01 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divine promise from God, a light unto my path, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a spiritual message, abandon our hopes, all sinned and disobeyed your word, an inner sense of direction, assuring us of His guidance, be ruled by our emotions, be thou strong and very courageous, become better Chrsitian witnesses, behind the wheel, building trust, choose peace, clean up our act, common sense, Consider This, decision, divine help, do all acording to the law, emotional desires, encourages listening to God's will, experience the peace that comes only from God, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, falling prey to ungodly decisions, feel lost and uncertain, God is in the driver's seat, God will never lead us astray, God will never let us down, God will provide the right path, God will work all things out for our good, help me, hold my hopes with open hands, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, ignore our feelings, In Touch Magazine, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let all thy ways be established, let thine eyelids look straight before thee, let thine eyes look right on, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Moses my servant commanded thee, not allowing temptations to derail us, not be governed by my emotions, not easy to navigate on God's behalf, not the advice of others, our Father who art in heaven, place our lives in the hands of God, ponder the path of thy feet, praise Your Holy Name, pray, prosper wherever you go, put our trust in Almighty God, puts space between us and our desires, regardless of the choices, remove thy foot from evil, ruled by our emotions, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, staying focused on a righteous path, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the first day of the work week, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the infallible truth, the passenger seat, the throne of grace, the topic of problems, they word is a lamp unto my feet, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, through scripture, trust you for everything, trusting that God will guide us, trusting the Lord feels risky, truth, turn away from our own ways, turn from our evil ways, turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, turn not to the right hand nor to the left, warning words, we want to know how god will fix our problems, welcomes God, when you turn to the left, when you turn to the right hand, wisdom, wise guidance, wishy-washy society
Proverbs 4:26-27. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’
And wouldn’t you know it, Monday, the first day of the work week, and in this case the first day of December 2025, has rolled around again friends, just like it has done for eons, and yet many of us still find it difficult to handle. (smile) Now, the weather should not be a problem since most of the snow from yesterday’s storm has melted, so that’s one item in our favour. And today we have some important and interesting info to share on the topic of problems from the ‘Consider This’ Section of the November Edition of the In Touch Magazine.
So please read with me: ‘When there’s a problem, we want to know how God will fix it. But we never know exactly what He’ll do. In these moments, trusting the Lord feels risky (when it’s actually anything but). A good way to begin building trust is to choose peace rather than be ruled by our emotions. This doesn’t mean we abandon our hopes or ignore our feelings – but simply that we keep them in the passenger seat rather than behind the wheel.
This decision puts space between us and our desires and welcomes God in them. And by doing so, we’re better able to receive whatever he has planned – whether it’s what we imagined or something altogether different. So how do we begin? With a prayer like this: “Lord, I want to experience the peace that comes only from You and not be governed by my emotions. Help me hold my hopes with open hands and trust you for everything. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Ah mih people, what wise information! Because in this wishy-washy society in which we currently live, with so many distractions and evil schemes, too many of us are ruled by our emotions and not good common sense which advises us to put our trust in Almighty God, who sincerely LOVES and cares for us and will never lead us astray. And there are several scriptures that warn of falling prey to unwise, ungodly distractions, and live by God’s Word and His guidance instead.
Listen as the prophet Isaiah warns us, while telling his people Israel about God’s graciousness and mercy. He writes: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) Yes friends, it’s a divine promise from God to His people, assuring us of His guidance if we will turn away from our own ways and listen to Him.
And this commentary offers this explanation as per the ‘Spiritual interpretation: The phrase is interpreted as a spiritual message that regardless of the choices one faces, God will provide the correct path. It is a call to trust in divine guidance and be attentive to the “voice” of God, whether through scripture, the Holy Spirit, or an inner sense of direction.’ And per the ‘Practical application: For believers, the message encourages listening to God’s will rather than the advice of others and trusting that He will guide them, even when they feel lost or uncertain.’
And is that ever the infallible truth! Of course! For it’s the very same thing the Lord told Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:7) It could not be put any plainer than that my faithful brethren.
Then we also have these warning words from Cousin Sol in Proverbs re swerving from God’s path, where he solemnly advises: ‘Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov. 4:25-27) There again we have a warning about staying focused on a righteous path, not allowing temptations to derail us from it through emotional desires.
Remember, God is in the driver’s seat, not our emotions. That’s why Cousin Sol tells us to specifically watch where we walk. It’s also like the psalmist says: ‘Thy word is a lamp uno my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And that’s exactly why the Lord gave us His Word, so it can light our path and guide our feet. But none of this will happen if we don’t know the Word and then place our lives in the hands of God, trusting Him to eventually work all things out for our good, because that’s His promise. (Rom. 8:28)
And though all we’re saying is the gospel truth, it’s still not easy to navigate on God’s behalf in this evil world. That’s why we can go confidently to the throne of grace seeking divine help in times of need. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And it’s all well and good to remind God of His promise to prosper us, but what about the conditions that must first be met eh? That’s our turning from our evil ways. The point is, until we clean up our act and become better Christian witnesses and ambassadors, God will not cause us to prosper. So let’s concentrate on doing that nuh … if we indeed desire divine help. Much LOVE!
…when we sincerely place our lives in God’s hands…He will never let us down…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Guidebook for earthly living, a light that shines in a dark place, a light unto my path, a more sure word of prophecy, all I hoped it would be, all of the time, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, alleviate our problems, an act of love, an extraordinary passion, ask for help, bind them continually upon thine heart, can't trust that day, could not guarantee, divine aid, ease the pain, eccentric opening, faith, find me crying, folk groups, forsake not the law of thy mother, God is still in control of the universe, God is still in the heavens, God loves us, guides our feet, holy men spake, holy spirit, howling winds, humble ourselves, in dire times, instruction in righteousness, it just turns out that way, it shall lead thee, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, John Phillips, keep thy father's commandment, keep you when you sleep, keep your promise to prosper us, leading a person to repentance, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, mere mortals, Monday Monday, moved by the Holy Ghost, navigate the storms, negative situations, no prophecy or scripture is of private interpretation, no warning, not by the will of man, opens the path of life, pray, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, raging around us, reproofs of instruction are the way of life, salvation, seek God's face, sincere repentance, so good to me, spiritual growth, strong faith in Christ, take heed, talk with you, the BIBLE, the commandment is a lamp, the day star arise in your hearts, the God who heals, the goodness of God, the great value of God's Word, the law is light, The Mamas & Papas, the man of God may be perfect, the power to solve our many problems, the throne of grace, the transfiguration of Jesus, the word of the Lord, thoroughly furnished, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, tie them about thy neck, total surrender, tru faith, truth, turn from our evil ways, unlimited trust, until the day dawn, unto all good works, walk under God's protection, when thou goest, wisdom, wise guidance, you'd still be here with me
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ah friends, those are the basic words of the hit song ‘Monday, Monday,’ written in 1966 by John Phillips of the Mamas & Papas and recorded by the group. And I just happened to remember the song while searching for an interesting, but somewhat eccentric opening. (smile) Most of you young folks won’t know the song, but it was indeed a big hit in the day when folk groups were popular, and I wonder how many of us experience such an intense and uncomfortable feeling on Mondays?
‘Monday, Monday, oh so good to me, Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be, Oh, Monday morning, Monday morning could not guarantee, that Monday evening, You’d still be here with me…. Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day, Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way Oh, Monday mornin’ you gave me no warning’ of what was to be Oh, Monday, Monday, how could you leave and not take me? Every other day (Every other day), every other day Every other day of the week is fine, yeah But whenever Monday comes (But whenever Monday comes), but whenever Monday comes You can find me cryin’ all of the time… Oh Monday, Monday…’
And to be on the safe side, I won’t even offer an answer to that touchy question, (smile) but simply allow the day to play out as it will and thus provide the true answers. But let’s be sure of one thing; however the day plays out, and whatever answer we get to the question, be it good or bad, we must remember that our God is still in the high heavens, still in control of the universe, and still LOVES us with an extraordinary passion, one that mankind can never replicate, but can surely appreciate and be grateful for, especially in these crazy and uncertain times in which we currently live!
Yes my people, it’s only with true faith in Almighty God, unlimited trust and total surrender to His will, can we ever navigate the stormy waters and howling winds that are now raging around us. It’s like the psalmist declares: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And it surely is, for it’s the Word of the Lord that opens the path of life and light to us and guides our feet as we walk along it, under His awesome presence and protection.
Now, listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs when he warns against adultery. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart (mind), and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:’ (Prov. 6:20-23). You cannot get wiser advice than that my brethren! And from the wisest man ever too! (smile)
And what are ‘reproofs of instruction’ you ask? This commentary gives a brief overview: It says, ‘In the Bible, “reproof” means to correct, rebuke, or express disapproval, with the goal of leading a person to repentance and improvement. It involves showing someone their faults and exposing error, and is considered an act of LOVE and a necessary part of spiritual growth. God’s Word provides reproof by revealing sin and guiding believers towards righteousness.’
And that’s exactly why it was written and passed down through the ages. As Bruh Paul says to Tmothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect (blameless), thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) What more can we say to encourage and enlighten us as to the great value of God’s Word to the believer eh?
Possibly these words from Peter, as he discusses his eyewitness account of Jesus’ transfiguration, when He was revealed to Peter, James and John in all His glory. (2 Pet. 1:16-18) He then writes: ‘We have also a more sure word of prophecy (the prophetic word made surer); whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy or scripture is of any private interpretation (origin). For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of (any) man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ (2 Pet. 1:19-21)
More confirmation that the Bible is God’s Word as directed by the Holy Ghost for holy men to write so that we can have a worthwhile guidebook for living this earthly life. But being mere mortals, we have not followed its guidelines properly, and thus have made all sorts of mistakes, however through the amazing goodness of God, we can go the throne of grace and ask for help in dire times like these. So, let’s do that right now nuh, 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!’
And is it ever interesting to note, that right in our prayer, we find the answers to our problems: humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God, and turning from our evil ways. So, if we truly desire divine aid, let’s get to correcting those faults nuh, for remember they are all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…if God did not truly care for us…He would not have given us a guidebook…the Bible…or a Saviour…Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's voice is known by multitude of words, a means of restoring faith in you, a multitude of people, a new flock of believers, a society speeding to hell, all for our benefit, be not rash with thy mouth, be responsible, better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, blaspheme against god, by the example we faithful believers set, Christian witness, crying out for help, desperate times of need, divine aid, every one that is hasty, faith, Friday chant, God holds the breath of your life in His hand, he that hasteth with his feet sinneth, he that is perverse in his lips, he that refraineth his lips is wise, holy spirit, in the multitude of words, is a fool, it is not good, Jesus Christ, joy and gladness, lay aside every weight, let not thine heart be hasty, let thy words be few, like chickens with their heads cut off, LOVE, make mistakes in the name of speed, mercy, more detrimental than beneficial, more haste less speed, omnipotent help, problems escalating, return backsliders to your fold, road rage, run with patience, rushing back and forth, salvation, seeing we are compassed about, show them the error of their ways, so great a cloud of witnesses, speed, spew venom, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, talk a good talk, technological times, tend to plenteousness, tend to poverty, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, that the soul be without knowledge, the accent on speed, the confusion of these ungodly times, the race that is set before us, the simmering unrest, the sin which doth so easily beset us, the thoughts of the diligent, there wanteth not sin, to utter anything before God, traffic jams, trusting faith, truth, wake up and smell the coffee, wisdom, wise guidance
Proverbs 19:2b. and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
And then, finally, it was the big day, Friday! And all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ have ascended to heaven on high. Yes, there’s always much joy and gladness when the last day of our work week rolls around, meaning that the weekend is upon us, and our time is mostly ours to do as we choose. For a couple of days we can forget the twice a day traffic jams and the multitudes of people rushing back and forth like chickens with their heads cut off, in a hurry to get wherever they want to go, but getting nowhere quickly. Unfortunately, that’s how it is when we rush and push, for there’s always someone pushing back trying to go the other way.
But sadly, that’s the way of our society nowadays; everything is about speed, and we get impatient and angry if we have to wait a few seconds for the computer to warm up. It’s a foolish now for now society we currently live in. Just note the road rage that erupts over one car not moving quickly enough to suit the driver of another car, even when there’s no way much for the first car to move. But that’s the way we live in these technological times, where it’s all about how fast we can get things done, although we make too many mistakes in the name of speed.
And on days like today, where everyone is trying to get in and out as quickly as possible, so that they can enjoy the weekend sooner, matters usually get more tense and stressful, and the possibility of things boiling over greater than normal. That’s why the old people very wisely categorized it all with this simple saying, ‘more haste less speed.’ And most of us have realized that down through the years, but we still try to keep up with the speed of our society., so that we can feel or appear to be with the in-crowd.
Now there are several scriptures in the Bible that warn about haste. So to help us apply the brakes in this speeding to hell society, let’s check out a few of them nuh. And not surprisingly, several of them come from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. Listen to this first one from Proverbs. ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.’ (Prov. 19:1-2)
There it is in black and white friends, from the wisest man ever! If you are too hasty with your feet you are committing sin. And taking that literally, can you imagine the amount of us that are committing that sin each and every day? Multitudes of us! Let’s hope that causes us to slow down some nuh. (smile) Then there’s this other wise saying from Cousin Sol. ‘The thoughts (plans) of the diligent tend only (lead surely) to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want (surely to poverty).’ (Prov. 21:5) Now that is something many of us can attest to, for we have all done things in haste that did not work out to our benefit. But our society keeps on doing it.
Now here’s another bit of wisdom from Cousin Sol, but this time as the preacher from Ecclesiastes, and it pertains to how we speak to God. He says: ‘Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be too hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon the earth, therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business (effort or activity); and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.’ (Eccl. 5:2-3)
What marvellous advice my brethren! Because with our quick inclination, or predisposition to get angry at each other, we also get angry with God very quickly and spew venom towards or blaspheme against Him if we don’t get our way, or don’t get it as quickly as we desire. Now that’s certainly not a wise way to interact with Almighty God, your Creator and the One who holds the breath of your life in His hands. That leads to this other caution about our words. Cousin Sol wisely declares (steups!!!): ‘In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth (restrains) his lips is wise.’ (Prov. 10:19)
And that’s oh so true my people! When we unleash a barrage of words through provocation or whatever other reason, we invariably commit some sin through our anger and inappropriate words. So it’s obviously wise to take time to think before we speak. And finally we’ll look at this scripture that we all know, which tells us about endurance and patience. It comes from the author of Hebrews. ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.’ (Heb. 12:1)
Yes my faithful brethren, it’s time for us to settle down, take our time, and concentrate on patience and endurance, rather than haste and speed, for the latter two will only get us into more trouble than we truly need. So, with those words of wisdom, (smile) let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant seeking divine aid to help in these desperate times of need.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Ah mih people, as usual, we talk a good talk, but unfortunately our actions don’t back up our talk, and until they do, meaning we aspire to better Christian witness, divine aid will not be forthcoming. It’s as simple as that! So please, let’s wake up and get our act together nuh! Remember it’s all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…the accent on speed in our society…is more detrimental than beneficial…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a barbaric society, a strife-filled society, a wintry Monday, all sinned and disobeyed your word, at the end it shall speak and not lie, cause me to behold grievance, come to that wise understanding, contention, cry out unto thee of violence, declare all thy works, destroyed all the unfaithful, destroyed all them that go a whoring, divine aid, divine judgement, don't lose hope, ease the pain, envious of the boastful, evil doers are pulling the strings, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, God is the strength of my heart, he may run that readeth it, He who has promised is faithful, his soul that is lifted up is not upright in him, holy spirit, how long shall I cry, humble ourselves, humble servants, I have put my trust in the Lord, it is good for me to draw near to God, it will surely come, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, justice doth never go forth, keep your promise to prosper us, little incentive to abide by the law, living in the northern climes, LOVE, make it plain upon tables, makes one's stomach churn, mass confusion, mercy, my flesh and my heart fails, my portion for ever, not enough serious consequences for breaking the law, perverse justice is handed down, pray, prophetic vision, repercussions, rush hour traffic, salvation, set me upon the tower, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spoiling and violence are before me, stand upon my watch, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the burden, the faithful will be vindicated, the God who heals, the law is powerless, the law is slacked, the lawlessness of our society, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the prosperity of the wicked, the righteous will inherit the earth, the throne of grace, the vision is for an appointed time, the wicked doth compass about the righteous, the wicked surround the righteous, the wicked will be destroyed, then understood I their end, there is never justice, there is strife, they that are far from thee shall perish, thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not save, though it tarry wait for it, to alleviate our problems, toil, trouble, truth, turn from our eil ways, until I went into the sanctuary of God, why di you show me iniquity, wisdom, wise guidance, write the vision, wrong judgement proceedeth
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
And then it was a wintry Monday; dark, snowy, slippery, aggravating and frustrating, as snow storms usually are when you must drive to work in them. But that’s all par for the course my brethren. It’s what living in the northern climes calls for and it’s what makes us such tough and hardy folks. (smile) Hope that you all left home early enough to escape most of the rush hour traffic and those who still drive unwisely under poor road conditions. Anyway, we pray that you arrived at your destinations safely, be it work, school or play, and that you will return home just as safely. We pray it all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
Now, yesterday in church, I heard an interesting scripture that I was not familiar with, but it made a big impression on me. It comes from the book of Habakkuk. The Book begins by saying, ‘The burden (oracle, prophecy) which the prophet Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance (trouble, toil)? For spoiling (plundering) and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife (there is strife) and contention. Therefore the law is slacked (powerless), and judgement (justice) doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about (surround) the righteous; therefore wrong (perverse) judgement proceedeth.’ (Hab. 1:1-4)
Yes friends, that was Habakkuk’s cry to the Lord, who, in his prophetic vision, was only showing him violence and evil, suffering for the righteous and prosperity for the wicked who were dominating the situation with evil, perverted schemes. In other words, a sentence of divine judgement to befall at the appropriate time. And the part of that scripture which really caught my attention was the last verse about the slackness or powerlessness of the law and the perverse or wrong justice that comes about because of the powerlessness of the law.
And it just struck me as a similar situation to the one which our society is currently embroiled in, where lawlessness is increasing, but the law is not doing anything constructive about it, because the evil doers are pulling the strings, and thus we are becoming a rather violent and strife-filled society. Too many rules are daily being broken with little or no consequences to the lawbreakers. And it’s sad that many of them are not first-time lawbreakers, but those with records to their names.
There is little incentive to abide by the law, as well as not enough serious consequences to stop breaking it. And as some like to say, laws are only made for those who wish to abide by them; those who want to break them, will break them anyway. But there must be some repercussions for breaking them, else why bother to have them at all, let’s simply live in a barbaric society. And that’s exactly what we are inching closer to every day, because there’s such inhumanity towards each other that it makes one’s stomach churn in dismay.
And I can imagine how all the modern prophets burdened with a prophecy like Habakkuk must be crying out to the Lord as they see the injustice, violence and ‘sufferation’ being meted out to many of the righteous in our society. But the wonderful thing about the Lord is that He might allow the evil doers to prosper for a while, but He’s promised that they will eventually be destroyed, and the righteous will inherit the earth and all that the wicked possessed.
So, after opening his heart and complaining to the Lord, about the iniquity of Babylon and their abuse of other nations, here’s how Habakkuk opens Chapter 2. ‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower (rampart), and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.’ (Hak. 2:1)
Good for Habakkuk! He’s standing up and waiting for an answer from the Lord and contemplating his own answer to the Lord’s reproof. But the Lord surprises him with this answer. ‘And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (tablets), that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’ (Hab. 2:2-4)
Yes, my people, the Lord instructed Habakkuk to write the coming of the divine judgment on tablets big enough so those who are running by can read it. And He makes sure to tell him that though justice might take a while to come, it surely will come, so don’t lose hope. And I guess that’s the same message He is sending us today my faithful brethren; eventually, He will relieve the pressure and the wicked will be destroyed, and we faithful will be vindicated.
And yes, it might be tough to see the prosperity of the wicked, but let’s remember like Asaph did in Psalm 73, when he was envious of the boastful and the prosperity of the wicked, but thankfully, as he recounts: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:17)
Hopefully, we will also come to that wise understanding and afterwards, say like Asaph: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (are unfaithful). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73: 26-28) Now let’s put that declaration (chuh!!!) in to practice and draw near to God at the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hym, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
Now, if we sincerely desire divine aid, then it’s ever so necessary for us to do as our prayer says: ‘turn from our evil ways.’ Remember, we are the ones it’s hurting, not the Lord. Much LOVE!
…He who has promised is faithful…and that ought to be enough for us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
31 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a flaw in our prayer, a new flock of believers, acclamation of our faith, all things work together for good, be content with such things as ye have, be of good cheer, be reminded of our previous struggles, be responsible, be strong and of a good courage, by the example we faithful believers set, can wake up and smell the coffee, carry them in his bosom, comfort ye my people, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine help, drag us back into medieval times, embrace your love and compassion, faith, fear not, feed his flock like a shepherd, fellowship, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, God will continue empowering us, God's omnipotent help, Halloween Day, his arm shall rule for him, his reward is with him, his work before him, holy spirit, I am the good shepherd, I am with you, i have overcome the world, I know my sheep and are known of mine, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, I will not fear what man can do to me, improve our witness, in me you might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, Jesus Christ, keep you in all places you go, let your conduct be without covetousness, life is not a bed of roses, LOVE, mercy, no rights or privileges, nor be afraid of them, on the late bus, our Christian witness is not good enough, our sinful world, our walk with christ is a two way street, prayer time with the Father, problems escalating, restoring faith in God, return backsliders to your fold, revert to such an inhumane situation, salvation, shining our bright lights in the darkness, smell it sweet and strong, spreading our salty flavour, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the daily grind and common task, the enemy comes against us in christ's name, the error of their ways, the evil spirits come out to play, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the gospel truth, The Lord is my helper, the Lord tests us, the Lord will come with strong hand, the shedding of innocent blood, the throne of grace, the trick or treat game, the unexpected storms, the way of life, these things I have spoken unto you, to shower down blessings on us, to stand up and fight the evil enemy, to them that love God, tribulation, trusting faith, truth, unexpected storms, waiting with bated breath, walking with the Lord, we may boldly say, who are called according to His purpose, wisdom, wise guidance
Isaiah 40:1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Ah friends, the ole fella had a rather late night, thus he also had a rather late morning. (smile) Consequently, we are on the late bus this Friday October 31, or Halloween Day, when all the evil spirits and people come out to play the trick or treat game. But that’s a topic for another day, not this wet, cloudy, windy Friday, where we’ve offered up our acclamation of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ which means the weekend is upon us, those two short days we have for ourselves; to rest, recuperate and have some fun, before getting back to the daily grind and common task.
Ah well, that’s just the way life is, for once up a time, and it’s not so long ago that many people worked seven days a week, with a day off once in a while. Thankfully our situation has improved some, although the greedy employers would like nothing better, and indeed are trying their best to drag us back into the medieval times where we had absolutely no rights nor privileges. But we won’t ever allow that to happen, for too much innocent blood has ben shed to get us to where we are today, to ever revert to such an inhumane and ungodly situation. And all God’s children said a loud and proud, ‘Amen!’
And I’m chuckling here, because I don’t know where that all came from because it’s not Labour Day or anything of the sort, but I guess the Good Lord just wanted us to be reminded of our previous struggles and have us understand that He will continue empowering us to stand up and fight the aggressive and evil enemy. It’s like Isaiah promised on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God…Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:1;10-11)
Yes friends, that’s one of the many promises of our God to be with us at all times and look after us. And Jesus embodied that promise in Himself when He subsequently declared: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.’ (John 10:11;14) It’s like the author of Hebrews also reminds us: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall (can) do unto me.’ (Heb. 13:5)
Now that’s a most powerful acclamation of our faith, and hopefully we all will stand strong in it, because our God is ever-faithful to keep His promises. As he said to Jacob, when he dreamed that famous, mind-boggling, but life changing dream (Gen. 28:10-14) ‘And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’ (Gen. 28:15) And we all know that the Lord kept His promise to Jacob.
It’s also like Moses said to the Israelites on God’s behalf: ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6) And that promise was also kept, except for the times when Israel rebelled against the Lord and suffered the dire consequences of such rebellion and disobedience. But all in all, Israel had it pretty good. For as Bruh Paul warns us in his letter to the Romans: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
And that’s one of the most important scriptures for Christians to know and understand. The Lord will keep His promises and look after us, and eventually all things will work out for our good. But we need to thoroughly understand that life, especially the Christian life is not a bed of roses, but can often be a tough slog, especially when the enemy comes against us in Christ’s name, or when the Lord Himself tests us. So it’s ever so necessary to keep in mind these most reassuring and encouraging words of Jesus. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
And all that’s the gospel truth, my fellow believers, but it’s not easy to put into practice. That’s why we need to keep on growing in our faith, through reading and meditating on the Word, through fellowship with other believers and sincere prayer time with the Father. And our God is so wonderful, that through Jesus’ sacrifice, we can now go directly to the throne of grace seeking divine help. So let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant.
All together: ‘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 we’ve prayed a good prayer, but there’s one flaw in it; if the new flock of believers are like us, then they won’t be of much use, because our current Christian witness is not up to scratch. That means we have to improve, if we truly desire divine aid! So let’s get to it nuh. The Lord is waiting with bated breath to shower down blessings on us…when we improve our witness, by spreading our highly flavoured salt far and wide, and shining our lights much brighter in the many dark places of the earth. Much LOVE!
…walking with the Lord is a two way street…He’s kept all His promises…now we need to do our part…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a godly requirement to do our best, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a sincere disposition, as men pleasers, as to the Lord and not unto men, be enthusiastic in carrying out menial tasks, beneficial influence, control all areas of a Christian's life, discipleship, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, do all to the glory of God, do it with thy might, do our own thing, faith, falling on deaf ears, fearing God, get something for nothing, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, greedy, grin and bear it, he that doeth wrong, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, if any man will come after me, in our prayer lies the solution to our problems, in singleness of heart, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, jobs that are not motivating us, keep your promise to prosper us, knowing that of the Lord, lazy, let him deny himself, let's get to work, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, no respect of persons, not with eyeservice, not working on the Lord's behalf, nothing is truly free, numerous distractions, obey in all things your masters, please ease the pain, praise Your Holy Name, promised to hear and answer our prayers, receive for the wrong he has done, receive the reward of the inheritance, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seeking God's face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, take up his cross daily and follow me, the bane of our work ethic, the boss is looking over your shoulders, the God who heals, the indwelling word of Christ, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the reward which is salvation, the throne of grace, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, time to get back into the evil and ungodly world, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, unethical, we serve God not man, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever ye do do it heartily, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, wisdom, wise advice, wise guidance, work at jobs we don't like, ye serve the Lord Christ
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men;
Unfortunately friends, after Sunday comes Monday, a day which many of us thoroughly dislike, because it means it’s time to get back out into the evil, ungodly world, that abounds with numerous distractions, and labour at jobs that we either don’t like or are not motivating us to improve our capabilities.
But please remember we’re not in this for ourselves, but for Jesus, and thus we need to grin and bear whatever sacrifice(s) that are necessary to further His kingdom. That’s why Jesus specifically laid out this condition for discipleship. ‘If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23)
And the important thing to notice in that sentence is the provision for daily discipleship, not when you feel like it, or when it’s convenient. But we like to do our own thing, and when it backfires on us, we hold our heads and bawl and wonder why. Of course it’s going to backfire if you’re not working on the Lord’s behalf. And there are so many scriptures that warn, as well as encourage us to always do our best, in whatever we do, and consider that we’re doing it unto the Lord.
As Bruh Paul says to the Colossians. ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The beneficial influence produced by the indwelling word of Christ is not only to affect public and private worship (vs.16), but it is also to control all areas of a Christian’s life.’ Yes friends, our Christian faith is to be showcased in all areas of our lives, not only in worship.
And then, a few verses later, Bruh Paul further issues these directives on the topic. ‘Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness (sincerity) of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:22-25)
Ah my people, those poignant words still hold true for today…possibly even truer for today than when Bruh Paul first wrote them, for there is a greater population of Christian servants and workers today than back then, and the times are possibly much more confusing and uncertain, therefore we need that wise advice even more desperately than the Colossian believers did. And the scholars offer these explanations on those verses.
As per Eyeservice; they describe it as work done only when the master is watching. Christian slaves were to work hard even when their owners were absent. And are we ever good at eyeservice in these modern times, for it’s the bane of our current work ethic, it’s rampant wherever you go. Too many of us only work when the boss is looking over our shoulders, but once he turns his back…well, that’s another story.
Meanwhile singleness of heart means a “sincere disposition.” And do it heartily means the slave (worker) is to perform his slave duties (work) wholeheartedly, doing the best job he can with all his strength. A slave (worker) could be enthusiastic in carrying out his menial tasks because they were done, not so much for his earthly master (unto men), but for his heavenly Master (to the Lord).
Oh my fellow workers, can you imagine the increase in productivity such sincere and wholehearted efforts would make in today’s work environment! It would boggle our minds, because right now too many of us don’t put out our best efforts at our jobs, but we certainly want to get the same amount of pay and benefits for making a sub-standard effort.
And, as per the reward of the inheritance (or “the reward which is salvation); they say, the fact that Christian slaves will receive salvation from the Lord rather than from men verifies the assertion in verse 23 that they serve Christ, and not their masters. The very same thing applies to us today my faithful brethren. We serve God, not mankind, or those who pay our wages, but we do have a godly requirement to always do our best.
And no topic of scripture would be complete without a word from the wisest man ever, Cousin Sol. (smile) So listen to him give this wise and wonderful advice from Ecclesiastes, as the Preacher. ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave wither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10)
Wiser words were never spoken my people, but like it’s all falling on deaf ears these days, as our society has become so lazy, greedy and unethical, where our main intention is to get something for nothing as often as possible. We fail to consider that nothing is really free, for someone has to pay for it somewhere along the food chain. But all we care about is that it’s not us. Anyway, to help us in our earthly endeavours, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And it’s rather interesting, that right in our prayer lies the solution to many of our problems; humbling ourselves, sincerely seeking God through prayer, and overall, turning from our evil ways. Now do we truly want divine aid? Then let’s get to work nuh! Much LOVE!
…whether therefore ye eat…or drink…or whatsoever ye do…do all to the glory of God… (1 Cor. 10:31)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a break is in the offing, a chance to do our own thing, a man hath joy by the answer of his mouth, a means of restoring faith in you, a refined character, a reflection of a pure and truthful heart, a word fitly spoken, a word spoken in due season, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, ask the Lord to open our ears, boosts our weary and broken spirits, by the example we faithful believers set, can never overstate, can wake up and smell the coffee, crying out for your help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, developed through experience, divine aid, don't speak deceit and falsehood, embrace your love and compassion, faith, fellowship, Friday chant, guard our lips, he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth my ear to hear as the learned, help the rest of us to be responsible, holy spirit, how good is it, improve our Christian witness, in settings of silver, in the correct circumstances, insecure bosses, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, know how to speak a word in season, let every man be swift to hear, like apples of gold in pictures of sliver, LOVE, make us better listeners, mercy, of these ungodly times, omnipotent help, our little nemesis the tongue, our sinful world, reduce our talking, reignites our senses, return backsliders to your fold, salvation, serious problems are escalating, show them the error of their ways, slow to speak, slow to wrath, smell it sweet and strong, speaking the right thing at the right time, spirits at a low ebb, spoken at the right time, spoken with wisdom, stand strong and steadfast, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the anger and venom we spew every day, the importance of a good word at the right time, the Lord hath given me, the throne of grace, the tongue is extremely important in our lives, the tongue of the learned, the value of words is maximised, timing is key, to handle these unexpected storms properly, to him that is weary, to stay safe, took umbrage to it, truth, use the discontent and dissatisfaction, voices filled with anger and venom, well-timed words are beautiful, wisdom, wise guidance, with the right motives, without any bosses looking over our shoulders, words have great power
Proverbs 25:11. A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.
Glory be! It’s Friday! The weekend is here! Consequently, we shout; ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Ah friends, we are so happy to see Friday appear on our radar screens because it’s reignites our senses by letting us know that a break from all the frustrations, problems and heartaches involved with work is in the offing. That finally gives us a chance to do our own thing without any bosses looking over our shoulders. And that fact alone, often lifts us up.
That reminds me of working at a big company years ago, where the fellow sitting behind me and I would laugh and talk while working. The work did not require a lot of concentration, and besides, our immediate boss knew that we were diligently working. But an upper boss who sat further away from us could only see us talking and laughing, and took umbrage to it and directed our immediate boss to stop it. But I guess that’s the mentality of bosses who are afraid for, and insecure in their own positions, and don’t trust their subordinates enough to make good decisions.
Anyway, today we are going to continue talking about our little nemesis, the tongue, and it’s surprising how much scripture has been devoted to it, but that’s because of it’s extreme importance in the entirety of our lives. And we’ll begin with these wise words from Cousin Sol in Proverbs, where he declares: ‘A word fitly spoken (spoken at the right time) is like apples of gold in pictures (settings) of silver.’ (Prov. 25:11. And is that ever the wonderful truth!
And I just like how this commentary explains it. ‘”A word fitly spoken” means speaking the right thing at the right time, a concept from Proverbs 25:11. The phrase is compared to “apples of gold in pictures of silver,” symbolizing that well-timed, appropriate words are precious and beautiful. It suggests that words have great power and their value is maximized when they are spoken with wisdom, in the correct circumstances, and with the right motive.’
And so they do! That’s why kind words in tough situations comfort and encourage us, while unkind ones do the exact opposite. And as the commentary continues: ‘Timing is key: The word “fitly” emphasizes that the appropriateness of a word depends on the situation, making the timing crucial.’ That’s for sure! Meanwhile, ‘The imagery of “apples of gold in pictures of silver” highlights the immense value of a wise and timely word, much like a valuable piece of jewelry.’ And some days when our spirits are at a low ebb, are we ever thankful for that timely word of gold in settings of silver, because it just boosts our weary and broken spirit.
Then the commentary talks about ‘Wisdom and motive: It implies the speaker uses wisdom and has a good motive, such as to edify, comfort, or give necessary guidance, rather than to cause harm or show off.’ Wow! Oh how we wish, or rather hope and pray that many more of us would be wise with good motives when we open our mouths, instead of the caterwauling (shrill voices) filled with anger and venom that is so prevalent today.
Also, as the commentary further suggests, our words are ‘A reflection of the speaker: The phrase can also suggest that the words spoken are a reflection of a pure and truthful heart, or the result of a refined character developed through experience.’ Oh Brother! The Lord would certainly be pleased, and our world would be much better off, if that could be said of many more of us! But unfortunately, right now that is not the case. Our tongues are working overtime with lies, deceits and all sorts of evil doings.
And that brings us to some more wise words from Cousin Sol on the tongue. He says: ‘A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season (in its time), how good is it!’ (Prov. 15:23) More absolute truth my brethren! We do feel good when we talk wisely, and we can never overstate the importance of a good word at the right time.
Now here is another interesting scripture on our words, this from the prophet Isaiah. He declares: ‘The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.’ (Is. 50:4)
And that’s something we all need, and should perhaps make it our daily prayer. Before getting out of bed ask the Lord to open our ears to hear as the wise and considerate, as well as guard our lips so that we don’t speak deceit and falsehood. And I’m serious about that my fellow believers. For it would certainly cut down the amount of talking we do, as well as the anger and venom we spew every day, and make us better listeners.
But now it’s time to go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine help to improve our Christian witness. 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 that’s a good prayer, but there’s one thing wrong with it; the new flock of believers would not be good witnesses if they follow our example, because we have not been very good witnesses either! So, if we truly desire divine aid, let’s get busy and improve things nuh! Much LOVE!
…let every man…be swift to hear…slow to speak…slow to wrath… (James 1:19)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, all we like sheep have gone astray, answer our prayers, burdensome, calls together his friends and neighbours, conquering power, divine aid, don't commit adultery, don't lie, don't murder, don't steal, ease the pain, even our faith, faith, fear, fearful, forgotten their resting place, found my lost sheep, God is sovereign, gone from mountain to hill, greater is he that's in you, having an hundred sheep, he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God, his commandments are not grievous, holy spirit, honour the Sabbath day, honour your father and mother, humble ourselves, I do not forget thy commandments, I have gone astray, if ye love me keep my commandments, in the wilderness, in this dark and evil world, indifference, insufficient Christian witness, irresponsible, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus has won the victory, joy shall be in heaven over one repentant sinner, lackadaisical attitude, languishing in a cesspool of evil, lays it on his shoulders rejoicing, leaves the ninety and nine, lethargic, like a lost sheep, likewise, loses one of his sheep, LOVE, love God with all your heart soul body and mind, Love your neighbour as yourself, make a difference, make hay while the sun shines, mass confusion in our world, mercy, my people hath been lost sheep, ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance, pray, reconciled back to his fold, rejoice with me, sacrifices, salvation, seek thy servant, sheep stray from their shepherd, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, spreading our salty flavour and bright light, strong faith in Christ, suffer dire consequences, than he that's in the world, the ball is in our court, the God who heals, the iniquity of us all, the Lord hath laid on him, the many suffering from negative situations, the only one to solve our problems, the right tonic, the throne of grace, the victory that overcomes the world, their shepherds have caused them to go astray, this is the love of God, to find favour with God, truth, turn from our evil ways, turned every one to his own way, victory over hell death and the grave, we keep His commandments, whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, when he comes home, who is he that overcomes the world, wisdom, wise guidance, ye are of God
Psalm 119:176. Oh Lord, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
It’s Monday friends, it’s Monday! Time to get out there and take advantage of this new work week in Jesus’ mighty name! Yes, time for us to get out into the evil world and make hay while the sun shines, for one day the sun will stop shining and we won’t be able to make any hay then! (smile)
And believe me, with every passing day, it becomes more imperative, more important that we allow our salty flavour and our bright lights to make a difference in this dark and evil world, for we are quickly losing control of it…if we haven’t already, and that’s not what Jesus left us down here to do. He came to earth, did His part, won the victory over hell, death and the grave, then went back to heaven, leaving us down here to maintain that victory. Remember what He said to us: ‘If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments.’ (John 14:15)
And John, later on in his first epistle, added his take to that statement. ‘For this is the LOVE of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome).’ (1 John 5:3) And no, His commandments are certainly not burdensome! They might entail some difficulty, some sacrifices at times, but what’s so difficult in ‘don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, honour your father and mother, honour the Sabbath day, LOVE your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself?’
There’s nothing there for us to misunderstand or not comprehend. However, our response to His commandments have been lethargic, fearful, irresponsible and obviously not good enough, otherwise our world would not be languishing in the cesspool of evil and ungodliness that it’s currently engulfed in.
No friends, our Christian witness has certainly not been good enough, which brings us back to these important words of John’s first epistle. ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?’ (1 John 5:4-5)
Oh my people, it’s through our faith in Jesus Christ that we overcome the world, but if our faith is not strong, we’re fearful, lackadaisical, or simply not interested, then we obviously cannot overcome it. And I like what the scholars say about verse 5. ‘There is conquering power through this confession because God is sovereign over the world, and ONLY through the Son does man have access to and find favour with God.’
And we know that’s the awesome truth, but for some reason(s), we simply refuse to rise to the task and do what we know Jesus expects of us, both as individuals, and as His corporate church. And we can certainly do it, because as John also reminds us: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that’s in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)
That’s more awesome truth my brethren! Our God is stronger than the god of this world, there’s no denying that! But we need to come together and live it; make it work! And I have the right tonic for our indifference, fear, or whatever is holding us back from doing the Lord’s will. It’s a very applicable statement from Psalm 119. So please pray with me: ‘Oh Lord, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.’ (Ps. 119:176)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s our problem. Like Isaiah says when talking about Jesus’ sorrow. ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’ (Is. 53:5) No doubt about it, we had all gone astray in the early days, and the Lord placed all our sins on Jesus, so we could be reconciled back to his fold. It’s also like Jeremiah declared: ‘My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.’ (Jer. 50:6)
So it’s not the first time we have gone astray like lost sheep my people, and we desperately need the Lord to come seeking us. And He will, as Jesus so plainly says. ‘What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just (upright) persons, which need no repentance.’ (Luke 15:4-7)
Yuh see mih bredrin, Jesus is always on the lookout for His lost sheep, and can you imagine the joy there’ll be in heaven when so many of us lost ones have been found…it will be immense! But the ball is still in our court; we must admit that we’re lost, and want to be found. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And if we’re serious, we’ll note some of the requirements for receiving divine aid: humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God’s face, and turning from our evil ways. So please, let’s get to work nuh! There’s much to be done, and we cannot waste another moment. Much LOVE!
…when sheep stray from their shepherd…they very likely will suffer dire consequences…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a means of restoring faith in you, amidst all the anxiety and confusion, as sheep going astray, bare our sins in his own body, be responsible, being dead to sins, bring us back to his fold, by the example we faithful believers set, by whose stripes ye were healed, carry them in his bosom, cast into hell fire, discontent, dissatisfaction, distorted concept, divine aid, even my servant David, faith, feed his flock like a shepherd, find pasture, for His name's sake, Friday chant, gather the lambs with his arm, gently lead those that are with young, go in and out, God is good all the time, God's loving kindness, have it more abundantly, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he restores my soul, his arm shall rule for him, his reward is with him, his work before him, holy spirit, how foolish it is, I am come that they might have life, I am the door of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I the Lord will be their God, I will fear no evil, I would not be searching for you, if any man enter in he shall be saved, if you were not first wanting me, improved Christian witness, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Jesus walked his talk, keep us safe from harm, leadeth me beside the still waters, leads me in the paths of righteousness, let me remember always, live unto righteousness, lost sheep, Lost Shepherd, lost souls, LOVE, major deterrent, marvellous reassurance, mercy, my servant David a prince among them, now returned unto the shepherd, on the late bus, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world can wake up, problems escalating, prone to forget, rebellion against God, rebellious and disobedient sheep, return backsliders to your fold, reversed the parable of the Shepherd and the sheep, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, searching for you, set up one shepherd over them, show them the error of their ways, smell the coffee, stay safe, surrender to your search for me, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the bishop of your souls, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, the Lord God will come with strong hand, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the shepherd has been lost, the thief cometh not but to steal, the weekend, these ungodly times, thieves and robbers, thou art with me, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, to stumble through darkness, trudged down dangerous mountain cliffs, truth, unexpected storms, who his own self, wisdom, wise guidance
John 10::11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Oh my people, it’s Friday, a damp and cloudy one, with showers promised for the weekend. But I know that we’ve all offered up our ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ jubilation, because the weekend is here. And unfortunately, today we’re on the late, late bus because I had to go out early this morning and do some stuff, and by the time I returned, a li’l rest was needed, but unfortunately that li’l rest turned into a much longer one than expected. (smile) And thus we’ll get right into it, with an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. Most likely I’ve shared it before, but in these lost and scary times, it’s certainly worth sharing again.
The title is simply ‘Lost Shepherd.’ Please read with me. ‘Sometimes, Lord In my groping effort to find You I have reversed the parable Of the Shepherd and the sheep. In my distorted concept The Shepherd has been lost And the sheep have trudged down Dangerous mountain cliffs to find him. How sadly prone I am to forget That I would not be searching for You If You were not first wanting me. Let me remember always, Lord How foolish it is To stumble through darkness Searching for You When I need only to surrender To Your search for me.’
And all God’s children said a loud and grateful shout of ‘Amen! God is good all of the time!’ And that He is my fellow believers! There’s absolutely no doubt about it, otherwise we would have all been cast in to hell fire long ago for our disobedience and proud, arrogant rebellion against His Sovereign Majesty! But in His awesome LOVING-KINDNESS, He set out to find us, like lost sheep, so that He could bring us back to his fold and keep us safe from harm. Now the Bible tells us that we should seek Him with all that we have, but it’s also worthy to note, as our poem above says, we would not be seeking Him, unless He was first wanting us.
And isn’t it so good, so encouraging and reassuring that our Creator LOVES us so much that He would send out someone special to look for us and bring us back home. It’s like Isaiah said so long ago: ‘Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand (in strength), and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work (wage) before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 40:10-11)
Yes friends, that’s the picture of a God that’s been painted throughout the Bible; that of a Good Shepherd. Ezekiel also said it of the Lord. ‘And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.’ (Ezek. 34:23-24)
Therefore, it’s no surprise that Bruh David could write in that most popular Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:1-4) Oh yes my brethren! For that’s what a good shepherd does; provides food, safety, warmth and comfort for his sheep!
And no one has done that more for us lost souls than our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He said it Himself, then went and proved it on the cross of Calvary. Listen to this last part of his discourse on the sheep and shepherd. ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for (except) to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:7-11)
Wow! What marvellous reassurance! And that last verse is the Bible Promise for our poem today. And as we said earlier, Jesus did walk His talk; He went out and died for us lost, unworthy, sinful, disobedient sheep! He certainly did all he could to salvage the situation for us. Now the onus lies in our hands, on our shoulders. There’s no Lost Shepherd, but plenty lost sheep! And hopefully, we can end up as Peter says: ‘Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes (wounds) ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but now are returned unto the Shepherd and the Bishop (Overseer) of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 2:24-25)
Yes my people, that’s where we belong, and hopefully that’s where we’re all headed, but it’s not an easy row to hoe, therefore, we need to go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, to get divine help. 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 having said all of that my fellow believers, we need to follow it up with improved Christian witness, for it’s the major deterrent to us not receiving more divine aid! Much LOVE!
…Jesus first came looking for us…we now need to go looking for Him…and if we are sincere…He isn’t hard to find…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart full of thankfulness, a modicum of circumspection, a perpetual reason for gratitude, a personal attitude, a powerful expression of faith, an act of worship that glorifies God, be careful for nothing, be ye thankful, before taking action, called in one body, cautious and prudent, celebrate God's goodness, communal worship, considering all circumstances and consequences, divine aid, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, enjoy the celebrations, enjoy the festivities, excellent weather, faith, firewaorks, food, for all the wonderful things He's done for us, give thanks, give thanks to God with sincere hearts, give thanks to our heavenly Father, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him, God's enduring love and faithfulness, God's gooness is constant, God's marvellous grace and mercy, Gratitude as a way of life, Happy Thanksgiving Day, his mercy endures forever, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in all wisdom, in every situation, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, in every thing give thanks, in psalms hymns and spiritual songs, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts, negative situations, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, permeate every aspect of a believer's life, pray, prayers, public gatherings, reckless escapades, regardless of our circumstances, reinforcing trust in God, salvation, see god's hand and goodness, shifts our focus from our worries to God's provision, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, song and dance, songs, strong faith in Christ, teaching each other, testimonies of God's wonderful deeds, thanksgiving, thanksgiving as worship, thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, the ball is in our court, the foundation for our gratitude, the God who heals, the power to solve our many problems, the recognition of God's unchanging love, the weekend, the will of God in Christ concerning you, this blessed land of Canada, ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ, times of abundance, times of trials, tis evil world, to alleviate our problems, truth, turn from our evil ways, two warnings, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, wisdom, wise guidance
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY CANADA!
Oh friends, it’s good to be alive on this Thanksgiving Monday and be able to give thanks to our heavenly Father for all the wonderful things He’s done for us down through the years, and for what He’s promised to do in the future! What would we do or be without His marvellous grace and mercy eh? Certainly not as much as we are today. And although today looks somewhat cloudy, we also need to give thanks for the excellent weather we’ve experienced so far this important weekend, so that families could get together without too many problems and celebrate God’s goodness to this blessed land called Canada!
I certainly saw that in my area yesterday, where the roads and driveways were lined with more parked cars than normal. Today will also be the same, as the weekend culminates in public gatherings featuring fireworks, food, song and dance and whatever other pastime we choose to occupy the rest of the day. But this thanksgiving rhetoric would not be complete without two warnings; the first is to remember to actually give thanks to God, with sincere hearts, and not only enjoy the festivities like we often do.
And secondly, let’s not overdo the partying and the reckless escapades we tend to get into on these occasions, for remember tomorrow is a workday and we cannot book of sick, or go to work all dragged out and tired. In other words, as that wise man Jeeves would say, let’s totally enjoy the celebrations, but with a modicum of circumspection, that’s being somewhat cautious and prudent, carefully considering all circumstances and potential consequences before taking action. End of the sermon! (smile)
Now, today, we’ll look at some scripture verses that speak of thanksgiving. But before we do that here is some commentary on the matter from the Christianpure website. They break it down into three specific aspects: (1) ‘Gratitude as a Way of Life: The Bible teaches that thanksgiving should permeate every aspect of a believer’s life, encouraging gratitude in all circumstances, not just in times of abundance but also in trials. This perspective transforms how we view our experiences, prompting us to see God’s hand and goodness in every situation.
(2) God’s Enduring LOVE and Faithfulness: Central to the theme of thanksgiving in the Bible is the recognition of God’s unchanging LOVE and faithfulness as the foundation for our gratitude. The verses highlight God’s goodness and mercy as constant reasons for thanksgiving, inviting believers to respond to His LOVE with a heart full of thankfulness.
(3) Thanksgiving as Worship: The act of giving thanks is depicted not only as a personal attitude but also as an act of worship that glorifies God. Through prayers, songs, and testimonies of God’s wonderful deeds, thanksgiving becomes a powerful expression of faith and adoration, drawing believers closer to God and reinforcing their trust in Him.’
And now, having a more in-depth idea of thanksgiving, let’s look at a few verses that fit the bill, beginning with this verse from Bruh Paul to the Thessalonians, which sets the stage for all the others. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) Now that could not be any more specific; in everything we are to give thanks, be grateful regardless of our circumstances, because that’s what the Lord desires of us through Christ Jesus.
Then we have the opening verse of Psalm 107, which is repeated several times throughout the Bible. ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And as the commentary from the Christianpure website tells us: ‘This Psalm highlights God’s enduring LOVE as the foundation for thanksgiving. It reminds us that God’s goodness is constant, providing a perpetual reason for gratitude, reflecting on His unchanging nature and faithful LOVE.’
And what about these verses from Colossians? ‘And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:15-17)
And the commentary reasons that ‘This passage ties thankfulness to the peace of Christ and communal worship. It suggests that gratitude is both a personal attitude and a communal practice, enriched through sharing and teaching, with music as a powerful expression of our thankful hearts.’
Unfortunately though, we have time for just one more verse, another one we ought to know quite well. This from Philippians: ‘Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’ (Phil. 3:6) And per the commentary: ‘This verse teaches that thanksgiving is a crucial element of prayer, transforming anxiety into peace. It implies that gratitude shifts our focus from our worries to God’s provision, encouraging a trustful surrender to His care.’
Now hopefully we have a somewhat deeper and richer understanding of thanksgiving, (smile) so let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for our strife-filled world. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And as our prayer indicates, now that we’ve prayed, we must begin turning from our evil ways, and sincerely seek God’s face, if we desire to receive divine aid. That means the ball is now in our court. So please, let’s do something productive and worthwhile with it! Much LOVE!
…giving thanks is what God expects from us…in every circumstance…so why are we so reluctant to do it eh…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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