Today’s Scrip-Bit   19 November 2023 Mark 9:23.

Mark 9:23.       Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Well, well, well! If it isn’t that day called Sunday, when we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship with other believers; to dance and sing and praise the name of our wonderful God, Jehovah! And there’s never a joyful time like when believers in Christ Jesus get together, because we know that all our sins have been forgiven and we’re on our way home to heaven on high, to spend eternity with our Lord and Saviour in the mansions He’s gone to prepare for us! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Glory Hallelujah!’ 

Anyway, today we are going to open the celebrations with a beautiful contemporary Christian song titled ‘I am Committed to Jesus’ done by the Jamaican Evangelist and Gospel Artist, Maxine Duncan. And please listen my friends and fellow believers, the title and the words of this song are of very great importance in these chaotic and difficult times. For, as our tumultuous world turns and tumbles us hither thither and yon, without a strong and firm commitment to Jesus, our lives won’t be worth the proverbial plugged nickel. So enough talk, let’s get to some serious soulful singing, offering up sacrifices of praise and commitment with sincere hearts. 

Singing: ‘Dear Lord! Thank You Jesus! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! It was early this morning, I awoke from my sleep I heard His voice speak softly to me He said my child you have had some lonely nights That’s why I am here to comfort you if you’ll only believe (Chorus: That’s when I committed my life to Him Cause I know that He cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know He cares, He’ll always be there That’s why I am committed.) It was in the dark, He revealed Himself to me He said my child I am your destiny Lonely nights I spent in agony As I prayed secretly, I started to cry I am committed 

[Chorus: Yes I have committed my life to Him I know that He cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know He cares, He will always be there That’s why I am committed) When Trials come and they seem so hard to bear Yes Jesus knows what you are going through Your circumstances, He will fix it for you He’ll take your hand, He’ll lead you on You will always be strong. (Yes I have committed my life to Him Cause I know that He cares for me Yes I have committed my life to Him I know He cares, He will always be there That’s why I am committed. I know He cares He will always be there That’s why I am committed. I know He cares He will always be there That’s why I am committed.’ 

Oh my people, are we really and truly committed to Christ? I certainly do hope so, for if we’re not, then we’re in for some serious problems as the world groans and falls apart from all the disasters, both natural and man-made, that it’s currently experiencing. And it all comes down to one simple, but ofttimes tough thing; that’s belief…belief in Jesus! The song tells it thus: ‘He said my child you have had some lonely nights That’s why I am here to comfort you if you’ll only believe.’ 

And there are several places in the scriptures where Jesus spelled it out just like that. Let’s look at a few of them nuh, beginning with when He was on His way to heal Jairus, the synagogue leader’s daughter, and got caught up with the woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, who burrowed through the crowd to touch the hem of His garments. Now while Jesus was talking to her, telling her that her faith hath made her whole, (Mark 5:34), He overheard a messenger tell Jairus that his daughter was dead, so it was no use for Jesus to come. However, ‘As soon a Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36) 

Yuh see that friends, in two separate but close incidents Jesus extolled the power of faith and belief! Those are what we desperately need in these turbulent times. The woman believed that if she only touched Jesus’ clothes she would be healed, and it happened. Jairus believed what Jesus said, and his daughter was raised from a death-like sleep. How many of us need to have such strong faith and belief these days eh? Plenty of us. But we’re either afraid to believe, or the pull of the world’s materialism and Satan’s grandiose lies are too powerful for us to ignore. 

Now let’s look at another instance where Jesus makes His point about belief. This time it was about casting out a deaf and dumb spirit from a young child. ‘And Jesus asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child (from childhood). And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ (Mark 9:21-24) 

Oh my fellow saints, those are words many of us ought to be crying out to Jesus right now: ‘Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’ And Jesus will gladly do as you ask, if you’re sincere. We don’t need to go running and/or hiding from our difficult circumstances, but simply take them to Jesus and ask for His awesome help. Remember too when Jesus came to Bethany after Lazarus had died and Martha accosted Him and rebuked Him for not coming earlier because she believed that He could have saved Lazarus. 

His reply to her was: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 1:25-27) And that’s something we all should believe without a shadow of a doubt. 

But shortly thereafter, when Jesus went to raise Lazarus, Martha’s faith floundered a little since she was thinking about eternal life, not this current earthly existence. And when Jesus commanded them to remove the stone from Lazarus’s grave, she was shocked and complained that he was surely in a stinking state because he’d been buried for four days.  But, ‘Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40) 

And that’s the very question He’s asking all of us today my fellow saints: ‘Do we truly believe? And if so, we ought to be sincerely committed to Him, for our blessed good. Please, let’s seriously consider the state of our commitment to Jesus today my brethren, and pledge to boost it to another level, so that we can truly say: ‘I believe, and I am truly committed to Jesus!’ Much LOVE!

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…belief is not merely a state of mind…but even more so…a state of the heart…

Today’s Scrip-Bit   28 May 2022 Mark 5:36.

Mark 5:36.        Be not afraid, only believe.

And then it was lazing around Saturday… How nice it is to have one day in the week to just do as one pleases; to do nothing, or to do a lot, but it’s all up to you, with no boss constantly hanging around, watching to see how many breaks you take, or how much work you are actually doing. Now, sometimes, especially in our current society with little or no integrity or work ethic, it’s necessary for the boss to keep a close eye on us, but it’s still uncomfortable to have someone always watching your movements. That won’t happen today…unless it’s your spouse praying that you would get your lazy self, up off the couch and go do the household chores you’ve been putting off for so long. (smile) 

And our Saturday chore is to look at the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, and see how they interact with our Christian walk. And the first one says: ‘You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.’ Now that’s gospel truth! Those two polar opposites together will never create something beautiful. It’s like God and Satan, sin and grace, or oil and water. They just don’t mix in a pleasurable way. And it’s obvious that a positive mindset, one that keeps God first place, that concentrates on building, is always better than the negative opposite, where Satan is simply intent on destroying anything that we build. 

It’s like walking in the flesh, or carnality, and walking after the Holy Spirit, like Bruh Paul talks about in his letter to the Roman church. ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’ (Rom. 8:5-8) 

Yes friends, it’s the same way with a positive and negative mindset, it’s either one or the other, for never the twain shall ever meet successfully. That segues very nicely into this next quote. ‘One small positive thought can change your whole day.’ More wonderful truth my people. That’s the power of positive thinking, as opposed to negative thinking. One good and positive thought early in the morning can brighten up our entire day. Likewise, one negative thought can ruin our whole day if we allow it to, it can steal our wonderful joy. 

And that’s exactly what the enemy tries to do when he comes storming into our minds with his negative, ungodly and sinful ideas. But we need to be like seed that’s sown on good and fertile soil and reject them as soon as possible. That’s why Peter sternly warns us to ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (being experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:8-9) 

Ah mih people, the vengeful enemy is all over, trying to bring down the people of faith with the same basic temptations, so nothing that we are going through is new, or unique to any of us. Remember, he has no real power over us, unless we give it to him. For he’s just a toothless lion with a big roar. But we cannot afford to give the enemy even one small toehold in our lives, otherwise he will turn it into a stronghold, and have us eating out of his hand in that matter. That brings us to this quote: ‘Believe you can and you’re halfway there.’ 

Now, I don’t know if simple belief will get you halfway to your destiny, (smile) but it will certainly give you the right beginning, the right start, because if you don’t believe you can complete or achieve whatever you have in mind, you most certainly won’t succeed. Belief is indeed the most important aspect of any project or programme. Like we said above, it’s the positive mindset that engenders faith and hope in whatever we desire to do. 

What did Jesus say to Jairus, one of the synagogue rulers, when they came and told him his daughter was dead? Just these simple words: ‘Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36) And when Martha hesitated over rolling away the stone from the grave of her brother Lazarus, Jesus told her: ‘Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe , thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40) So friends, belief might not get us halfway to the end, but it will most definitely create the right and necessary attitude that will put us on the path to victory! 

Consequently, the following quote also becomes important in our faith walk. ‘Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.’ Yes, it all has to do with positivity, hope, faith and belief in God Almighty! When we look forward to good things and tidings, with a strong faith, they tend to happen. That’s why the psalmist declared…ah Lord eh! Would you believe I spelled that wrong? I don’t know what it is with me and that word nuh, in all its forms too. I even refuse to try and write it again now. (smile) But like the psalmist said, and we should always say: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) 

Now that gives us a positive, faithful expectation that each day will be good! Oh, we do know that every day will not really be good, because that’s just the nature of life with its up and downs, but more often than not, when we expect it to be good, it will turn out that way. Like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Something good is going to happen to me today. And something good is going to happen through me today!’ There’s just something about faithful expectations that put us in a better frame of mind, even when the circumstances aren’t favourable. 

And the last quote says: ‘I will go anywhere as long as it’s forward.’ Now it’s very important to go forward and not backward in life. However, anywhere forward is not the best place, because that could also mean forward with the devil and his satanic cohorts. What we should be saying is that we would go anywhere forward with Jesus as our guide and leader! That’s because we need to end up like Bruh Paul said to Timothy. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith.’ (2 Tim.4:7) 

Yes, my fellow saints in Christ, the only true way forward is with our Lord and Saviour! Any other way leads only to destruction and damnation! Therefore, let’s spend some time on this lazy Saturday pondering the state of our race nuh. Are we fighting a good fight, running strongly in our race, keeping the faith like we ought to? Or do we need to pick it up some? I believe that we can ALL come up somewhat higher and better than we’re currently doing because the world desperately needs us right now. So please, let’s ask the Lord to help us do just that nuh. Once it’s for His glory, we know He’ll never refuse to help. Much LOVE!

…true belief in Christ…creates miraculous doings in our spirit… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 April 2022 John 8:32.

John 8:32.      And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

And then it was Saturday; the Jack of all trades day, meaning you can work, rest and/or party comfortably, without any self-recriminations on Saturdays. (smile) Some of us choose to work, especially around the house, doing the personal things we don’t have time for during the work week. Others choose to be simply couch potatoes for the entire day, in front of the boob-tube. And then there are those of us who think that Saturdays were simply made for partying…and nothing else. 

For us though here on the Bit, Saturday means checking out the quotes that our friend Anselm sent us this past week as he aspires to inspires us for a better tomorrow. And the first one says: ‘Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.’ And that seems true enough, for you can’t do something or go somewhere unless you’ve first decided what you’re going to do or where you’re going to go. It all begins in the mind’s eye. And that’s also the first law of Christ’s kingdom: You’ll see it when you believe it. That means walking by faith and not by sight. (1 Cor. 5:7) 

Remember Jesus’ words to Martha before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. ‘Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40) The same thing applies to us today my faithful brethren; we won’t see the glory of Almighty God unless and until we believe that He is able to do anything and everything. Likewise, in our personal lives, we won’t bring anything to reality unless we first envision it in our minds and then believe, with God’s help we can make it real. 

That brings us to this next quote: ‘On any given Monday I am one sale closer and one idea away from being a millionaire.’ And that’s no lie! On any new day it’s possible to do great things, because we are always, only one step away from greatness, from doing the improbable, especially if the Lord God Jehovah is in our corner and He thinks the time is right for a monumental blessing. And surprisingly, it often takes only ONE of anything, to propel us to lofty heights. Which seems sort of contrary to this next quote, which tells us that ‘If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.’

 Now that’s gospel truth, especially in the entertainment business. Somebody who we’ve never heard of before comes up with a hit song or something, and we quickly claim that they’re an overnight success. But we never hear of the years they been toiling in the trenches for a pittance, begging for breaks they never got, or being ripped off by unscrupulous promoters. Most of them have done their time, have spent time learning their craft, living hand to mouth, doing odd jobs so they can survive. But we never hear about that, just the seemingly quick path to success. 

However, there are some true overnight successes, but they never last. They are here today and gone tomorrow. And the truth is, if we want to make it big in anything at all, and remain at a decent level, we have to put in the time, the elbow grease, the disappointments, the wondering if we will ever succeed, or if we made a mistake doing what we’re doing. But remember too, that without perseverance and endurance you will never get to the winner’s circle. 

And there’s no field of endeavour in which that’s truer than in our Christian walk of faith. Without taking up our crosses and bearing them with a good attitude, which can only be fuelled by serious meditation on God’s word and serious time spent talking to Him, we will never become model Christians for others to see and want to emulate. It’s why Christ calls us, or rather desires us, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are needed to add flavour and light to a dark and desolate world, which, unfortunately, we are not doing such a good job at, otherwise the world would still not be as dark and desolate as it is currently. 

This Easter Season, we’ve made a big fuss over Jesus, His death and resurrection, just like we do over his birth at Christmas, but then in the twinkling of an eye we forget all the wonderful things we claim He’s done, is doing, and will do for us, and we revert to our normal behaviour; that of living more in the world than in the kingdom of God. No wonder the world doesn’t get any better. Shame on us friends! 

Then we come to this quote: ‘There is no harm in repeating a good thing.’ Technically speaking, that’s true, especially where learning is concerned, but in our current society nobody wants to hear, see, or do the same thing over and over. Our penchant nowadays is for something new, with new seasons for cars, clothes, phones, even for people, (smile) although we have not understood or hardly used the last new thing. That’s made us into a ‘throwaway society.’ And then we wonder why there is so much junk in our world and why our environment is being so badly abused. 

The hard fact of the matter though is that we only learn anything by repetition, doing it over and over. And again, that is oh so true of our Christian faith. We can only learn God’s ways by reading and studying His word over and over. And that’s exactly what He said to Joshua when he made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of thy 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) 

And I guess that explains why so many of us supposed Christians aren’t prosperous and don’t have good success: we don’t meditate on God’s word, and therefore don’t do what it says. That brings us to this last quote. ‘No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.’ And I’m in a quandary over that one, because we all hate those who tell lies, but at the same time if we consider the word of God as being the truth, then many are disliked when they speak it. And we are all supposedly searching for and seeking truth, which is basically facts, the actuality of things or events and reality. 

But with Jesus, truth comes from Him, as He says, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life…’ (John 14:6) His truth stems from the fact that we are all purveyors of sin, but He tells us that, ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) But by the same token, Jesus warned about those who hold to His truth. ‘And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Mark 13:13) 

Yes, my fellow saints, there’s no better way to end this Saturday morning than on those words of truth. The world doesn’t like followers of Christ and will do its best to make our lives miserable, but we know the truth, that’s Jesus, and that awesome knowledge has set us free, and we WILL abide in it right to the very end! Much LOVE!

…in this world…EVERYTHING revolves around Jesus…from Creation to Salvation…that’s the truth…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   18 November 2021 Mark 5:36.

Mark 5:36.     Be not afraid, only believe.

Grace and peace friends! Grace and peace from our heavenly Father this damp and cloudy Thursday morning in my neighbourhood! But as we know, that unwelcome physical day is no barrier to our living for Jesus, because in that grace and peace He gives us the wherewithal to handle whatever we need to in His awesome name. Ah mih people, God’s grace covers everything, every aspect of our life, and it just keeps overflowing when we stay in touch with Him. In other words, His grace is perfect! 

And when you add His eternal peace to the mix, your life becomes so wonderful, so miraculous and mysterious that you find it hard to believe. But please believe it, because it’s true! With Jesus in our lives, any number can play at any time, unexpected adventure is always in the air, we just have to believe and be prepared, waiting expectantly with bated breath.(smile) For who knows where He will lead us on any particular day? But it’s for sure that wherever He leads, He will also be there to protect, since He’s faithfully promised never to leave nor forsake us. 

And the beauty of the situation is that we only need to believe. And there are so many scriptures which highlight the importance of believing that we ought to look at some of them. Now let’s begin with this one from John’s first epistle, where he says: ‘And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and LOVE one another, as he gave us commandment.’ (1 John 2:23) 

And if you don’t believe John, then listen to Jesus with this seminal, formative, ground-breaking scripture. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Oh my people, that’s a scripture we all know and quote but obviously don’t truly or fully believe, otherwise there wouldn’t be as many doubts about Jesus as are currently running rampant through our church, and the fear and anxiety that are holding so many supposed believers’ prisoners of doubt. 

Don’t forget Jesus’ words to Martha when He asked that they roll away the stone from her brother Lazarus’ grave, and she balked because of the expected stench that would emanate from the tomb. ‘Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ (John 11:40) 

And listen to Jesus again as He was on His way to heal the daughter of a synagogue leader, but tarried a moment to talk to the woman with the issue of blood who had touched the hem of His garment and was made whole. To her He said: ‘’Daughter thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (affliction).’ (Mark 5:34) And what is faith eh mih brethren? Simply, strong belief in something or someone. That woman believed that if she could only touch some part of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed, and that’s exactly how it turned out. 

But while Jesus was dealing with the woman, the synagogue leader’s people came and told him that his daughter was dead. However, ‘As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.’ (Mark 5:36) Meaning to keep on believing that He would do what He set out to do; that is heal his daughter, which He eventually did. (Mark 5:41-42) 

And how can we not remember Jesus’ memorable words to the disciple Thomas who refused to believe that Christ was risen from the dead until he saw Him and put his hands in the scars of His wounds. When Jesus finally appeared to Thomas, He said to him. ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.’ (John 20:27-29) 

That’s us friends! Jesus is referring to people like us who haven’t seen Him in physical person but still believe in Him and all that He stands for. Then we have that very interesting situation when Bruh Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi, praying and singing psalms at midnight and a sudden earthquake occurred, broke down the prison doors and set all the prisoners free from their chains… but none escaped. 

And when the jailer found that his prisoners were all accounted for, He turned to Bruh Paul and Silas and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (household).’ (Acts 16:30-31) That’s exactly what he did. After hearing the word of God, he believed! He and his whole household were baptized. (Acts 16:32-34) 

Now, there are many other scriptures encouraging belief, but we’ll end with these words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed (put to shame). For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.’ (Rom. 10:9-12) 

And that’s the truth in spades! The Lord treats ALL who call upon His holy name richly, regardless of who or what you are. One caution here though. The scholars tell us, re ‘Confession made unto Salvation: One is not saved by his mouth’s confession, but rather, the mouth testifies readily of the grace of God in Christ which has been received by faith.’ So the confession of the mouth is just a vehicle for one’s testimony. (smile) 

And one of the many benefits of sincerely believing in Jesus is that He endows us with numerous blessings which enable us to be His ambassadors and do His earthly work. However, since a blessing is not a blessing until it’s declared, (chuh!!!) let’s declare what we call our Thursday Blessings in strong voice with mucho gratitude. 

Altogether now: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’ 

Now, it’s our responsibility to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as Christ shared them with us. Much LOVE!

…only believe…only believe…in JESUS…                                                                                                                                

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