19 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a born-again child of God, a refreshing bit of air, Bible, bought by Christ's blood, christianity, Comforter, conscience, divine aid, down payment, faith, gather together all things in one, God's gift of salvation, Guide, harmony, holy spirit, humble ourselves, I will not leave you comfortless, identification mark, in whom after ye believed, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, kept forever, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, need for Jesus, on the outside looking in, orphans, promise of salvation, repentance, salvation, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, seek your face, the born again believer, the chaotic world, the earnest of our inheritance, the fullness of times, the God who heals, the mystery of his will, the power of God, the redemption of the purchased possession, the Spirit of truth, truth, turn from our evil ways, universal unity, wisdom, wise guidance
Ephesians 1:13b. in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Oh Monday, we’re so glad to see you! You’re like a refreshing breath of air! (smile) You challenge us like no other, to get back into the chaotic world, after a couple days of rest and continue the never-ending fight against the enemy who desperately desires to steal us away from Jesus! But please let him know that that’s an impossible feat, for once we become born again children of God, His Holy Spirit comes to live within us and secures us with an impregnable seal, one that can never be broken.
Yes friends, the seal of the Holy Spirit is the identification mark that the born-again believer is truly God’s own and is kept forever by the power of God. And this scripture on the redemption by Christ from Ephesians tells us about it. God, ‘Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest (down payment) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.’ (Eph. 1:12-14)
And what does all of that mean eh? Basically, that God, in His own time, according to His own desire, will put everything both in heaven and on earth, under ONE rule, ONE Head, that’s Jesus Christ. So, as the scholars tell us: ‘In the near future, when the time is ripe, God will put His good purpose into effect and carry it out. And His “good pleasure” or intention is the restoration of original universal unity, when all things are brought back into harmony with Himself and under the headship of Christ.’
And the Lord got the ball rolling with Jesus coming to earth to give us a better understanding of what was to come. The Jewish Christians were the first to believe in Christ and were given the seal of the Holy Spirit, then, when we Gentiles believed, we were also sealed by the Holy Spirit as a down payment of our inheritance, or the Lord’s promise of salvation. As one commentary says: ‘We just discovered the foundational purpose of the Holy Spirit. He is the seal of our salvation, and He is the down payment of our inheritance.’
Or, as the scholars further clarify: ‘The Holy Spirit is here called the “earnest of our inheritance.” The word ‘earnest’ means ‘down payment’; as such the gift of the Spirit is viewed as an installment or as part of our salvation. God therefore assures the Christian that the realization of the rest of his salvation is forthcoming. How long is the believer assured of his salvation? Until the redemption of the purchased possession, or “until God glorifies and perfects the believer (the purchased possession) whom He has bought by Christ’s blood.”
Yes my people, that seal of the Holy Spirit represents the surety that we belong to God, regardless of what we think, or feel or whatever lies the enemy might throw at us! And I like how this commentary answers the question it poses: ‘How does the Holy Spirit seal believers? The Spirit Is Our Seal. By being present in the Spirit, God not only claims us for Himself, He also gives us claim on Him. The Spirit certifies His promise, His pledge to us. Indeed, the Spirit is God’s keeping of His promise.’
We can’t ask for more than that my fellow believers, since we know that our ever-faithful God keeps all of His promises. And the Holy Spirit is the workhorse of our Triune God. He does all the work that’s needed now, after Jesus came and did His thing. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Guide, our Reminder, our Conscience, our Helpmeet, while working in the hearts of unbelievers to convict and convince them of their sin and of their need for Jesus.
Remember how Jesus characterized the Holy Spirit. ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (Helper), that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18) And Jesus kept that promise by coming to believers through the Holy Spirit, which began indwelling believers on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension.
So, the Lord’s plan is motion, He’s done all He can. We know all about it, we have all the promises, the only thing left is for us to accept God’s gift of salvation, by accepting His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, so that when the final bells toll, we won’t be eternally separated from God, because that is the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul. Now, let’s go to God in prayer, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help to keep us on the straight and narrow path of life.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we’re wise, and truly desire divine aid, then we’d better start by changing our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…come the fullness of time…being on the outside…looking in…won’t be pleasant…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a man of knowledge increaseth strength, a means of restoring faith in you, better examples of Christian living, carnality of the flesh, Christ died for us to have life more abundantly, compassion, dare to die, deeply grieves God, distress, faith, famine was in the land of Canaan, fast fading away, for thy sake, Friday chant, God commendeth his own love toward us, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, hold a dearer place in our hearts, hope, I am persuaded, in all these things we are more than conquerors, in the last days, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, joy, LOVE, love of the first order, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, men shall be lovers of their own selves, mercy, my kindness shall not depart from thee, nakedness, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, omnipotent help, our hope resides in Jesus, peril, perilous times shall come, persecution, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, should not perish but have everlasting life, steadfast love, summer season, sword, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that neither death nor life nor angels, the covenant of my peace, the error of their ways, the foolish way of the ungodly world, the gospel truth, the Lord that hath mercy, the simmering unrest, tribulation, truth, wake up and and smell the coffee, we are killed all the day long, while we were yet sinners, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, whosoever believeth in him, wisdom, wise guidance
John 3:16. 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.
And just in case you don’t realize it friends, on this sunny Friday morning, we’ve just entered the second half of August 2024! And yes, it’s nice to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ but at the same time the month, and thus our summer season is fading fast away! And you know what comes after August? (smile) Why is it though, that the winter season takes so long to finish, while the summer one just seems to rush by?
Because we enjoy the summer but not the winter. And whatever we enjoy, tends to move along more quickly than things we don’t enjoy. That’s just a simple fact of life. But it doesn’t have to affect us that much if all of our hope and joy and strength resides in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. No friends, with God’s LOVE living in and through us, we don’t have to worry about what seems to be quickly fading away.
So this Friday morning let’s look at a few scripture verses that encourage us in the LOVE of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And there’s no better verse to begin with than this one that sets the stage for everything. The immortal and indisputable words of Jesus: ‘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)
Wow mih people! What an encouraging verse of scripture showing how great God’s LOVE is, was, and will always be for us, His most important creation. That’s why it hurts His heart, deeply grieves Him when we turn away to the selfish and foolish way of the ungodly world.
Now here’s this other scripture, one of my favourites, which shows just how much God desires us to have fellowship with Him. From the pen of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome: ‘For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his LOVE (demonstrated his own LOVE) toward us , in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:7-8)
That calls for another ‘Wow!’ my brethren! Imagine that nuh. Our Creator caring about us so much, that He sent His One Son to die for us while we were yet mired in our sinful ways, instead of calling on us to change our evil ways before offering any help. Now if that isn’t LOVE of the first order, then I don’t know what is!
And what about this moving and rather encouraging verse from the Old Testament, as spoken through the prophet Isaiah. ‘For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness (steadfast LOVE) shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy (compassion) on thee.’ (Is. 54:10)
Oh my fellow believers, I don’t know how much more we need from God to show His awesome LOVE for us nuh, because He gives it all in His promises and shows it in His marvellous and miraculous actions. And if we would only listen and walk in His holy will and ways, then we’d surely see it all and it would boost our hope, our spirits and our joy to high heaven!
But the carnality of the flesh and the world, seem to hold a dearer place in our hearts, as Bruh Paul said to Timothy: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more (rather) than lovers of God.’ (2 Tim. 3:1-2a, 4b) And that’s the gospel truth in these reckless and riotous days!
However, wise and sensible people will turn to God’s Word with His many wonderful promises and words of LOVE to raise their faith in these terrible times. And although there are many scriptures showing God’s unconditional, undying LOVE for us, we’ll end with these further words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, words of truth that grip the believer’s heart so firmly that it’s useless to turn away.
Please read and inwardly digest with me, these awesome words of caring and compassion. ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
And my fellow saints, if reading that scripture doesn’t refresh and renew your LOVE for our Triune God, then I don’t know what will! But thankfully, through God’s grace and mercy, we have the option of going to Him in prayer for help, so let’s do that right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking His divine aid in these treacherous and turbulent 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 friends, if we truly desire divine aid, then we have to begin by setting better examples of Christian living than we’re currently doing! Much LOVE!
…God has already shown His LOVE…now He’s waiting for us to reciprocate…to show our LOVE…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciple of Christ, a living sacrifice, a society without discipline, abusing children, an incorruptible crown, an unruly mob, be not conformed to this world, be ye transformed, bring my body into subjection, chasteneth him betimes, crown of righteousness, discipline, disciplining our body, disobeyed your word, divine help, every man that striveth for mastery, faith, faith restored, God's Word, he that loveth him, he that spareth his rod hateth his son, humble ourselves, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, if any man will come after me, infallible truth, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let him deny himself, live godly lives, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Monday morning debacle, Olympic Games, pray, present your bodies, running amok, self-control, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual tank refilled, strong faith in Christ, take up his cross daily, temperate in all things, the bullyboy, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the perfect will of God, the renewing of your mind, the righteous judge, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 9:25a. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Ah friends, another weekend disturbing Monday to contend with! But we’re fully able to handle it if we’re true believers in Christ Jesus, went to church yesterday, had our spiritual tank refilled, our faith restored, and we got some decent rest last night. Yes, that’s all it takes to handle the bullyboy called Monday!
The problem though, is that so many of us don’t acquire the necessary tools for the job, the things we just recommended, therefore, come Monday morning we’re scrambling and rushing around helter skelter, frustrated and afraid of being late for work, especially with the maddening traffic jams that constantly clog up the roadways.
And the sad part is every week we complain, but come the long-awaited weekend we forget about the Monday morning debacle in our lives, and thus, never make the effort to improve the situation. But it all comes down to two words: discipline and self-control. Two words that are not adhered to very much in our modern technology and information-based society. No wonder the society is running amok with so much chaos and man-made disaster.
And since the Bible, the Lord’s Word is the Guidebook for our earthly journey, let’s see what it has to say on the subject nuh. Remember, the Lord’s Word is infallible truth, so whatever it says, we ought to believe and live by it. And there are numerous Bible verses on the subject. So, let’s look at few, some of which we already know, but don’t put into action. (smile)
And the first one comes from the wisdom of Cousin Sol, the supposed wisest man ever. In terms of rearing children, Cousin Sol advocates: ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that LOVETH him chasteneth him betimes (promptly).’ (Prov. 13:24) And that’s the gospel truth! Although nowadays our foolish society takes that to mean abusing our children. And thus, many parents don’t discipline their children, and it’s one of the reasons why our society is so undisciplined and godless.
But disciplining our children is an important aspect of parenthood, and there are many ways to teach them discipline, which they need to learn to become valuable members of the society. For a society without discipline is nothing but an unruly mob. And that’s where we’re heading today because, for whatever reason(s), we refuse to discipline our children. Nuff said on that. (smile)
Then there’s this scripture on disciplining our body from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown; but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (disqualified). (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Yes friends, that’s also true. If we want to be good at anything we’ve got to train our bodies, discipline them so that they can perform at a high level. And we have the best example of that in the recently concluded Olympic Games in Paris, where all the athletes trained to the nth degree, disciplined their bodies so that they could perform at the highest level possible, and hopefully win a gold medal, the highest honour in whatever sport they participated in.
Likewise, we believers in Christ need to train our bodies, so that we live the goldy lives that Christ desires of us, although our goal is a much higher and better honour than a mere perishable gold medal, that’s an imperishable crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to all who obey His will. (2 Tim.4:8)
So we’ve dealt with disciplining our children and our bodies, let’s turn to our minds now, with words from Bruh Paul to the Romans. ‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (rational) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:1-2)
Oh my fellow believers, to live sincerely for God, or even be successful at anything, our minds must also be disciplined, turned away from the lusts and ungodly behaviour of the world. And I’m chuckling here, because I just remembered the activity that possibly requires the biggest and longest efforts of discipline and self-control. It’s being a true disciple of Jesus. He puts it thus: ‘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).
Now that’s something that requires lots of discipline, self-control, sacrifice, belly and backbone – every day! But like most things in this world, if we are serious about them and are willing to contribute the necessary effort, we can certainly do them, especially when the Bible assures us that we can do anything and everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
But we first need to develop the discipline and self-control, which doesn’t come easily or overnight, but is oftentimes a long, hard and painstaking process. However, it always begins with prayer. So let’s take this opportunity through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and go to God for divine help, without which we’ll be totally lost.
As one 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 a word to the wise; unfortunately, that divine aid doesn’t start flowing until we begin to change our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to do anything properly…demands discipline and self-control…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a new flock of believers, Bible, catch up on rest, christianity, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, divine aid, endured the cross, espising the shame, faint in the day of adversity, faith, faith to stand the disappointment, falling is not a sin, find the grace and energy to rebuild, flooded areas, for the joy that was set before him, Friday chant, give us hope, god, hurricane flora, imbibe fire water, Jesus, Jesus Christ, just my imagination, keep us strong in times of trouble, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, many are the afflictions of the righteous, men ought always to pray and not lose heart, moments of fear and uncertainty, omnipotent help, our sinful world, playing tricks on me, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, show them the error of their ways, strength in the face of adversity, stumble into calamity, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the author and finisher of our faith, the brown girl in the bottle, the example we faithful believers set, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the purpose of scripture, the wicked shall fall into mischief, thy strength is small, Tropical Storm Debby, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance, write these sciptured deep in our hearts
Proverbs 24:10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
So it’s Friday, and all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have gone up to high heaven, possibly though with not that much energy from some of us who had a hectic Caribana weekend and have just been barely hanging on during the work week. (smile) Now, you’ll have a chance to catch up on your rest as the weekend unfolds. And it seems like it might be a wet and cloudy weekend, as we are forecasted to get some of the overflow rain from Tropical Storm Debby, some of which we might be currently seeing as the rain’s been falling in serious fashion this Friday morning.
Let’s hope and pray that we don’t get a recurrence of what happened a few weeks ago, as some people are still trying to clean up their basements and flooded areas. Let’s also pray for those unfortunate people in the Southern U.S. who have been struck by Debby with her high winds, tornadoes and floods. It hasn’t been an easy time for many of them. And I can empathize, because I have personal experience as a young boy when Hurricane Flora blew down Tobago in 1963. Flora was forecasted to hit Tobago at about five in the evening, but believe me, by 2.30 she had already made a shambles of God’s Little Acre.
I remember being in school around mid-day and seeing the roof of a lady’s house close by, after a couple of futile attempts, finally just blow away in the wind. And when they sent us home from school, a group of us who didn’t think the hurricane would cause much damage went to a snackette, a place that sold alcohol and food, to imbibe some fire water. Suddenly though, while we were enjoying the benefits of the brown girl in the bottle, the front of the snackette began falling down under Flora’s early and vicious assault.
About a dozen people ended up sheltering in the kitchen of the snackette, while hearing the front of the building crumpling like paper, and seeing through the kitchen window, galvanize and other parts of the owner’s house been blown away. I can laugh now, but in those moments of fear and uncertainty, I saw people who hadn’t uttered a prayer in ages, praying for divine help.
And I’ll never forget finally going home, after Flora had made a mess of the island, and finding my living room flooded with a couple inches of water, with the book ‘My Early Life’ which chronicled Winston Churchill’s early days, that I had been reading the night before and left on a chair, floating sedately in the pool of water. We spent that night at a friend’s place further up the road who had not sustained much damage. One of the things that amazed me though, is with all of the rain bestowed on us by Flora, the next day, the place looked brown and dry, as though we had suffered a drought instead of a rain storm.
And believe me, you really cannot appreciate the violence of that wind and rain in a hurricane until you’ve personally experienced it. Sometimes I tell myself that I saw the wind that day, so raging and violent it was. But most likely that was just my imagination playing tricks on me. (smile) Anyhow, these storms and tornadoes that seem to have recently escalated in both intensity and frequency, probably because of climate change, must be taken seriously as they can, and are causing lots of death and destruction.
And it’s in cases like these that our faith in Almighty God needs to show up in spades, so that we can stand the disappointment and find the grace and energy to rebuild and keep moving forward. Moving forward with scriptures like this one from Hebrews. ‘Looking unto Jesus the author (originator) and finisher (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 the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint (discouraged) in your minds (souls).’ (Heb. 12:2-3)
Yes friends, remember the purpose of scripture is to keep us strong, to build us up, give us hope that although we’re embroiled in serious struggles, while we’re alive, all things are possible. And another tough scripture that we need to hold on to in tough times is this bit of wisdom from Cousin Sol found in Proverbs. ‘If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.’ (Prov. 24:10) Oh my people as children of the Most High God, we cannot afford to faint and grow weary when things get tough. For as the scholars say: ‘Strength in the face of adversity is the true test of one’s endurance.’
Let’s also remember Christ’s advice: ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) And since we are His disciples, His ardent and true followers, then we need to live up to His dictates. Then there’s this ever-encouraging scripture from Cousin Sol. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) Yes my fellow believers, the righteous man always recovers. For with the strength of Christ behind him, he gets up and begins again, no matter the cost.
And there are many other scriptures that encourage us in difficult times like this one from the wisdom of Bruh David. ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:19-20) Oh friends, let’s write those scriptures we quoted today deep in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, so that in the time of adversity we can resurrect them and keep moving forward with Christ! Now lets go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid.
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 let’s acknowledge the fact that our example as faithful believers is not great, and until we improve it, we will not get any divine aid. Much LOVE!
…falling is not a sin…not getting back up…is where the problem lies…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a modicum of circumspection, acknowledgement of sin, all the day long, all ye that are upright in heart, alleviate our problems, be glad in the Lord, be held with bit and bridle, be ye not as the horse or the mule, Caribana weekend, Civic Holiday Monday, common sense, compass me about, confession of sin, consntat prayer, disobeyed your word, distractions, divine aid, divine instruction, ever changing emotions, faith, fleshly lusts, forgiveness, guide thee with mine eye, have no understanding, he that trusteth in the Lord, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Last Lap, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, mercy shall compass him about, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my bones waxed old, my roaring, my vitality, preserve me from trouble, rejoice ye righteous, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shout for joy, sincere repentance, songs of deliverance, strong faith in Christ, teach thee in the way thou shall go, the blessedness of confession, the God who heals, the throne of grace, the word of the Lord, thou art my hiding place, thy hand was heavy upon me, trun from our evil ways, truth, turned into the drought of summer, we have all sinned, when I kept silence, wise guidance
Psalm 32:11. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Well, it’s Civic Holiday Monday in Ontario and all the weekend festivities are set to climax today, as the good ole workweek resumes again tomorrow. And I know that many of us are going to try to finish on a high note, but please be careful, as that last lap go round, might just be the one to do you in. (smile)
So a modicum of circumspection is strongly advised today. Let’s think of the possible consequences before we commit to the actions. And remember that many of us cannot afford to book off sick tomorrow, having already used up most of our sick time. Anyway, the boss will know just why you’re sick. So please let common sense prevail. (smile)
And today we’ll continue looking at Psalm 32, the blessedness of Confession and Forgiveness, which will surely be rather important to many of us, after this Caribana weekend. (smile) Last week we stopped where Bruh David agreed to acknowledge his sin and confess his transgressions, and the Lord forgave him. (Ps. 32:5)
He then continues: ‘For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of the great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about (surround me) with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:6-7)
Yes friends, Bruh David knows that if he stays steadfast in prayer, acknowledging his sins and asking for forgiveness, the Lord will keep him safe, preserve him from trouble and surround him with songs of deliverance. How wonderful is that eh! But it only comes from constant prayer and acknowledgement of one’s sins to Almighty God.
And with that steadfast attitude of prayer and confession of sins also comes divine instruction. As Bruh David writes of the Lord: ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’ (Ps. 32:8-9)
How excellent is that my fellow believers! If we stay close to the Lord and empty our hearts and souls to Him, He will guide us with His divine eye. However, we must be wise and sensible, and not be like the mule or horse that have no understanding, and must have bit and bridle to be controlled.
But unfortunately, many of us in these times of turbulence, entitlement and extremism, are behaving just like those animals who lack understanding. We’re allowing our fleshly lusts and our ever changing emotions to govern our lives, rather than the Word of the Lord. We’re not listening to His Holy Spirit that dwells within us for the very purpose of leading and guiding us in a godly fashion.
We don’t pray or confess our sins and ask for forgiveness as we ought to, so what kind of life can we expect to live but one with no true godly support. One like Bruh David describes in the early stages of the psalm. ‘When I kept silence, my bones waxed (grew) old through my roaring (groaning) all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture (vitality) is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.’ (Ps. 32:3-4)
Yes my people, that’s how we feel when our connection to Almighty God is missing, or simply not in tune. And we have no one else to blame but ourselves, for it’s our responsibility to go to Him in prayer for whatever ails us. And believe me, the confession of sin and its forgiveness can lift one’s soul from the very depths of misery and hell, right to the hallowed halls of heaven!
But we need to stay steadfast in prayer and confession of sin. For as Bruh David further advises: ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:10-11)
Oh my fellow saints, we could not ask for wiser direction than that! But just remember that our heart must be right for it to work. We must be doing as Jesus advises: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s Christianity 101 friends!
And we all know it’s difficult to stay steadfast and focused on God in this evil and ungodly world, with so many distractions and bombardments constantly coming at us, but with God’s help we can certainly do it. And it all begins with prayer. So lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid down here on earth.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly listen to our prayer, we can see that the basic elements for divine aid is a turning from evil ways, humility, prayer and sincerely seeking the Lord. So please let’s put that in our pipe and smoke it…that is if we truly want to receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing that improves a believer’s life like…confession of sin…and the resultant forgiveness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a horse of a different colour, a still small voice, be prepared, being proactive, Bible, divine aid, Dr. Charles Stanley, faith, forgotten our mistakes, get enough rest, god, have good success, he will guide you into all truth, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a chicken with our heads cut off, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more than you sow and later than you sow, obey God and leave all the consequences to him, one of the realities of nature, pay for our sins sooner or later, power to solve our problems, pray and sincerely seek your face, pray without ceasing, put the word into action, ready fro whatever may come, rebellious, renew our fellowship with God, salvation, shall not depart out of thy mouth, shew you things to come, sincere meditation on God's word, sinful behaviour, speak the word, take us by surprise, the God who heals, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this book of the law, to show us the truth of Jesus, truth, turn from our evil ways, vacillating nature, when he the Spirit of truth is come, wisdom, wise guidance, you reap what you sow
John 16:13a. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
And once again Monday has graced us with its presence, as it will many more times in our long lives. It’s just one of the realities of nature; day will change to night some seven times … and bother it all, Monday will appear again. (smile) So, since we know it’s going to keep cropping up every seven days, we ought to be prepared for it.
But because of our vacillating nature, and our penchant for overdoing the weekend festivities, Monday seems to take us by surprise, thus, often we’re not ready for it and we get miserable and frustrated by our lack of preparation. And all being prepared means is ‘being proactive and taking steps to ensure that you are ready for whatever may come your way.’
And if we know that Monday is coming, then hopefully on Sunday, we go to church and renew our fellowship with God and other believers, then we stop partying in time for us to get enough rest and get all of our stuff ready for the next morning, so that there will be no need to rush and get angry over the lack of preparation. But knowing what’s right and doing it, are two entirely different things.
So, because of our proud and rebellious nature, plus the deceitful egging on of the devil, we end up foolishly believing that we can handle it all in the morning. But when the morning arrives and we get up late and tired and have to rush around like a chicken with our heads cut off, then it’s a horse of a different colour. And we berate ourselves for not getting enough rest, and not having our things in order, and promise ourselves to do better in future.
However, by the time the next weekend rolls around, we’ve conveniently forgotten our mistake(s) of the previous week and simply do it again, allowing it to become a frustrating cycle. And how do we break that cycle? First, by not listening to the father of lies, the devil, when he sneaks into our subconscious and encourages us to do stuff that we know is obviously wrong. Then we get on the positive track and do what is right by listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus promised the disciples: ‘Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself (on his own authority); but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine (what is mine), and shall shew (declare) it unto you.’ (John 16:13-14)
Yes friends, that’s one of the major purposes of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life; to show us the truth of Jesus, so we can repel the lies of Satan. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t happen automatically. We also have a role to play in the proceedings; that’s to attune our hearts and souls to the working of the Holy Spirit, by listening to His still small voice, and paying close attention to the circumstances He creates or changes in our lives.
But that calls for continual prayer, or as Bruh Paul says, ‘Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17) Then sincere meditation on God’s Word, and finally, putting the Word into action in our lives, with help of the Holy Spirit. And all of that ties in quite nicely with what the Lord told Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses.
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8) It’s not rocket science friends, just good, ole, diligent work: study the Word, speak it and put it into action.
That’s the basic formula for godly success. But too many of us supposed believers find that too hard to do, and thus resist the prodding of the Holy Spirit, while listening to lying voice of Satan, encouraging us to do the easy thing, to give into our carnal lusts and desires. And carnal lusts and desires can be indeed nice for a period of time, but please, let’s remember that all our actions have consequences, either bad or good, and there comes a time when that rebellious and sinful behaviour must be paid for.
And no, we won’t like the steep payment required, for as the Maytag repair man famously said: ‘You can pay me now or pay me later, but later will be more expensive.’ That’s why we ought to consider the consequences of our actions before we commit them. And the easiest way to do that, is as the late departed Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) liked to say: ‘Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.’
Yes my fellow saints, our major aspiration should be simply obeying God, for if we do that, then He will take care of all of the consequences. And for help to do just that, lets’ go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 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 friends, the long and short of the story is, only if we turn from our evil ways, with humility, prayer and sincerely seeking God, will divine aid be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…you reap what you sow…more than you sow…and later than you sow… (Dr. Charles Stanley)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of peace and calm, about our Father's business, all things are possible to him that believes, belief in God's power, belssings, Bible, carnal distractions, christianity, complaining, courage to face our fears, courageous, faith, frustraed sighs, god, godly resistance, grace, gumption, humble servants, if thou canst believe, in for a penny, in for a pound, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, long faces, LOVE, make sacrifices, mass confusion, meditate on God's Word, meet challenges, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, new rulers on the block, pray, seek God's face, sincere repentance, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, talk the talk, the God who heals, truth, walk the walk, weep for yourselves and your children, weep not for me, who lughs last laughs best, wisdom, wisdom to make wise decisions, wise guidance, with God nothing is impossible, with God's help
Mark 9:23. If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Monday, oh Monday, we’re ready for you this week! We went to church yesterday, fellowshipped with other believers, sang the praises of God, gave Him much thanks and received His awesome blessings and grace to enable us to go out and do His work this new work week! Then we rested and privately meditated on God’s Word, and got up with the rising sun!
Wow! That’s why you’re so shocked to see us up and about our Father’s business so early on a Monday morning! Yes, I know, because we’re usually complaining and dragging, tired from all the weekend’s activities. But not today…and hopefully on many other Mondays too! From here on in, we’re going to try and do it right…with Almighty God’s help of course!
We know it’s not going to be easy because the world has so much stuff, so many carnal distractions to throw at us, to get us off course, but we are heaven bent on doing a better job in the days to come. We’re going to do our best to both talk our talk and walk our walk, all in Jesus’ strong and mighty name!
Yes Monday, that’s our faithful promise! And you can laugh and carry on all you want, but just remember that he who laughs last, laughs best. And what does that mean? Basically, it means that ‘the person who has control of a situation in the end is most successful, even if other people had seemed originally to have an advantage.’
Oh Monday, as Jesus told the mothers of Israel as they followed Him to the cross, weeping. ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.’ (Luke 23:28) Yes Monday, don’t weep for us, because we’ll do just fine. Instead weep for yourself because we’ll be taking over things from now on.
No more long faces and frustrated sighs on a Monday morning. We’ll even take the traffic jams in a godly manner; no more complaining about them, but handling them with a sense of peace and calm, even listening to some uplifting music or preaching while slowly crawling along the highways and byways.
Yes, that’s what we’re all about in these upcoming days. So prepare yourself to meet much godly resistance. You won’t be lording it over us any longer. We’re taking charge of the whole week, right from the start on Monday, to end on Friday. For this is our time now! You’ve been usurped, kicked out, and we’re now the power behind the throne, the new rulers on the block. So take that Monday!
And if you don’t like it…tough potatoes. There’s nothing you can do about it. We suggest you just stay quiet and dormant in your lair as the new kids on the block take over and run the new show… our way! And all God’s children said a loud and proud: ‘All praise to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, who were since the beginning of time, and will be forever more! Amen!’
Ah friends, if we could only turn that make believe scenario into reality! And it’s not impossible, because with God, our heavenly Father, nothing is impossible. I didn’t say it nuh, but the angel Gabriel to Mary, Jesus’ mother when he came to tell her about finding favour with God and being the future mother of the Son of God. He confidently tells her: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) Referring to her cousin Elisabeth’s earlier barrenness, but who was then pregnant with John the Baptist.
And furthermore, Jesus expanded on that saying when he told the father of a demon possessed son: ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ (Mark 9:23) That includes us my brethren. And why is nothing impossible to us through God? This commentary explains it simply and succinctly:
‘He (God) gives us the strength to overcome obstacles, the courage to face our fears, and the wisdom to make wise decisions. When we believe that “nothing is impossible with God,” we are opening ourselves up to a world of possibilities. We are saying that we believe in God’s power and that we trust Him to work in our lives.’
And of course it’s easy to say, but rather difficult to do, unless we are totally ‘in for a penny and in for a pound.’ In other words, we are prepared to meet all the challenges involved and make all the sacrifices necessary. But that’s where most of us fall down, for we’ve become so addicted to the comfortable way of life that we now have no desire to meet challenges or make sacrifices.
Consequently, our Christian faith is suffering, it’s on a downward spiral and the enemy is thus gaining a greater stronghold in the land. But that’s not the way the Lord desires it. No! He desires that we rule the roost, not the evil and ungodly enemy. And we’re going to have to come up real strong and courageous to turn things around. But we know we can do it, because nothing is impossible to us believers through the power of our God. We just have to get up the gumption to do it. (smile)
And to help us do that, let’s go to the Father, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in our fight for supremacy. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
But friends, that aid won’t come until we turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek God’s face! Nuff said! Much LOVE!
…we need to stop crying and complaining…and truly start believing…that nothing’s truly impossible with God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a position of strength, above and not beneath, be of good cheer, Bible, christianity, concrete jungle, divine aid, faith, faith as a grain of mustard seed, faith in Christ, freely give us all things, frustration. physical and emotional strain, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, god, God walks with us through adversity, grace and mercy, head knowledge, heart action, his mercy endureth for ever, humble ourselves, i have overcome the world, if god be for us who can be against us, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more than conquerors, negative circumstances, nothing can separate us from God's love, nothing shall be impossible to you, observe and do the Lord's commandments, pray, prosper us, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the head and not the tail, the throne of grace, through him that loved us, to alleviate our problems, traffic jams, tribulation, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 107:1. Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.
Another Monday…another day of work, bordered by morning and evening traffic jams! Yes, unfortunately that’s the sad reality in many big cities nowadays; not enough roads to handle the large volume of vehicular traffic. And don’t talk about that concrete jungle called Toronto! Right now, it’s even worse than normal with the daytime repairing of two lanes of the Gardener Expressway which leads into the heart of the city. Then to make matters worse, almost every street is barricaded due to building construction or street repairs.
Sometimes the confusion of construction and repairs in the summer months, makes you long for the relative peace of winter. (smile) But that’s how our world is set up; cram vehicles and people into the cities in the morning for work, then watch them try to rush out in the evening, without much success. And sadly the process contributes to the loss of a great number of man hours, severe frustration, physical and emotional strain.
One would have thought that with the magnitude of wisdom supposedly entrenched in our society, a more efficient, less stressful system would be employed. However, that’s the way it currently is, and it won’t change for the foreseeable future, so let’s just say thank you we have a job to go to, despite all the frustration involved, for many of our fellow humans don’t have jobs and are facing much more severe hardship than us.
That brings us to these most encouraging words from Psalm 107: ‘Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-kindness) endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And that’s as it should be my fellow believers! For although we will encounter unforeseen negative circumstances in this rough and tumble life, our faith in Christ Jesus will enable us to face them from a position of strength rather than one of weakness.
As Moses said to the Israelites: ‘And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken (heed) unto the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them (be careful to observe them).’ (Deut, 28:13) And what does that mean? Exactly what it says. If you obey the Lord’s commands you will never be inferior or the tail, but always superior or the head.
And that leads us to this prayer based on Deuteronomy 28:3-14. ‘In the Name of Jesus, I declare…. I am blessed in the city and blessed in the country. I am the head and not the tail in my finances, my family, my health, my job and my ministry—not just sometimes, but all the time. Every day, in every way, I am the head and not the tail.’ Now that’s an interesting prayer we should offer up everyday.
Then let us not forget these marvellously encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spareth not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:31-32, 37)
Yes friends, if our great God, who willingly broke His own heart, gave up His most treasured relationship by crucifying His Son Jesus Christ for our benefit, why wouldn’t He give us lesser things than that eh? No reason whatsoever!
And as this commentary further explains: ‘Nothing that enters our life is able or sufficient to separate us from God’s LOVE demonstrated at the cross. God’s LOVE allows the believer to be a conqueror in adversity. God walks with us through every adversity and hardship. We do not merely survive or squeak by. We do not just succeed.’
No my brethren, with God in our corner, we don’t just succeed, we overcome with flying colours. As Jesus says: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And if we are His true disciples, then we too can overcome the world.
Friends, it’s all a matter of faith, of belief. For as Jesus also says: ‘If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible to you.’ (Matt. 17:20) Oh my people, Jesus was just highlighting that it doesn’t take much faith for God to work in a person, but the disciples needed to believe it, and so do we.
Yes, we can know the Bible verbatim from cover to cover and don’t believe what it says, and then put it into action, then all our effort to learn it was a waste of time. The Bible is only useful when we believe it, then action it. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help with out many earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we truly desire divine aid, then we need to turn from our evil ways and sincerely seeks God’s face. Much LOVE!
…head knowledge is of no use…unless it’s accompanied by heart action
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of circumspection, a new flock of believers, anxiety, be responsible, Bible, Christian faith, christianity, confusion, crying out for your help, divine aid, embrace your love and compassion, faith, foremost avenue of strife, Friday chant, god, God repented of the evil He promised, God saw their works, God will have all men to be saved. to come unto the knowledge of truth, God's offer of salvation, hatred because of colour creed and race, hatred of all non-Jews, he was angry, I knew that thou art a gracious God, it displeased Jonah exceedingly, it is better for me to die than to live, Jesus Christ, Jewish natiaonalism, Jonah, Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd, LOVE, love is the answer, merciful, mercy, Nineveh, of great kindness, one God, one mediator between God and men: Jesus Christ, one who relents from doing harm, repentest thess of the evil, return backsliders, selfishness, simmering unrest, slow to anger, stay safe, take my life from me, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the man Christ Jesus, the message of repentance, to deliver him from his grief, trusting faith, turned from their evil way, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, whitewashed sepulchres, wisdom, wise guidance
Jonah 4:1. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
So that long awaited day, Friday, has finally arrived…and rather quickly too! (smile) That means a loud shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ was heard all around God ‘s great earth. But let’s remember that all important warning for the weekend’s activities… a modicum of circumspection. And since we’re overjoyed to be alive today, to enjoy all the new and wonderful things God has in store for us, let’s keep our promise to continue looking at Jonah’s story.
Yesterday, we saw where he finally listened to God’s demand the second time and went to Nineveh and preached the message of repentance. And surprisingly the people repented. So what happened after that eh? The Bible tells us: ‘And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil (relented from the disaster), that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.’ (Jon. 3:10) As always, God kept His promise; the people, repented from their evil ways, and He did not destroy them.
So everybody should have been happy. Surprisingly though, the Bible informs us: ‘But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying (what I said), when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before (previously) unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness (LOVING- kindness), and repentest thee of the evil (one who relents from doing harm). Therefore now, O Lord, take I beseech thee, my life from me: for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the Lord, Doest thou well (is it right ) to be angry?’ (Jon. 4:1-4)
Ah Lord eh! One would have thought that a prophet of the Lord would be glad to see so many heathen come to repentance, but the Assyrian repentance in Nineveh obviously didn’t thrill Jonah. And why is that eh? The scholars give us this simple, but oh so foolish reason. ‘Jonah still maintains a false Jewish nationalism and hatred of all non-Jews, especially Assyrians.’ That’s why he did not obey God’s command the first time.
And please don’t laugh or despise Jonah, for that very same thing is still quite rampant in this supposed modern era of our supposedly enlightened civilization. Hatred because of colour, creed and race is still the foremost avenue of strife in this angry and strife-filled world. There are a lot of people exactly like Jonah, who don’t want to see anyone from a different race, country etc. saved by God’s grace and mercy, which only means that they are not true believers in Christ, but mere hypocrites outwardly parading as Christians. Or as Jesus called the Pharisees, whitewashed sepulchres or tombs. (Matt. 23:27)
For true believers, like God, wants everyone to come to salvation. As Bruh Paul wrote to Timothy: ‘For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;’ (1 Tim. 2:3-5)
Yes friends, God desire is for all of His creation to be saved. And I like how this commentary explains it: ‘God’s offer of salvation goes out to all people, Jesus died for all people, and God LOVES the whole world and desires the salvation of all people; nevertheless, only some will choose to respond to God’s saving grace and be saved.’ And that’s the truth, as we very well know, not everyone will choose to hold Jesus as Lord and Saviour, but that doesn’t mean the Lord doesn’t want them to.
Anyway, getting back to Jonah. The Bible says after his conversation with the Lord: ‘So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth (shelter), and sat under it in the shadow (shade), till he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd (a plant of unknown identity), and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow (shade) over his head, to deliver him from his grief (misery). So Jonah was exceeding glad (rejoiced with great joy) of the gourd (tree covering).’ (Jon. 4:5-6)
Yes Jonah was glad when the Lord protected him with the tree, but was angry when He saved the Assyrians. Oh how selfish and hypocritical we are! Anyhow, we’ll stop there for today because the Bit will get too long if we continue to the end of Jonah’s ministry. So don’t say I never try to keep it short. (smile) Instead, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these 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 I’ll have us know that we won’t get a whiff of divine aid until we start being much better examples of Christian faith in this ungodly world! Much LOVE!
… selfishness does not become true believers in Christ…LOVE is the answer…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jul 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a corruptible crown, a crown of righteousness, an incorruptible crown, and every man that striveth for mastery, be a castaway, Bible, but one receives the prize, christianity, competes for the prize, endure afflictions, endure hardship, faith, fight the good fight of faith, fought a good fight, god, good soldiers, good soldiers are not born, grace and mercy, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, I discipline my body, is temperate in all things, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kept the faith, life is hard, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, one that beateth the air, pick up your cross daily, put on the armour of god, repercussions, run not as uncertainly, sacrifices, self-control, seriously disobeyed your word, sincerely seek your face, stale like day old bread, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the God who heals, the helmet of salvation, the medium of prayer, the righteous judge, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the spiritual armour of God, the sword of the Spirit, the throne of grace, the time of my departure is at hand, the two edged sword, the Word ofGod, they which run in a race run all, tough times, unto all them that love his appearing, when I have preached to others, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Corinthians 9:25a. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control).
Awright friends, it’s Monday…and there’s no birthday celebrations today. No. This is the start of a full work week, so please, let’s be up and about Christ’s business as we ought to, as good soldiers in His powerful army. And I guess there’s’ no better day to talk about fighting the good fight than on a Monday, when we’re supposed to be at our freshest and best, but so many of us seem uninterested and stale like day-old bread.
That’s why Bruh Paul exhorted Timothy with these words of valour: ‘Fight the good fight of faith…Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship) as a good soldier of Christ… But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the works of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE his appearing.’ (1 Tim. 6:12a, 2 Tim. 2:3, 4:5-8)
Oh my people, that’s the kind of buzz we need to make in this world. A stand for Jesus so strong that few can refute it. So that we can receive that crown of righteousness from the Lord when our time on earth is up. And no it’s not an easy stand to make, but we have all the tools to do it, beginning with the powerful Holy Spirit that indwells each of us.
Then there’s the proctection of the spiritual armour of God that Bruh Paul talks of in Ephesians: The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God, that mighty two edged sword, all banded together with the equally powerful medium of prayer. (Eph. 6:14-18)
Yes friends, with all of that firepower available to us, we cannot be defeated if we put it to good use. But it doesn’t happen automatically, we have to first put on the armour, then go out and fight the good fight. But before we fight that good fight, like all good soldiers, we also have to train, to practice, so that we can become efficient and effective on the battlefield. And that’s why Bruh Paul sets out this tough but sensible and oh so necessary training regime in his first letter to the church at Corinth.
‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery (competes for the prize) is temperate in all things (has self-control). Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown: but we an incorruptible (imperishable). I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air (throws wild and unconnected blows): But I keep under (discipline) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (be disqualified).’ (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Now that, my fellow believers is how we ought to be training to be good disciples and tough soldiers of Christ! Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers are not interested in taking up that training regime because they claim it’s too hard. But however you live life, it’s hard, and the only way to fight life is by being tougher than it, and you can only get tougher by long hours of practice and training.
Too many of us are too enamoured with the wonderful amenities and entitlements the world has to offer and thus refuse to take up their armour, go into training and fight, but they still expect to receive an imperishable crown of righteousness come the day of judgement. Unfortunately though, I’m afraid those lackadaisical, apathetic soldiers will be sorely disappointed when those crowns of righteousness are handed out.
If you refuse to pick up your cross daily and follow Christ as a good disciple, then Christ will leave you behind when he comes into His kingdom. It’s as simple as that my fellow saints. There’s no easy or simple way to cut it. Working for Jesus implies sacrifices and tough times, which we all have the wherewithal to handle, but we’re just too bloody lazy and only desire to live the easy life.
But let’s remember that anything that’s comes too easily, will later on have serious repercussions. Life was just not meant to be easy. Whatever you want, you have to work for it. So if you truly desire that imperishable crown of righteousness, then you’d better get up off your fat, lazy fanny and work for it! Now, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us with our earthly problems.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And the best way to encourage divine aid is by humbling ourselves, praying and sincerely seeking God’s face. Much LOVE!
…good soldiers are not born…but are developed…through discipline and serious training…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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