Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 February 2022 Ephesians 6:11.

18 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 6:11.      Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.

Oh my people, it’s as white as snow out there and the brilliant sunshine is just blinding as it reflects off the white surface! (smile) And it’s white as snow because it is snow! Chuh! Last night the rain and freezing rain changed to snow and a few inches of the beautiful stuff was deposited in our area. And you can imagine the problems it created with this morning’s drive to work. Hopefully, we all took care and there were not many accidents, especially with the undercoating of ice that was on the roads before the snow came. 

And we are certainly blessed to have Jesus in our corner to help with all the stuff we experience in this evil world. His promises of negligible fear and strong faith are ever assuring and confidence building. Listen to these two magnificent promises nuh. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled; neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) 

Yes friends, the kind of peace Jesus imbues in His followers is a special kind that overcomes fear and the concerns of this world. And He goes even further to reassure us with these marvellous words. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) 

Now that’s how powerful and reassuring is our Lord Jesus! Through His death and resurrection, He’s overcome the evil and darkness of this world, so there is no need for us to fear anything or anyone that comes against us. In fact, it’s been promised that ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) 

And let’s not forget that ‘in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us…and that nothing can separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:37, 39) However friends, it’s essential that we remember all of God’s promises concerning our peace and safety and take them to heart, because it’s only through holding His word securely that we can successfully fight the battles that we will all encounter in this earthly life. 

And in these perilous times, which certainly seem to be the last ones, it’s ever so important to keep our trust and faith strong and not the let the evil and deceitful enemy beat us down through fear and misfortune. Remember that Christ has promised to hold our hands as we go through whatever comes against us. And though He doesn’t make the problems go away, be assured that He walks beside us through them all and brings us out stronger on the other side. 

So, we need to have that trust to walk and not be weary, to walk and not faint. And that’s not always easy to do when the evil wiles of Satan come against us, but as Bruh Paul reminds Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) That means we all have what it takes to overcome the enemy, but we need to bring the tools, the weapons He’s given us to the fight. In other words, it’s necessary to ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph, 6:11) 

And you ask, what’s this armour Paul’s talking about? Well it’s not physical but spiritual armour. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ (Eph. 6:12) So it’s spiritual, not physical battle we’re waging, which means we need spiritual armour if we are to be successful in that fight. 

And Bruh Paul describes that spiritual armour thus: ‘Having your loins girt about with truth,’ (that’s girded your waist with the truth found in God’s word), and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts (arrows) of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:14-18) 

So just like a soldier in physical battle puts on armour to protect himself, likewise we believers doing spiritual battle need to have protection as listed above, and then to cover it all with sincere prayer and supplication for all our fellow soldiers in Christ, because prayer is still the number one weapon in our armoury. And since that’s so, let’s offer up prayer right now nuh, through our Friday Chant, taking our problems to Almighty God for His divine assistance. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. 

And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. 

Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now let’s go and sincerely action those promises we’ve just made so that the Lord can positively answer our prayer. Much LOVE!

…it’s time for all Christian soldiers…to put on their spiritual armour…to stand up strong…and fight the good fight for Christ…                                                                                                                                                                                                         

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 June 2017 Ephesians 6:11.

22 Jun 2017 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 6:11.   Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.

Well mih friends and family, it seems the ole fella was a tad late when he said yesterday that summer would be with us in a couple of days. Hn, hn! Apparently summer has officially been with us for three days now. (smile) 

And my excuse, which by the way I’m sticking to, is that I don’t remember it being on the 20th of June, but more like the 22 or 23. Just goes to show you ought to check your calendar before you make such statements. 

But be that as it may, let’s hope we have a good summer season, one worthy to be called summer; not too hot, but hot enough to make one know that it’s summer…if you follow my convoluted reasoning. So far it has been somewhat mild, with a touch of spring still present, but it’s still early days yet. 

And before we get into today’s sermon (smile), here is a nugget of gold, one of the little snippets that appear at the end of each day’s Daily Bread Devotion. It says: ‘Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Nothing is greater than God’s LOVE. Nothing is stronger than God’s mercy and grace. Nothing is too hard for God’s power.’ 

Now if ALL of that isn’t gospel truth, then I don’t know what is! Our God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means He is all-powerful, all seeing and everywhere! You can’t beat that friends! 

And He has so generously granted some of His awesome power to us mere mortals, but we need to accept it, to graciously receive it, because there’s nothing we can do to work for or deserve it. It’s just His wonderful free gift. 

Now one of the things we’re talking about here is the power to rebuke and successfully conquer and control the evil enemy, who desires to take over our lives and turn us away from sincerely worshipping the One and Only True God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

So let’s bring in our Bit and continue our conversation from yesterday. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’  

And we’re going to repeat the verses that contain the description of God’s spiritual armour, so that we’ll have them right in front of us and not have to turn elsewhere to find them. 

‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your loins) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18) 

Now yesterday we explained up to the breastplate of righteousness, so today we’ll continue the scholars explanations with the third piece of God’s armour: ‘Preparation of the gospel of peace (vs.15) which means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” 

That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called ‘caligae’ on his feet, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him. 

Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from the anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.’ 

Oh friends, how wonderful is that eh? The gospel of peace frees us from fear and anxiety and allows us to courageously battle Satan. But please note one important point, we ought not to sit back and let the evil Lucifer come against us, we must take the fight to Him, battle him on our terms, on our turf. As they say, the best defence is offence. 

And the fourth piece of God’s armour is ‘The shield of (which is) faith (vs.16). And that means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will prevent one from doubts induced by Satan.’ 

And that’s awfully important my fellow believers, for Lucifer is the father of lies and deceit and doubts, and if we’re not very careful and have a strong faith and trust in Almighty God, he can easily deceive us into thinking and doing the wrong things. 

Now time and space have run out against us, so we’ll have to continue this tomorrow. And I look at it as God’s mysterious working, not giving us too much stuff to ponder in one sitting. So please think seriously on what we’ve said to day, while we walk gratefully in God’s LOVE and mercy. 

And to end it all on a magnificent note, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings with much gusto and sincere belief. In unison now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! 

I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! 

I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

And since blessings were meant to be shared, let’s go out and joyfully share them nuh, as Jesus so avidly desires of us. Much LOVE!

…having on God’s armour…makes us all invincible conquerors…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 4 February 2017 Ephesians 6:11.

04 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 6:11.   Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.

‘Ah feelin’ hot, hot, hot…! And friends, if you believe that, I have some beautiful land to sell you in Florida; no alligators, so swamps, no snakes, just lush parkland! (smile) And believe me, I could handle that Florida weather right now yes, despite it’s somewhat unsafe natural habitat because it’s a chilly Saturday morning in my area. But no such luck, so I’ll just have to grin and bear it. 

And since it’s Saturday, let’s look at a trio of quotes from our friend Anselm, who always aspires to inspire us. The first one is a tad heavy, (smile) and says: ‘Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.’ And that’s gospel truth my people!  

And this second quote is a companion to the first. ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’ Yeh friends, for serious and sincere change to occur in our lives, or around us, we must be the instigating factor, with the Lord’s help obviously! 

And this last one is indeed a gem. ‘All rewards require initial toil.’ Now that’s an eye-opener for a lot of people in these modern times of supposed entitlement. But that’s how God’s economy runs; you have to work first before you can get paid, sow good seed, before you can reap an abundant harvest.  

Unfortunately though, too many of us, Christians, included want to reap harvests without sowing seeds, and get rewards without any toil.  That’s why there are so many layabouts and hangers on to those who have. The celebrities must have their large entourages to show off their wealth, power and importance, but once the money’s gone, so are the good time friends. 

Anyhow, let’s move on to our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ Now I know that many of you are tired with it, but it is of the utmost importance in our fighting off the enemy, and if you don’t know all that it entails, then our chances for success are seriously lessened. This is the last day for it anyway – I promise. (smile) 

Now there’s one more extremely important verse in Bruh Paul’s dialogue to the Ephesians. Having put on the whole armour of God, one must continue the action by: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18) 

So my brethren, the mere putting on of God’s armour doesn’t do the trick, it needs constant prayer and supplication too. Listen to the scholar’s explanation of that verse. 

‘6:19. Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’  

Ah mih people, you see that prayer is the catalyst that gets the whole show going. Without it, nothing of any significance happens. And for all our benefit, I’ll stress here again, just in case we didn’t notice when the scholars declared: ‘PRAYER IS INDISPENSABLE!’ 

And that it certainly is my fellow believers! It’s basically how we communicate with our wonderful, awesome, omnipotent God, so where there is no prayer, there is no communication with the Lord God Jehovah, and mankind cannot live successfully without God in his life. Now another important point of it all, is that we must not just pray for ourselves, but for ALL believers too! 

And as a reminder of all we’ve been talking about recently, let’s remember on a practical level, to: Put on Daily: The helmet of salvation to guard our minds. The breastplate of righteousness to guard our emotions. The belt of truth, to stay centred in the Word – walk, talk, live in and testify to the truth. The sandals of peace – so that wherever we go, we’ll go in peace and tranquility – anchoring our feet boldly in the bedrock of Jesus. 

The shield of faith – so that we can deflect the fiery arrows of the enemy, and stand safely behind the massive protection of faith. The sword of the Spirit – the Good Book – the spiritual weapon that cuts deeply to bring about conviction and repentance. And then follow it all up with prayer. 

Yes friends, we need all those accoutrements of battle, not simply bits and pieces, if we hope to be successful in fighting for Jesus against the prince of darkness. Much LOVE!

…in warfare…the better protected soldier…begins with the upper hand…and can thus dictate the battle…

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 May 2016 Ephesians 6:11‏‏

25 May 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 6:11.   Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.

Oh my people, who ever says that life isn’t good eh, tell them I say that deh lie! (smile)

Oh, like everybody else, I have my spate of problems, but I try to put them at God’s feet at the cross, per His Great Invitation to come and unburden ourselves on Him. (Matt.11:28-30) And that leaves me more time to enjoy His beautifully created universe. 

Now, I guess you all must be wondering what has me waxing so ecstatically this early, on a somewhat cloudy morning? Well it’s no rocket science friends. It’s simply because for the first time this year, I was able to sit comfortably on my front porch at two a.m and commune with my Maker. Oh glory to God mih people! 

And those of you who know me, know that I’m just a simple man with simple tastes, thus simple things enthuse me. 

And when I can sit on my porch in the early hours of the morning in the north country, without much clothes on, feeling the cool wind blow over me, and hear it rustle the the leaves of the fully clothed trees with song, as I look out over the quiet boulevard in a fairly decent neighbourhood, admire the lights in the surrounding gardens, and spy at the beautiful full moon through the dry, gnarled branches of the dead ash tree on my front lawn – got to cut it down soon yes – and above all, commune quietly with my God, then I must be thrilled! I couldn’t be anything other than that! 

It’s almost like being in Paradise – Sweet Tobago. All I’m missing now is the gentle crashing of the sea on the rocky shoreline. Mama Mia! So how can I not be happy eh mih breddren? Oh friends, it just makes me want to sing, to shout in praise and thanksgiving! 

So let’s do that nuh. Everyday we talk about ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps.118:24) Well the best part of rejoicing is singing praise and worship and thanksgiving. 

So please sing with me, the chorus of another of my favourite gospel songs that I recently heard; a nice li’l rocking reggae ditty by Jermain Cowan titled ‘Re-Arrange my life.’ 

Singing: ‘Things I used to do, I do them no more. Since You saved me. Places I used to go, I go there no more. Lord for You I rearranged my life. Jehovah, please stay by my side.’ 

And Again: ‘Things I used to do, I do them no more. Since you saved me. Places I used to go, I go there no more. Lord for You I rearranged my life. Jehovah please stay by my side.’ 

Oh friends, that’s how Christians are supposed to be when we get saved and become new creations in Jesus! And what more can we ask than for Jehovah God to stand always by our side eh? Not much. And we know He’ll do it, because He’s faithful to His promises. 

And we’re not done singing and rejoicing this morning my breddren. It’s Wednesday, that means we have to wail out our Wednesday Wail. 

So wailing, with sincerity and strong faith: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. 

My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Ah my fellow believers, how good it is to feel the breath of life coursing through our mortal bodies this morning, especially when we’re walking steadfastly with Jesus, looking forward to the glorious future He has promised. Glory Hallelujah! 

Now I’m chuckling here because I don’t know if we have much time and space left for our Bit. But since we’ve been rejoicing and singing praise and worship and giving thanks, it surely means that we’re in full agreement with it. 

‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’ 

Yeh friends, we can’t give our great and wonderful God thanks and praise without having on at least some of His protective spiritual armour. Now finally, let’s see what that armour of God consists of. 

Listen to Bruh Paul enlighten the Ephesians and us. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18) 

Yes my breddren, that’s basically what the armour of God consists of. And we’ll end there so we can ponder it all. Tomorrow, God in favour, we’ll get into a deeper discourse of all the ramifications. (smile) 

Till then though, please, let’s walk in LOVE and true fellowship, wisely eschewing, abstaining from the lusts of the world for the rewards of heaven. For that’s the true mark of wisdom. Much LOVE!

…once the lifeblood of God is flowing through a Christian…songs of praise and thanksgiving must emanate from his mouth…