He was abandoned by everyone!

“Be diligent to come quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, 

having loved this present world, and he has departed for 

Thessalonica-Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 

Only Luke is with me. “

2 Timothy 4:9-11

 

“Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord

repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, 

for he has greatly resisted our words. 

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. 

May it not be charged against them. “

2 Timothy 4:14-16

 

How hard it must of been for Paul. He had been abandoned by

so many people.

He was on the Lord’s business and people kept leaving him left,

right and center!

I don’t think it was easy for him.

 

I think we can all think of a time where we have been let down.

It could of been by a family member, a friend, or a co worker.

Whoever it was, it wasn’t fun. It’s hard actually.

 

But that’s what happens when we put our trust in man.

But that goes two way.

I can remember countless times I have failed people. No

matter how hard I tried I still failed them.

What is the answer then?

 

Paul didn’t have one person abandon him, he had several people

abandon him and oppose him! How did he deal with it?

 

“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the 

message might be preached fully through me, and that all the 

Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the

lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and 

preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. 

To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! “

2 Timothy 4:17-18

 

When Paul was abandoned by his friends and co workers he

didn’t go into a panic attack. He didn’t send “hate mail” to

the people who abandoned him. Instead, he looked to God

to help him.

And the Lord helped Him and delivered him out of the mouth

of the lion.

The Lord remained faithful to him. Even when man failed him,

the Lord remained faithful. The Lord was by his side.

The lesson I want to get across is this,

 

People will fail us, and we will fail people but our

trust and dependence should be on God always!

What happened to Paul had the potential of sending him

into depression and so much more but he knew Who turn to.

The problem for us begins when we put all our hope and reliance

on man.

The only person we should totally depend on is God.

I am not saying abandon your relationships with everyone

and do everything on your own.

I am saying, understand that people will fail you and you will

fail people.

Depend entirely on God.

He will never let you down.

Rolain

Make the most of His blessings…..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Some people dig a fork into the pie but are too lazy to 

raise it to their mouth. “

Proverbs 19:24

 

The poor people! They have the tools (the fork), they have the

blessings from God, the opportunities from God (the pie) but are

too lazy to eat the goodness laid out before them!!

 

May that not happen to us friends.

May we use our gifts and talents in the right way.

May we take the opportunities God has given us.

May we be not like the lazy man who sits and does nothing!

 

I have to admit I act like that man a lot. God has laid out a clear

plan and path for me and I get so distracted. It’s getting better

though. I am fighting the distractions but there is still work to

be done.

I am not doing enough of what I know I am supposed to be

doing!

I don’t want to be that man !

I will not be that man!

 

What about you?

Are you staring at the pie?

 

Let’s enjoy the pie together friends!

God has so much in store for us.

We need to step out.

We need to say no to somethings.

We need to say yes to somethings.

Let’s not let laziness get the best of us…..!

 

Amen

 

Rolain

 

 

 

Build right!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

^” And after this one rose up Judas the Galilean, [who led an uprising] during the time of

the census, and drew away a popular following after him; he also perished and all his

adherents were scattered.

Now in the present case let me say to you, stand off (withdraw) from these men and let

them alone. For if this doctrine or purpose or undertaking or movement is of human origin,

it will fail (be overthrown and come to nothing);

But if it is of God, you will not be able to stop or overthrow or destroy them;

you might even be found fighting against God!”

Acts 5:37-39

 

As I read this scripture a few thoughts ran through my mind.

Are the things I am doing of God or of human origin? Am I 100% certain that God

is in it?

Gamaliel the Pharisee understood this principle.

He knew that if something was birthed of God it could not be stopped!

No matter how hard that thing was fought and resisted it would not be

stopped. Seek God’s guidance in all that you do. There is a blessing in that.

God cares about what you are doing today.

 

In all that you do make sure God is in it. Make sure it’s born of God and not man.

If it’s born of man it will not last. It was be stopped and burned up.

Make sure you are not using your time on the wrong things.

If you are not sure if what you doing is of God then pray.

If you not at peace about anything you doing then that’s a good indicator

it’s not from God.

God wants you to be focused on the right things.

He doesn’t want you to waste time on the wrong things.

Ask Him to come and make things clear.

He cares about you and is passionate about you accomplishing

the things He has for you.

As I close I want to encourage you with one more scripture,

 

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the guards stand watch in vain.”

Psalm 126:1

 

Rolain

What God can do with a life…..

“But when some where hardened and did not believe, but spoke 

evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and 

withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of 

Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so that all who 

dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews

and Greeks.”

Acts 19:9, 10

 

Look at what happens when God gets a hold of someone.

Paul’s life was not meaningless. God used him in such a

mighty way.

 

The word says he reasoned daily at the school of Tyrannus for

two years and because of that “all who dwelt in Asia heard the

word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”

 

That is pretty mind blowing if you ask me.

The whole of Asia got to hear the good news because of Paul!

Did that happen because Paul was qualified? No!

That happened because of God.

 

Look at what else happened through Paul,

 

“Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 

so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from 

his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil 

spirits went out of them.”

Acts 19:11, 12

 

“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their

deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought 

their books together and burned them in the sight of all. 

And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty 

thousand pieces of silver. 

So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. “

Acts 19:18-20

 

Don’t look at your life and think it’s ordinary because it’s

not. God has a plan and purpose for you.

That will look different for us of course.

Your mission is not the same as my mission.

Your gifts and your experiences are unique, specially designed

to help you accomplish what God has called you to do.

 

Don’t despise what you are doing today.

Paul was reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus for two

years! Did he know the whole of Asia would hear what God

had put in his heart? I don’t know.

But everyday for two years he went to the school and spoke

the good news. It didn’t seem like much.

I don’t think he knew this was how the whole of Asia would

hear the good news!!

But God was in control, guiding him. He knew the truth.

 

As I close this post I want you to see the bigger picture.

Your life is important to God.

The world says you are a statistic but not God.

Don’t be discouraged where you are today.

Your life has meaning.

God is in control of your life.

 

God bless you friends!

 

Rolain

 

A story about coffee and blessings…..

“Be intentional about being blessed”

 

Coffee led me to this revelation……  🙂

I am serious. Let me explain.

Someone owed me coffee about two weeks ago. It’s a long story but all you

need to know is someone owed me coffee.

A day passes, two days pass, a week then two weeks and still nothing.

I hadn’t collected the free coffee! (that’s insane right??)

In fact I was reminded to collect the free coffee last week but I forgot to!! (unacceptable for sure!!)

I was then reminded yesterday and I was what the heck???!!!

It’s a free coffee! One would think I hated coffee but that’s not true.

I love coffee.

Let me rephrase that,

I loveeeeeeee coffee!!!!

 

It was at that moment when  a thought came to me,

“Be intentional about being blessed”

 

I was supposed to get a free coffee but I let busyness get in the way.

I thought it was a good excuse but it’s not.

To get the coffee I had to be intentional.

There were things I had to do to receive the coffee……!

In this case I had to simply go and remind a friend to buy me the coffee but I didn’t.

 

I started thinking if there were other areas of my life I was doing the

exact same thing!

God wants me to have so much but if I let busyness and other excuses to get in the

way then I am the one who loses out.

 

Being intentional looks different for every person.

It could be declaring what God spoke over you

It could be obeying Him in that thing that He told you

It could be trusting God for something

It could be spending more time with Him

It could be waiting on Him

It could be reading more of the His word.

 

Remember, blessings are not just material things. They are also spiritual.

Blessings could be a new level of influence, a new gift, dominion and so on.

 

Whatever it is, be intentional.

God has so much in store for you but you need to desire it,

you need to get hungry, pursue Him with all that you have,

speak, declare, prophesy, but don’t just sit there doing nothing.

Open your mouth, lift up your hands, move your feet, whatever He is telling

you to do, DO!

 

Elisha was very intentional about being blessed. He followed Elijah everywhere.

He had to be separated from Elijah by a chariot and horses of fire (2 kings 2)

 

The blind man who was begging near Jericho was intentional about being blessed.

Let’s read his story,

 

^“As He came near to Jericho, it occurred that a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.

 And hearing a crowd going by, he asked what it meant.

They told him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.

And he shouted, saying, Jesus, Son of David, take pity and have mercy on me!

But those who were in front reproved him, telling him to keep quiet;

yet he screamed and shrieked so much the more, Son of David, take pity and

have mercy on me!”

Luke 18:35-42

 

The blind man wasn’t silent as Jesus passed by. The Amplified says he screamed and shrieked

so much the more!!! I hope and pray you understand the message I am trying to get across.

Being intentional is going to be different for each and every one of us.

God will show you what you need to do.

 

But before anything else, be intentional about getting to know Him.

That must be the most important goal and desire in  your life.

If that’s not your main desire then the other stuff is pointless, it has no meaning.

It’s better you forget everything I have said in this post.

God will bless someone who loves Him and wants to be used by Him.

He will bless someone whose desire for Him far outweighs the desire for stuff.

He will not bless a selfish person.

He will not bless someone who is looking out for himself.

It’s the people who love Him with all of their heart, soul and mind

that make a real impact in this world!

Let’s be more intentional about being blessed!

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

Your life and your words……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Establishing and strengthening the souls and hearts  of the disciples,

urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith,

and [telling them] that it is through many hardships and tribulations

we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Acts 14: 22

 

Paul strengthened, urged, warned and encouraged the saints.

What’s important is how he did it. He didn’t try

to sugar coat the truth. He was honest with them, transparent.

He made sure what he taught was what he was living out.

He didn’t say, life was a bed of roses. He didn’t try to hide what life was

really about.

When Paul said “it is through many hardships and tribulations

we must enter the kingdom of God” you better believe he was talking

from a place of experience.

Before Paul spoke to the saints about hardships and tribulations look

at what happened to him prior to that talk.

 

“Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the

crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city,

thinking he was dead.

But after that the disciples had gathered around him he got up

and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left

for Derbe “

Acts 14: 19

 

It was directly after being stoned that Paul strengthened, urged, encouraged

and warned the saints!

He was real about what was going on.

 

Are you being real with the people around you?

Are you being transparent about what’s happening in your life

or are you sugar coating it?

Are you living out the advise you are giving out to others?

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

What an empty life looks like….

“Then He spoke a parable to them saying:

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

And he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do,

since I have no room to store my crops?

So he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build

greater, and there I will store all  my crops and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up

for many years, take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”

Luke 12: 16-19

 

We all know how this story ends,

 

“But God said to him, Fool!

This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will

those things be which you have provided?

So is he who lays up treasure, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:20, 21

 

This story shows us what an empty life looks like.

The rich fool had so much in his hands and instead of using it

to make a difference in people’s lives he thought about how

he could consume it on himself!

 

You can’t make a difference if all you think about is how you

are going to be provided for.

The rich fool could have impacted so many lives but he didn’t.

He didn’t understand what he really had.

 

I have a friend who is a dancer by profession and I watched one of his

dance videos yesterday.

I was so impacted by it and the one thing that stood out to me

was how he was using what God had given him to bring glory to God.

That’s what it’s all about friends.

God has given you talents and gifts but it is all meaningless if you are not

using it to bring glory to His name.

Are you using what God has given you to touch your family, neighbor,

unsaved friend, community, city, nation and world??

That is why you have been given talents and gifts.

That’s why you were created.

Your purpose is always about touching people. When God created

you, He made you in such a way that you would shine in the darkness.

 

My challenge to you is to think about what God has given you.

How can you use it to show God’s love?

How can you use it to impact the people around you?

Your challenge is my challenge.

Let’s make sure we are using the gifts God has given us to bring Him glory.

As I sign off I will leave you watching

my friend’s dance video. I pray

it ministers to you as it did to me….

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

Are you living with an expectancy that God is going to move in your life?? You should!

“Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us

in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.”

Psalm 33:22

 

This verse seems so unassuming, so simple, but it there is a very profound truth in it!

Let’s talk about it,

 

Is your faith in God unrestrained  or is it subdued, reigned in?

Are you trusting God for the impossible or is there a “child-lock”

on your faith?

Because this verse is making a link between the intensity of your

faith and what you receive.

If your faith is small then that is what you will get and

vice-versa!

God’s mercy and loving-kindness will be upon us according to

the proportion of our waiting and hoping in Him!

How much are you waiting on Him?

How much are you depending on God for?

 

Maybe things are not happening in our lives because we are not

expecting much?

Maybe we are playing it safe to protect ourselves from getting

disappointed. I know what that feels like.

When everything is said and done, God will not let us down!

He will not disappoint us.

 

God wants us to dream and trust big for our lives, our family,

and the world!

It’s time we break the box we have put Him in.

It’s time we stop walking around with our “tame faith”.

I can’t tell you how challenged I am by this word.

I have been praying too small.

I have put God in a box.

My lack of desire and small

expectations don’t help much.

 

Today’s word is for us to trust Him

more and hope in Him more.

We will never get to a place of

“trusting and hoping too much”.

Break off the limitations you have

placed on your faith and hope.

If you have been hoping in God for a

long time keep hoping

and increase your hope in Him. Don’t

shrink back. He will not let you down.

 

His mercy and loving-kindness will

be given to us in proportion

to our waiting and hoping in Him!

 

Bless you friends.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

That was not a coincidence, God was involved!

“Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life,

“Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can,

because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land that will last seven

years.

The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family

went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.”

2 Kings 8:1, 2

 

God’s word is so amazing. I love it and the lessons it teaches.

Before I continue I want to ask you something,

Do you believe Yeshua is directing your every step?

Has He planned your every step?

 

I strongly believe He knows and has planned our every step.

Even in the difficult times, He is directing us and is very much

in control.

There is nothing that happens in our lives that throws Him off guard.

Totally nothing!

 

Let’s take a look at the woman’s story for a bit. The man of God told her

to move to another land with her family because a famine was coming

to her homeland. The famine would last for seven years!

Getting up and going is no easy thing. She had to sell everything she had.

She had to make a new life in a foreign land which wasn’t easy.

 

What a risk she took right! There were so many things that could have gone

wrong but God I believe was directing her every step. He knew exactly

what was happening with her and had planned what would happen to her

because of her obedience.

 

Look at what happened to her,

 

“At the end of the seven years she came back from the land of the Philistines

and went to appeal to the king for her house and land.

The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and said ,

Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.

 

Just as Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life,

the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came to appeal to the

king for her house and land.

Gehazi said, “This is the woman, my Lord the king, and this is her son whom

Elisha restored to life.”

2 Kings 8:3-5 (emphasis mine)

 

That was no coincidence! How did she go to the king at the exact time Gehazi was telling

him about how Elisha raised her son from death to life?? There is no way she could have

timed it perfectly.

The only way that happened was because of God!

That’s the way He works.

Like Ruth just happened to be gleaning in the field of Boaz (Ruth 2:2-4) so it happened for the woman.

She thought she was just going to plead to the king for her house and land and nothing more.

She didn’t have the faintest idea that Gehazi was talking about her.

She had no idea how her life was about t0 change……

 

“Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, Give back everything that belonged

to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.”

2 Kings 8:6

 

This post is about how a loving God directs our

every step in ways we cannot even begin to fathom!

He has planned our every step friends.

You may be between a rock and a hard place but know that God is with you.

Nothing that happens in  your life escapes Him.

He is well aware of all that is going on in your life.

Have faith that He is taking you somewhere.

It may seem like you are at a dead end but its not true.

God will make a way out for you.

There is so much more He has in store for you.

He is leading you to pleasant places.

He is leading you to places He has appointed for you from the beginning

of time.

So as you take that step know He is directing your every step!

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

Will you say “yes” to Him?

“Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias. 

The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he answered,

Here am I, Lord. 

And the Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called 

Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus

named Saul, for behold, he is praying [there].”

Acts 9:10, 11

 

I hope we all know the story of Ananias. God spoke to him

to go to Paul. At that time Paul was causing great suffering

among God’s people. He was imprisoning them and killing

them.

So when God told Ananias to go to Saul it was not

surprising he had reservations about going to him.

 

“But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard many people

tell about this man, especially how much evil and what 

great suffering he has brought on Your saints at Jerusalem;

Now he is here and has authority from the high priest to 

put in chains all who call upon Your name. “

Acts 9:13, 14

 

But read what God tells him,

 

“But the Lord said to Him, Go, for this man is a chosen

instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles

and kings and the descendants of Israel; “

Acts 9:15

 

But I love how Ananias responded to God,

 

“So Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his 

hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, 

Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, 

has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled

with the Holy Spirit. “

Acts 9:17

 

Ananias said yes to God! That’s all that mattered to him at the

end of the day.

 

I share that story to show you that God uses simple, ordinary,

obedient people to carry out His will!

You don’t have to be anyone grand, you just need to be obedient!

I don’t know about you but I want to be used more by God.

I don’t want fear to stop me.

Ananias may have been afraid but that didn’t stop him from

obeying God.

We are God’s hands and feet in this earth.

So the question is, are we obeying His voice or are we

expecting someone else to answer His call?

Do we think we are too insignificant to be used by Him?

That is a lie from the enemy.

God loves you and wants to use you in a mighty way.

He is not waiting for you to become a millionaire to use you,

He is not waiting for you to get your life “sorted” out before

He can use you.

 

Please understand something, without God’s grace and favor

on our lives we wouldn’t be able to do anything.

But we have been filled with His holy Spirit and that

means we can do anything no matter our past, no matter

our skin color, no matter what people label us as.

Remember Gideon

Remember Moses

Remember Peter

Remember Mary

Remember Rahab

 

These people were not qualified according to the world’s

standards.

They were nobodies but not to God.

He saw them differently.

He saw greatness in them.

He validated them and that was the most important thing!

 

The word today is simple, God needs you!

He wants to use you.

You are His hands and feet.

He is looking to and fro across the earth to see who will say “yes”

to Him!

Will you say “yes” to Him today??

Bless you friends….

 

Rolain