14 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burning fire, a compassionate heart, a discerner of thoughts, a two-part being, abundance, activities of the mind, believers in Christ, body, bone structure, burns, challenges, Christian mandate, comforts, contradictory., courage, creativity, crooked places, curse, darkness, disturbs, divine protection, easy row to hoe, enlightens, eternal life, ever-LOVING God, faithful, favour, find, flying colours, frighten, glory to God, grace, handle any situation, harsh winter, health, in the name of Jesus, intentions, invigorates, Jeremiah, Jesus dwelling in us, joints and marrow, light, living, living God, living word, LOVE, mercy, merits of the Good Book, negative word, obey its commands, of the heart, One Year Book of Bible promises, persevere, philosophy, piercing, power, powerful, powerful weapon, preserved blameless, pungency, quick, reassures, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seek, self-control, self-discipline, sharper than any twoedged sword, soul and spirit, soul searching, spirit, stay strong, success, talent, the Book of All Books, the dividing asunder, the true way to, the Word of god, Thursday Blessings, topsy-turvy, tough things, white stuff, wisdom
Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.
And yes friends, a li’l more of that white stuff did fall overnight, but not so much that we can’t take it in our stride. (smile) And our world has become so topsy-turvy and contradictory these days, that even the weather people can’t agree on what kind of winter we’re going to have. Hn! One side claims it’s going to be rather harsh, while the other declares it’s going to be fairly mild. So whom do you believe eh?
But yuh know what, with Jesus richly dwelling within us, we can handle ANY kind of winter or situation that comes against us! Glory to God! Please remember that my people and stay strong when confronted by tough things and times, knowing that our wonderful, all knowing and ever-LOVING God will see us through them with His ever-flowing grace and mercy.
And I know that yesterday we had a poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings By Ruth Harms Calkin, but when I saw this one, I couldn’t resist sharing it, because in general it’s so appropriate. However, in particular, it is a soul searching, questioning piece that will hopefully open up our hearts and souls to the wonderful merits of the Good Book. It’s titled “Book of All Books.”
Please pray with me. ‘Lord, I am overwhelmed As I read Your living Word. What power, what pungency I find within its pages. It stirs me, burns with me It challenges me, invigorates me And often disturbs me. When I obey its commands The results are what You claim: Darkness becomes light Crooked places become straight
The more I seek, the more I find. Within its pages, God I see beyond mere philosophy I see beyond a neat package of ethics. I crash head-on with a living Person The One who makes all things new. No other book can claim as much.’
And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! No other Book that’s ever been written, or will ever be written will ever have the impact of the Bible, of the Living Word of the ONE, TRUE and ONLY Living God on humanity! And all of God’s people said a loud and proud ‘Amen!’
Yeh friends, the Word of God is extremely powerful! As the writer says, it stirs us up, challenges, invigorates, disturbs and also fires us up. How did Jeremiah put it? ‘But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones…’ (Jer.20:9)
Oh my faithful brethren, that’s exactly how the Word of our God should be in us; like a burning fire in our hearts, souls and bellies, ever present at the forefront of our lives, so that we can do justice to our claim of believers in Christ, and fulfill our Christian mandate.
And the Bible promise for that poem is also our Bit for today. ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (is able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’
Ah mih people, that just goes to show how powerful the Word of God is! It’s living, and more powerful and sharper than any man-made two-edged sword! Mama Yo! With the ability to divide and cut up the human body, right down to the joints and marrow, and discern our ungodly thoughts and evil intentions!
Brother! I wouldn’t want to come upon the Lord’s Word in the dark nuh! (smile) But yuh know what friends, when we do come upon the Word of the Lord, it doesn’t really frighten us, it works in the exact opposite way. It enlightens us, brings us out of our darkness, comforts, reassures us and shows us the true way to salvation and eternal life.
But enough of my speechifying, (smile) check out this info from the scholars on the ‘Immaterial Part of Man.’ ‘4:12. The writer here draws an interesting parallel between the joints and the marrow, which have different functions, yet both are part of a human’s bone structure. Thoughts and intents are also two distinct activities, yet both are activities of the mind. And while the soul and the spirit are distinct in function, both have an immaterial character.
When considering the nature of humanity, we must realize a person is a two-part being, that is, with body and soul. But in activity or function the body, soul, and spirit of a person each has a different function. Paul desired that his converts “whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess.5:23). (First Ref. Gen.2:7; Primary Ref. 1 Thess. 5:23; cf. Prov.4:23).’
Oh, I know from personal experience friends, that walking with Jesus is not an exactly easy row to hoe, but if we are faithful and truly believe and persevere, He will bring us through with flying colours. So please stand strong and steadfast! And please check out those references in the scholars info, they will provide a treasure trove of wisdom. (smile)
And what better way to end than by declaring all the wonderful blessings that our magnanimous God has showered down on us for being faithful followers. It’s ever so important that we speak our Thursday Blessings out loud, because a blessing is not a blessing until it’s been spoken; remember the power of God’s Word, which created the world and all therein.
All together now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And now that we’ve declared our Blessings, let’s go out and generously share them with others, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…God’s Word…the most powerful weapon in the universe…don’t try to fight it…you’ll lose…
P.S. Yeh it’s long, but beautiful and worthwhile! (smile) Much LOVE!
07 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accolade, be gracious to me, believe god's Word, bread was buttered, burden, Christmas Season, come unto me, compassionate heart, confidence in princes, courage, curse, devastation, difficult situations, disbelief, distress, faith, find rest, foolishness, fragile, friend, gentle, get on our knees, God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, God of my righteousness, grace, have mercy on me, hear my prayer, heartbreaking pictures, heavy laden. give you rest, humble, I am meek, I called upon the Lord, in distress, labour, learn from me, loss of life, LOVE, lowly in heart, man after his own heart, mar the joy, mercy, momentary, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, number one, offer prayers, prayer, prosper, self-control, self-discipline, set me in a large place, Southern California, succeed, take my yoke, talent, the great invitation, the greatest power on earth, the Lord answered me, the Lord God Jehovah, Thursday Blessings, time of need, trust, trust in man, trust in the Lord, wildfires, wisdom, yoke
Psalm 118:5. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.
Oh my people, what else is going to mar the joy of this 2017 Christmas season eh? I’m talking about the rampant wildfires that are currently raging through Southern California with a renewed vengeance. As the old people would, say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another. And that’s the truth.
The heartbreaking pictures of the sprawling devastation show us just how fragile and momentary our lives are. Can you imagine the terrible Christmas those people affected by those fires will spend? Ah Lord eh! Thankfully though, the loss of life doesn’t seem to be a major problem, for which we are very grateful.
Friends, please, let’s do what we can to physically help them, but most importantly, let’s get on our knees and sincerely offer prayers on their behalf, as prayer is the greatest power on earth.
And you know I wasn’t planning on using the Bit from the past few days today, but after writing that stuff above, I found that it was just so appropriate, that I had no choice. ‘I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large (broad) place.’
That’s the best, in fact it’s the first thing those people should do; call on the Lord God Jehovah seeking His grace, LOVE and mercy in their devastating time of need. It’s first thing WE ALL should do when we find ourselves facing difficult situations, but oftimes it’s the last thing we do. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for us to turn to the Lord first nuh; if it’s a matter of trust or simple disbelief, but that’s what His word says.
Listen to His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Oh my people, who else has offered such a magnificent and welcoming invitation eh? NO ONE ELSE! But yet we have problems in accepting it, and I really can’t understand why. All I can surmise is that we don’t truly believe God’s word, our faith isn’t strong enough, and we prefer to first put our trust in man, and leave God as a last resort.
But that’s utter foolishness my brethren! For as the psalmist so strenuously warns and reminds us in Psalm 118, a few verses after our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)
How much clearer can that be eh friends? Not much. But what’s our usual first response when trouble comes? We run to the phone or text a friend, or google the problem on the Internet. And if none of that works, then we cry out to God for help and expect it to come immediately. But unfortunately friends, our great God doesn’t work like that.
He expects to be FIRST and FOREMOST in our lives, at ALL times, and in ALL situations! Anything other than that is unacceptable! Our first reaction should ALWAYS be to call on God, like Bruh David did in the opening of Psalm 4 – An evening prayer of trust in God.
‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged (relieved) me when I was in distress: have mercy on me (be gracious to me), and hear my prayer.’ (Ps.4:1)
Oh my fellow believers, as I keep reminding us, despite all his sinfulness and troubles, Bruh David knew on which side his bread was buttered, thus he continually called on the God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And please note how he opens his prayer by acknowledging the righteousness of God, and then remembering all the times that the Lord had previously helped him, and then on those bases, pleading for help in his current calamitous situation.
We should be doing likewise in our time of adversity, but all too conveniently and foolishly we forget the times when the Lord helped us, and get angry when His help is not immediately forthcoming.
Friends, we can’t want a better example than Bruh David in terms of prayer and praise. He was a man just like us with a sinful nature, but he kept crying out to God in ALL situations, and wonder of wonders, the Lord called him a friend and a man after His own heart.
If we sincerely trust and rely on the Lord God Jehovah in ALL that we do, we too can look forward to being called a friend of God, and a man or woman after His own heart. To me, that is the greatest accolade we can ever receive in this life, and is something I’m trying to work toward.
But in the meantime I’m also going to enjoy the blessings He’s so generously bestowed on us, as listed in our Thursday Blessings. And since there is power in our words, let’s declare them with much enthusiasm, sincerity and truth nuh.
Loud and proud 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!’
Oh friends, what a magnanimous and magnificent God we serve! Give Him the thanks and praise He so rightly deserves, and follow His desires, as we go out and share those wonderful blessings with others today. Much LOVE!
…who is Number ONE in our lives…and who are we going to call on FIRST…the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…
30 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a gathering of believers, a loving god, a positive outlook, a sacrifice for our sins, abundance, Adam, apple cart, authority, by himself, calamity, Christians, Colossians, courage, creation, creativity, curse, cursed is the ground, disobedience, dust, dwelt among us, eat bread, eat the herb of the field, every knee shall bow, exalted, fanciful idea, forefathers, give God the glory, glory of Jesus, good lives, grace, headaches, hearkened, holy spirit, honour, image of, in Jesus' name, in sorrow, in the sweat of thy face, inheritance, Jesus, kindhearted, King of Kings, life is rough, living image, Lord of Lords, LOVE, loving-kindness, made flesh, mercy, negative word, on the right hand, pick sense from nonsense, praise, preeminent, privileges, prosper, purged our sins, reconciled, redemption, return to the ground, reverence, sacrifical death, sat down, self-control, self-discipline, share blessings, shining light, sins, success, supreme position, talent, thanks, the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, the first-born, the invisible God, the voice of thy wife, the Word, the word of his power, things God can do, thistles, thorns, Thursday Blessings, toil, tragedy, upholding all things, ups and downs, wisdom
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Oh friends, another beautiful day in a wonderful life! Give God the Glory! Yes, He and He alone deserves the overwhelming praise and thanks for our good lives! Oh, I know some of us might complain that life is rough, and so it might be, but whoever said that life would always be smooth eh? Nobody!
That’s just some fanciful idea we’ve gotten in our heads, especially since we’ve become Christians and have read and heard about all the great and wonderful things that God can do, has done, and will do for His children. But from the day sin entered the world, through the disobedience of our forefathers, life was destined to have headaches, ups and downs, tragedy and calamity.
Please note what the Lord said to Adam at the time of their disobedience. ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ (Gen.3:17-19)
Yeh friends, just a li’l reminder that after our fall, life would never be the same, and it would be rough, fraught with calamity, but also lined with good things because our God is a LOVING God, who is not only out to punish us for our wrongdoings. If that was His ultimate desire, we would have disappeared from the earth long ago.
But despite our shortcomings, He LOVED us so much that he sent His Son Jesus to die as a sacrifice for our sins, so we could be reborn by His Holy Spirit and get another chance at redemption, at being made right with Him. Only a very LOVING and kindhearted Deity would do such a thing.
That’s why we have the wonder and glory of Jesus in our Bit. ‘Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged (cleansed) our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’
Yes Friends, Jesus upset the whole apple cart with his sacrificial death, providing a way out for us woeful sinners! Praise His holy name! But let me get to the promise I made yesterday to offer some scholarly explanations to the verses we read in Colossians 1. I could write praises to Jesus all day, if you give me a chance. (smile)
In fact the verse we’re going to look at is praising Him. ‘Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born (first in rank) of (over) every creature.’ (Col.1:15) Yes, Jesus is the living image of our invisible God; ‘the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us…’ (John 1:14)
But the scholars offer this explanation on the other half of the verse. ‘1:15. First-born here signifies two things (1) Temporal priority. As the firstborn child in a family is born before his brothers and sisters, similarly Christ existed before Creation. He existed before the universe was created.
And owing to the privileges usually given an oldest child, “first-born” also signifies (2) positional priority. The firstborn in a family was customarily accorded more honour, greater authority, or larger share of the inheritance, and so held a privileged position in relation to his brothers and sisters. In like manner Christ as the “firstborn” occupies a position supreme over the universe.
Therefore, when Paul declares Christ to be the first-born of every creature, the apostle does not mean that He is the first person whom God created; Paul instead means that Christ is earlier than, as well as preeminent in, all creation.’
Yes my brethren, it’s very important that we understand that Christ was around before the world was formed, and He played a major role in forming it, as well as in giving us the opportunity to be reconciled with the Father. That’s why He was so highly exalted by the Father: King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to whom all knees shall bow and whose name shall be spoken with the ultimate reverence, so that the Father can be truly glorified.
Ah mih people, I hope the Bit makes sense. There’s so much I want to communicate on this particular Bit, that I might tend to get confused at times – I’m only human, but I know that you all are smart enough pick sense from nonsense, (smile) and understand what I’m trying to say.
So now, let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings, blessings that our wonderful God has poured down on us out of His unlimited grace, mercy and LOVING-kindness.
As though we really mean it 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!’
There is indeed power in the spoken word friends, let’s go out and share those blessings in Jesus’ name now! Much LOVE!
…who is our bright and shining light…the glory of God…none else but…JESUS…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the bit, I was just somewhat tardy in getting up. (smile) Much LOVE!
16 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: abundance, anger, be not envious, blessed, blessings, chaff, challenge, choke the word, Christ's ideal, Christian fold, cliques, compassionate heart, congregation, courage, criticism. divisions, curse, darkness, deceitful, deceitfulness of riches, desire to be with them, divide and conquer, envy, eternal separation, eternal values, evil men, favour, fell among thorns, gain the world, give in exchange, gospel truth, hears the word, hypocrites, in the world, jealousy, leadership, lose his soul, Louise heath, LOVE Revolution, lures, nature of the beast, negative word, of the world, parable of the sower, penultimate day, personal benefit, religions, resentment, righteous, room for improvement, running the show, self-control, self-discipline, share blessings, sinners, slanted, success, talent, talk the talk, the biggest room, the cares of the world, the counsel of the ungodly, the powers of evil, the seed, the will, things of the world, true followers, unfruitful, united front, version of the truth, what profits a man
Proverbs 24:1. Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.
And then it was Thursday – the penultimate day of our workweek… And everybody gave a small sigh of relief, while muttering: ‘Wish it was Friday though.’ (smile) That’s just the nature of the beast. We’re grateful, while being ungrateful.
That brings us to this quote ascribed to Louise Heath Leber, although there are naysayers who claim that it was already well known when she reputedly said it. ‘There is always room for improvement, you know – it’s the biggest room in the house.’
And regardless of who said or didn’t say it, is the gospel truth! We all have plenty room for improvement in many things in this life. But today I want to focus particularly on us Christian folk, because right now we are not living up to Christ’s ideal of true followers.
Oh we talk the talk, but don’t sincerely walk it, and thus are regarded more or less as big time hypocrites. That certainly paints a bad picture of Jesus and His supposed LOVE Revolution.
And I know many of us are bristling at that criticism, but if we look deeply and sincerely at what’s happening in Christ’s body, His church, you will see that it is definitely not functioning, as it ought to.
There are too many divisions, too many religions, too many little cliques and groups who want to run it the way they want to, with envy and jealousy, resentment and anger very prominent in Christ’s body. And very often the leadership also leaves much to be desired, with everybody preaching their own version of the truth, or slanted to their personal benefit.
That’s why the powers of evil and darkness are running the show. We don’t have a united enough front to challenge them, and apparently neither the will, thus they are picking us off one by one with the lures of their evil world, in the truly cunning manner of divide and conquer.
Friends, we’re falling for the things of the world way too much and too often. Remember we’re supposed to be IN the world, but not OF the world. And yes the things of the world look wonderful on the surface, but deep down they have no real eternal values.
So what’s our answer to these questions of Jesus eh: ‘For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’
Oh my fellow believers, there is absolutely nothing to be gained by selling our souls for the trivial, valueless stuff that the world tries to foster on us. The world is evil…and wicked…and greedy…deceitful, envious, hateful and jealous… all the negative things that Jesus dislikes.
That’s why our Bit warns us so sternly: ‘Be not thou envious against (of) evil men, neither desire to be with them.’ For if you look enviously at what the evil people have or do, at how they prosper in their wickedness, you won’t ever be a true believer.
You will be like the seed that fell among the thorns in Jesus’ parable about the sower. ‘He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care (cares) of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.’ (Matt.13:22)
And sadly, that is what is happening to too many supposed Christians today: we are too concerned with the cares of this world, thus we have less time, energy and appetite to do Jesus’ work, like we should.
Now there are many scriptures in the Good Book which remind us of that fact and also point the way to the straight and narrow path, but this one is definitely the most colourful and thought provoking. Listen to Psalm 1 – Blessed are the righteous.
‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in due season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps.1:1-6)
There it is right in a nutshell my brethren – the way to prosperity in God’s kingdom! The next move depends on us, whether we believe and practice it or not. It would be a grave mistake if we didn’t, for then, eternal separation from our Creator will be our eventual lot in life…the spiritual one that is.
And for those of us who believe, and at least try to practice our convictions, lets go home declaring the wonderful blessings that our magnanimous God has so generously bestowed on us this glorious Thursday.
With sincerity and true sense of purpose: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
And now, after the talk…the action! Much LOVE!
Christian folk…we are richly blessed…so that we can SHARE our blessings…remember that…
09 Nov 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a pillar of fire, a sun, abundance, bad, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, everlasting light, foolish drivers, give grace, give light, glory, glory of Zion, glory to God, glows in the darkness, godly light, good, goodwill to men, halls of heaven, heavenly Father, holy presence, ice, indisputable words, Isaiah, Job, John, led by your dreams, light by day, LOVE, magnanimous god, manifestations, monologue, Moses, negative word, no good thing will he withhold, no temple, no way Jose, out of the mouth of babes, peace on earth, perfected praise, prosper, pushed by your problems, reassurance, revelations, rush hour, saints in Christ, self-control, self-discipline, shekinah glory, shield, sleet, slush, snow, Spirit of the Lord, spiritual sun, spoken word, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, Ten Commandments, the Lamb, the light thereof, the Lord God, the moon, the Sun, thy god thy glory, troubled souls, unscathed, veil his face, walk uprightly, weather forecasters
Psalm 84:11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Ah friends, can you believe that this early in the game, the weather forecasters are calling for that beautiful, innocent-looking but oh so dangerous thing called snow? Steups!
Ah Lord eh! But that’s what you get for all the good weather we’ve enjoyed so far this late in the year. As Job, says, you can’t expect to always receive good and no bad.
Can you imagine the mess the place will be in this evening, especially if it begins during the rush hour? And the sad part is that you not only have to look out for yourself, but even more for the many foolish drivers on the road!
But yuh know what, I’ve promised myself that from hereon in, I’m not going out in no setta snow to go anywhere. If somebody wants to drive me, then I’ll consider it. But once I’ve got to drive myself, ‘NO WAY JOSE!’
I can handle the cold, but driving through the slush and sleet and snow and ice and otherwise… too much unnecessary pressure. I think I’ve had enough of that. I’ve come through the last forty something years of it fairly unscathed, no need to go and get my ole bod damaged at this stage of life. End of monologue! (smile)
That’s why I’m going to do as Pastor Bobby (Bobby Schuller – Hour of Power) says: ‘Do not be pushed by your problems, but be led by your dreams.’ Words of wisdom, even from one so young.
For as Jesus rebuked the Israelite leaders when the children praised Him in the temple, using some of Bruh David’s words from Ps.8:2. ‘Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings (nursing infants) thou hast perfected praise?’ (Matt.21:16) Yeh friends, age doesn’t matter all that much if the Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
And our Bit explains why: ‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.’
Ah precious people of God, what indisputable words of reassurance from our great God! He has not only set the sun in its physical place, but He also wants to be our spiritual SUN; the bright light that glows in the darkness of our troubled souls.
Hear how Isaiah puts it when he talks about the future glory of Zion. ‘The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.’ (Is.60:9)
Just imagine it nuh friends, at some stage of life, we won’t need the sun nor that moon to provide light for us, because we’ll be dwelling in the holy presence of our awesome God, who Himself will be our light, provide all the light we need.
‘And all God’s people declared a mighty shout: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill to men!’ Oh my fellow saints in Christ, what a glorious day that will be, when we reside in the halls of heaven in the presence of our heavenly Father, who will be just exuding godly light!
Listen to how John describes it in his Revelations. ‘And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten (illuminate) it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’ (Rev. 21:22-23)
Wow! I can’t get my head around not needing a sun or moon to see around me. But the Lord has promised it, therefore it will be so.
And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses. ’21:22-23. There is no temple in the city, since both the Father and the Son will be present in their fullest manifestations. Its light will be provided by the Shekinah glory of God and of Christ (cf. Ex.3:3-4; 24:15-17; 33:14-16; Luke 2:9; 9:29; Heb.1:3).’
The Shekinah glory of God is basically where He reveals the full majesty of His light and power. Like when He went before the Israelites in the wilderness in a cloud and a pillar of fire, when He passed before Moses, but only allowed him to see His backside, otherwise Moses would have been annihilated, even the radiant look on Moses face when He came down from the Mount after receiving the Ten Commandments and had to veil his face.
So just imagine the treat we’re in for my fellow believers, when we see God face to face, shining in all His might and glory! Now we haven’t come to that point as yet, but in the meanwhile our most magnanimous God has given us enough blessings here on earth to make our mark in His name. So let’s declare them nuh, since the power of our God lies in His spoken word.
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 everyday! Amen!’
And having declared that with sincerity of heart and strength of purpose, let’s now go out and share those blessings with others, as Jesus requires of us. Much LOVE!
…a blessing isn’t really a true blessing…until it’s been shared…
26 Oct 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a coward about pain, a painful process, abundance, alive and kicking, amenities, anger, anguish, atone, baffling, barely alive, blessings, broken relationship, chasten, Christ's body, Christians, comfort, consequences of sin, courage, creativity, cruel cutting words, crushing, curse, deep cutting pain, desire, divine protection, emotional trauma, energy, entire body screams, evil deeds, faith, favour, fear of the world, financial ruin, frightens me, Garden of Eden, get excited, get moving, get up, going through the motions, growth, hast afflicted me, he corrects, heartache, I AM, I know, I may live, in faithfulness, it is true, Jesus, laws, laziness, loneliness, LOVE, luxuriating, matures, merciful kindness, misunderstood, negative word, no pain no gain, O Lord, on Christ's behalf, One Year Book of Bible promises, overwhelming, physical pain, pray for it, problems, procrastination, prosper, rejection, resist it, righteous, Ruth Harms Calkin, self-control, self-discipline, serious butt, shed light, soft, spiritual growth, spite, stir up the populace, succeed, suffering, talent, tender mercies, tests, the chastening of the Lord, the fall of our forefathers, the good life, the Lord loves, the Pain of Growth, the unbeliever, the very thought of pain, Thursday Blessings, thy judgements are right, thy law is my delight, trials, tribulation, truth, unnerves me, walk of faith, weary of his correction, weather the storm, wimpy, wisdom, work out for our good
Psalm 119:75. I know, O Lord, that thy judgements (laws) are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
Alive and kicking, alive and kicking serious butt my friends! That’s the way we should be as Christians. But unfortunately, most Christians seem to be barely alive, just going through the motions. For whatever reason, we don’t have the necessary energy or desire to kick butt for Jesus!
That’s wrong though my fellow believers. How then will Christ be known all over the world if we don’t get up and get moving eh? Remember, we are His body here on earth; His hands, His feet, His mouth. He depends on us to stir up the populace on His behalf.
And I don’t know if it’s simply fear of the world, or just laziness and procrastination that’s holding us back, but it’s obvious that we’re not doing such a great job on Jesus’ behalf, while the unbeliever is luxuriating in his wicked and evil deeds.
Anyway, here is something called ‘The Pain of Growth,’ from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin that I think will shed some light on our problems. (smile)
It says: ‘O God Growth is a painful process. I frankly confess I am a coward about pain. I don’t like it, Lord. I never pray for it Or get excited over it. In fact, I often resist it: The pain of emotional trauma So overwhelming So baffling and crushing.
The deep-cutting pain Of a broken relationship. Physical pain that goes on and on Until my entire body screams. The pain of cruel cutting words. The pain of loneliness, rejection Or financial ruin. The pain of being misunderstood. Lord, the very thought of pain Frightens and unnerves me.
Yet it is true – Again and again it is true: My greatest spiritual growth Has come through pain. Through heartache And anguish. And very often in my suffering When I sadly thought You were doing absolutely nothing At that very moment You were doing more within me Than I ever dreamed or hoped.’
What words of truth and wisdom my people! None of us like pain or suffering, but it is inevitable in the fallen nature of our lives. And that is simply how we grow in any and everything. As the ole mantra goes, ‘no pain, no gain.’
And that’s especially true in our Christian walk of faith, for God matures us through tests and trials which often involve some serious pain. Yuh see the pain and suffering Jesus had to bear to atone for and absolve our sins?
Likewise we need to go through some tribulation, else we’ll never grow in our Christian walk. Unfortunately though, in these modern times, Christians are a soft, wimpy bunch of people who just want to enjoy the good life without any problems whatsoever.
In fact our whole society has become soft and wimpy through all the ‘make life easy’ amenities that we now possess. But since the fall of our forefathers in the Garden of Eden, life has never been easy; the consequences of sin have made it tough and as Christians we are expected to weather whatever storm comes against us.
However, the wonderful news is that we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to help us weather it! Glory Hallelujah! Unbelievers don’t have that luxury, so they have to weather it all on their own.
So please let’s stop complaining as much as we do, and instead plead the wise and truthful words of our Bit: ‘I know, O Lord, that thy judgements (laws) are right (righteous), and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.’
Yes friends, whatever our ever-faithful and righteous God allows to come against us has a perfect reason behind it. He is the great I AM, who knows the beginning from the end and has everything in His universe under control.
And we should rightly be saying like the psalmist does after our Bit: ‘Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.’ (Ps.119:76-77)
Oh my people, our God has promised that though He chastens us, He will not do it out of spite or anger, but out of LOVE. Now listen to these words of Cousin Sol which seal the deal.
‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of (detest) his correction. For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov.3:11-12)
There it is in black and white friends! So please not get too antsy about the pain and suffering that comes against us, because it will all work out for our good eventually. Our faithful God has promised that. With all of that in mind then, let’s go home declaring our wonderful blessings, knowing that they will wash away whatever pain we have now, or are yet to face.
In strong and sincere voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Oh what a wonderful God we serve and worship my believing brethren! Much Much LOVE!
…whatever comes from God…comes in LOVE…
28 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a liar, a parable, and not faint, blessings, bring us close together, calamitous circumstances, commandments, compassionate heart, courage, creativity, curse, devastation, disaster, enter not into temptation, fall has finally fallen, feuding, foolish people, forgiving, Garden of Gethsemane, God is our only true help, greed, heavenly advocate, help, hurricane Maria, keepeth not his commandments, LOVE, LOVE Revolution, loving-kindness, lust for power, men ought always to pray, merciful, negative word, North Carolina, our Lord and Saviour, power of prayer, pray, preoccupations, prosper, purge the evil, rebuild, recover, Redeemer, religious intolerance, righteous lives, rumours of wars, sacrificed His sinless life, safe not sorry, self-control, self-discipline, sensible headway, share blessings, Sovereign ruler, strife, succeed, talent, temptation, the flesh is weak, the spirit is willing, Thursday Blessings, to this end, topsy turvy world, trust in jesus, truth, ungodliness, warmongering, wars, watch and pray, wild fires, wisdom, wise advice of Jesus
Luke 18:1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.
So friends, like fall has finally fallen! (smile) Yes, it’s still dark out at 7 a.m, it’s somewhat chilly, only 13 degrees, and yesterday I finally saw a set of fallen dry leaves merrily dancing in my driveway! That alone indicates to me that the weather has changed, or is changing.
Anyway, North Carolina is still feeling the wind and water effects of hurricane Maria with plenty shoreline flooding, as she makes her way northward and out to sea. Ah Lord eh friends, it certainly has been a devastating couple of months in so many places from so many forces!
And so much disaster has befallen us in the south and east, that we have forgotten that out in the west, where the devastation first began, they are still daily battling wild fires. Please, let’s continue to pray for them and help in any way we can, as we try to recover and rebuild on this side of the continent.
And my biggest prayer is that this set of calamitous circumstances will truly bring us close together, as we help each other. Also, that it will eventually lead to us realizing that God is our ONLY true help in this uncertain world, which will further lead us to wisely embracing His LOVING-kindness once more, as the Sovereign Ruler over our society.
In other words, we will purge the evil from our midst and go back to trying to live righteous lives, under His merciful and forgiving umbrella. That’s the ONLY thing that makes sense in this topsy-turvy world my brethren!
Right now we need the biggest LOVE Revolution our planet has ever seen if we’re to make any serious and sensible headway in our society. Just look at the number of wars, rumours of wars and bitter strife that’s taking place in our world, despite the overwhelming disasters in almost every part of the planet.
One would think getting together to alleviate those disasters would be the prime target of all nations. Hn! But no, feuding, warmongering, greed, religious intolerance and lust for power still seem to be our major preoccupations!
What a foolish people we are! And yet we boast about mankind being God’s greatest and wisest creation! Steups! What a joke!
Anyway, let’s turn to our Bit, which tells us the basic thing we need to do in this life, if we’re to succeed and prosper. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’
Yeh my fellow believers, that’s the wise advice of our Lord and Saviour, our Redeemer and heavenly Advocate, the ONE who sacrificed His sinless life for us. So if we say that we believe in Him, then we ought to do what He says.
And John tells us right up front: ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4)
Unfortunately my people, that means we have a whole lot of liars in our society since so many of us don’t keep Christ’s commandments, although we claim to be believers! But that’s another story for another day! (smile)
Today we’re concerned with prayer and praying. And in Jesus’ most strenuous and difficult moments, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before His crucifixion, what was he doing? Praying to His heavenly Father. So Jesus knew the power of prayer and consistently practiced it.
On that momentous night, He also uttered another serious warning on the subject. His inner circle of disciples were supposed to be watching and praying with Him: ‘And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Matt.26:40-41)
That’s oh so true friends, but not too many, or not enough of us consider those words today, and that’s a major reason why our society is so awash in evil and ungodliness. So please, let’s consider them more than we do right now nuh. It’s all for our benefit, not God’s!
And if we sincerely believe and trust in Jesus, then let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Remember there is power in the word, and speaking it only enhances that power.
So in unison, emphatically and enthusiastically: ‘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!’
Glory be mih people! Now let’s go out and share those blessings as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…to be safe and not sorry…watch and pray…
21 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a message, a sound mind, armour, be not afraid, calamity, Christian, comfort me, complain, Controller, covenant relationship, creativity, Creator, curse, death, devastating consequences, disappointments, disasters, discouraged, disobedience, earthquakes, faith, fear, fear not, for what we still have, generously sharing, give thanks, glorify God, God will work everything out for good, going forward, haunt us, hope, hurricanes, I will fear no evil, little flock, LOVE, magnify, man-made idols, negative word, no other gods before me, not mourn over what we've lost, obedient to God's Word, overcome, pagan gods, power, prosper, remove God, repent, securely planted, stand strong, strayed away, succeed, surrendering to God, talent, terror, the Good Book, the spirit of fear, the valley of the sahdow of death, the wages of sin, the wicked, the word of jesus, Thusrday Blessings, thy confidence, thy rod and thy staff, to give you the kingdom, trust, turn back to God, whimper, Yahweh, your Father's good pleasure
Luke 12:32. Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Ah friends, though the disasters and their devastating effects continue to haunt us, we must ALWAYS remember to give thanks for what we still have, most importantly life, and not mourn too much over what we have lost.
It’s not easy going forward after the calamitous results of hurricanes and earthquakes, I can testify to that personally after experiencing hurricane Flora in 1963 in Tobago. But we have to move forward; that’s the only way that’s open to us.
And we can ONLY truly move forward my people by truly surrendering to Almighty God, our Creator and Controller, by putting our sincere faith and trust in Him, and being obedient to His word. Who knows if that is the message He’s trying to relay to us through all these disasters eh?
The wise thing to do would be to repent and turn back to Him, since we have strayed away from His fold and embraced pagan gods and man-made idols. And remember, from the very beginning, He commanded us in no uncertain manner: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ (Ex.20:3)
So although there have been numerous arguments as to what the words ‘before me,’ actually mean, the long and short of the story is simply as the scholars put it: ‘Thus the first commandment teaches that no deity, real or imagined, is to rival the one true God, who is the only One who matters. It demands an exclusive covenant relationship with Yahweh (cf.Ps.81:9-10).
And we all know that we have not kept that covenant relationship, and the Good Book further tells us that ‘the wages of sin is death.’ (Rom.6:23) So that means all kinds of consequences are possible, up to and including both physical and spiritual death, for our blatant disobedience and intense desire to remove Him from all aspects of our society.
Now the good thing about being in true covenant with Almighty God is that in times of trouble and disaster we need not be afraid. Oh we must be concerned, but bone-chilling fear is not necessary since the Lord has made several faithful promises to believers, including that He will eventually work everything out for our good.
So, tough times and calamity are to be expected, but with the word of Jesus securely planted in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, we can stand strong and overcome whatever comes against us.
Listen to Jesus’ words in our Bit, as He talks to His audience about care and anxiety. He tells them to first seek God’s kingdom and not the things of the world, because when they do, God will give them all that they need. Then He reassures them: ‘Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’
Now would Jesus lie to us? Certainly not! But we have to first believe in Him, and obey His commandments, and that is exactly what we are not doing in this ungodly society. Fear is no part of the Christian’s armour or ammunition. Our weapon is FAITH!
Listen to Bruh Paul to his protégé Timothy. ‘For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) So once Jesus lives in us, we should not be overwhelmed by fear.
And all of us know and often claim this famous verse of Bruh David’s words from Psalm 23: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps.23:4)
So why are we so quick to whimper and complain and fall apart when troubles befall us eh? Is it that we don’t truly believe? Who knows?
But here are a few more comforting words, this time from Cousin Sol. ‘Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:25-26)
The problem is friends, that we have to learn to deal with disappointments without being discouraged, without thinking we’re failures, but to have faith and hope and get up and start all over again.
And why shouldn’t we be able to do that when our magnanimous God has been so beneficent towards us in our Thursday Blessings. Let’s declare them now, so that our spirits can be uplifted and we can magnify and glorify our great and wonderful God.
As one 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 let’s continue by generously sharing these blessings with others, as Jesus desires of us. Much LOVE!
…oh…how blessed are believers in Christ…especially when they generously share their blessings…
15 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, all things are possible, another week of work, barbecuing, Beelzebub, believe, blessed, calamity, carousing, Christian requirement, doubting manner, drinking, earthquakes, eating, evil cohorts, Friday chant, furthering the kingdom of God, generous help, gospel truth, great power, hedonistic ways, hurricanes, I am the Lord, impossible, in Jesus' name, iniquity, is anything too hard for me, Jeremiah, Jesus beheld them, LOVE, loving-kindness, man's consciusness, massa, money, party time, physical goods, prayer, principles, recompense, refeshed, renewed, repay, sacrosanct space, slave labour, soul body and mind, stretched out arm, summer's day, sunbathing, talent, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, Thank You Lord, the God of all flesh, the Lord of hosts, the mighty God, the most powerful force, the weekend, time, universal prayer, weather wise, wildfires, with God, with men this is impossible, workingman
Matthew 19:26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.
Oh my brethren, another beautiful summer’s day is forecasted for my area today! Brother! The Lord has been so good to us recently weather wise that I don’t know what to say but ‘Thank You Lord!’
Unfortunately, many of our neighbours to the south and west of us have not been so blessed, having been recently plagued by wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes.
Friends, I can’t instill sufficiently our Christian requirement to help them as much as we can, in the giving of our time, talent, physical goods and money. And most importantly remember them in our prayers.
Remember, prayer is the most powerful force in God’s great universe, and when we use it wisely and sincerely, it can cause mighty mountains to be moved. And this is certainly a time for universal prayer, as our world is falling apart through both natural and man-made calamity.
However, the ordinary workingman might not realize the fiasco that is brewing and continue in his hedonistic ways by declaring: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday and the weekend and party time is here once again!
I can just see the eating…and the drinking…the barbecuing and sunbathing in this summer weather! We certainly going to be carousing plenty on we days off this weekend. Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui, so we can get away from massa an’ ‘im slave labour!’
Oh friends, technically speaking all of that is true, it’s just the degree to which it’s being taken. We all are entitled to enjoy our days off from work, but remember those boundaries that are necessary to stop Beelzebub and his evil cohorts from invading our sacrosanct space.
Our Friday Chant is indeed a much better ode to the weekend. (smile) So let’s chant it now nuh, with as much enthusiasm as the workingman had in his declaration. ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh mih people, if we’re to do God’s kingdom work diligently, sincerely and excellently, as He desires, we need to be bright and fresh and renewed in spirit every Monday morning. So let’s enjoy our weekend, but with ‘a modicum of circumspection,’ as Jeeves would say. (smile)
And as a true and faithful Christian, keeping our sinful nature in check should not be that big of a problem, for we have the ONE and ONLY Jesus, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords on our side, in our camp. What more back up and reassurance can we ask eh? None whatsoever!
And please note His plain and straightforward words to the disciples in our Bit, when they doubted about a camel being able to pass through the eye of a needle. ‘But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.’
Now isn’t that the gospel truth! If God made our marvellous and magnificent universe and all therein, then it stands to reason that He can indeed DO ANYTHING! But too many of us supposed believers don’t really and truly believe that, otherwise we wouldn’t behave in the doubting manner in which we often do.
And it’s not only from the time of Jesus that the Lord has been trying to instill this in man’s consciousness, but long before. Listen to how the prophet Jeremiah prayed after he had bought a field on God’s advice and delivered the deed to a trusted friend, Baruch. (Jer.32:1-15)
‘I prayed unto the Lord saying, Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee; Thou showest LOVING-kindness unto thousands, and recompensest (repay) the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name.’ (Jer.32:16-18)
And if you don’t believe Jeremiah, then listen to the Lord Himself later on. ‘Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?’ (Jer.32:26-27)
Ah mih people, I hope that solidifies our belief that our God is great and powerful and can do ANY and EVERYTHING! We need to believe that if we are to serve Him properly in this evil and ungodly world. Much LOVE!
…the three first principles of Christianity…believe…believe…believe…only believe…
14 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cakewalk, a compassionate heart, a passing observation, a positive outlook, a rich man, abundance, action, all things are possible, busy, Christ, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, desires of our hearts, divine protection, dreaming, easier for a camel, effort, enter the kingdom of God, faith, faithful, favour, get up off of our rear ends, go out of my mind, goals, help, hemming and hawing, holy spirit, hotter, in the name of Jesus, Jesus beheld them, Joyce Meyer, LOVE Revolution, medication, medicinally induced dreams, middle of September, my neck of the woods, negative word, nightmares, personal testimony, power in the Word of God, promotion, put your money where your mouth is, required tools, self-control, self-discipline, success, summertime, supernatural wisdom, take on dreams, talent, the distance between dreams and reality, the less fortunate, the living truth, the Lord came calling, Thusrday Blessings, to go through a needle's eye, wake up tired, with God, with men this is impossible
Matthew 19:26. But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.
In the summertime…summertime…summertime… Yeh friends, can you believe that in the middle of September, in my neck of the woods, we’ve been having constant temps in the mid to high 20’s range?
Wow! This week has been hotter than many in July and August. You can actually feel the sun burning your skin. Now please note, this is just a passing observation, it’s not a complaint, (smile) for we will take that kind of weather any and every time!
And I now understand why sometimes I wake up tired instead of refreshed. That’s because my medication has me dreaming constantly, and in the dreams I’m always busy doing something. It’s a good thing they are not nightmares, (smile) otherwise I’d go out of my mind.
And I just noticed an interesting take on dreams on a sticky I have in my Bible. It comes from sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer). And she says: ‘The distance between dreams and reality is called action.’ Now that’s the living truth!
Now she’s not talking about my medicinally induced dreams (smile) but the things we’d like to achieve, our cherished goals, the desires of our hearts. Unless we get up off our rear ends and put them into action, they will always remain dreams, unrealized ones to boot.
And I guess many of us have dreams of things we’d like to do for Christ, but we’re not actioning them, so they are still dreams…useless to everyone, including Christ.
Ah friends, as the ole people would say, to get things done, we’ve got to put our money where our mouth is. And that’s no lie. Until we put sincere and diligent effort into ANYTHING we want to do, NOTHING will get done.
And having Christ and His Holy Spirit on our side, as our more than willing associates and helpers, then NOTHING is impossible to us… if we seriously and willingly make the effort to put whatever it is into action.
Note Jesus’ words to His disciples after He told them that ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Matt.19:24) Obviously the disciples were amazed by that statement and were left wondering, who then could get into heaven?
And in our Bit, our Master had an answer for their problem.‘But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.’
Oh mih people, mih people, until ALL we Christians truly believe that statement deep down in our hearts and souls, and not just pay lip service to it, then our Christian faith and Christ’s LOVE Revolution will not progress as Jesus desires it to.
Too many of us refuse to put into action the things God puts in our hearts to do because we don’t believe that they can or will ever come to pass. But here’s a personal testimony. Some ten, almost eleven years ago when the Lord came calling about the Bit, I laughed and told Him I didn’t know enough scripture to do something like that.
But he persisted and eventually I gave in. And the first Bits were merely verses from the Bible, possibly with just a few words from me. But over time, as I have been faithful to His work, the Lord has been faithful to me and helped me until I’ve reached the current level.
Now, as Sister Joyce likes to say: I still haven’t arrived, but I’m certainly not where I used to be. And believe me friends, writing this Bit for over ten years now hasn’t been a cakewalk, but the Lord has guided me each and every step of the way.
Many times I’ve begun by telling you I didn’t know what to write about, but then I’ve ended up writing oodles of stuff. Do you think that was just me and my brilliance? Of course not! It was the Holy Spirit of God inspiring me to do His work.
And yuh think I was planning to give a testimony this morning? Not at all! But that’s where the Lord led me. So please friends, if the Lord has put anything in your hearts to do that falls under His will, stop hemming and hawing and get to it. For He won’t EVER ask you to do something and then not give you the required tools and help to do it.
And having said all of that, let’s declare those powerful Blessings of Thursday, which our wonderful God has so magnanimously rained down on us. In full voice now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life!
I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now let’s go out and share those magnificent blessings with the less fortunate, as our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ desires. Much LOVE!
…there is unbelievable power in the Word of God…if we would only use it…
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