03 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child sitting with a loving parent, a gift yo help us in our relationship with God, a legacy prayer for the next generation, after prayer sit quietly and listen for God's voice, all is well, approach it the wrong way, be of good cheer, bouts of weakness, breathe and notice the quiet, bring glad tidings of good things, children of the Most High God Jehovah, christianity, Christianity can sound like a lot of shoulds, Chrsitians, clear sailing, come to know and love christ like we do, done like dinner, eliminate distractions, even reading the Bible can be exhausting, faith, give God your full attention, God doesn't need our performance, God wants to be with you exactly as your are, He spake a parable unto them to this end, holy spirit, how beautiful are the feet of them, hurry, i have overcome the world, I will therefore, in god's eyes, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, In Touch Devotional Magazine, it behooves us, Jesus Christ, keep us rooted and grounded in christ, lifting up holy hands, lock stock and barrel, LOVE, men ought always to pray and not faint, men ought always to pray and not lose heart, men pray everywhere, mercy, more than any achievement, more than your discipline, not immune to problems, picture yourself, preach the gospel of peace, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, silence is golden, silence is golden in God's presence, spirtual practices, strife-filled and turbulent times, Thanks be to God, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the indisputable truth, the light of God surrounds me, the love of God enfolds me, the power of God protects me, the presence of God watches over me, these things I have spoken unto you, to go out and share the love and friendship of Christ, to whom we belong, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we need lots of prayer in these turbulent times, what God wants is us, wherever I am God is, wisdom, without wrath and doubting, worry
John 16:33. ‘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.’
Oh friends, our nemesis, Monday is now done like dinner! And we’ve survived it in good form to see Tuesday, a chilly day with a mixture of sun and cloud! Thanks be to God! So from now on we should have clear sailing through the rest of the week. (smile) It’s just that that first day of the work week takes a lot of strength, faith and confidence to get going. And though we are children of the Most High God Jehovah, we are not immune to problems and bouts of weakness, though they are eventually overcome with our heavenly Father’s awesome help.
Remember what Jesus advised: ‘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) And we all know that in this evil and ungodly world that’s not always easy to do, but if we have the faith, then most of the time we will be able to do it. Now, here’s an interesting article from the February In Touch Devotional that shows how we can begin doing just that. It comes from the ‘Let’s Pause’ section of the Devotional.
So please read with me. ‘Without the right understanding in place, Christianity can sound like a lot of “shoulds.” Even something like reading the Bible can be exhausting if we approach it in a way God doesn’t intend for us. Here’s what we need to remind ourselves. Spiritual practices are a gift to help us in our relationship with Him. But ultimately, He doesn’t need our performance. What God wants is YOU. More than any achievement, more than your discipline – just YOU.
What if, for a few minutes, you gave yourself permission to take the pressure off, to simply show up and give God your full attention? Let’s try something Dr. Stanley practiced: Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, eliminate the distractions. Next, take a few moments to breathe and notice the quiet. If it helps, picture yourself as a child sitting with a LOVING parent – no agenda, just presence. This moment is about remembering that God simply wants to be with you. Exactly as you are.’
And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers. And I know that it works, because I do it every so often. The problem though is remembering to do it regularly, because we get so busy living this crazy life, that we don’t necessarily forget about God, but have to oftentimes make a special effort to just sit and be quiet with Him. But here’s another thing that Uncle Charles (Dr. Stanley) also encouraged. Every time you finish praying, just sit quietly for a few minutes and listen for God’s voice, listen for the answers He might have for whatever you prayed about.
That might help us to more often sit quietly with the Lord and just enjoy His awesome presence which always surrounds us, but we’re often too busy to feel or truly appreciate it, and therefore most times simply take for granted. That reminds me of this prayer that I often say, and believe I might have shared at some time in the past. But please don’t ask me where I got it from, because I could not tell you. (smile) All I know is that I like it. So please pray with me: ‘The light of God surrounds me: The LOVE of God enfolds me: The power of God protects me: The presence of God watches over me: Wherever I am, God is… And all is well! Amen.’
Now that ought to help us remember God’s amazing grace and mercy always looking out for us, and when we say it, we think of all the good things involved and find the time to spend quietly with Him. And by the way, I just remembered that I might have gotten that prayer, along with a number of others, written in the fly leaves of my mother’s Bible, which I took when she died and still use for my own daily devotions. Now that’s a legacy we should all strive to leave for the younger generation. Let them see the kind of prayers we prayed on a regular basis. And if our lives modelled those prayers, then it will surely help them in their own walk with Christ, the way the prayers I found in my mother’s Bible has helped me.
And I like this verse of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject of prayer. ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim. 2:8) Then there’s this wonderful admonition from Christ: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) So if both Bruh Paul and Jesus say that prayer ought to be a major part of our lives, who are we to doubt it eh? And yuh better believe, that in these strife-filled and turbulent times we certainly need a lot of prayer to keep us rooted and grounded in Christ and His way of life!
Now let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! For as the scriptures say: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.’ (Rom. 10:15) So let’s get out there and bring glad tidings of good things, like we ought to! Much LOVE!
…prayer helps us communicate with God…but silence is also golden in His presence…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a burned-out pastor, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a light in the midst of the darkness, a reggae version of the song, a sabbatical, a stormy period of life, beauty these eyes have seen, blessed is the man that trusts in God, bring us safely to land, by faith alone, cast adrift in the storm, christianity, condemned, crash on some rocky shore, delivered me from all my fears, delivers them out of all their troubles, dreams, dreams that slip through like grains of sand, evil and ungodly times, evil shall slay the wicked., face the raging seas, faith, fallen on my knees, fellowship, find a safe harbour, God proved His love for me, grains of sand, have been young but I'm older now, he keeps all his bones, held guilty, held them in my hand, helping people through the difficult times, His eyes were watching me, holy spirit, I sought the Lord and he heard me, I will wait for the God of my salvation, in spite of the storm, in the love of Jesus, in the night, is our faith strong enough, Jesus Christ, journeyed through the long dark night, judged to be righteous, Judith Gayle, Lawrence Chewning, life after the storm, look unto the Lord, lost the vision of our dreams, LOVE, many are the afflictions of the righteous, mercy, my God will hear me, mysterious movements of God, never knew, none of them are condemned, not one of them is broken, O taste and see that the Lord is good, only by faith can one walk with Jesus, out on the open sea, painful sorrows of real life, place our faith in His nail scarred hands, Ray Boltz, redeemed through the shed blood of Jesus, rejoice not against me o mine enemy, salvation, saved him out of all his troubles, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, sight unknown, sit in the darkness, slip right through, song of worship, sweet sacrifices of praise, take control of our anchor, Thank the Lord, that's what Jesus is all about, the anchor holds, the anchor holds when it's in the hands of Jesus, the BIBLE, the indisputable truth, the kind of faith we need need now, the Lenten season, the Lord delivers him out of them all, the Lord heard him, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants, the Lord shall be a light unto me, the only safe place of shelter, the period of turbulence, the righteous cry and the Lord heareth, the wicked shall fall into mischief, they that hate the righteous shall be desolate, this poor man cried, though the sails are torn, though the ship is battered, through faith in Christ, through the storms of life, truth, visions, when I fall I shall arise, wisdom, with no one to help us
Psalm 34:19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
Come on down friends to the Lord’s sanctuary; it’s Sunday, the first one in the Lenten season, and hopefully the precipitations of snow and freezing rain won’t stop us from fellowshipping with each other, praising the Lord and giving Him much thanks for all the good things He’s done, is doing and has promised to do on our behalf. And all God’s children said a loud and grateful; ‘Thank You Lord!’
And today’s song of worship is one of strong faith, birthed in the painful sorrows of real life. The name of the song is ‘The Anchor Holds.’ And does it ever, when Jesus is the one who’s controlling it! The story behind the song goes something like this: It was 1992, and the writer of the song, Lawrence Chewning and his wife, were going through a stormy period of life. His father died, He was a burned-out pastor in a church that was having some problems, and then his wife had her third miscarriage. One would indeed call that a stormy period.
So, to ease the pain, he took a six-month sabbatical from the church and spent most of his time just playing the piano and talking to God. And with the ever-mysterious movements of our God, it’s no surprise he ended up writing the song during that period of turbulence. Sometime later, while talking to singer Ray Boltz, he mentioned the rough times and the song the Lord had given him during it. Ray decided to record the song and remodelled it into what it is today and released it in 1995. So, there is indeed life after the storm, and the anchor does hold with Jesus operating it.
Now, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, scintillating reggae version of the song, as done by Jamaican gospel artist, Judith Gayle. Singing: ‘I have journeyed, Through the long, dark night Out on the open sea By faith alone, Sight unknown And yet His eyes, were watching me. The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I’ve had visions, I’ve had dreams, I’ve even held them in my hand, But oh Lord, I never knew, They would slip right through, Oh my Jesus, Like they were only grains of sand.
The anchor holds, though the ship is battered. The anchor holds, though the sails are torn. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Oh, I have been young, but I am older now, thank the Lord, And there has been beauty, that these eyes have seen, But it was in the night, through the storms of my life, Oh, that’s where God proved, His LOVE for me. The anchor holds, though my ship is battered. The anchor holds, though my sails are torn. And I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. I have fallen on my knees, As I face the raging seas, But the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Yes, the anchor holds, In spite of the storm. Thank You Jesus!
Oh my fellow believers, I know that many of us can attest to that fact: the anchor does hold when it’s in the hands of Jesus. The trouble though, is our faith strong enough to understand and accept it when the times get rough? For our sake, I certainly hope so, otherwise we’d be cast adrift in the storm and crash on some rocky shore, with no one to help us. And that’s what Jesus is all about; helping His people through the difficult times, but we must place our faith and trust in His nail scarred hands if we truly need help.
And there are many scriptures that reinforce that truth, especially the beautiful Psalm 34, where Bruh David writes: ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears…This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Ps. 34: Ps. 34: 4, 6, 8) And if you don’t believe Bruh David, then listen to Cousin Sol from Proverbs: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.’ (Prov. 24:16)
Then there’s this from the prophet Micah, as he talks about ‘A Light in the Midst of Darkness’: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.’ (Mic. 7:7-8) Wow! What faith the scripture talks of! That’s the kind of faith we need in these evil and ungodly times!
And there’s no better way to end than with these most encouraging and reassuring words of Bruh David from the end of Psalm 34. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them are desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
Now that’s the indisputable truth my people! The Lord has redeemed us through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, and none of us are condemned! Instead, we are judged to be righteous through faith in Christ Jesus. Yes friends, when we’ve lost the vision of our dreams, they’ve slipped through our hands like grains of sand, and the storm is raging around us, the only safe place of shelter is in the LOVE of Jesus, for He will take control of our anchor and eventually bring us safely to land. That’s why He’s our Saviour and Redeemer. So, let’s be wise and put all our trust in Him today, so that when the storms rage and our ships are battered, we will know where to find a safe harbour. Much LOVE!
…only by faith…and not by sight…can one walk together with Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: awakened from a troubled sleep, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, blessed be God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, declare all thy works, destroyed all them who go a whoring from thee, don't lose faith, entrepreneurial crisis, envious of the wicked's prosperity, facing bankruptcy, faith, fellowship, God has us in the palm of his hand, God is the strength of my heart, God on the Mountain, God took them through the valley, God will make them right, holy spirit, I will fear no evil, in the presence of mine enemies, it is good for me to draw near to God, it's down in the vallesy, Jesus Christ, know it deep down in our hearts, life is easy when you're on the mountain, LOVE, mercy, my cup runneth over, my flesh and my heart faileth, my portion for ever, of whom shall I be afraid, peace of mind like you've never known, prayers of praise and thanksgiving, put it into action, put my trust in the Lord God, reward of God's goodness and grace, salvation, still God in the bad times, still God in the night, still God in the valley, stood strong in faith, swimming pool business, talk comes easy, talk of faith, the day of the Lord, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, The God of the day, the God of the good times, the God on the mountain, the gospel truth, the indisputable truth, the Lord is my light and my salvation, the Lord is the strength of my life, the trials and tribulations of life, their world seemed to be falling apart, they that are far from thee shall perish, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, Tracy Dartt, trials and temptations, truth, ungodly times, up on the mountain, we ourselves are comforted by God, when life's at its best, when things change, when things go wrong, when you're down in the valley, who comforteth us in all our tribulation, whom shall I fear, wisdom, you're never alone, your faith is put to the test
Psalm 23:4. 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.
Sunday has come around again my fellow believers! That wonderful day of our God, where we endeavour to visit His house, and with other believers offer up prayers of praise and thanksgiving and worship Him with a true and sincere heart. In return, we receive His strength and wisdom to face another week of work in these tough and ungodly times. And on our worship schedule for today is a song that’s very appropriate for these times and offers encouragement to those of us who are having a hard time managing the trials and tribulations of our lives.
The song’s aptly titled ‘God on the Mountain.’ It was written by Tracy Dartt in the mid 1970’s when his wife Sharon and himself were going through an entrepreneurial crisis, where there swimming pool business in California was facing bankruptcy, and to make matters worse, their partner became discouraged, threw in the towel, and signed everything over to them. That obviously caused them even more anxiety and stress for they had several swimming pools to build, but no money to build them with.
It so happened though that the Dartt’s were also country gospel music singers and per Mr. Dartt: ‘In the midst of the turmoil, I awakened from a troubled sleep one night. It was two o’clock in the morning. A tune was echoing in my troubled brain. I picked up a tablet and a pencil and began to write, “Life is easy when you’re up on the mountain, and you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known. But, when things change and you’re down in the valley, don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone.”
“Thank You, Lord,” I prayed, “for being God in my valley.” The chorus came, “The God on the mountain is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right…” In all, it took about thirty minutes. I again prayed, “Thank You, Lord,” and then settled back down to sleep.’
And wouldn’t you know it, the next day he went off to work and through God’s goodness and mercy, he got a call for a new swimming pool. Then a few days later he got another call. And so it went, until as he writes: ‘Through the off-season, we ended up selling and building 12 pools in all, at a time when no one else was building pools. The building season came, and suddenly we were able to finish all of our construction and eliminate our debts. We were free and clear, without having to bankrupt the business. God had taken us through the valley.’
And believe me friends, that is not an exception but has happened to many believers down through the ages, who stood strong in their faith even when their world seemed to be falling apart around them. So now that we know some the song’s background, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a mid-tempo, soulful version of the song, a la the American Gospel Artiste, Lynda Randle.
Singing: ‘Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known But things change, when you’re down in the valley Don’t lose faith, for you are never alone For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day, is still God in the night We talk of faith way up on the mountain
But talk comes easy, when life’s at its best Now it’s down in the valleys, trials and temptations That’s where your faith is really put to the test For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley, When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day, is still God in the night The God of the day, is still God in the night.’
And that’s the indisputable truth my people! Our God is the God of both the day and night, as well as of the valley and the mountain top. But we must know that deep down in our hearts and put it into action, like the Dartt’s did, if we want to experience the same kind of reward of God’s goodness and grace that they received.
And we all know that one of the most famous scriptures on being down in the valley is this one from Psalm 23, where Bruh David confidently affirms: ‘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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over.’ (Ps. 23:3-4)
Yes my brethren, the Lord has faithfully promised that He will never leave nor forsake us, (Heb. 13:5) that means wherever we are, He is there with us, leading and guiding us. However though, valley life is not easy. For as the song so rightfully points out. ‘We talk of faith way up on the mountain But talk comes easy, when life’s at its best Now it’s down in the valleys, trials and temptations That’s where your faith is really put to the test.’
Now that’s the gospel truth! When things are going well, we can always boast about our faith, but it’s down in the trenches of the valleys, when the darkness seems overwhelming, that our faith is really tested. And it’s where so many of us fail the test, because we cannot walk our talk of faith. But when we put our trust in God during those dark and dismal times, He helps us to get through them. It’s like the psalmist Asaph who found himself in the valley, being envious of the wicked, then went into the sanctuary of God and finally understood the wicked’s end. (Ps. 73:17).
Later, he declares: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:26-28)
And we’ll close with possibly the most comforting scripture verses in the Bible. The words of Bruh Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Yes friends, our great God not only comforts us, but in such a manner that we can comfort others. Isn’t He wonderful? Of course He is! So, let’s remember, that though times are tough and seem to be getting tougher daily, our God Jehovah has us in the palm of his hand, but we need keep our faith strong, to even build it up, so that we can make it through the many death-like valleys that are appearing nowadays. Much LOVE!
…the Lord is my light and my salvation…whom shall I fear…the Lord is the strength of my life…of whom shall I be afraid…NO ONE… (Ps. 27:1)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lively hope, a living hope, a long and arduous journey, a new stage of life, a paradox, a sinner becomes a saint, a Sunday evening stroll, abundance, according to His abundant mercy, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, at the appearing of Christ, be found with praise honour and glory, being much more precious than gold, believers in Christ, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, children of the Most High God, clear direction for my life, conform to the image of Jesus, continually guarded by God, courage, creativity, curse, distressed through numerous temptations, diversified trials, divine protection, earthly trials, even the salvation of your souls, faith, fear, for a season, fortitude, full of glory, God's infinite wisdom, God's Master Plan, godly courage, good friends, good health, guaranteed by Jesus' resurrection, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, holy spirit, in heaviness, Jesus Christ, Jesus is a hard act to follow, kept by the power of God, looks to the future, LOVE, made of stern stuff, manifold temptations, mercy, mind boggling, morally untainted, more than conquerors, negative word, no element of uncertainty, not subject to the ravages of time, our godly purpose, promotion, receiving the end of your faith, refining faith through trials, reflecting a christ-like image, rescued from this world into the presence of God, reserved in heaven for you, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, spiritual growth, talent, temptation, testing, that does not fade away, that fadeth not away, the author of salvation, the best example to follow, the Christian life, the genuineness of our faith, the indisputable truth, the level of faith, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the paradox of the Christian life, the parched earth was satisfied, the portrayal of salvation, the problem of salvation looks to the present, the rains fell, the resurrection of Christ, the salvation of your souls, the trial of your faith, the ultimate salvation, the work of salvation, though now you see him not yet believing, though you see him not, through faith unto salvation, to be revealed in the last time, trials and tribulations, tried with fire, true faith cannot be destroyed, truth, unspeakable joy, we can handle whatever comes against us, we only grow in hard times, whom having not seen you love, wisdom, work everything out for our good, ye greatly rejoice, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
1 Peter 1:9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
And the rains fell…and the parched earth was satisfied… Yes friends, the rain did fall this Thursday morning in early September, thus it’s wet, dark and somewhat chilly out there in my neighbourhood. But as believers in Christ Jesus, we are made of stern stuff and can handle whatever comes against us, for we are also children of the Most High God, and more than conquerors.
However, all joking aside, it’s not easy to get to that level of faith where we can deal fairly easily deal with the trials and tribulations of this cruel and evil world. And as we’ve been seeing for the last couple of days, the Lord has an overall Master Plan for His children; that’s to conform them to the image of His firstborn Jesus. Now, Jesus is indeed a hard act to follow, but He is indeed the best example of godliness, holiness, obedience, LOVE and compassion that exists. And the Lord God Jehovah in His infinite wisdom has built up a way for His adopted children to attain a good likeness to His first born.
Unfortunately though, this transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a lifelong journey with the Lord, the Master Potter that He is, molding us a little more every day into the Christlike image that He desires. And we know that clay goes through a lot of changes and plenty of heat until it eventually turns into what the Potter desires. And so it is with us, as the Father LOVINGLY molds us to His Son’s image.
The best analogy of Christian transformation might be the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, where it goes through a comparatively long and arduous task and journey of turning from one to the other, but with the Lord’s inbuilt help, it eventually accomplishes it and flies away on beautiful gossamer wings. And we saw yesterday where this work of transformation was done by the Holy Spirit. And somewhere along the line we also mentioned testing and temptation as being the only way to grow spiritually. And that’s simply the indisputable truth. We only grow when we go through unfamiliar and tough times.
Now, per those aspects of testing and spiritual growth, Peter captures the very essence of the paradox of Christian life, in his first epistle, when he writes: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations: That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-9)
Oh my people, that sounds mind boggling, but it’s simple when you understand it. Now here are some explanations from the scholars, which I hope will bring us such understanding. They say that, ‘The portrayal of salvation looks to the future, that is the ultimate salvation when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God. The author of salvation is portrayed as the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of salvation (vs. 3-5) is described as to its effect.
Hath begotten us again refers to a new stage of life that begins at salvation. This lively hope has no element of uncertainty, for it is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The believer’s inheritance is described as incorruptible, imperishable or indestructible, and undefiled (i.e. morally untainted). That fadeth not away means it is not subject to the ravages of time. Further it is reserved, that is, it has been preserved in the past and still is in heaven. Kept is a present passive participle – we are secure because we are continually guarded by God, who never relaxes His vigil. Salvation here refers to final salvation, that is, deliverance from the presence of sin and into the presence of God.’
Now, that’s all the flowery and heavenly stuff, but getting down to brass tacks, to the actual heart of the matter, which concerns us in the now not the hereafter, the scholars explain about verses 6-9 thus: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Yes friends, the life of the serious Christian is not a Sunday evening stroll in the park, but serious business, with tough stuff coming from Satan as well as from God. However, we must never forget God’s promise to eventually work out everything for our good, (Rom. 8:28) because He LOVES us dearly and has our best interest at heart. But we do have to bear the unfortunate or tough stuff that comes against us with godly courage and fortitude, not allowing fear, the enemy’s weapon, to distract us from our godly purpose, because the Lord God, our heavenly Father, is always with us, and will not let us fall.
And as the scholars explain above; ‘true faith cannot be destroyed…’ No! Because God shores up our faith while refining us! And hopefully, as we continually read and meditate on God’s Word and better understand it, we’ll relax and walk expectantly and patiently with the Lord. Now, it’s time to declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
All together: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those underserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s oh so beautiful…when a sinner…becomes a saint…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of authority, a sincere heart for God, according to my integrity, according to the fruit of his doings, believe not every spirit, boggles the mind, chaotic world, Christians, concrete jungle, deceit, deepen my breath, desperately wicked, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh, false doctrines, false prophets, false prophets are gone out into the world, God is omniscient, God searches our hearts to discover our true motives, God's plan for our lives, God's playbook, greater is he that is in you, greed, holy spirit, honour me with their lips, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I test the most secret parts, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, in vain they do worship me, increase my awareness of you today, incurably sick, inequality, inequality of wealth, is not of God, is of God, it is already in the world, Jesus Christ, judge me O Lord according to my righteousness, know ye the Spirit of God, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, look not on his countenance, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, my defence is of God, negative and ungodly things, outright lies, poverty, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking intimacy with God, slander, slow my thoughts, strife, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, test the mind, than he that's in the world, thankful to see another day, the BIBLE, the fruit of his deeds, the gospel truth, the heart is deceitful above all things, the height of his stature, the indisputable truth, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, the main point is sincerity, the medium of prayer, the power of the Holy spirit, the spirit of the antichrist, their heart is far from me, these people draw near to me with their mouth, to give every man according to his ways, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, try to hide things from God, who can know it, wisdom, ye are of God, ye have overcome them, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 August 2025 1 Samuel 1:7b.
1 Samuel 1:7b. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Oh friends, am I ever disappointed that I could not stay longer abed this glorious lazy-day Saturday in the middle of August 2025! And why is that? Because after spending almost the whole day in the concrete jungle city called Toronto, enduring traffic jams, going and coming, and waiting a couple of hours before I could have my procedure done, I got home tired and went to bed early – well early by my standards. (smile) But then the ole back eventually rebelled when I lay abed for longer than normal, thus forcing me to get up earlier than I intended. But that’s what happens when you’re getting on in life. Note, I did not say getting old. (smile)
Anyway, we’re up and about, and thankful that we’re alive to see another beautiful day on God’s beautiful but currently chaotic and disastrous earth. That means we have a purpose for being here at this time and place, and the Lord is trying to initiate His plan, His playbook for our lives, but unfortunately too many of us are resisting His advances and His plays. But let’s see if we can’t turn things around somewhat nuh, through the medium of prayer, which God instituted so we can communicate with Him, thus letting Him know how we feel about any and everything, especially the plays He’s calling in our lives. (smile)
Remember, He wants to be involved in everything that concerns us, be it big or small, relevant or irrelevant. So let’s begin with offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now that’s the easiest way to get God’s attention, by seeking greater communication and intimacy with Him. For remember one of the reasons He created us is for us to LOVE Him and each other, and achieve an intimacy that’s pure and wholesome. But the main point of the whole process is sincerity. If we’re not sincere, then the Lord will ignore whatever we say. For unlike mankind, He doesn’t just listen to our words, but searches the depths of our hearts to discover our real motives.
And there are several scriptures which repeat that fact, beginning with this one from 1 Samuel, where the Lord admonished Samuel when he sent him to anoint a new king from the sons of Jesse, and Samuel looks on the comely and manly features of the eldest son, Eliab and believes that he is the chosen one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
And so it went, until the Lord chose the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be king, Bruh David, because he had a sincere heart for the Lord. Then, we have these words of Bruh David from Psalm 7 – A Plea for Protection from Enemies – where he declares: ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins (tests the hearts and minds). My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.’ (Ps. 7:8-10)
Oh my people, being of an upright, sincere heart is ever so important in our relationships; both with God and with our fellow man. Although, like the prophet Jeremiah said so long ago: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) And that’s the indisputable truth! Man’s heart is oh so wicked that it cannot be trusted, especially in what looks like these last days, when negative and ungodly things like greed, deceit, envy, slander, strife, poverty, inequality are ruling the roost in our world.
That’s why Jeremiah follows up that verse with this one: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (test the mind, the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds).’ (Jer. 17:10) And knowing all that, it boggles my mind to think that so many of us, even supposed believers, still try to hide things from God eh? We go to Him with a lot of praise and whatever in our mouths, but our hearts are nowhere close to what our mouths are spewing.
It’s like Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9) And brother, is that ever happening in today’s society! The false prophets, the evil snake and His cohorts are running riot over the land with false doctrines, deceits and even outright lies. And sadly, many of us are buying into it!
But if we are true believers, we ought to know better, for as John warns in his first epistle: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-3)
And that’s ever so true friends, for the antichrist is raising a hue and cry all over our world right now, and we have to be very careful about what and whom we listen to. But hear this most important fact from the next verse. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
Now my people, if we don’t believe anything else today, please, let’s believe that, and please, let’s take it to heart, write it indelibly in souls, mind and bodies, because it is the gospel truth, and only as we believe it, and operate from that position of authority and power of the Holy Spirit, will we ever defeat the enemy. Much LOVE!
…it’s foolish to try and hide anything from God…for He created us…and is omniscient – all-knowing…knows everything about us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Guidebook for earthly living, a most encouraging and reassuring promise, after one time is two, all things work together for good, be not afraid, be strong and of a good courage, Bible, brings us to a realization, called according to His purpose, Caribana Parade, christianity, Christians, daily taking up our cross, deepen my breath, denying ourselves, do according to all that's written therein, enter the pearly gates of heaven, faith, following Jesus, frustrations, God has the power to make everything right, God is in control, God will eventually make all things right, God will never leave nor forsake us, have good success, have not I commanded thee, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, if we read the Bible, if you can't control it don't worry about it, in all sincerity and truth, increase my awareness of you today, it's all for our benefit, its multitude of wisdom and riches, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, leave it all to God, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, mercy, neither be thou dismayed, omnipotent god, Pan Alive Steelband Competition, place our total faith and trust in God, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, slow my thoughts, still fresh through all the ages, thank you for this tenderness, the beauty of prayer, the Bible is God's word to us, the C.N.E grounds, the indisputable truth, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the low standard of the mas, the trials and tribulations of life, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, thou shalt meditate therein day and night, to spend eternity with Christ, to the ends of the earth, to them that love God, truth, we'll find God wisdom on its pages, wisdom, you can't be contained, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
And then it was our lazy-day Saturday for this our August long weekend, but for many of us, it certainly won’t be a lazy-day, for we’ll be somewhere down the Lakeshore around the C.N.E. grounds taking in the Caribana Parade. And yes, I know that’s not the official title, but to us old folks, it will always be CARIBANA, and will go down in the annals as such. (smile) Now, as the old people would say, after one time is two yes. And that’s the reality of the situation, for I never missed the Caribana Parade for thirty something years, but for the last fifteen or so I haven’t been. Sometimes I don’t even remember that it’s around. Why?
For several reasons. First of all, because the old bones can’t take the stress of the plenty walking and jumping any longer, plus I would go there and not see anyone I knew. That was just unfathomable, because in earlier times, as soon as I hit the Lakeshore I would see oodles of people I knew. And last, but possibly the most important reason is that the quality of the mas in the parade has gone down so low that it’s not worth going to see anymore. And that’s not only my opinion, but a lot of others too, who knew what real mas and mas costumes were about.
But the Caribana Celebrations is still a big thing in the city and I’m glad that they can make some tourist dollars off of it. And just to show how the standards have fallen, I went to the Pan Alive Steelband Competition last night, and there were only three bands out of the six that competed that should have been in the competition. Even one of the guest bands sounded better than the first three competitors. Steups! But who am I, a non mas and non pan person to say anything eh? (smile) And to stop my spirit from getting upset as I remember what was, and what is right now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth.
As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
That did it friends! (smile) I’ve released whatever frustrations I had about the state of the current mas and pan situation, and have accepted that things change, and not always in a manner that I like, but since I cannot change them, I just have to leave them alone. And that’s the beauty of prayer; it brings us to a realization, that if we cannot control it, we should not worry about it, just leave it all up to God, because He has the power to make everything right, and has promised to do so, through this marvellous verse from Romans. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Yes my faithful brethren, if we LOVE the Lord and place our total faith and trust in Him, then eventually, when, in His wisdom, He knows the time is right, then He will work everything out for our good. So, although it can be very difficult when we’re going through the trials and tribulations of this earthly life, we need not worry, because we know that our omnipotent God is in control and He will eventually make all wrongs right! But we can only stand strong in faith when we know His Word, that’s why constant reading and meditating on it is absolutely necessary.
The Lord even said it in no uncertain terms to Joshua, when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. And not once, but several times in a few verses of Joshua chapter one. Hear this direct command: ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth (shall be constantly in your mouth); but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Straight from the Lord’s mouth my people! If we want to be prosperous and have success then we need to know His Word, because that’s the purpose for which it was created. That reminds me of the quote I got from some unremembered place: ‘The Bible is God’s Word to us, still fresh through all the ages. And if we read it, we will find God’s wisdom on its pages.’ That’s gospel truth friends! The Bible was written as a Guidebook for Earthly Living, but we have to read and study it constantly if we want to discover its multitude of wisdom and riches.
And this last thing God said to Joshua is one of my favourite scripture verses. After telling him about constantly meditating on His Word, the Lord then expounded and admonished: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Oh my people, what a most encouraging and reassuring promise! And it’s the indisputable truth, for our faithful God is always with us, since He’s promised never to leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)
And if we want to have a successful and prosperous life here on earth, then enter the pearly gates to spend eternity with Jesus, then we have to take all those commands and promises seriously, live by them each and every day, being true disciples of Christ. That’s denying ourselves, taking up our cross every day and following Him to the ends of the earth! (Luke 9:23)
And today is a good day to ponder our situation; whether we’re following God’s directives, meditating on His word, denying ourselves, daily taking up our cross and following Him. Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t know God’s Word…then you cannot live the way He desires…or have a prosperous and successful life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Apr 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deep desire for personal righteousness, a hungry animal, a message of hope, a mighty rushing wind, a new heart will I also give you, a new spirit will I put within you, a renewed relationship with God, a sound from heaven, a spiritual transformation, a strong will, a thirsting soul, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, as the hart panteth after the water brooks, began to speak with other tongues, believers, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, broken right now in the name of Jesus, broken the gates of brass, cause you to walk in my statutes, christianity, cloven tongues like fire, complete satisfaction, curse, cut the bars of iron asunder, divine protection, early will I seek thee, everything originates from God, faith, favour, filled with the Holy Ghost, for his goodness, fulfilment, give you an heart of flesh, good health, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he satisfieth the longing soul, his wonderful works to the children of men, holy spirit, I will bless thee while I live, in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, Jesus Christ, keep my judgements and do them, lift up my hands in thy name, LOVE, mercy, my flesh longs for you, my lips shall praise thee, my soul longeth for thee, my soul thirsteth for god, negative word, O God thou art my God, obedience to God's law, oh that men would praise the Lord, Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament, other languages, outpouring of righteousness, panting for food or water, promostion, proof of their spiritual rebirth, propser, put my spirit within you, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, share our blessings with others, so panteth my soul after thee O God, spiritual poverty, spiritual rebirth, spiritual renewal, succeed, supernatural wisdom, take away the stony heart out of your flesh, the Beatitudes, the BIBLE, The Day of Pentecost, the Holy spirit indwelling believers, the indisputable truth, the living God, the penultimate day of our work week, the prophecy of Ezekiel, the sons of Korah, they shall be filled, thy loving-kindness is better than life, to see thy power and thy glory, truth, underserved blessings, When shall I come and appear before God, wisdom, yearning for perishable things, yearning for spiritual things
Psalm 107:15. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
So we’ve come to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, a warm and sunshiny day, and we’re just panting for Friday, like a hungry or thirsty animal panting for food or water. Oh, how I wish we could be like the sons of Korah say in Psalm 42: ‘As the hart (deer) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?’ (Ps. 42:1-2)
And Bruh David corroborates it in Psalm 63, ‘A Thirsting Soul’ while in the wilderness, running from his arch enemy King Saul. He writes: ‘O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul longeth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;’ (Ps. 63:1)
Yes friends, it’s the living God we should be panting and thirsting for; not the day when we get a break from work! For who do you think allows you to have that break eh? In the long run, it’s the living God! In fact everything that you have or get, initially flows from Almighty God! It might come through other people, but it all originates from the grace, mercy and LOVE of our heavenly Father! As Bruh David spells out in the next couple of verses. ‘To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee (looked for thee) in the sanctuary. Because thy LOVING-KINDNESS is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.’ (Ps. 63:2-4)
Now that’s how we supposed believers ought to be behaving, not looking forward to the material, perishable things of the world, as so many of us are currently doing. It’s like Jesus says in the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6)
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of that verse. ‘These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst for righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which ONLY God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” (Ps. 107:9)
And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers! When we sincerely hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God, He fills us up, because that is His very nature, which He cannot deny. And we find one of the best examples of that in the Book of Acts, on the Day of Pentecost when the church members were sitting together in a room, ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages), as the Spirit gave then utterance.’ (Acts. 2:2-4)
Oh my brethren, that was certainly an unusual outpouring of righteousness all at once, but it marked the beginning of the Holy Spirt indwelling believers and not operating outside on certain occasions. It’s what God promised the Israelites in the prophesy of Ezekiel. ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them.’ (Ezek. 36:26-27)
And this commentary offers an explanation of those verses. ‘They promise a spiritual transformation, where God will replace the Israelites’ “heart of stone” (stubbornness, resistance) with a “heart of flesh” (responsiveness, obedience), and infuse them with a “new spirit,” symbolizing a renewed relationship with God and obedience to His laws. This promise is a type of the New Covenant, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, offering spiritual renewal to all believers.
In essence, Ezekiel 36:26 is a powerful message of hope and spiritual renewal, promising a restoration of the Israelites’ relationship with God through a transformation of their hearts and minds. This transformation is also seen as a foreshadowing of the New Covenant, where God’s spirit dwells within believers, enabling them to live in obedience and righteousness.’
Now that ought to help us believe God’s Word even more, as those prophecies in the Old Testament keep being fulfilled in the New Testament. Consequently, our behaviour ought to be like the psalmist says in Psalm 107: ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he hath broken the gates of brass (bronze), and cut the bars of iron in sunder.’ (Ps. 107:15-16)
Yes, friends, the Lord has broken all our chains and released us from the prison of sin and being hell bound through the auspices of Christ’s work on the cross of Calvary. That means we should be thankful, grateful and show it through our obedience and LOVE, especially since He’s further showered us with our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. So let’s declare and activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yeah!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…instead of yearning for perishable earthly things…we ought to ye yearning for imperishable spiritual or heavenly things…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Apr 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, because I love you, Bible, christianity, crying out for help, despising the shame, divine help, do as I have done unto you, Easter celebrations, endured the cross, faith, foolish pride, for the joy that was set before him, frightened, give the Lord thanks, god, his goodness to the children of men, I choose to obey, I have given you an example, ill at ease, incompetent, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus gave up his sinless life, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, obedient to god, our sins forgiven, our souls washed clean, return backsliders to your fold, sacrifice, selflessness, set down at the right hand of God, Spiritual Tug-of-War, stand strong and steadfast, teach me thy statutes, Thank God it's Friday, the author and finisher of our faith, the error of their ways, the indisputable truth, the simmering unrest, thou art good and doest good, traffic congestion, ungrateful sinners, wake up and smell the coffee, washing of feet, wisdom, wouldn't do this for anyone else -but you
Psalm 119:68. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
And then it was Friday, with all the shouts of ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, we’re all glad to see the weekend, so we can rest from our hard week’s work. Hn! Or rather rest from our excessive Easter celebrations. (smile) But Easter is nothing to laugh about, because it’s when we were guaranteed resurrection from the dead and eternal life if we believe in Jesus Christ. So don’t overdo the celebrations, but don’t make light of the situation either.
Now, my sincere apologies for the Bit being so late today, but I had an early appointment in Toronto for my cataract surgery one week check up. And the highways were fairly decent, both ways, but it’s the streets in the city itself that are bustling with a mix of traffic and construction, causing lanes to be closed and traffic backed up. But as they say, you have to do what you have to do, and my trip was successful, both in terms of the report on my eye and getting back home safely. Give the Lord thanks for His goodness to the children of men!
And today we’re going to look at a rather interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promise with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Spiritual Tug-of-War.’ It’s something that all of us have experienced at some time or other in our Christian lives. So please read with me: ‘Lord. I’ve waited long enough No longer can I withstand This spiritual tug-of-war between us. Today I will do what You asked me to do. I still don’t want to, Lord – Surely You know that. I’m frightened and ill-at-ease. I feel foolish and uncomfortable. I almost feel put-upon. What You’ve asked of me slaps at my pride. Nevertheless, I choose to obey You Simply because I LOVE You. Do You understand, dear Lord? I wouldn’t do this For anyone in the world – but You.’
Ah friends, many are the times when we engage in a tug-of-war with the Lord, because He asks us to do something that we feel is inappropriate, too low brow for our high esteem of ourselves, and it just dusts up our pride. And yuh know what? Ofttimes the Lord asks us to do certain things just for that reason; to kill our foolish pride. For if there’s one thing He totally dislikes is human pride, because that makes us believe and behave like we don’t need Him. Furthermore, do you think that Jesus really wanted to go to the cross and sacrifice Himself for a bunch of ungrateful sinners? Of course not! But He did it because the Father asked it of Him, and He LOVED the Father that much to give up His sinless life so that our sins could be forgiven and our souls washed clean.
And what does our Christian faith teach us? That we ought to behave like Jesus: use His life as an example for our own. Remember what Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, after He had washed their feet. ‘For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord (master); neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’ (John 13:15-17)
Oh my fellow believers that’s one of the many truths Jesus passed on to us during His earthly sojourn. And it’s a big one too, especially after He had just finished doing a servant’s job; one of the lowliest and nastiest jobs in those times, washing someone’s dirty feet. And believe me, feet could get very dirty in those days as they wore sandals without socks on the dusty dirt streets of the land. This scripture from Hebrews also warns us: ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Likewise friends, we ought to put aside our worldly shame and foolish pride and do what the Lord asks of us, because of the joy that emanates from doing His will, and the wonderful rewards we will eventually get if we obey without much complaining. And here’s one other reminder. The growth in our Christian maturity and faith will cease until we have done His will. Neither is God very likely to change His mind on whatever He’s asked of us. So yes, sometimes stuff God asks of us is difficult; we feel incompetent, or it’s shameful and pride killing, but don’t forget the Lord never asks us to do something without a very good reason – in His eyes (smile) and always gives us the wherewithal to do it.
So let’s try to be more obedient to God’s will nuh, and sincerely reduce our tug-of-war bouts because we truly LOVE Him, and anyway, all that He asks is really for our benefit. And I got so carried away that I forgot to mention the Bible Promise for our poem. It comes from Psalm 119, and says in the King James Version: ‘Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statute’ (Ps. 119:68) Meanwhile the NIV (New International Version) says: ‘You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.’
And my fellow saints, whichever version you choose, it’s still the indisputable truth. Therefore, if we truly LOVE the Lord, then we desperately need to improve our maturity level, using Christ as our shining example. Now let’s go to the throne of grace seeking divine aid for all that ails our turbulent world.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough … because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We also fervently pray Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And let’s not forget that divine help will only be forthcoming when we begin being better examples of Christianity than we currently are! Much LOVE!
…LOVE means selflessness and sacrifice…like Jesus…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour, be as a tree planted by the waters, bounden duty, cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils, cursed be the man that trusteth in man, economic deprivation, eternal separation from Almighty God, giveth food to the hungry, God is the only one who can guide us safely, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, he preserveth the strangers, he shall be like a heath in the desert, her leaf shall be green, his spirit departs, in god's eyes, in that very day his thoughts perish, in the son of man, in whom there is no help, inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, Jesus Christ, LOVE, natural disasters, neither shall cease from yielding fruit, openeth the eyes of the blind, put not your trust in princes, relieveth the fatherless and widow, salvation, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, share His love with my neighbours, spreadeth out her roots by the river, the beloved of God, the indisputable truth, the way of the wicked he maketh crooked, there's none like our God Jehovah, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, vain is the help of man, whose heart departeth from the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wisdom, worry
Psalm 146:5. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord God.
Now, how crazy can this weather scene get eh? Right now we’re having snow filter down from the heavens, but this afternoon we’re expected to have rain. Please explain that to me. Isn’t it usually the opposite way? Oh, who knows what’s happening in our world these days but our One True God! With all the violence, inhumanity, greed, natural disasters, economic deprivation and unusual weather patterns that are currently dominating our world, ONLY Jehovah God truly knows and understands what’s going on!
And because our puny, finite minds cannot comprehend the reality of our society, the Lord expects us to surrender our all to Him, to put our sincere trust, our whole lives in His strong and faithful hands! Why? Because He is the ONLY ONE who can guide us safely through all the commotion and confusion that’s occurring. And if we’re wise, that’s exactly what we’ll all do, for as Psalm 146 wisely warns us: ‘Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man (a human being), in whom there is no help (salvation). His breath goeth forth (his spirit departs), he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Ps. 146:3-4)
Yes friends, that’s the gospel truth. It’s not wise to trust influential people, because they cannot truly help you, since they are mere mortals like yourself. It’s also unwise to put your trust in human leaders; for no human being can save you. So what am I to do then, you ask? Who can save me if mankind can’t? That’s a very good question, and we also have a very good answer for it! As the psalmist wisely proclaims: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord God.’ (Ps. 146:5) Now that’s the indisputable truth my people!
But why is that, you doubtfully and hesitantly ask? Again the psalmist gives us the answer. For He is the God ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all therein is: which keepeth truth for ever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners: The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous. The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked).’ (Ps. 146:6-9)
Now that, as far as I’m concerned, is sufficient reason to surrender my all, to put my entire trust in Almighty God! For no human being can do those things that the Almighty did and still does! And if you have some person or persons who can do better than the Lord does, then please show or tell me about Him or Her! But my faithful brethren, we all know that there’s NONE like our God Jehovah, so why beat about the bush eh? Stop wasting precious time and simply turn to Him; give your heart, mind, body and soul to Him, for He is trustworthy and faithful to keep them in good order for you down here on earth, then receive you to His glorious salvation when you depart this earthly life!
And there’s NO ONE else who can make that promise and keep it! For as the psalmist ends: ‘The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.’ (Ps. 146:10) Yes my fellow saints, our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present God shall reign FOREVER! There’s absolutely no doubt about that, for there’s none strong, wise and all seeing like Him! So why not put your trust in Him today eh. Receive His wonderful self-sacrificing Son, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour today, right now, before it’s too late.
For if Christ returns to earth or you die before receiving Him, then you’ll never see the pearly gates of heaven or speak to the Father face to face. Your sorry lot will be eternal separation from the One who created you, and that’s the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul! So please, let’s get wise and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour nuh, so that our names will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and eternal life assured. And just in case you are still doubtful about the psalmist’s claims, then listen to these other warnings on the subject from other righteous brethren.
Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 108 when he cried out to the Lord: ‘Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.’ (Ps. 108:12-13) And Bruh David knew what he was talking about, after his long experience with the Lord. And Isaiah, who also knew the power of the Lord, reasoned it thus: ‘Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of (why should he be esteemed)?’ (Is. 2:22)
And the prophet Jeremiah puts it as plainly as possible. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man (man’s strength), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (a shrub) in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:5-8)
That says it all my people; trust in the Lord and your life shall be blessed, regardless of the circumstances that come against you. And for those of us who have sincerely done that, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having proclaimed our wonderful heritage, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why trust in the created and not the Creator…that’s not wisdom…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
27 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: author and finisher of our faith, curse, discunity in the church, faith, favour, given him a name above every other name, God hath highly exalted him, good freinds, great family, insufficient financial rewards, jobs that we dislike, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, LOVE, negative word, our shining example, self-aggrandization, share them generously, stress, stress the number one killer, the accumulation of profits, the everlasting Father, the indisputable truth, the mighty God, the penultimate day of our work week, the Prince of Peace, the welfare and benefit of workers, Thursday Blessings, Wonderful Counsellor
Philippians 2:9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
And now it’s Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek, and we’re looking forward ever so much to tomorrow, that’s Friday, because for two days, we cease the tiring and unpleasant act of travelling back and forth to a job that many of us despise and dislike, and only perform it, or rather endure it because of the insufficient financial rewards we receive and so badly need if we’re to survive in this rat race we call our civilization! And if that isn’t a Bruh Paulian sentence, then I don’t know what is. (smile)
Ah friends, that statement might seem somewhat degrading and unfair, but it’s the indisputable truth. Many more people dislike their jobs than like them, and many would not go to them if they could find another way to make a living. And can you imagine the drudgery and resentment that so many of us put up with for two or three decades in a job that we dislike and thus don’t do to the best of our ability. I guess that’s because of the way the formulators of commerce and industry have set up our economic system without much thought to the welfare and benefit of the workers, but more so to the accumulation of profit for themselves.
But as I recently said, our current system is so backward and not truly engineered for making the best use of our talents and efforts, as well as being psychologically and emotionally very draining. You’d think that a society that’s been to the moon and various planets around our solar system, could come up with a better system of labour than one that has hordes of people languishing in vehicles morning and evening, not going anywhere fast. It’s no wonder they end up drained and stressed out, and that the new age disease of stress is the number one killer in our society.
Our forefathers didn’t even know the meaning of the word, but today it’s on everyone’s tongue, because we’re always so busy, but in reality going nowhere. We don’t have time to call or visit each other these days, because we’re so busy. But ask us what we’re busy doing, most of us can’t tell. Nevertheless, it’s the number one excuse nowadays for lack of family participation, camaraderie and true friendship. Imagine the sad situation where we have the best means of communication ever, almost instant messaging, but yet we’re possibly the most alone and loneliest generation the world has ever seen.
And the great amount of oppression, suppression, violence, lawlessness, greed, deceit and fraudulent activities that now permeate our world don’t lend themselves to trust and friendship. The recent pandemic and the current upheaval in our political systems, where everyone is fighting for power by any means necessary, doesn’t help the situation either. So, what’s the answer to it all eh? And there can only be one answer; that’s to make Jesus our true Lord and Saviour, our King and Ruler!
Why, you further ask? Because He’s the ONLY ONE who can handle the crazy, negative situation that exists in our world. Check it out nuh: He’s the Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father! (Is. 9:6) Now who else has all those marvellous attributes and talents eh? Nobody! That’s what makes Him fit to rule the world! And when you add some of His other names like the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Rose of Sharon, the Calmer of Storms, the Best Guide and Pilot ever, on land, sea or air, etc. etc. there’s absolutely no one else more qualified to run our lives and our universe.
Then, when you get down to brass tacks and recognize the truth of the Bible, God’s inspired Word, where it says that because Christ was ‘found in fashion (appearance ) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those things in heaven, and those things in earth, and those things under the earth; and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Gory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:8-11)
Now friends, with all of that going for Jesus, who else is better qualified to run our world and our lives eh? Again I say: NOBODY! But yuh think people are running to Him in droves despite the adversity and tribulation we’re experiencing. No! A lot of us are in fact running away from Him! Why is that eh? One big reason is because the body He formed, called His church, is not doing enough to bring people to Him, but is sadly doing a lot to drive them away, with all the infighting, disunity and scandal that’s currently plaguing it.
And we, as induvial believers aren’t doing such a hot job either, because we’re not living the way Jesus commanded us to live, like brothers and sisters, LOVING each other, treating each other with kindness and compassion. That’s one of the reasons there’s so much sickness, poverty and economic stagnation and depression in our world. The church and its members are not doing as much as it ought to stem the woes and the travesty of our society. Remember Jesus said that He came to save those who were lost, the sick and the suffering, the underprivileged and the prisoners, the widows and orphans.
And if He is to be our shining example, our bright LIGHT, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God: (Heb. 12:2) then it’s obvious that we must make those things that He came and died for our priorities as well. And He’s such a wonderful Saviour that, knowing of our frailty, fragility, and finite shortcomings, He’s generously bestowed on us, all His followers, what we call our Thursday Blessings, to help us do His earthly work. Remember, He never asks us to do something without giving us the power and the tools to do it.
So, this bright and sunshiny Thursday morning in late April, let’s declare (ah Lord eh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them in our lives. As one strong voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, let’s take those blessings and go out and share them, use them just as generously in the care and compassion of others, as Jesus used them with us! Much LOVE!
…there’s no getting away from it…ONLY JESUS…is truly qualified to rule the world…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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