As the storm rages….!!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY!

It has been a crazy week for me…..a week where I really needed God! I always need God but this week was really needed…….But God is good because He spoke to me. He spoke to me through a picture! Well, He spoke to me through a post which had a picture. The post was really deep. Check it our here. The author has a sad story but in the midst of that there is a message! I would encourage you to read her story here…..There is a messaqge for women and men alike!

Without wasting any more of your time here is the picture that spoke to me. I hope it speaks to you too…..  🙂

 

 

Rolain

Nine months later…….

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she grieved for her husband. When the time

of mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. 

But God was not at all pleased with what David had done, 

1 Samuel 12:26, 27

We all know what happened here. David slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife but to cover it up he got Uriah

who was a faithful solider to him killed! Bathsheba may not have known what David did but the point is she became the king’s wife. She may not have had a say in any of this either. A king was free to do whatever he wanted in those days.

When I read this story a thought came to me. Between Uriah being killed to Bathsheba giving birth to a son was

at least nine months. I don’t know how long the time of mourning was but all we know is it was at least nine months

when all this took place. David was in sin for nine months! He knew taking someone’s wife was sin. He knew murder

was a sin. David loved God. He had an intimate relationship with Him but David was blinded in this season. This post is

not about how bad David was. We are all sinners. David sinned but so do we.

What I want to show you though is how as sinners sin can destroy us. During this ‘nine months’ we hear nothing.

There is no Psalm that we read during that period! We don’t hear of David’s exploits during that time. Nothing was recorded during that time. David was in sin and he didn’t even know it!

If that could happen to David, a man after God’s heart then surely it could happen to us. And please note, David

didn’t snap out of it by himself. He didn’t realize what he was doing by himself. God intervened!!!! If God did not intervene who knows how long it would of gone on for?

And this is what this post is about……God intervened!

God did not leave David in his sin. He saved him. By God’s grace David was disciplined and forgiven! That is good news for us indeed.

We will do crazy things and left to our own we will not win, BUT……But God does not leave us to ourselves. He is watching over us.

He has extended His grace and mercy to us! We serve a really great God! He sent His son to die for us!

I was so encouraged when I got that revelation. God is for me and no matter how crazy it gets God will help me. I hope it’s an encouragement to you as well.

Generous in love – God, give grace! 

Huge in mercy – wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt, 

soak out my sins in Your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been; 

my sins staring me down. 

Psalm 51:1-3

 

But that is not the end of the story. God turned this dark and terrible situation for good.

David went and comforted his wife Bathsheba. And when he slept with her, they conceived a son. When the son was born they

named him Solomon. God had a special love for him and sent word by Nathan the prophet that God wanted him named Jedidiah (God’s beloved).

2 Samuel 12:24, 25

Solomon would not have been born if David and Bathsheba never met. I am not saying what David did was right. He sinned! What I am trying to say though is God turned a bad thing into something wonderful. And He will do the same thing for us. We may think our sin is too much and God cannot use us but that is not true. God has forgiven you and will turn what the enemy meant for death into life…..

He has amazing things for you despite what you have done. Sin does not define who you are anymore, God’s grace does. He is a truly amazing God!!!

Rolain

 

 

The “Gifts” God gives us…..!

I don’t know where to start and I don’t know how to begin this post. All I can say is that the word “gift” has

taken a whole new meaning for me. A few months ago I found out my friend, was leaving the country for good! We were first friends, then he became my boss, then pastor, then mentor, then family!

My world turned upside down that day. I had people leave before and it was painful but this, this was a whole new level.

My pastor’s wife called me and sat me down as she told me the news. I was devastated and confused. Why God I asked?

This can’t be happening I thought. I had known my mentor’s family for over 10 years! I knew them when they

had their first son. They have four boys now and I love them to bits.  Anyway I remember going to God and

crying out to Him for answers to the question why. Nothing came. Instead revelation came……

 

God showed me how they were gifts from Him. I met my mentor when I had just met The Lord. I am a sinner

now but back then I was much worse. If there is a word worse than sinner I was it. I was truly lost. I had no

direction and no plan. I had crazy issues I was beginning to work out. I had just became a Christian and this new

life was still…..new! I was dealing with a lot of things. I had no confidence and I had no self esteem. When he

employed me a year after meeting him I stole money from him! It was that bad. I WAS that bad! But thank God he never fired me or called the police. He gave me a second chance…….

 

I didn’t trust anyone back then and when he tried to help me out I would think he had some evil intension! When he disciplined me at work I would take it personally. When he made a joke about me I would get extremely angry. My stuttering was so bad back then which didn’t really help things! So believe me when I say, things were bad back then, really bad!!!

But God used him and his wife to mold me into who God wanted me to be. They taught me so much. They stood by

me when I had family issues. They helped me out financially countless times. They sat down and taught me so much

about God and life. In one of the darkest times in my life they were there.

 

God showed me how that was not an accident.

He knew all the change that needed to happen in me. He saw all I was going through and because of that He sent them

into my life. They were gifts. We serve a God who is the giver of gifts but the mistake we make is thinking gifts come in the form of money only. That’s not true. God’s gifts are so much more than money. They are deeper than that. During that time I never thought of them as gifts. We had our good times together and we had hard and difficult times.

 

The fact of the matter is this. God sent me gifts in the form of my mentor and his family. I just didn’t know it at the time and I never gave them the honor they rightly deserved. I wish I never took them for granted. I wish I honored them more and thanked them more for all they had done for me. I can’t put into words all that they did for me. A lot of who I am is because of their input in my life.

They saw so much potential in me and stood by me patiently. They are my family. I am telling you all this because….

…….they left on Wednesday this week! It’s been a hard week I must admit. They had my back. But in the midst of the pain God showed me how He will bring other “gifts” into my life after all; those “gifts” came from Him. He is the giver of all gifts. My mentor and his family never willed or planned to do all they did for me. God was behind it all. My mentor never knew the kind of impact he would have in my life but God did because He planned it. God was behind it all……

Yes, I am sad and broken at them leaving but I am also at peace because God has some amazing “gifts” in store for me.

I pray I be a “gift” to someone else as well. Would God use me to be the kind of “gift” my mentor was to me……

 

Have you acknowledged the “gifts” God has put in your life? There is a reason He has placed them in your life.

Don’t take them for granted. Thank them for all they are doing for you. It is not easy for them. There is always a

sacrifice on their part. May we always appreciate the “gifts” God has given us, always!

 

 

* This post is dedicated to the Stewart family. *

The Stewart family!

 

Rolain.

Walk with the wise….

WORD OF THE DAY.

Become wise by walking with the wise;

 

hang out with fools and…

 

watch your life fall to pieces.

 

 

Become wise by walking with the wise;

hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

Proverbs 13:20

 

Rolain

How the wars in your life are won!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

 

We all have wars to fight. We cannot run away from battles. They are a part of life but how are we to deal with them?

How do we become victorious? We find the answer in the book of Samuel.

 

David strengthened himself with trust in his God. He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Bring me

the Ephod so I can consult God. Abiathar brought it to David. 

Then David prayed to God, Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them? 

The answer came, go after them! Yes, you’ll catch them! Yes, you’ll make the rescue! 

1 Samuel 30: 6-8

 

When the Philistines got word that David had been made king over all Israel, they came on the hunt for him.

David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. When the Philistines arrived, they deployed their forces in Rephaim Valley. 

Then David prayed to God: “Shall I go up and fight the Philistines? Will you help me beat them? 

Go up, “God replied. Count on me. I’ll help you beat them.”

2 Samuel 5:17-20

 

Later there was a repeat performance. The Philistines came up again and deployed their troops in the Rephaim

Valley. David again prayed to God.

This time God said, don’t attack them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and ambush them from the grove

of sacred trees. When you hear the sound of shuffling in the trees, get ready to move out. It’s a signal that God is going

ahead of you to smash the Philistine camp.

2 Samuel 5:22– 24

 

Time and time again we see this pattern throughout scripture. Whoever it was, they always sought The Lord first.

As we face the battles that come our way we need to realize we can come to God. He is our Defender and He will fight for us.

The mistake we make is we think we can do it on our own. But it’s not true!!!! We are not strong enough, and smart enough. We need

Gods help. He is the One who will deliver us. I have tried at times fight on my own only to fail. David as great as he was,

and as great as an army he commanded always sought The Lord first. He didn’t rely on his own strength and on the strength of his mighty men.

 

Who are you relying on when you go to war?

Is it the weapons you possess or the connections you have or the family you come from or the riches you possess?

The experience you have, the intellect you possess????

That means nothing if you don’t seek The Lord. You will fail if you go out alone!!!

Rely on The Lord when you go to war! Rely on God when you face the giants in your life!

 

Rolain.

Purity and dating….What really matters here???

 

I had a thought the other day about my blog. I have rarely written anything

about dating. I have written a few posts here and there but nothing really substantial

about this very important piece of my life. It’s what I pray about constantly and talk to

God about. It’s an area I struggle trusting God in. If there is one thing I have

realized when it comes to finding the one, it’s we as people have no control over who we are to be with.

What I mean is God is the one directing us and guiding us in our relationships. He is involved

In the choosing process, it’s not just us. If it was up to me only I would of being married by now,

I would of chosen someone and that would have been that. But that is not the case for me. God has

really used this area of my life to teach me to trust in Him wholeheartedly! That is what I believe and

that is what I have experienced. This won’t apply to everyone. We are all unique and God works

differently in all our lives.

 

What is your point you might be asking??? Please bear with me a little longer. I am getting there….

 

I had a great week last week. It was great because God spoke to me about grace. I have always

known what grace is but last week was different. I got a whole new perspective on grace. But with

that perspective certain areas of my life were highlighted. The area of dating and relationships

was one of the areas that were highlighted in my life.

Let me explain. I have always prided myself in the values I have been taught concerning dating.

 

–         I have never dated in my life ever!

–         I have never kissed anyone passionately (That honor will go to my wife)!

–         I signed a covenant of chastity even.

 

 

There are others but this post is not about what my values are and getting the praise but about

what God showed me. These are the things that made me proud and even conceited. Because of the

values I had I thought I could dictate who I wanted. God, I want this kind of woman and she must

be that and and and………

I am so ashamed writing this because I was seriously misguided. This is not how God works.

One of the things I prided myself in……
But what matters is God’s grace!

 

Last week He showed me how getting a wife was not because of all the things I had done,

and the high standards I had and the values I believed in but because of His grace!

It is because of His grace that I will find the One. It won’t be because of my intelligence and

how holy I appear to be and how together I try to be but it will be because of His grace!!!!

This is one area He will get the glory! He wants the glory in every aspect of our lives.

When I realized this I was dumbfounded. How could I have not seen this?

 

Please understand me here, keeping yourself pure and all those other decisions about purity

you have made or should make are important. But those things need to be done to glorify God.

I had that intension when I first started out but it changed some where. It became about me

some where down the line.I will meet the woman God has for me because of His grace. I won’t

have anything to add on and say to God “but it’s because I did this or that…..no!”

That is how amazing God’s grace is. His grace extends to every other area of our lives and not just in

our relationships.

 

Will you lean fully on His grace? Don’t rely on what you have done or what you can do and and and….

Rely on His grace!

 

Rolain

What happened when God said, Yes!!!

“They set out and went to Bethel to inquire of God. The people of Israel said, “Who of us shall be first to

 go into battle with the Benjaminites? God said Judah goes first.” 

The people of Israel marched out against Benjamin and took up their positions, ready to attack Gibeah.

But the Benjaminites poured out of Gibeah and devasted twenty-two Israelite divisions on the ground. 

The Israelites went back to the sanctuary and wept before God until evening. They again inquired of God,

 Shall we again go into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers? 

God said, Yes, Attack. 

 

And they again inquired of God. The Chest of God’s Covenant was there at the time with Phineas son

 of Eleazer, the son of Araron, as the ministering priest. They asked, 

Shall we again march into battle against the Benjaminites, our brothers? 

Or shall we call it quits? 

And God said, Attack. Tomorrow I’ll give you the victory. 

Judges 20: 18-28

 

This is a very interesting story. It is interesting because,

The Israelites were told to attack the Benjaminites and only after the third attempt were they successful!

THEY SOUGHT THE LORD for direction and it was The Lord who

told them to attack!!!! God told them to attack and they got defeated twice…… A lot of people were killed

during the first two attempts! Was there confusion, yes! But God told us to attack, must have been the thought

on people’s minds. Did we make a mistake hearing God’s voice, must have been another thought. But this is the

point, God had told them to attack!

 

I didn’t get it at first. How could that be? How could God tell them to do something only to fail? I asked

God to show me the lesson He wanted me to learn from this story. The lesson is this,

There may be things you are trusting God for. You may have even heard Him say yes, but that doesn’t

mean instant success. There will be times where you will doubt what God told you to do. But there is a reason.

God wants you to trust Him.

Just because God said “yes” doesn’t mean no problems and trials, and challenges, and questions. Keep on fighting,

Keep pressing on towards what God told you to do. You may be in a place where nothing seems to be working.

Maybe God wants you to keep at it. Don’t lose hope. He has not abandoned you.

You may have lost a lot as you followed what God told you to do and you are now regretting stepping out.

Your story is not over. There is a reason you are going through what you are going through.

He can be trusted…..

Rolain

 

 

The enemy’s goal for you….

When Saul and his troops heard the Philistines challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope. 

1 Samuel 17:11

 

Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech. 

1 Samuel 17:16

 

As I read this during my quiet time God spoke to me. This is what the enemy does. His goal is to terrify us and make us lose hope. Without hope we are truly lost. When we are terrified we are crippled unable to stand and fight! God cannot work with people who are controlled with fear. He wants to break the fear off our lives. I am one of those people. One of those people who is fighting fear. I know God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind!

 

Look at what the enemy does once the Israelite army is terrified and have lost hope.

 

“Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech.”

 

The enemy is not content with terrifying you for a day. He wants you terrified as long as he can! He doesn’t want you to ever live with hope. He wants you to constantly live in fear, terrified! He is crazy…..! He will do all he can to discourage you, tear you down, destroy your dreams. He will do anything. Morning and evening for forty days! It’s crazy to think that would work but it did.

Look at the kind of effect it had.

 

“While they were talking together, the Philistine champion, Goliath of Gath, stepped out from the front lines of the Philistines, and gave his usual challenge. David heard him.

The Israelites to a man, fell back the moment they saw the giant – totally frightened.”

1 Samuel 17:23, 24

 

You would think the army would get tired of the same old challenge. But the fact is, they didn’t. We look at them and wonder how they could be so scared but the fear was real for them. Goliath was a giant! I would freak out if I saw a giant. Goliath was not only a giant but a trained one, ready for battle!

 

When I read the story everything made sense. There is something I am about to do but I have been attacked with fear. What if I fail, what if I heard God wrong, a lot of people are saying don’t do it but this is something I believe God wants me to do. These are the things I am constantly struggling with in my head. But I know the reason now. The enemy wants me to lose ALL hope! He wants me terrified, so terrified that I disobey God, so terrified, that I am not effective.

 

The armies of Israel dressed for battle everyday for 40 days only to cower away in fear. They were not fighting, just fearing and out of hope!

That is what the enemy wants for you. Has fear crippled you? Have you lost all hope in God because that is what happened?! They lost hope in God. The enemy succeeded.

We can’t let the enemy win. God has so much for us to do. He wants us to win. He wants us to hope in Him. He wants us to trust in Him.

 

Rolain