The Absolute Necessity For Acknowledging God’s Sovereignty in Times of Misfortune and Tragedy! Part 2.

Jeremiah 29:11.        ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you and expected end (a future and a hope).’

Glory be! It’s Friday! And most of the snow has finally been cleaned up in my area. You could hear the equipment working through the late night and early morning hours. Most importantly they cleaned our lane so we could get to the main road, for yesterday one of my neighbours got stuck in the snow in the lane and could not go out. The idea seems to be to clean the main streets before the lanes, but when the area is strictly lanes, how will people reach the main streets if they can’t get out of the lanes eh? 

That’s a question I can’t answer, (smile) but the important thing is we put this snowstorm behind us and move on with Jesus, obviously declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is finally here!’ And since the Lord has spared our lives, let’s keep our promise of looking at some scripture verses that offer encouragement and assurance in times of misfortune. Yesterday we looked at scriptures that highlighted acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty (Job 1:20-22), and turning to prayer and community (Ps. 34:17-20) 

Now let’s look at another interesting principle, that of finding purpose in suffering. And as this commentary tells us: ‘Misfortune is often presented as a way to achieve spiritual growth and strengthen faith.’ And we all know that’s a tough nut to crack, but it is the truth as highlighted by these verses from the epistle of James. He contends: ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4) 

But that doesn’t sound so reassuring you say. True. However, it is the best way to handle our problems without going crazy in this crazy world. It’s not easy, but with all the help we have from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ we can certainly do it. And trying to put a modicum of joy into our misfortune does grow our faith with patience thrown in for good measure. (smile) And as Peter adds: ‘But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5:10-11) 

Then we have this big verse from Bruh Paul in Romans which covers it all: ‘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) That promises that despite all of our heartaches and misfortune, in the long run the Lord will work it all out for our good! Wow! What a mighty promise to hold on to! 

Now, let’s turn to a principle about showing compassion and avoiding gloating, for as the commentary reminds us: ‘The Bible warns against taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others, even enemies.’ And that’s ever so true, as the wisdom of Cousin Sol cautions us from Proverbs, when he writes: ‘Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.’ (Prov. 17:5) We certainly need to remember that as our society has reached a sad state of mightily rejoicing over the calamities of others. 

Then Cousin Sol bumps it up to another level when he says: ‘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 (be evil in His eyes), and he turn away his wrath from him.’ (Prov. 24:17-18) Yes friends, when the Lord sees us rejoicing over the calamities of our enemies, He’s liable to dislike it and then not punish our enemies. 

It’s also like Jesus taught: ‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you.’ (Matt. 5:44) It’s as Bruh Paul also exhorts us in Romans: ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:20) That’s basically the Christian motto. 

Now here’s the last principle on our list; that of maintaining hope and an eternal perspective in our misfortune. As the commentary tells us: ‘Scriptures provide assurance that suffering is temporary and that God offers restoration and eternal hope.’  And there are no better scriptures to emphasize that than these two. The first comes from the prophet Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you and expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11). 

Then here’s this most wonderful and reassuring verse of scripture, from Jesus Himself, when He faithfully reassures us: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33). Yes my fellow believers, Jesus has certainly done that, so it’s up to us now to believe it and put it into action in our lives. And to help us do just that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant asking for divine aid in this desperate time of need. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now friends, that means if we want to see any divine aid, we need to truly upgrade our Christian activity, because right now it’s not good enough! Much LOVE!

…misfortune is tough…but if handled correctly…it can also build character…

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

The Absolute Necessity for Christians to Pay Supreme Attention to the Leading of the Holy Spirit!

Matthew 26:41.        Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Ah mih people, unfortunately we’ve gone back to the wet, cloudy scenes, after such a nice sunshiny day yesterday. So much so that the usual Friday offertory of  ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ wasn’t as joyful as it usually is. And if you listen to the weather people they will give you some ominous news about the temperature going into double figures, and even a record high for this time of year, with possible flooding and whatever comes with melting snow. At mid-morning it’s already up to 8 degrees Celsius, so anything is possible. We’re also supposed to get some very strong winds with the increase in temperatures, so if you don’t have to go out, don’t go. And if you do go, please be careful. 

And today we’re going to talk about an interesting verse of scripture that Jesus spoke to Peter, James and John in the Garden of Gethsemane while going through some sorrowful times the night before His crucifixion. He left them to watch and pray for Him, while He went a little further into the garden to offer up His private prayer. However, when Jesus came back, He found them asleep, and chided them for not being able to watch for an hour with Him. (Matt. 26:38-40) Then He exhorted them to ‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt. 26:41) 

Now that’s a monumental scripture filled with perfect truth; for our spirits are indeed willing to follow Jesus, but our flesh is weak, thus we so often end up enveloped in the tight embrace of temptation’s tentacles. And if Jesus thought temptation was bad back then, He would be surprised to see what it’s become in today’s world; the many unique, fascinating, tantalizing and deceitful things we’ve done with it to make it more appetizing and welcoming. That’s why we have to keep such a close watch over the things and people we get involved with, for the devil is a wily or very cunning beast and uses even those who seem angelic to do his dirty work. 

Consequently, when Bruh Paul talks about the armour of God, at the end, he emphasizes the importance of prayer, despite all the spiritual armour we might be wearing. He writes: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and the supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) That means prayer is indispensable my fellow believers. Even with God’s armour, we still need prayer, for the armour alone is inadequate to achieve victory. And with the Spirit’s help we ought to make such prayer for divine aid, not only praying for ourselves, but also for all the saints of Christ. As the scholars say: ‘spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ And indeed it is, for we are all one in Christ. As the saying goes: ‘One for all and all for one!’  

Then we have some scriptures where Bruh Paul also talks about the strength of the Spirit and the weakness of the flesh. And this first scripture gives us a good idea of how the flesh falls prey to sin. In Romans 7, he makes this statement: ‘For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (fleshly), sold under sin. For that which I do I allow (understand ) not: for what I would (want to do), that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.’ (Rom. 7:14-15) Yes friends, even Bruh Paul had his own struggles against sin, however he set some good examples for all of us believers who also struggle with the weakness of our flesh. 

Then in Galatians, He advises us thus. ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.’ (Gal. 5:16-18) Oh my brethren, as the scholars explain: ‘One’s sinful human nature (flesh) and the Holy Spirit lusteth against one another, that is they have desires and yearnings that are contrary to one another. The Christian, then, is a battlefield, having desires to do good and evil. 

The outcome is that ye cannot do the things that ye would: the flesh seeks to thwart the Spirit, who in turn attempts to frustrate the flesh’s evil desires. But that doesn’t mean we’re in a hopeless tug-of-war between the flesh and the Spirit, for when the Christian is led of (by) the  Spirit, he yields to Him to turn away from the flesh’s evil yearnings, thus putting sin out of his daily life. The verb “led” indicates voluntary submission: the believer decides by whom he will be led – either by his flesh or by the Spirit. The Spirit-led person is not under the law. The Christian does not need the restraints of the law because his moral life is governed by the Spirit.’ 

So, we do have two different forces fighting for supremacy in our lives, but as true believers in Christ Jesus, we must forsake the dictates of our flesh and be led by His Spirit which shows us the way He desires us to live. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. 

Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And friends, we too need to wake up and see what’s happening to our world, get ourselves together and make some improvements to it through our Christian behaviour. Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!

…Satan’s offence might be strong…but God’s defences are stronger…

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

The Terrible Mistake Believers make on not relying completely on Almighty God!

Psalm 34:8.        O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him.

Oh friends, please let me apologize this hot, humid and somewhat cloudy Friday morning, for the date error I made on the Bit yesterday, naming it the 23rd of July instead of the 24th. And you would not believe the number of times I usually scrutinize the headings to see if they are correct. And I distinctly remember scrutinizing them yesterday and still found nothing wrong! Ah Lord eh! The devil surely finds ways to disrupt our lives. And believe me he’s doing a very good job right now through this keyboard of mine, where I am typing letters that are either not coming out, or when I hit the space button it doesn’t work and the typing comes out all jumbled up.

Chuh! Typing that last sentence took me a few minutes because I had to go back and fix several pieces of it …hn! hn! hn! Had to fix that last phrase too. (smile) Guess I’ll just have to buy a new keyboard, and this one is barely two years old. But they don’t make them like they did before, and I’m pounding away on this one every day. And you wouldn’t believe how nicely that typed there. (smile) I’ll just have to grin and bear it, as I like to preach. Believe me, it doesn’t feel so fine when you have to take your own medicine.

Hn, hn, hn! Yes friends, I’m laughing, but it’s a laugh of shame. And it’s a good thing that our God does move in mysterious ways yes, because I took a break there just now and was about to buy a new keyboard when the Duchess suggested I first  consult my young daughter, the computer expert in the family. And her wise advice was to simply change the batteries in the keyboard. Brother! Did I ever feel foolish, for only then did I remember having that same problem before and simply changing the batteries solved it. It’s a hell of a thing when yuh getting old yes!

But thanks be to God, we solved that most vexing problem! So we can move on now with some serious stuff. Yes, my fellow believers, serious stuff like Psalm 34. A psalm Bruh David wrote after narrowly escaping death at the hands of king Saul. (1 Sam. 21) He lied to the priest Abimelech about being on an important mission for the king and hadn’t had time to collect food or weapons for himself and his men. The priest gave him the shrew (hallowed) bread, the only bread he had, and also gave him Goliath’s sword, the only weapon in his possession. What a godly coincidence (smile) Bruh David using his mortal enemy’s sword. But that’s how our God works.

And having gotten those things, he fled to Gath, the city of the Philistine king Achish seeking refuge from Saul. Imagine the boldness, or stupidity, (smile) of running from your people, to seek refuge in your enemy’s camp. But that’s what you do when you have no choice. Obviously though, the Philistine king was wary of his presence, as his servants recognized Bruh David and said, ‘Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

And David laid up these words in his heart (took these words to heart), and was sore (very much) afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands (feigned madness), and scrabbled (scratched) on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle (spit) fall down on upon his beard.’ (1 Sam. 21:11-13) The king believed the mad actions of Bruh David and refused him entry, so he and his men fled to a cave in the wilderness.

Ah friends, Bruh David was indeed a man of many parts, and with God’s help put on a good show. And these are some of the marvellous words that he wrote after that narrow escape. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked at him and were lightened (radiant): and their faces were not ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him from out of all his troubles.  The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing.’ (Ps. 34:1-10)

What gospel truth, my people! Those who put their trust in the Lord God Jehovah will not want for anything! And I like how the scholars describe the psalm. They say: ‘It bears all the marks of the testimony of one who narrowly escaped death, just as the passage in Samuel describes. As such, it contains the praise and testimony of one who was redeemed (vs. 1-10) and the seasoned instruction that can stem from such deliverance (vs. 11-22).’ Today we’ve covered the section of praise…and is it ever so encouraging and uplifting and true! Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll look at the section of ‘seasoned instruction’ and see what we can gain from it.

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for ourselves and our chaotic world. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’

And friends, despite our supposedly sincere prayer, we also know that our witness for Christ is not good enough, that’s why our world is in such a disastrous state. So please, let’s get ourselves together and improve our witness nuh. It’s the least we can do, for all that Jesus has done for us. Much LOVE!

…you can only have a testimony…when you’ve passed a test…

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

The Sovereignty of Jehovah God over the Universe He Created!

Psalm 103:19.        The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Wow! It’s Friday already! The first week in March is finished. Time is simply whisking by, waiting for no one, so we had better pay close attention to it, if we don’t want to get left behind, inhaling its flying dust! (smile) But be that as it may, it’s a beautiful sunny day in my neighbourhood with temps a tad on the lower side, still above freezing, but not as cold as it’s been the last couple of days. And after all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ we have an interesting weekend to look forward to with mostly sunshine promised by the weather people. 

And is that ever good news, because we need some sunshine and clear skies after enduring the damp and cloudy weather for a while. But here’s some even better news: the Lord God Jehovah is still on His throne, sovereign and omnipotent, in total control of the affairs of men. Thus, we can be assured of this most encouraging verse of scripture: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

Now, if God is not in total control, then that verse is without any assurance whatsoever. However, since we know for a fact that our heavenly Father sits upon His throne on high and runs things to suit His plans and purposes, we can most definitely rely on the truthfulness and assurance of that mighty verse of scripture. And how do we know that the Lord is omnipotent and in control? 

Listen to these words of that great prophet, Bruh David. He writes in Psalm 103: ‘The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers (servants) of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion.’ (Ps. 103:19-22) 

Yes friends, as Bruh David says earlier on in Psalm 24: ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods (rivers).’ (Ps. 24:1-2) More assurance that the Lord did establish the world and all therein and still controls it with the power of His mighty Spirit. Satan, or no other demon can ever take it from His hands, for they are all pretenders, but the Lord our God is the real thing, the real McCoy! 

As Bruh David ends Psalm 24 with these awesome proclamations: ‘Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.’ (Ps. 24:7-10) Now that’s who is the mightiest in this universe! 

And if perchance you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to the Sons of Korah from Psalm 47 titled – Exalt the Lord Most High. They totally proclaim: ‘Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen (Gentiles): God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.’ (Ps. 47:6-9) 

And the scholars inform us that the last verses of the Psalm, 7-9, reveal that God’s kingship is destined to be universal. And they speak prophetically of the time when the Lord Jesus will reign on earth. Now we all know that the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation promises that. So my fellow believers, how can we not accept the verity of the scriptures eh, when Bruh Paul loudly declares: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto (equipped with) all good works.’ (1 Tim. 3:16-17) 

Now,  if you’re a true believer, you will know that’s the gospel truth! The Word of the Lord was given to us as a Guidebook for earthly living, and if we don’t follow it as closely as possible, then we will not live the abundant life that Christ died for us to have. And if you still don’t believe that our God reigns supreme over the universe He created, then listen to these two snippets from the Book of Daniel where he interprets the dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. 

In the first verse Daniel tells him the dream is a doing of God; ‘that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest (lowest) of men.’ (Dan. 4:17b) And the next snippet from verse 25 tells Neb because of his disobedience and pride, he will go mad and behave like wild beasts for seven years, before he recovers, ‘till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.’ (Dan. 4:25b) 

Oh my fellow saints, that should make us all think twice about our God’s sovereignty and power. And since, in these ungodly and evil times we need His help so badly, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking as much of that miracle working power as possible. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And per our prayer, divine aid will come when we stop behaving like wannabe believers and truly become faithful believers. Much LOVE!

…If God is not omnipotent and in total control…then our faith is worthless…

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

The Utmost Necessity of Taking Jesus Seriously, If You Want to Be Free from The Slavery of Sin!

John 8:36.       If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be indeed.

A Good Friday Morning to all you my faithful Scrip-Bits friends and families. And as Bruh Paul would say, ‘Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.’ (Phil. 1:2-5) 

And that’s the truth, friends. I thank the Lord for your journey with me every time I remember you, for I could not have done it without your continued faithfulness and God’s awesome help. Thank you ever so much for sticking with me through thick and thin. Your faithfulness will not go unrewarded, the Lord will bless you in His own way and time. 

So, on this bright, sunshiny, cold winter’s day, after all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ have gone up to high heaven, down here on earth there’s something I want to share with you from the February In Touch Devotional, it’s titled ‘Consider this:’ Please read with me. ‘As believers, we know that whatever we’ve done or left undone does not impact God’s LOVE at all. There is no achieving our way to God. Our peace and communion with Him simply are. So why do we sometimes still feel as if we’re falling short? 

Maybe it’s easier to feel guilty than to be truly free. Or perhaps condemning ourselves feels more familiar. It could even be that Jesus’ freedom seems too good to be true. There must be a catch somewhere, right? But there is no catch. By choosing the cross, Jesus declared our striving is over, so take Him at His word. Anytime you feel inadequate, ashamed, or burdened, remind yourself, “In Christ, I am enough” or “It is finished.” Inhabit God’s rest – that’s what He wants for you.’  

What wisdom my fellow believers! Because all of us feel at some time or the other that we’re not worthy, etc., etc., and some of us don’t feel right unless we feel guilty, and as they say, some of us feel it’s too good to be true. But friends, this is one time when it feels like it’s too good to be true, that IT IS TRUE! Christ died to free us, to relieve us of our earthly burdens and give us a heavenly attitude and concept. Why therefore these scriptures. 

Jesus spoke to the people saying: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant (slave) to sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: But the Son abideth ever (forever). If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be indeed.’ (John 8:34-36) And it’s the gospel truth friends, because whom the Son sets free is indeed free, for Jesus died to free us from the slavery of sin. 

As this commentary tells us: ‘Jesus is explaining the enslaving nature of sin, as compared to the freedom He offers in salvation. Jesus has already claimed to be the one and only source of spiritual truth (John 8:12), and that accepting this truth would rescue a person from sin and spiritual slavery (John 8:31–32).’ 

So why can’t we simply accept it and be done with all of our doubts, anxieties and fears eh? Because we’re still somewhat enslaved to sin and the foolishness of this ungodly world! And the only way to successfully let that go, is by growing in faith in Christ Jesus, which means plenty meditating on His Word and then putting it into practice in our lives. And as per the burdens of this world, please remember Christ’s Great Invitation, where He offers solace and peace to one and all. 

‘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) Yes mih people, that’s what Christ offers if you take Him seriously, take Him at His word! And the only way to find out if it’s true is by accepting him as Lord and Saviour! For all that’s promised in the Lord’s word depends on accepting Christ! 

If you don’t accept him as the pre-eminent person in your life, then none of what He says will apply to you. It’s like some of the slangs we have in the world; like ‘the taste of the pudding is the eating,’ ‘if you don’t jump in at the deep end you’ll never learn how to swim,’ and how can you know if the water is hot, unless you feel it.’ It’s the same way with Jesus ; if you don’t check him out seriously, you’ll never know what He’s really about, and won’t know how very much you’re missing. It all comes down, like most things in life, to personal experience! 

Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking God’s aid in these turbulent and ungodly times. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Oh friends, it certainly is time that we all come to the realization of how sinful and ungodly our world has become and be convicted that we do something serious about turning it around! That is, if we truly desire divine aid! Much LOVE!

…when Jesus said, “It is finished,” (John 19:30)…he meant there was nothing else to do, nothing left to pay…He paid it all—totally, completely, permanently…

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

The Power of Prayer in Times of Ill Health!

Jeremiah 17:14.       Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

And the shouts have gone up: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, with the weekend right around the corner!’ And the ole fella is back after a couple of days of illness. Please accept my apology for those two missed days. It seems that being out Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in some very cold conditions didn’t agree with me, and when I came back from my church group on Wednesday morning I was tired, having had little sleep during the night, so obviously I had to have a nap. (smile) 

But during that supposed nap time, the chills began trembling my body, although I was wrapped up under heavy covers. Then my stomach joined in. At first, I thought I was hungry and got up to get something to eat. But lo and behold, whatever I ate came right back up. Now, regurgitation is something I don’t normally do, (smile) even the Duchess said she’s never seen me do it, but in less than 24 hours she saw or heard me do it six times. 

The problem apparently was a stomach pain that I’d had some years before, but after a whole lot of tests, they’d found nothing wrong, so they simply gave me some tablets to take whenever it occurred. And the few times the pain occurred; the tablets did take care of it. But not this past Wednesday. Brother! The whole day was a mixture of chills and stomach pains and regurgitation. 

And when the chills settled down in the afternoon, I thought about writing the Bit, but the stomach pain nixed that idea right in the bud, for it just got worse, and nothing I took could ease it. And it’s not to say that it was a bright and blazing pain, but a steady gnawing in the upper left side of my stomach, like some rodent was there just eating away at it, enough to drive me crazy, and not allow proper concentration. 

Well, on Thursday morning after the sixth regurgitation, tired, worn out and empty, I went to the Emergency Department of the nearby hospital. I got there at ten o’clock, but didn’t leave until five in the evening, having done all sorts of tests and waiting for reports to come back. And even then, there was no firm diagnosis, so pain tablets and further tests were prescribed. And that’s where we sit right now. Please pray that they come up with something firm and simple, very soon, because I don’t want to get addicted to this narcotic based pain medication. 

And I guess since we’ve been talking about illness and healing, we can just continue by renewing our hearts and minds on some scriptural truths on the subject. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one from Isaiah. ‘But he (Jesus) was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with (by) his stripes (cruel blows that cut into him) we are healed.’ (Is. 55:5) 

Then there are these marvellous words of encouragement from Bruh David in Psalm 103. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases. Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5) 

And there’s nothing better than Jesus’ personal touch, as Matthew recounts. ‘And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.’ (Matt. 8:14-15) Oh, how I wish could get such a touch from Jesus right now, so that this annoying pain could go away. I would certainly minister to Him with everything I have. (smile) 

Excuse me, but I just had to go upstairs and get another pill to ease the pain because the first one had apparently worn off. Ah Lord eh! But them’s the breaks, we simply have to keep on pressing on regardless. Then there’s this prayer from Jeremiah. ‘Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.’ (Jer. 17:14) Now, that’s my prayer for today my fellow believers. (smile) 

And scriptures on healing would not be complete without this one from James. ‘Is any among you afflicted (suffering)? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults (trespasses) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual (effective) fervent prayer (supplication) of a righteous man availeth much.’ (James 5:13-16) 

And I would certainly appreciate some effective supplication from you righteous bredrin in our Scrip-Bit family. (smile)  Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid to help in these times of desperate need. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ And before we do like the man who sees his face in the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like, remember that we need to increase our Christian witness to get divine help Much LOVE!

…who is the Great Physician…Jehovah Rapha…the God who heals…our Jesus…

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

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

Mark 1:35.        And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.

And finally it’s Friday! The weekend is upon us. Praise the Lord! And we send up our Friday Mantra; ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ with loud voices, but  insincere hearts. It’s now become simply a reflex action and no longer real heartfelt thanks for the end of the work week, for too many of us only look to the weekend as a means of partying, having a good ole worldly time and not giving thought to our Creator and Provider. But friends, that’s an unwise way to live, because our God desires His time with us. He’s not against partying per se, just the debauched and licentious manner in which we do it. 

And above all, He expects us to have a reasonable amount of face time with Him. He knows that in the week we’re fairly busy and thus cannot always give Him the time He desires, but for sure on the weekend we can make whatever sacrifice might be necessary to spend more intimate time with Him. Yuh know, intimate, unhurried time with Him is all our God really desires of each of us. And when that happens on a regular basis, everything else takes care of itself.  

And there’s no better example of that than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When He was here on earth in human form, although He was still God, He always made time to spend with the Father. Why? Because He knew that without the Father’s awesome help He could not properly manage the human activities necessary to carry out His ministry work. And there are several instances in the Bible where it shows that Jesus got away by Himself to go and spend intimate time with the Father. My favourite is this one from the gospel of Mark, where it says: ‘And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary (deserted) place, and there prayed.’ (Mark 1:35) 

Wow! How many of us even consider getting up early, or even going to bed a little later so that we can spend time with our heavenly Father and Provider eh? Not enough of us! But if Jesus the Son of God, could get up early to talk to the Father and find out His instructions for that particular day, why can’t we mere, finite, mortals do the same eh?  Because we’re too proud, lazy or whatever! But then when our lives don’t run right, we wonder what’s wrong. It’s simple friends; if we don’t have good and regular communion with the Creator of the universe, our lives will never run right. 

And we can see that happening right now throughout our entire world, only strife, chaos and disaster everywhere! Why? Because we have turned away from One True and ONLY Living God and foolishly embraced the sinful ways and pleasures of Beelzebub and his evil cronies. Do we ever remember the story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19, where the Lord announced to Abraham His intention to destroy those cities because of their overly sinful behaviour (Gen. 18:20) and then Abraham prayed that He wouldn’t destroy them if they contained any righteous people, including his nephew Lot who lived in Sodom. (Gen. 18:23-33) 

But eventually the Lord’s will prevailed, and though Lot escaped, the cities were destroyed. Now that might be a very useful anecdote for us to remember since the sinfulness of our world is out of control, and who knows if all the natural disasters that are occurring all around the globe is not simply the Hand of God wreaking retribution for our sinful behaviour, like He did with Sodom and Gomorrah so long ago. 

I believe it would do us a whole lot of good if we’d ponder on that possibility for a while and consider changing our evil ways and returning to the God of Abrahan, Isaac and Jacob, who LOVES us with a fierce LOVE, despite our rebellious behaviour, and does not want to see us end up in hellfire with Satan, so He’s prodding us, none too gently, because we don’t take kindly to interference in what we consider our own business. I like that sentence. It reminds me of some of Bruh Paul’s. (smile) 

Ah friends, we’ve drifted away from our topic of intimate or prayer time with God, talking about how Jesus always found time to do so. And we have two other good examples of that. The first is when He fed the five thousand men with the five loaves of bread and two small fishes, and after collecting twelve baskets of left overs, sent the disciples over the lake in a ship, and the crowd away, then went up into a mountain to pray. (Mark 6:37-47) 

And how can we ever forget the night before His crucifixion, when Jesus, went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. (Matt. 26:36-46) In great agony of spirit, He said to Peter, James and John. ‘My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here (wait here), and watch with me. Then he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.’ (Matt. 26:38-39) 

Yes my fellow saints, Jesus bared His soul before the Father, and that’s exactly what many of us today also need to do, because we’re filled with all kinds of anxieties, fears, doubts and troubled minds and hearts, and the only way to relive that pressure is by going to God in prayer and asking for His divine help. And since now is as good a time as any to do so, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant baring our souls, asking for mercy. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s not forget that we’re in this unfortunate predicament because of our sinful rebellion towards God, and only a sincere change of heart and behaviour will bring divine aid. Much LOVE!

…what’s prayer…communicating with God…talking to Him…and listening to Him…

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

A Reminder why Christ should ALWAYS Be First Place In Our Lives!

2 Corinthians 3:5.       Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.  

And it’s the Friday before Christmas! Wow! What a wonderful long weekend this will be! Some of us not going back to work for almost a week, if we have vacation time and a good employer! (smile) Thus the many joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ But please, let’s not forget to include Christ in all of our Christmas doings, for He is the reason that we are celebrating this joyful time, and without Him we are nothing. As He so rightfully reminds us in the Word: ‘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) 

Now that should be a scripture that’s always uppermost in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, because without Jesus in us and we in Him, we cannot produce any good fruit. For it’s His presence in us, as the Holy Spirit, that sows the seeds of good fruit, then gives us the strength and wisdom to water and nurture them, as well as the necessary patience to wait for them to blossom forth with much good fruit. And that’s exactly why so many of us supposed Christians are not bearing much fruit, or any fruit at all. We’re forgetting the necessity of keeping Jesus first place in all that we do, keeping Him uppermost in our minds as we live each day, and asking for His help and guidance to do His will in His way and in His time. 

And by the way, I guess we can use a refresher re the fruit that Jesus refers to. (smile) Bruh Paul outlines it to the Galatians thus: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness (generosity), faithfulness, Meekness (courtesy with others), temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Yes friends, it’s ALL about Jesus, and the moment we forget or lose sight of that most essential fact, then we begin to slide, to lose our bearings and life becomes unbearable. 

Consequently, there’s this other scripture that we should always keep in the forefront of our lives. They are these most interesting and poignant words of Bruh Paul to the Corinthians: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And until we have that fully planted in our souls, we won’t get anywhere. And that’s one of the reasons why our world is in such a chaotic state; we’ve become so filled with knowledge and supposed wisdom, which we feel is all our doing, and therefore we no longer need God’s help; we can handle it all. But if we’re so wise and great, why is there so much strife and disaster enveloping our once beautiful world eh? 

It’s all because we’ve forgotten God, or worse yet, are trying to rid our society of Him, which is totally impossible. That just shows how foolish, arrogant and prideful we’ve become, if we believe that we can get rid of the Creator of the universe. And that’s why He’s given us free will; to make our own choices, be they good or foolish. We have no one to blame but ourselves for our foolish behaviour, because the Lord has given us everything we need to make a good life down here on earth. 

As Peter attests to in his second epistle. ‘Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through (in) the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’ (2 Pet. 1:2-4) And is there ever a lot of lust and corruption in our world today. It seems like there’s nothing else but that. 

However, that scripture above tells us that God has already given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. As parts of these two commentaries affirm: ‘We are prepared for anything. All the opportunities, information, relationships have already been given to us through knowing Him.’ As Believers, ‘Through the power of the Holy Spirit and His grace, we can seek God’s wisdom, choose to act in obedience to His Word, and live a fruitful life that reflects His glory.’ 

And there’s no disputing those words my brethren, for our wonderful God has done all He can to ensure that we have a decent earthly life, then, when we depart this earth, to end up with Him in heaven for all eternity. There’s no more that He can do! The rest of it all depends on us. How we respond to His commands will determine both our earthly and eternal destinies. And today, I will advise us to take a moment and consider the kind of lives we’re currently leading, and if they will enable us to live the abundant life that Christ died for us to live here on earth, and then catapult us to His waiting arms when we shed this mortal coil. It’s oh so important that we regularly check out our lives to see how we’re doing, so that we can make any necessary adjustments. 

Now, let’s go to throne of grace, through our Chant, seeking divine aid to help us toe the line. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Ah friends, it’s ever so important that we wake up and smell the coffee and thus become better witnesses for Christ, if we expect to receive any divine aid! Much LOVE!

…only with Christ in us…and we in Him…that believers can do anything worthwhile…

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

The Creation, Fall of And Redemption of Man!

Romans 6:23.          For the wages of sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Well, it certainly seems like the snow season is here to stay. Note I didn’t say winter, because that’s not officially due for another couple of weeks, but the snow has made it’s appearance and looks like it intends to stay, for although the roads are fairly clean, the land and roof tops are clothed with it, while occasional flurries continue to drift down aimlessly. I must say though that the wintry white look is indeed beautiful! And why not eh, for everything our marvellous and artistic God has made is beautiful! 

Remember what the Bible says about His creation of the universe? At then of each day, He looked at what He had created that day, ‘and God saw that it was good.’ (Gen. 1:12)  Then at the end, the Bible says: ‘And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.’ (Gen. 1:31) Yes friends, our God was indeed pleased with His creations, especially mankind, whom He actually created with His own hands. It was the only thing He did not speak into existence. 

The Bible tells it thus: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ (Gen. 2:7) What a magnanimous, generous and LOVING God we serve my people! One who made us in His own image from the dust of the earth and imbued us with His Holy, Life-Giving Spirit, filled us with the breath of life! What could be more awesome and amazing that that eh? And the Lord had such great plans for us. 

Sadly though, our forefathers Adam and Eve screwed everything up when they allowed the evil serpent, Satan in snake’s clothing, to bamboozle them into not believing what God had said to them about eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; that they would surely die. The smooth talking serpent said unto Eve: ‘Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods (God), knowing good and evil.’ (Gen. 3:4-5) 

And Eve fell for the sweet talk, and ate of the forbidden fruit, which I believe was not a crusty apple as many suppose, but rather a Julie mango, the sweetest and juiciest fruit the Lord has made. (smile) And it’s obvious that when they ate the Julie mango their eyes were opened, such was the sweetness of it! (smile) They even knew that they were naked and sewed fig leaves together to make aprons (girding coverings). (Gen. 3:6-7) Then foolishly, when the Lord came looking for them they went and hid themselves. 

How foolish can one be? But that’s because they now knew good from evil, and realized that they had disobeyed the one thing that God had told them not to do. And when the Lord asked Adam why they had disobeyed His one command, he laid the blame on Eve for eating of the forbidden fruit. And when He asked Eve, she replied: ‘The serpent beguiled (deceived) me.’ (Gen. 3:13) Right there the blame game began! Then God unceremoniously kicked them out of the Garden of Eden, to fight life on their own. 

And since then, mankind has been in a sort of free falling mode, lost in sin and shame and pain, having to till the ground, by the sweat of his brow to get bread, and suffer all kinds of trials and tribulations. All for ONE act of disobedience! That’s how seriously God takes disobedience! And sadly nothing has changed down through the ages; man is still a most sinful and disobedient being, and sill not willing to accept responsibility for his actions. This might possibly be the most sinful and disobedient generation of all. 

But thankfully, there’s also another side to our God; the LOVING, compassionate side, where He doesn’t wish to see His greatest creation suffer eternal separation from Him for their sinful behaviour; ‘For the wages of sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23) Thus He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to die on the cross at Calvary and thus redeem us from our abominable sinful condition. And all we have to do is believe and endeavour to live a godly life. 

Jesus, as was His wont, said it very simply. ‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Yes friends, contrary to what many believe, Christ came to save the world, not condemn it. If He desired to condemn it, He would simply have left it as it was, sinful and sorrowful. But no, He left heaven purposely to come and save us. 

And as we said earlier, all you have to do is believe in Christ to be saved. Here’s how He puts it: ‘He that believeth on him (Christ) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) Ah friends, it’s so simple: believe and you will be saved; don’t believe and you will be condemned! And yes, the serpent is still out there trying to beguile and deceive as many of us as he can, but when we believe in Jesus, He also gives us the tools to resist that deception, with His Holy Spirit indwelling us to lead the way. 

So although living the holy and righteous life might not always be easy, we can certainly do it, if we seriously put our minds and hearts to the task. And to help us in that endeavour, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to stay afloat and thrive. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, let’s realize that no divine aid will be forthcoming until we buck up and become better witnesses for Christ! Much LOVE!

…obey God…and leave all the consequences to Him… (Uncle Charles – Dr. Charles Stanley)…

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

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