our job, spread His Holy Word and glorify His Holy Name! All together now, in strong voice and sincere sense of purpose with thanksgiving: ‘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!’
The next step is to go out and share those blessings, while staying attached to the vine so we can bear good fruit! Much LOVE!
…please remember…that Jesus is the Way…the Truth…the Life…the Light…and the Only avenue to the Father…
P.S. Yeah, it’s sorta long, but we can’t always deal in short, since short does not always convey the full message. (smile) Much LOVE!
07 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook, a scheme, a single grateful thought, a spiritual exercise, ask amiss, be damned, benefits, boast of riches, Christian, consume it, costly, curse, desires, draw ourselves toward God, Elihu, esteem thy riches, fleshly lusts, friends, gain the whole world, German writer, Give God a ransom, give in exchange for his soul, gospel truth, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, hear his cry, heartfelt thank you, hope, hopelessness, in my heart, inclement weather, iniquity, Job, lose his soul, LOVE, motives of our hearts, move God into our lives, negative word, obedience, outward show, part of God's plan and purpose, pleasures, power of people, prayer, precious, prosper, purpose of prayer, receive not, redeem his brother, redemption, same khaki pants, self-control, self-discipline, share, succeed, the consequences, the forces of strength, the greatest power, the hope of the hypocrite, the hypocrite, the most perfect prayer, Thursday Blessings, to communicate with God, trust in wealth, upon your lusts, what is a man profited, wrath, ye ask
James 4:3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).
Different day, friends, but the same khaki pants! Hn! Ah have to laugh yes, because it seems like more inclement weather is forecasted for today. Steups! Yuh just can’t win with this weather nuh! But you can’t let it keep you locked up indoors forever either. So if you have to go out, just go out and be damned the consequences!
Just take Jesus’ hand and let Him guide you! He’ll take you out and back safely; that’s His promise! But then again, if you don’t have to go, don’t just go for the sake of going! (smile)
And today we’re going to talk a li’l about the most powerful tool of communication in our world…it’s called prayer! We know of it, talk a lot about it, but for whatever reason, don’t use it sufficiently. And the first words on it come from the celebrated German writer, philosopher, dramatist and art critic Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781), one of the bright lights of the German Enlightenment era.
And he said way back then: ‘A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most perfect prayer.’ And so it is my brethren. We don’t have to have long, gushing, ornate prayers to be praying right, but just a heartfelt thank you and request is sufficient. And not only that, it’s possibly more quickly answered than the long, overflowing, flowery words prayer.
The important thing though my Christian brethren is that we pray, and pray sincerely, whether they be long or short, they must be constant and sincere, because remember, God looks at state of our obedience and the motives of our hearts and not our outward show, before He replies to our prayers.
Now hear these awesome words from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) on the subject of prayer, from His Hour of Power Devotional. He starts out by making this true and most incredible claim: ‘The greatest power in the world today is the power of people to communicate with Almighty God.
Prayer is not a scheme whereby we can move God into our lives, but rather a spiritual exercise through which we draw ourselves toward God until we are a part of His plan and His purpose. The purpose of prayer is not to give you what you want when you want it, but to make you the kind of person God wanted you to be when He put you on the planet earth.’
There you have it friends, the true purpose of prayer; to draw closer to God and to become what He wants us to be! Not to merely be asking Him for stuff that we desire, most of the time to be applied to our fleshly lusts and desires. Now it’s not wrong to ask for stuff that we need, and even our hearts desires, but they must fall under the will of God, be somewhere in His plan for our lives.
As James castigates us when he talks about worldliness and pride: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ And most of us can’t find fault with that statement, especially in today’s sinful and ungodly world!
But listen to Job’s discourse on the hypocrite’s hopelessness: ‘For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?’ The most likely answer to all of that is a simple ‘NO!’
For as the psalmist declares (right ho) plain and straight: ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.’ (Ps.66:18) And that’s the gospel truth; anytime the Lord discovers improper motives in our hearts, He won’t answer our prayers!
That brings us to these most important questions of Jesus: ‘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?’ (Matt.17:26) And the answer to the first question is ‘ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!’
And the psalmist answers the second one this way: ‘They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (For the redemption of their soul is precious (costly), and it ceaseth for ever.’ (Ps.49:6-8) That ought to teach us friends to trust absolutely in God, and not in wealth!
And Job’s supposed friend, Elihu, adds his two cents worth, as he talks about the results of Job’s sins: ‘Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. Will he esteem thy riches? No, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.’
Again we see my people, that nothing that the world possess is sufficient to ransom our immortal souls, only the word of God and belief in His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can keep us from the hell fires of death and destruction!
Now, enough of all that negative talk (smile), let’s go home declaring (right ho) our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so magnanimously poured down on us nuh, for being such good followers of His Son Jesus Christ! (smile)
All together 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 everyday! Amen!’
And He didn’t grant us all that because we were so sweet and obedient, but also to share it with others less fortunate. So let’s go out now and do just that nuh! Much LOVE!
…as Jesus shared the Father’s LOVE and benefits with us…so must we share His LOVE and benefits with others…
31 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a sense of resilience, anointed me, avoid criticism, backbone, be nothing, be strong, belly, come a foreign, coughing and hacking, crapaud smoke we pipe, criticism, curse, do nothing, Elijah, Elisha, faith, famine, favour, hang in there, heal the broken-hearted, his own family, I say unto you, iron grip, is accepted in his own country, is upon me, lazing, leprosy, like nobody's business, lounging in the sunshine, mind numbing cold, Naaman, negative word, no prophet, persevered, preach deliverance, preach the gospel, prosper, recovering of sight, rejected His claim, resilience, roll with the punches, say nothing, self-control, self-discipline, share our blessings, stay in the southland, succeed, Thank You Lord, the big barrel, the living truth, the Messiah, the spirit of the Lord, Thursday Blessings, to the blind, to the captives, to work for Jesus, verily, Western Union, working their tail off
Luke 4:24. And he said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
And it continues, seemingly unabated…Yes friends, I’m talking about the iron grip that the soul, body, spirit and mind numbing cold spell currently has on most of North America! Brother! It’s something like minus 23 degrees Celsius in my area. In one part of Minnesota yesterday they said it was minus forty, not Celsius, but Fahrenheit.
Can you imagine what walking around in that weather is like? Give you a li’l example; yesterday evening I took my fresh self and went across the street to get the mail from the communal mail boxes, and would you believe that by the time I got back from the say twenty yards walk, two minutes exposure, I was coughing and hacking like nobody’s business. And the message for all you people down in the southland, where it’s always nice and warm, is please stay there!
I know that plenty of you want to come a foreign because you believe that it’s so wonderful, but it’s not really as wonderful as you believe and your friends and family don’t just go out and pick up money from the street or the trees so that they can afford to send you all the setta money and expensive foolishness that you all ask for. If you don’t have a work down there, you can at least plant something and stay alive. Up here, if you don’t have a job, nobody gives you much of anything.
And believe me, you have it real good down there yes. For when it rains you can call and tell the boss it raining, so you not coming to work. Up here though, in all the ice and snow yuh can’t call and tell them it snowing or too icy for you to come in, else most likely that’s the last phone call you’ll make to that number. You get my drift? (smile)
And I recently saw a video that hit the nail on the head. This Jamaican fella, dressed to the hilt in his snow clothes pleading to his people back home not to send and ask for anything before March, and not the beginning of March, but the end, because it so and so cold, and he has to go out and work in it, and it not easy… so please doh send and beg for anything before the end of March!
And I think that’s a very good idea for us to adopt because it really hard and unfair to the people up here working their tail of in the cold to send back money and stuff for their people lazing and lounging in the sunshine waiting for the big barrel to roll in or the call to go to Western Union! Steups! I guess by now you know my take on the situation; it’s totally ridiculous! I’m blessed I don’t have any family or friends who behave that way. Thank you yes Lord!
And now that I’ve finished my rant, what’s next eh? (smile) And I think we’re going to talk a li’l about criticism today. Now Cousin Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Hour of Power Programme) says that ‘Criticism is training: a temporary opportunity for a permanent gift.’ And so it is, if you are wise enough to accept the criticism for whatever it’s worth.
You’ll never get anywhere, be successful at anything without coming under some form of criticism, whether it be good or bad, and you need to develop a sense of resilience to it, if you want to truly succeed. Like someone else said: ‘To avoid criticism: Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing…’ So there you have the two options available; be damned if you do, and also be damned if you don’t! So what’s it going to be eh?
As believers in Christ we’re expected to do and be damned! In other words roll with the punches, but get the job done. I don’t believe any of us will ever be criticized as much as Jesus was, and yet He persevered. Even His own family rejected His claim of being the Messiah. Look at how they treated Him in His hometown of Nazareth nuh.
This Sabbath day He got up to read the scriptures in the synagogue there and read Isaiah 49:8-9 where he wrote: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (oppressed). To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’ (Luke 4:18-19) Then He told them: ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (hearing).’ (Luke 4:21)
And they were all filled with wonder at his wisdom, but then they reasoned: ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ (Luke 4:22b) And it all went downhill from there, especially when Jesus declared: ‘Verily, I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ And isn’t that the living truth! People of fame and success are much less appreciated in their own homes and hometowns than elsewhere in the world.
And Jesus made it even worse by telling them about the three years and six months of famine in Israel in Elijah’s time, that though there were many widows in Israel at the time, he was sent to a widow in Sarepta (Zarephath) a city in Sidon, outside of Israel. He also told them about the many lepers in Israel at the time of Elisha, but only Naaman the Syrian was healed. (Luke 4:25-27)
And the response to Jesus words? The Good Book says: And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath (rage), and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way.’ (Luke 4:28-30) Can you imagine it my brethren, Jesus’ own people in His hometown of Nazareth, so enraged by His words, trying to cast Him over the nearby cliffs!
Now I don’t think that many of us who want to work for Jesus will face such craziness, but we will face serious criticism from all around, even our friends and families, but like Jesus, please don’t let it stop us. Just imagine our position now nuh, if Jesus had succumbed to the overwhelming criticism that He faced in His three years of ministry! Now we’d be like crapaud done smoke we pipe! So let’s be strong and hang in there and do His work, so that we can be ultimately blessed with our Thursday Blessings.
In strong voice and plenty faith, let’s declare (right ho) them: ‘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!’
Now it’s time to go out and share those wonderful blessings with the less fortunate! Much LOVE!
…to successfully work for Jesus…one must have plenty belly and backbone…
10 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: above and not beneath, above ye are able, acclamations, Amen, bless and keep us, by the stripes of Jesus, Christ-like, comforting wings, common to man, compassionate heart, curse, eternal life, faith, favour, fear not, fim, forgiveness, glory to God, God of all grace, grace, healed, home to heaven, I will be with thee, justified, keeps all of His promises, leaves us in the lurch, long-winded, LOVE, loving-kindness, make a way, make me strong, mercy, more than a conqueror, more than we can handle, negative experience, negative word, overcomer through Christ, pass through the waters, place of retirement, prosper, reconciled, renovation, restore, resurrected, sacrificial death, salvation, sanctified, self-control, self-discipline, shall not overflow thee, share those blessings, spilling of holy blood, steadfast, succeed, success, suffered a while, temptation, thanks and praise, the BIBLE, the enemy, the flame scorch thee, the Holy One of Israel, the only redeemer, thou shalt not be burned, through Christ who loves me, through the rivers, Thursday Blessings, trying times, walk through the fire
Isaiah 43:2. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
Welcome to a brand new day friends! Oh I know that some of you have begun your day long ago, and those of you over the pond are closer to finishing it, but the ole fella, with the Lord’s help, is just beginning his, somewhat late yes, but at least I’m around to begin! (smile) And that’s something we ought to give our wonderful God much thanks and praise for, so please join me in a short prayer.
‘Oh God of our fathers, we thank you for allowing us to see this bright and splendid day! Our aches and pains, our worries and problems have not gone away, and we’re still living in a sinful world, but we joyfully remember Your promise that by the stripes of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we will be healed, and by the spilling of His holy blood, reconciled, justified, sanctified, and resurrected to salvation and eternal life.
And we know that You are a Deity who keeps ALL of His promises, so we’re not worried. Consequently we give You much thanks and praise for all the mercy, grace, forgiveness and LOVING-kindness that you’ve bestowed on us in these trying times, and we ask that you continue to bless and keep us under Your safe, caring and comforting wings, till whenever You think it necessary to call us home to heaven, your wonderful place of retreat and retirement. All this we pray in Jesus’ name!’ And all God’s children declared a loud, proud and grateful, ‘AMEN!’
Ah friends, I know that both you and the Lord are chuckling because I promised a short prayer, but you all know that the ole fella is a long-winded soul, so you just have to be godly and forgive me. (smile) Now let’s reinforce that short prayer with a couple of powerful scriptural acclamations.
Here we go: ‘I am an overcomer through Christ!’ ‘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) And this last one is one that I need to believe ever so much in my current state of renovation. (smile) ‘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.’ (1 Pet. 5:10)
And all I can say to that friends, is ‘Glory to our great God!’ That’s because He never leaves us in the lurch, never carries, or allows us to be carried where we can’t be reached by His strong, outstretched arm; never gives us more than we can bear, and even when it seems that way, He will eventually make a way for us to handle our circumstances.
As Bruh Paul told the Corinthians: ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor.10:13)
Now friends, that doesn’t mean we will escape all temptation, or all rough and trying circumstances, but that the Lord will bring us through them safely, for meeting and experiencing temptations and trials is an essential part of our Christian growth, we can only become more Christ-like and grow more godly when we experience some sort of negative experience. And that brings us to this wonderful passage and promise of scripture, uttered through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, as he talks about ‘The Lord, the ONLY Redeemer.’
Listen up carefully: ‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather them from the west.’ (Is.43:1-5)
Oh my people, my people, what more can our God promise us eh, so that we’ll stop worrying and place our total trust in Him eh? And throughout His Holy Word, the Bible, you’ve seen numerous instances of where He has kept His promise, especially in redeeming us through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ! So let’s rise up to the heights of wisdom in these last time nuh, let’s sincerely accept Him with thankful hearts, minds, bodies and souls, as He so greatly desires.
Now let’s go home declaring (Chuh…wrong again!) the wonderful Thursday Blessings that He’s so wonderfully bestowed on us sincere believers. All together 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 everyday! Amen!’
And the next step is to share those blessings with others, for that’s a large part of the reason they were granted to us. Much LOVE!
…those who enjoy God’s blessings…will NEVER pay attention to the enemy again…
27 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a well of water, a word to the wise, and all these things, as Jesus desires, believes on me, burden easy, Christian life, Christmas, come to me, curse, Daily Bread Devotional, damned, divine protection, eternal life, find eme, fountain, give you rest, gives the rest we need, heavy burdened, into everlasting life, Jesus alone, knew a good thing, knowing God, labour, LOVE, makes no bones, negative word, never hunger, never thirst, New Year's Eve, no apologies, on my sleeve, on the outside looking in, popular opinion, Samaritan woman, seek me, seek ye first the kingdom of God, self-control, self-discipline, Sermon on the Mount, shall be added unto you, share, springing up, success, sufficient, the bread of life, the great invitation, the well of Jacob, Thursday Blessings, wearing my emotions, well intentioned, what matters most, winding down, with all of your heart, yoke is light
Matthew 6:33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Ah friends, as Christmas week is winding down, and we winding up to New Year’s Eve, what’s there to say eh? The ole fella is stymied! Hn, hn! And I can hear some of you who know me chuckling and wondering if that is possible. But wonder of wonders it is possible! Contrary to popular opinion, the ole fella doesn’t always have something to say, but when he does, he makes no bones about it and says it loud and clear.
Friends, I make no apologies for wearing my emotions on my sleeve, they might not always be appropriate, but believe me, they are always well intentioned. It’s sad though, that those who think I talk too much, on the odd occasion, when I keep quiet, they believe that I am angry.
So how to please them eh? I guess I just don’t try, for I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t! And if anybody can tell me how we got to all of that, I’d be very happy, since I don’t have a clue! Guess the Lord thought since I didn’t have anything to say, that stuff might be a good idea. For all our sakes, let’s hope so yes! (smile)
And I’ve just been searching through the bits of paper on my desk here, looking for something to write on – I really don’t have anything – and two quotes from the Daily Bread Devotional just jumped out at me. The first is: ‘Knowing God is what matters most!’ And the second is: ‘Jesus ALONE gives the rest we need!’
And yuh know friends, when you ponder those two thoughts, you can easily build a beautiful Christian life around them. They are all you really need to know! For as Jesus so strenuously and ardently emphasized in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’
Oh my fellow believers, there are no more important words than those in the Good Book, because the first thing we need to do in this life is to seek God! And once we do that, He’s promised that everything else will fall into place! Give Him thanks and praise my people, for being such a wonderful Father to us stubborn and disobedient children!
And as a fitting corollary to our Bit, hear these words of our wonderful God, as spoken through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah: ‘And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:13) What a beautiful assuring scripture mih people! All it entails is us seeking the Lord with all of our heart; meaning humbly, sincerely and with the right motives!
So now that we’ve come to know God, the next important thing is to find rest and revitalization in this cruel, busy and evil world. And where best to find that than in Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the One who uttered this Great Invitation when He walked amongst fallen men here on earth. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh friends, oh friends, that’ the best invitation ever offered in this crazy, fallen world! Nobody else has ever offered such an invitation…and even if they did, it’s very unlikely that they can fulfill it, because it’s only something that Jesus can fulfill. No one else can give you rest for your souls, after He has died to atone for your sins, and bear your earthly burdens on top of all that!
My people, Jesus knows what we’re going through here on earth, because He went through it too, that’s why He can offer the sustenance and easy yoke found in His unconditional and ever-abiding LOVE! And if you didn’t believe Jesus there, then here’s another opportunity to do so: ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:36)
Yes my fellow believers, Jesus IS the bread that gives life: spiritual and eternal life! What else do we need to hear before we come to Jesus eh? Well try these words that He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob: ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water (fountain) springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14)
And yuh know what friends, that Samaritan woman was smarter than many of us in this supposedly enlightened age. Without hesitation, she fervently replied: ‘Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ (John 4:15) Yeh mih people, she might not have understood all the ramifications of Jesus’ words, but unlike us, she knew a good thing when she heard it. What are we waiting for to seek God and come to Jesus for rest eh, my brethren?
We waiting until He comes back again and it’s too late? Please, please, let’s not fall into that trap of the enemy, because He is only looking for company. Remember the worst fate that can befall a soul is to be on the outside looking in when Jesus returns! So please let’s smarten up today, RIGHT NOW, and look after our eternal future. That’s the wisdom of the ages!
And having said all of that, let’s not forget to declare our Thursday Blessings that have been so lavishly bestowed on us as believers in Christ Jesus. As one, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and action, share those blessings as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient
13 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horse of a different colour, a virgin, alive and kicking, all things work together for good, angel Gabriel, betrothed, blanketing, Bless His Holy Name, blessed, breathtaking beauty, buried treasure, called according to His purpose, Christ-like, christianity, Christmas, compassionate heart, curse, diamonds, displeasure, engaged, espoused, faith, fantasy, fill the gap, Galilee, God is good, god's greatest gift, highly favoured, inheret in the name, intangible, Jesus, John the Baptist, Joseph, joy, Lisa O'Brien, mar, Mary, mere mortals, Nazareth, negative word, never reneges, out of wedlock, perfection, perplexing situation, positive outlook, power, prince of peace, prosper, raped, salutation, self-control, self-discipline, sense of anticipation, serenity, share, snow, step up, success, The alluring beauty of snow, the house of David, the less fortunate, Thursday Blessings, to those that love God, tongues to wag, troubled, virginal, white, winked out, wispy cotton
Luke 1:27. To a virgin espoused (engaged, betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Aye friends, is Thursday…and we still alive and kicking! Thanks and glory be to our wonderful heavenly Father for that energizing gift of life. Life might be a tad on the rough side, but our God is good, so we don’t have anything to worry about. Bless His Holy Name!
And outside is white; a decent amount of snow fell during the night. It wasn’t there when I went to bed, at some early hour (smile) but I looked outside around four a.m. and there it was, covering everything, blanketing it all white. And I said yes, today is the perfect day for that poem!
Hn! I’m talking about one I recently read on the wall of my young daughter’s room, something she must have written ages ago when she toyed with the idea of becoming a writer. There is no title attached to the poem, but I’m naming it ‘The Alluring Beauty of Snow.’ Hope that title satisfies you daughter? (smile)
Now please read with me, ‘The Alluring Beauty of Snow,’ by Lisa O’Brien. ‘I watched the snow drift lazily down from the overcast sky. I marvelled at the breathtaking beauty of the picture being painted right before my eyes: Snowflakes gently caressed the barren branches of the trees, leaving them awash in a dazzling whiteness. Virgin snow carpeted the streets and rooftops…
And if I didn’t know better, I would have sworn that thousands of tiny little diamonds winked out at me that early December morn… like a buried treasure…a fantasy that wasn’t real… that was intangible as the wispy cotton of the clouds! And then I waited…waited with a breathless yet uneasy sense of anticipation, for something to come along and mar this beautiful scene of serenity and perfection.’
Yeah mih young D! That was exactly how it looked out there this early December morn! But sadly, as always, mankind eventually comes along and dirties everything he touches. And the snow on the ground is no longer virginal, but has been raped by the cars and the feet and the bikes we use to get us around in this fallen world.
And for those of you who have never seen virgin snow covering everything in a dim, white darkness, (smile) it does look really beautiful. But trudging and driving through it is a horse of an entirely different colour. But enough about snow, it’s the Christmas season, so let’s deal with the real reason for the season; Jesus!
Wow friends, what a mighty name that is! Wherever it’s spoken it causes tongues to wag, either in joy, or displeasure. But the name of Jesus is never mouthed without discussion, even to the point of coming to blows. Isn’t that strange, when He is the Prince of Peace? That just goes to show the power that’s inherent in the name!
Now let’s have a glimpse of how the whole thing began nuh. The Good Book tells us: ‘And in the sixth month (of Elizabeth’s pregnancy; John the Baptist’s mother) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (engaged, betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (Rejoice), thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ (Luke 1:26-28)
Ah friends, sometimes the way our God introduces Himself and His desires can be truly heart stopping. If our hearts aren’t strong we can certainly go under. Just imagine this teenaged Jewish girl nuh, sitting quietly in her house one afternoon and all of a sudden this angel shows up in all His glory and greets her in such a gracious manner. How would you react eh? It would obviously be a rather perplexing situation to us mere mortals!
But the Good Book continues: ‘And when she (Mary) saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast (considered) in her mind what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be.’ (Luke 1:29)
But our God is so wonderful that whenever He comes a calling with a task, He never leaves us without a decent explanation…according to His standards that is. (smile) We might however not be satisfied with His explanation, because He always leaves it somewhat open-ended, leaving room for our faith to step up and fill the gap.
‘And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Yahweh is Salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:30-33)
Mama Yo mih breddren! Can you imagine Mary’s consternation when Gabriel lays all that heavy stuff on her? She’s already engaged, but then she shall have a son, apparently out of wedlock. Can you imagine what her small, closed knit, hypocritical society will do to her? She would be the absolute scorn of the whole town! And poor Joseph would be the laughingstock!
But friends, our God does not put us in situations we, or He can’t handle. Please remember these immortal words of Bruh Paul on the Lord’s behalf, and let our faith be strong and steadfast in whatever He asks us to do. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.’ (Rom.8:28)
Yeh friends, if God calls us and we sincerely acknowledge that calling with genuine LOVE for Him, then He will eventually work it all out for our good. That’s His promise! And our ever-faithful God NEVER reneges on a promise! So we can afford to stand strong in any circumstance whatsoever!
Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, goodness and mercy that the Lord has bestowed on those who LOVE Him and willingly do His work!
In strong voice with sincere hearts: ‘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 His raison d’etre (purpose) for granting us so many wonderful blessings, is for us to go out and share them with the less fortunate. So, especially at this Christmas time, when there are so many poor and lonely folks out there, let’s share generously with them nuh, so that they too can enjoy the season of Christ’s birth; God’s greatest gift to man! Much LOVE!
…sharing with others…is Christ-like…and what Christianity is truly all about…
06 Dec 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a reflection, abound. more and more, abstain, abundance, an easy row to hoe, approve things, at the name of Jesus, attributes, before men, christianity, come to the Lord, conduct, courage, curse, discernment, endurance, eternal life, every knee shall bow, every tongue declare, evil, evildoers, excellent, fear God, fight the good fight, filled with, finished the work, fleshly lusts, foolish men, Gentiles, glorify your Father, God's standards, good example, good works, honest, honour all men, honourable, ignorance, in heaven, in the form of God, Jesus is Lord, let your light so shine, LOVE, LOVE the brotherhood, made of himself, maliciousness, moral conduct, negative word, no reputation, perseverance, pilgrims, put to silence, rat-race, rise again, run the race, safety, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, servants of god, sincere, strangers, succour, talent, thanks and praise, the cross, the day of Christ, the day of visitation, the fruits of righteousness, the straight and narrow path, the will of God, they may see your good works, Thursday Blessings, to the glory of the Father, Triune God, trustworthy Spirit, war against the soul, well doing, without offense
Matthew 5:16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
So what’s up this Thursday morning eh my people? I do hope that we all gave sincere thanks and praise to our great God when we joyfully awoke to a new day. And then, asked for His wonderful and ever-trustworthy Spirit to lead and guide us on the straight and narrow path all through our eventful day.
In fact, that’s how we ought to begin each and everyday my believing brethren; with sincere thanks and praise and a strong desire to be led by the best guide in this evil and crazy world, the Holy Spirit of our Triune God! Amen!
And then, having done that, we need to get out there and fight the good fight, run a strong race of endurance and perseverance in Jesus’ name, so that we can bring all the glory to our heavenly Father! That’s why our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made the time immemorial statement in our Bit: ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’
Yeh friends, it’s all about showing our good works, to the heathen; living by shining example, walking our talk, so that they can see the great benefit in our way of life and come to the Lord for safety and succour, salvation and eternal life.
Here’s how Peter puts it: ‘Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation (conduct) honest (honourable) among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation….
For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness (evil), but as servants of God. Honour all men, LOVE the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.’ (1 Pet.2:11-12, 15-17) I didn’t say it friends, but Peter. (smile) And he walked with Jesus, so obviously he knew what Jesus desired of His followers.
Now hear Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil.1:9-13)
Yes friends, as true believers we are expected to live up to a code of moral conduct and behaviour that lives up to God’s standards! No, Christianity is not an easy row to hoe, and Jesus made that quite clear; the world is evil and doesn’t like goodness, and we’d suffer just because we believed in Him, but He also promised that if we stayed true to His word, He would lead and guide us with His Holy Spirit and we’d come out the winners in this rat race called life.
And again He specifies that all our good deeds are not for His glory, but for that of the Father. Listen to Him with the disciples: ‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.’ (John 15:7-8) One proviso there though my people; we need to ask it all in Jesus’ name, doing it the way He wants it done, abiding by His will.
And Listen to Jesus once again as His time had come and He prays for His own. ‘These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power (authority) over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
And this is eternal life, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with (alongside) thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.’ (John 17:1-5)
Yeh friends, our Lord and Saviour was preparing Himself to go to the cross, rise again and be glorified by the Father on our behalf, also bringing them back to the wonderful relationship they had before all the nonsense that sin caused in the world. And I think it’s only fitting that we consider this passage of scripture in showing Jesus’ desire to glorify His heavenly Father.
In the immortal words of Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made (coming) in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
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.2:5-11)
That says it all friends! All our efforts on this earth ought to be aimed at glorifying our heavenly Father! Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, which our magnanimous heavenly Father have bestowed on those of us who try our best to glorify Him.
All together in loud and sincere voice 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 everyday! Amen!’
And since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone, let’s go out and share them nuh, like Jesus so greatly desires of us! Much LOVE!
…the Lord made man…to be a reflection of His wonderful attributes…and to glorify His Holy Name…
22 Nov 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a scientific experience, at thy right hand, bedrock, blessed by the Lord, blessings, causes us to get things, commandment, compassionate heart, corruption, courage, creativity, curse, don't drop the curtain on tomorrow, dr robert h schuller, dwell securely, eternal separation from God, faith love, favour, forgiveness, frustrations, fullness of joy, God's will, God-given, Happy Thanksgiving U. S of A, Holding on, Holy One, hope, Hour of Power Devotional, human emotions, human existence, important decision, in all your living, largesse, leave my soul in hell, man can suffer, marvellous, my flesh, my glory rejoiceth, my heart is glad, mysterious mood, need hope, negative word, never give up on hope, once there's life, penultimate day, pleasures evermore, Praying Expectantly, prosper, prosperous, rest in hope, return to God's fold, self-discipline, set the Lord always before me, shall not be moved, share blessings, strayed, succeed, tension, thanksgiving, the abode of the dead, the path of life, the presence of God, the worst situation, Thursday Blessings, Thursday's Blessings, turned away, when you're dying, your eyes get their sparkle back, your load is lifted
Psalm 16:9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.
So now it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of the workweek… and there are smiles and hand shakes and hugs amongst workers, unlike earlier on in the week, because they know that there is only one more day to go before the weekend break, so the tension and frustration has lessened some. And it’s also Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. of A, so that means no work for many people, lots of food and travel and celebration!
Happy Thanksgiving U.S. of A! I do hope you all sincerely give thanks for all the blessings that the Good Lord has bestowed on you, although I know that some of His wrath is also upon your head right now because of your awful sinful ways. But He’s such a wonderful Deity that if you will only return to Him and His fold, you will find forgiveness a plenty.
Please remember that no other nation in the History of mankind has ever been as powerful and prosperous as yours, and that’s because you were truly blessed by the Lord when you walked mostly in His will and commandment, and He is the one who causes us to get things and become prosperous.
But now you, and a whole lot of us have turned away, strayed from His ever-LOVING arms, and consequently we are experiencing some rather rough times in all areas of our lives, all over the world. Our planet is degenerating more quickly than we can keep up with.
And that brings us to the body of today’s message; a lesson in HOPE from Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H. Schuller) a collage from several days readings in His Hour of Power Devotional. And do we ever need to have loads of HOPE in these turbulent and oh so trying times!
We’ll begin with this: ‘HOPE. It is a marvellous, mysterious mood that comes into your personality. Suddenly your load is lifted, colour returns to your skin, and your eyes get their sparkle back. What is it? It is a scientific experience of the presence of God operating in your personality…
When it happens in the personality, it can only be scientifically described as the presence of a God of LOVE coming into your mind, your spirit, your body, your personality! This is God! This is HOPE!’
Yes my fellow believers, that’s the first thing we need to know…HOPE comes from God! Now hear this: ‘The only thing between today and tomorrow is tonight. And that’s when the stars come out! So NEVER give up on HOPE! Don’t drop the curtain on tomorrow….
Great people are ordinary people who just will not give up HOPE! And what is HOPE? It is Holding On, Praying Expectantly!’ Wow friends! I hope you notice how Gramps Schuller spells out HOPE through the first letter of each word. (smile)
Now the last piece for today: ‘You need HOPE when…you’re dying. And you need HOPE in all of your living. There will be no LOVE without it. HOPE is what will keep your faith alive. That’s why HOPE is right in the middle of the holy trinity of human emotions, “FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE!”
Yes my fellow believers, HOPE is the very bedrock of our human existence! Without it, we can’t have faith nor LOVE, it’s what gets us going in the first place, and keeps us going, keeps us holding on, because we know that once there’s life, once there’s the breath of God in our bodies, there’s HOPE! Now let’s see what Bit we can find that’s most appropriate for all of that. Soon come!
I’m back…a minute later. (smile) I guess these awesome words of Bruh David says it all. ‘I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures evermore.’ (Ps.16:8-11)
Oh friends, I can only present to you the goodness and LOVE and HOPE that rests in God, you have to make the very important decision, the most important decision in your life, whether or not you’ll accept it. So there it is, in black and white…please be wise and accept it, for if you don’t you’ll eventually have to endure the worst situation man can suffer; everlasting separation from Almighty God!
And as true believers here’s what you get to enjoy down here on earth; we call it our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare it loud and proud: (awright…spelled it right there) ‘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!’
Now let’s go out and share them with others, as Jesus desires. That’s what blessings are for! Much LOVE!
…a blessing is not a blessing…until you speak it over others…and share your God-given largesse with them…
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