02 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new creation, a tough row to hoe, acknowledge God is working everything out for our good, all things are become new, anger, apropos for these trying times, as you promised, be of good courage, both young and old men together, by faith, comfort them, developed a cold, did not appreciate God's goodness and mercy, discipleship, do a brand new thing in me, emotional fatigue, enable me to praise you, faith, give me rest from my sorrow, go through the trials of life, God knows best, God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, grow spiritually, He is faithful that promised, hold fast the confession of our hope, holy spirit, hurry, I will do a new thing, if any man be in Christ, If any man will follow me, in god's eyes, in these crisis days, it takes time and experience to build strong faith, it's not easy walking with Christ, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, let us hold fast the profession of our faith, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, make a way in the wilderness, mercy, moving lethargically, my cross to bear, not a Sunday evening stroll, now it shall spring forth, old things are passed away, on the late bus, one more thing, one of the most difficult things to do, One Year Book of Bible promises, ought not to lose faith, paid a high price for rebellion, piercing pain, praise is just so hard to come by in trying times, praise is the hardest thing of all, praise lifts our spirits, ravages your body and mind, rejoice from their sorrow, resentment, rest from my feaf, rest from the bondage that binds me, rivers in the desert, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, self-centredness, separate the sheep from the goats, shall ye not know it, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, streams in my desert, strengthen thine heart, take up his cross daily and follow me, the beloved of God, The Hardest Thing, the Promised Land, the virgin rejoice in the dance, through all my lifetime, tied up in knots, to whom we belong, trials and tribulations, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, turn their mourning into joy, wait in faith I say on the Lord, wait in faith on the Lord, waiting on God's timing, water in the wilderness, wisdom, without wavering, withstand tough circumstances, worry, you promised to be my God, you will keep your word
Isaiah 43:19a. ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
Ah friends, it’s Tuesday, and we’re on a somewhat late bus because the ole fella has developed a cold that has me moving slowly and rather lethargically. (smile) Like it wasn’t enough for me to be running around in T&T in the rain etc., but now to be doing it in the snow and get this flu, which causes a runny nose and ravages your body and mind like a cancer, and has you feeling lousier than ever. It’s a good thing I only get them once or twice a year. But right now it’s my cross to bear, and I will do my best to bear it valiantly. (smile)
And today we’ll look at a poem from Our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that is very apropos for these trying times in which we’re currently living. It’s simply titled ‘The Hardest Thing.’ So please read with me. ‘O God In these crisis days Of piercing pain And emotional fatigue Do a brand new thing in me. Give me water in the wilderness And streams in my desert. You have promised to be my God Through all my lifetime. Surely You will keep your word! As You promised Give me rest from my sorrow And from my fear And from the bondage That binds me. One thing more, dear Lord: Enable me to praise you when to praise is the hardest thing of all.’
And believe me friends, that last request is a tough but oh so necessary one, for when we are going through the many trials and tribulations of life, praising God doesn’t often seem like an option. Sometimes we feel that He’s let us down, not with us as He promised, and praise is just so hard to come by in those trying times. But yuh know what; it’s in those trying times that we need praise the most, because it lifts our spirits and brings us back into our sturdy and faithful relationship with God. We acknowledge that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Is. 55:8-9) and thus He knows best and has good reason(s) for allowing whatever hardship has come against us.
Most of the time, we don’t or won’t understand it, but by faith we must acknowledge that He is working everything out for our good, otherwise we will just get ourselves tied up in knots of resentment, anger, worry and self-centredness. And no, it’s not easy walking with and working for Christ. That’s one of the first things we ought to learn as believers. Following Christ was never, and will never be a Sunday evening stroll in the park. By it’s very nature, it’s a tough row to hoe, as Jesus indicated when He set out this definition of discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Now that certainly doesn’t evoke or bring to mind any Sunday evening strolls in the park. No! It’s all about sacrifices and DAILY taking up our crosses and walking in whatever direction Jesus chooses for us. And in all of our trials and tribulations, there is one thing we must hold on to if we are to survive them; it’s as this scripture from Hebrews reminds us: ‘Let us hold fast the profession (confession) of our faith (hope) without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).’ (Heb. 10:23)
And that’s where the power and strength of our faith comes in. If we truly believe that God will fulfill all of His promises, in His own time, then we won’t’ be as worried and dismayed as if we don’t believe it. And right there is where we separate the sheep from the goats; those who sincerely believe and thus can withstand the tough circumstances, and those who’s faith is still too small to handle them. The real crux of the problem though is that it takes time and experience to build strong faith. Faith doesn’t just come overnight, so we will only grow spiritually when we go through the trials in our lives.
Now, in the poem we also ask God to do a new thing in us with water in the wilderness and streams in the desert. But haven’t you heard, don’t you know that the Lord promised that very thing a long time ago. Listen as Isaiah tells us about it. ‘Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’ (Is. 43:19) And that is exactly what the Lord did as He carried the children through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
The problem though is they did not appreciate His goodness and mercy and subsequently rebelled, then had to pay a high price in the consequences of said rebellion. The same goes for us today; we want everything quickly, but God does not move quickly unless it’s absolutely necessary. And that’s something we very badly need to learn. Nothing’s wrong in calling out for help, but when the Lord doesn’t answer right away we ought not lose faith, for in His mind there’s a good reason for not moving quickly. And remember we already said that His mind and ways are higher than ours, so we must learn to wait in faith.
And the new thing the Lord does begins when we come to salvation. As Bruh Paul writes: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor. 5:17) Yes friends, when we come to Christ, we are completely changed into a new person with Christ-like behaviour and urges. We forget about, give up our past lives, all for the new one that Jesus gives. And as the Bible Promise for our poem today tells us: ‘Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.’ (Jer. 31:13)
Yes my people, that’s what the Lord will do for us, but we have to do like Bruh David says in Psalm 27: ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait(in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:17) Now that’s not always easy to do, but until we learn to do it, we will constantly be beset by numerous fears and worries that will substantially limit our faith. Now let’s go home declaring (chuh man!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, we are now bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…waiting on God’s timing…is probably the most difficult thing for Believers to do…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: anxious, be of good courage, blessed is the man that trusts in God, crucifixion of christ, desperately wicked, Easter Saturday, empty words, ensure our hearts are right and sincere, faith, go and pray unto me, good advice, greater intimacy with God, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I test the most secret parts, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, I will hearken unto you, impatient, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, Jesus Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, look not on his countenance, LOVE, make a positive difference, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, on the height of his stature, outward doings, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, rise in victory, salvation, seek God with all thy heart, sincere prayer, slow my thoughts, strengthen thine heart, thank you for this tenderness, the death knell of Satan, the fatal blow, the heart is deceitful above all things, the imminent demise of Satan, the joyful expectation, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, the waiting kills us, these things understood not the disciples, to give every man according to his ways, to the fruit of his doings, truth, wait I say on the Lord, wait on the Lord, who can know it, wisdom, ye shall call upon me, ye shall seek me and find me, you search for me with all your heart, your love surrounds and fills me
1 Samuel 16:7b. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Oh my people, it’s Easter Saturday and the waiting ensues. Christ was crucified and buried yesterday, so today we wait with bated breath for the upcoming miraculous transformation. Like a butterfly waits for its chrysalis (hard outer shell) to crack and allow it to spread its beautiful wings and fly, so too, we wait for Jesus to arise majestically and victoriously from the grave. While alive, He sounded the imminent demise, the death knell of Satan, hell, death and the grave, and He finally applies the fatal blow in His death! And all of God’s people shouted a loud and grateful, ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ in glorious expectation.
Yes friends, it’s ofttimes the waiting that kills us; we know that something good is coming, or about to happen, but we get so anxious and impatient that we lose the joyful expectation of what’s to happen. That’s why Bruh David so wisely advises us in Psalm 27: ‘Wait (expectantly, in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (expectantly, with faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:14) And that’s good advice my brethren this Holy, lazy-day Saturday (smile) that’s fairly warm, but looks rather cloudy and dreary.
But re the waiting, yuh know what? We’re in a much better position than those early believers who watched Jesus crucified on the cross, then buried in the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Why? Because we know that on the third day, He will rise again in victory! But the early Christians did not pay a lot of attention, or even understand when He mentioned that amazing situation as His time wound down. And at the actual crucifixion they were too afraid and terrified to remember such a seemingly inconspicuous incident.
The gospel of Mark tells that Jesus, after casting out a dumb and deaf spirit from a child, ‘And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it (didn’t want anybody to know). For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is (being) delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.’ (Mark 9:30-32) So it was no surprise that they were terrified at Christ’s death wondering what would happen to them.
And as John says after Jesus’ marvellous kingly entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. ‘These things understood not his disciples at first: but when Jesus was glorified (resurrected and ascended), then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.’ (John 12:16) But we know better because it happened long ago and was written down for our benefit. And to help us wait with faith, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And we know that if our prayer was sincere then our spirits will soon be much calmer and more peaceful that they were before. That’s because our God just LOVES it when we come to Him seeking greater intimacy, and simply cannot refuse our requests. That’s why we have these verses from Jeremiah to remind us of the fact. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Yes friends, it says it right there in spades; when we seek God with all of our heart, we will find Him, and He will listen to our prayer. Now, that can mean sometimes our prayers are not heard, or not answered because we didn’t seek God with our whole heart. As Jesus said when lambasting the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.’ (Matt. 15:7-8) And Isaiah did prophecy that in Chapter 29:13-16)
However, with the world having become as material and carnal as it currently is, no doubt many of us fall into that same trap; turning to God, with only our lips and mouths, while our hearts are far from Him. That obviously won’t get us anywhere with Him, for it’s our hearts He looks at, not our outward show, or the insincere words we mouth. And we have at least two examples of the Lord saying this.
First, when He sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s house to anoint the next king of Israel, Samuel saw Eliab, who looked physically great and thought that he must be the one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
Then, when the prophet Jeremiah talks about blessed is the man that trusts in God, and he shall be like a fruitful tree planted by waters, etc. etc. (Jer. 17:7-8) he also says these very astute and mindful words. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (test the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds).’ (Jer. 17:9-10)
Yes my fellow believers, this lazy-day Holy Saturday, appears to be a very appropriate one to remember that the Lord looks at our hearts and not our outward doings or empty words, and therefore when we turn to Him, let’s ensure that our hearts are right and sincere. For that could make a whole lot of positive difference in our lives! Much LOVE!
…sincerity is one of the most valued of Christian attributes…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Sep 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a feeling of dread, a negative disposition, an internal alarm, an uneasy feeling, back to school, be not afraid, be of good cheer, be strong, beloved of God, boosts us up, calmness, Christians, courage, do it afraid, Dr. Charles Stanley, face opposition, faith, fear, fear not, fearlessness, firmness, followers of jehovah God, frequent visitor, hate, He goes with thee, he will not fail nor forsake thee, holy spirit, hurry, i have overcome the world, imminent danger, in the world, indisputable truth, It is I, jittery, Joyce Meyer, Labour Day, let not your heart be troubled, meet danger, nervous, no need to fear, nor be afraid, of a good courage, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, peace, productive life, quality of mind or spirit, quench fear, rain, resentment, share His love, strengthen thine heart, strife, the challenges of life, the Lord thy God, to give you the kingdom, tribulation, Tuesday Mantra, wait in faith on the Lord, worry, your Father's good pleasure
Deuteronomy 31:6. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.
And then it was the Tuesday after the Labour Day weekend; time to go back to school and work! And it seems like it’s going to be another hot, hazy and humid day in my neighbourhood. But we’ll take it, though some of the promised rain would be nice. However, we can’t blame the weather forecasters too much, because with the screwed up climate we have nowadays, their predictions can easily be thrown off.
Anyway, today we’re going to talk about two words that play a very big part in our lives, both as normal humans and Christian believers. Those words are FEAR and COURAGE! First up are a couple of definitions of those words from Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) Here’s what he says about Fear.
‘Fear – An uneasy feeling, a feeling of dread…an internal alarm that goes off inside of us when we are feeling imminent danger; feel threatened, or feel helpless to avoid or change it.’ In other words, Fear seems to be a negative disposition; one that has us nervous and jittery, feeling weak, especially when we can’t do anything about the prevailing circumstances.
As per Courage, Uncle Charles says: ‘Courage: The quality of mind or spirit enabling us to meet danger, face opposition, or the challenges of life with fearlessness, calmness and firmness.’ Courage then boosts us up, makes us strong, has us feeling we can do whatever it takes to meet a certain situation.
But for whatever it’s worth, both of those emotions play a very large part in our lives. These days with our world in such a sorry state of war, resentment, anger, hate and strife, fear is very common and a frequent visitor to too many of us. And it takes a lot of courage to ignore that kind of stuff and move on with a positive and productive life.
Now we all entertain fear at some time or other in our lives, but as Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, we need to do it afraid. So courage isn’t necessarily not having fear, but also doing whatever we need to do while being fearful or afraid.
And one of the first directives Moses gave to the Israelites when he was dying are the words contained in our Bit. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’
What a magnificent promise my brethren! And when the Israelites held to it, they were fine, and when they didn’t they suffered serious harm. And I’d like you to know that that promise still holds true even to this day, so many thousands of years later.
And on the death of Moses, the Lord God Himself even reiterated it to Joshua after making him leader of the Israelites. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh.1:9)
That seems to intimate that followers of Jehovah God should not be afraid of anything or anyone that comes against them because their great, powerful and caring God is always with them wherever they may go. And that’s the indisputable truth friends: our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God is all over, all the time! His eyes are always on us, as He walks, before, behind and beside us.
So there’s no need to fear. We can be sometimes anxious, but definitely not fearful. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to Jesus with the ultimate word on the situation. ‘Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32)
And Jesus was always cheering up His followers, advising them to have courage. Listen to him as He came walking on the water towards His scared disciples on the boat. ‘Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I; be not afraid.’ (Matt.14:27)
And hear Him again when He tells them He’s going back to heaven and promises to send the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide them. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
And later on He again warns them: ‘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 (take courage); I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) That’s the faithful promise of our Lord and Saviour, my people! Powerful words for us to hold on to securely and courageously live by! If you’re a true believer, that’s the ONLY way to live!
And Bruh David adds his two cents worth (smile) ‘Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:14) More invaluable advice my brethren! So please take it. But now it’s time to go home, and we’ll do so declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are.
In strong voice with sincere hearts now: ‘I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
So what are we waiting for eh? Let’s go out and do as we just declared. Much LOVE!
…faith in Jesus…that’s the only thing that will quench…fear of the world…
18 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future, a God of justice, a positive idea, a refuge, adversity, bear burdens, breath of life, complaining, confident, dependent trust, dr robert h schuller, eternal life, exalted, eyes fixed straight ahead, fainted, frustrations, God's help, good courage, goodness of the Lord, gracious, halfway home, hands on the plough, has not forsaken, have mercy, hearsay, heartaches, heaven, Hour of Power Devotions, I'm inspired, in the centre of your will, in the mind of a believer, Jesus, Micah, moral sins, My walk, non-understandable times, not looking back, personal experience, prayer, prosperous life, put my life, put their trust in thee, seek God's face, sincerity, strengthen thine heart, stronghold, suffering, summer days, the bad, The God of my salvation, the good, the land of the living, The Lord is good, the most powerful force, the oppressed, the soul that seeks him, times of trouble, to those who wait for him, truth, wait, wait in faith, waiting, walking in God's will, Wednesday Wail, wine women and song, wisdom, words of wisdom, working with Christ
Lamentations 3:25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
‘Glorious summer days are here again, so please let’s enjoy them now my friends, for soon glorious summer days will be no more, and then, we won’t have glorious summer day to enjoy again!’ True words of wisdom my brethren! The days of summer only come but once a year, and unlike the days of winter they quickly pass away, so if we’re smart we will enjoy each and every one of those summer days to the fullest.
And today we’ll share this li’l something from Gramps Schuller’s (Dr. Robert H Schuller) Hour of Power Devotions which I’ve shared before, but is a good pick-me-up for any day. It’s called ‘My Walk.’
Please pray with me: ‘O God, I’m inspired. For you have just impressed this truth into my mind: The most powerful force in the world is a positive idea in the mind of a believer who is walking in your will! I now reach forth my life and say, “God, put my life into the centre of your will.” Amen.’
Oh friends, asking Almighty God to put our lives front and centre in His will is the best prayer we can ever pray, because it means we’re truly surrendering our all to Him and that’s exactly what He desires! But when we do that, we have to be prepared to face the bad with the good, for working with Christ is not merely wine, women and song, but also frustrations, adversity and hard, non-understandable times.
That’s why Cousin Jeremiah, in all his heartaches and suffering could positively declare in our Bit: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.’
Yes friends, our God is good to those who are willing to bear their burdens without too much complaining, as they do their work in His name. Remember, we can do nothing on our own, but everything is possible when we invoke God’s help, when we seek His awesome face in sincerity and truth.
As Bruh David says in Psalm 9 – Praise for God’s justice. ‘The Lord also will be a refuge (a stronghold) for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.’ (Ps.9:9-10) And we know for a fact there my brethren that Bruh David is not speaking from hearsay, but from personal experience, so there’s no need to doubt this words.
And the prophet Micah, when talking about the moral sins of Israel, which are also a clear reflection of our current times, declared thus: ‘Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide (companion): keep (guard) the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic.7:5-7)
And so shall He my faithful fellow believers! That is His promise, and we know that He keeps each and every promise that He makes! So it only makes sense to seek the Lord, to call on Him and to wait on Him if you truly want to live a successful and prosperous life down here on earth and eventually graduate to eternal life in heaven with Him.
Listen to Isaiah as he appeals for his people to turn to the Lord for help, and I’m appealing to us today to do the very same thing. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is.30:18)
And the scholars offer this explanation: ‘30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’
Amen mih breddren! What’s the purpose of having a God eh, if we can’t put our sincere trust in Him and wait confidently on Him eh? None whatsoever! We might as well just look after ourselves. And the last scripture for today comes from Bruh David, Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Hear these immortal words of wisdom and truth. ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (wait in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14) Truer words were never spoken my people!
So let’s go home now with all that wisdom and truth filling our hearts, souls, bodies and minds with the unbelievable joy that’s found in Jesus, as we declare to the entire world our serious position in Him, by proclaiming our Wednesday Wail.
Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And will it ever be a glorious future for those who get to spend eternity with Jesus! Please make sure you are a part of that in-crowd by sincerely embracing Him down here on earth! Much LOVE!
…it’s such a joy to be involved with Jesus…that my heart just boils over with LOVE…whenever I think of Him…
28 Mar 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a glorious future with Jesus, a god of judgement, a wonderful God, alleviating my sickness, alter your word, always comes through, blessed, catastrophe, closure, common grind, confident, daily task, dependent trust in God, doubting Thomas, doubts, emotions, encouraged, exalt His holy name, eyes fixed straight ahead, face it honestly, faithful believers, firmly established, forgive me, fortify my will, gain in doubting, glory to God, God can do anything, God is a big God, God is good, God's hand of love, God's time, God's truth, halfway home, hands on the plough, hope, I will wait, in the hospital, invasive surgery, justice, lesson to learn, limiting you, LOVE, major illnesses, make all things right, make me strong, may be gracious to you, may have mercy on you, mind-boggling, miracle, mitigating factor, not looking back, One Year Book of Bible promises, our benefit, our time, our truth, persistent questions, personal choice, praying for a miracle, purify my heart, rely on god's promises, Ruth Harms Calkin, sense God's presence, strange twsiting of my life, strengthen thine heart, testify, the breath of life, the living God, the Lord will be exalted, they that wait for him, to no avail, trust, undeserving children of men, unforgettable night, ups and downs, wait, wait in faith, waiting, Wednesday Wail, will the Lord wait, working in the background, you are good
Isaiah 30:18. And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.
Well friends, I slept in my own bed last night, and it wasn’t half bad! At least the ole back isn’t aching nearly as much as that unforgettable night I spent in the hospital, and it was much easier to get up from too. Glory to God! So this morning we’re back to the daily task and common grind and I just have to wait and see what the Lord has in mind now.
Over the past year I’ve been trying my best to get some closure on my major illnesses, but all to no avail. And for a moment there, I thought the Lord had finally decided it was time to do what seemed necessary, but obviously I was wrong.
And as He is so famous for doing, He even led me to this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin simply titled ‘I Will Wait.’ Yuh get the message? (smile)
Please pray with me: ‘O Lord Today I must face it honestly with You By pursuing the persistent questions within me. God, is there any gain at all by my doubting? Do doubts make me stronger? Do they purify my heart? Fortify my will? Are my emotions firmly established by my doubts? Are my family and friends encouraged?
On the other hand, God Even though I see no possible way out Of the catastrophe I now face Is there anything more pleasing to You Than my personal choice to trust You? I know it is true, Lord I must rely on Your promises in the end. Would You be glorified, dear God If I trusted You now at the early beginning?
O God, forgive me For so limiting You. Surely you know exactly what you will do. You are God, so You will not alter Your Word. Your power is instantly operative In all the strange twisting of my life. You are God, so You are good. I will hope I will trust I will wait On the living God!’
Yeh mih people, that is a lesson we must all learn if we are to be faithful believers. And I’ve learned it a tad in a hard manner over the last couple days. What seems to be our truth, isn’t always God’s. And what seems to be our time, isn’t always His either. We just have to learn to wait expectantly and with a good attitude until He finally decides to allow whatever He thinks is necessary to happen.
And that’s not always easy, especially when it’s to do with sickness. But from my experiences in this past year, I can definitely say that God is good! I’ve had plenty of ups and downs, but there was always some mitigating factor to ease the downs. He never just left me alone to go through my problems by myself. I could always see His hand working in the background, possibly not as much or how I would have liked, but I could always sense His presence.
And even when He was not alleviating my sickness, I could still feel His hand of LOVE moving as He gave me some of my heart’s desires. They certainly made up for some of the disappointment with the illness. That’s why today, I can testify that we serve such a wonderful God! He doesn’t always do what we want or when we want it, but He ALWAYS comes through in the end!
And though I’ve had this setback with the heart problem, I know that eventually, when He is good and ready, He will make all things right. Give Him thanks and praise, my people, exalt His holy name for He is certainly good to us, sinful and undeserving children of men!
And I have to chuckle here, because I never really intended to testify, but the Lord seems to have drawn it out of me unconsciously. And not only that, but the Lord has just shown me our doubting Thomas’ way, because from the very beginning I’ve been praying for a miracle, where I’d have to go through no invasive surgery, but now that it might have happened, I can’t truly believe or accept it.
And that’s how we are friends; we pray for big things but when they do happen, we find it difficult to accept them. But just remember that our God is a Big God and He can do ANYTHING. So if we pray big prayers, let’s not be surprised when they happen.
And the scripture promise for our poem today is also our Bit; wise and wonderful words of the prophet Isaiah as he appeals to his people to turn to the Lord for help. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’
Yes friends, if God can wait for us, so can we wait for Him. And remember it’s all for our benefit, not for His. The scholars offer this wise explanation. ’30:18-33. Because God is gracious and has been willing to wait for His people to return to Him, He will certainly bless those who wait for him. “Waiting” is a confident and dependent trust in God.’ And so it is my brethren.
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail in strong voice and sincere sense of purpose, letting the world know that we are truly and seriously involved with our God and Friend, Jesus. Altogether now: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday!
I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it will indeed be a glorious future, more mind boggling than we can ever think or imagine! Much LOVE!
…Wait (in faith)…on the Lord…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait (in faith)…I say…on the Lord. (Ps.27:14)
17 Feb 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, abject failure, admonitions, anger, Anselm, ascended Israel's throne, aspires, baptized with water, be of good courage, carnal, cease from anger, cyclone Gita, Day of Pentecost, different roads, disaster recovery, dispensation of the gospel, eagles, earthly lifetime, earthquake, evil system, FBI, Florida, forever, forsake wrath, friend, fulfill your dream, fulfillment, go haywire, God's realm, God's timing, Hades, Holy Ghost, hope, housework, Isaiah, joy, lazy time, life is too short to wait, limitations, lost, Lucifer, Mexico City, mount up with wings, not be weary, not faint, on the right track, quietly wait, reach the top, realm of the world, recompense evil, rejoice in his salvation, renew their strength, Rest in the Lord, revenge, run, Saturday, seeking happiness, sensible, set the table, Sheriff's Department, shooting rampage, song of the redeemed, strengthen thine heart, the promise of the Father, to inspire, Tonga, tongues of fire, trials, tribulations, wait on the Lord, waiting is everything, walk, walking the road to happiness, wicked schemes, wise, with Jesus
Psalm 27:14. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Awright friends, it’s Saturday…lazy time for some, but lots of housework for others… and then there’s disaster recovery for others.
Yes, our good friend, natural disaster has reared it’s ugly head again, at least twice this week; earlier on when cyclone Gita, a category 4 storm, tore through the Polynesian island nation of Tonga, and yesterday when another major earthquake of some 7.2 magnitude and an aftershock of 5 point something, hit the area around Mexico City. Luckily the damages weren’t nearly as bad as the one they experienced last year.
They say disaster usually comes in threes; and of course we had the shooting rampage at the High School in Florida earlier on this week too. And what’s heightened the anger down there is that the Sheriff’s Dept. reportedly had numerous calls about the shooter over the last few months.
The FBI also apparently had a tip on their Hot Line about him recently, and yet nothing was done by either agency to both remove and help him. And then we wonder why these things happen. Ah Lord eh! But ours is not to wonder why, but to do and hope not to die!
Now since it’s Saturday, let’s take a look at the quotes our friend Anselm graced us with this week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘The most successful people reach the top not because they are free of limitations, but because they act in spite of their limitations.’
And there’s a lot of truth to that, for if you look at many successful people, they overcame a whole lot of limitations to make it to the top. And if you truly want to be successful, you can’t afford to let limitations stop you, otherwise you’ll never fulfill your dream.
And the next one says: ‘People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.’ Now that can be a bit contentious, because if you’re talking about fulfillment and happiness through the world’s carnal and evil system, then your are definitely lost!
However, if you’re walking on the road to happiness and fulfillment with Jesus…oh my brethren, then you’re definitely on the right track! Because only through Jesus can we ever find the joy and fulfillment that lasts and earthly lifetime…and then forever…
And the last quote is also one that provides room for some contention. All it says is: ‘Life is too short to wait.’ Well to a certain extent that’s true, but more so in the physical realm of the world, where haste and speed is everything. But in the spiritual realm of God’s world, waiting is everything my people!
It’s essential that we wait on God’s timing, for if we don’t, our whole life can go haywire in no time at all. That’s why there are so many admonitions in the Lord’s word about waiting on Him, one of the most famous being our Bit. ‘Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.’
Oh friends, what marvellous advice from Bruh David! And nobody knew better than him, about waiting on the Lord. Look at how long after he was anointed to be king, and the number of trials and tribulations he went through before he finally ascended to Israel’s throne.
He could have tried to make it happen in his own schedule, but I assure you, it would either have never come true, or been and abject failure, but definitely not the glorious reign he enjoyed under God’s timing.
And today, I just want to remind us of a few of the many scriptures that advocate waiting on God. Let’s begin with this one from Cousin Sol, on the matter of revenge. ‘Say not thou, I will recompense (repay) evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.’ (Prov.20:22) In the first place we should not be seeking revenge, for the Lord has said that’s His job.
Now hear Isaiah in his song of the redeemed. ‘And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ (Is.25:9)
And we all know the famous scripture from Isaiah 40. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is.40:31) Plenty of us quote it, but not enough live by it.
And then there is this astute reminder from Jeremiah in his Lamentations: ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:25-26)
And we have this command from Jesus to the disciples re waiting in Jerusalem. ‘And being assembled together with them (Jesus) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts.1:4-5)
And some fifty days later the Holy Ghost baptized them with tongues of fire on the Day of Pentecost. Yuh think if they had disobeyed Jesus and moved on they would have received the Holy Ghost and been able to set the table for the dispensation of the gospel all over the world?
Not on your life. If they hadn’t obeyed, we would probably never have heard of Christ and His wonderful, free offer of salvation and eternal life, and thus been forced to associate with Lucifer and his evil cohorts in Hades. What an awful and frightening thought!
And though it’s getting pretty long, (smile) I still want to throw in this gem from Bruh David, because it covers all bases. ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices (schemes) to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:7-9)
Yeh friends, it’s not always easy to wait on the Lord, but it is the wise and sensible thing to do. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is NEVER late…His timing is always…PERFECT…
02 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a false attitude, a hard night, a rough night, arthritic pains, awe, basis of our faith, be of good courage, believe it to see it, born to win, Christians, courage, disliked, expect to win, failure, faith, feared, Friend Anselm, grin and bear them, heavenly Father, help, hope, I feel so mash up, in his word do I hope, inspire us, Jesus Christ, Labour Day, liked, LOVE, loving-kindness, merciful God, mercy, mount up with wings, my soul doth wait, not be faint, not be weary, omnipotent god, plan to win, prepare to win, Prince Buster, redemption, renew their strength, respect for others, respect for self, responsibility for your actions, reverenced, revolutionary ways, run, sins, strengthen thine heart, success, surrender forgiveness, take note of iniquities, the costume of failure, the fruit of the spirit, the ladder of success, the three R's, trust, wait on the Lord, wait patiently, walk, watch for the morning, what a bam bam, who shall stand, wisdom
Isaiah 40:31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Well friends, it looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous Labour Day Saturday! Wow! Both the Sun and the Son are overwhelmingly brilliant, but it is a tad chilly in my area though, a mere 10 Celsius, which means the people up north in the cottage country might even have had the fire and warm clothing going on overnight.
And, like the old Prince Buster song, I’m claiming, ‘I feel so mash up today…It was a hard night…a rough night…’ However, it’s not for the reasons that Prince Buster stated, although that might have made it somewhat easier to bear. (smile) Only the ole Jamaican fogies would know that song, and we can’t discuss it in a family paper. (smile)
But the ole arthritic pains acted up last night. What a bam bam eh! But we’ll just grin and bear them and continue keeping on with the help of our great ever-LOVING and merciful God.
And since today is Saturday, let’s have a gander at some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this week, as he sincerely aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. First up is one that all Christians should be following. ‘I’d rather be disliked for who I am than be liked for who I’m not.’
Yes friends, we should always show our true faces, the true Christian one, and who doesn’t like it ‘chuh pool.’ (smile) I’m not sure if that is the correct spelling of the term, but we all know what I mean.
We should NEVER put on a false attitude just for people to like us. Our Leader, Jesus Christ NEVER did that, though a lot of people tended to dislike Him for His revolutionary ways.
This next quote also applies very much to us Christians. ‘You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.’ And because many of us don’t plan and prepare and expect to win, we end up losing. It’s the very basis of our faith my brethren…believe it and you’ll see it!
The next quote obviously follows from the last. ‘You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.’ Figuratively, it takes a certain style of dress to climb that much vaunted ladder of success.
And we’re not talking about the world’s ladder, but Christ’s ladder of success. If you’re not dressed for it, filled with faith, LOVE, trust, surrender, forgiveness and the other fruit of the Spirit then you won’t ever climb it.
And we’ve saved the best for last. ‘Follow The Three R’s: The three R’s are: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for your actions’ Even more thought provoking Christian actions my brethren, although they should apply to even the non-believers.
Unfortunately though, those three ‘R’s’ have been lost in the craziness of today’s mad scramble for wealth and power. And the ONLY way you can truly accomplish those three ‘R’s’ is through the help of our heavenly Father.
That’s why our Bit is so important in our daily life. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’
Yeh friends, when we wait upon our magnificent God, then we do all of the above, because HE gives us the wherewithal to do it. We can’t get it ALL from NO other place or person! And that’s an indisputable fact!
Hear how the psalmist puts it in Psalm 130 –My soul waiteth for the Lord. ‘If thou Lord shouldest mark (take note of) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared (reverenced with awe). I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-kindness), and with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.’ (Ps.130:3-8)
What more is there to say eh friends? Nothing really. So please, let’s be smart and wait patiently, reverently, faithfully and perseveringly on our omnipotent God nuh, for that is the wisdom above all wisdom. Much LOVE!
…wait on the Lord: be of good courage…and he shall strengthen thine heart…wait…I say…on the Lord… (Ps.27:14)
03 Aug 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a step, abundance, adversity, after one time is two, Azariah, be strong, believe in Jesus, blatant lying, blessings, bread to eat, Caribana, Caribana Parade, coals of fire, complain too much, courage, creativity, curse, deception, dignity, divine protection, do, dr robert h schuller, dwelling within us, eternity, evil for evil, eye teeth, from happiness to suffering, glory to God, good courage, good for evil, gospel truth, grow in Christian faith, immoral, King and Queen Show, let not your hands be weak, negative word, nobody tougher than Jesus, O love the Lord, Pan competition, petty problems, promotion, prosper, punishment, revenge, rewards, saints, self-control, selfish, shame, share blessings, standards, stealing, strengthen thine heart, succeed, suffering, suffering to happiness, talent, the Good Book, the Holy Spirit, the Lord preserves the faithful, the proud doer, thine enemy be hungry, thirsty, Thursday Blessings, Toronto Carnival, tough people, tough times, tough times don't last, ungodly world, upon his head, water to drink, wisdom, working for Jesus, wrongdoings
2 Chronicles 15:7. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
And then it was Thursday; the Thursday of the Caribana weekend, or rather the Toronto Carnival Festival, or some such thing. That’s because the Caribana name is the legal possession of some other entity. But nonetheless, the ordinary populace will forever call it Caribana.
So the city is gearing up for big crowds at the many events. Tonight is the King and Queen of the Bands Show. Tomorrow evening is the Pan Competition, the only event I intend to attend. And Saturday is the Parade down on the Lakeshore.
I’m sorry but I’ve lost all interest in it. Firstly because the standards have fallen, it’s not as good as it was. And secondly my aching knees can’t handle the walking the Parade entails. So after thirty something years of religiously attending it, I haven’t been there for about three years now.
And strangely it doesn’t bother me. Years ago, I would have been very upset if I missed the Caribana Parade, but no more. I guess as they say, after one time is two.
And here is something to which we all can relate. It’s a Jewish Proverb that tells us: ‘From happiness to suffering is a step; from suffering to happiness is an eternity.’
And isn’t that the truth! Our happiness changes to suffering in the blink of an eye, but it always takes what seems like eternity for the suffering to return to happiness.
But you know what friends, when we believe in Jesus Christ and consequently have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, it is possible to handle the suffering with dignity and some measure of self-control, and even grow through it all. That’s because we only grow in our Christian faith through adversity and tough times.
But what was it Gramps Schuller (Dr. Robert H Schuller) always said ‘tough times don’t last, but tough people do.’ Glory to God!
And if you’re a Christian then that means you’re tough, because there’s been nobody tougher than our Leader, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and that’s whom we are supposed to pattern ourselves after.
Unfortunately though, too many supposed Christians have become soft and wishy-washy by the easy, comfortable lives we live in this too ungodly society. And we complain way too much over simple petty problems. A lot of others around the world would give their eye-teeth to have some of what we consider problems.
That is why the warning words of Azariah is our Bit today: ‘Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.’
And that’s the gospel truth my fellow believers! If we stand strong in our work for Jesus, we will be faithfully rewarded by an ever-faithful God. Let’s look at a few examples of such a promise in the Good Book.
And the first one comes from Psalm 31 – In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. There Bruh David admonishes us thus! ‘O LOVE the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth (fully repays) the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.’ (Ps.31:23-24)
What awesome words of encouragement my brethren!
Now listen to Cousin Sol as he declares: ‘If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.’ (Prov.25:21-22)
Now none of us in our natural human state will generally want to feed our enemy, but our Saviour commands us not to return evil for evil, but return good for evil, and doing that kind of stuff will eventually be well rewarded.
And here is an interesting note from the scholars. ’25:22. Coals of fire does not refer to revenge or punishment but to the pangs of shame that will lead to reconciliation.’
But friends, I’d like to advise us not to wait for shame to show up in our enemies when we treat them good, because shame is something that no longer exists in this selfish, immoral and ungodly society of ours.
Shame died when we took God out of our schools, government and homes. Look at all the blatant lying, stealing and deception that is so flagrant nowadays. At least, back then we had the shame to hide our wrongdoings, but now they have become the norm.
But let’s go home filled with the assurance that our work here on earth will be well rewarded, proudly declaring our Thursday Blessings. With much chutzpah 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 we need to go out and share those blessings with others! Much LOVE!
…working sincerely for Jesus…will always bring good rewards…
25 May 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a gentle rain, abide in the vine, abundance, accidents, be of good courage, be strong, bear fruit, blessing the earth, blessings, close relationship, commute, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, draw close to you, draw near to God, eternal life, faithful brethren, fear, fear not, fill my heart, foolish drivers, foundation in Jesus, greenery that's spring, I am the vine, I give myself unreservedly, intimacy, Intimate closeness, intimate walk with God, LOVE of God, negative word, of whom shall I be afraid, One Year Book of Bible promises, our lives can blossom, promise, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-control, self-discipline, strengthen thine heart, talent, teach me, the dearest of all delights, the goodness of God, the land of the living, the Lord is my light and salvation, the Lord is the strength of my life, wait on the Lord, walk arm-in arm, whom shall I fear, winding path, wisdom, words of wisdom
Psalm 27:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Well a good Thursday morning to you my faithful brethren in Christ! As I write these words of wisdom (smile) in the early hours, a gentle rain is falling outside, blessing the earth, so that she may refresh herself with the greenery that’s spring.
That means, for those who live in my vicinity, the commute this morning might be a tad on the rough and slow side. So please leave home early, and be careful on the roads, for you know that whatever the weather and driving conditions, there are always some foolish drivers out there on our highways and byways who cause unnecessary accidents.
And the sad part is that too often, the ones who cause the accidents don’t get injured, but the innocent drivers suffer the brunt of the situation. And we certainly don’t want anything to happen to you this morning.
Now here is something from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that I couldn’t help sharing. It’s something we could all use a bit more of. It’s titled ‘Intimate Closeness.’
And it says: ‘You promise, dear God That when I draw close to You You will draw close to me. Lord, I give myself to You unreservedly. Teach me more and more Of intimate closeness And fill my heart with You alone. To walk arm-in-arm with You Down every winding path Seems to me the dearest of all delights.’
And it is indeed my people! Walking arm-in-arm with our heavenly Father is the most delightful thing we can ever do! And I’d like to suggest to many of us today that we should be seeking a closer and more intimate walk with God, so that our lives can blossom from that intimacy.
It’s high time we give ourselves to Him unreservedly; for that’s the only way we’ll ever learn or achieve true intimacy with Him. Remember, intimacy can only be achieved through a very close relationship with somebody.
And no wonder the Bible promise for that poem is ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you.’ (James 4:8a)
Yeh friends, our gracious God is always waiting for us to draw near to Him, so that he can envelope us in His LOVING arms. His is an open invitation, all we need to do is accept it.
And when we do, then we are able to shout loud and proud and confident, like Bruh David did in our Bit. ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’
Oh my people, it’s only when we walk closely with God that fear dissipates in our lives to be replaced by courage! That’s because our foundation is then truly in Jesus Christ, who died that we might live, that we might have eternal life.
And hear how He puts it to the disciples. ‘I am the true (genuine) vine, and my Father is the husbandman (vinedresser)… 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.
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 15:1,4-5)
Now that’s telling it like it is my brethren! Without Jesus we can do nothing! All of our substance comes from Him, both as Creator and Saviour. And when we walk in lockstep with Him, we are mighty and courageous in the land, through His power that runs through us. Glory to God!
Now listen to the Lord speaking to His people Israel through the prophet Isaiah, letting them know that He will restore them to Zion when the time is right. ‘Strengthen ye the weak (sinking) hands, and confirm (make firm) the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.’ (Is.35:3-4)
That’s the awesome power and LOVE of our mighty God friends! Once we are walking faithfully with Him, He will never leave us in the lurch. Hear how Bruh David puts it at the end of Psalm 27, from which our Bit is taken.
‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps.27:13-14)
Yes friends, when we abide in God, and wait in faith on Him, He will strengthen us, and we’ll also see His wonderful goodness right down here on earth! And that goodness is indeed shed forth in our Thursday Blessings.
So let’s declare them in strong voice and true belief. ‘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!’
Oh, the wonderful glory of God, my people! Now let’s go out and share those blessings with others, as our God desires of us. Much LOVE!
…just a closer walk with thee…blessed Jesus…let it be…please let it be…
SCRIP-BITS 