The Great Importance of Christians wearing the Lord’s Protective Armour in the Fight against Satan!

13 Jan 2025 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:10.       Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Here we go again with a new work week, hope we are all prepared for it, with sufficient rest and renewed confidence and faith over the weekend, for the enemy is raising the level of spiritual warfare that’s taking place, daily putting more evil weapons and people into the fray. And if we are not aware and alert, we will certainly be caught napping and made to pay a horrendous price. 

That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to get down with the Word, be much more acquainted with it; read it, study it, meditate on it, and put it into practice in our lives. For that’s the only way we will ever defeat the enemy. Remember, the Bible is God’s Guidebook for our earthly lives, and if we don’t know what it says, or how to put it into action, then crapaud smoke we pipe! 

Friends, the enemy is not joking, this is not a friendly war… No! It’s a fight for life and death! If we lose it, then we’ll be facing eternal death and separation from Almighty God, and if we win, we’ll be spending eternal life with Him. And that’s the most important aspect of this whole earthly life; where we spend eternity! 

And at the start of this new year, we cannot go wrong by examining some of the weapons we have to fight this spiritual warfare. Some of which are outlined by Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians, where he talks about the whole armour of God which is necessary for us to have, if we intend to fight and win the spiritual battle. He begins with this exhortation: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10) 

And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease-fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities, “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely,  by His mighty power.” 

Oh friends, yuh see this is a most serious and deadly affair, not some li’l mickey mouse matter, where we playing childlike games. Bruh Paul then makes another most significant statement. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11) 

Now the scholars tell us that the words used for ‘Put on in the Greek language, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate attention,’ and that’s a very crucial fact right now as the battle lines are narrowly drawn. Meanwhile ‘To Stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle.’ 

That ought to bring home the seriousness of the situation to us. In other words, we cannot stand against the wiles or evil schemes of the enemy unless we’re dressed in the full armour of God. And believe me, Satan carefully crafts schemes and tactics against believers. So please don’t think that He’s just fooling around. He’s more serious about our destruction that ever. 

Then Bruh Paul goes on to give us some idea of whom we’re fighting against. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts of wickedness) in high places.’ (Eph. 6:12) So we’re not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual foes. 

The scholars explain that ‘Wrestle, used of hand to hand combat emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refer to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’  

Then Bruh Paul reemphasizes the importance of God’s armour in our fight. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’  (Eph. 6:13) And the  scholars explain that means ‘because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’ 

Now that’s something we have to be very cognizant of; the devil never stops for good. Every so often, he will take a break, especially if he is not getting anywhere with you, possibly to devise new strategy, but he will always come back while we’re alive, it’s his reason for living. We can clearly see that in the scriptures. After Satan unsuccessfully tempts Jesus, the Word says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season (until an opportune time).’  (Luke4:13) 

Yes my fellow saints, the devil doesn’t tempt us willy- nilly, but has very deep and deceptive strategies in place to encourage us to fall. However, we will not do that today, because we will go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us overcome his evil schemes. 

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

But let’s remember that before divine aid can be granted, we need to humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. In other words, turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!

…to fight God’s fight successfully…one must have His protective armour…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit 30 May 2021 Ephesians 6:13.

30 May 2021 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:13.     ​Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God,that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning; time to gather together for a song, a song of praise, worship and thanksgiving! And why not eh, if our eyes have opened to behold God’s great creation called the universe, in which we, mankind are celebrated as His most spectacular creation? Oh, I know the majority of us don’t behave like it, but that doesn’t stop our God from LOVING us with a fierce, true, unconditional heartfelt emotion! And for those of us who do appreciate His thrilling LOVE, it’s only right that we show our gratitude and sing His praises on this His Sabbath Day. 

Now today’s song is most appropriate for these troubled and ungodly times. It’s titled ‘Stand Up Stand Up For Jesus!’ And, oh, how the world is dying to see us do that! But a little background on the song before we burst into praise. The song was written by one George Duffield Jr. (1818-1888) on the inspirational words of his dying Presbyterian preacher colleague, Dudley A. Tyng, who had been a strong anti-slavery advocate in the Philadelphia area. 

It’s reputed that on his deathbed in 1858, from an unfortunate farm accident in which he lost an arm, he was asked by his friends if he had a final message. Tyng replied: ‘Tell them to stand up for Jesus.’ Later on, at Tyng’s memorial service, it’s said that Duffield preached on Ephesians 6:14, and ended his sermon by reading the text of his new hymn, ‘Stand up Stand up for Jesus.’ 

Wow! What an inspiring story! Now, having heard it, let’s raise our hearts, eyes, heads, hands and voices in praiseful worship and sing that awesome song like we truly mean it. And we going to sing it in a rousing reggae riddim, per Miss Carlene Davis, the famous Jamaican Gospel singer. 

Altogether now: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross; lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss: from vict’ry unto vict’ry his army he shall lead, ’til ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; forth to the mighty conflict in this his glorious day: ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes; let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose. 

(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.) 

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone; the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own: put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with pray’r; where duty calls, or danger, be never wanting there. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song: to him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally. 

(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.) 

Oh my fellow believers, that was a marvellous version which had all of heaven dancing and singing. But even more importantly is the urgent need we have to put what we just sang into immediate action down here on earth, because the enemy is running away with the battle while we sit on our fannies. That’s one thing we can learn from the enemy; not to sit on our fannies. Yes, we might have won the eventual battle through Christ, but in the meanwhile we have to keep that victorious spirit moving on down here on earth. We can’t ever let up, because the enemy is serious about trying to take back the ground he lost to Jesus. 

And the good thing about that song is that it’s based on some very encouraging and worthwhile scriptures. Let’s look at a few of them nuh. We have already said that Duffield preached on Eph. 6:14 at Tyng’s Memorial service. And that’s a scripture we all should know very well, as it’s taken from Bruh Paul’s famous writings to the church at Ephesus on the whole spiritual armour of God. And we can see in the second to last stanza where the author refers to the entire portion of the scripture: ‘put on the gospel armour, each piece put on with pray’r; where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.’ 

We’ll just quote the two verses we mentioned. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.’ (Eph. 6:13-14) Yes friends, we are involved in a spiritual battle and we can’t fight it successfully without the armour of God. So we need to put it on, and then stand strong! 

And in the very first verse, the author characterizes us as soldiers in Christ’s army, no doubt referring to Bruh Paul’s exhortation to Timothy. ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim. 2:3-4) And Christ has indeed called us to be soldiers in His army. 

Then if we look at the second verse, where the writer says: ‘ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes; let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.’ That certainly resembles Bruh Paul’s exhortation to the church at Corinth: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men (be brave), be strong.’ (1 Cor. 16:13) 

And the last scripture we’ll check out is the one concerning the part of the hymn that says: ‘to him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally.’ That seems to come from Revelation 2:10, where Jesus promises: ‘Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried (tested); and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.’ 

Oh my people, what better way to end today’s Bit eh, than by reminding us to stand strong, and endure the temptation and tribulation brought upon us by the enemy, so that at the end, we can have that glorious crown of life so faithfully promised by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Much LOVE!

…the world’s a battlefield…and Christ’s followers…are expected to fight on His behalf…                                                 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8                   

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 December 2020 Ephesians 4:23.

16 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 4:23.     ​And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Welcome, welcome mih Scrip-Bit family to another day in the life! It’s brand new and not like any that’s ever gone before or will ever come again! Oh, it might seem like the same old, same old type of day, but it’s not, for everyday has its own purpose and distinctive marking, just like we all have different and unique fingerprints and DNA. That means we have to figure out, with God’s guidance of course, what He has on the agenda for each and every day and do our best, put our best foot forward to accomplish it, so we can bring the requisite glory to His name and kingdom. 

So it’s always best to begin the day on our knees, for those who can get down there (smile) with a prayer for guidance and strength, wisdom and discernment, to do His holy will. Otherwise, it’s so easy to get caught up and totally lost in the numerous events and circumstances that our busy and hectic world constantly provides, and keeps declaring that they are too important to simply let them pass by. 

But the truth is that many of them need to be allowed to go on their merry way rejoicing, for they are basically evil, or lies, deceits and deceptions of the evil one, sent, and set there so deliciously, like the harlot’s call, to titillate and inveigle us to do stuff that’s outside of God’s will. That’s why we have so many admonitions in the Good Book as to how to conduct our day. And today we’re just going to remind ourselves of some of them, so we can take the pressure off, and just rest in the peace of God. 

So here’s this first passage, one from Bruh Paul to the church at Ephesus. ‘And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:23-32) 

Whew! Oh mih people, yuh see how much wrong stuff we could get into in one day, and if we try to go it on our own every day, we certainly going into fall into the miry pit and give the devil so many opportunities to lead us astray. That’s why it is so necessary to invoke God’s protection and guidance, every day, and to pray without ceasing, and to always give thanks. And I know some of us are going to question the practicality of those words, but they are very practical if you make them habits. 

All through the day, ask the Lord to help you in doing your tasks, then thank Him for helping you do them. When you make a mistake, ask for forgiveness, then give thanks for it. And when you get away from an accident by the skin of your teeth, give much thanks! (smile) I can definitely tell you about that one, because it’s happened to me several times over the last few years. And if you’re always on the road, the reality of that is very great. Yes friends, there is a way to pray without ceasing and giving thanks continuously. We just have to keep God uppermost in our minds throughout the day. 

Another thing too, is this encouraging passage also from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up and put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph. 6:10-13) 

Yes mih bredrin, physical strife is not our greatest enemy, but the spiritual warfare that’s thrown at us by the hosts of spiritual wickedness in high places in this evil world. And we can only combat it when we’re girded about with the armour of God; His truth, his breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, His mighty word, and the ever-needed prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Bubba! 

It’s a mighty battle in which we’re engaged my fellow believers, one we’re not to take lightly, because it’s a very serious affair, and the devil is fighting tooth and nail for hegemony over our souls, and we can only withstand him when we are surrounded on all sides by our God and His protective equipment. Now here’s some good news on that battle front. ‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ (1 Cor. 15:57) 

Yes friends, Christ has already given us the eventual victory through His conquering of hell, death and the grave, but meanwhile the battle still rages on, for the evil one still believes he can win, and he’s not a defeated foe, shades of our good ole boy Donald down in the good ole U.S. of A. (smile) ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:58) 

What more can I say eh friends? We just need to keep on fighting, keeping on running the race set before us with mucho stamina and courage! And to help us do just that, let’s declare (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our enviable position in Christ Jesus. 

Altogether now! ‘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 will that ever be a most glorious day when we reign with Jesus in His eternal kingdom! Much LOVE!

…to God be the glory…through Christ Jesus… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 2 February 2017 Ephesians 6:11.

02 Feb 2017 Leave a comment

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

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

Oh my beautiful fellow believers, please accept my heartfelt apologies, but it was just one of those days! 

Ah Lord eh! I had to go into the big city of T.O. for an early doctor’s appointment, and after handling the traffic and waiting for the doctors and waiting for unscheduled blood tests, I did not get back home until minutes to one. 

Obviously by then the ole bod was tired and crying out for rest and I did not get up until minutes to five. And it was only after about half an hour that it struck me that I had not yet written the Bit. 

The good thing about it all though is that we did make some headway in the medical realm today. At least the major problems have been sorted out under one team, and hopefully no more running from pillar to post. 

Enough about my woes though, let’s get straight to our Bit. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ 

And I’m chuckling here friends, because I must have had it on today, otherwise I would not have been able to successfully handle the slings and arrows that were thrown against me, especially in the patience realm. (smile) 

All praise and thanks be to our great and wonderful God! 

Now yesterday we had stopped where Bruh Paul was talking about ‘spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places,’ so let’s continue with his admonishment from there. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:13) 

Now this is a very important verse in the whole scenario, so let’s look at what the scholars have to say about it. ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. 

The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’ 

Yes friends, as a beautiful Christian soul the enemy will NOT stop attacking you, and the only way to resist Him is by being dressed in the total armour of God. 

Fellow believers, I can’t stress how important this aspect of our Christian walk is, for without God’s protective armour we don’t stand a chance against the enemy, or as they would say, a snowball’s chance in hell! 

So please, please, I’m imploring us to take this very seriously, especially with the crazy state of our world, which is apparently getting crazier everyday under the leadership of President Trump. 

Ah mih people, I don’t even pay much attention to his antics these days, but we have to be concerned because everything he does seems to just cause more strife, anger, resentment, fear and anxiety around the globe. 

As I said a few days ago, the Lord must have put him there to wake us up from our dreadful complacency. That’s why this message about putting on God’s total armour is so important at this particular period in time when the elements of evil are rising even higher than they were before. 

I won’t belabour the situation, but I’ll just remind us that we are Christ’s ambassadors down here on earth. He is depending on us to conduct His affairs with righteousness and justice, but we can’t do that until we wake up and get serious about His LOVE Revolution, and stop all the aimless talking and instead take some positive action. 

The enemy should never be where he’s at right now, and wouldn’t have been there without our lack of interest and complacency where we allowed him to remove things like prayer and the Ten Commandments from our schools, and put God on the back burner in most other parts of what was once a mostly godly scene. 

But it’s not too late to wrestle it all back from him if we COME TOGETHER and seriously start pushing back, let him know that we’ve finally woken up and now mean business. Yes friends, it’s time to start pushing back, if we ever hope to win this earthly battle for Jesus! 

Now let’s go home declaring our Thursday Blessings. Yuh see, we have so much good stuff in our arsenal, if we would only use them. The Lord’s already given us everything we need to battle the enemy and win, we only have to take them and put them to full use. 

Chuh man! What’s wrong with us eh? We’re letting the good earthly life spoil us. So let’s bless ourselves. And remember that a blessing isn’t a blessing until it’s been spoken over someone. 

All together now:  ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! 

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

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

What more can we ask than all that eh mih people? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! So let’s go out and bless others now nuh. Much LOVE!

…as true soldiers of Christ…we must first be dressed in battle gear…then stand up and fight bravely…right to the very end…

 

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 May 2016 Ephesians 6:11‏

24 May 2016 Leave a comment

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

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

Oh friends, oh friends, my sincerest apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but it’s just been one of those days. Hn! One of those days when my body rebelled, refused to get up before it was good and ready. 
 
Believe me, I had no idea that the ole bod was so tired nuh, since I didn’t do anything tiring yesterday, and the celebrations didn’t cause me to get to bed any later than usual. I guess though that it was just a residual tiredness from my earlier activities. 
 
Anyway, though I’m still physically groggy, when I went outside just now and experienced the wondrous beauty of the day – like a perfect summer’s day – my spirit was overwhelmed with joy. It made me feel truly glad to be alive. 
 
And consequently, it brought to mind one of my favourite songs that I heard yesterday. It’s an easy lover’s rock reggae riddim that I’ve shared before, but as they say, these gems are never too tiring or old to be heard again and again, because they lend great inspiration to our souls. 
 
It’s a song titled ‘I’ve got a joy,’ sung by a lady named Mounia Sahara. Please sing this very inspirational chorus with me. ‘I’ve got a joy deep down inside, that makes me want to shout, how good God is to me! Yes, I’ve got this joy deep down inside that makes we want to shout how good God is to me!’ 
 
And isn’t that the awesome truth my brethren! All Christians ought to feel that way because our wonderful God has indeed been exceedingly good to us all! 
 
Yuh know, Christians ought to be the happiest people in the world because of all that we have; God’s unconditional LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, plus salvation and eternal life paid for by the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! 
 
But unfortunately we are some of the most miserable and unhappy people on planet earth. Steups! Ah Lord eh, when are we going to learn to practice what we preach eh? 
 
Anyhow, it’s a beautiful Tuesday, God is still on His heavenly throne, and still in control of His world! So let’s sing our Tuesday Mantra with true sincerity, strong faith and total belief. 
 
All together now: ‘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 the world.  Amen.’ 
 
Oh isn’t that just wonderful my fellow believers? It surely is! What can be better than being a beloved child of God and a friend of Jesus eh? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! 
 
And we certainly don’t have to worry about what the world says about us or how it defines us, because greater is He that’s in us – the Holy Spirit of Jesus – than he that’s in the world – the foolish, fallen angel Lucifer. (1 John 4:4) 
 
And to help us prove that, let’s turn to our Bit, that remarkable verse of scripture, which so rightfully declares: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (schemes) of the devil.’ 
 
And that my people, is indisputable truth! When we are wearing the whole armour of God, we are invincible! Glory to God! And please note that it requires the whole armour, all of it, not bits and pieces. 
 
And before we get to what that armour consists of, I’m going to repeat a couple verses from yesterday because there are some interesting and important explanations from the scholars that I did not get to share. 
 
After our Bit, Bruh Paul declares: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against (hosts of) spiritual wickedness in high places. 
 
Wherefore take unto you (take up, put on) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:12-13) 
 
Now here are the scholars’ explanations of those verses. ‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. 
 
Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’ 
 
Yes friends, a lot of powerful spiritual enemies are lined up against us. And per ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. 
 
The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again.’ 
 
And that’s no lie friends! The evil powers of darkness will continue to come at us, time after time, wave upon wave, trying to gain serious entry to our souls. 
 
However, once we are clothed in God’s protective spiritual armour, and our minds are focused on God, rather than the world, those evil spirits won’t be able to harm us. And on that upbeat note, we’ll close today. (smile) 
 
Now let’s put on that spiritual armour of God and walk strong, tall and proud, caring, compassionate and LOVING, about God’s great earth, because that’s what He expects of us. Much LOVE!
 
…as Christians in an evil world…God’s protection is ALWAYS necessary…

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 October 2015 Ephesians 6:13

28 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:13.   Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Well my brethren, it’s Wednesday, and unfortunately my ole right knee is still acting up. Chuh! But it did not stop me from going down to the Hershey Centre last night and enjoying the proceedings…and actively partying too, I would have you know, ably supported by my African Rosewood cane, though not as energetically as I would have liked. 

The Festival of Praise Concert was put on by a group of American Gospel Artistes. They included recognized gospel singers like Fred Hammond, who was the main man in putting the show together; Hezekiah Walker, Kim Burrell, and Donnie McClurkin. 

Oh Friends the joint was hopping from the time the M.C. a Christian comedian, who was pretty good himself, stopped and the first notes of the music rang out. Hn! You couldn’t sit if you wanted to because everybody was standing. 

And what amazed and pleased me a whole lot is that there were no openers and no headline artists. I’ve never seen this done before, but they all came out onto the stage from the very beginning and stayed there till the end, taking turns singing and backing up each other. Oh glory to God, they left their egos at home! 

I didn’t know most of the songs because I don’t follow American Gospel music that much, but believe you me, the crowd of between three and four thousand knew them, including a chubby white boy who was right up at the stage singing and dancing all night long, holding up a banner that read ‘Polaski.’ 

And then in the ending round of celebrations he and his group of white females found themselves on the stage singing and dancing and hugging the performers. It was indeed a good night my people. 

Oh, there was also an altar call, and some one hundred and thirty one (131)  persons came down to the front and received Jesus! Oh glory to God!  Praise His Holy Name! 

The lighting was good and so was the music, just a little too loud though for my liking, and that’s because I was down on the floor, about ten rows from the stage because my young daughter bought the tickets and she figured I’d like to be close to the stage. 

But at those kinds of events I like to be up in the back seats, where the music isn’t as loud. But thank the Lord, this morning I don’t have tinnitus (ringing in the ears); my ears seem perfectly all right! 

Anyway Friends, it was a good night. I just hope that those who were saved woke up this morning feeling different and that they will continue their new relationship with Jesus. Let’s pray that they will indeed do so. 

Now there was so much praise and thanks and glorification given to God there last night, that it makes me wonder where all of that is during our normal everyday lives eh? If we would only expend a half of that godly energy in our normal lives, this world would be truly a wonderful place. 

But sadly, outside of the church and these kinds of gatherings we seem to lose our Christian flavour; our salt is dead and our light diminished. In real life, we just don’t seem to walk our talk. 

But though that’s been the bane of Christianity for a long time now, it’s time we change it, especially in these difficult and crucial times that we’re facing. Only truly walked Christianity will make a significant difference in this wicked and ungodly world. 

Anyway, to day is Wednesday, that means it’s wailing time! So please let’s wail together: ‘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 am I ever glad to be alive Friends, despite my numerous aches and pains. (smile) And yuh better believe I am looking forward to a glorious future with Jesus! And if you are not, I will strongly advise you to get your act together and get to know Him, for He is the BEST thing, the BEST gift ever given to man! 

Praise our heavenly Father for sacrificing His only Son so that we could be cleansed of our abominable sins and be reconciled to Him! What an awesome show of LOVE! 

And with all my enthusiasm and writing about the gospel concert last night, (smile) I guess we only have time and space now for our Bit. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ 

Yes my fellow believers, that’s what every believer needs to do: put on God’s armour so that we can withstand the evil attacks of the enemy, because that’s the only way we can withstand them. 

And what I truly like about that verse is the last part; ‘…and having done all, to stand.’ That means my people, once we’ve done all that we can about the situation, we just need to stand; stand up strong and steadfast, unmovable in our beliefs and actions, and let God do His part, because the battle is not ours but His. We can’t defeat the enemy without His awesome help. 

So today, please, I implore us to put on the armour of God, we all know what that is (Eph.6:14-18), then let us just stand strong in the might of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! That is indeed heavenly wisdom, and if we do it, we will eventually reap a substantial harvest, be the salt and light of the earth. Glory Hallelujah! Much, much LOVE, my people!

…oh living for Jesus…is such a wonderful and interesting way to live this earthly life…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 10 September 2015 Ephesians 6:12

10 Sep 2015 Leave a comment

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

Ephesians 6:12.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of ) wickedness in high places.

Welcome to a terrific Thursday my brethren! The sun is shining brightly, though it’s still a tad cool in my area. And don’t even talk about the Son, the spiritual light of the world, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…Oh my people, His light is just a-blazing! It’s so brilliant that if you aren’t careful, it will blind you! (smile) 

But such is the amazing and awesome characteristic of the Son of God! And do we ever need the brilliant light of Jesus to shine in this dark and desperate world of ours Friends, because the powers of darkness are ramping up their activities to try and drive the Lord out. 

But fear not Friends, they are fighting a losing battle, since our Redeemer has already conquered death, hell and the grave. When He rose triumphant on that Easter morn, all hold that death held over us was simply blown away. But the problem is that we have to sincerely believe that and consequently fight the powers of darkness with all our might. 

Remember, if we let them into our souls at all, they will only cause chaos, destruction and death. And they will do anything at all to get a foothold in our souls; from simple lies to complex deceit. So we have to be very careful when we come into contact with them or their representatives. 

For just like we are ambassadors of Christ, the evil one also has his ambassadors, and they are just as ruthless and wicked as him, taking no prisoners, destroying everything that’s godly in their path. 

No wonder Bruh Paul in his message to the Ephesians, seriously warned them. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (deceptive schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph.6:10-11) 

And my people that warning is still viable today, possibly more so, since the devil has grown stronger and more devious, deceitful and wicked over the years. Now let’s get some explanations from the scholars on those verses. 

‘6:10. Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given: no cease-fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. 

The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.’ Yes Friends, we are involved in a spiritual battle right to the end times. 

‘6:11. Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’ 

But why do we need the armour of God? Because as our Bit informs us: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ Yes my people, we need God’s armour because we’re not in a fleshly but spiritual battle. 

‘6:12. Wrestle, used of hand to hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refers to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world-rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’ 

Oh my fellow believers, from all of that we can obviously see that we’re in a serious spiritual battle of wits and wills with an enemy who is not going to easily give up, even though he knows that his defeat is imminent. 

‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph.6:13) 

Yes Friends in our own power we are helpless, we cannot withstand the forces of evil, that’s why we need to put on God’s protective armour, which enables us to stand; to stand up strong against the enemy. 

Hear this from the scholars. ‘6:13. Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. 

The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan, Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’ 

Oh my people, those are words of indisputable truth, so please, let’s take them to heart and do what the Good Book says, that is if we want to resist the evil one and his evil cronies. The decision is up to each individual. Let’s hope we all make the right one. Much LOVE!

…it is not wise to go into any kind of battle… without good protective armour…

P.S. Sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but I just got up late and was a tad under the weather. Sister K, hope this epistle is short enough for you. (smile) Much LOVE!