The way to greatness……

How did THEY do it? The great men and women who went before us? How did they achieve greatness? One thing is for sure. None of those men and women became great in a day. It took time. Look at Israel, what a great example. Jacob was one man with a promise. He would become a mighty nation! Psalm 105: 11, 12 says,

Saying, unto you will I give the land of Canaan as your measured portion, possession, and inheritance. 

When they were but a few men in number, in fact, very few and were temporary residents and strangers in it. 

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. We see from this short passage that God started with a few people. He started off small. It is doing the small things that great things are born. Without the small things you cannot be great. So you may have started writing but no one knows your name, please know there will  come a day when people will know your name, a day where your books will impact millions. Keep on writing. You may have started a company but it hasn’t picked up like you would want it too but know the day is coming when you will be so busy you will not know what to do with the clients that come to your place.

All great things start as small things. It is just the way it is. Don’t despise the “small” that you are doing now. It is to an end. God has a much bigger plan in store for you. It takes time for “small” to turn into great. You need to keep at it. keep pushing, keep trusting, keep declaring, keep on working. God knows what He is doing.                                                        I need to constantly remind myself of this truth. God is doing something and I must not despise the day of small beginnings. He is making me stronger, preparing me for the great and so it is with you. King David looked after his fathers sheep. But God was preparing him out there. He fought the lion and the bear out there. God was preparing him for the giant and more. He was preparing him to be a king as he was doing the “small”. Did he know what God was up to, I don’t know! People saw but didn’t understand. His own family didn’t see it. People don’t usually tend to see what God is doing but keep on with what He has shown you.

What you need to do, is see beyond the “small” as you do the “small”. Do you understand?? When you do the “small” see the end result. See the “small” in it’s completed state. If you are at school aspiring to be a doctor keep the picture of the doctor up. When things get hard at school, having the main picture in front of you will help you. It takes faith to see ahead. You can only see the big picture by faith! The “small”  you are doing now is the key. Don’t despise it.  The “small” is setting your foundation down and making it stronger. That is where greatness starts…..

Rolain

he is in the dark……!!!!!!

I had a talk with my mentor some time ago about my life and life in general. There was something he said that was triggered today as I went through my journal.
He said, the devil speaks from the dark. He cannot see because he is in the dark.
And after some meditation I see how significant that is. If he is in the dark how can he see clearly? He would like us to believe that he can see clearly but the truth is, he can’t! We don’t have to listen to his lies because that is what they are lies!! The thing is this, the enemy knows he is in the dark but he still speaks and we believe him. I was one of his victims and by God’s grace, I am starting to see the real truth. I believed I was nothing and useless for such a long time. I didn’t think my life would amount to anything. I thought I was done for. I thought I was a loser. But they were all lies!!! Lies, lies, lies……It’s like letting a blind man give you directions. The devil would like us to believe his lies. But understand, he is in the dark. He lives in the dark.

The word says, he walks around LIKE a lion seeking whom to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Please note, he is like a lion, not a lion! We are children of the light and we need to start listening to the right person, God.
It sounds very easy as you read this but it’s not. The enemy has had time perfecting his lies. He has had time to tweak his show and make it seem as real as can be. I have just come to an understanding of what I am talking to you about. When my mentor shared this with me, it was like my eyes were being opened for the first time. How could I have been so blind? Because he is in the dark I don’t have to believe the lies. The negative things I was brought up believing about myself are false because they came from someone who couldn’t see and still can’t see, and that applies to you as well. He is doomed. His end has been decided and there is nothing he can do to change it. He is defeated.
In your life what are the lies you have believed? Ask for help from the Holy Spirit because without Him you fight in vain. You will not win in your own strength. You need God on your side. The truth is, you will not die. You will not stay down. You have a hope and a future. Your children will be saved. You will be healed from that sickness. You will not be poor. Your life will be significant. You are important.

Please remember, the devil is in the dark. He cannot see anything. He is shooting in the dark hoping you will believe him. Don’t believe the lies. They make look, and feel, and smell like the truth but if it’s from the devil it’s lies. He cannot see how your life will end. He cannot see all the good things God has in store for you. He can only guess. He is in the dark and that makes all the difference.

And that brings me to another truth. Only God knows what is going to happen. He knows the end of your story. Don’t allow people who don’t know you to determine what you are going to be. Don’t let them set the limits in your life. Only God can do that. If God tells you something can’t be done then so be it but don’t let people tell what you can and cannot do. They are not qualified to do that. They did not create you, God did. As far as I am concerned, YOU are not even qualified to come to a conclusion about yourself. You may know yourself better than everybody else but you are still not qualified to say what you can and what you can’t do. You never created yourself, God did. I hope you are starting to see how important it is who you listen to……

Rolain

The Disciple……

Have you ever felt left out or ignored? Have you ever felt like you like you are good for nothing? Who has ever felt abandoned by God? What would you do if you were never noticed? What would you do if you were always left out? Well, there was a man who felt like that. The only difference is, he chose to hang around. He was patient. His story is quite amazing.
His name is Matthias. Who was he?

For it is written in the book of Psalms, May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it; 
and let another take his office. 
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when, He was taken up from us, a witness to His resurrection. (read Acts 1:20-26)

He was the thirteenth disciple! His story is amazing because for the duration of Jesus three year ministry we never hear about a Matthias. Never! What did he go through? What were some of the things he faced? Did he ever want to give up like some of the other people that followed him? I don’t know but this is what stood out for me about Matthias:                                                                                                                                                          He was faithful to Jesus. There must of being challenging times, there must of being confusing times but he stayed faithful. People left but he didn’t.

John 6:60-66 says:

 60 Jesus’ disciples heard this. Many of them said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, “Does this upset you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are from the Spirit. They give life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. 65 So he continued speaking. He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps him.” 66 From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.

What can we learn from this man? You may feel like God has overlooked you but He hasn’t. You may feel like you are not important, but you are. You may feel like God doesn’t see you but He does. We need to remain faithful in the place God has called us. You may not get any recognition for it, you may not get a pat on the back but know this, God is watching. He is the One who rewards, He knows where you at. Your role in this story called life is so important. You are a vital to God’s big picture! People may brush you off but God doesn’t. People may fail to see your value but that is there loss. It is not your fault if people don’t see your true potential and value. It is their problem. Just continue on the path God has laid out for you and just like Matthias your time will come. It is God that promotes a man. As I end, please note you are important. God knows exactly where you are. He cares and He is the one who rewards…..And that is the lesson we learn from Matthias.

Rolain

What does God see when He sees you?

I will sing of the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation. Psalm 89:1

I have established the fact that God has a plan for you. But there is more. God has a plan for you but He has a plan for your children and their children and their children and so on. God doesn’t just see you. When He looks at you He sees generations. He doesn’t want to just bless you but the generations after you!! We need to begin to see like He does. We need to think like Him  in every sphere of our life. When you make a decision concerning your life, know that it is going to affect the generations after you. Where will your kids be and what will they believe, who will they worship? Do you want them to be blessed? Do you want them to do great things for God? Well, you have a part to play in that.

For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your gates, and He has blessed your children within you. 
Psalm 147:13

God has already blessed your children within you! If you are single, know that your kids are blessed. If you are married and you have kids, God has blessed them. God has a plan for them and He has a plan for their children. There is more to God blessing you than just blessing you. There is a part you are to play in all of this.

When King David dwelt in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. 2 Samuel 7:1, 2

We know the story. Nathan comes back to him and tells him he will not build the house for God but because the thought came into his mind God would bless his children.

And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring, who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom. 2 Samuel 7: 12
(read the whole of chapter 7)
God blessed David by blessing his generation to come!

“Your throne shall be established forever.” 

Wow!!!! I hope you are beginning to see it. You are not just living for yourself but for the generations to come after you and God doesn’t just see you but the generations that are to come after you. He is not just blessing you but He has blessed the generation after you! When you understand that, the way you live changes. The way you make decisions changes.
Remember, when God sees you, He sees generations. Amen

Rolain

No matter what happens, God is in control!

You have a calling….. You were brought to earth for a reason and that is the truth. What I have been thinking about are the journey’s of all the great men and women in the bible. I don’t believe the road God paved for them was easy. And this is the thing though, we read their stories and we know their ending but the actual people didn’t. For example, look at Joseph, Esther, and Rahab.

Joseph – We know his story but imagine what he went through. He was sold as a slave. What was going through his mind at that precise moment? Just before that his brothers threw him down a pit and were planning his death! Did he think his life would amount up to something? Did he feel like God had abandoned him? Did he lose hope? Did he ever feel like just giving up? I think he went through all these things but when we read his story we know the end. We know God would deliver him in a mighty way. We know he would become second to Pharaoh! We know he would save the world from a severe famine but did he? I don’t think he knew that when he was in the pit. But the fact is this, God was in control, even when things didn’t seem like that. He knew the end and that is what matters. Joseph may of felt abandoned because of the circumstances he found himself in but he wasn’t abandoned. God had not abandoned him! God was guiding him and making a way for him. God was preparing him for something big.

Esther – She was orphaned. She didn’t know who her parents were. She was abandoned and was being raised by her uncle, Mordecai. (Esther 2:7) And to top things off, she was a women. Not the greatest thing to be at that time in history. What did she struggle with? Did she even think she was called? Did she know God had an amazing plan for her? Did she struggle with identity and rejection? But as we read the story we know the end. We know she would be crowned the new queen and she would save an entire race! Did she know that in the beginning? I don’t think so but again, God was in control. She may off thought of herself as dirt but God had planned something so amazing for her. He loved her and God was with her. I wonder if she knew that in the beginning????

Rahab – She was a prostitute! I can only imagine what she went through before the spies visited her. She had to struggle with people mocking her. Did she struggle with abuse, physical and verbal? I most definitely think so. Did she struggle with self-esteem? People looked down on her? She was treated like trash. She wasn’t even a Christian!!! She was a prostitute for crying out loud. In her eyes and the eyes of everyone else around her, her life path was clear, there was no mistake of what she would amount to. She would amount to nothing!!! There was no hope for her. Did she believe that God had chosen her? Did she know something amazing was about to happen to her?? I don’t think so. But again, God was in control. He had a plan for her even if she couldn’t see it, even if everybody else around couldn’t see it. God had a plan and that made all the difference!

This is what I am trying to get to. God has a plan for your life. Even if like Rahab everyone says you are going nowhere, God has a plan for your life. Put your faith in God. His plan for your life is going to blow you away. Take comfort in the fact that, GOD has a plan for you. Your circumstances might be saying the complete opposite but God has a plan. Don’t give up. At times I don’t see. The circumstances around me get my focus off the bigger picture. But God has a plan even if it seems like He has abandoned me. Don’t believe the lies. God is in control. He created your beginning but He also created your end and it is wonderful!! It is grand and it is breathtaking!!! He knows how it’s going to end because He is the one who WROTE the end!!

Rolain.

What is God’s will for my Life????

God created each and everyone of us for a purpose. He made no mistakes when He created us. But there are a lot of people who don’t know what their purpose is on the earth. What is God’s will for my life, is one of the most asked questions among Christians. You see, everything around us speaks to us about destiny. If there is one thing you cannot deny is the fact that, everything on this earth has a purpose! For example, let us take a look at  a butter knife. It is a knife but it was made for a specific purpose. It was made so it could be used to spread butter on bread. You cannot use it to cut wood. It was not made for that.

The butcher knife on the other hand was made to cut harder things. Does it make it better than the butter knife, no! It makes it different. Each has a different function. What am I trying to get at, you might be wondering? My goal is to show you that everything is made with a purpose and that goes for us. What is our purpose?

     

To find out what our purpose is we need to look to the Word of God. There is so much in there for us. Let us look at a familiar passage of scripture which says,

  New American Standard Bible 
“The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.  Isaiah 43:21

We were created with the sole purpose of worshiping God!!! God created you and me to worship Him. You were specifically made to do that. Everything else comes after that. Yes, you are a doctor, lawyer, athlete, pilot, governor, and so on but God created you to worship Him!!! Our purpose is to worship God in the place He has called us to be in. David was a king and a warrior but he was a worshiper! King David says in Psalm 119:164 –  New International Version
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. 

He understood he was created to praise God. The Word says, the people I formed for myself WILL….not might, or if they feel like but WILL!!! It is a command and not a suggestion. God doesn’t command us to do things just for the sake of being difficult but because He knows there is a blessing. Will you answer to the challenge? Will you answer the call to live a life of worship. We were created to worship God! As you do that everything else will fall into place.

Rolain

They truly missed it……….

Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium (judgement hall, governor’s palace). And it was early. They themselves did not enter the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled (become ceremonially unclean), but might be fit to eat the Passover [supper].
John 18: 28

I was reading this verse when it occurred to me how far off the mark the pharisees were. They did not enter the Praetorium because they didn’t want to defile themselves!! If they defiled themselves they would not be able to partake of the Passover meal. Are you serious???!!!!  Didn’t they know the Passover was a shadow of Christ? They had the Messiah with them, the sacrificial Passover lamb but they didn’t realize it!!!!

That got me thinking about the Pharisees. How did they get so blind? We can learn a lot from them for sure. The one thing that came to mind was law and tradition. To the pharisees everything was about law and tradition. You had to do this and do that. Wash your hands in this way, pray this way, you have to, you have to……
And because of that attitude their hearts became hardened. Grace was not part of their vocabulary.
We need to be careful. Are we living by law or by grace?

Now a great crowd of the Jews heard that He was in Bethany, and they came there, not only because of Jesus but that they also might see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also,  John 12:9, 10

The Pharisees were out of control and they were supposed to be spiritual leaders!!!
Another attitude that contributed to their crazy behavior was the fact that they thought works was enough! They relied on their own strength to get them to heaven. They thought by doing, they could obtain salvation. They prayed, tithed, went to church, memorized scripture, fasted, all because they thought it would impress God…..How wrong they were. Our works in the sight of God, are like filthy rags! Works are not enough.

Something else to notice about is this, to the pharisees everything was about what you could see. They focused all their attention on the external instead of what was on the inside. They measured themselves and other people on outward appearances!!! They ignored the heart. They never searched their own hearts. They never realized their hearts and become hardened. What a shame.

All these things blinded them. They blinded them and hardened their hearts. Let us be careful how we walk. Ask God for wisdom. Let us not be like the Pharisees who missed God. We can easily be misguided just like the them. Let us be aware of the enemies devices…….

Rolain

What is fear really after???

I was having my quiet time this morning when I read this:

He doesn’t want your money. He doesn’t want your diamonds. He won’t go after your car. He wants something far more precious. He wants your peace of mind – your joy.

His name?

Fear.

His task is to take your courage and leave you timid and trembling. His modus operandi is to manipulate you with the mysterious, taunt you with the unknown. Fear of death, fear of failure, fear of God, fear of tomorrow – his arsenal is vast. His goal? To create cowardly, joyless souls.

I thought about what was being said. Fear does not aim  for the material things. Fear knows exactly what he needs to attack in your life. Fear knows what is really important, do we?
We have placed so much value on earthly possessions but there is something much more precious than that, your peace of mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind! The enemy wants our peace of mind. He wants us to panic and fret. He wants us to lose it. Fear cripples us and that is what he wants…..
Having peace and joy cannot be compared to any earthly possession. We need to keep our peace of mind.

Rolain

Your Help in Time of Need……….

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever –
John 14:16

As I was reading the word this morning a scripture stood out. I have always read it but today was different. My eyes were opened to what the role of the Holy Spirit is. I know who the Holy Spirit is but after reading this scripture I got more understanding. The Amplified makes it so clear. This is what I was shown about Him:

The first thing the verse calls the Holy Spirit is Comforter – When we are alone, when we have been hurt, when we have been abandoned, when we have been abused, when we have lost someone close, the Holy Spirit is there to comfort us! Look to the Holy Spirit to comfort you because He is the Comforter and the word is very clear when it says, the Holy Spirit is to remain with us forever!!! Praise the Lord…..

He is our Counselor – When you are confused or not sure about something turn to Him because He is your Counselor. He is to be our first point of call. He is more than capable to lead us down the right path, or to help us make the right decision. When you don’t understand call on Him. When you are unsure about your life, call on Him. He is able to make things clear in your life!!! He is your Counselor!

He is our Helper – How we need help in our everyday lives. The fact of the matter is this, we are not strong enough or capable enough on our own! It’s the truth. We need help. What happens when we get to a hard and difficult place that is too much for us? A place where our strength is not sufficient? We look to the Holy Spirit. What happens when your kids are losing their way and you have tried everything humanly possible to change the circumstances but to no avail? Look to the Holy Spirit. He is your Helper!! There are so many other impossible situations that need the hand of God….

He is our Intercessor – We need someone to stand in the gap for us. The Holy Spirit intercedes to God for us. We are not perfect and we fail constantly but the Holy Spirit is forever interceding on our behalf….
Thank you Lord….

He is our Strengthener – When we are weak, He strengthens us. When we cannot finish, He gives us the strength to do so. When we don’t have the strength to do anything He comes to our aid and strengthens us. We constantly need God’s strength to do what He has called us to do. He is our Strengthener!

He is our Standby – Through the pain, the confusion, and through the storms, He stands by us. He doesn’t leave us. In the midst of darkness, He stands with us. When we are abandoned, He is with us. When we are rejected, He stands by us.

The Holy Spirit is truly amazing. He is worthy of all our praise!!

Rolain

The desolate, defenseless, poor & needy….

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

Open your mouth for the dumb [those unable to speak for themselves], for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless; 
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and administer justice for the poor and needy.  Proverbs 31:8, 9

God has given us the responsibility of speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. We are to defend the defenseless. We are to stand up for those who cannot stand. Who are the people who cannot speak, and are defenseless and cannot stand? They are the poor, they are the abused, the little children, the widows, the castaway, the aids victims, the people who have been trafficked around the world……the list goes on and on. Who can you stand up for? Who can you defend? This is what God has called us to do.

Open your mouth the word says. Administer justice for the poor and the needy! I like that. We are the ones who are to enforce God’s justice on the earth. If you see injustice then do something about it. Don’t just expect someone else to do it.
God has shown me who to stand up for but because of fear I have shrunk back but I know now that God does not want me to shrink back. He wants me to stand and open my mouth. What about you? Who are you supposed to stand up for?

Before you can stand and speak you need to be able to see. If you can’t see the injustice around you how will you defend? Let us ask God to open our eyes. There are people waiting for us. They are in pain, hopeless, hungry, abandoned, broken and at the brink of death literally. We can’t stand on the sidelines anymore. God, please help us………Give us the courage to step out. Give us the strength to stand and speak out. We will not turn a blind eye and ear to the cry of the abandoned, the hurt, the abused and the poor……Give us the wisdom and the fearlessness to do what You have called us to do. How can we live a life content on being comfortable while others suffer and die on a daily basis. The enemy is destroying whoever he can and we just stand idly by!!!!! We go to church and lift our hands in praise but during the week we ignore the poor, the weak, the homeless, the abused….something is wrong with that picture.

I am so guilty of doing this Lord. Please forgive me for acting blind. Please forgive me for closing my eyes and keeping my mouth closed. Help me from this time forth and help everyone else who reads this and has the same desire to stand up and speak up……We need your help Lord, Amen!                         It is so easy to say a prayer but it’s a whole other ball game acting it out and that is what this world needs, more acting out Christians instead of Christians that think a prayer is enough……..Prayer is key, it’s the foundation of all we do but we need action. There has to be a balance. Let us be the voice God has called us to be…….Amen

Rolain