Only in Almighty God can Believers find Safety and Refuge in this Evil and Ungodly world!

11 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 46:1.       ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble.

So it’s Wednesday my people, our second wind day. It opened bright and sunshiny and somewhat cool, but it’s warming up, and we on the late bus, because after church, I ran around and did a couple errands, then had to come home and rest before writing the Bit. Yuh know the ole fella’s not as young as he used to be, and unfortunately can’t light the candle at both ends again. (smile)

And today, as we witness all the strife, the anger, the carnage and all the other negative things that are so prevalent in our world, I believe this word from the Sons of Korah in Psalm 46, is a good scripture for us to hold close to our hearts. So please read with me: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in time of trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)

Yes my fellow believers, that’s how strong our faith ought to be; winning out even in the most serious predicaments. That’s because the Lord God Almighty; our omnipotent, omniscient and omni-present Deity has us in the palm of His hands and has promised to take care of us. Like Bruh Paul says in his letter to the 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)

So, though we will have problems in this ungodly world, the Lord’s promised that in the end He will work it all out for the good of those who put their trust in Him. And Jesus reinforces that promise when He says: ‘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 He certainly has, by defeating hell, death and the grave through His death and resurrection!

That means we ought not to be afraid of what man can do to us, but be more concerned about what the Lord Jehovah can do. As Jesus said: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 18:28) And what does all of the mean?

This commentary explains that verse thus: ‘Jesus encourages his followers not to be afraid of those who might persecute or kill them for their faith, as such people can only affect their physical body. The verse contrasts this with the fear of God, who has authority over both the physical and spiritual realms. The phrase “destroy both body and soul in hell” refers to the concept of eternal punishment, where the soul is also eternally separated from God. This verse highlights God’s sovereignty over life and death and the importance of prioritizing Him over any human authority.’

Now those are some things that we ought to take into serious consideration as we walk amongst all the evil and ungodly doings that are currently running rampant in our world. We all are human, and fear does come upon us at some time or other, but the important thing to remember is that God is sovereign over the entire universe, and as a child of God, you have His protection and ought not to let fear overtake you for any length of time. Remember these marvellous words of Bruh Paul to 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)

And if that doesn’t set your heart and soul free of fear, then listen to these most assuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 62, titled My Rock and My Salvation. He writes: ‘My soul, wait thou (silently) only upon God; for my expectation (hope) is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved (shaken). In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah’ (Ps. 62:5-8)

And if there’s one thing we can say about both Bruh David and Bruh Paul is that they not only talked the words of God, but they also walked them. They both had oodles of trials and tribulations, many more serious than any we will ever have, but they never once gave up on their faith, never once feared that the Lord would not come through for them. Now that’s the kind of faith we all need to build in these fearful and troubled times. However, unfortunately, faith is only built when we go through trials and tribulations, when we personally endure tough times.

We don’t need faith when the going’s good; but we surely need it when we don’t have the foggiest notion how to handle our tough situations. And that’s the time to call upon Almighty God for help, and believe that He will see you through! But more importantly, take a page from Bruh David’s book and continually call on Him. (smile) Bruh David constantly called on the Lord, even when thinks were good. That’s when we need to give Him praise and thanks for keeping our souls and lives together.

We can’t only know Him when things are rough. But sadly, that’s the only time many of us call on Him. No friends, the Lord God Jehovah must always be in our sights, be our times good or bad, for that’s when He knows that we truly care for Him, and are not only interested in what He can do for us. And with all that glorious information under our belt, (smile) let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail.

As one, in a strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And if you truly know the Lord, then you’ll know of the promise that those who endure right to the very end with Jesus, will have a future even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine. So please, let’s be wise and make plans to endure right to the very end nuh, and so enjoy that glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…only in God…can we be truly safe…from the ravages of this evil world…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 January 2024 Psalm 46:1.

23 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 46:1.       God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.

And may the grace and mercy of our wonderful God be on all of us this snowy winter’s Tuesday, my Scrip-Bit friends and family! And do we all ever need His LOVING-kindness and compassion in these troubled and frenzied times. For, instead of getting better as the days go by, our world seems to be getting more angry, violent, hateful and strife filled. Who knows why? Some of the players may have even forgotten why they got involved, and are just acting out for acting out sake. But for sure, it’s not a good scene we’re currently witnessing. 

And though most of us cannot do anything to change matters on the big stage but pray for godly wisdom and guidance for our leaders, on the smaller stage of our individual lives we can certainly do our best to show the LOVE and compassion of Christ in our own neighbourhoods, and thus lessen the tension at the grass roots level. So to help us do that, let’s turn to our biggest privilege and our number one source of help, PRAYER, as we go to our heavenly Father with these words of prayer from the January In Touch Devotional. 

Please pray with me: ‘Father, there is so much noise in the world: voices shouting in anger, crying in pain at one another and at You. We pray for clarity, to hear through all the commotion the pleas of the hurting, to recognize suffering underneath the veil of anger in each other and in ourselves. Lord, soften our hearts. Let compassion and gentleness be our first instinct. May You be near to every aching person, and may every aching person feel heard. In Jesus’ name. Amen.’ 

Oh friends, the sentiments in that prayer are ever so necessary and needful in these uncertain times. And yuh know what? It’s the times of uncertainty that cause us the most worrying concerns. At least that’s the way it is with me. If I am certain about something, then, although the outcome might be unpleasant and hurtful, I don’t worry about it nearly as much as if I am not sure of the outcome. I believe the devil nags and niggles us a li’l more in those times of uncertainty to get us to lose our cool and not trust our Lord and Saviour the way we ought to. 

But if our faith is strong enough, we can successfully run him off with some overruling scriptures like these powerful verses of faith from Psalm 46, where the Sons of Korah write: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3) 

Yes my faithful brethren, that’s a good example of strong faith with which to deter the devil’s evil lies and deceptions. We won’t be afraid even though the world is falling down around us, because our omnipotent God has promised to protect us in each and every situation. He is always present in our lives. And as the saying so truly goes: ‘When uncertainty abounds – cling to God.’ There can be no greater truth than that my people! Now, I’m chuckling here because I just got the bright idea to make today’s Bit one chocked full with scripture verses that talk about handling fear and anxiety. 

And why not eh, since our world is currently filled with so many of those negative emotions? So let’s continue with this magnificent verse from the first epistle of John, which exhorts: ‘There is no fear in LOVE; but perfect LOVE casteth out fear: because fear hath (involves) torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in LOVE.’ (1 John 4:18) And that says so much about God’s LOVE, how strong and potent it is, that it can even sustain us in our darkest times, and drive away our fear and anxiety. 

Then we have these verses from Isaiah, where our God ascertains His help in times of trouble. ‘For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’ (Is. 41:13-14)  Oh my bredrin, isn’t that wonderful? It surely is! Just imagine Almighty God promising to help us nuh. As this commentary so rightly says: ‘God’s promise is to comfort and help us amid our worry. This Bible verse about fear holds the power to give us peace during the most uncertain of times. The Lord will take your hand and journey with you through the storm.’ 

How true that is! For with Christ as our Pilot and Guide, there’s no storm that conquer us! And we all know this next verse that drives away fear. ‘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 a verse we all should have indelibly written in our hearts, souls and minds. For as this commentary reminds us: ‘We know we will face troubles in this life, but one of the Bible verses about fear that can sometimes be the most comforting is John 16:33. When you consider all Jesus faced — His torture and death — and how He overcame, it offers us profound comfort. Remember this among the Bible verses about fear and worry when you reflect on difficult times.’ 

Yes friends, we definitely need to remember that our Lord and Saviour has already overcome the world and all the evil therein, it’s just for us to faithfully live out the days till He returns in victory and takes us home. And with that promise uppermost in our minds, we can do it without fear of Satan and his evil doing consorts. And although there are many more notable verses of scripture that tone down fear, unfortunately, we only have time and space for one more. And it’s this marvellous one from Bruh David’s most famous writing. ‘Yea, though I walk through the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:4) 

Now that’s a certain fact my faithful brethren. And I like how this commentary explains it. ‘God will not abandon you. Bible verses about anxiety remind us that we do not need to fear evil or uncertain events, because God will walk with us through these valleys. He LOVES us and wants the best for us. The Psalmist knew that the peace of God would be with him wherever he went and whatever situations he encountered. Know that God is right beside you during those difficult times.’ 

Yes my fellow saints, let’s go home with that comforting thought as we declare (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong lock, stock and barrel. As one 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!’ 

Now, it time to go out and do just that; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…FAITH…the only thing that can successfully drive out…FEAR…                                   

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ