06 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Jew would be degraded by feeding swine, a means of restoring faith in you, a mighty famine arose in the land, a repentant sinner, a woman having ten pieces of silver, be responsible, began to be in want, calls her friends and neighbours together, crying out for God's help, discontent, dissatisfaction, divided unto them his living, easy money, faith, flock around for handouts, for our benefit, Friday chant, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me, God has concern for all of His creations, God's omnipotent help, holy spirit, I have found the piece I lost, ice patches, if the Lord grants life tomorrow, if there's delight in recuing one sheep or finding one coin, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus came to earth to save sinners, Jesus Christ, Jews were not allowed to keep or feed swine, joined himself to a citizen of that country, licentious living, lights a candle and looks for the lost coin, likewise I say unto you, LOVE, mercy, moral obligation, no man gave him anything, our sinful world, over one sinner that repenteth, problems escalating, rejoice with me, rescued from being lost to sin, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, seeks diligently till she finds it, sent him into his field to feed wsine, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stand up and improve it, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the gospel truth, the Lord will knock on your heart, the Lost Coin, the lost sheep, the Lost Son, the money's gone in two twos, the salvation of a sinner, the simmering unrest in our land, the weekend is here at last, the younger son gathered all together, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, took his journey into a far cointry, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and see the chaos around us, wake up and smell the coffee, wasted his substance with riotous living, wisdom, wise guidance, with the husks that the swine ate, would fain have filled his belly
Luke 15:10. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
And then it was Friday, the day we’ve all been looking forward to! But it’s not such a nice day, wet, cloudy with patches of hidden and dangerous ice in unseeming places. So if you go out, please tread carefully, for you know not what looks like solid ground might be hidden ice. But that has not stopped us from sending up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Now, yesterday we said that the Lord had guided us to look at the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son, however we only managed to look at the one pertaining to the Lost Sheep. So let’s take a look today at the Lost Coin.
After talking about there being more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety nine who don’t need it, (Luke 15:7) Jesus continues by saying: ‘Either what woman having ten pieces of silver (a drachma – a valuable silver coin), if she lose one piece (coin), doth not light a candle (lamp), and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me: for I have found the piece (coin) which I had lost. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.’ (Luke 15:8-10)
Yes friends, that’s how much a repentant sinner is treasured in the heavenly realms. And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses. ‘If a woman and her neighbours delight in recovering a solitary coin, and if a shepherd takes joy in rescuing a single sheep, how much more praiseworthy is the salvation of a sinner? While some portray God as impersonal or aloof from human affairs, Jesus here teaches of His concern for every individual.’
And that’s the gospel truth! The Lord is interested in the affairs of every one of His creations. And why wouldn’t He be eh? He made us so that He could LOVE us and we could LOVE Him in return, and LOVE means being involved with, and concerned about those we LOVE. And since Jesus came to earth specifically to save sinners, it must mean that a repentant sinner is very important to the heavenly kingdom, and thus rejoicing is called for when even one sinner repents, or is recused from being lost to sin. So, let’s not belittle the act of repentance and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, for it’s the most momentous moment in a person’s life.
Then Jesus began talking about the Lost Son. ‘And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them, said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.’ (Luke 15:11-12) Now, the father given the son his inheritance before He died was something that would hardly happen in that society. And the scholars tell us: ‘According to Deuteronomy 21:17, the older of two sons was entitled to a double portion of a father’s estate. Here the younger son would have received one-third. He was probably under a moral obligation to use the inheritance in a way pleasing to the father, but he ignores this.’
Then Jesus continues: ‘And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance (possessions) with riotous living (wasteful, prodigal or reckless living).’ (Luke 15:13) And the scholars play hardball on that verse, by saying: ‘Gathered all together means that he turned his assets into hard cash. Not many days is Luke’s understatement. The lad wasted no time getting ready to waste money.’ And we see also that very often in our society, where those who come into easy money, blow it on licentious living, and in two twos, the money’s gone.
And that’s exactly what happened to this lost son. Jesus tells us: ‘And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his field to feed swine. And he would fain (gladly) have filled his belly with the husks (carob pods) that the swine did eat: and no man gave him anything.’ (Luke 15:14-16)
That’s another regular occurrence. When you have money or wealth, a lot of people flock around you looking for handouts. But when your money or wealth runs out, everyone stops coming around, none of those who previously flocked around for your largesse, ever remember your goodness to them. But even more importantly in this case, as the scholars explain: ‘A Jew would have been unbearably degraded by feeding swine. Also, the owner would have had to be a Gentile, since both keeping and feeding swine were forbidden to Jews.’
That tells you how low the prodigal son had fallen, even to the thought of eating the pig’s food. Unfortunately though, we need stop there for today because there’s much more to say on the Lost Son. But if the Lord grants us life tomorrow, we’ll continue looking at that parable. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these terrible times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And that’s exactly what we need to do my fellow believers; wake up and see the chaos around us, then stand up and do something to improve it. Remember, it’s not for God’s benefit but for ours and our descendants! Much LOVE!
…don’t worry…if you’re lost…the Lord will find you…by knocking on your heart…until you open it to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend of the world is the enemy of God, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, ask in God's will, be afflicted and mourn, be in the world but not of the world, but where sin abounded, cannot obtain, cleanse your hands ye sinners, clinging steadfastly to Jesus, concrete jungles, consume it upon your lusts, covet, desire to have, desires for pleasure, divine aid, don't behave like the world behaves, don't lust after the things of the world, don't sell your soul for silver and gold, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, earn a dollar, eternal life, eternal separation from Almighty God, even of your lusts, every imagination was evil continually, faith, fighting mode, from whence come wars and fighting among you, get into labouring mode, giveth grace unto the humble, go with the flow, God is by fat the better choice, God resisteth the proud, God saw that the wickedness of man was great, grace did much more abound, he giveth more grace, he shal lift you up, holy spirit, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, let your laughter be turned to mourning, like the day follows the night, like the sun follows the moon, LOVE, mercy, mourn and weep, negative situations, only one way to live this life right, our duty in partnership with God, pray, pull up our socks, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, resist the devil and he will flee from you, salvation, selfish and unsatisfied desires, sin can never outshine God's grace, sincerely seek your face, stand a fighting chance, striving with each other, submit yourselves to God, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the best rewards available, the friendship of the world is enmity with God, the God who heals, the law entered that the offence might abound, the material things of the world, the power to solve our problems, the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, the way the working world is set up, the worst thing that can happen to a human soul, to keep life and limb together, truth, turn from our evil ways, unexpected storms, wisdom, wise guidance, wrestling with God in prayer, ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, ye have not becuse ye ask not, ye kill, ye lust and have not, you cannot love both god and the world, your joy to heaviness
James 4:7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
And now that Sunday has passed into the history Books, this new day must be Monday, for Monday follows Sunday like the sun follows the moon and the day the night. That therefore means, after a couple of days of rest, we must get back out into the crazy world. Yes, once again on this bright and sunshiny but cold day, we need to get into labouring mode, sometimes more like fighting mode, with all the pushing and shoving that occurs while commuting numerous miles, through various modes of transportation to the concrete jungles, where most of the work is located, so we can earn a dollar to keep life and limb together. (smile)
Then suffer the same commuting fate to get back home at the end of the workday. No, it certainly doesn’t seem like the best of systems, but unfortunately that’s the way the working world is set up, and if you want to stand a fighting chance, then you need to go with the flow and over time enhance your situation as best as possible. But while doing that, please don’t sell your soul to Beelzebub for silver or gold, or the nice-looking material things of the world, for, when you do that in an effort to get ahead, you’re only making matters worse, because then you’ll be heading straight for eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
The only way to live this life right, is by clinging steadfastly to Jesus, and then you’ll be headed for salvation and eternal life, the best rewards available. And James, Jesus’ brother, possibly says it best when he writes to his readers, who instead of wrestling with God in prayer, were striving with one another. He rightly asks: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts to have (desires for pleasure) that war in your members (bodies)? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:1-3)
And that’s exactly what’s happening all around our world today! For most, if not all of the strife permeating the world stems from selfish and unsatisfied desires to get what we want, as well as what the world has to offer. Remember what we said about prayer yesterday? Nothing’s wrong with asking, if you’re asking for stuff that falls into God’s will. That’s the basic qualification; it must be in God’s will. Then James continues with these words of wisdom. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself an enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
That’s an indisputable fact, since Jesus spoke about His followers being IN the world but not OF the world. (John 17:14-16) That means we must not lust after the things of the world, or behave like the world behaves, because it brings us into wrong standing with our heavenly Father. And James rolls on: ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to (yearns) to envy (jealousy)?’ (James 4:5) There he’s referring to this scripture from Genesis. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts (intentions) of his heart was only evil continually.’ (Gen. 6:5)
Yes back then, just like today, most of what man thought, plotted or did was strictly evil all the time. Then James gets to the solution of the problem. ‘But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:6) And per the scholars, that means ‘God gives greater grace than the world’s attraction of verse 4 and the inner lust of verse 5, and so can withstand both.’ There, James is quoting from Romans where Bruh Paul writes: ‘Moreover the law entered, that the offence (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.’ (Rom. 5:20)
So wherever sin is, grace abounds there even more. In other words, sin can never outshine God’s grace! Thus, James dictates: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) And all of what James says there makes sense. It’s high time we get serious, forget our foolish pride and turn sincerely to God, for that’s where our hope and future lie. (Jer. 29:11)
And the scholars offer these explanations. Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil means: Do not submit to, fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Satan cannot lead into sin against one’s will. As per Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved. His welcoming response is always near. (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts mean the cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward and inward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps. 24:3).’
Ah friends, it certainly seems like we have our work cut out for us, but if we want to have victory over Satan and the world, then those are some of the things we need to do. And to help us do them, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.
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!’
Now let’s remember, despite God’s help, we still have our duty to do in the partnership, and He will not do our part. That means we have to pull up our socks and get moving asap! Why? Because it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…you cannot LOVE both God and the world…it’s either one or the other…and God is by far the better choice…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a zeppo, above the highest heavens, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, be exalted O God, be responsible, be strong and of a good courage, blessed be God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ has given us the victory, come boldly to the throne of grace, comforts us in all our tribulation, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent and dissatisfaction, divine aid, every ounce of emotion is drained, faith, fear not nor be afraid of them, feel and extra connection with God, find grace to help in time of need, Friday chant, God intuitively provides information, God sent not his son into thte world to condemn the world, God's love is everlasting, Gods' word is unquestionable, guide thee with mine eye, he hath not believed, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee, holy spirit, humbly with confidence, I give them eternal life, I will instruct thee, I will not leave you comfortless, in the name of Jesus, in the name of the only begotten Son of God, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, lifted to peaks of delight, LOVE, loved you with an everlasting love, may your glory shine over all the earth, mercy, my future is secure, my heart is a brambled desert, my past is forgiven, my sheep hear my voice, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, never leave me comfortless, obtain mercy, omnipotent help, one body of Christ, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world can wake up, Rare Moments of Delight, rare mysterious momnets, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, serious problems are escalating, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, teach thee in the way thou shall go, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ecstacy of feeling, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Holy Trinity, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, the Lord thy God doth go with thee, the world through him might be saved, these ungodly times, they shall never perish, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee, you add to my knowing
Psalm 108: 5. ‘Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’
So finally it’s Friday; the day we’ve all been looking forward to, and although it’s somewhat cloudy, we really don’t care, and have offered up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ But please note, that doesn’t mean we can laze around at work today. No! It means we still have to be diligent and do whatever is needed in the name of Jesus, because that’s what He expects of us.
And today we’ll look at an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one doesn’t sound familiar to me, but who knows, I might have shared it before. The fact is that they are all worthy to be shared again and again for they are inspiring, encouraging and tell lots of truths about our situations. This one is titled ‘Rare Moments of Delight.’
So please read with me: ‘Because you are God And Your Word is unquestionable There are things I assuredly know Even when my heart is a brambled desert And every ounce of emotion is drained: I know Your LOVE is everlasting I know You will never forsake me Nor will you leave me comfortless I know I can come to You boldly I know you will teach and instruct me You will guide me with Your eye I know my past is forgiven And my future is secure. But, oh, dear God How I praise You for the marvel Of those rare, mysterious moments when suddenly, without a flash or a sound You add to my knowing The ecstasy of feeling and I am lifted to peaks of delight!’
Oh friends, the poem doesn’t only gives us some of the many promises that our great God has made, and what we know from reading His Word, which keeps us safe and secure, but there’s an even greater feeling, one where He just intuitively flashes us some information that we were not expecting, which brings us even closer to Him. It’s what we sometimes call receiving a Zeppo. That sudden intuitive feeling that something is right, or it’s what we should do. It’s like when I was looking through the book today for a poem to offer, when I came to the one we just read, there was this feeling like the Lord was saying that’s the right one. So I just used it. At times like those we feel and extra connection with our God, renewing our convictions that He is indeed real and looking out for us.
And all I want to do now is remind us of some of the scriptures that we spoke of in the poem. For instance God’s everlasting LOVE. The Bible says it in different ways in several scriptures, but this one from Jeremiah probably says it the best. ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED you with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-KINDNESS have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3) And as per never leaving nor forsaking us, there are again several scriptures that point out that promise, but Moses said it quite early to the children of Israel. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6)
Then as per never leaving us comfortless, there’s this great scripture from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, where he talks about the Comfort of God. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Wow! What a magnificent scripture! God comforts us so that we can comfort others with the comfort we receive from Him. And don’t forget the Holy Spirit that dwells within us is also know as the Comforter. (John 14:16; 15:26) And Jesus also promised, ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) So there’s lots of comfort to be had from our Holy Trinity!
Then, as per going boldly to God, we all know the scripture from Hebrews that says: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Now, boldly there doesn’t mean proudly or arrogantly, but humbly with the confidence that God will not turn us away. And as per His teaching and instructing us, Bruh David says it quite clearly in Psalm 32: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps. 32:8)
And finally, as per our forgiven past and safe futures, there are many scriptures that address those points, but for time’s sake we’ll only check out a couple of statements from Jesus. The first is one we all know: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:17-18) Then later on Jesus declares to His accusers: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (snatch) them out of my hand.’ (John 10:27-28) You cannot get any safer or more secure than that my faithful brethren!
And lest we forget, (smile) the Bible Promise for today’s poem comes from Psalm 108. ‘Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’ (Ps. 108:5) That’s the NLT (New Living Translation). Meanwhile the KJV (King James Version) says: ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;’ (Ps. 108:5) And though we are King James people here, (smile) I like the NLT version, and we’ll use it as our Bit. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, confidently, but humbly, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to help in these very troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And though we pray good prayers, friends, the truth is that until we come together as the supposed one body of Christ, and begin seriously living for Him, getting divine aid will always be a problem for us. Much LOVE!
…Christ has given us the victory…we now have to make sure we don’t lose it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Jesus, a disciple picks up his cross daily, a senior's moment, abhor that which is evil, anxiety, as your Father in heaven is perfect, avenge not yourselves, be not overcome of evil, be responsible, be the children of your Father in heaven, be ye therefore perfect, bless and curse not, bless them that curse you, bless them which persecute you, by the example we faithful believers set, christianity, Christians, cleave to that which is good, confusion, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, do good to them that hate you, even the publicans the same, faith, Friday chant, getting on in age, give place unto wrath, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, going against the grain, greet your brethren only, have regard for good things, he is the anointed of the Lord, he makes his sun to rise, heap coals of fire on his head, holy spirit, hypocrisy, I shall repay, if he thirst give him drink, if thine enemy hunger feed him, if ye love them which love you, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, let love be without dissimulation, live peaceably with all men, LOVE, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, Love your enemies, make the sacrifices available to us, mercy, on the evil and the good, only good can overcome evil, overcome evil with good, pray for them which spitefully use you, problems escalating, provide things honest in the sight of all men, recompense no maan evil for evil, relent from the evil in our souls, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, show them the error of their ways, showed mercy, stand strong and steadfast, strife-filled times, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the goodness of God, the Lord reward thee good, the Lord's anointed, the Lord's word is for our benefit, the weekend, these ungodly times, thou art more righteous than I, thou hast rewarded me good. I have rewarded thee evil, throne of grace, to stretch forth mine hand against him, took the high road, truth, unexpected storms, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, wake up and smell the coffe, what do ye more than others, what reward have ye, wisdom, wise guidance
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
And we’ve finally gotten to Friday! But though it’s a somewhat snowy and cloudy day, we’ve nonetheless sent up our Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here!’ We don’t seem to care what kind of day it is, once it’s Friday, (smile) because it means the work week is almost over.
Now, before we get into today’s topic, let me apologize for my mistake of yesterday. Ah Lord eh! I got so tied up in the prayer situation that I referred to yesterday’s message as the third instead of the fourth. My poor brain could not comprehend that we had already done three messages on prayer. I hope you all realized that it was a senior’s moment, (smile) and forgave the ole fella. He’s getting on in age, so anything’s possible.
Anyway, today we’re going to talk about a topic that should be at the heart of Christ’s church, but sadly isn’t. That topic is overcoming evil with good. And Bruh Paul wrote a lot about that, especially in his letter to the Romans. ‘Let LOVE be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (cling) to that which is good… Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not… Recompense (repay) no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men (have regard for good things).
If it be possible, as much as lieth in (depends on) you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I shall repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12: 9, 14, 17-21)
And the pertinent question now is whether the members of Christ’s church are living like that? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Definitely not to a sufficient amount or level. And yes, some of that stuff is difficult to do, especially in these strife-filled and greedy times, but that’s the whole point of being a disciple of Jesus; going against the grain, going against what the world considers normal and right.
Remember Jesus said basically the same thing in the sermon on the Mount. ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
And we all know that we’ll never be perfect like our heavenly Father while we’re here on earth, but the important thing is to try to be much more like Him than we currently are. Remember what a disciple is supposed to be: One who denies himself, picks up His cross daily and follows Jesus. (Luke 9:23) Now that doesn’t mean being like the rest of the world. And if we need to show the unbelievers the goodness of God, then we have to relent from all the evil we carry in our souls and bodies, and let the good that resides there come out instead.
And I’m amazed at the way our God moves. Earlier on, when I opened the Bible, it opened at a passage that showed exactly what we’re talking about, and it’s what eventually lead me to the topic. And that scripture is about the time when Bruh David, after running from King Saul for many years, had the chance to kill him in a cave in the wilderness, but only cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And when his men encouraged him to kill Saul, he refused, saying: ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.’ (1 Sam. 24:6)
But after Saul left the cave, Bruh David rose up and accosted him outside of the cave, even bowing to his nemesis, because he was still the king and the Lord’s anointed. He than gave Saul a long speech, which you can find in 1 Sam. 24: 9-15. And surprisingly, after that, Saul admitted his sin. The Bible tells us that Saul said, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted his voice and wept.
And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord hath delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? Wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.’ (1 Sam. 24: 16-19)
Oh my people, what a wonderful example that is of overcoming evil with good. Although Bruh David had the right and the chance to kill Saul, instead, he took the high road and showed mercy like the Lord required of him. And it’s the same way that the Lord requires us to be much more merciful that we currently are, for when we show others mercy, He shows it back to us. Remember, everything in the Lord’s Word is for our benefit! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to handle the evil that surrounds us with the goodness of God.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh friends, prayer is a wonderful tool, but divine aid will only be forthcoming when the Lord sees us willing to get up and make the sacrifices available to us! Much LOVE!
…the only thing that can overcome evil…is good…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a confession of sins, a conversation with God, a direct line to the triune God, a personal expression of thoughts, a snow-filled Monday, abide in me and I in you, according to God's will, acknowledging God's sovereignty, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all that are in authority, alter circumstances, an intimate connection between a person and the divine, at the core of every Christian journey, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, become better Christian witnesses, building a relationship with God, changes hearts, confession, desires, direction to alleviate our problems, divine aid, ease the pain, emotions, except it abide in the vine, except ye abide in me, faith, fellowship, first of all, fosters a deepr understanding of God's nature, godlier in our daily lives, grow in grace, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, I am the vine ye are the branches, in all godliness and honesty, in the knowledge of our Lord and saviour, influences attitudes, intercession, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, lead a quiet and peaceable life, lies a deep and personal element, LOVE, mercy, no more can ye, not returned to normal, pray, prayer, prayer empowers comforts and guides us, prayer has the power to transform, prayer is absolutely necessary for Christians, prayer is the most powerful method of communication, prove what is that good and acceptable perfect will of God, regular prayer is essential for spiritual growth, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual growth, strong faith in Christ, supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, thank you for life, thanksgiving, the BIBLE, the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, the chief method of communicating with God, the God who heals, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our many problems, the same bringeth forth much fruit, the throne of grace, to him be glory both now and forever, transformation, truth, turn from our evil ways, unexpected storms, used for adoration, wisdom, wise guidance, without me you can do nothing
John 15:4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Another Monday my people, and we’re back out to work, but thankfully it’s only cold and not snow-filled like last Monday, when some 40 to 50 centimeters of snow fell in the Greater Toronto Area. In fact, some people and neighbourhoods still have not returned to normal, as there is still lots of snow to be scraped up and removed. And work has been continuing round the clock, but there’s so much snow, and only so many people and so much machinery to deal with it. Let’s hope and pray that in the next few days, there will be a significant drop in the temperature to below freezing, so that most of the snow now lining our road banks and roofs will melt before any more snow falls. (smile)
And our topic for today is that great privilege believers have called ‘PRAYER.’ Yes friends, prayer is our chief method of communicating with our heavenly Father. That’s how He designed it. And before we do anything else, I think it’s best to have a basic definition of prayer. And the overview of this commentary explains it thus. ‘Prayer is the act of communicating with a higher power, deity, or the sacred, serving as a fundamental, intimate connection between a person and the divine. It is a deliberate, often personal, expression of thoughts, emotions, and desires, used for adoration, confession, thanksgiving, or supplication (requesting help).’
Now that gives us a good basis for a discussion on the subject. And the first point we need to make is that prayer is absolutely necessary for Christians, because, as we said earlier, that’s our main method of communicating with Jehovah God, our Creator and Controller. And I like how this excerpt from the article The Power and Purpose of Christian Prayer by Heather Okuda on the anglicanfrontiers.com website puts it. ‘At the core of every Christian journey lies a deep and personal element: prayer.
It’s a practice as old as the faith itself, a direct line to the triune God that empowers, comforts, and guides us as believers…. Christian prayer is a conversation with God. It’s a way for us to express our LOVE, gratitude, fears, and desires, acknowledging God’s sovereignty in our lives. Prayer can take many forms: it can be a thanksgiving for blessings received, a request for guidance or help, a confession of sins, or a simple conversation expressing our thoughts and feelings to God.’
Then she breaks down the Purpose of Prayer into sub-groups, explaining them thus. (1) ‘Communion with God: Prayer is primarily about building and maintaining a relationship with God. It’s a practice that fosters a deeper understanding of His nature and will.’ And for that she references John 15:4-5, where Jesus talks about our inability to do anything much without Him. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing.’
Now that’s truly telling it like it is. And the next sub-group of prayer Ms. Okuda lists is (2) ‘Spiritual Growth: Regular prayer is essential for spiritual growth. It is in these quiet moments that we often find strength, wisdom, and peace that guide our actions and decisions.’ And the reference for that is 2 Peter 3:18, which states: ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.’
Then we come to sub-group (3) titled ‘Intercession: Prayer is also an act of intercession. We pray not only for our needs but also for others, lifting up friends, family, leaders, and even enemies to God’s care.’ And the reference for that is 1 Timothy 2:1-2. And that says: ‘I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (reverence).’
And sub-group (4) is ‘Transformation: Prayer has the power to transform. It changes hearts, influences attitudes, and can even alter circumstances according to God’s will.’ And Romans 12:2, a scripture we all know quite well, serves as the reference for that sub-group. It wisely advises: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’
Wow mih bredrin! Who would ever have thought that prayer could be broken down into so many different aspects eh? (smile) But now that we have a deeper knowledge of prayer and its basic purposes, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle hymn, seeking divine aid to help us with all those aspects of prayer in these turbulent and confusing times.
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 friends, all the prayer in the world won’t help us get divine aid, until and unless we become better Chrisitan witnesses, by becoming godlier in our daily lives! Much LOVE!
…the oldest…the greatest…and the most powerful method of communication…PRAYER…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a modicum of circumspection, a new year, and reaching forth, Bob Marley, by the example we faithful believers set, crapaud smoke we pipe, crying out for help, currently running rampant in our world, dictatorship, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine commendation, everywhere will be war, excessive hunger for power, experiencing Christ's power, experiencing the resurrected life, faith, for the prize of the high calling of God, forget our guilt or past successes, forgetting those things which are behind, Friday chant, get out of hand, greed, Haile Selassie I, heavenly reward for reaching this goal on earth, holds one race superior and another inferior, holy spirit, I count not myself to have apprehended, I press toward the mark, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, keep our focus heavenward, keep the populace under control, know christ as well as I can, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, look forward to what is ahead of us, lose the many advantages derived from using our differences as roadblocks, LOVE, make a positive difference, mankind's differences, mercy, more heavenly than earthly minded, moth and rust doth corrupt, negative and evil stuff, no longer first and second-class citizens, nothing will change without big overriding changes, of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, omnipotent help, our sinful world, participating in Christ's suffering, permanently discredited and abandoned, play up rather than play down our differences, practice the philosophy, prejudiced tools, problems are escalating, procrastinating attitude, put out differences behind us, reaching forth unto those things that are before, remain but a fleeting illusion, return backsliders to your fold, rumours of war, salvation, selfishness, show them the error of their ways, simmering unrest, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the colour of a man's skin, the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation, the dream of lasting peace, the goal of knowing Jesus to the best of our ability, the gospel truth, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the joyful personal satisfaction, the prize, the rule of international morality, the weekend, thieves break through and steal, this one thing I do, to be pursued but never attained, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, until basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, until that day, using our differences as roadblocks, wake up and smell the coffee, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, wise guidance, without regard to race, world citizenship
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And would you believe it, we’re already into the second day of this new year of 2026, and the partying will continue over the weekend, after offering up the Friday anthem: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Now, nothing’s wrong with partying, but there needs to be a modicum of circumspection attached to it, otherwise things will eventually get out of hand, as they’ve recently gotten out of hand in many other aspects of life in our world. And we can’t expect our greedy, strife filled world to turn around in only two days, or because it’s a new year.
To tell the truth, this new year stuff is simply another way for the powers that be to make money and keep the populace under control, for not much usually changes from one year to the next. Now, in an attempt to get over my lazy and procrastinating attitude for this new year, (smile) after several months of ignoring it, I finally went into my music studio last night and played some music. And one of the songs I played was one by Bob Marley that makes an impact on me every time I hear it, and which is rather appropriate for these evil and ungodly times. The song’s simply titled ‘WAR.’
It’s where he takes the words of a speech given by the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I in California in 1968 and puts it to music. And it prophetically declares: ‘…Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned. That until there are no longer first and second-class citizens of any nation. Until the colour of a man’s skin is of no more significance than his eyes. That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all, without regard to race. That until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained…And everywhere will be war…ah say war…’
And that my people is the gospel truth! Until we stop using our differences as roadblocks to our future, that future will be filled with nothing but war and rumours of war, of greed and selfishness, of excessive hunger for power and dictatorship and all the other negative and evil stuff that’s currently running rampant in our world. So all this guff or foolishness we spout at the end of every year is just that, for nothing is going to change until we make those big overriding changes mentioned in Haile Selassie’s speech above. And who really wants to make them eh, or even be responsible for making them?
None of the powers that be, nor many supposed Christians either, because it will take away the many advantages they possess from using the prejudiced tools that play up, rather than play down our differences. That’s why, to make a difference in this turbulent world, true believers have to put our differences behind us and do like Bruh Paul exhorted the Philippians in his letter. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (known Christ as well as I can): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead), I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, if we want to undertake serious changes in our world, we have to forget all that’s behind us, any guilt or past successes, and look forward to what is ahead of us, that’s the goal of knowing Jesus to the best of our ability, with all that it implies. And the scholars point out, that basically means ‘experiencing Christ’s power and participating in His suffering, becoming more like Him in death, and experiencing the resurrected life.’ Now those are some of the important things we need to attend to in this new year, if we truly desire to improve both our lives and our world.
And what’s the purpose of, or prize for attaining that mark or goal, you ask? The scholars tell us: ‘The prize is the joyful personal satisfaction of having attained it, as well as the divine commendation and reward to be granted in heaven for having reached this goal on earth. The high calling of God is the divine summons extended to the believer for salvation.’ So, in the long run, we’re building up heavenly rewards and commendations for our Christ-like work on earth.
And there’s nothing better than doing that, for as Jesus so rightly exhorted us: ‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt (ruin), and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ (Matt. 6:19-21)
And that’s more gospel truth my people! Wherever our treasures are stored that’s where our concentration will naturally follow. And since we’re more heavenly than earthly minded, (smile) let’s go the throne of grace through our Friday Chant to get divine aid to keep our focus heavenward. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you.
Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh my people, do we ever desperately need to wake up and see the great amount of evil that’s being perpetrated in our world, with some of it even purported, or alleged to be under Jehovah God’s direction, and do our best to make a positive difference. Otherwise…crapaud smoke we pipe! It’s as simple as that! Much LOVE!
…until mankind’s differences are used for and not against him…our world will never know true peace…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a joyful time, a means of restoring faith in you, a positive mental attitude, a way that displeases God, all whose works are truth, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, an open mind on all subjects to all people, as it is this day, be responsible, be your best for Jesus, boast in the Lord not yourself, Boxing Day, by the example that we faithful believers set, complete self-discipline, continue down the road to destruction and eternal death, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, disrupt the workings of their souls, do your best, donkey's years, Dr. Charles Stanley, embrace your love and compassion, engaged in a labour of love, establish His covenant, faith, fervently pray, financial security, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, freedom from fear, Friday chant, God is first and foremost in our lives, godliness, harmony in human relationships, He sware unto thy fathers, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord, his ways of justice, holy spirit, hope of future achievement, I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the king of heaven, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, learned his lesson, look your best, LOVE, material wealth, mercy, money is the last aspect of true wealth, more of us live sincerely for Christ, my power, Nebuchadnezzar's boast, omnipotent help, our bounden duty, our sinful world, play our cards right, poor emotionally and spiritually, problems are escalating, remember the Lord thy god, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, show them the error of their ways, sound physical health, stand strong and steadfast, tattooed on our faces, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the capacity for applied faith, the economics of the situation, the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth, the presence of God, the throne of grace, The Twelve Aspects of Wealth, these ungodly times, those that walk in pride He is able to abase, thou say in thine heart, true wealth, true wealth is what you are not what you have, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, use the discontent and dissatisfaction, wake up and smell the coffee, willingness to share one's blessings, wisdom, wisdom with which to understand people, wise guidance, without God's presence in your soul
Deuteronomy 8:18a. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,
Ah mih people, it’s Friday, Boxing Day, and most of the hoopla over Christmas Day has now died down. Hope that you and yours had a joyful time, me and mine certainly did. Sadly though, instead of Boxing Day continuing with a high degree of the Christmas Spirit, it’s now mostly about sales and returns of Christmas presents. The economics have taken over right away. But what to do eh? As Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) says: ‘Look your best, do your best, and be your best as always for Christ.’
Now, I don’t know if some of us even know that it’s Friday, but just that it’s Boxing Day and a holiday for many people. So some of us might not even have offered up our usual prayer of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ We just know that it’s a long weekend, and if we play our cards right we can be off work off almost a week, (smile) what with the New Years Celebrations in the offing.
Anyway, the most important thing is that the birth of Jesus was celebrated, and He occupied a place in many hearts that He never occupied before, or not to such a great extent, and let’s hope and prayer that that Christmas spirit will continue right into the New Year and all though it; that 2026 will be a year when many more of us live sincerely for Christ! End of Sermon! (smile)
And today I’ve been led to a quote from my ‘I LOVE YOU’ Poster, which says; ‘True wealth is what you are, not what you have.’ And that makes a lot of sense, for despite all of your material wealth, if you don’t have the presence of God and godliness running within you, then you’re still poor where it counts the most; emotionally and spiritually. That’s why so many supposedly wealthy people are so unhappy and miserable. They allow their material wealth to disrupt the workings of their souls in a way that displeases God. And without a true sense of God, without His presence in your soul, you can never be truly happy, despite your vast amount of material wealth.
That brings us to this very important scripture where Moses warned the people of Israel about not forgetting the Lord when they got wealthy, not forgetting all the good things that He had done for them while they were struggling to survive in the wilderness. (Deut. 8:11-16) ‘And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:18)
So we need to remember that it’s God who causes us to get wealth, be it material or emotional. And that ought to remind us of the story of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel, who boasted of building his great palace through his own might, and before the words were out of his mouth the Lord had decreed that he would go mad and eat grass like the animals for seven years. And it all happened as decreed. (Dan. 4:28-33) Blessedly for Neb though, at the end of the seven years of madness, he gained back his mental faculties and his kingdom and praised God with a marvellous testimony for his miraculous recovery. (Dan. 4:34-36)
Then, in conclusion he stated with all sincerity: ‘Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the king of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways of judgement (justice): and those that walk in pride he is able to abase (humble).’ (Dan. 4:37) Now, there we can see that Neb learned his lesson, but so many of us don’t, and unfortunately continue down the road to destruction and eternal death. We forget the scripture that tells us; ‘But he that glorieth (boasts), let him glory (boast) in the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 10:17) And in this boastful and selfish society we should all have those words tattooed on our faces so that we can remember it.
And now, something else pertaining to true wealth, it’s a list of ‘The Twelve Aspects of True Wealth,’ that’s been on the wall on the opposite side of my office for donkey’s years, but do you think I see it. No way! Just like I don’t see the many other reminders I have all over the office. But for our information, here are those 12 aspects of true wealth.
(1) A positive mental attitude. (2) Sound physical health. (3) Harmony in human relationships. (4) Freedom from fear. (5) Hope of future achievement. (6) The capacity for applied faith. (7) Willingness to share one’s blessings with others. (8) To be engaged in a Labour of LOVE. (9) An open mind on all subjects to all people. (10) Complete self-discipline. (11) Wisdom with which to understand people. (12) FINANCIAL SECURITY.
And the whole point of that exercise is to show us that lots of money is the LAST aspect of true wealth, not the first, as so many of us make it. Hope we learn that lesson well for the upcoming New Year, seriously concentrating on the first eleven, rather than the twelfth. (smile) Now, it’s time go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid for all that ails us.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Yes friends, along with the sinful world, let’s truly wake up and smell the coffee this upcoming year nuh. It’s our bounden duty which we have been sadly neglecting. And the world is crying out for our help! Much LOVE!
…true wealth is what we have…when God is first and foremost in our lives…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, always more loving, an intolerant attitude, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, anger, anxiety and confusion, As God for christ's sake forgave you, at the pinnacle of our growth, be better witnesses for Christ, be responsible and stay safe, be ye kind one to another, by the example, celebrate the incarnate birth of Christ, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, evil speaking, faith, forgiving one another, Friday chant, grieve that my attitude is so often intolerant, hold Jesus near and dear in our hearts, holy spirit, how long you've waited for me, hypocritical actions, ideal time, impatient society, impress me, Jesus Christ, keep fresh the imprint, learn from past mistakes, let all bitterness, LOVE, make me more flexible, me myself and I, mentally enlightened, mercy, more understanding, my fretful impatience, my own need to grow, my own slow progress, no longer a spring chicken, often inclined to ask, omnipotent help, One Year Book of Bible promises, our motto for Christmas, our sinful world, problems are escalating, restoring faith in you, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, Slow Growth, stand strong and steadfast, stretched patience, superficial kindness, technologically advanced, tenderhearted, the error of their ways, the essence of selfishness, the poor are getting poorer, the rich are getting richer, the throne of grace, think and act like God, to turn things around, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wake up and smell the coffee, why can't she change, why is he always so slow, wisdom, wise guidance, with all malice, wrath clamour anger be put away from you, ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
Ephesians 4:32. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
It’s down to six my people… six days before the big celebration of Christmas Day when all the world will ring out with joyful song, celebrating the miraculous, incarnate birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Yes, it’s that marvellous fact that has us busy with all sorts of preparations, but let’s make sure that the most important preparation takes place in our hearts, as we hold Jesus near and dear, and remember all that He’s done for us.
Sadly though friends, today we’re on an even later bus than yesterday, because I had to go out early for some tests and then run an errand that I could not do yesterday, so by the time I got back home, I had to rest, remember the ole fella is no longer a spring chicken, (smile) but today for sure, we’re going to be shorter than ever. So let’s get to this interesting and most appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin titled ‘Slow Growth.’ Who knows if I’ve ever shared it before, but I know that it relates to many of us in this greedy, busy and impatient society.
Please read with me. ‘In my fretful impatience I am so often inclined to ask “Why can’t she change?” “Why is he always so slow?” “Will they ever learn from past mistakes?” And then You begin to impress me With my own slow progress upward. I see your stretched patience. I remember how long You’ve waited for me. And I grieve that my attitude Is so often intolerant. O God, keep fresh the imprint Of my own need to grow And make me more flexible More understanding And always more LOVING.’
Yes my brethren, all of us can learn from those few words about the intolerant society we now live in. We’ve possibly never been this intolerant, although we are at the pinnacle of our growth; the richest, as well as the most technologically advanced, and mentally enlightened. And you’d think that that would guide us to share more of all that our new world has provided. However, that’s not true, for the rich are getting richer as they get greedier, the poor are getting poorer as they have what little they possess taken away from them, and rich nor poor seem to care about their fellow brethren as much as they ought.
The essence of selfishness, the picture of Me, Myself and I, has unfortunately taken over our world. There’s so much in our world that nobody ought to be starving or suffering from serious want, as so many are today, even in the supposedly rich and generous countries. That’s why this Christmas season is the ideal time to try and turn things around, as there’s so much giving and kindness, although a lot of it is hypocritical and superficial.
And the best way to begin is by following this wonderful advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. ‘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 to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:30 -32) And for your information, that last verse is the Bible Promise of our poem ‘Slow Growth.’
So please, let’s use those words as our motto for this Christmas season nuh, opening our arms and hearts to others with the kindness and forgiveness that God has so generously bestowed on us through the sacrifices of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant to ask for divine help to do just that.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And with all the confusion and wrongdoing in our world, it’s now time for us to wake up and be better witnesses for Christ… if we desire His help. Much LOVE!
…let’s think and act like God….showing…LOVE, peace, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and justice…to each other…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a pot of gold, accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, according to his glorious power, all that labour and are heavy laden, all things work together for good to them that love God, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, at the end of the rainbow, be filled with the knowledge of God's willl, be of good cheer, be responsible and stay safe, being fruitful in every good work, better Christian witnesses, by the example that we set, can disappoint very quickly, can wake up and smell the coffee, come unto me, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, delivered us from the power of darkness, divine aid, do not cease to pray for you, don't depend on others to make you happy, embrace your love and compassion, faith, find joy in Jesus, find rest unto your souls, Friday chant, gentle and humble, giving thanks unto the Father, happiness, happiness can be fleeting, hits the nail on the head, holy spirit, humans are irresponsible and unpredictable, i have overcome the world, I stand at the door and knock, I will come into him, I will give you rest, if any man hear my voice and open the door, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, in me ye ight have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, in whom we have redemption through his blood, increasing in the knowledge of God, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the only who will not let us down, Jesus never disappoints, joy, learn of me, life just gives us time and space, LOVE, meek and lowly in heart, mercy, my yoke is easy and my burden light, No one is guaranteed happiness, nothing can be better than living for Jesus, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, place our trust in Almighty God, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, scripture of promise, show them the error of their ways, stand strong and steadfast in faith, strengthened with all might, take my yoke upon you, tests our faith through tough circumstances, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the forgiveness of sins, the joy found in Christ is everlasting, the most assurance of happiness, the throne of grace, these things I have spoken unto you, these ungodly times, time of need, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, to them who are called according to his purpose, translated us into the kingdom of his Son, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, walk worthy of the Lord, we experience joy with Jesus, we must fill it with joy and meaning, who hath qualified us, will sup with him and he with me, wisdom, wise guidance
Matthew 11:28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Oh friends, at long last it’s Friday, and we can see a pot of gold, the weekend, at the end of the rainbow, this work week. And to make things better, although it’s cold and windy, the sun’s shining brightly, just the way we like it! No wonder we’ve sent up sincere prayers of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’
And today we’re going to look at interesting quote from my ‘I LOVE You’ Poster my young daughter gave me years ago. Now this quote sounds familiar, and I might have used it sometime ago, but like so many of these sayings, they are worth hearing over and over. And this one resonates with awesome truth. It says: ‘No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It’s up to us to fill it with joy and meaning.’
And that hits the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head. Happiness is not guaranteed, and often it doesn’t last very long. But we have to make ourselves happy, and the best way to do that is by starting off with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, for through Him, even if you don’t have happiness here on earth, you will certainly have it with Him wherever He is in the next life! And in Jesus we don’t experience happiness so much as joy, which is a much deeper and more lasting experience.
Now, we also have to pay attention to another aspect of the happiness situation, that is depending on others to make us happy. That’s not always wise, for human beings are so frail, fragile, irresponsible and unpredictable that if we depend on others to make us happy, in no time flat they can disappoint us, and the whole happiness house will come crashing down upon our heads. So it all comes right back to basing our happiness, our joy in Jesus, who is the ONLY One who will never let us down.
And why would He, after sacrificing Himself for our sins on the horrific cross of Calvary, and pleading with us through His Great Invitation to come to Him for rest and comfort. ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (humble and gentle): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
He’s also constantly knocking at the doors of our hearts, so He can enter in and dine with us. He says it quite plainly: ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup (dine) with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20) Who else offers these faithful comforts eh? Nobody else but Jesus!
Oh, we humans might be faithful for a moment or a short while, but eventually we all disappoint to some extent. Jesus NEVER disappoints, if you understand His teachings and His commandments. Life with Him will not necessarily be easy, in some cases it might even be more difficult, as He tests our faith through tough circumstances, but we are assured that He will not let the devil have us, He will see us through to victory eventually. As Bruh Paul says in this awesome scripture of promise. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Yes friends, if we sincerely surrender to and place our trust in Almighty God, though we will suffer trials and tribulations, we are assured that the end we will fine. It’s like Jesus reassures us in the gospel of John, where He says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) Now that’s not always easy to do, but if we put our sincere trust in Jesus, He will help us to do it.
And we’ll end with one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible, and one that sets the basic standard for life and joy in Christ. It’s Bruh Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. So please pray with me: ‘For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in (the) light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated (transferred) us into the kingdom of his dear Son (the Son of His LOVE): In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.’ (Col 1:9-14)
Wow mih bredrin! Tell me what can be better than living for Jesus eh? NOTHING! And where can we find the most assurance of happiness here on earth and in the next life? With Jesus; where else! And now that we’re convinced that Jesus provides the best scenario for happiness and joy in this world and the next, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking help in this dire time of need that our evil world makes necessary.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And yes, our sinful world does need to wake up, but so do we Christians, and start showing better witness for Christ, if we expect to receive divine aid. Much LOVE!
…happiness can be fleeting…but the joy found in Christ is everlasting…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, allow God to lead us, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, apostasy, arguments with fellow workers, be responsible, become better witnesses for Christ, blasphemers, boasters, brutal, but denying the power thereof, by the example that we set, covetous, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, despisers of good, diligence, discontent, disobedient to parents, dissatisfaction, excellence, faith, false accusers, fierce, Friday chant, from such turn away, get ahead, God is faithful, God will make a way of escape, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, goes against our natural instincts, haughty, having a form of godliness, he that shall endure to the end, heady, high minded, holy spirit, in the face of suffering or persecution, in the last days perilous times shall come, incontinent, introduce a new flock of believers, irreconcilable, Jesus Christ, keep God first place in our lives, lasting faith is emsostrated throuh perseverance, LOVE, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, mankind is on a rampage of ungodliness, men shall be lovers of their own selves, mercy, money lovers, new technology, no temptation has overtaken you, omnipotent help, our sinful world can wake up, overbearing bosses, patience, patience under pressure, proud, reckless, religion without power or spiritual life, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Satan is laughing all the way to hell, serious problems are escalating, show them the error of their ways, sitting in traffic, slanderers, smelling like roses, stay in the race, steadfastness, such as is common to man, talk to God, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that you can endure it, the example that we faithful believers set, the false teachers abound, the same shall be saved, the throne of grace, the times are very decitful, there is no escapting temptation completely, these ungodly times, tials.challenges, traitors, true breakers, true faith is worth the rewards, truth, unexpected storms, unholy, until the very end of life, we're working for God not man, wisdom, with the temptation, without natural affection, without self-control
Matthew 24:13. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’
So, at long last we’ve come to Friday, the day that most workers look forward to, knowing that the next day is Saturday and they can do their own thing. Consequently, every Friday they shout to the high heavens: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is finally here! No more sitting in traffic twice a day, like it’s a parking lot; no more glares and stares from overbearing bosses, and no more arguments with fellow workers over petty stuff! Just peace and quiet for a couple of days! Thank the Lord for that!’
Yes friends our work day world is getting crazier and crazier with all the new technology and ways of working that are being introduced and changed, but we have to keep up as best as possible, if we at least want to stay in the race, much less get ahead. We might not like some of the new stuff, but we each have to talk to God and find out what He wants us to do in our workday world. And whatever He tells us to do, even if it goes against our natural instincts, we ought to do it, with diligence and excellence, because in the long run, it’s Him we’re working for, not mankind.
None of us really know where our world is headed, but if we keep God first place in our lives, and allow Him to lead us, we will come out of it all, somewhat worse for wear, but smelling like roses. (smile) And when we look back at what He’s brought us through, all we can say is a grateful ‘Thank You God!’ And this a good scripture verse to remember when we’re going through out trials and tribulations. Bruh Paul writes thus in his first letter to the Corinthians; ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13)
Now, before we misinterpret that verse, let’s make it clear that it does not mean that the Lord will enable us to avoid all temptation, but that He will enable us to handle and endure it. For there is no real escaping temptation in this sinful and ungodly world, that’s why believers have to be so careful about whom they talk and walk with, for the times are very deceitful, and the false teachers and preachers do abound. And you better believe that these words of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject are now glaringly in vogue in our current society.
He says: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous (money lovers), boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, truce breakers (irreconcilable), false accusers (slanderers), incontinent (without self-control), fierce (brutal), despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady (reckless), high-minded (haughty), lovers of pleasures more than (rather than) lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-5)
Brother! It seems as if Bruh Paul is living today and writing about our current world, for all that he’s listed there is what’s currently taking place! Mankind has gone on a rampage of ungodliness and sinfulness, and Satan is laughing all the way to hell, because he has so many of us going down to destruction with him.
Now here are some interesting explanations from the scholars. As per the last days, they began with the birth of Christ and will culminate in Christ’s return to earth to set up His kingdom. The prediction of perilous times indicates that apostasy (falling away from the faith) will characterize the final day so the church age.’ And is it ever doing so, as many of the previous believers are foolishly moving away from faith in Christ, for one reason or another. Meanwhile ‘a form of godliness is mere religion without power or spiritual life. Paul commands Timothy to turn away from those false teachers.’
But please my fellow believers, I implore us not to forget these wise words of Christ about the end times. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13) And I like how this commentary explains that verse. It says; ‘It signifies that true, lasting faith is demonstrated through perseverance through trials and challenges. It emphasizes the need for steadfastness and patience in one’s beliefs, even in the face of suffering or persecution, until the very end of life or the end times as described by Jesus. This concept is a common theme in the New Testament, and the Greek word for “perseveres” (hypomenō) suggests a steadfastness and patience under pressure.’
And that’s the living, gospel and infallible truth my people! Faith in Christ calls for much steadfastness and patience under pressure. But let’s remember, when we cry out to Him for help, He does give us the wherewithal to handle our problems. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now through our Friday Chant, boldly, but humbly, seeking divine aid for the many problems we’re currently facing.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And does our sinful world ever need to wake up, but it will not, until we believers become better witnesses and ambassadors for Christ! That’s the long and short of the story! Much LOVE!
…true faith in Christ is not easily maintained…but it’s surely worth the rewards…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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