27 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of weakness, addicted to perfection, allowing them to accomplish things beyond their own capabilities, be not wise in thine own eyes, become avenues for divine strength and grace to manifest, brokenness, calls for trust and dependence on God's grace, Christ's power manifests in our lives through our weaknesses, depart from evil, despairing in hardships, direct thy paths, do the right thing, encourages believers, endure to the very end with Christ, evil ruling the roost, faith, fear the Lord, feel like failures, glory in my infirmities, God's power is most effective, God's strength is not diminished by our weaknesses, guiltiness, halfway home, hands on the plough, he said unto me, health to thy navel, help me let go of perfection, help me remember, holy spirit, I expereince your healing and sufficiency, I learn to depend on and trust you, I try so hard to follow your ways, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in those moments, In Touch Devotional Magazine, Jesus Christ, Jeus is the only perfect one, lean not unto thine own understanding, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, most gladly therefore, my brokenness is where we meet, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my failures, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness, not in fine fettle, not looking back, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, not up to scratch, often falling short, open my arms to you, opportunities for God to demonstrate His strength and support, our sufficiency is of God, paradox, perceived failings, perfection was never part of your plan, redemptive history, remove the thorn from his flesh, salvation, sit heavy on my heart, so glad to be alive, supernatural powers, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the power of Christ may rest upon me, the sufficiency of Scripture, their vulnerabilities, to a glorious future with Jesus, to face difficulties, to overcome personal limitations, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trusting, truth, vulnerability, Wednesday Wail, wisdom
2 Corinthians 12:9a. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.
Well friends, this sunshiny Wednesday morning, we’re on a later bus than normal, and it’s not because of our Wednesday morning gathering, because that doesn’t start back for another couple of weeks. But the ole fella got up late and was just not in fine fettle. And the sad part is that I could not pin point the problem. I just knew that I wasn’t up to scratch. And there’s nothing that annoys me like feeling lousy and not knowing the reason. But that’s my story for today…and I’m sticking to it. (smile) Anyway, after a shower and some coffee, I’m not feeling to badly now; good enough to write the Bit.
So here goes. This last Wednesday in August we will look at the prayer from the In Touch Devotional for this month. Please pray with me: ‘Lord, I try so hard… to follow Your ways, to do the right thing. But it often seems as if I’m falling short, and those failures sit heavy on my heart. In those moments, help me remember perfection was never part of Your plan. Rather, my brokenness is where we meet. Where I learn to depend on and trust You, where I experience Your healing and sufficiency. Lord, help me let go of perfection and instead open my arms to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
And unfortunately, many of us believers do suffer from that addiction to perfection. Oh, we are expected to do excellent work, but not kill ourselves to be perfect, because the Lord knows He did not make perfect human beings. The only one in human form that’s ever been perfect is Jesus! The Lord made us less than perfect so that we would have to turn to Him in our weakness. It’s like when Bruh Paul asked the Lord three times to take away the thorn from his flesh. ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’ (2 Cor. 12:9a)
And this commentary explains that verse by saying: ‘It suggests that God’s power is fully displayed and most effective when a person is in a state of weakness or vulnerability. This paradox encourages believers to embrace their perceived limitations, trusting that their vulnerabilities become avenues for divine strength and grace to manifest, allowing them to accomplish things beyond their own capabilities.’
That’s why Bruh Paul exulted thus in the next half of the verse. ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9b) Yes, Bruh Paul then glories in his weaknesses, realizing that it’s through those weaknesses that the power of Christ would manifest in his life.
So, as the commentary continues: ‘The core idea is that God’s strength is not diminished by our weaknesses but rather highlighted by them, allowing for a greater demonstration of His power working through us. But it calls for trust and dependence on God’s grace and strength to overcome personal limitations and face difficulties, rather than trying to rely solely on one’s own abilities. So, rather than despairing in hardships or perceived failings, believers are to see these as opportunities for God to demonstrate His strength and support.’
And we all know that is not easy to do, especially in light of our failure to achieve perfection, when guiltiness comes upon us and we feel like failures. But until we learn to let go of our own perfection desires, and place our total trust in God, we will forever feel guilty and consider ourselves failures.
It’s like those marvellous verses of wisdom from Cousin Sol in Proverbs that we all know and quote but then don’t action them in our lives. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength or refreshment) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:5-8)
And my people, if we’d only follow those few simple commands – trust in the Lord and not in our own prideful selves, reverence Him and depart from evil – then our lives would be much more enjoyable, and we would not feel the guilt and failure we will always experience when we rely on our own comparatively puny, finite strength and wisdom. And let’s not forget that most telling verse that Bruh Paul wrote earlier on his second letter to the Corinthians: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5)
And what does that mean? Firstly, it means that God is self-sufficient in Himself; has always been so, and will always be so. However, we His human creation don’t have the supernatural powers that He possesses, and thus need to rely on Him for our sufficiency. And on top of all that, we have this commentary that asks and then explains: ‘What is the biblical definition of sufficiency? “We can define the sufficiency of Scripture as follows: The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God that He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly, and for obeying …’
And you know what my fellow believers, there’s never been a time like right now, with evil and ungodliness ruling the roost, when we desperately need to believe, trust, obey and seek the sufficiency of Christ, rather than our own ineffective efforts. End of the Sermon! (smile) Now let’s declare (steupesss!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it’s been faithfully promised, that all those who endure with Jesus to the very end, will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever ask or imagine. So let’s be wise and plan to endure to the very end nuh, in order to enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…God made us to be dependent on Him…not on our inferior powers…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deadly weapon, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, an individual and corporate matter, assurance of salvation, be familiar with God's word, belieivng God's promises, children of God, Christian armour, climate change, comes from the gospel of peace, do what's right in God's eyes, don't go into battle if you're properly dressed for it, dressed in the armour of God, duty bound, eagerness, eagerness to contend with Satan, faith, freeing him from anxiety, girded your waist with truth, having your loins girt about with truth, holy character, holy spirit, hurry, in the Spirit, Jesus Christ, knowledge of the truth of God's Word, life to see another day, LOVE, meat and potatoes, mercy, moral conduct, obedience to known truth, of the joints and marrow, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, possess a sense of eagerness, prayer for divine aid, prayer is indispensable, praying always with all prayer and supplication, produces a godly life, protect one from doubts, quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, salvation, scripture to abttle the enemy with, share His love with my neighbours, sharper than any twoedged sword, special shoes called caligae, spiritual combat, stand our ground, stand therefore, taking God at His word, the beginning of the cold season, the beloved of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel gives peace to the believer, the helmet of salvation, the hope of salvation, the importance of prayer, the last Tuesday in August, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of god, the Word of God is quick and powerful, to advance against the devil, to go out and share the love and friendship of Christ, to take the fight to him, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, watching thereunto, wisdom, with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, with the Spirit's help, without prayer God's armour is inadequate, worry, your feet shod
Ephesians 6:14. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And it’s cool, windy, somewhat sunny, but partly cloudy on this last Tuesday morning in August. Yes, I did say the last Tuesday in August, for come Monday, we’ll be talking about September. And you know what that means; the beginning of the cold season, unless we have some climate change eccentricities. (smile) In any case, these last few days have been rather cool, possibly to have us adjust to the cool temps that are on the way. (smile) And the computer is promising afternoon rain, but that’s okay, for nothing can harm us once we’re fully dressed in the armour of God.
Now that’s what we spoke about yesterday, and promised to continue our refresher course today, if the good God gave us life to see another day. And it seems like He’s done just that, so let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the armour of God, what it actually is. Yesterday, we saw why we so badly need it, today we’ll discuss all the ramifications of what it is, thanks to Bruh Paul’s writings to the Ephesians. We stopped yesterday where he advised us to take up the whole armour of God and then to stand our ground.
Today, he continues: ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (girded your waist) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God:’ (Eph. 6:14-17) Now those are the basic parts of the armour of God, as Bruh Paul likens them unto the protective armour that the Roman soldier wore back then.
And according to the scholars, The belt of truth, is like the belt the Roman soldier wore around his waist, which held most of the other pieces of his armor. And in the believer’s case this belt of truth is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word, which like the old soldier’s belt, holds all our other pieces of Christian armour, based on our knowledge of the truth.
Then there’s the breastplate of righteousness, or the breastplate which is righteousness. A breastplate of leather or metal was worn on the soldier’s chest and prevented damage to his upper body, for the Christian this represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness).
Meanwhile, the preparation of the gospel of peace, means ‘eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called caligae, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him. Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful foe.
Next we have the shield of faith, which the soldier carried to prevent missiles thrown at him, or weapons thrust at him from hitting him, therefore believers have a shield of faith to block all the enemy’s threats. That means taking God at His word, by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan.
And then comes the helmet of salvation. The Roman soldier wore a helmet to protect his head, and so do we believers. Or as the scholars point out, since the readers are already Christians, they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8. Describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is the certainty (assurance) of salvation. In other words, our helmet protects our heads by assuring us of salvation, leaving no doubts to the reality of the situation.
And last but not least, we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Now that means the pieces of scripture with which we battle the enemy, and you cannot quote any scripture unless you know it. That therefore means we have to be very familiar with God’s Word if we want to use it as a deadly weapon against the enemy. Remember how the author of Hebrews characterizes the Word of God? ‘For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12)
Wow! What a powerful weapon is God’s Word. In fact it’s the most powerful weapon in the universe! So if we’re wielding it as a sword against the enemy, he’d better look out! (smile) And those are the parts of the armour of God and some basic explanations of their purpose. However, there’s one more aspect of that armour without which, nothing will happen. That’s prayer. As Bruh Paul says: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and the supplication for all saints.’ (Eph, 6:18)
And the scholars tell us that ‘Praying is grammatically linked to “stand” in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means “on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And so it is my people! As true believers in Christ Jesus, we don’t only look out for ourselves, but for all the saints of our faith. Now, I sincerely hope and pray that that refresher course on the armour of God has indeed refreshed and renewed our spirits and souls and has made us more aware of the spiritual warfare in which we’re engaged as children of God. And that we will always dress in the Lord’s armour, before going out to fight for His glory.
Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
That now makes us duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if you’re not properly dressed for battle…you should not go into battle…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
25 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a refresher course, a sense of urgency, able to withstand, against principalities, avail ourselves of God's provision, be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, be strong in the Lord, common sense, conquer Monday, demonic onslaughts, demons, departed from him for a season, destroy our Christian witness, divine aid, efficient weapons, evil schemes of Satan, face a formidable foe, faith, faithfully promised, fallen angels, flesh and blood, flex our muscles, hand to hand combat, have the victory through Christ, having done all to stand, holy spirit, humble servants, immediate action, in the evil day, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep the ball rolling, life-saving obligation, logic, LOVE, meat and potatoes, mercy, never give up, never say die, powers, pray, proper protection, put on the whole armour of God, resist the enemy, salvation, Satan himself, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, spiritual warfare, spiritual wickedness in high places, strong faith in Christ, the church's adversary, the devil had ended all the temptation, the devil's strategy, the God who heals, the individual nature of spiritual warfare, the lion of the work week, the Lord's armour, the mass confusion in our world, the milk of the word, the power of his might, the power to solve our problems, the power to tame lions, the rulers of darkness, the throne of grace, the wiles of the devil, to alleviate our problems, to hear and answer our prayers, tools to fight, truth, turn from our evil ways, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wisdom, wisdom for the ages, wise guidance
Ephesians 6:11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.
Welcome to Monday friends; the lion of the work week! But please remember that through Jesus Christ, we have the power to tame even the most ferocious lion, which means we can conquer Monday, without any trouble, if we put our minds to it. So, let’s do just that nuh; by getting out there and showing Monday that we have it all together, and there’s nothing it can throw at us that we cannot handle.
However, before we can flex our muscles on Monday, we need to fulfill one important, life-saving obligation; that’s putting on the Lord’s armour before we go out to battle with Monday, for if we don’t, he will certainly come out victorious, since it’s the Lord’s armour that keeps us protected and gives us the tools to fight. Consequently, it will do us a lot of good to have a brief refresher course on the armour of God. (smile) And we find that master fighter, Bruh Paul, talking about it in his letter to the church at Ephesus.
This is what He says to them: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ (Eph. 6:10-13)
That my people is the general why of the situation. The fight is not against human flesh but against spiritual wickedness, especially those in high places, that are controlling our world. And the scholars give us some interesting and important explanations, like ‘Put on, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action.’ And we do need to get the ball rolling with no hesitation whatsoever.
Then, ‘to stand, means to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in the battle. While the wiles of the devil (the Devil’s strategy): means that Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers. And as per ‘wrestle, used of hand-to-hand combat, emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refers to humanity.
Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’ So friends, you see the powerful consortium of evil and wickedness that we are up against.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote ‘Wherefore, meaning because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic attacks. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God ‘s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Yes mih bredrin, that’s one thing about Satan and his evil cronies, they don’t ever give up, they keep coming back again and again. It’s like when the Devil tempted Jesus unsuccessfully, the Bible says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season.’ (Luke 4:13) That means he did not go away forever, but just to recover himself and come up with some more evil schemes.
And that’s the way we Christians ought also to be, never give up, never say die, especially when we know that we already have the victory though Jesus Christ, but we do need to protect it. And please note that Bruh Paul keeps talking about putting on ‘the whole armour of God.’ Yes, that’s all of it, not bits and pieces, because it’s only with the complete armour that we can ever fight any battle victoriously.
Now that was the milk of the armour of God, (smile) understanding why it’s necessary to be protected, and from what. And I believe that we will leave the meat and potatoes of the situation for tomorrow, if God spares life, because we have enough heavy stuff to understand today, and the rest of it is also difficult to understand and will only make the Bit long and unwieldy. So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help in these evil and ungodly 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 as we can see from our prayer, there are things we first need to do before divine aid is forthcoming; like turn from our evil ways, pray, humble ourselves, and sincerely seek the Lord’s face. So why don’t we concentrate on doing those things eh my people, beginning right now, so that heaven will shower down blessings on us. It’s wisdom for the ages! Much LOVE!
…it’s simple logic and common sense…one cannot go into battle without proper protection and efficient weapons…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a light unto my path, all I'm asking from you, all that I am, ammunition, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, be not afraid neither be thou dismayed, be strong and of a good courage, but of power love and a sound mind, cheating, crime, crowding my mind, do you remember, every tongue, fighting the good fight for Christ, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for God so loved the world, give me the strength, glorified together, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, heirs of God, help me believe, help me today, holy spirit, I have to climb, I'm only human, if we suffer with Christ, if you're looking below, in what I could be, it's worse now than then, Jesus Christ, join the joyful throngs, joint heirs with Christ, LOVE, Marvia Providence, mercy, need to listen carefully, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, one day at a time, one day at a time sweet Jesus, praise, pushing and shoving, responsibly handle the challenges of today, rise against thee in judgement, salvation, show me the stairways, show me the way, stealing, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, thanksgiving, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the bells are ringing, the children of God, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go, the Lord's faithful promise, the Lord's sanctuary, the morrow, the Sermon on the Mount, the Spirit of adoption, the spirit of bondage, their righteousness is from me, they are the sons of God, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, thou shalt condemn, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to do everything I have to do, tomorrow may never be mine, tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself, truth, turn to the left, violence, walk in the footsteps of Christ, we cry Abba Father, we're born to faith not fear, when ye turn to the right hand, when you walked among men, where our bread is buttered, wisdom, with God as our guide, worship
Romans 8:14. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (daughters) of God.
The bells are ringing on this beautiful but a tad cloudy Sunday morning my people! That means it’s time to join the joyful throngs heading to the Lord’s sanctuary to offer up praise, worship and thanksgiving and receive grace, mercy, forgiveness and strength to fight the good fight for another week. And opening today’s worship is a Christian contemporary song authored by Marijohn Wilkins and Kris Kristofferson, most appropriately titled, ‘One Day At A Time Sweet Jesus.’ And that’s all we can handle, even if we foolishly and selfishly wish for more.
And today we’re going to offer up a rich, scintillating, Reggae version of the song, per Jamaican Gospel Artiste, Marvia Providence. So, let’s open our mouths and hearts and allow sweet sacrifices of praise to reach up to high heaven, beginning with the rocking chorus. Singing! ‘(Chorus: One day at a time sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from you Give me the strength To do everything that I have to do Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine Help me today, show me the way One day at a time)
I’m only human I’m just a woman (man) Help me believe in what I could be and all that I am. Oh show me the stairways I have to climb Lord for my sake teach me to take One day at a time. (Chorus) Oh do you remember? When you walked among men? Well Jesus you know If you’re looking below That its worse now than then Oh there’s Cheating and stealing, violence and crime. There’s pushing and shoving And its crowding my mind So Lord for my sake teach me to take One day at a time.
(Chorus: One day at a time sweet Jesus That’s all I’m asking from you Just give me the strength To do everything that I have to do Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus And tomorrow may never be mine Help me today, show me the way One day at a time Oh help me today Show me the way One day at a time… One day at a time…Sweet Jesus…Teach me to take One day at a time…One day at a time…Lord help me today…Show me the way…One day at a time.’
And if you are sincere, He will help you to do just that. For remember we recently read in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus offered that exact wise advice, when He said: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) That means, everyday has its own problems, that need to be handled right then, and although we should make some rough plans for the morrow, we ought to concentrate on what’s happening today, and not too much about tomorrow.
For if we don’t responsibly handle the challenges and responsibilities of today, we might not even get to tomorrow. Yes, as the song says; ‘tomorrow may never be mine.’ But if we do see tomorrow, with God as our guide, we will be able to responsibly handle those troubles and problems it creates. That’s our Lord’s faithful promise. But believe me, with all the confusion and otherwise that’s constantly happening around us, learning to take one day at a time is not always easy, that’s why the song asks for help to do it.
We’re only human, frail and fragile beings, so we need help to believe in what we could be and what we truly are. And there are a few scriptures that can help us do just that beginning with this most encouraging scripture from Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) That’s the first thing we must acknowledge; we’re not born to fear, but to faith.
Then know who we are in Christ. As Bruh Paul writes the Roman church. ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons (daughters) of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ (Rom. 8:14-17)
Ah my brethren, if we believe in Christ, we need to realize that He’s freed us from fear and eternal death, and thus caused God to adopt us. And if we are children of God, then nothing can harm us. ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) More ammunition for us to be strong and not fear, once we link up with Jesus.
That brings us to this magnificent scripture, where the Lord Himself warned Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Now that is scripture we should have at the forefront of our lives, every day! For it’s the backbone of our faith; the continual and everlasting presence of our wonderful and faithful God walking beside us all the time.
As the prophet Isaiah further reminds us. ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) That’s the guiding and leading of the Holy Spirit that indwells us, softly whispering to us as we daily try to walk in the footsteps of Christ. The problem though is that if we truly want to hear that guiding voice, we need to listen carefully, for it’s not a loud, invasive or intrusive one, but a gentle, comforting voice.
And we cannot end without possibly the most important verse of scripture in the entire Bible; these marvellous, reassuring words of Jesus to Nicodemus: ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Now that shows just how much the Lord cares for His human creation. Therefore, let us stand strong in the Lord, and keep fighting the good fight for Christ, for that’s where our bread is buttered! Much LOVE!
…thy word is a lamp unto my feet…and a light unto my path… (Ps. 119:105)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all been made to drink into one Spirit, as the body is one, by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, by your inaction you are encouraging certain actions, deepen my breath, do nothing, faith, falling apart of the Christian fabric, God created us to have constant communion with Him, God hath tempered the body together, God's calming presence, goes his merry way rejoicing in evil, have the same care for one another, holy spirit, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, if one member is honoured all rejoice, if one member suffers all suffer, increase my awareness of you today, infighting in the church, Jesus Christ, know you all the more, laze around, lazy day Saturday, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, live for Jesus, LOVE, many members in one body, mercy, no schism in the body, one total purpose, our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, perpetrating with the help of christians, petty differences, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, salvation, seeking intimacy with God, slow my thoughts, spread the good news of Christ's gospel, thank you for this tenderness, the body is not one member but many, the body of Christ and members in particular, the members, the perfect antidote for guilt, the rebelling of different parts of the body affects the whole body, the unity and diversity of the body of Christ, truth, unity in Christ's church, unnecessary dissension, whether we be bond or free, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, wisdom, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
1 Corinthians 12:25. That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
So, it’s our lazy-day Saturday, somewhat cloudy and humid but sunshiny enough to be very thankful for it. It’s such a rare chance to lie in bed without an alarm suddenly blaring at some ridiculous early hour in the morning exhorting us to get up and make ready for another tough and ofttimes frustrating work day.
But thankfully, today, there’s none of that sudden, instant clamour for movement, and many of us can afford to just laze around and do little or nothing without feeling guilty. (smile) Anyway, to help lessen any guilt we might have, let’s offer up the perfect antidote for those wrong feelings. That’s our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, which take us before our heavenly Father seeking intimacy and LOVE.
As one sincere and heartfelt voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And as I remind us every week, intimacy and LOVE are two things our heavenly Father cannot and will NEVER refuse, if we come seeking them with sincere hearts, minds, bodies and souls. And why is that? Because He made us exactly for those things, so that we could have close and constant communion together. So He cannot then turn around and refuse just what He created us for. No way!
That means if our prayer was sincere, our hearts ought to be receiving His awesome calming and peaceful presence right now. And it’s the ideal time to keep our promise of yesterday. That’s to continue talking about the utmost importance of unity and togetherness in Christ’s church, if the Lord spared our lives today. Now, yesterday we saw where Jesus prayed for the disciples and those who followed, after hearing the Word, to be as one, even as He and the Father were one. (John 17:20-23)
That’s undoubtedly stressing unity amongst believers, something that’s very absent from the church today. There’s more infighting, squabbling and bickering amongst Christians than a sense of togetherness. Even within the various denominations we find too much unnecessary dissension and thus the falling apart of the Christian fabric. And in way too many cases the differences are fairly petty and not important enough to cause serious fall out. But that’s how it’s going. Somebody or bodies are not satisfied with some minor thing in one church, so they break away and form another church, thereby devaluing the strength and oneness of the church even further.
And it’s very interesting to hear what Bruh Paul had to say about church unity. He wrote thus to the church at Corinth. ‘For as the (human) body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: So also is Christ. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond (slave) or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.’ (1 Cor. 12:12-14) Yes friends, whether we be Jews, Gentiles, slaves or free men, we are all part of one body of Christ called His Church!
And Bruh Paul goes on using the human body as an analogy for the church by philosophizing about the rebelling of different parts of the body and how it would affect the whole. ‘If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now there are many members, yet one body.’ (1 Cor. 12:15-20)
Oh my fellow believers, regardless of where we come from, or what we look like, once we believe in Christ Jesus, then we’re all a part of the ONE body of His church, with separate duties and strengths, but ONE TOTAL PURPOSE; that is to live for Jesus and spread the good news of His gospel, despite our differences.
As Bruh Paul continues to show the importance of church unity, when he writes: ‘And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble (weak), are necessary: And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely (unpresentable) parts have more abundant comeliness (modesty).
For our comely (presentable) parts have no need: but God hath tempered (composed) the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether (if) one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.’ (1 Cor. 12:21-27)
Yes my brethren, whoever we are, or whatever positions we hold, we are very necessary to the working of the body of Christ. When any part of our human body is sick, it affects all the others. And when it gets better, all the other parts are happy. That’s how it ought to be with body of Christ’s church. Please note that it’s also the one and the same Holy Spirit that brought us all together as one.
And as the scholars explain re vs. 27: ‘In one succinct statement, the apostle expresses both the unity and the diversity of the body of Christ. The absence of the definite article in Greek (ho, “the”) before the expression body of Christ emphasizes character: since they are Christ’s body, their actions and attitudes toward one another should reflect His character.’
And there’s no way we can ever say that in these desperate and ungodly times we are treating each other with the character of Christ! However, unless and until, we begin doing so, the devil will keep on laughing at us as he goes his merry way rejoicing in the evil that he’s perpetrating with our help; through our inaction and Christ-like attitude towards each other! Much LOVE!
…if you don’t take action against wrongdoing…then by your inaction…you are encouraging and helping it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divided church, a dysfunctional church, a fraudulent scheme, a lalwless society, a means of restoring faith in you, a new flock of believers, a slap on the wrist, an irresponsible society, as thou Father art in me and i in you, better Christian witnesses, breakdowns, burnouts, change their evil ways, Christ's Church, Christ's church is ineffective, church unity, cliques, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, denominations, divine help, doh-care attitude, doing our part, embrace your love and compassion, even as we are one, faith, fraudulent schemes targeting older folks, Friday chant, holy spirit, I have given them, improving our lives, information bombardment, Jesus Christ, living in harmony, LOVE, lowering our standards, may be made perfect in one, mercy, neither pray I for these alone, omnipotent help, our sinful world, petty reasons for divisions, problems are escalating, quick money, religions, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, Satan's heyday, scam callers on the telephone, show them the error of their ways, social media, spiritual unity, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that they may all be one, that they may be one, the busyness of today's world, the example your faithful believers set, the greatest thing since sliced bread, the importance of being one, the ladder of success, the oneness of the church, the spiritual unity of the church, the throne of grace, the weekend is here at last, the world may believe that thou hast sent me, them which shall believe on me through their word, thous hast loved them as thou hast loved me, time to catch our breath, times of desperate need, to keep Satan at bay, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, with the aid of technology
John 17:22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one.
And that much desired day, Friday, has finally arrived, with all the accompanying shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday! The weekend is here at long last!’ Ah Lord eh! We make such a big to do over Friday and the weekend, that one would think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. (smile) But with the constant busyness of today’s world, that’s the only time many of us have to catch our breath and rest properly. And even then, some of us still have things like young children to look after, grocery shopping and other household chores to perform on the weekend, because we cannot fit them into our busy schedules during the work week.
Now, that eventually leads to burnouts and breakdowns, and we have to every so often take a look at our busy schedules and ask ourselves if it’s worth it? Is what we’re doing really improving our lives, moving us up the so-called ladder of success? Or are we simply wasting time, trying to accomplish things that are not helping us to truly enjoy our lives and the lives of those close to us. because what’s the purpose of life if we can’t enjoy a fair amount of it. And with all the social media stuff and the great influx of information that’s constantly bombarding us, it’s much more difficult to live a peaceful, quiet and joy-filled life today.
And when you add the scam callers on the telephone, sometimes you just want to run away and hide from it all. Like a call that just came through from a number that I don’t know, but everyday they keep calling. And my answer is, if it’s so bloody important then leave a message. Because, even in the way you answer the phone or answer their questions, with the aid of technology, they are able to build fraudulent schemes around those small bits of information. And I ask myself, if you can put all that time, energy and brain power into a fraudulent scheme, why not put into a legal one and thus avoid problems with the law, which you will encounter if you run the fraud long enough.
But no. It seems that we’re all out for quick money, and the fastest way to make it is through illegal means. And the sad part is that so many of us are falling for these fraudulent schemes. It’s also sickening to see that many of them are directly targeted towards older folks to defraud them of their life’s savings. And what happens to these criminals if and when they’re caught eh? Nothing much. More often than not they receive a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again. And do they listen, do they change their evil ways? Of course not! They jump right back into the fraudulent scheme of things.
Ah Lord eh! Our society has become so irresponsible, lawless, and doh-care, with standards dropping lower every day, and no proper consequences to make us change our evil ways. In fact in some cases, by watching the horrible and disgusting ways of our leaders, we are encouraged to persist in evil doing. And there’s not much that we as individuals can do about it, but the church, Christ’s church could stand up and do something about it! Yes, if it was in sync and not in such a terrible dysfunctional state; divided into so many religions, denominations, cliques, whatever, with most of the divisions refusing to communicate with the others.
That’s why Satan is currently having such a heyday in the world…Christ’s church, which was meant to keep Satan at bay, is so ineffective, it might as well not exist. And it can never become effective until it drops all the foolish things, and petty reasons that keeps it divided. Enough of my rant though! (smile) But there are several scriptures that talk about the oneness of the church, its spiritual unity, in particular this one where Jesus prays for the disciples and church unity.
‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one; as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou has sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast LOVED them, as thou hast LOVED me.’ (John 17:20-23)
Oh my fellow believers, do you see the number of times in those few verses that Jesus specifies the purpose and overwhelming importance of being one. For if we’re not one, we cannot do anything worthwhile, we’ll all be working in different ways towards different goals. It’s as simple as that. Now there are more scriptures on the subject of church unity, but it will make the Bit too long, so we’ll leave that for tomorrow, if God spares life. (smile) So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help in these times of desperate need.
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 it’s good and wise to pray, to ask for divine help, but what about the other half of the equation; doing our part, living in harmony and unity, and being better Christian witnesses for Christ? Unfortunately, until we improve our act, the Lord will not offer much divine aid. Let’s remember that and do something to turn it around! Much LOVE!
…until Christ’s church comes together as ONE…Satan will continue to hold sway…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
21 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 24 hour spans of time, a bad habit, a deep abiding joy, a great family, a spiritual strength, a very present help in trouble, an intimate relationship with Jesus, cast into the future, christianity, comes from a relationship with god, curse, despising the shame, divine protection, do what God has assigned for today, don't worry about tomorrow, empowers believers to face challenges, encourage their joyful walk with the Lord, endured the cross, faith, favour, find strength in difficult times, for the joy that was set before him, fulfilment, getting ahead of ourselves, God is our refuge and strength, God's grace is sufficient in our weakness, God's joy, God's supernatural wisdom, good freinds, handle the challenges of each day, holy spirit, is set down at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ, Jesus' selfless sacrifice, knowing God's love and provision, like jelly in his hands, looking unto Jesus, lose sight of what's happening today, LOVE, mercy, negative word, panting for Friday, planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, promotion, propser, rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, reliance on God's prmises, reluctant to endure sacrifice and pain, robbed us of our joy, robbed us of our strength, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, stolen our joy, succeed, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, supernatural strength, take one day at a time, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, the author and finisher of our faith, the BIBLE, the devil's plaything -worry, the Feast of the Tabernacles, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the things of itself, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the mountains shake, though the waters roar and be troubled, truth, undeserved blessings, use our blessings to help others, we will not fear, wisdom, worry and fear take over
Nehemiah 8:10b. …for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Then it was Thursday, our second to last day of the work week, and everyone’s panting for Friday and the weekend. However, before we get there, we need to navigate Thursday first, and enjoy the sunshine, with a touch of cloud cover, and the cool breezes it brings, while doing what God has assigned us for today. Yes, we do have a bad habit of getting ahead of ourselves, often to our detriment. (smile)
That’s why God broke up the time into 24 hour spans, with day to work and night to rest, because He knew we could not handle much more than that. Consequently, as the saying goes, we can only take one day at a time, and that’s today, that’s why it’s called the present, not the past or the future.
And Jesus fully understood this problem, that’s why He advised in His Sermon on the Mount: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) And many of us, even believers, ought to take those words to heart and sincerely action them in our lives, because our minds are too often cast into the future, or tomorrow, and thus we lose sight of what’s happening around us today.
No wonder Jesus said we should not worry about tomorrow, for each day has its own challenges and problems, which we need to responsibly handle and not concern ourselves with what might or might not happen the following day. And I’m sure we’ve all concocted possible fearful and disastrous happenings that will come upon us on the morrow, and not even one problem, or one iota of what we’d imagined presented itself on the day. Now, that doesn’t mean we must not make plans for certain possible outcomes, but we’re not to worry about them, especially if, in our own strength we cannot do anything to curtail or prevent the problems.
That’s the thing about worry, the devil’s plaything. It causes you to use up your hard earned energy and joy on things that you have no control over. So why worry about them when you can’t do anything about them eh? But that’s what the devil takes immense pleasure in doing; planting worrisome thoughts in our minds, so that he can steal our joy, for once he has stolen our joy, we are like jelly in his hands. Remember what the Bible says about our joy? ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) That means once Satan has robbed us of our joy in the Lord, then he’s also robbed us of our strength, and that’s something we should strive to never allow to happen!
And I like how this commentary explains ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ It says: ‘This verse (Neh. 8:10) emphasizes that God’s joy, experienced through a relationship with Him, empowers believers to face challenges and find strength in difficult times. It’s not a fleeting happiness, but a deep, abiding joy that comes from knowing God’s LOVE and provision.’
Yes friends, Nehemiah had been speaking to the Israelites after they had lost their joy through the destruction of Jerusalem. However, they had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in a miraculous fifty-two days through the astute, God-given leadership of Nehemiah, and were just getting to know the scriptures of the Lord through the public reading and explaining of them by the scribe Ezra and his associates, and were about to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles. Thus Nehemiah’s exhortation to encourage their joyful walk with the Lord.
And according to the commentary: ‘The joy of the Lord: is not simply a feeling, but a spiritual strength that comes from a relationship with God and reliance on His promises.’ Therefore, if we desire to have that spiritual strength, then we need to build a strong and intimate relationship with Jesus on an ongoing basis.
And there are several other scriptures that talk about the joy of the Lord as a source of strength. For instance these words of the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46 – Our Refuge and Strength. They confidently declare: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available hep) in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst (heart) of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)
Now that definitely shows strong faith and joy in the Lord! That although things are turned topsy-turvy, we will not fear, and keep our joy knowing that the Lord’s faithful in His promises, and will not allow anything untoward to happen to us. Meanwhile, this other scripture from Hebrews 12, tells us about ‘Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher (the originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.’ (Heb. 12:2)
Yes my people, for the joy that was to come from His selfless sacrifice, Jesus endured the shame and disgrace and pain of the cross. So why are we so reluctant to endure a little sacrifice and pain for the joy that will eventually be ours eh? And to help us endure the problems we will obviously face in this ungodly and evil world, as well as to do His earthly work, the Lord has generously bestowed on us numerous undeserved blessings, that we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that awesome declaration, (chuhhh!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…even if we lose our strength in the Lord’s joy…there’s no need to worry…for we will then find…His sufficient grace in our weakness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all these things shall be added unto you, as the heavens are higher than the earth, be ready to suffer the consequences, boggles our imagination, call ye upon him while he is near, christianity, Dr Charles Stanley, endure to the end with Christ, eternity, faith, forgiving, free will, getting you into trouble with God, God created humans for good, gospel truth, gracious, halfway home, hands on the plough, have it more abundantly, he Sermon on the Mount, he will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humans are more enamoured with evil than good, I am come that they might have life, if only I'd thought before doing it, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the best, lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, merciful, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my thoughts higher than your thoughts, my ways are not your ways, my ways higher than your ways, negative consequences, not looking back at the past, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, our finite minds, our poor decisions end up hurting innocent people, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus, return unto the Lord, risk of flooding, salvation, Satan is all about deceit and greed, Satan's machinations, satisfying the thirsty earth, second wind day, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, so glad to be alive, some we cannot even comprehend, thank God, the atoning lamb of God, the awesome help of Jesus, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the cross at Calvary, the embodiment of all we can ask for or imagine, the good life, the King of Kings, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of Judah, the Lord is Sovereign over the earth, the Lord of lords, the material things of the world, the rains fell, the resurrection and the life, the Son of God, the thief comes only to steal kill and destroy, the unrighteous man his thoughts, the Way Maker, the way the truth and the life, thieves break through and steal, thieves do not break through and steal, to a glorious future with Jesus, truth, unwise decisions, we can handle whatever comes against us, Wednesday Wail, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, where your treasure is there will be your heart also, wisdom, wisdom to the nth degree
Isaiah 55:6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
And the rains fell; from early evening through the night, until the morning hours, finally satisfying the parched and thirsty earth! Thankfully though, it was not an onslaught of powerful showers but mostly a constant drizzle, which greatly reduced the risk of flooding. Understandably then, Wednesday, our second wind day has opened damp, cloudy and cool, and we possibly ought to brace ourselves for more rain because that warning just showed up on the computer. But let’s remember that whatever comes against us, we can certainly handle it with Jesus’ awesome help! And all God’s children said a loud and grateful: ‘Thank You Jesus! You’re the Best!’
And that’s the awesome truth! For there’s none like Jesus! He’s the Son of God, and is thus godly, gracious, forgiving, merciful, the atoning lamb of God, the Way Maker, the Lion of Judah, the Way, the Life and the Truth, the Light of the World, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Lily of the Valley, the Resurrection and the Life, and a host of other names which it would take the whole day to list. (smile) But seriously though, Jesus is the embodiment of all that we can ever ask for or imagine…and even then some that we cannot even comprehend with our finite minds.
As the prophet Isaiah writes: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s why we cannot understand a lot of what the Lord does, or is doing, both in our own lives and in the world. We know that He still sits as Sovereign of the world, but some of the stuff that He allows to happen when He can either prevent them or stop them just boggles our imagination.
However, the Lord has His own plans for the world He created and still rules, while giving us free will to make independent choices. He did not make robots, but human beings with minds that they could use to do what’s right or wrong, but must be prepared to suffer the consequences of each decision. And that’s exactly where we’re falling down. We rush to live like the world, like Satan desires, but when the negative consequences of those unwise decisions come rushing up against us, we hold our heads and bawl, saying, ‘if only, if only I’d thought about it before doing it.’
But then it’s usually too late my people, and unfortunately our decisions end up hurting not only ourselves but a lot of others around us. And that’s the really sad part about us making unwise decisions; it never hurts us alone, but other innocent ones in our proximity. That’s why Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) always admonished us to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. For when we do as God desires, the consequences are usually good, and if not, then he will certainly help us to handle them.
But Satan doesn’t help us to handle the bad consequences we suffer when we follow him. Not at all. He just sits back and laughs at us and considers us stupid to be following him, when all that ever comes from his machinations are negative consequences. And that’s why the prophet Isaiah, when informing Israel of God’s abundant pardons, declared: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Yes friends, that’s an international call to all people, to both Jews and Gentiles, to come to the Lord for salvation, for forgiveness and the good life throughout eternity. And He certainly made it all possible by the unselfish but heartbreaking offering of His only begotten Son Jesus as a sacrifice, the Lamb of God, on the cross at Calvary. I don’t know why we keep forgetting that God is generous and merciful, forgiving and compassionate, while Satan is all about deceit, greed, and taking whatever you have and getting you into trouble with God.
It’s as Jesus so eloquently and truthfully puts it: ‘The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And I don’t understand why we cannot believe that and make it a part of our lives because it’s the absolute truth. All Satan wants to do is to destroy, to break down, to bring people down to damnation and hellfire with him, while Jesus wants to build, to give life, eternal life to all who are wise enough to embrace Him and what He stands for.
So, again, I don’t know why we’re so adamant at following Satan, killing ourselves to get the material things of the world, and then we don’t even have time to enjoy them. Remember the same material things Satan tempts us with, are the same material things we can get from God if we do as Jesus says: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And believe me, if you get these things from God, rather than through Satan’s evil machinations, you will enjoy them more and they will last longer.
But it’s all about wisdom and where your hearts truly lie. For as Jesus wisely say in the Sermon on the Mount: ‘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 the gospel truth friends! So please, let’s stop concentrating on storing up earthly treasures and wisely decide to store up heavenly ones instead nuh! For that’s wisdom to the nth degree!
Now let’s go home declaring our Wednesday Wail letting the whole world know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
Now there’s an addendum to that declaration which states, whoever endures to the very end with Jesus will enjoy an even more glorious future than we can ever comprehend or imagine. So let’s plan to meet at the very end and enjoy that more than glorious future together nuh! Much LOVE!
…why is the human being more enamoured with evil…than with good…when he was created by God…for good…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a dysfunctional family, a forefather of Jesus, Absalom, all these things happened unto them, Ammon, bad decisions, bewildered, but such as is common to man, Christians, civil war, clutches, could have sworn I was free, crushes, daringly, dauntingly, defeat, desire steals in, despair, did not lose everything, don't let me renege, duty bound, faith, fiercely threatening me, for examples, God is faithful, God will make a way of escape, God will not leave you stranded, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, have a part to play, havoc, Hold Me to My Yes, holy spirit, house of cards, hurry, I'm frightened, immediate pseudo-happiness, in god's eyes, in our defence, Israel's history as an example, Jesus Christ, lest he fall, let him that thinks he stands firm, like a midnight thief, LOVE, mercy, my total being responded, no temptation has overtaken you, nor has ugliness plagued me, old memories have not haunted me, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, quench the parched earth, repented of his folly, resist temptation, sacrificed the ultimate victory, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, sincerely loved the Lord, spells disaster, suddenly, take heed, Tamar, temptation will always come, the beloved of God, the BIBLE, the day I said yes to you, the ends of the world, the enemy seeks the target of my heart, the example of David and Bathsheba, the sinister temptation, through faith and God's grace, to sacrifice the ultimate for the immediate, to share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, until my breath is tight, until my thoughts reel, until now, wisdom, with the temptation, worry, written for our admonition
1 Corinthians 10:12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth (stands firm) take heed lest he fall.
And it’s a humid, cloudy morning in my neck of the woods. But whether or not rain will fall is another matter. Let’s hope that some does fall though to quench the parched and thirsty earth, and help put out the forest fires that are still burning all over the place. For, earlier on when I opened my bedroom blinds I smelled smoke, and before I came down here to write the Bit, I went out on to my porch and I also smelled smoke out there. Don’t know where it’s coming from, but let’s hope and pray that the rain comes in sufficient quantity and puts an end to it all.
Now, today we’ll look at an interesting and very appropriate poem for many of us, from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. And the interesting aspect begins right with the title, ‘Hold Me to My Yes.’ So please read with me: ‘I’m frightened, Lord Bewildered What shall I do? I could have sworn I was free – Free from the sinister temptation So fiercely threatening me. Months have passed Even years Not once have old memories haunted me Nor has ugliness plagued me Until now.
Suddenly Tauntingly Daringly Desire steals in Like a midnight thief. It clutches Crushes Until my thoughts reel Until my breath is tight. Lord, the day I said yes to You My total being responded. This You know. Now while the enemy seeks The target of my heart Don’t let me renege – Hold me to my yes. For this we both know: To sacrifice the ultimate For the immediate Spells disaster Despair Defeat.’
And don’t we all know that. For many times in our lives, although we ought to have known better, we have sacrificed the ultimate victory which includes waiting, or doing something else, for the immediate pseudo-happiness. We have a very good example of that in Bruh David, who instead of being out fighting with His men, stayed at home and then allowed the enemy to foolishly get him involved with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his trusted soldiers. And one thing led to another.
He got Bathsheba pregnant, made arrangements for her husband to be killed out on the battle field, took her to wife, then lost the son she eventually bore, and had oodles of problems for the rest of his life because of that one unwise transgression. The Lord promised him that his family would be dysfunctional, and they certainly were. With one son Ammon, falling in LOVE another son’s sister Tamar, eventually raping her, causing the brother, Absalom to kill him, who then ran for his life to another territory.
In the meanwhile Bruh David grieved the loss of his sons, but then after some three years, was talked into letting Absalom return home. One more mistake on Bruh David’s part, for that same Absalom eventually rose up against his father in civil war, causing him to flee. And finally while fighting his father’s forces, Absalom was hanged when his mule went under the thick boughs of an oak tree and his head was caught in it. But when Bruh David heard this, he mourned for His son Absalom, and was rebuked by his friend and right hand man Joab. And you can find all of that in 2 Samuel chapters 11 to 19, along with all the deceits and conniving that went on during that time.
So you see, from one mistake, Bruh David’s whole house of cards tumbled down. But because He sincerely LOVED the Lord, and repented of his folly, He did not allow him to lose everything and kept his name front and centre, even to being a forefather of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That just goes to show the havoc that can be wreaked on us, and those close to us, when we make bad decisions. Therefore we must be very careful in all our doings, especially in these deceitful and untrustworthy times, always seeking wise guidance from the Lord, for what might seem right, might not be wise, it might just be a ploy of the devil to get us into trouble.
And we definitely don’t need his help, since we do enough of that on our own. (smile) Anyway, the scripture posed for today’s poem is also interesting. It comes from Bruh Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, talking about Isreal’s history as being an example for us all. He writes: ‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (examples): and they are written for our admonition (instruction), upon whom the ends of the world (ages) are come.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth (stands firm) take heed lest he fall. 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. 10:11-13)
Yes my fellow believers, there is no temptation that will overtake you that has never been used before, but in the Lord’s goodness, He will either make a way for you to escape it, or give you the strength and willpower to endure it. But we also have a part to play in that, by knowing the scriptures and being able to bring them to mind to first resist the temptation, and if not, then to have the necessary amount of faith to know that the Lord will not leave you stranded. Remember, we all have a part to play in our own defence, it’s not only in God’s hands.
As we see from Bruh David’s example, although he messed up badly, his faith in and LOVE for God were strong enough to keep him going throughout all his many problems. That’s the kind of faith in and LOVE for our heavenly Father that we need to have, if we’re to be able to handle our problems. Now, let’s declare our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
That now makes us duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…temptation will always come…but through faith and God’s grace…we will handle it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundant provision, according to his riches in glory, all the days of my life, all these things shall be added unto you, an honoured guest, another work week, be eternally grateful, by Christ Jesus, Christians, divine intervention, do our part, dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, ease the pain, eternal celebration of God's goodness, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, for His name's sake, he leads me beside the still waters, he makes me lie down in green pastures, he restoreth my soul, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the good shepherd, I will fear no evil, improve our Christian witness, in the presence of mine enemies, independent, it's all for our benefit, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lack any good thing, leads me in the paths of righteousness, live a life befitting the name of Christ, live the life God desires of us, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mighty lions, my cup runneth over, my God shall supply all your needs, Praise the Lord, pray, prosper us, protector and provider, rebellious and disobedient sheep, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-sufficient, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the many suffering from negative situations, the role of God, the throne of grace, the utopian dream of sheep, the valley of the shadow of death, the very essence of God, things are on the upswing, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, vindication before one's enemies, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing).
Well, well, well! If it isn’t another Monday, meaning the start of another work week. And it’s a different one too, not as hot as the last few, and it might just get up above the twenty degree mark, with a cool breeze to keep things in order. (smile) Even yesterday wasn’t that hot, and we did have some more rain in the afternoon. So hopefully, things are on the upswing now, with fewer very hot days. I even got to sit comfortably on my porch yesterday afternoon and watch the people passing by. Praise the Lord!
And since the sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing sweetly, why don’t we give the Lord some sincere praise and thanks for allowing us to see another beautiful day on His marvellous earth? And what better way to do that than through the most beautiful and most appropriate words of Bruh David from Psalm 23. So please declare with me: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (lack any good thing). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still (calm) waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:1-6)
Wow! What beautiful sentiments…and they are all true too! And I like how the scholars put it: ‘The psalm has been a favourite of God’s people through the ages and with due reason: it expresses as simply and clearly as any the role of God as our protector and provider in life. The charm of the psalm rests on two figures of speech: the Lord is compared to a shepherd and the believer to his sheep (vs. 1-4); then the Lord is likened to a host with the believer as the guest (vs. 5-6).’
And the image of the Lord as being a shepherd is not a new one, you can find it all through the Bible. In the Old Testament for instance in Ps. 78:52; 80:1; Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; and Ezek. 34:11. Then in the New Testament in Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25; Rev. 7:16-17. And this one in John, which comes from the mouth of the shepherd Himself, where Jesus informs us: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that is exactly what He did; selflessly give His sinless life as atonement for our horrible sins against Almighty God!
Oh friends, Bruh David catches the very essence of God in those few verses, like no one else has ever done. So let’s look at some of the sentiments nuh. For instance, ‘I shall not want.’ That means the Lord his shepherd will provide all he needs. Jesus also said it loud and clear: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.’ (Matt. 6:33) And Bruh Paul corroborated that in his letter to the Philippians, when he writes: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
And what more can we ask for, when he makes us to lie down in pastures of green grass beside quiet and calm waters eh? Nothing! Because that is the utopian dream of sheep! (smile) Then He restores our souls, and leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. The Lord is surely powerful and merciful, if He can and is willing to do those things. And Bruh David certainly believed that, as he confidently declared in Psalm 31: ‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.’ (Ps. 31:3) And please note that it’s all in God’s name, all for His glory, not for ours.
And do I ever like the next verse, about walking through the valley of the shadow of death and not fearing. But why should we fear, when it’s only a shadow of death, and a shadow can do us no harm. But nonetheless, the Lord will not allow us to go through terrible times without being present at our side and helping us through them. For that’s what a good shepherd does!
Now here’s this interesting affirmation from the scholars. ‘Believers are never pictured in Scripture as mighty lions, independent and self-sufficient; rather, they are sheep who are dependent on their Shepherd for His provision and protection. But the Believer is more than a dependent sheep, however, he is also like an honoured guest, since the Lord prepares a table for him. Connected with this honoured position is abundant provision, vindication before one’s enemies, and eternal celebration of God’s goodness.’
No wonder that despite all of my failures, the Lord will still treat me as an honoured guest, preparing a table of lavish provision right in the presence of mine enemies; so much so that my cup overflows with His goodness and mercy, which will lead to a wonderful life with Him through all eternity. What more can one ask for eh my brethren! Absolutely nothing else! Christians are the ONLY ONES who have a gracious, merciful and forgiving God, who is not afraid to extend Himself to meet the needs of His people! For that we ought to be eternally grateful and live a life that’s befitting the name of Christ.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking grace and mercy in these desperate times. ‘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, going to God in prayer is fine, but we won’t see divine intervention until we do our part and live the life God desires of us. And we all know where we’re faltering, so let’s be wise and improve our Christian witness nuh! Remember, it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s a good shepherd…but it doesn’t matter if the sheep are rebellious and disobedient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 