27 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man who sowed good seed, a warning to labourers in the filed, an enemy hath done this, anxiety and confusion, be renewed and refreshed, bind them in bundles to burn them, brought forth fruit, by the good example we your faithful believers set, cast them into the furnace of fire, christianity, Christians, didst thou not sow good seed, divine aid, easier in the church age to have counterfeits, escalating problems, faith, faithful believers, false converts produce no lasting fruit, fellowship. rest, Friday chant, Friday Mantra, further your glorious kingdom, gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, gather the wheat into my barn, gather together first the tares, get sufficient fun, good example, he that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, help us to be responsible, I made it through, ignorance of the law is no excuse, in the kingdom of their father, in the time of harvest, is likened unto a man, Jesus Christ, lest while ye gather up the tares, let them both grow together until the harvest, LOVE, mercy, omnipotent help, practice lawlessness, refeshed in body soul and mind, relaxation, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, shall we go and gather them up, tares bear no fruit, tares look almost identical to wheat, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, thanks for getting me safely though another week of work, the BIBLE, the enemy is Satan, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat, the field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom, the harvest is the end of the church age, the meaning of the parable's gone over our heads, the parable of the wheat and the tares, the reapers are the angels, the righteous shine forth as the sun, the sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, the Son of man shall send forth his angels, the tares are false converts, the throne of grace, the time for serious christianity is right now, them which do iniquity, then appeared the tares also, true converts produce fruitful lives, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, wailing and gnashing of teeth, when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, while men slept, who hath ears to hear let him hear, wisdom, wise guidance, with your generous help, ye root up also the wheat
Matthew 13:43b. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Oh mih people, Friday, that long awaited day, is here at last! Therefore, we can offer up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is finally here!’ What would we do without the weekend eh? I don’t know. Our forefathers must have had it really hard when they were forced to work six and seven days a week, but thanks be to their fighting spirit, we’ve cut it down to five, and some are blessed enough to have only a four day work week. But let’s remember the hefty price our forefathers paid for reducing the work week, and truly appreciate it, and thus work diligently and efficiently as unto Jesus.
And today, we’ll look at an interesting parable of Jesus, that of the Wheat and the Tares (weeds), one we don’t hear a lot about. Jesus said to the multitude: ‘The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade (grain) was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.’ (Matt. 13:24-26)
Now, according to this commentary, ‘Tares are weed plants (specifically darnel,) that look almost identical to wheat in their early stages, acting as a poisonous, bitter choking weed in grain fields. In appearance, they are incredibly similar to wheat, making them difficult to identify until the wheat bows down with grain and the tares remain upright.’
And Jesus continues the parable. ‘So the servants of the house-holder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while we gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’ (Matt. 13:27-30)
And it’s obvious that Jesus’ audience back then would hardly understand what He was talking about. Oh, they knew about wheat and tares because it was an agrarian, or agricultural society, but Jesus’ hidden meaning would have gone over their heads, much like it would go over ours. (smile) So what does He mean?
The scholars offer these explanations. ‘24-27. This parable serves as a warning to the labourers in the field (the world, vs. 38). Unlike the Jewish form of the kingdom in the Old Testament, where citizens could easily be recognized, during the church age, converts will be made from all over the world and received upon their profession of faith. Thus, it will be easier to slip in some counterfeits who profess the church, which is the subject of these parables.
The enemy is Satan and the tares (darnel) are false converts. The darnel, although it resembled the wheat did not come to fruition (didn’t bear fruit). Thus Jesus words: The good seed …sprung up, and brought forth fruit, again, emphasizing that true converts produce fruitful lives. By contrast, false converts produce no lasting fruit.’
Then, as per verses 28-30, the scholars note: ‘The servants asked what could be done with these tares. To uproot them would be to damage the entire crop. Root up…the wheat with them: The implication seems to be that too much scathing (caustic criticism) of people’s genuineness of faith may damage the saved before it exposes the lost. Let both grow together indicates that there will always be some false professors among true Christian believers until the time of harvest or judgement. Note that the tares are gathered, bound, and burned first, whereas the wheat is gathered into my barn (heaven).’
Now, that’s a tough parable to break down, and not surprisingly, even the disciples didn’t understand it, and later asked Jesus for an explanation. ‘He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world (age); and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world (age).
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity (practice lawlessness); And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:37-43)
Oh friends, none of that needs further explanation. Jesus explained it fully, and if we don’t receive it, then that’s our problem. As He says, ‘Who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ So it’s all up to us now. We cannot say we didn’t know. Remember, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid in these crucial times. And you’ll notice that I’ve reworked it with an older version, and made it a little shorter. (smile)
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. 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. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example that 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 to receive that divine aid, it now behooves us to go out and set the good example that we were talking about! Much LOVE!
…the time for serious Christianity…is RIGHT NOW…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new creation, a roaring toothless lion, a toehold in our minds, alienated from God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all things are become new, be not conformed to this world, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be ye angry and sin not, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, beaming with confidence, behave like the world, belly and backbone, comprehend the true ramifications of the situation, corrupt according to deceitful lusts, created in righteousness and true holiness, depending on our own strength, divine aid, don't give opportunity to the devil, dressed in God's spiritual armour, ease the pain of the many, eternal life, Eve disobeyed God's directive, evil, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, follow Christ's battle plan, futility of their mind, given themselves over to lasciviousness, having their understanding darkened, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, if any man be in Christ, in the vanity of their mind, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus guarantees us victory, Jesus' selfless sacrifices, julie mango, keep your promise to prosper us, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, licentiousness, lies, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, members one of another, mercy, mind games, neither give place to the devil, old things are passed away, patience, perseverance, practical guidelines, prayer, put off the former conversation, put on the new man, putting away lying, right motives, salvation, seek supremacy to control our lives, sincere repentnace, sincerely seeking God's face, speak every man the truth with his neighbour, strong faith in Christ's promises, suffering from negative situations, temptations, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the battel for our souls is waged in our minds, the blindness of their heart, the devil convinced Eve to eat of the forbidden tree by logical reasoning, the devil is a master of mind games, the forbidden fruit, the former conduct of the old man, the God who heals, the power to solve our problems, the serpent beguiled me, the throne of grace, the truth is in Jesus, the Word, through their ignorance, to alleviate our problems, to live for Christ, to work all uncleanness with greediness, truth, turn from our evil ways, turn us away from Christ, ungodliness, walk not as other Gentiles walk, we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength, wiles, wisdom, wise guidance, ye have not so learned Christ
Romans 12. 2. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
One more Monday, one more time to face the foe, dressed in all of God’s spiritual armour and beaming with confidence in the upcoming clash! For Jesus guarantees us victory if we follow His battle plan. And we only fail when we don’t carry out His perceptive and enemy defeating strategy, inserting in its place, a plan from our own finite, inferior and diminutive mind. In other words, depending on our own strength. I don’t know when we’re going to learn that we cannot defeat the enemy in our own strength. That’s why Jesus gave us the tools we have; His Word, the Holy Spirit, prayer and strong faith in His faithful promises.
But again, because our mind is puny and inferior, some of us cannot fully comprehend the true ramifications of the situation. The enemy might be powerless, like a roaring, toothless lion, but he’s not stupid when it comes to temptations, wiles and lies, in an effort to turn us away from the teachings and values of Christ. And all he seeks is a small toe or fingerhold in our minds, then he can go to work more fully on us. That’s why Bruh Paul warned the Ephesians with some practical guidelines: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27)
Therefore friends, it is imperative that we don’t give the enemy any opportunity to get that fingerhold or toehold in our affairs so he can play games with our minds, and when we get angry it’s very easy to lose our composure and give into his desires. And believe me, the devil is a master at mind games. You just have to check out in the Book of Genesis Chapter 3, how he confused and then convinced our first mother Eve, with seemingly logical arguments, so that she disobeyed God’s directive to not eat from the Julie Mango tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden, even to the point of getting Adam to have a bite himself.
And I know the temptation was strong, because the Julie Mango is the best fruit the Lord’s made. (smile) But still, both she and Adam should have been careful not to fall for the devil’s wiles. And when the Lord asked Eve if she recognized the seriousness of her situation, her answer was, ‘The serpent beguiled me.’ (Gen. 3:13) And she was quite right, because that’s what serpents do. And why is the mind so important you ask? Because that’s where the battle for our souls is waged.
No wonder Bruh Paul wrote thus to the church at Rome: ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2) Yes friends our mind is the battlefield where both the enemy and Jesus seek supremacy to control our lives. The devil tries to get us to behave like the world with all its ungodliness and evil, while Christ tries to bring us to salvation and eternal life through belief and faith in His selfless sacrifices on our behalf.
Consequently, Bruh Paul also warned the Ephesians. ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind. Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from God through (because of) the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness (hardening) of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness (licentiousness), to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.’ (Eph. 4:17-25)
That basically means, if you have received Christ as Lord and Saviour, you have to stop living like you did before that occurrence took place: put off the old man, or old conduct with all the ungodliness, lawlessness and licentiousness of the world. And instead, be renewed in your mind, that’s constantly being changed, as you gain greater understanding of God’s viewpoint, putting on the new man, the new nature and conduct as desired by Christ. And none of that is very easy to do, for it takes plenty patience, perseverance, faith and much belly and backbone to live for Christ. But that’s why God invited us to come to the throne of grace when we need help in troubled times. And are our times ever troubled right now. So, let’s go there, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now that prayer assumes that our hearts are sincere with right motives, and if the Lord discovers otherwise when He inspects our hearts, then divine aid will not be forthcoming. That’s just the way it is! Much LOVE!
…therefore…if any man be in Christ…he is a new creation…old things are passed away…behold…all things are become new… (2 Cor. 5:17)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a common occurrence, a contrast between outward appearance and inward reality, a cultural thing, a heavenly reward, a shortcoming of Christians, appear beautiful outward, as a service to God not for human approval, as unto the Lord and not unto men, as your Father in heaven is perfect, be responsible, be the children of your Father in heaven, be ye therefore perfect, bless them that curse you, by the example we faithful believers set, Christian behaviour, Christians, confusion of these ungodly times, crying our for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, do good to them that hate you, do not even the publicans the same, dress down Fridays, faith, Friday chant, full of dead men's bones, God sends rain on the just and the unjust, God's omnipotent help, greedy and deceitful times, greet only your brethren, he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, he that doeth wrong, holy spirit, hypocrisy has become rampant in today's society, hypocrites, if ye love them which love you, improve our motives and sincerity, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, knowing that of the Lord, lazing around, LOVE, love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy, Love your enemies, mercy, no respect of persons with God, our sinful world can wake up, performing all tasks wholeheartedly, pray for them which spitefully use you, prayer for divine aid, prejudices, receive the reward of the inheritance, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, serious problems are escalating, shall receive for the wrong that he hath done, show them the error of their ways, slacking off from work, smell the coffee, stand strong and steadfast for Christ, stay safe, talk a good talk about Jesus, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, The Bible - God's divine word, the norm not the exception, the sincerity and motives of our hearts, the throne of grace, trusting faith, truth, unbelievers doubt our witness, unexpected storms, we work as for man not as for God, what do ye more than others, what reward have ye, whatsoever ye do do it heartily, white washed sepulchres, wisdom, wise guidance, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, work in an efficient and diligent manner, work should not be shirked, ye serve the Lord Christ
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
So it’s finally Friday! Yes the day we’ve all been looking forward to since Monday. (smile) And though it’s dark, cloudy and rainy, we still lifted up our voices in our Friday Mantra with much enthusiasm. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is hear at long last!’ But friends, just because today is Friday, the entry day to the weekend, it doesn’t mean that we can laze around and not do what needs to be done in an efficient and diligent manner, just like Jesus desires.
For some of us mistakenly think that Friday is a lazy day, but that is Saturday. Friday is another working day, it’s just that on Friday we can look forward to Saturday, the truly lazing day. But all five days of the work week ought to be taken seriously and not slacking off on Friday. I know it’s become a sort of cultural thing, with dress down Fridays, and Friday after work gatherings, but there’s nothing that says work should be shirked. And sadly, if some of us were paid on the work we actually did, we’d get very little in our pay packets.
However, as believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we ought to follow this golden rule that Bruh Paul wrote to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25) Yes friends, whatever we do down here on this earth it must be done as to God and not unto man.
As this commentary tells us, ‘”Do everything as unto the Lord,” means performing all tasks—work, chores, or relationships—wholeheartedly, with enthusiasm, and as a service to God rather than for human approval. This mindset shifts the focus from seeking recognition from others to serving Christ, which provides peace, purpose, and a heavenly reward.’
I could not put it any better my people! And that’s one of the shortcomings of many of us Christians, we work as for man, and not as for God. But remember that last verse from Bruh Paul’s letter above, warns us that wrongdoers will pay for their wrong doing, and we all know that the Lord is no respecter of persons, regardless of who you are, you will pay.
And unfortunately, that’s one the things that causes the unbeliever to doubt our witness. We talk a good talk about Jesus, but then they see us lazing around and slacking off from work. That either makes them feel that you can do that as a Christian, or we are just a bunch of hypocrites. Which again, unfortunately, many of us are.
It’s like Jesus describes the Jewish leaders of His time. ‘Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (lawlessness).’ (Matt. 23:27-28)
Now, sadly, that can be said of many supposed believers. Like this commentary explains: ‘”Like whitewashed sepulchres” (or tombs) is a metaphor used by Jesus in Matthew 23:27 to condemn hypocrisy, describing people who appear righteous, beautiful, or holy on the outside but are inwardly corrupt, full of “dead men’s bones,” and moral uncleanness. It signifies a stark contrast between outward appearance and inner reality.’
And that’s such a common occurrence in these greedy, deceitful, evil and ungodly times, not only amongst Christians, but in our entire society. Consequently, because of the kind of society in which we currently dwell, hypocrisy has become rampant and more the norm than the exception. And yes, we all have our likes and dislikes, our prejudices and whatever, but that doesn’t mean we have to encourage or action them, especially when Jesus says we should not.
So let’s remember these words of Jesus: ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5: 43-48) Yes my brethren, as disciples and ambassadors of Jesus, we’re expected to do a tad more than the ordinary unbeliever.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant for divine aid to help us do just that! Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh my people, you know we can talk a good talk, but the Lord doesn’t listen to our talk, but instead looks at the sincerity and motives of our hearts, and if our motives weren’t right and our prayer sincere, then we won’t be receiving any divine aid. It as simple as that. That means we need to improve our motives and our sincerity! Much LOVE!
…Christian behaviour is expected to be serious and sincere…not hypocritical…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a frail and finite man, a peace that passes all understanding, active obedience, an eternal perspective, another week of work, be as a tree planted by the waters, better to put trust in the Lord, biblical principle, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, cannot live by feelings, change of heart, changing from one moment to the next, choosing to believe in God's guidance, christianity, Christians, circumstances look negative, cursed be the man that trusteth in man, daily choice to obey God, Daniel McCoy, divine aid, donn't consider walking by faith, encourages believers, ensuring their confidence is placed in god's power, experienced untrustworthiness in man, faith, faith sounds admirable, faith trusts in God's plan, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, find assurance in God's character, focuses on the eternal not the temporary, God is ever-faithful, God is infinite, God offers unconditional love, God will never fail nor forsake you, guiding daily life by trust in God's word and promises, he shall be like the heath in the desert, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, human understanding, humble ourselves, improved attitude, in a salt land not inhabited, in he year of drought, increase our Christian witness, inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, it sounds inspiring but not intelligent, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, maketh flesh his arm, mankind is fallible, mercy, neither shall cease from yielding fruit, not personally attractive, not relying on circumstances, omnipotent, physical evidence, please ease the pain, pray, puny, RENEW.org website, salvation, secure refuge in times of trouble, seek your face, shall not be anxious, shall not fear when heat comes, shall not see when good comes, sincere repentance in our hearts, solid as a rock, spititual truths, spreads out her roots by the river, tempting us to do the wrong thing, the BIBLE, the future is uncertain, the God who heals, the many suffering from negative situations, to put confidence in man, to put confidence in princes, truth, turn from our evil ways, unreliable, unseen reality, untrustworthy, vim and vigour, visible challenges, visible temporal evidence, we walk by faith not by sight, whose heart departs from God, whose hope the Lord is, wisdom, wise guidance
2 Corinthians 5:7. For we walk by faith, not by sight:
Another week of work is upon us friends, and I do hope we were up and about early, with as much vim and vigour as the damp, windy, cloudy Monday morning calls for! (smile) Yes, I hope we did Jesus proud by having a diligent and excellent attitude although our spirits didn’t feel like it. That’s why we cannot live by feelings, for they are very unreliable; easily changing from one moment to the next, and often tempting us to do the wrong thing, or not do the right one. That’s why Bruh Paul advises: ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight:’ (2 Cor. 5:7)
And what’s that about eh? This commentary tells us that basically ‘means guiding daily life by trust in God’s promises and Word, rather than relying solely on immediate circumstances, feelings, or physical evidence. It implies an eternal perspective, choosing to believe in God’s guidance and unseen reality over temporary, visible challenges.’ Then the commentary breaks down walking by faith into these key aspects. ‘Trust over Circumstances: Faith trusts in God’s plan even when the future is uncertain or circumstances look negative.
Spiritual Over Physical: It prioritizes spiritual truths—what God says—over physical senses—what we see or feel. Active Obedience: It is not passive; it is an active, daily choice to obey God regardless of the visible situation. Eternal Perspective: It focuses on what is eternal rather than temporary, passing things. This biblical principle encourages believers to find assurance in God’s character, ensuring their confidence is placed in His power rather than human understanding or visible, temporal evidence.’
And it’s always best to put our trust in God rather than man. And there are several verses in the scriptures that warn us thus, like these from Psalm 118 that spell it out loud and clear: ‘It is better to put trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidences in princes.’ (Ps. 118:8-9)
And why is that? Because mankind is fallible, changes very easily through living by feelings, and even the most trustworthy ones can fail you. On the other hand, unlike frail, finite and puny man, God is infinite, omnipotent, ever faithful, always consistent, offers unconditional LOVE and a secure refuge in times of trouble, He is solid as a rock, provides a peace that passes all human understanding and will never fail nor forsake you as the Bible says and proves all down through the ages.
What more can you ask for eh? Man certainly cannot guarantee any of that! And if you’re still not sure about trusting God over man, then listen to these verses from Jeremiah that say it very explicitly. ‘Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man (strength), and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath (a shrub) in the desert, and he shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:5-8)
Now which one would you rather be friends; a dry, stunted, thirsty shrub existing in a desert, or a thriving tree with roots planted by the water with no fear or anxiety when negative circumstances arise? I’d much rather be the latter, that’s why my trust is in God and not man. And it’s not that we don’t know that man ought not to be trusted, because we all have experienced serious instances of untrustworthiness in our fellow man, especially in these times of much fraud and deceit. But for some reason, we keep on trusting him, instead of God.
What will it take for us to wake up and see the truth of the situation eh, and action it? And that’s why we need to walk by faith, or steadfast trust in God, rather than by sight. Oh, and I might just have discovered the answer to the question we just posed. It comes from an article on the subject by Daniel McCoy on the RENEW.org website.
He writes: ‘Many people admire the idea. They likely find it inspiring. But they don’t look at walking by faith as something they themselves would want to do. After all, it sounds inspiring but not intelligent. Sure, there are some of the more pugnacious atheists out there who treat faith as a bad thing—like Richard Dawkins who has called faith “one of the world’s great evils.” But most people would say that walking by faith sounds admirable even if it’s not personally attractive.’
Let’s hope that doesn’t apply to us true believers in God. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, to find divine help in these desperate times of need. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And we can say all the right things in our prayer, but if the Lord doesn’t see some change of heart and an improved attitude, He will not grant us any divine aid. That means we must increase our Christian witness if we truly seek help from on high! Much LOVE!
…life can be incredibly difficult in this evil world…and the only successful way to walk it is…by living in faith in Almighty God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a breakneck intensity, a new flock of believers, a partnership with Almighty God, a time of desperate need, be a church mem, be a church member, believe and receive, biblical cliches, children of the Most High God Jehovah, christianity, Christians, come boldly before the throne of grace, communicate with god through prayer, crying out for God's help, discipleship is a daily ocurrence, discontent and dissatisfaction, divine aid, faith, fellowship, find grace to help in time of need, Friday chant, gain spiritual benefits from hardships, gift of salvation through grace, God expects us to do our part in our partnership with Him, God is faithful, God searches our hearts, God will give you the strength to resist the temptation, God will make a way of escape, God will not suffer you to be tempted more than you can bear, good motives, holy spirit, if any man will come after me, in all these things, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus our Redeemer, Jesus rose majestically from the dead, let him deny himself, listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, LOVE, mercy, no need to worry, not just victorious over hardships, omnipotent help, our sinful world cn wake up, problems are escalating, put our faith to work, relying on Christ's power not personal strength, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, signifies a triumpant state, simmering unrest, snow storm, stand strong and steadfast, stand the strain, study God's Word, such as is common to man, super conquerors, take up his cross daily and follow me, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the BIBLE, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the gospel truth, the Lord will help us bear whatever burden He tests us with, the rewards are certainly worth it, the weekend is here at last, the world spinning out of control, them's the breaks, there hath no temptation taken you, through him that loved us, to obtain mercy, trials and enemies are turned into tools for good, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, we are more than conquerors, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, wisdom, wise guidance, with the temptation, with unexpected sacrifices, ye may be able to bear it, you won't escape all temptation
Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.
Well then, it’s the day we’ve all been looking forward to; Friday. And we’ve offered up our Friday Mantra; ‘Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at last!’ Now, fortunately, the morning commute was precipitation free, although we’d been promised snow by eight o’clock. However, I don’t know if the evening commute will be precipitation free because the snow began around 11 o’clock and it looks it means serious business. Some minutes before eleven, I was upstairs in my bedroom getting ready to come downstairs and looked outside and there was nothing. But by the time I came down to the living room a few minutes later, the place was white and the snow was tumbling down with a breakneck intensity. (smile)
Now I understand why we recently had that spring-like period; so the snow could melt and make room for more. But as I keep reminding us, we can handle anything that comes against us, for we are the children of the Most High God Jehovah, with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, the One who rose majestically from the dead to take rulership of this evil and ungodly world! So we are not afraid of anything or anyone, for He’s vowed to protect us, and besides that, as this scripture tells: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37)
And I like how this commentary explains that verse. “More than conquerors,” from Romans 8:37, refers to believers in Jesus Christ who, through His LOVE, are not just victorious over hardships, but “super-conquerors” who gain spiritual benefits from them. It signifies a, triumphant state where trials and enemies are turned into tools for good, relying on Christ’s power rather than personal strength.’ And is that ever the gospel truth, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Phil. 4:13)
Therefore, there’s no need to worry, just put our faith to work, believe and receive. Well, in truth, it’s not as easy as all that, but you do have to believe before you can receive. You also have to ask and knock and seek. (Matt. 7:7-8) So being a disciple or a true follower of Jesus is not an easy job, although it’s a very rewarding one. Remember how Jesus characterized discipleship: ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
Yes friends, we need to remember that following Jesus is a daily occurrence, with sacrifices thrown in where we would prefer them not to be. (smile) But them’s the breaks! If you want in, then you must stand the strain, even when it seems impossible to bear, for the Lord won’t give us more than we can bear…now that’s not completely true. He will give us more than we can bear in our own strength, but by the same token, He will help us to bear whatever burden He tests us with.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus to the Corinthians. ‘There hath no temptation taken (overtaken) you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear (endure) it.’ (1 Cor. 10:13) Now that doesn’t mean you’ll escape all temptation. Certainly not! In other words, God will oftentimes give you the strength to resist the temptation rather than take it away completely.
And that’s one of the problems with today’s church, we mouth all these biblical clichés without fully understanding how they truly work. But beneath each statement that God makes there is usually something for the believer to do to receive it. Even the greatest gift, salvation through grace, although it’s free, one must believe and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour to receive it. So Christianity is not a something for nothing spree, it’s a partnership with Almighty God, and as in all partnerships, both partners have responsibilities, and God expects us to do our part of the partnership.
And the corollary to that is that you cannot know what you are expected to do in this partnership with God until you read and study His Word, listen to the guidance of His Holy Spirit that dwells within you, be a church member, so you can fellowship with other believers, and communicate with the Father Himself through the system of prayer. Don’t worry, the Father has it all well worked out, you just have to get serious, buckle down and do your part. He will do His. In fact, He’s already done most of His work, by giving us Jesus as our Redeemer, and plenty of what’s left to do is now in our hands.
And one of God’s great promises comes from this scripture in Hebrews: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently but humbly) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) And are we ever in a time of desperate need, with our world quickly spinning out of control. So let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these lawless times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now friends, praying for help is fine, but remember God searches our hearts first before responding to our prayers, so let’s hope that all of our hearts were, and still are filled with good motives, otherwise divine aid will not be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…the Christian’s walk is not a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park…but the rewards are certainly worth it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a close relationship with God, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a very difficult working life, after you have suffered a while, all sinned and disobeyed your word, allow the devil to disrupt your spirit, as a roaring lion, be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, be clothed with humility, be sober be vigilant, be subject one to another, be ye angry and sin not, bereft of your joy, called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, casting all your care upon him, Christians, divine aid, don't give an opportunity to the devil, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, ease the pain of the many, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, get with the programme, gets us discouraged, God gives grace to the humble, God resists the proud, he may exalt you in due time, he shall lift you up, he that humbleth himself shall be exalted, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, in our best interest, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, learned the lesson of humility, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, LOVE, make you perfect, mercy, neither give place to the devil, one more Monday, praise Your Holy Name, pray, put on the whole armour of God, resist steadfast in the faith, resist the devil and he will flee from you, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, stablish strengthen settle you, steal your joy, struggle with our faith, submit yourselves to God, suffering from negative situations, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the BIBLE, the devil focuses on stealing our joy, the God of all grace, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord is your strength, the mass confusion in our world, the only way to resist the devil is by keeping close to God, the power to solve our many problems, the same afflictions are accomplished by your brethren, the throne of grace, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, truth, turn from our evil ways, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, wisdom, wise guidance, your adversary the devil
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
One more Monday morning; one more week of work! So, we had better get accustomed to them sooner rather than later because there will indeed be many of them in our lifetimes, possibly too many to count, and if you allow the devil to disrupt your spirit every Monday and thus steal your joy, then you will be in for a very difficult working life.
Yes, the devil focuses on stealing our joy, for when he accomplishes that, we get down and discouraged, and we struggle with our faith in God. That’s why the Bible tells us that ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) For when our faith is strong and our joy is bubbling over, then Satan cannot get to us. And remember he’s always on the lookout for somebody he can inveigle to become down and discouraged and therefore lose their joy.
No wonder Bruh Paul told the Ephesians: ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26-27) When you get angry, if you don’t control your anger, you’re liable to sin, and that makes it so much easier for the devil to get an opportunity to steal your joy. Going to bed angry doesn’t help matters either, it will disturb your restful sleep, and most likely you’ll wake up still angry and bereft of your joy in the morning.
Bruh Paul also strongly recommended that they, as well as us, ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11) That’s the basic way to stop the devil from stealing your joy and thus your strength. Meanwhile, James, Jesus’ brother, tells us to ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8a, 10)
There again, to resist the devil, we must be in a close relationship with the Lord, and that can only happen when we humble ourselves before Him. Then Peter also gets into the act with this warning. ‘…all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish (confirm), strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.’ (1 Pet. 5b-11)
And the story we get from all of that my people, is that God LOVES us and will fight for us, as well as strengthen and perfect us, but our underlying attribute must always be one of humility, for as Peter tells us, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. And Jesus highlighted the spirit and attitude of humility both in His own walk here on earth, but also with His words. Listen as He tells a parable to the people around him at a wedding, as He watches them choose out the best rooms and places to sit.
He warns them about going to the best or highest places, lest the host comes and tells them to move lower so he can give that spot to someone more honourable or important than them, causing them shame and humiliation. Instead, they should seek out the lowest places, so that the host can come and invite them to sit in a higher position, and then they’ll be more esteemed. (Luke 14:7-10) And Jesus reasons: ‘For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased (humbled), and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ (Luke 14:11)
Then, later on, while pointing out the difference in behaviour of the pompous, self-righteous Pharisee and the humble tax collector as they were praying in the temple, Jesus repeated the same warning about exalting oneself, of being proud and arrogant, especially in the eyes of God. (Luke 18:9-14) Let’s hope today friends, we’ve driven home that lesson of humility in all our hearts, so that it will no longer be numbered amongst our shortcomings. (smile) Now, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid 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!’
Oh friends, we are very blessed, but we don’t truly know it, or else we would not carry on with the foolishness we carry on with in these troubled times, when we are supposed to be ever so focused on Almighty God. And until we learn to do that, all our pleas for divine aid will most likely go unanswered. So, let’s wake up and get with the programme nuh! Remember, it’s all in our best interest! Much LOVE!
…the only way to resist the devil…is by keeping close to God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Jew would be degraded by feeding swine, a means of restoring faith in you, a mighty famine arose in the land, a repentant sinner, a woman having ten pieces of silver, be responsible, began to be in want, calls her friends and neighbours together, crying out for God's help, discontent, dissatisfaction, divided unto them his living, easy money, faith, flock around for handouts, for our benefit, Friday chant, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me, God has concern for all of His creations, God's omnipotent help, holy spirit, I have found the piece I lost, ice patches, if the Lord grants life tomorrow, if there's delight in recuing one sheep or finding one coin, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus came to earth to save sinners, Jesus Christ, Jews were not allowed to keep or feed swine, joined himself to a citizen of that country, licentious living, lights a candle and looks for the lost coin, likewise I say unto you, LOVE, mercy, moral obligation, no man gave him anything, our sinful world, over one sinner that repenteth, problems escalating, rejoice with me, rescued from being lost to sin, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, seeks diligently till she finds it, sent him into his field to feed wsine, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stand up and improve it, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the gospel truth, the Lord will knock on your heart, the Lost Coin, the lost sheep, the Lost Son, the money's gone in two twos, the salvation of a sinner, the simmering unrest in our land, the weekend is here at last, the younger son gathered all together, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God, took his journey into a far cointry, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and see the chaos around us, wake up and smell the coffee, wasted his substance with riotous living, wisdom, wise guidance, with the husks that the swine ate, would fain have filled his belly
Luke 15:10. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
And then it was Friday, the day we’ve all been looking forward to! But it’s not such a nice day, wet, cloudy with patches of hidden and dangerous ice in unseeming places. So if you go out, please tread carefully, for you know not what looks like solid ground might be hidden ice. But that has not stopped us from sending up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at long last!’ Now, yesterday we said that the Lord had guided us to look at the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son, however we only managed to look at the one pertaining to the Lost Sheep. So let’s take a look today at the Lost Coin.
After talking about there being more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety nine who don’t need it, (Luke 15:7) Jesus continues by saying: ‘Either what woman having ten pieces of silver (a drachma – a valuable silver coin), if she lose one piece (coin), doth not light a candle (lamp), and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me: for I have found the piece (coin) which I had lost. Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.’ (Luke 15:8-10)
Yes friends, that’s how much a repentant sinner is treasured in the heavenly realms. And the scholars offer this explanation of those verses. ‘If a woman and her neighbours delight in recovering a solitary coin, and if a shepherd takes joy in rescuing a single sheep, how much more praiseworthy is the salvation of a sinner? While some portray God as impersonal or aloof from human affairs, Jesus here teaches of His concern for every individual.’
And that’s the gospel truth! The Lord is interested in the affairs of every one of His creations. And why wouldn’t He be eh? He made us so that He could LOVE us and we could LOVE Him in return, and LOVE means being involved with, and concerned about those we LOVE. And since Jesus came to earth specifically to save sinners, it must mean that a repentant sinner is very important to the heavenly kingdom, and thus rejoicing is called for when even one sinner repents, or is recused from being lost to sin. So, let’s not belittle the act of repentance and accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, for it’s the most momentous moment in a person’s life.
Then Jesus began talking about the Lost Son. ‘And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them, said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.’ (Luke 15:11-12) Now, the father given the son his inheritance before He died was something that would hardly happen in that society. And the scholars tell us: ‘According to Deuteronomy 21:17, the older of two sons was entitled to a double portion of a father’s estate. Here the younger son would have received one-third. He was probably under a moral obligation to use the inheritance in a way pleasing to the father, but he ignores this.’
Then Jesus continues: ‘And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance (possessions) with riotous living (wasteful, prodigal or reckless living).’ (Luke 15:13) And the scholars play hardball on that verse, by saying: ‘Gathered all together means that he turned his assets into hard cash. Not many days is Luke’s understatement. The lad wasted no time getting ready to waste money.’ And we see also that very often in our society, where those who come into easy money, blow it on licentious living, and in two twos, the money’s gone.
And that’s exactly what happened to this lost son. Jesus tells us: ‘And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his field to feed swine. And he would fain (gladly) have filled his belly with the husks (carob pods) that the swine did eat: and no man gave him anything.’ (Luke 15:14-16)
That’s another regular occurrence. When you have money or wealth, a lot of people flock around you looking for handouts. But when your money or wealth runs out, everyone stops coming around, none of those who previously flocked around for your largesse, ever remember your goodness to them. But even more importantly in this case, as the scholars explain: ‘A Jew would have been unbearably degraded by feeding swine. Also, the owner would have had to be a Gentile, since both keeping and feeding swine were forbidden to Jews.’
That tells you how low the prodigal son had fallen, even to the thought of eating the pig’s food. Unfortunately though, we need stop there for today because there’s much more to say on the Lost Son. But if the Lord grants us life tomorrow, we’ll continue looking at that parable. Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these terrible times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And that’s exactly what we need to do my fellow believers; wake up and see the chaos around us, then stand up and do something to improve it. Remember, it’s not for God’s benefit but for ours and our descendants! Much LOVE!
…don’t worry…if you’re lost…the Lord will find you…by knocking on your heart…until you open it to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend of the world is the enemy of God, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, ask in God's will, be afflicted and mourn, be in the world but not of the world, but where sin abounded, cannot obtain, cleanse your hands ye sinners, clinging steadfastly to Jesus, concrete jungles, consume it upon your lusts, covet, desire to have, desires for pleasure, divine aid, don't behave like the world behaves, don't lust after the things of the world, don't sell your soul for silver and gold, draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you, earn a dollar, eternal life, eternal separation from Almighty God, even of your lusts, every imagination was evil continually, faith, fighting mode, from whence come wars and fighting among you, get into labouring mode, giveth grace unto the humble, go with the flow, God is by fat the better choice, God resisteth the proud, God saw that the wickedness of man was great, grace did much more abound, he giveth more grace, he shal lift you up, holy spirit, humble servants, humble yourselves in the sight of God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, let your laughter be turned to mourning, like the day follows the night, like the sun follows the moon, LOVE, mercy, mourn and weep, negative situations, only one way to live this life right, our duty in partnership with God, pray, pull up our socks, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, resist the devil and he will flee from you, salvation, selfish and unsatisfied desires, sin can never outshine God's grace, sincerely seek your face, stand a fighting chance, striving with each other, submit yourselves to God, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the best rewards available, the friendship of the world is enmity with God, the God who heals, the law entered that the offence might abound, the material things of the world, the power to solve our problems, the scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, the way the working world is set up, the worst thing that can happen to a human soul, to keep life and limb together, truth, turn from our evil ways, unexpected storms, wisdom, wise guidance, wrestling with God in prayer, ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, ye have not becuse ye ask not, ye kill, ye lust and have not, you cannot love both god and the world, your joy to heaviness
James 4:7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
And now that Sunday has passed into the history Books, this new day must be Monday, for Monday follows Sunday like the sun follows the moon and the day the night. That therefore means, after a couple of days of rest, we must get back out into the crazy world. Yes, once again on this bright and sunshiny but cold day, we need to get into labouring mode, sometimes more like fighting mode, with all the pushing and shoving that occurs while commuting numerous miles, through various modes of transportation to the concrete jungles, where most of the work is located, so we can earn a dollar to keep life and limb together. (smile)
Then suffer the same commuting fate to get back home at the end of the workday. No, it certainly doesn’t seem like the best of systems, but unfortunately that’s the way the working world is set up, and if you want to stand a fighting chance, then you need to go with the flow and over time enhance your situation as best as possible. But while doing that, please don’t sell your soul to Beelzebub for silver or gold, or the nice-looking material things of the world, for, when you do that in an effort to get ahead, you’re only making matters worse, because then you’ll be heading straight for eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.
The only way to live this life right, is by clinging steadfastly to Jesus, and then you’ll be headed for salvation and eternal life, the best rewards available. And James, Jesus’ brother, possibly says it best when he writes to his readers, who instead of wrestling with God in prayer, were striving with one another. He rightly asks: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts to have (desires for pleasure) that war in your members (bodies)? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:1-3)
And that’s exactly what’s happening all around our world today! For most, if not all of the strife permeating the world stems from selfish and unsatisfied desires to get what we want, as well as what the world has to offer. Remember what we said about prayer yesterday? Nothing’s wrong with asking, if you’re asking for stuff that falls into God’s will. That’s the basic qualification; it must be in God’s will. Then James continues with these words of wisdom. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself an enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)
That’s an indisputable fact, since Jesus spoke about His followers being IN the world but not OF the world. (John 17:14-16) That means we must not lust after the things of the world, or behave like the world behaves, because it brings us into wrong standing with our heavenly Father. And James rolls on: ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to (yearns) to envy (jealousy)?’ (James 4:5) There he’s referring to this scripture from Genesis. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts (intentions) of his heart was only evil continually.’ (Gen. 6:5)
Yes back then, just like today, most of what man thought, plotted or did was strictly evil all the time. Then James gets to the solution of the problem. ‘But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:6) And per the scholars, that means ‘God gives greater grace than the world’s attraction of verse 4 and the inner lust of verse 5, and so can withstand both.’ There, James is quoting from Romans where Bruh Paul writes: ‘Moreover the law entered, that the offence (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.’ (Rom. 5:20)
So wherever sin is, grace abounds there even more. In other words, sin can never outshine God’s grace! Thus, James dictates: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) And all of what James says there makes sense. It’s high time we get serious, forget our foolish pride and turn sincerely to God, for that’s where our hope and future lie. (Jer. 29:11)
And the scholars offer these explanations. Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil means: Do not submit to, fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Satan cannot lead into sin against one’s will. As per Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved. His welcoming response is always near. (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts mean the cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward and inward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps. 24:3).’
Ah friends, it certainly seems like we have our work cut out for us, but if we want to have victory over Satan and the world, then those are some of the things we need to do. And to help us do them, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now let’s remember, despite God’s help, we still have our duty to do in the partnership, and He will not do our part. That means we have to pull up our socks and get moving asap! Why? Because it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!
…you cannot LOVE both God and the world…it’s either one or the other…and God is by far the better choice…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, a zeppo, above the highest heavens, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, be exalted O God, be responsible, be strong and of a good courage, blessed be God, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God, by the example your faithful believers set, Christ has given us the victory, come boldly to the throne of grace, comforts us in all our tribulation, crying out for God's help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent and dissatisfaction, divine aid, every ounce of emotion is drained, faith, fear not nor be afraid of them, feel and extra connection with God, find grace to help in time of need, Friday chant, God intuitively provides information, God sent not his son into thte world to condemn the world, God's love is everlasting, Gods' word is unquestionable, guide thee with mine eye, he hath not believed, he that believeth not is condemned already, he that believeth on him is not condemned, he will not fail thee nor forsake thee, holy spirit, humbly with confidence, I give them eternal life, I will instruct thee, I will not leave you comfortless, in the name of Jesus, in the name of the only begotten Son of God, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, lifted to peaks of delight, LOVE, loved you with an everlasting love, may your glory shine over all the earth, mercy, my future is secure, my heart is a brambled desert, my past is forgiven, my sheep hear my voice, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, never leave me comfortless, obtain mercy, omnipotent help, one body of Christ, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world can wake up, Rare Moments of Delight, rare mysterious momnets, return backsliders to your fold, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, serious problems are escalating, show them the error of their ways, smell it sweet and strong, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, teach thee in the way thou shall go, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the ecstacy of feeling, the Father of mercies, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of All Comfort, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Holy Trinity, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, the Lord thy God doth go with thee, the world through him might be saved, these ungodly times, they shall never perish, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee, you add to my knowing
Psalm 108: 5. ‘Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’
So finally it’s Friday; the day we’ve all been looking forward to, and although it’s somewhat cloudy, we really don’t care, and have offered up our Friday Mantra: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here!’ But please note, that doesn’t mean we can laze around at work today. No! It means we still have to be diligent and do whatever is needed in the name of Jesus, because that’s what He expects of us.
And today we’ll look at an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one doesn’t sound familiar to me, but who knows, I might have shared it before. The fact is that they are all worthy to be shared again and again for they are inspiring, encouraging and tell lots of truths about our situations. This one is titled ‘Rare Moments of Delight.’
So please read with me: ‘Because you are God And Your Word is unquestionable There are things I assuredly know Even when my heart is a brambled desert And every ounce of emotion is drained: I know Your LOVE is everlasting I know You will never forsake me Nor will you leave me comfortless I know I can come to You boldly I know you will teach and instruct me You will guide me with Your eye I know my past is forgiven And my future is secure. But, oh, dear God How I praise You for the marvel Of those rare, mysterious moments when suddenly, without a flash or a sound You add to my knowing The ecstasy of feeling and I am lifted to peaks of delight!’
Oh friends, the poem doesn’t only gives us some of the many promises that our great God has made, and what we know from reading His Word, which keeps us safe and secure, but there’s an even greater feeling, one where He just intuitively flashes us some information that we were not expecting, which brings us even closer to Him. It’s what we sometimes call receiving a Zeppo. That sudden intuitive feeling that something is right, or it’s what we should do. It’s like when I was looking through the book today for a poem to offer, when I came to the one we just read, there was this feeling like the Lord was saying that’s the right one. So I just used it. At times like those we feel and extra connection with our God, renewing our convictions that He is indeed real and looking out for us.
And all I want to do now is remind us of some of the scriptures that we spoke of in the poem. For instance God’s everlasting LOVE. The Bible says it in different ways in several scriptures, but this one from Jeremiah probably says it the best. ‘The Lord hath appeared of old (from afar) unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED you with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-KINDNESS have I drawn thee.’ (Jer. 31:3) And as per never leaving nor forsaking us, there are again several scriptures that point out that promise, but Moses said it quite early to the children of Israel. ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6)
Then as per never leaving us comfortless, there’s this great scripture from Bruh Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, where he talks about the Comfort of God. ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Wow! What a magnificent scripture! God comforts us so that we can comfort others with the comfort we receive from Him. And don’t forget the Holy Spirit that dwells within us is also know as the Comforter. (John 14:16; 15:26) And Jesus also promised, ‘I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18) So there’s lots of comfort to be had from our Holy Trinity!
Then, as per going boldly to God, we all know the scripture from Hebrews that says: ‘Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’ (Heb. 4:16) Now, boldly there doesn’t mean proudly or arrogantly, but humbly with the confidence that God will not turn us away. And as per His teaching and instructing us, Bruh David says it quite clearly in Psalm 32: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’ (Ps. 32:8)
And finally, as per our forgiven past and safe futures, there are many scriptures that address those points, but for time’s sake we’ll only check out a couple of statements from Jesus. The first is one we all know: ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:17-18) Then later on Jesus declares to His accusers: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (snatch) them out of my hand.’ (John 10:27-28) You cannot get any safer or more secure than that my faithful brethren!
And lest we forget, (smile) the Bible Promise for today’s poem comes from Psalm 108. ‘Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.’ (Ps. 108:5) That’s the NLT (New Living Translation). Meanwhile the KJV (King James Version) says: ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;’ (Ps. 108:5) And though we are King James people here, (smile) I like the NLT version, and we’ll use it as our Bit. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, confidently, but humbly, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to help in these very troubled times.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And though we pray good prayers, friends, the truth is that until we come together as the supposed one body of Christ, and begin seriously living for Him, getting divine aid will always be a problem for us. Much LOVE!
…Christ has given us the victory…we now have to make sure we don’t lose it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant merry-go-round, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, all these things shall be added unto you, and again I say rejoice, backbone and belly, be anxious for nothing, be careful for nothing, but are busybodies, clothes on our backs, diligent in reading the Bible, divine aid, ease the pain, especially in the tough times, faith, fellowshipping with other believers, food on our tables, God must be first and foremost in our lives, God's opinion is what truly matters, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, humdrum existence, if any man will come after me, if any would not work neither should he eat, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep a roof over our heads, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, labouring diligently, let him deny himself, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, listening to the Holy Spirit, living for Jesus is a lifestyle, LOVE, make a living, mass confusion in our world, material wealth, mercy, one more time around the block, our Father who art in heaven, pray, praying, promised to hear and answer our prayers, Rejoice in the Lord always, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily and follow me, thanky you for life, the BIBLE, the God who heals, the Lord is at hand, the many suffering from negative situations, the peace of God which passeth all understading, the peace that passes all human understanding, the power to solve our problems, the resilience to go out to work every week, the throne of grace, Thou shalt have no other Gods before me, trials and tribulations, true faith in Jesus, trusting Jesus to take care of us, truth, turn from our evil ways, upgrade our Christian witness, usurping God's spot, walk among you disorderely, willing to sacrifice for Jesus, wisdom, wise guidance, working not at all
Luke 9:23. If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
One more time around the block this Monday morning friends! Yes, we’ve got to get out there and make a living, so we can keep a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and food on our tables. Remember what Bruh Paul said to the Thessalonians? ‘For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.’ (2 Thess 3:10-11)
Now that situation still prevails in modern society, possibly even more now with the wealth we’ve achieved, but that ought not to stop most of us from going out and labouring diligently, all in the name of Jesus. And yes, it does seem like a constant merry go-round, the same thing from week to another, but that’s how our society is structured, and there’s not much we can do about it, except win the lottery or marry a rich spouse. (smile)
But yuh know what, when you have a lot of money and material wealth, you sometimes have to work even harder than normal to keep it, for someone else is always trying to take it away from you. And besides, plenty rich people are unhappy, so having material wealth is not necessarily the answer to our humdrum existence. So what is the answer then, you ask? It’s to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and therefore receive the peace that passes all human understanding so that we can handle all the same old same old things we need to deal with in this life.
That’s why Bruh Paul wrote thus to the Philippians: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let you moderation (graciousness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:4-7)
And that’s how we attain and maintain the peace of mind and resilience to go out to work every week! It’s all about true faith in Jesus, trusting Him to take care of us, even, or especially in the tough times, when we don’t know what to do. Yes, friends, living for Jesus is a lifestyle; the only one that will allow you to handle this world with the energy, faith and confidence that you need to do it successfully. However, that means knowing what it takes to live a life for Christ; what He desires and dislikes in our earthly walk.
It means being very diligent in reading His Word – the Bible, praying, listening to the advice of His Holy Spirit, as well as fellowshipping with other believers on a regular basis. It’s not an easy life to live, if we want to live it right, as you can see from how Jesus describes what He desires of His followers. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) In a nutshell, He’s looking for those willing to sacrifice themselves and their possessions on His behalf.
But the wonderful thing about Jesus is that He’s given us all the tools we need to do what He desires, and if we do our best to adhere to His will, then, despite the trials and tribulations we will face, we will do well in this evil and ungodly world. That’s why Jesus warned us: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt; 6:33) That’s right my people, God must be first and foremost in our hearts, thoughts and actions!
No wonder He said it loud and clear in the Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ (Ex. 20:3) Now that could either mean, no other gods beside Him, or put no other gods in front of Him. But in the long run, it simply means that Almighty God must be first in our lives, and anything or anyone we put before Him is usurping His spot, and that’s a no-no in His opinion. And believe me, God’s opinion is what truly matters in this earthly life!
So, hopefully from these few words (smile) we’ve gained some new insight into how best to live this life, and if you already knew it, then we’ve refreshed your memory. (smile) It’s a smiley kind of day although the weather is not so good. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to put it all together.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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 though our prayer says the right things, our actions don’t show them in real life. And until they do, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! We need to upgrade our Christian witness. Much LOVE!
…it takes knowledge…faith…backbone and belly…to truly live for Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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