A few Reasons why the Holy Spirit is of the utmost importance in a Believer’s Life!

21 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

Matthew 5:6.        Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Another Monday; another beautiful, sunshiny summer-like day in my neighbourhood! As the Good Book says: ‘Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endureth forever… Oh that men would praise the Lord  for his goodness (LOVING-kindness), and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:1, 8-9) 

Yes friends, that’s exactly what our good and LOVING God does for us! When our souls are dissatisfied and frustrated, hungry and lost, He comes and fills us up with His Spirit. The prophet Isaiah wrote it thus a long time ago: ‘Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight in fatness (abundance). (Is. 55:1-2) 

Oh my people, as the scholars explain there: ‘God’s free gift of salvation is offered to all who will receive it. Those who are spiritually hungry and thirsty may come and eat and drink without money (freely).’ Now who else offers such freedom spiritual hunger and thirst eh? No one! As Mary, Jesus’ mother says in her song, the Magnificat: ‘He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.’ (Luke 1:53) 

That reminds us of Jesus’ own words from the Beatitudes, in particular this one: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) And the Lord, in His awesome power, made a big showing of just how He can fill hungry souls with His Spirit on that most memorable day of Pentecost when He filled the hundred and twenty souls sitting in the upper room waiting for something to happen. 

The Bible tells us: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a mighty rushing 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, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4) Oh my fellow believers, when our God desires to put on a show, no one can best Him! And from that day henceforth, every believer has been filled with the Holy Spirit as soon as they believe. 

Unlike that first filling though, the Lord doesn’t make a big show of it, but does it quietly, without you even knowing, until sometime later you experience this new and different feeling, of a still small voice, talking to your spirit, trying to lead and guide you in the way Jesus desires. And one of the things that Jesus often spoke about was spiritual hunger and invite us to come to Him to satisfy it. 

Listen to Him with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be a well of water (fountain) springing up into eternal life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ (John 4:13-15) She thought that Jesus was talking about real water, but the living water referred to the Holy Spirit, which Jesus again spoke about later on. 

The Good Library tells us: ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (John 7:37-39) And we saw that happen above on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’s resurrection. 

But the Holy Spirit is so important that there are several things we are commanded not do to it. First off is to not grieve the Holy Spirit. Bruh Paul instructs us: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) That’s don’t make the Holy Spirit unhappy by not listening to Him and doing ungodly stuff. Then later on He says: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.’ (Eph. 5:18-19) 

It’s thus necessary to keep the Holy Spirit alive and kicking in our lives. And being filled by it means  being “continually filled” with it. It’s a repeated experience, not like the first indwelling which came once and for all time. And the scholars put it quite nicely. ‘God desires that the minds of Christians be controlled by the Holy Spirit so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of God, and understand the things of God. Because people are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Holy Spirit occurs when the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.’ 

And that’s the gospel truth my fellow saints! What we need is to be more obedient and open to the workings of the Holy Spirit as the Lord desires of us. Now, that’s just a brief recounting of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we hope it perks us up on this first day of our new work week. So, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to handle our problems. 

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 please remember that nothing positive will happen until we begin sincerely seeking God, and turning from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…unless the Holy Spirit is truly guiding our lives…we’ll never reach our full potential…

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

Carnal or Fleshly Living should not be the Believer’s Modus Operandi!

07 Oct 2024 Leave a comment

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

Romans 8:6.       For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

And the roller coaster ride keeps rolling on! Another day, another dollar! Yes my people, it’s another Monday, the start of a new work week and we have to get out into the evil world and make a living. And  Jesus did instruct us to seek God and His righteousness first, and all of our needs would be met; (Matt. 6:33) while Bruh Paul also promised that God would provide all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus; (Philp. 4:19) but all of that implies that we would get up and work diligently, fervently and efficiently, not just laze around, as so many of us are doing, and expecting our needs to be filled. 

Being a disciple of Jesus can be hard work. Remember how He described a disciple? ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means we have to take up our cross, every day, and follow Him, wherever He may lead us, sacrificing our own desires for His. And that’s not easy to do, especially in this prosperous and amenity filled society in which we currently live. 

The word ‘sacrifice’ doesn’t even register with a large portion of our population, many of whom have no idea what it means, much less know how to put it into practice. But if we desire to be true believers, true disciples of Christ, then we have to learn how to do the job, how to forget ourselves and sacrifice whenever and wherever necessary, so that His desires can be achieved. 

And my fellow believers, we can say whatever we want, fool ourselves as much as we desire, but it’s obvious in this last generation, our witness, our sacrifice, diligence, fervency and excellence on Jesus’ behalf have not been very satisfactory. We have allowed the world and all its carnality, it’s fleshly lusts, to lessen our call to righteousness. 

That’s why Bruh Paul wrote these words of warning 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. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.’ (Rom. 8:5-10) 

Yes friends, we have received the indwelling Spirit of God to help us lead a godly life, not turn back to the sins of the flesh that Christ died to save us from. When we become saints of Christ, we have to kill that old life. As Bruh Paul wrote in his second missive to the Corinthians: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.’ (2 Cor. 5:17-18) 

Now my people, that change in us to the new man cannot be just for a time… no. When we come into a new relationship with the risen and glorified Lord, we see things in a different light, and that change has to continue for the rest of our lives, so we can sincerely do the work Christ requires of us. And furthermore, we have to grow in faith, in spiritual maturity – from no faith, to little faith, to great faith! Otherwise we’d end up, and have indeed ended up just like Bruh Paul chided the Corinthians in his first letter. 

‘And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food): for hitherto (until now)ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions (dissensions), are ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to man’s ways).’ (1 Cor. 3:1-3) 

And unfortunately that carnal and fleshly attitude still prevails in Christ’s church today. The majority of the people are not growing in spiritual maturity, they’re not seriously and sincerely studying the Word and living it. At this stage of their development when they should be eating solid food, they still can only drink milk, because there’s too much envying and strife and dissensions amongst the body of Christ. 

That’s why the negative attributes of the enemy are currently holding our world hostage, and unless we supposed believers get up and begin fighting back mano a mano, God’s great world is liable to implode with all the strife and talk of strife that’s currently in the air. We’re talking about World War Three, which won’t be fought with ordinary weapons, but will be a nuclear holocaust. So let’s start doing something about it right now nuh, by going to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid to help in this time of dire need. 

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 first things first, we have to start changing from our evil ways and becoming true disciples of Christ before any divine aid will start flowing down to us. Much LOVE!

…it’s a crying shame…that Christ’s church…is still so carnally minded…

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

The Awesome Power of Confession and Forgiveness in a Believer’s Life!

05 Aug 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 32:11.       Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Well, it’s Civic Holiday Monday in Ontario and all the weekend festivities are set to climax today, as the good ole workweek resumes again tomorrow. And I know that many of us are going to try to finish on a high note, but please be careful, as that last lap go round, might just be the one to do you in. (smile) 

So a modicum of circumspection is strongly advised today. Let’s think of the possible consequences before we commit to the actions. And remember that many of us cannot afford to book off sick tomorrow, having already used up most of our sick time. Anyway, the boss will know just why you’re sick. So please let common sense prevail. (smile) 

And today we’ll continue looking at Psalm 32, the blessedness of Confession and Forgiveness, which will surely be rather important to many of us, after this Caribana weekend. (smile) Last week we stopped where Bruh David agreed to acknowledge his sin and confess his transgressions, and the Lord forgave him. (Ps. 32:5) 

He then continues: ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of the great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:6-7) 

Yes friends, Bruh David knows that if he stays steadfast in prayer, acknowledging his sins and asking for forgiveness, the Lord will keep him safe, preserve him from trouble and surround him with songs of deliverance. How wonderful is that eh! But it only comes from constant prayer and acknowledgement of one’s sins to Almighty God. 

And with that steadfast attitude of prayer and confession of sins also comes divine instruction. As Bruh David writes of the Lord: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps. 32:8-9) 

How excellent is that my fellow believers! If we stay close to the Lord and empty our hearts and souls to Him, He will guide us with His divine eye. However, we must be wise and sensible, and not be like the mule or horse that have no understanding, and must have bit and bridle to be controlled. 

But unfortunately, many of us in these times of turbulence, entitlement and extremism, are behaving just like those animals who lack understanding. We’re allowing our fleshly lusts and our ever changing emotions to govern our lives, rather than the Word of the Lord. We’re not listening to His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for the very purpose of leading and guiding us in a godly fashion. 

We don’t pray or confess our sins and ask for forgiveness as we ought to, so what kind of life can we expect to live but one with no true godly support. One like Bruh David describes in the early stages of the psalm. ‘When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:3-4) 

Yes my people, that’s how we feel when our connection to Almighty God is missing, or simply not in tune. And we have no one else to blame but ourselves, for it’s our responsibility to go to Him in prayer for whatever ails us. And believe me, the confession of sin and its forgiveness can lift one’s soul from the very depths of misery and hell, right to the hallowed halls of heaven! 

But we need to stay steadfast in prayer and confession of sin. For as Bruh David further advises: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:10-11) 

Oh my fellow saints, we could not ask for wiser direction than that! But just remember that our heart must be right for it to work. We must be doing as Jesus advises: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s Christianity 101 friends! 

And we all know it’s difficult to stay steadfast and focused on God in this evil and ungodly world, with so many distractions and bombardments constantly coming at us, but with God’s help we can certainly do it. And it all begins with prayer. So lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid down here on earth. 

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!’ 

And if we truly listen to our prayer, we can see that the basic elements for divine aid is a turning from evil ways, humility, prayer and sincerely seeking the Lord. So please let’s put that in our pipe and smoke it…that is if we truly want to receive divine aid! Much LOVE!

…there’s nothing that improves a believer’s life like…confession of sin…and the resultant forgiveness…

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

Today’s Scrip-Bit   1 April 2024 Psalm 90:12.

01 Apr 2024 Leave a comment

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

Psalm 90:12.        So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).

Well, it’s Monday; Easter Monday to boot, a holiday in many places, consequently the Easter celebrations roll on, as we relive the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour on that Easter Sunday, some two thousand years ago. This Monday is also the first day of April, making it ‘All Fool’s, or April Fool’s Day’ where we play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other. But please be careful when playing April Fool’s Day jokes, for many have been known to cause unexpected sadness and sorrow. 

So this Monday is a big Monday, especially with no work and the celebration of one of the most important days in our Christian faith. But please, as Jeeves would recommend, please use a modicum of circumspection in the celebrations; balance your partying with your upcoming responsibilities. (smile) Remember, there’s work tomorrow and the boss won’t take it kindly if you book off sick or show up tired and droopy after such a celebrated long weekend. Not at all! 

And my people in these crazy times, a balanced life is ever so important for your personal health and well-being. In a fast-paced, modern world, sustaining a balanced diet, alongside personal fitness, can help improve and stabilize overall health and wellbeing, which can help us live a fuller and longer life. As Cousin Sol so rightly says as The preacher in Ecclesiastes: ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour (his soul should enjoy the good of his labour).This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.’ (Eccl.2:24). 

The problem with that though, is finding the right balance. It’s very easy to work too much or party and laze around too much. The wise man will find a comfortable balance and enjoy the fruits of his labour. And we have a good example of that wisdom, when Jesus, before He feeds the five thousand, tells the disciples, ‘Come ye yourselves apart (aside) into a desert (deserted) place and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.’ (Mark 6:31) 

Sadly, many of us do the same thing, work our fingers to the bone and don’t get enough rest. And though the negative effects might not show up right away, I can guarantee that they will show up eventually, and in ways you certainly won’t expect. So there’s wisdom in taking one day at a time, as Moses says in Psalm 90: ‘So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ 

That’s the life and work balance, but then there’s also a spiritual balance. This commentary explains it thus: ‘When we are in balance, we feel complete in ourselves. There isn’t a vacuum of anything. We feel free to be who we want to be and live the life we want. We can express our needs and focus on what we want without feeling less than or anxiety or fear. We feel happy and joyful.’ I guess we can call that the state when our ying and yang are in perfect symmetry. (smile) 

Furthermore, as this quote from an article on the Spiritual Meaning of Balance,’ by Vinita Hampton Wright found on the ignatianspirituality.com website explains. ‘In Christian spirituality, balance has more to do with temperance, which means that we allow our deepest principles to hold our passions in check. As Paula Huston explains in her book ‘By Way of Grace’ temperance has been misconstrued in popular language to mean an unhealthy denial of life’s pleasures. But from earliest times Christians have valued spiritual balance. St. Ignatius spoke of people having “disordered affections”—being ruled by desires rather than free to make wise choices. 

When we don’t practice temperance, eventually our affections will become disordered. A temperate person honors her desires and passions as gifts from God, but she does not constantly rearrange her life according to the ongoing flux of those desires and passions … One of the best gifts of temperance is that it frees us to enjoy our loves. When I write, I can throw myself into it completely. And when temperance tells me it’s time to stop writing and do something else, I can put down my work and enter the next thing wholeheartedly. Identify situations in which you feel pushed, or hurried, or desperate. Can you describe what’s going on, and how you might apply some temperance?’ 

And all of that makes complete sense, but here is the wisdom in which it’s all encapsulated, the words of Jesus: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That covers it all friends. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help to make the changes we so desperately need to make, so that our world can become a better place for us, our children, and our children’s children. 

Altogether now: ‘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!’ 

Now, let’s remember that the most important aspects of our prayer are, coming to God with sincere repentance in our hearts, as well as turning from our evil ways. If those two situations aren’t rectified, sooner than later, then divine help will not be forthcoming! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!

…keep God number ONE…and everything else will fall into place…

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