Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 September 2014 Psalm 118:8-9

  Psalm 118:8-9. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 

Oh Friends, it’s the dawning of another new day in Paradise – a godly Tuesday morning Wow! So the day has already dawned, so big deal! (smile) And if you’re still alive, please give God some thanks and praise for instilling and keeping that breath of life in your mortal body.
 
And having done that, I want to remind us, as Bubba Joel (Joel Osteen) says, that ‘TODAY IS MY DAY!’ Yes Friends, it’s my day, your day, our Day! God blessed us with it so that we could live it abundantly, all to the glory of His Holy Name. Now we’ve done this before, but I believe it’s time for us to do it again.
 
So let’s make this acclamation, this declaration of faith, per Bubba Joel. Please declare with me: ‘God has destined me to be a barrier breaker! He created me to be uncontainable. I have talent and potential given to me by the Creator of the universe. There are seeds of greatness inside of me.
 
Today, I choose to break free from a limited mindset and enlarge my vision. Today, God is taking me places that I’ve never even dreamed of before. Today, God is fulfilling His purpose and destiny in my life. Today, I will experience His favour like never before in every area of my life.’
 
And all God’s people said a loud and joyful, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen!’
 
Believe it my brethren, and then please, let’s put it into action, because words without action are simply a waste of both words and valuable time. 
 

Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’
 
I think today is the last day for that particular scripture, but obviously I can’t promise it, since there are so many scripture passages that encourage and promote trust in Almighty God instead of man, that one never knows where the Holy Spirit will guide us. (smile)
 
So those of you who like to have a new Bit everyday, just hold on to your horses, and remember that your wonderful, ever-LOVING, ever-faithful God ALWAYS works on your behalf, for your good, regardless of the prevailing circumstances. And who knows, He might just be trying to teach you patience with the continuation of this particular Bit. (smile)
 
Now let’s delve into a few more scripture passages that ever so wisely and strongly advise us to put our all, our utmost trust, faith and confidence in Almighty God.
 
Let’s begin with the wisdom of Cousin Sol from Proverbs 25. ‘Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken (bad) tooth, and a foot out of joint.’ (Prov.25:19)
 
Ah mih people, those words are ever so true! And I like how Cousin Sol brings it right down to the nitty gritty, down to the practical, day-to-day activities of life.
 
And the scholars’ add their two cents worth by saying: ’25:19. Faith is only as good as its object, and an unfaithful man is useless.’
 
All of us have had some bad experiences with that kind of thing, but yet we continue to place undue faith and trust in unfaithful and untrustworthy mankind, instead of Jehovah God, our Creator and Provider.
 
But as the old people would so rightfully say: when you don’t hear, yuh certainly going to feel. And that’s especially true in this current unreliable, fraudulent and crooked society in which we live.
 
And from 1 John, we learn: ‘These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
 
And this is the confidence we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 1:13-15)
 
Oh my fellow believers how could it get any better than that eh? NO WAY JOSE! (smile)
 
Then Bruh David declares it thus in Psalm 65 – God is powerful in nature. ‘Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
 
By terrible (awesome) things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea. Which by his strength setteth fast (established) the mountains; being girded with power: which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.’ (Ps.65:4-7)
 
Now tell me Friends, why do we put overmuch trust and confidence in mortal man, when we have such an omnipotent and LOVING God eh? We shouldn’t, but unfortunately, for whatever reasons, we still do, much to our misfortune and personal chagrin.
 
And we’ll close, end this Bit (smile) with wise words from Hebrews, words we all know, but don’t follow as much as we should. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience (endurance, perseverance), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.’ (Heb.10:35-36)
 
Yes my people, the Lord of hosts created us and provides for us, and is still the most powerful and caring force in the universe! So please let’s show our wisdom, faith, trust and confidence in Him nuh, by solidly leaning on His exceedingly strong, everlasting arms, and safely sheltering under His awesome protective wings. Now that is the true wisdom of life! Much LOVE!
 
…All State Insurance might claim to have safe hands…but until you check out Jehovah God…you’ll never know what truly safe hands are… 
 
P.S. Oh Friends, it sure was a smiley kind of day today…and why shouldn’t it be eh, since my half-brother and his wife are visiting from sweet Tobago. That means there was plenty laughter and joy in the house yesterday, which obviously led to a late night, filled with reminiscences of the past and the making of new memories for the future.
 
And that joy and laughter will undoubtedly continue over the next few days of their visit. My sincerest apologies for the lateness of the Bit, but as you can very well see, there are extenuating circumstances for it. (smile) Much LOVE!

 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 September 2013 1 John 5:14.

1 John 5:14.    And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.

Oh Friends, our wonderful God never ceases to amaze me with His mysterious ways! And the latest amazement is that yesterday, for some unknown reason, the old hymn, ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name!’ suddenly flitted through my mind.

But as always, there’s method to God’s seeming madness, and today I found out the reason for that hymn coming to mind. Since today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, a day of worship and fellowship, He wanted us to begin our message with some appropriate worship music.

So please sing with me, in strong, sweet, dulcet voices (smile). ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall; bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.’

Yes Friends, Jesus Christ is indeed Lord of ALL! He selflessly sacrificed His innocent life for us: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name’ (Phil.2:9) For that awesome show of obedience and immense ‘sufferation’ without complaint, the Father raised Him to a place of honour above all others in creation.

Thus, in Jesus, all our hope, strength, faith and confidence are assured! That’s why John could say so positively in our Bit: ‘And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.’

But that’s not all, as John tells us in the next verse. ‘And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:15)

That’s gospel truth Friends! Whatever believers ask in His name, according to His will, we have the utmost confidence and assurance that He hears our petition and answers it as He sees fit. Now that last part is something ALL believers ought to fully understand. Not because our request, our petition is in God’s will, means that He will answer it right away. We will receive it when the Lord decides the time is right.

So many of us pray for stuff, and using those scriptures, expect to get them filled right away. Now sometimes, according to the emergency of our situations, that might happen, but generally speaking, the timing has to align with God’s plan.

The scholars have a short but interesting note on those scriptures. ‘5:14-15. Assurance of salvation (v.13) leads to confidence in petition. Effectual prayer is according to his will.’ No doubting any of that Friends!

Now let’s turn to some scriptures that support our Bit. And the first one is a well known quote from Psalm 118, Thanksgiving for the Lord’s salvation. ‘The psalmist boldly and wisely proclaims: ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.’ (Ps.118:8-9)

Now that my brethren, is the undeniable truth! That’s why Cousin Sol could declare in Proverbs 3, Exhortations to obedience: ‘Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov.3:25-26)

And listen to his later statement. ‘Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken (bad) tooth, and a foot out of joint.’ (Prov.25:19)

And the scholars say this about that verse. ’25:19. Faith is only as good as its object, and an unfaithful man is useless.’

More undeniable truth my people! Anything that has to do with man in the flesh, cannot be trusted, much less taken for granted, for man has no real control over anything, not even over his own life. But when man is linked to, and aligned with the Spirit of God, well then Friends, the impossible things become possible!

And we’ll end with a most appropriate prayer from Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s Hour of Power Devotional. Obviously it’s titled: ‘A Prayer for Confidence.’

Let’s pray it together: ‘It is flowing into me now; for my conscience is clear. I have made the right decision. I am not afraid of problems. I will face challenges calmly and serenely, for God is behind me. He will help me. If I must go through difficult times, He will rescue me.

I feel His Spirit of confidence surging in my heart now. With Him I cannot possibly fail. If God is for me, who can be against me? I have a strong feeling that everything is going to work out just beautifully. Thank You, God. Amen.’

Oh my fellow believers, I sincerely hope that today’s message brings a great measure of encouragement and purpose to our strenuous and burdened lives. I also hope we experience a powerful surge in our hope, faith, strength and confidence in Almighty God, His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and the amazing Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead and guide us down the right path, the straight and narrow one that ultimately leads to heaven. For therein lies the ONE and ONLY true direction to wisdom, salvation and eternal life. Much LOVE!

…if you can’t trust an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God…then whom can you trust eh…