15 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a physical purge, banal lives, be aware of your presence, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, bring me back to my true self, cataract surgery, ceativity, courage, create in me a clean heart, curse, drifting away from God, easy to lose focus, faith, find your fullness, holy spirit, in small quiet moments, In Touch Devotional, LOVE, man plans but God laughs, mercy, mundane details of life, mundane doings, negative word, only look for God in miraculous moments, prosper, renew a right spirit within me, self-discipline, sinners shall be converted unto thee, spiritual purge, succeed, talnet, the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray, the good acceptable and perfect will of God, the joy of thy salvation, the renewing of your minds, Thursday Blessings
Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.
Ah friends, let me apologize for the lateness of the Bit, but I had to go into Toronto early this morning for some cataract surgery on my right eye. Now, I had planned to do the Bit before I went off, but as they say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men usually go astray,’ as well as ‘man plans but God laughs.’ Then to make maters worse I had to wait a couple of hours for the surgery, and afterwards wait for the doctor to check it out, so I wouldn’t have to go back tomorrow morning.
What riled me though was having to wait a half an hour to get transportation back, and when it did show up, the snow had begun falling, so you know the drive back was even slower than normal, and we arrived home to find our driveway and area already covered in the white stuff. And does it ever look beautiful from inside. (smile) However, enough idle chatter, let’s get to saying some thing of greater value before my eye shuts down on me. It was fine all along, but now that I’m home, it’s become somewhat swollen, as it loses the effect of the anesthetic they’d put in it.
Today, we’re going to share the monthly prayer from the In Touch Devotional for February. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, it’s easy to lose focus, to drift away from You in the mundane details of my life. I long to be aware of Your presence all my days, to find Your fulness even in small, quiet moments. Bring me back to my true self, and bring me back each moment to You, with each breath, In Jesus’ name, Amen.’
Oh my people, those few words can be ever so important in our lives, especially in these times of much turbulence and uncertainty. For though I’m not drifting away from God, I desperately need to regain my focussing power, as I find myself easily distracted these days. The devil seems to have recently acquired a tad of power over me in that area. But one thing in that prayer at which I’m good at though is finding God’s presence and gracious hand in the small things of life.
Unfortunately, that’s something many unbelievers can’t feel because they only look for God in the big, miraculous, momentous moments. But those are few and far between, while God’s hands are all over and in all of our daily, supposedly mundane doings. And if you seek Him in those small, apparently unimportant things, that’s where you’ll find continual joy, for He delights in being involved in every aspect of our banal lives. They might seem banal to us, but definitely not to Him!
That’s why, in this Lenten season, we all need to take time to inspect ourselves, do a spiritual checkup, then turn to God and ask Him to help us improve in whatever way we need to. All of us have good points, but we all also have some bad ones, that need cleansing. We need to say something like Bruh David did in Psalm 51, in the section on a Plea for Cleansing. And we need to mean it too, not let be only lip service., as so many other things we say. In sincere repentance, Bruh David cried out:
‘Purge me with thy hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free (generous) spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.’ (Ps. 51:7-13)
Yes friends, many, if not all of us can use a good purging of our iniquities in this Lenten season, so we can start back from scratch. Remember how as young children growing up in the West Indies, before the start of every school term we’d get a much hated physical purge, with the castor oil, the Epsom salts and what have you? (smile) Well, right now we need a good spiritual purge, and this season of Lent, of fasting, repentance, prayer and soul-searching, is about the best time for it. So let’s get serious about out God and His Holy Will nuh, and allow Him to create that clean heart and right spirit within us.
And while we’re at it, let’s remember these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, which echo those sentiments. ‘And be not conformed to the world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) Now, the Lord has already given us the power to do that, through the gifts of the Spirit, and furthermore, through what we call our Thursday Blessings, He’s also bestowed on us undeserved blessings, to enable us to do His earthly work. So let’s declare (chuh!!!) them, so we can activate them.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, we need to now go out and use them to do God’s work, sharing them as generously with others as God shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…both our bodies and souls…need a good purge every so often…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, be not dismayed, Christians cannot be lazy, clear direction for my life, curse, enjoying the comfortable life, faith, faith can diffus fear, fall flat on your face, favour, fear, fear not little flock, fear thou not for I am with thee, God gives us help, God gives us strength, God has our best interests at heart, heart-pumping doubts, holy spirit, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I will not fear what flesh can do to me, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, In god I have put my trust, it is your Father's good pleasure, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make a dent in the devil's armour, mercy, Micah Maddox, negative word, New Year's hangover, our hope is in God's word, prosper, reach out in faith and take God's hand, riddled with anxious thoughts, sitting on our fannies, succeed, Thursday Blessings, to give you the kingdom, turn to god's word over and over again, what time I am afraid I will trust in thee, wisdom
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Aye friends, can you believe it’s already Thursday? How can it be eh, when I just wrote and harangued you about being prepared for Monday? (smile) But it seems like this year of 2024 is very intent on moving along quickly, as unbelievably, it’s also the 25th of the month, when some of us haven’t even gotten over our New Year’s hangover. (smile) That means we cannot afford to be lazy and procrastinating, we have to get up and spritely go about Christ’s work, for the devil and his evil cohorts are not sitting on their laurels, they are up and about their business, that’s why our world is in such an evil mess.
We ambassadors and agents, disciples and believers in Christ need to do the same, and possibly even more, if we expect to make a dent in the devil’s armour and prosperity. Let’s also remember our New Year’s Resolution; to get more intimate with Jesus. We cannot do that if we’re just sitting on our fannies enjoying the comfortable life. So please get up and get a move on. We all know what we’re supposed to do to, so let’s do it nuh. End of Sermon! (smile)
And since I still have some scriptures on fear fighting faith, or vise vera, I’ve decided we can use another day of them. And believe me, we all can use them in these fear mongering times.
As this commentary from the biblestudytools.com website by Micah Maddox reminds and warns us: ‘Fear isn’t something new we are dealing with in our lifetime. We can trace fear all the way back to the very beginning, when the evil one tempted Eve in the garden. At his sly request of questioning God’s truth, fear was ignited in Eve’s heart, and she took the bite of fruit, believing the devil was right. Fear is sneaky, quick, and sometimes debilitating. The hope we have is that God’s Word gives us everything we need to fight against the fears that seem to come at us at the most inconvenient times.
We do not have to live riddled with anxious thoughts, heart-pumping doubts, and mind-racing possibilities. We can live at peace with ourselves and with God, but we have to practice using our faith muscle. It does not mean we try to do more good than bad, or try to check every box of our holiness checklists in hopes that we out-do someone less holy than us. It means we turn to God’s Word over and over again and we receive the truth and the promises He gives us when fear threatens to take us down. Here are seven verses to help us fight the battle of turning to faith over fear.’
And I’ll only use a couple of those verses, for I’ve already used the others she suggests. The first one being the reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 56, when the Philistines took him in Gath. He faithfully wrote: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) Now those are mighty powerful words of faith especially when you are living amongst your most deadly enemies, because you have nowhere else to turn. But Bruh David believed them, as he contrasted his threating enemies against his faithful God. And the Lord obviously made a way for him to get out of that scary situation.
And the commentary on those verses reads: ‘ Choosing faith is choosing to trust God no matter what. It’s not that everything will be perfect or that everything will work out great. It’s in the moment of fear, we know where to turn. It’s not to Google, to a three-step process, a book, a mentor, or even a friend. It’s knowing when we are afraid to turn to Jesus because He is the one who can calm our anxious hearts.’ Now that’s the gospel truth my people! And if you haven’t learned that most valuable lesson as yet, you’d better get on with learning it, otherwise you’re going to fall flat on your face in this evil and ungodly world.
Next up is this marvellous verse from Isaiah, where the Lord assures us: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now that gets straight to the point; don’t fear, I am thy God and I will help you with my powerful right hand! It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. And I do like the commentary that Ms. Maddox gives per that verse. ‘God’s hand is a beautiful picture we find in Scripture. When we talk about having faith in God and in God’s hand in each situation, there is an instruction that often precedes the idea of trust.
It is “fear not.” It’s easy to say but difficult to live out. But over and over God’s Word says, “Fear not.” The question we might follow up with is, but how? How do we fear not when everything around us calls us to questions, fear, and doubt? The answer is found in focusing our hearts and minds on what is true about God and about God’s promises. God is with us. God gives strength. God gives help. God holds us. His hand is not clenched closed seeing if we will survive. He is stretching out His hand to lift us up, hold us, and make sure we are going to make it.’ The problem then is for us to reach out in faith and take the strengthening hand God offers. And that’s left solely up to us.
Now here’s the last verse for today, simple but powerful words of Jesus as recorded in Luke. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32) More awesome words of reassurance from our Lord and Saviour. If He says so, then it’s obviously so, as the words of this commentary explain: ‘This Bible verse reminds us that God always has our best interests in mind and that eventually, the kingdom of heaven will be ours. Throughout the Scriptures, He promises this to those faithful to Him. It is short and direct, making it one of the great Bible verses on faith over fear.’
Ah mih people, let’s hope that all these thoughts and scripture verses on faith that we’ve gone through over the last few days bring reassurance to our souls and spirits in these fearful times. And they won’t unless we know them and put them to good use. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings so that we can activate the many undeserved blessings the Lord has showered down on us to do His earthly work.
As one sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s now our duty to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!
…faith can indeed diffuse fear…but only if we take the necessary action…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
04 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, after one time is two, curse, exposes its evil soul, faith, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, holy spirit, I am the good shepherd, I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, In the beginning was the Word, Jesus Christ, jumping for joy, light pierces darknessto its very core, LOVE, negative word, only Christ can guide us through tough times, prosper, shall have the light of life, succeed, supernatural wisdom, take sunshine for granted, the darkness comprehend it not, the darkness of sin, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the guiding light of Christ, the life was the light of men, the light shineth in the darkness, the Son of God, the sun is shining, the Word was God, the Word was with God, Thursday Blessings, truth, what ain't meet you ain't pass you, whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, wisdom
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Well, well, well! If it isn’t the sun! Brother, I was almost blinded earlier on when I peeked through my window blinds and saw bright sunshine! Imagine that nuh! After two weeks of nothing but dark, damp, wet, cloudy weather with a li’l snow thrown in for good measure, Father Sun has finally condescended to grace us with His presence. In my entire life, I’ve never gone two weeks with out seeing the sun, not even an occasional touch of it peeking through the clouds. But as the ole people would say, after one time is two, and what ain’t reach you ain’t pass you. (smile)
And it’s surely been an interesting though somewhat discombobulating experience when all through Christmas and New Year’s it’s only dark, damp, wet and cloudy weather. At least we had a somewhat white New Years…but even then the sun was noticeably absent, for usually when you get a new snowfall, the sun comes out bright and shiny the next day, even if it’s cold. So, the moral of the story is that we never know what we have until we lose it. We have always taken sunshine for granted, but I guess now we know better, and will appreciate it even more when we receive it. End of monologue! (smile)
Now that’s why I have to warn us of the importance of having Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, for it’s only with His comfort and perseverance that we can make it through such uncomfortable times. He is the ONLY ONE who can, and will guide us with a LOVING hand through the auspices of His Holy Spirit which indwells us. Satan won’t do it. In fact he’ll be glad, jumping for joy when we go through those periods of darkness, both literally and figuratively, because he is the prince of darkness and that’s all he wants us to experience, not the bright light that’s Jesus.
Remember the opening words of John’s gospel? ‘In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.’ (John 1:1-5) Yes friends, Jesus brought light to the children of men, who, unfortunately, did not understand or accept it.
Even when He personally declared (yesss!!!) to those around Him: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) They still did not believe Him, and the Pharisees even disputed His authority, because He witnessed to Himself. But who else was going to witness for Jesus in this dark and sinful world eh? Nobody! Not until some of us saw His miraculous works and believed that He was indeed the light of the world.
And what does Jesus being the light of the world really mean? This commentary puts it quite nicely and concisely. (smile) ‘We can’t see our future, direction, or destination, but Jesus can. Like the lighthouse guided the ship, Jesus directs us toward God’s light. The light of Christ guides us through the darkness of sin, life, and struggle both spiritually and literally.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Without the guiding light of Christ we cannot make it successfully through this evil and sinful world!
And sadly, those who don’t believe that Jesus is the light of the world and adhere to His desires and dictates will only find themselves living marginalized lives down here on earth and eventually being eternally separated from God when this life is over. I truly don’t know why we keep on listening to Satan and believing all his lies, for just like he deceived our forefathers Adam and Eve in the Garden eon’s ago, that’s still his heartfelt purpose to this day. He’s only using us as bait, trying to get revenge against God for kicking him out of heaven when he tried to overthrow Him, and takes great pleasure when we rebel against God.
But please listen to Jesus on the subject of Satan’s vengeful desires. ‘The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:10-11) Yes friends, Christ showed His sincerity by sacrificing His sinless life for us on the cross of Calvary, so that we could have the option of eternal life. But Satan is nothing but a liar and a cheat, with nothing but destruction on his mind, while Jesus is about bringing life and light to all!
Now which one would you rather serve eh? The deceiver and the destroyer, or the Giver of life and light? Wisdom would dictate that you serve the latter, Jesus Christ, because He’s the One who appears to LOVE and cherish those who follow Him, and even more importantly has the power of eternal life in His resurrected body. As he said to Martha, Lazarus’ sister, when she was admonishing Him for not coming sooner to save her brother. ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live. And whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26)
Oh friends, that’s a very good question, and one which we should also ask ourselves at this present time, and for our sakes, sincerely fashion an answer that resembles Martha’s. ‘She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:27) And with those fateful and faithful words ringing in our ears, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, activating undeserved blessing generously bestowed on us by God to do his earthly work.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it’s our duty now to go out and use them, just as generously, to help others come to the light and life of Christ! Much LOVE!
…darkness tries to hide from light…but it can’t…for light pierces darkness right to its very core and exposes its evil soul…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: believe not every spirit, bow to the master of darkness, clear direction for my life, climate change, curse, English weather, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, faith, favour, get a foothold in our lives, greater is he that is in you, he that knoweth God heareth us, holy spirit, is of God, Jesus Christ, LOVE, many false prophets are in the world, mercy, negative word, positive outlook on life, prosper, renounce God's presence, Seasonal Affective disorder, spirit of the antichrist, succeed, than he that is in the world, the spirit of error, the spirit of the antichrist, the Spirit of truth, therefore speak they of the world, they are of the world, Thursday Blessings, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, we are of God, ye are of God
1 John 4:4b. … greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Brother! Can you believe it’s another wet, drizzly, cloudy day? It’s at least the sixth day in a row that we haven’t had even a hint of sunshine. No wonder SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) takes its toll during such long durations of gloomy, uninspiring weather. I have a light on the deck in my backyard to frighten away animals at night, it runs on solar power, but I haven’t seen it lit for a while now, because there’s been no sunlight to recharge its battery. I believe this is what is known as English weather. (smile) And it’s a sure sign of climate change, if all we’re getting at the end of December is light rain and absolutely no snow.
Now, it’s highly unlikely that we won’t get any snow at all, but by this time of year, we’ve usually had a few snowfalls. And yet many people still doubt the fact that climate change is occurring. As always though, when we don’t hear, we feel. But that’s also why we have Jesus as Lord and Saviour; to guide and protect us, to lead us in the way everlasting; in the way of truth and righteousness! Without Him, none of that is possible, for we cannot live a righteous and truthful life in our own strength, especially not with the immense pressure being exerted in these evil times for mankind to renounce the presence of Almighty God and bow to the master of darkness, Beelzebub himself!
And John, in his first epistle explains that though Satan is fighting to gain power over us, we have all the tools to resist him He writes: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1) And that last phrase is the absolute truth my people; false teachers and prophets abound in these ungodly and evil times, and thus numerous spirits are flitting about trying to get a foothold in our lives.
And yes, the Holy Spirit of God does assure us, but with the many spirits that are currently out and about trying to wreak even more havoc and chaos than is already happening, we still need to be very careful what and whom we listen to, and test whatever we hear. So John explains how we can test those spirits. ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:2-3)
Now we need to make a distinction between the person of ‘The Antichrist’ who is supposed to reign in terror over the world during the Great Tribulation, and what John is talking about here, more like a group, a body of ‘antichrists’ who are already in the world deceiving people and turning them away from the truth of God. The scholars tell us that ‘John’s opponents may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son who came in flesh was also one with the Father. This position was held by many Gnostics. John says that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come in the flesh. Jesus himself speaks of those who call Him “Lord” but are false followers. (Matt. 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)’
Yes friends, there are many around who pretend to be Christians, but are not true followers of Christ, just using His name for their own personal purposes. And per the Gnostics spoken of above: It’s said that ‘Gnosticism is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the proto-orthodox teachings, traditions, and authority of religious institutions.’
And John continues: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And that’s no lie! Christ who indwells believers is greater than Satan who is trying to cause chaos amongst us. But because we are born of God, and Christ has already defeated Satan, we don’t have to be afraid, just make sure that we are diligent in our worldly dealings. ‘They (those ruled by the spirit of the antichrist) are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.’ (1 John 4:5-6)
It’s obvious that those who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist will find the world’s teaching more appealing than the truth of God. And the scholars explain verse six thus: ‘Those who acknowledge the truth of the apostolic (New Testament) witness to Christ will recognize and conform to the teaching John is presenting. Those who do not, are animated by a common and unifying spirit of error. John warns the readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ proclaims.’
Oh my people, our world today is full of heresy, blasphemy and outright lies about our faith, but we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Giver of eternal life and all the other wonderful things like grace and mercy, provided through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in each and every believer. Therefore, we do not need to fear what the world says about us, or does to us, we just need to keep on faithfully believing, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and be careful of whom and what we let into our lives. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, we’re now obligated to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to truly know Christ and be fruitful in Him…one must be obedient to the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
02 Nov 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a man sent from god, actions speak louder than words, calls men to accountability, courage, curse, death and eternal damnation, eternal life, faith, favour, free will, freedom comes with consequences, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, holy spirit, How high Lord, I am the light of the world, I am the resurrection and the life, in him was life, Jesus Christ, Jesus' revelation of God, John the Baptist, LOVE, negative word, positive outlook on life, prosper, salvation, salvation is not automatic, salvation is universally available, shall have the light of life, succeed, that all men through him might believe, that cometh into the world, the devil's highway, the life was the light of men, the option of salvation, the straight and narrow path, though he were dead yet shall he live, Thursday Blessings, to bear witness of that Light, truth, which lighteth every man
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
And the days move along as the Lord planned them; after Wednesday comes Thursday and so on and so forth! (smile) But ours is not to question how the Lord runs His universe, ours is just to accept His dictates and when He says jump, to obediently ask; ‘How high Lord?’ Yes friends, we do have free will, freedom to choose whatever we want, but please note that freedom comes with many serious consequences. The Lord wants us to use that free will He’s given us to choose His straight and narrow way, not the devil’s highway that only leads to death and eternal damnation.
Now, let’s hope that this Thursday morning in early November, we have indeed chosen God’s path. That’s why He sent His only Son, Christ Jesus to earth, to die on the cross and give us the option of salvation and eternal life with Him. And only the foolish and unwise will reject that marvellous option so painstakingly earned for us by Jesus.
And before we were waylaid by the Holy Spirit yesterday and made to change tack, (smile) we were looking at the amazing word picture that John draws of our Lord and Saviour in the opening chapter of his gospel. So let’s get back to that nuh, because it’s ever so important to understand as much as possible about Jesus, if we truly intend to be His disciples. And yesterday we understood that Jesus was the Word of God, was with God from the beginning of time, and was also God, therefore He had a hand in making the entire universe. (John 1:1-3)
Then John continues: ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended (apprehended) it not.’ (John 1:4-5) Oh friends those few words contain so much important information about Jesus. He had the spirit of eternal life, the light that shone in the darkness of men’s lives. He came to share that life and light with mankind, but mankind was so dark and evil that they refused to accept the light and life He offered. And the scholars explain: ‘In John’s writings, life represents salvation and deliverance through Christ, and light denotes Jesus’ revelation of God which calls men to accountability.’
Thus John was able to continue: ‘There was a man sent from God, whose name was John (John the Baptist). The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.’ (John 1:6-9) Please note how John the disciple and gospel writer ensures that his readers understood that John the Baptist was not the true Light, but just a prophet sent to bear witness of the true Light that was to later come into the world.
And the scholars tell us that the phrase ‘Lighteth every man means that God’s revelation is universally available. It does not signify universal salvation (cf. vs. 12; 3:18,36)’ That means salvation is not an automatic occurrence, but it’s available for all and sundry to accept. And I think it’s time we get down and dirty with some scriptures that prove John’s contention about Him being the light and life of the world. And they all come from Christ Himself. Please listen closely as Jesus declares (yesss!!!) some divine truths.
After forgiving an adulterous woman in front of the hypocritical Pharisees, he said to them: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) Obviously the Pharisees disagreed, contending that He was tooting His own horn. But He put them in their place as usual, explaining things they could not, or refused to understand. Later on, Jesus passed a man blind from birth, and the disciples asked who had sinned to cause him to be blind from birth?
‘Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in (revealed through) him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ (John 9:3-5) And yuh know what means my fellow believers; while Jesus was here on earth, He was the light of the world, but once He returned to heaven, that job fell to us believers.
Yes, we are supposed to be the light of the world and show that light, the salvation of Jesus to all those who live in darkness, in unbelief! However, it seems like we’re not doing such a good job because instead of getting brighter, our world is getting darker and darker with each passing day. That means we need to seriously evaluate ourselves and make the necessary changes so that we can improve our discipleship.
Then, when Jesus eventually came to Bethany after the death of His friend Lazarus, and Martha was taking issue with Him for not coming sooner, because He could have saved Lazarus. Jesus said to her: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:25-26)
Oh my people, that is the very question that Christ is asking each of us this Thursday morning in November 2023: do we sincerely and truly believe in Him; in whom He says He is? It’s a question we ought to spend some time today seriously pondering, because many of us say we believe, but that’s only with our mouths, for our hearts and actions give a totally different picture, and that’s also why our lights don’t shine as brightly as they should, neither is our salt as flavourful as it ought to be!
Yes my fellow saints, we need to grab that baton that Jesus passed on to us when He returned to heaven and keep running the strong race that He set as an example for us, so that when He returns He’ll find lots of faith here, more light than darkness because of our magnificent efforts. Please, please, let’s get together and do better nuh. After all that Jesus suffered on our behalf, we simply cannot let Him down by doing so much less than we are capable of. And He’s so generous that He’s even given us blessings that we don’t deserve to help us do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s activate them by declaring (steups!!!) them out loud right now!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Oh friends, with all those marvellous blessings at our command, it’s our duty now to go out and put them to work on Jesus’ behalf, just as generously as He bestowed them upon us! Much LOVE!
…simply talking faith is useless…for actions speak louder than words…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
12 Oct 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a form of adoption, a gently ironythey shall be mine, abundance, all work and no play, blessings to be generously shared, bounden duty, courage, creativity, curse, Ephraim synonymous with Israel, gather yourselves together, generously shared, given the blessing to the younger son, grow in Christian maturity, hearken unto Israel your father, his brother shall be greater than he, his seed shall become a multitude of nations, LOVE, negative word, prosper, succeed, talent, the sons of Israel, the two Josephite tribes, Thursday Blessings, ye sons of Jacob
Genesis 49:2. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
And I can’t believe it’s already Thursday! This week sure has passed very quickly. I guess that’s because Monday was the Thanksgiving holiday and when we’re in holiday or party mode we don’t notice the days fly by. When it’s all work and no play though, it’s a different story. (smile) Anyway, it’s a nice sunny day in my area and life seems to be unfurling as the Creator of the universe planned it. So, let’s give thanks and enjoy what we have, while raising our level of Christian maturity, for many others have much less than we do, and are much contented than we are.
And with those words of wisdom, (smile) let’s turn to the intriguing story of Bruh Joseph and see what happens in today’s episode. Yesterday we left Bruh Joseph in a state of some displeasure and wonder because His father Jacob had blessed his sons, but in the wrong sequence. He had given the blessing of the first born with his right hand to the younger son Ephraim and the lesser blessing with his left hand, to the oldest son Manasseh. Why? According to Jacob: ‘he (Manasseh) also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.’ (Gen. 48:19)
So, Bruh Joseph was overruled by his father. And yesterday we noticed where unlike when Isaac been almost blind had wrongly blessed the scheming Jacob, dressed up in hairy goat skins, thinking him to be Esau, Jacob was quite aware of what he was doing, when he blessed Bruh Joseph’s sons in the unconventional order. Why he did it, no one knows for sure, but the scholars have some theories which we promised to share today if God spared life. And since He has blessedly done that, let’s see what the scholars have to offer.
They say: ‘There is a gentle irony in the fact that on just such an occasion as this Jacob had exercised his guile in his youth (Ch. 27). Once more we have an example of the firstborn’s blessing being given to the younger brother; but in this instance there is no bitterness, resentment, or scheming (cf. Prov. 10:22) They shall be mine has been taken as a form of adoption on the part of Jacob in relation to Manasseh and Ephraim. The purpose may have been to give an inheritance to someone who was not automatically qualified, even though the father already had heirs of his own.
But they shall be mine may only mean that the grandfather welcomed the two latest additions into the clan which he headed. Or it may mean that the passage simply concerns inheritance, as verse 6 indicates. In that case, Jacob was using his paternal authority to enable Joseph’s sons to inherit directly from their grandfather, rather than from Joseph. This act would honour (his wife) Rachel’s memory by giving her three tribal territories in the Promised Land.’ Even to his dying day Jacob seems to show that amongst his several wives, Rachel was his first and only LOVE.
Whatever the reason though, Bruh Jospeh’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim are to this day numbered among the sons of Israel and when the Promised Land was divided amongst the twelve tribes, their names were featured in the division instead of their father’s. But they are still known as the two Josephite tribes.
The scholars then inform us that the greater ‘blessing of Jacob on Ephraim became evident during the time of the judges. By this time it had increased in number and power so that it exercised leadership among the 10 northern tribes. Later the name Ephraim became equal to the name Israel (cf. Is. 7:2; Hos. 4:17; 13:1).’ In other words, when you spoke of Ephraim, it came mean all the tribes of Israel. So, Jacob was right in his prognosis of the power of the two of Bruh Joseph’s sons.
Now, after blessing Bruh Joseph’s two sons, the Bible tells us that Jacob turned to him. ‘And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to thee one portion (shoulder) above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.’ (Gen. 48:21-22) There again, we see how Jacob favoured Bruh Joseph, giving him more inheritance than his siblings.
And we’ll end today episode with these interesting words from the Good Library. ‘And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.’ (Gen. 49:1-2) And I like that even on his death bed, Jacob was still full of enough spunk and backbone to command his sons’ attention! Then he blessed each son, in the order of their birth. And it’s amazing how all his blessings and prophecies came through. Tomorrow, as always, if God spares life, we’ll check out some of those blessings.
Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) the underserved favour we call our Thursday Blessings, that have been generously bestowed on us to do God’s work. As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) let’s now go out and put those blessings to work in the lives of others as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us! That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…blessings are not meant to be selfishly kept…but to be generously shared…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Jun 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, curse, divine protection, easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, if thou wilt be perfect, is not life more than meat, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, it's hard for a rich man to enter heaven, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, let them have dominion, LOVE, money can't buy heavenly things, more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory, negative word, no man can serve two masters, promotion, prosper, remember the Lord thy god, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-control, sell that thou hast and give to the poor, succeed, surrender everything to God, take no thought for your life, the birds don't sow or reap, the body more than raiment, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the lilies of the field neither toil nor spin, the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, thieves break through and steal, thou say in thine heart, Thursday Blessings, we are managers and stewards not owners, where moth and rust doth corrupt, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).
Well, we’ve moved on to Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, and in my area it’s slated to be mostly cloudy, somewhat cool and windy. And I must say the last few days have been more spring-like, with cooler temps and some cloudy periods with rain, than it was earlier in the month with all that sunshine and warmth. But that’s how it is with life; what you don’t get now, you’ll get later, and vice versa. (smile) And no, I haven’t forgotten that we are supposed to continue talking about the value and importance of learning how to handle money, as prescribed in the Good Library.
Now I don’t know if this is true, but someone once said that Jesus talked about money more than anything else in His earthly ministry. But He did talk some about money, so let’s see what He had to say on the subject. And the first and possibly the most important of Jesus’ sayings about money is this: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal) to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (riches, money).’ (Matt. 6:24)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! We cannot serve God and run down material wealth too, although many of us are trying to do just that. God wants to be involved in EVERYTHING we do, so we can’t leave Him out to pursue money, then come back to Him when we feel like.
And here are possibly the two most important quotes in the whole Bible about money and material wealth. The first are the opening words of Psalm 24, as Bruh David says it loud and clear. ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness 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) Yes friends, that tells us in no uncertain terms that the earth and all therein belongs to God Almighty, who created it and still controls it. So whatever we have doesn’t really belong to us, we are just stewards, managers of it on this earth.
And maybe this verse from right at the beginning of creation might help us to remember who’s the real BOSS! ‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ (Gen 1:26) Please note that God made it all and gave us dominion, or charge over it, He did not say it was ours.
And the next verses we should hallow or think on, when we consider getting earthly riches, are these two spoken by Moses to the children of Israel. He warns them about getting swell headed when they get prosperous. ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish (confirm) his covenant which he sware unto thy father, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18) So there we have it, we don’t get wealth by our power, but through the Lord’s, because it all belongs to Him anyway.
Now let’s get back to some of Jesus’ teaching on money. And just before He spoke about not being able to serve God and mammon or money, He warned. ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through and steal.’ (Matt. 6:19-20)
Now there’s wisdom for the ages! When you accumulate earthly wealth a lot of it deteriorates with age, or the possibilities are great for thieves to steal it, but in heaven there’s neither moth nor rust nor thieves, so if you desire to accumulate treasure, the best place to do so is in heaven! And in His teachings on worry right after that, Jesus also declares (yesss!!!): ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for (do not worry about) your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat (food), and the body more than raiment (clothing)?’ (Matt. 6:25)
Now that’s a good question. If we don’t worry about food and clothes how will we survive, and we need money to provide those things for ourselves and our families. And to further make His point, Jesus points out how the birds fly around without sowing or reaping, but they eat and live well because God looks after them. Likewise, the lilies of the field, they don’t toil or spin, but they’re even more beautiful than Cousin Sol in all his glory. and Cousin Sol was sure a sight to behold! (smile)
Then Jesus reasons that if the Lord looks after those things of His universe that are not as important as us, why wouldn’t He also take good care of us, since He knows all that we need. Then He comes to the proviso, the thing necessary for that to happen. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt, 6:33) Now that’s the big one friends. If we want all that God has to offer, then we need to seek Him and his righteousness first, and keep it first place always. And it isn’t that we ought not to work, we should, as 2 Thess. 3:10, and 1 Tim. 5:8 tell us, but that we should stop worrying and learn to trust God.
Now, we only have space and time left for one more of Jesus’ pronouncements on money. And this is indeed a hard one, where He says to the rich young ruler who had everything and kept the law as best he could, but was seeking eternal life. ‘Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.’ (Matt. 19:21) It’s obvious that the young man went away sad because he had a lot of wealth. Then Jesus went on to tell the disciples how it was hard for a rich man to enter heaven and it was easier for a camel to pass through the eyes of a needle, and with God all things are possible. etc. (Matt. 19:23-30)
But what we’re concerned with here is why Jesus said those tough words to the young man. And this commentary explains it well. ‘These words of Jesus were not given as a general command to all His followers. Rather, they were spoken to a certain rich young ruler who wanted to inherit eternal life. But that doesn’t mean they don’t apply to us today. Jesus’ concern had to do with the grip the man’s wealth had on His heart. If He couldn’t let it go, then He could never really surrender everything to God. What about you? If Jesus asked you to give up everything, would you be able to do so?’
And isn’t that a marvellous question, which all of us are hoping that Jesus never asks us to do, since we all have a fair amount of earthly stuff, to which we’ve become fairly attached. (smile) But that’s a thought for another day, right now, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings which have been given to us to do Christ’s earthly work.
Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And it’s now our bounden duty to get out into the evil and ungodly world and share those blessings just as generously with others as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…money can buy earthly things…but it cannot buy the things of heaven…let’s remember that…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
11 May 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lengthening of thy tranquility, a sentence of madness, abominable sins, abuse God's goodwill, Blessed be the name of God, break off thy sins by righteousness, brought forth water out of the rock of flint, by the might of my power, compassionate heart, curse, eating grass like an ox, for the honour of my majesty, for wisdom and might are his, free will, get rid of God, he changeth the times and the seasons, he removeth kings, he setteth up kings, if ye forget the Lord thy god, it is he that giveth thee the power to get wealth, LOVE, Nebuchadnezzar, negative word, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, prosper, succeed, the house of bondage, thine heart be lifted up, thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, thou forget the Lord thy God, thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, Thursday Blessings, too big for our britches, walk after other gods, where there was no water, ye shall surely perish
Deuteronomy 8:18a. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,
Now is it possible for us to get four consecutive days of glorious sunshine in this wet and cloudy spring season…although the supposed experts are saying that it might be mostly cloudy? And the answer is a very affirmative YES! Because they don’t control the weather, but our Lord and Saviour Jesus does, and He can cause it to be totally sunny after all. Praise His holy name!
Yes friends, our great God can do anything He so desires. He desired to create this universe and all therein, and that’s exactly what He did. He desired to give His greatest creation free will, knowing that we could and would abuse it, but He didn’t want a set of robots, so He took the chance on us. And we did abuse His goodwill…and are doing so to this very day…possibly even more so than at any other time of our existence, for now we desire to totally get rid of our Creator.
What kind of gratitude is that eh? None whatsoever! Especially after He gifted us with the life of His sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our abominable sins and thus have the option of being reconciled back to him through His awesome grace, mercy and forgiveness. But no, we’ve gotten so big for our britches, falsely believing that all the advancements and great wealth we’ve built up in our society to be our doing, and not rightly the Lord’s, through His guidance and direction.
Remember Moses’ warning to the children of Israel, about when they went into the Promised Land and got wealthy? ‘Then thine heart be lifted up (you become proud), and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint.
Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove (test) thee, to do thee good at thy latter end. And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:14-18)
Now, Moses was talking there to the young group of Israelites who were born in the wilderness during the forty wandering years. That’s because the Lord decreed that none who came out of Egypt beside Joshua and Caleb, not even Moses, would enter the Promised Land, for all their disobedience and disgusting behaviour, despite His amazing LOVING-kindness towards them.
But sadly, that is exactly what that young group did when they got in there and got wealthy. They forgot Moses’ warnings, and promptly moved away from the God of their fathers, turned to idols and worshipped the gods of the nations around them, whom the Lord had specifically told them not to associate with, because He knew that was exactly what would happen.
They obviously did not pay heed to these ending words of Moses’ message. ‘And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish, because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord you God.’ (Deut. 8:19-20) And perish they did, every time they turned away from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they underwent some disastrous calamity.
And believe me friends, that is exactly what’s happening to us today. Look at the chaos in our current society, it all stems from a rejection of Almighty God! He might not be doing it personally, but He’s certainly not stopping us from destroying ourselves, which we would not be doing, if we were living in the LOVE, mercy and forgiveness that He desires of us. What amazes me though, is that every time the Israelites turned away from God and suffered for it, they eventually turned back to Him and were restored in His fellowship.
However, our generation is too proud and arrogant to even consider doing that. We were once a godly society, going along very well, then like Satan we got too proud because of the advancements we were making. Next thing we want to kick out God because we think it’s our own doing. Let me remind us though of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, who at one time was the most powerful man in the world. He had a dream and the prophet Daniel warned him of its negative consequences if he continued in a certain line of behaviour.
Daniel’s parting words were: ‘Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness (by being righteous), and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening (prolonging) of thy tranquility.’ (Dan. 4:27) But the king did not listen, and a year later, while walking in the palace, He ‘spake and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom (a royal dwelling) by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?’ (Dan. 4:30)
But lo and behold, while the king was speaking, a sentence of madness was right then being pronounced on him, by the Lord God Jehovah. And yes, he was a pagan king, but even pagan kings get power through the hands of the Lord God Jehovah. Remember Daniel’s words when he received the meaning of the king’s dreams. ‘Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his. And he changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up (raises up) kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know (have) understanding.’ (Dan. 2:20-21)
Yes, whatever happens in the universe comes under the eventual control of Almighty God, regardless of race, creed, colour or culture. That very day, Neb was sentenced to seven years of madness, to eating grass like an ox, ‘until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomever he will.’ (Dan. 4:32) And after seven years of madness, Neb’s senses were reverted, and he praised the Lord God with such enthusiasm. ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement (justice), and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:37)
Oh my people why can’t we learn from the examples of the Israelites and Nebuchadnezzar and turn back to the God of our fathers’, who LOVES us so much that He even sent His Son to die to pay for our sins. It’s the only wise move we can make in these very trying times. And for those of us who are attempting to do just that, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, blessings that have been generously bestowed on us by our heavenly Father to help us do His earthly work.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, let’s get out into the evil world and use those blessings to make a positive difference in Christ’s name. Remember friends, it all depends on us! Much LOVE!
…the three attributes for man’s wellbeing…obedience…obedience…obedience…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the riches of his grace, But God commendeth his love toward us, celebrate the triumphant resurrection of Christ, Christ died for us, clear direction for my life, crapaud smoke we pipe, curse, Easter, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, God's supernatural wisdom, got the wheels rolling, his nail-pierced hands, Jesus' sacrificial work, justification, LOVE, negative word, not redeemed with corruptible things, prosper, received the atonement, recociliation, redemption, redemption though his blood, S.O.L, sanctification, self-control, separating the sinner from his sin, spring has sprung, succeed, the birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, the keys of hades, the lamb that was slain for us, the precious blood of Christ, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday Blessings, we will rejoice and be glad in it, while we were yet sinners, while we were yet sinners christ died for us
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Here’s looking at you with LOVE and great expectations, the first Thursday after Easter! You’ve opened so bright and sunny, and so warm too, about 19 degrees Celsius, that for the first time in many a month I can open my windows and allow the cool fresh air to flow through the house! Wow! What a pleasure! Only those who have ever experienced it, know the wonderful feeling of being able to open windows instead of keeping them tightly shut. But it’s all a part of living in the northern climes, and it does provide for some variable and interesting though not always pleasant times. (smile)
And in my neck of the woods this is definitely a day to say, with grateful truth: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Oh friends, it seems like spring is truly and finally here…Praise the Lord! The birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, while flitting about their own lives, and the flora is beginning to turn green again, awaking from its long winter snooze, and let’s hope that that new life is also blossoming in us believers, especially since spring has sprung right at Easter time, when we celebrate the triumphant resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who, having defeated hell, death and the grave, now has the keys to hades in His nail-pierced hands!
And all God’s people gave a joyful shout of: ‘Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain for us, whose blood was shed to pay for our iniquity! Sing Hallelujah to His precious and glorious name!’ Yes, my fellow believers, we ought to be so grateful to Jesus for the selfless, sacrificial work He did on our behalf at Easter. No one else could have done it…even if they felt so inclined, for He was the only sinless soul, who could pay for our abominable sins. And yuh know what? We haven’t even spoken of the Father’s great LOVE for us as yet, which caused that marvellous debt repayment.
Oh my, my! It was indeed the Father’s unconditional LOVE for His sinful creation that got the wheels rolling, and then Jesus’ obedience to, and LOVE for the Father, that eventually made it happen. And oh how great was that rolling of wheels that rolled on to our redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation and sanctification! Ah my fellow saints, that certainly deserves another Wow! Just imagine nuh, that the death and resurrection of one individual could cause all those marvellous things to happen in our lives nuh. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s look at some scriptures that prove it.
As per redemption, listen to Peter pontificate on the subject. (smile) ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet. 1:18-21)
And all of God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest! Amen!’ And as per forgiveness, Bruh Paul says it loud and clear in Ephesians, speaking of the Father through Jesus. ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (as sons) by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace or favour) upon us. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding).’ (Eph. 1:5-8)
Yes friends, Almighty God with wisdom and understanding, through His awesome grace, forgave our sins because the shed blood of Jesus paid the requisite up-scale price for them. No one, or nothing else could have paid the horrendous high price involved. So please let’s show our eternal gratitude by living sincerely and enthusiastically for Jesus nuh. He’s sacrificed so much for us. And the scholars offer this interesting note on forgiveness. They say, ‘The word forgiveness literally means “to send off or away.” In Scripture this means separating the sinner from his sin. God accomplishes forgiveness by transferring our sin to Christ on the cross and judging it there. When an individual receives Christ as Saviour, he is forgiven by means of this transfer.’
And, as per justification, listen to these marvellous and oh so encouraging words from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified (made right) by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, (having) being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:6-11)
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve! Now which other supposed god would ever make their only Son die for his followers’ wrongdoing eh? NONE whatsoever! Only the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has the ability and the LOVE for His people to perform such a miraculous, amazing and LOVING feat! And we should be everlastingly grateful for it, not the offhanded, unconcerned manner so many of us supposed believers exhibit. Anyway, we still have two things to go, reconciliation and sanctification, and since time and space are in short supply, we’ll tackle them tomorrow, God willing, of course.
And no, the mention of reconciliation above, was not the scripture I want to share. Meanwhile, for those of us who truly are trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us to do God’s earthly work. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And now, having activated those blessings, we’re duty bound to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for God’s great LOVE for us…we’d certainly be S.O.L… crapaud would certainly be smoking we pipe… (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Mar 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sinless soul, acquainted with grief, all we like sheep have gone astray, an unblemished lamb, blessing and cursing, blossomed forth with sunshine, borne our griefs, by the death of his Son, choose life, curse, dampening our lives and spirits, despised, divine promotion, esteem him stricken smitten of God, eternal damnation, eternal separation from God, God commendeth his own love toward us, I am the vine ye are the branches, life light and resurrection of Jesus, LOVE, made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, negative word, prosper, quell our enthusiasm, reconciled to God, rejected, saved by his life, self-control, so that you and your seed might live, succeed, the chastisement of our peace, the iniquity of us all, the Lord hath laid on him, the Prince of Peace, the way the truth and the life, Thursday 's Blessings, turned every one to his own way, we esteemed him not, while we were yet sinners christ died for us, with his stripes we are healed, without me ye can do nothing
Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And it’s another sunshiny day to give thanks for! Glory to God my brethren! Thursday has blossomed forth with sunshine and blue skies under the watchful eyes and hands of our wonderful Creator! That’s about four sunshiny days in row now. Wow! I can certainly handle that! (smile) Enough of the dark, damp, dreary weather which only tries to quell our enthusiasm and passion by dampening our lives and spirits.
It’s certainly time to accept the light, life and resurrection that’s so generously offered by Jesus Christ. Nowhere, and from no one else can you get all the good stuff He has to offer. He’s the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life, the good shepherd, the lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace and numerous other things that we don’t have time to venture into today. But just those few ought to give us a sense of how important Jesus is to mankind.
Most importantly though He is our Saviour: the One who gave His sinless life so that we could be saved from our abominable sinful situation! The One who took our sins on His sinless shoulders and gave us His righteousness! Mama Mia! It couldn’t get any more wonderful than that my fellow believers! As Bruh Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second missive: ‘For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Cor. 5:21)
Meanwhile, the prophet Isaiah said it this way long ago, when talking about a man of sorrows and a lamb to the slaughter. ‘He is despised and rejected of (forsaken, scorned by) men; a man of sorrows (severe pains), and acquainted with grief (sickness, injuries): and (because of his severe personal suffering) we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs (spiritual sickness), and caried our sorrows (severe pains): yet we did esteem (reckoned) him stricken, smitten of (struck down by) God.
But he was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, he was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities: the chastisement (correction, discipline) of our peace (with God) was upon him: and with his stripes (the blows that cut into His body) we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:3-6)
Yes friends, the Lord made Jesus to suffer for our sinfulness. Someone had to suffer, to pay for our sins if they were to be justly and righteously forgiven like the Lord desired. And only an unblemished lamb, a sinless soul could do that. And it just so happened that Jesus was the only sinless soul in existence. Thus, His sacrificial, but majestic and selfless role in our salvation. What amazing obedience Jesus showed in doing the Father’s bidding. But even more amazing is the LOVE the Father showed to us, His unworthy creation, by placing all our sins on the shoulders of His only Son, then imputing His righteousness to us.
Wow! As Bruh Paul puts it in his letter to the church at Rome: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated His own special) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being (having been) reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:8-11)
What a Man! What a Saviour! What a God! And that’s why we say, why we consistently maintain, we’re absolutely nothing without Christ! And He confirmed it when He declared (yesss!!!) ‘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)
Truer words were never spoken my people! For without Jesus, we’re just a bunch of reprobate sinners bound for eternal damnation in the fires of Hades. And, unfortunately, although we have Jesus and the marvellous options of heaven and eternal life with Him, many of us are still choosing hell fire and Satan. Now, you don’t have to consciously choose the devil, but once you reject Jesus, the Saviour, you are automatically bound for eternal separation from God, which I’ll remind us again, is the worst fate that can ever befall a human being.
So please, I plead with us to wise up and do what Moses told the Israelites. ‘I call heaven and earth to record (witness) this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed shall live.’ (Deut. 30:19) And now, for those of us who have chosen life, have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, and are doing our best to live for Him, it’s time to go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
So as one strong and sincere voice let’s loudly declare (yesss!!!) them, so that they can be activated. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having said all of that, let’s go out now and action those declarations (oh yesss!!!) just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that others can be gladly and joyfully shepherded into His wonderful fold. Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for Jesus…where would we end up eh…in hellfire with Satan…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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