11 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: as a beast before thee, Bible, caught up in the trappings, christianity, cry out for the living God, destroyed them all, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord, faith, fellowship, giveth grace unto the humble, go a whoring from thee, god, God is the strength of my heart, God resisteth the proud, humble yourselves in the sight of God, I have put my trust in the Lord, I have set the Lord always before me, I went into the sanctuary of God, it is good for me to draw near to God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, losing faith, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, MOnday oh Monday, my flesh also shall rest in hope, my flesh and my heart faileth, my glory rejoiceth, my heart and my flesh, my heart is glad, my portion forever, my soul longeth, our ever-loving Godd, resist the devil and he will flee from you, sincere fellowship, sincere repentance in our hearts, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, so foolish was I and ignorant, strong faith in Christ, submit yourselves to God, the God who heals, the prosperity of the wicked, then understood I their end, they that are far from thee shall perish, total surrender, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 73:26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart (my rock), and my portion forever.
Monday, oh Monday! You beautiful day! Come on down and let us LOVE you like we ought to! Yes friends, like I’ve often said, we ought to treat Monday as a special day, because that’s when we’re supposed to be full of the most joy, strength and confidence after having fellowship on Sunday, with other believers in the presence of our wonderful and ever-LOVING God! But unfortunately, many of us get caught up in the trappings and goings-ons of a new week, and don’t use that newfound energy and confidence wisely.
But fear not my brethren, for though we do not make full use of our blessings, once we can say like the psalmist Asaph re The Prosperity of the Wicked from his famous psalm 73, we will be fine. Remember when Asaph was losing his faith because of the prosperity of the wicked, and only got wisdom and saw what was really happening and how the wicked, though they prospered here on earth, their end was to perish. He says: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of the Lord; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:17)
Yuh see friends, that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell us. We can gather oodles of wisdom when we regularly go to God’s house in sincere fellowship. (smile) But, thankfully, Asaph woke up in time, got that divine perspective in the Lord’s house, and woke up saying: ‘So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden (held) me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart (my rock), and my portion forever.’ (Ps. 73:22-26)
And both the Sons of Korah and Bruh David make the same pronouncements in their palms. The Sons of Korah announce in Psalm 84: ‘How amiable are thy tabernacles (how lovely are thy dwellings), O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.’ (Ps. 84:1-2) Meanwhile, in Psalm 16, Bruh David acknowledges: ‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintenest (uphold) my lot… I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest (dwell securely) in hope.’ (Ps. 16: 5; 8-9).
Oh my people, once we have those deep-seated faithful feelings like those men of God had, we don’t need to worry about anything, our God will protect us, will lead and guide us along the pathways He desires. That’s why Asaph could further declare: (chuh!!!) ‘For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (all those who are unfaithful to thee). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare (yesss!!!) all thy works.’ (Ps. 73:27-28)
Ah my fellow saints, that’s what we spoke of yesterday in the Olivia Newton-John’s song; ‘Let Go and let God’: letting go, surrendering our all to Him and allowing Him to take full charge of our lives. That’s the only way to truly enjoy and appreciate the largesse of our great God! Remember what James tell us on the subject? ‘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 double minded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10)
It’s all about turning to God, drawing close to Him, and humbling ourselves before Him. As James say earlier on: ‘But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:5) And Cousin Sol says it most clearly in Proverbs, one of the seven abominations that the Lord hates is a proud look (a haughty demeanour). (Prov. 6:16-17) So, it’s obvious that humility is an absolute must when we desire to come before the omnipotent God of this universe.
And since we’re in dire need of divine help in these extraordinarily evil and ungodly times, it’s only wise to go to the Creator, to the throne of grace with confidence, but also total humility to seek that fulfilling help we so desperately desire. So through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s pray!
‘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 are wise, we will consider these potent words from our prayer: ‘if we turn from our evil ways.’ Now that is indeed the beginning of wisdom! Much LOVE!
…total security is only found in…total surrender to God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a forgiving and gracious God, according to his riches in glory, all these things shall be added unto you, all things work together for good, Bible, called according to His purpose, christianity, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, faith, faithful promises of God, give to the poor freely, god, have I not seen the righteous forsaken, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, holy spirit, humble ourselves and pray, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have been young and now am old, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus master of the positive circumstance, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my God shall supply all your needs, negative situations, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, on the outside looking in, put them into action, righteous men, seek first the kingdom of God, sincere trust in God, the bells toll, the God who heals, to them that love God, truth, trying economic times, wisdom, wise guidance
Philippians 4:19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.
Monday it is my people…and the bells toll once more, but this time not for worship, but for work! Yes friends, it’s time to get a move on, to get up and earn a living so we can feed, house and clothe our families. And, unfortunately, in these trying economic and ungodly times, that’s not always an easy task to accomplish, as negative circumstances keep coming against us. But if Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then you have a fighting chance, in fact a winning chance to repel all the negativity that’s wanting to disrupt your life. That’s because Jesus is the Master of the positive circumstance, and has faithfully promised to look after all who sincerely trust in Him.
Listen to this promise from Bruh Paul to the church at Philippi. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) Now that’s the first thing we need to remember when the bad times hit; we have the power through Christ to handle any situation that comes against us! Then there’s this promise from the prophet Isaiah: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is, 54:17) What reassurance that the devil cannot harm us!
And to go along with those faithful promises is this awesome one from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) Now that’s a scripture we all know and constantly quote in the good times, but the problem is that we don’t take it very seriously when the tough times happen. For one reason or another, those trying circumstances flush that promise right out of our minds, and we begin claiming woe is me, instead of claiming the faithfulness of God’s promise, and declaring (chuh!!!) it over our negative circumstances.
And Bruh David puts it ever so nicely in his famous Psalm 37, titled ‘Trust in the Lord,’ when he says: ‘I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever (always) merciful, and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Psalm 37:25-26) Now there’s a very important scripture for the righteous to hold on dearly to! And what does all of that mean eh? I believe these two commentaries explain them best.
The first says: ‘But as he (Bruh David) looked back on it all, he concluded that in his experience, the righteous had not been forsaken and their children had not needed to beg for bread. David knew that God has the power to take care of those who are striving to do right and their families. He trusted in God and His promises.’ And that’s what we, in these uncertain and unconventional times need to do in a big way, for if we don’t trust sincerely and staunchly in the Lord, then we’ll find ourselves on the outside looking in. And that’s never a good place to be.
Now, the other commentary to which we referred re ‘his seed begging bread,’ says: ‘Again, it may be observed, that the psalmist is speaking in the context of righteous men that are liberal, and give to the poor freely and largely; and it is seldom if ever known that they or their children come to want and poverty.’ So, in other words, the general principle involved here, is what you sow is what you reap. Therefore the righteous need to live by a plentiful sowing of good seed, and thus the eventual reaping of a plentiful harvest; of giving generously and later receiving in abundance. That relates to either the righteous or their descendants, for the Lord’s goodness extends from generation to generation.
And last, but not least, is this marvellous promise of Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 4:19) Yes my fellow saints, when we are faithful to Almighty God and live righteously for His Son Jesus Christ, He will supply all our needs. But as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, our first priority is to ‘Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
And yuh know what friends, there’s not one scripture we’ve quoted that we can say is alien or unknown to us. We know them all, and quote them to others in trouble, but when our troubles come, we’re helpless to put them into useful action. So let’s remember that the faithful promises of our God are what we need to live the good and righteous life and don’t hesitate to call them up, when the enemy comes against us, as he very well will. Now, let’s go humbly but confidently to God, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking mercy and grace in our sure time of need.
‘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 our prayer was truly heartfelt, then we’d realize that the answer problems is found right there in it: ‘humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek your face.’ That’s the place we need to start, if we expect to receive divine help! Much LOVE!
…the Lord’s many promises were not made for fun…but for us to seriously live by…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
23 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: among the gods there's none like thee, attend to the voice of my supplication, bow down thine ear O Lord, compassionate, don't fear go to God in prayer, faith, faithful believers, for the help of his countenance, forgiving, Friday chant, God's Readiness to Forgive, hear me for I am poor and needy, holy spirit, hope thou in God, I shall yet praise him, I will call on thee, in the day of my trouble, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, rejoice the soul of thy servant, salvation, simmering unrest, stand strong and steadfast, stick to God like white on rice, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the God who heals, thou art God alone, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, wake up and smell the coffee, Why art thou cast down o my soul, why art thou disquieted within me, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 86:1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Well here we are friends at one o’clock on a beautiful though somewhat cloudy spring -like Friday afternoon. I’ve just returned from the big city of Toronto, with a clean bill of health from the medics, but while everybody is concerned with shouting TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the week end’s here at last!’ I’m shouting ‘Thank God that I got into Toronto and back safely!’
Yes, because going into that city nowadays is just a nightmare, with construction of streets and buildings everywhere, making the rutty roadways even busier and narrower than normal. It took me close to ten minutes to get through one traffic light right beside the hospital because one of the lanes was closed for some kind of work. But there’s nothing to do but grin and bear it. Now I don’t have to worry about going into the city for another couple of weeks. That ought to give me enough time to catch my breath and recover my sanity. (smile)
Oh by the way, I did have to use my cane, because the ole hip was still bothering me, but not as badly. Just hope it settles down completely by tomorrow. Enough of my woes though, let’s see what the Lord wants us to talk about today. And I hope to make it short and sweet. Hn! That’s all I have to say re that statement! (smile)
But on a serious note, while skimming through the Good Library I came upon Psalm 86, titled, ‘God’s Readiness to Forgive,’ and thought it a very good piece of scripture to peruse today. By the way, for our information, the scholars say it’s one of the five palms called prayers. The others are Psalms 17, 90, 102, 142. So, in the words of Bruh David, let’s pray: ‘Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.’ (Ps. 86:1)
And most of us can identify with those opening words, for in these tough economic times, many of us are poor and needy in material things, while many of us are also poor and needy in spiritual things. Some of us are even at a point where we’re continually bemoaning our situations through these words from Ps. 42. ‘Why art thou cast (bowed) down , O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? (Ps. 42:5a) Now those are always good questions, but the correct answer is always the rest of that verse: ‘hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance (presence).’ (Ps. 42:5b)
Yes friends, the presence of our God is ever around us, even in our worst circumstances. But until we understand that, we’ll never get any real relief or peace from our tumultuous situations. Bruh David knew of the Lord’s continuous presence, that’s why he never hesitated to call on Him, like in Psalm 86. Thus he continues: ‘Preserve my soul (life); for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily (all day long). Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.’ ( Ps. 86:2-10)
Ah mih people, Bruh David certainly laid it on thick, with the things usually associated with prayer; petition, adoration, and thanksgiving. But all of it is indisputable truth. Our God is great; as witnessed by His omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence, and all the miraculous deeds He’s done down through the ages. He’s also LOVING, merciful, compassionate and forgiving, as shown by the sending of His Son Jesus to die and atone for our abominable sins, while we were yet sinners. And He even forgives us now, if we sincerely repent of current misdeeds.
Which other supposed god would even have contemplated such a self-sacrifice eh? None whatsoever! All I can therefore say friends, is that if you are in trouble, the ONLY One to call on is Almighty God, through the auspices of His Holy Spirit and His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. And as I keep saying, Bruh Davi knew on which side his bread was buttered, that’s why he stuck like white on rice to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and if we’re wise, we’ll do the same thing, for He’s our Creator, Controller, the Giver of our life’s breath and the salvation of our souls.
So, since our world is badly troubled in these current times, let’s do like Bruh David and go to the Lord in prayer, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help for our many problems. As one voice: ‘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 it be known that the first step in receiving divine help is to actually show our trusting faith by being the faithful believers we talk about in our prayer. Much LOVE!
…when the world discourages us…don’t fear…go to God in prayer…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
16 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to his riches in glory, as a means of restoring faith in you, backsliders, error of their ways, Friday chant, I AM, I AM that I AM, I am the bread of life, Jesus Christ, labour not for the meat which perisheth, LOVE, Moses, my God shall supply all your needs, nt because ye saw the miracles, Pharaoh, pilot in the storm, put God first place, seek ye first the kingdom of God, simmering unrest, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, wake up and smell the coffee, walking on water, wise guidance, ye did eat of the loaves
John 6:35a. I AM the BREAD of LIFE:
Welcome to a white, chilly and somewhat cloudy Friday! But those negatives are not stronger than the lure of the weekend, therefore, the worldwide shout of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ nonetheless rises to high heaven. That’s how powerful the weekend is in our dull, mundane working lives. (smile) But as I keep saying, our lives don’t have to be ordinary and dull, for we have the wonderful option of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, Guide and Leader, Pilot in the storm and Giver of Eternal life…amongst the many other roles that He plays in a true believer’s life!
And today, as we settle into the Lenten season, let’s look at some of the great and wonderful things that Jesus is and Jesus does, let’s look at the ‘I AM’s’ that He proclaimed while here on earth. It’s reminiscent of the early times, when the Lord called Moses to go to Pharaoh and desire the release of the enslaved Hebrew people. But, understandably, Moses balked at the very idea of going back into Egypt, much less back to a Pharaoh who would no doubt know his history of killing an Egyptian and then running to the backside of the wilderness.
Now, one of the ploys Moses used to try and extricate himself from the unwanted situation was to tell God, ‘Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ (Ex. 3:13-14)
Well friends, when Jesus came many moons later, He also said the same thing, I AM! And He didn’t just say that He was one I AM, but several I AM’s. So let’s take a look at some of them nuh, and see the many different I AM’s that Jesus is. (smile) Oh my fellow believers, in the gospel of John, Jesus declares (steups!!!) the ‘I AM’ dictum some seven times.
The first one states: ‘I AM the BREAD of LIFE: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35) He said that to a group of Jews who had been searching for Him after He fed the five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fishes, then sent the disciples across the lake in a boat, and went by Himself into the mountains to pray. And as the morning came He went walking on the water to His disciples, who were astonished and afraid to see Him. It’s also where Peter walked on water. (John 6:1-24)
But eventually the people found Him on the other side of the lake, and wondered when He had come there. ‘Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles (signs), but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat (food) which perisheth, but for that meat (food) that endureth unto everlasting life, which the son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’ (John 6:26-27)
Yes friends, like so many of us, the Jews weren’t seeking Jesus for His spiritual side, but for actual food to fill their physical selves. But remember what Jesus said earlier on: ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added on to you.’ (Matt. 6:33) It’s the very same thing He’s saying to us today. If you put God first place in your lives, then He will provide all your necessary wants. Meanwhile Bruh Paul said it thus to the church at Philippi: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19)
And so, we are continually reminded throughout the scriptures, that physical food and garments are important, but the most important thing is spiritual enlightenment, and acknowledging the sovereignty of Almighty God, who possesses all things, because the earth and all therein is His, and He will generously share it if you make Him Number ONE in your life.
And I’m chuckling here my people, because it’s obvious with my trying to tie up all the angles of Christ’s ‘I AM’s’ we won’t be able to complete them all today. Don’t know what I really expected nuh. As if it were possible to just list the ‘I AM’s’ without any explanations of the circumstances that surrounded them. And since getting into any more today, would make the Bit way too long, let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help to handle our many earthly problems.
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 if we seriously expect divine help, then we need to begin showing that we are indeed faithful believers in Almighty God! Much LOVE!
…the only words to truly describe God’s omnipotence, omniscience and omni-presence are…I AM…for He’s EVERYTHING…
P.S. Wow! The Bit’s so early today only because my eye surgery forced me to rest a lot last night, and thus get up earlier than normal. Please don’t expect it to become habitual. (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
09 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: backsliders, be examples of faithful believers, be not afraid of sudden fear, Christ has paved the way, double digit temps, faith, Friday chant, from whence cometh my help, glorious sunshine floods the land, God neither slumbers nor sleeps, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, Jesus Christ, keep sound wisdom and discretion, LOVE, mercy, my help cometh from the Lord, not suffer thy foot to be moved, omnipotent help, shouts of joy, simmering unrest, springlike temperatures, suffer thy Holy One to see corruption, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the portion of mine inheritance, the shade upon thy right hand, the shall be thy confidence, thy sleep shall be sweet, trusting faith, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
And as the glorious sunshine floods the land, the shouts of joy rise up to heaven! ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, the weekend is here at long last. And there’s not only beautiful sunshine to enjoy it with, but also spring-like temperatures. Yes, temps in double-digits. Imagine that nuh. Having springlike temps and it’s not even the middle of February! Wow! Strange things do happen in this life oui! And believe me, we’re not complaining. I guess you’ll see people out and about without winter coats and such like because of the fairly warm temperatures, but we have to be very careful, for it’s in this kind of weather that we tend to get sick, believing it’s so warm and not dressing properly, then getting caught in a sudden cold front. So please don’t be fooled by the non-winter temp and dress appropriately. Sermon done! (smile)
And on this glorious spring-like Friday my people, we’ll look at the very popular and very relevant Psalm 121, titled ‘God Neither Slumbers Nor Sleeps.’ It’s one of those Songs of Degrees or Accents that the pilgrims sang on their way up to Jerusalem to participate in the big feasts. And the psalm begins in a very interesting manner. So please read with me: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:1-2)
Now isn’t that interesting? It certainly is! The psalmist declares (yesss!!!) that he will lift up his eyes to the mountains, while wandering where his help is going to come from. The last part of that first verse should probably be in question form, and that’s why so many of us believe that the writer is looking to the hills and mountains for his divine help. But not so. He sees them more as harmful or threatening. And in the second verse he answers that question very clearly. ‘My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:2) And that’s exactly what we believers ought to believe and expect; that the Lord God Jehovah was, is and will always be our help, both in the good and the bad times!
Then he goes on to tell us all about how God will look after us. ‘He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil. He shall preserve (keep) thy soul. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and ever for evermore.’ (Ps. 121:3-8) Ah my fellow believers, that’s the promise of our great God! And if by chance we don’t believe it, then let’s bring up some other scriptures that assure us of God’s help in our lives, if we put our sincere trust in Him.
Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, when he asserts that the wisdom of God, His knowledge and understanding are oh so precious. ‘My son, let them not (knowledge and understanding) depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:21-26) There you have it again, my fellow saints; the confidence that the Lord our God will keep us safe if we worship and obey Him.
Now hear Bruh David in this contemplation, Psalm 16, titled ‘God Preserves His People.’ He writes with the utmost confidence: ‘The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest (uphold) my lot. The lines (my circumstances) are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage (inheritance). I will bless the Lord , who hath given me council: my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh shall also rest (dwell securely) in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (the abode of the dead); neither wilt thou suffer (allow) thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:5-11)
Oh my people, what wonderful words of confident assurance of God’s goodness and mercy to those who sincerely believe in and trust Him! Yes, and as the scholars remind us: ‘David’s confidence in his ultimate destiny is valid for him (and for all believers) only because Christ has travelled down that path and paved the way for all who believe in Him.’ Glory Hallelujah! And you can check the reference in Acts 2:25-28, where Peter, in his big Pentecost sermon, quotes the words of Bruh David from Ps. 16:8-11.
Now, let’s go to the throne of grace with confident humility, asking for divine help in these times of worldwide distress and anxiety. 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, if we really desire divine help, then it’s time to show our trusting faith and be good Christian examples, so that others can see what we have and want it too. Much LOVE!
…if you truly believe…then there’s no need to worry…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
05 Feb 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all authority is given unto me, all tongues confess, Christ is Lord indeed, defeated hell death and the grave, early spring, faith, friendship with the world is enmity with God, God so loved the world, groundhogs didn't see their shadows, have everlasting life, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth is not condemned, he that does truth comes to the light, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, LOVE, man could be reconciled to God, mass confusion in our world, men loved darkness rather than light, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, negative situations, only believe, sacrifice His sinless life, salvation, spending eternity with Christ, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, the God who heals, their deeds were evil, to whom all knees must bow, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
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.
Welcome to Monday friends… and sadly, we don’t have the beautiful sunshine like we had yesterday to open this new work week, but there’s a shadow of sunshine under the cloudiness. (smile) And just for your information, all the groundhog prognosticators, I believe it’s four of them, three in Canada and one in the U.S. came out of their lairs this past week to check on the status of our upcoming weather forecast. Now, the good news is that none of them saw their shadows, so the consensus is an early spring, and not another six weeks of winter, if they had seen their shadows.
What beautiful weather forecasting. Can you imagine it? In these ultra scientific times, such simple-minded folklore is still such a big deal. But I guess it’s okay to get back to some of our old ways, remember the simpler times when nature played a much bigger part in our lives, before the world was overwhelmed with scientific knowledge and logic. But yuh know what friends, there is some natural, or rather supernatural knowledge that the scientific community cannot disprove with their supercomputers and whatever instruments they use to measure their data.
That is that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour! That He came into the world from heaven above to sacrifice His sinless life, taking the sins of sinful man on His worthy shoulders, so that sinful man could be reconciled back to God, be saved through God’s grace and have the option of spending eternity with Him! Now let me see the scientists disprove that nuh! And the smart ones know that it is quite okay and wise to be a scientist and a Christian, for one does not negate the other.
Yes, it’s been proven that a man named Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem in Judea some two thousand years ago, was crucified on a Roman cross to save us from Satan and his evil lies and wiles. And He proclaimed to all and sundry, these marvellous words of encouragement and life. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) Now that’s possibly the most important words ever spoken on this planet earth! Words for all mankind to live by!
But foolishly, a majority of us are not living by them, but by the deceits, the treacherous plans that Satan has rolled out in this evil world. Remember what James, Jesus’ brother said in his epistle. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:4) That says it all friends: you cannot be a friend of God and a friend of Satan. Or as Jesus so wisely said: ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon (material wealth.)’ (Matt. 6:24)
And we all know that we cannot sincerely and loyally serve two masters at the same time, so I don’t know why so many of us are trying to serve God and Satan too, trying to straddle the fence, having one foot in hell and one in heaven, hoping to enjoy the benefits of both camps at the same time. But that’s not going to work my fellow believers. You are either wholly in one camp or the other. This jumping back and forth is useless and will only get you more confused and in more trouble than you’re in already.
The wise money is on Jesus all the way! For He will win…in fact He’s already won, by rising from the dead and thus defeating hell, death and the grave, (1 Cor. 15:55) and all authority has been given to Him both in heaven and earth, which makes Him the Number One power in the universe, (Matt. 28:18) to whom all knees must bow, and all tongues confess that He is Christ the Lord indeed. (Phil. 2:9-11) So why be foolish and put your money on a dead horse like Satan eh?
Now listen to Jesus make His case, then tell me if Satan can do better. ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And we’ve already seen how that will be accomplished, through belief. But let’s clarify it, just in case you did not get it the first time. (smile) Jesus warns: ‘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 3:18)
It’s simple friends; you just have to believe in Jesus, that He’s the Son of God and that He died to save you from your sins. What’s so hard about that eh? Nothing, unless you fall into the category Jesus further talks about. ‘And this is the condemnation, that light (the light – Jesus) has come into the world, and men LOVED darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (exposed). But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’ (John 3:19-20)
There it is friends, sweet and simple, not rocket science. If your deeds are evil, then you’ll certainly shy away from Jesus, because you don’t want your evil deeds exposed to the light. However, if they are wrapped in truth, goodness and LOVE, then you will gladly come to the cross of Christ and receive redemption! And since in some form and fashion, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and our world is in such a woeful state, let’s go to His throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, confidently, but humbly asking for divine help to handle our many problems.
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!’
The next move friends is to turn from our evil ways…if we expect to receive divine help. Much LOVE!
…ONLY BELIEVE…that’s all Christ is asking…ONLY BELIEVE…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
29 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a false witness, a lying tongue, a proud look, a sincere interest in God's truth, abideth forever, an abomination to the Lord, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, an high look and a proud heart, by pride cometh contention, divine help, faith, feet that be swift in running to mischief, gives more grace to the humble, God destroys the arrogant, God hates pride, God resisteth the proud, hands that shed innocent blood, he that doeth the will of the Lord, he that soweth discord among brethren, him that hath an high look and proud heart, humble ourselves and pray, immoral people, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, light of the world, Lord of Lords, LOVE, mercy, nothing from without a man can defile him, sin is not pleasing to God, sincerely seek your face, sinned and disobeyed your Word, six things the Lord hates, strong faith in Christ, the God who heals, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the plowing of the wicked is sin, the pride of life, the things which come out of a man defile him, truth, wisdom, wise guidance, with the well advised is wisdom
Proverbs 21:4. An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing (lamp) of the wicked, is sin.
And as Sunday goes into the annals of history, Monday comes storming in like a bold, proud warrior, so sure of himself that he defies anyone to defeat him! But little does Monday know that there’s a group of strongmen called Christians, believers in the Lord of Lords, King of Kings and Light of the world, Jesus Christ, just waiting to devour him in His bright sunshine, as he comes strutting in with his pompous self. He obviously doesn’t know that the Leader of that group of strong, steadfast and faithful believers, Almighty God, hates pride and arrogance, and summarily destroys all those who bear those negative traits.
It says so, right in the Lord’s Word, per Cousin Sol. ‘These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look (haughty eyes), a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (devises wicked plans), feet that be swift in running to mischief (trouble). A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.’ (Prov. 6:16-19) Yes friends, those seven things and people who reflect them, our Lord hates with a passion.
But please note which one Cousin Sol puts first: the man with the proud and haughty demeanour, or behaviour. The Lord dislikes such a man because his behaviour indicates to the Lord that he is above the dictates of God, and therefore has no use for Him. And there’s nothing that gets the Lord’s anger going like one of His petty human creations playing the big man and refusing to bow down to Him.
And Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 101, when he describes the perfect King, hoping that he himself would follow those dictates, but also foretelling of his descendant, Jesus Christ being the one to fulfill that ideal picture. Re pride, he says: ‘’Whoso privily (secretly) slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off (destroy): him that hath an high look and proud heart will not I suffer (endure).’ (Ps. 101: 5) That just goes to show that the perfect king, that’s Jesus, dislikes the proud and will not put up with him.
Meanwhile later on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol states it thus: ‘An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing (lamp) of the wicked, is sin.’ (Prov. 21:4) As one translation puts it: ‘Arrogance and pride – distinguishing marks in the wicked – are just plain sin.’ That’s for certain sure! But the plowing of the wicked basically means: ‘their work, all they do; for it is not done to please God but themselves; nor carried on in His strength, but in reliance upon their own, and therefore it is “sin,” not pleasing to Him.’
And the bibleref.com website gives this commentary on the verse. ‘This proverb notes that immoral people are guided by arrogance and selfishness. In effect, the arrogant person worships himself. Their life is defined and guided by their preferences, instead of a sincere interest in God’s truth (Proverbs 3:1-5). Such attitudes are completely incompatible with submission to Him (Proverbs 6:16-19; Psalm 101:5).’ You cannot dispute those statements my brethren, because they are pure truth. Our God dislikes anything that smacks of arrogance and selfishness.
Then, in Romans chapter 1, where Bruh Paul talks about ‘God’s Wrath Against Ungodliness,’ in the long list of ungodly deeds and doers, he includes: ‘Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful (violent), proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,’ (Rom. 1:30) Yuh see that the proud have also made it to Bruh Paul’s list of ungodly things.
And Jesus verily informed us that ‘There is nothing from without (outside) a man, that entering him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile him.’ (Mark 7:15) Then he ended his discourse with these words. ‘Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness (licentiousness), an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’ (Mark 7:22-23) Jesus said it; therefore, it must be true!
That’s why James could advise us about being enemies of God, if we desire to be friends with the world, and one of the many things the world prizes is pride. James says: ‘But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ (James 4:6-7) That means if we’re seeking God’s grace, then the first thing to do is be humble before Him, because He prizes humility above most of the other human attributes.
And being humble doesn’t mean being fearful and weak kneed, but showing the proper reverence and respect for our powerful God and Creator, knowing that our dreams and desires, our very lives are in His mighty hands. And we’ll take this last potent scripture from John’s first epistle, where he solemnly warns us. ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’ (1 John 2:16-17)
Now, with those awesome words of wisdom, let’s go to the throne of grace, humbly, but confidently, and through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, ask for divine help in this our time of desperate need. Altogether now: ‘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 there’s only one way to get divine help, that’s by turning from our evil ways to godly ones! Much LOVE!
…only by pride cometh contention (strife)…but with the well advised is wisdom… (Prov. 13:10)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
26 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, all things work together for good, carnal state, cleanse your hands ye sinners, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, face the trials of life with certainty, faith, Friday chant, FRiday Chant., friendship with the world is enmity with God, giveth grace to the humble, God resisteth the proud, holy spirit, humble yourselves in the sight of God, if god be for us who can be against us, in all these things we are more than conquerors, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, no condemnation to them which are in Christ, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, omnipotent help, purify your hearts ye doubleminded, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, simmering unrest in our land, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that ye may consume it upon your lusts, that's life, the error of their ways, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the one who can kill both body and soul, to be carnally minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace, to them who are called according to his purpose, to them who love God, trusting faith, unwavering assurance from God's Word, walk not after the flesh but after the spirit, what shall we then say to these things, wisdom, wise guidance, ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss
Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
And it’s a wet and gloomy Friday in my neighborhood. It’s been raining since yesterday, so there’s not the usual enthusiasm when we proclaim: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ because we have to go out and face the inclement weather for another day. But as the man says: ‘That’s life!’ And anyway with God’s ever-faithful help, His children can stand up to any circumstance that comes against them. And His Word gives us that unwavering assurance. Listen to some wonderful extracts from it.
This first one assures us that ‘No weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Brother! What an encouraging and inspiring scripture! And what does it really mean eh? It’s simply saying that anyone who desires to do evil against God’s children will utterly fail, despite it sometimes looking like we might be defeated. In other words, God assures us of the victory. And all God’s people said a loud and grateful, ‘Praise the Lord!’
Now hear these other marvellous assurances from our great God, as Bruh Paul elucidates or explains them in his letter to the church at Rome. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose… What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?… Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:28, 31, 37)
Yes friends, if we believe and work to God’s will, then everything will work out good for us eventually. And furthermore, if God is on our side, then NOBODY, not a single soul can stand against us, for through His everlasting and powerful LOVE we’re made powerful ourselves, more than conquerors, therefore ‘we can face the trials of life with the certainty that we are not alone. We have a mighty Father who fights for us.’
And that Chapter 8 of Romans is possibly one of the most potent and reassuring chapters of the Bible, because there Bruh Paul lays out our basic state as children of God. He opens it thus: ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’ (Rom. 8:1) Wow! There’s no more condemnation my brethren, if we listen to and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. That’s certainly good and reassuring news.
Then Bruh Paul steadfastly warns us: ‘For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.’ (Rom. 8:6) Yes, if we have our lives dominated by our sinful nature, then death is our due, but if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then eternal life and peace will be ours. But unfortunately, too many of us in the body of Christ, too many supposed Christians are still living carnally minded lives; avidly seeking the things of the world, the things that their sinful flesh desires, rather than seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness, which the Holy Spirit guides us to.
No wonder our world and the church is in such a shoddy and evil state! As James so wisely and rightly states: ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (fleshly pleasures). Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be (wants to be) a friend of the world is (makes himself) the enemy of God.’ (James 4:3-4) And that’s definitely not wisdom my brethren! Why would you knowingly want to be the enemy of the most potent and powerful force in the universe eh? The one who can kill both your body and soul and condemn them to hellfire and damnation!
So how do we change our thinking and our actions then? James gives us the basic details, when he writes: ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefor 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 double-minded. Be afflicted (lament) and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:6-10)
Yes my fellow saints, that’s how we come out of the carnal state so many of us are still in. In fact, in whatever state we’re in, it is absolutely necessary to humble ourselves before Almighty God, because He hates the proud, who behave as though they don’t need Him, but the humble, He showers with unwavering grace and mercy. And since, with the sorry state of our world, we definitely need lots of that grace and mercy, let’s go to God right now, through our Friday Chant and seek divine help.
Altogether now: ‘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 a part of the answer lies right there in our prayer…by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ Yes friends, if we sincerely desire divine help, then we need to begin the process by setting a good Christian example to those around us. Much LOVE!
…if you’re a true believer in Christ…then you will be concerned…but not overly worried or anxious about anything…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
22 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a hypocritical world, and with what measure ye mete, As God for christ's sake forgave you, be ye kind one to another, blame others, evasive tactic, faith, forgiving one another, hiding from God, holy spirit, humble servants, I did eat, I was afraid, I was naked, irresponsibility, it shall be measured to you, its easier to cast blame than to accept it, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, judge not, LOVE, mercy, mincing words, minister grace unto the hearers, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not complaining, our nemesis, praise Your Holy Name, promote our interests, salvation, sincerely seek your face, social media, the antidote to all hypocrisy, the beam in thine own eye, the blame game, the God who heals, the mote in thy brother's eye, the serpent beguiled me, the throne of grace, thou hypocrite, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance
Genesis 3:13b. And the woman said, The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.
Aye mih people, our nemesis, Monday is on tap! Yes, the day we all LOVE to hate has come around again, as it does after every Sunday! (smile) And if we can’t beat it, then we need to join it, use it to promote our interests, which means not complaining about it, but being ready for it when it shows up and putting our best foot forward. And we very well know that if Sunday happens, then Monday also will happen. So it’s time to stop giving Monday the bad rap it has accumulated down through the ages, simply because we are not properly prepared for it.
We know the weekend will end, and that work will commence on Monday, but we’re always trying to push the envelope on the weekend, burn the candle at both ends, then when Monday shows up and work calls, we’re tired and miserable from too much partying and/or not enough rest, and unfairly lay the blame at Monday’s feet. But what else is new eh? That’s one of the things we do best in our modern society; that’s blame others for our problems, even when they are caused by our own irresponsibility.
Yes, taking responsibility for our actions is not a strongpoint of today’s world. It’s so much easier to blame others than ourselves. And I guess one of the earliest examples of the blame game happened right at the beginning, when in the Garden of Eden, the devil tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Then, when the Lord came looking for Adam and Eve, they hid from Him. And when the Lord asked why they were hiding, Adam said: ‘I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and hid myself.
And he (the Lord) said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man (Adam) said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord said unto the woman (Eve), What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.’ (Gen. 3:10-13) So, I guess we can blame our very first forefathers for starting the blame game. (smile)
Now, the scholars have some rather interesting comments on those verses. As per verse 10, they say: ‘Adam heard the ‘sound’ of the Lord God and was afraid (as most men are afraid of God today), and began the age long process of “hiding himself” from his Maker. And re verse 12, they write: ‘Adam blamed the woman and God, since God was the one who brought her to Adam in Gen 2:22.’ Then, per verse 13, they agree: ‘Eve was beguiled as 1 Timothy 2:24 confirms (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3). But she did not take responsibility for eating either. Blame shifting is another evasive tactic employed by fallen man.’
That we all know is gospel truth! And just to stir up the pot some, (smile) I’ll quote the verse from 2 Timothy. Bruh Paul writes: ‘And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.’ (2 Tim. 2:14) Now, I’m not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. (smile) Instead, we’ll turn to some wise words of Jesus on the subject of judging and being judged, which come from the Sermon on the Mount. He taught them: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged (condemned). For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again (the same measurement will be used against you).
And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam (plank) that is in thine own eye? Or how will thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote (speck) out of thine eye, and behold a beam (plank) is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam (plank) out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (speck) out of thy brother’s eye.’ (Matt. 7:1-5) Jesus wasn’t mincing words there at all!
But nonetheless, we do that all the time in this society! It’s a very hypocritical world we live in Dr. Jack! We know everybody else’s mistakes and foibles, but refuse to look at our own, which are ofttimes greater or more damning than those of the people we criticize. And with the dubious help of social media, everybody nowadays is a critic, and can spread our unfair, unjust criticism worldwide without much fear of retribution. But sadly, that’s the kind of world we live in nowadays!
Now, we have time and space for one more exhorting and admonishing set of scriptures, and that from Bruh Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he emphasizes: ‘Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:29-32)
Yes friends, that’s the basic antidote to all the hypocrisy, complaining, deception and irresponsibility that’s currently engulfing our world. And being agents and ambassadors of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that’s how we are supposed to live! So please let’s get our act together and start doing it nuh. In the meanwhile, we need to go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine help for our many 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 to see divine help, then we’d better humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face! Much LOVE!
…it’s so much easier to cast blame…than to accept it…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
19 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a new flock of believers, according to your faith be it done unto you, an element of doubt, be careful for nothing, bear your everyday burdens, believe ye that I am able, Bible, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, christianity, crying out for help, embrace your love and compassion, faith, Friday chant, grin and bear it, holy spirit, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in everything, Jesus Christ, keep fighting the good fight, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, omnipotent help, Peace i leave with you, prayer, simmering discontent, spiritual war, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the error of their ways, the example we faithful believers set, the peace of God which passeth all understading, trust and confidence in Christ's ability, trusting faith, unexpected storms, wise guidance
Matthew 9:29. According to your faith be it unto you.
And then it was a cold, cloudy Friday, but there were still shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ I guess we don’t much care what kind of weather we have on a Friday, because it means that the weekend is here and we can do whatever we want. No more of the getting up early, carting the children to the baby-sitter or to school, then facing the rush hour traffic jam to and from work. What a terrible grind our work week can be, especially if you have young children and you’re living far from work. But that’s just the way the society is set up, and you have to grin and bear it, and make it work somehow for you.
I certainly remember the days, some forty odd years ago, carting my eldest daughter to the baby sitter and picking her up again every night. And that was long before you had all the helpful amenities, you now have. (smile) But that’s exactly why you need Jesus in your life! He helps you bear the tough burdens of everyday life, with a modicum of peace and circumspection. With Jesus running the show, you’re never as worried and frazzled as you are without Him. And these two promises of His are very important in our everyday lives. We know them fairly well, but we just can’t seem to put them into action, so that our pain can be eased.
The first one says: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And yes, it’s very easy to say the words, and even believe them, but it’s not as easy to put them into serious action, especially in today’s crazy and volatile world, for there’s always an element of doubt, or some niggling circumstance that gets in the way. But we just have to hang in there and do the best we can, not give up, and keep fighting the good fight with Jesus.
Then there’s this other promise along the same lines. ‘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) Ah friends, although we might know deep down that Jesus has overcome the world by dying and being resurrected, therefore defeating Satan, hell, death and the grave, it’s indeed difficult to be peaceful and of good cheer when all the problems of the world seem like they are tumbling down around you. And to further help us in our earthly battle, we need to take Bruh Paul’s advice to the Philippians.
He writes: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’ (Phil. 4:6) Yes my brethren, that is the basic pattern our lives must follow if we are to experience some sense of peace and comfort in our daily lives. Prayer with thanksgiving is oh so essential. And we know that giving thanks under some of the situations we face is extremely difficult, and sometimes we even feel it impossible. However, that’s the only way to get what Bruh Paul promised. ‘And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7)
Now those aren’t easy scriptures to live by; not to worry about anything, but to pray constantly and give thanks even in untenable situations. But do it we must, by writing them indelibly in our hearts, minds and souls, then asking the Holy Spirit for His help to action them. That’s one of His many purposes in our lives; help to live the life Christ desires of us. But there again, we need to sincerely engage the Holy Spirit’s help, and then listen to what he says. And that’s where we’re not as obedient as we ought to.
With all the many distractions and voices flurrying around in our minds, we ofttimes miss the still, soft voice of the Holy Spirit, especially when our decision is contrary to His. And the devil just LOVES to get into our brain, our minds, where spiritual war is constantly being waged, and disrupt the peace and joy we are fighting to attain. And that’s where our levels of faith and trust in Jesus come in. It’s like Jesus’ interaction with two blind men who followed Him, ‘crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.’ (Matt. 9:27-29)
Now that last sentence is the answer to many of our problems. Yes friends, it’s according to our trust and confidence in Christ’s ability to do whatever we ask Him, that we will see positive outcomes. It’s our faith, not God’s, that determines our outcomes in life. It has everything to do with what we truly believe. And for those of us who truly believe in the omnipotent power of Christ, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help to handle our many earthly problems.
Altogether now: ‘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 if we expect to see divine help, then we need to do what we said in our prayer, that’s stand strong and steadfast as best we can, and also set a good example as faithful believers. Much LOVE!
… the size of our problems that Jesus can solve…depends on the size of our faith in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
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