God’s plan for you in the fire….!!!

Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel should be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no hurt of any kind was found on him because he believed in (relied on, adhered to, and trusted in) his God. Daniel 6:23

In this season this scripture has ministered to me deeply. What do we do when we find ourselves in the fire and the lion’s den? Because the truth of the matter is, everyone will face the fire everyone will face the lion’s den! No one is exempt! And this proves true for the Christian. Just because you follow Christ does not exempt you from the fire or the lion’s den!

 

I had my accident but I just found out one of my friends is in hospital because a car bumped into his car!

Another friend of mine has got cancer!

Another friend is unsure about what the future has in store for them and so on and so on…

 

Pain, heartache, death, disappointment, rejection, and a host of other things are some of the things we have to deal with in this life. But what do we do when we are in the fire, what do we do when we are in the lion’s den??

 

When I read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den there were a few things that stood out:

Daniel had a relationship with the King who at the time was the most powerful man in the world but even he couldn’t help him! He could not reverse the law he had put in place.

“You should stop trusting in people to save you, because people are only human; they aren’t able to help you.”  Isaiah 2:22 NCV

From the story we see the king had tried everything to help Daniel! But with all his power and authority he was not able to deliver him! I am not saying don’t look to people for help. When the fire comes we need the support of people. I could not have got through the trauma I faced without the encouragement and support of people (To read about the accident I was in click here) the issue comes when you rely on people to save you instead of God! He is the only one who can deliver you from the fire and the lion’s den! Man can only do so much but if you think they are the answer then you have missed it.

The king who was the most powerful man in the world at the time was powerless to save Daniel but God wasn’t! God wants you to know He is the only One who can save you from the fire! He is the only One who can deliver you from the lion’s den. No one else is qualified to take God place so don’t put that kind of expectation on people!

“So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no hurt of any kind was found on him because he believed in (relied on, adhered to, and trusted in) his God.”

Daniel was not hurt in anyway because he trusted in God! Your trust in God will deliver you from the lion’s den and the fire. That is the ONLY thing that will deliver you!

It doesn’t say his trust in man delivered him from the lion’s den but his trust in God! I want you to get this. When you are in the fire you need to look to God. When you are in the lion’s den cry out to God! He will deliver you. Let us learn from Daniel. I have seen this truth in action! It’s God that has kept me from falling. As I looked to Him, He has put His hand on me. I am at peace because I have decided to trust Him completely.

When I fear I feel His love,

When I open my bible I see him so clearly,

When I spend time with Him, I feel His tangible presence,

When I worship, I feel His hand on me,

I hear His voice in the music I listen to (worship music mostly) and the people who encourage and support me!

That’s what happened to me when I trusted Him in the fire, in the lion’s den!

“My God has sent His angel and has shut the lion’s mouth so that they have not hurt me,” Daniel 6:22

God was with Daniel in the lion’s den and like Daniel He is with you! His angels are with you. You are not alone in the fire and in the lion’s den!  So praise Him, draw close to Him!

Rolain

 

 

 

The Tuesday that changed everything……..

I have not written in a while. Not because I had nothing to write about, but because I was involved in a car accident! To be honest I didn’t want to write, I guess it was shock! It is not easy writing about the accident but after a week I know God has been challenging me to write about what happened!

 

Last Tuesday……

I was on my way to do shopping when a man ran out on the road unexpectedly! Thank God it was raining because it made me drive slowly! Anyway this guy ran out on the road and before I knew it he was in front of me. I tried to avoid him by turning sharply away from him but I was not successful. I hit him with the side of my bumper which sent him falling to the other lane.

But another car going much faster bumped him and sent him flying in the air. He landed on his head. I was not alone in the car so we jumped out of the car and ran to the man. We called the ambulance a few minutes after that. When they finally arrived they tried to revive him but it was too late, he had lost too much blood. He was declared dead…….

I can’t begin to describe to you the feelings and emotions that I went through. I was in shock! I couldn’t believe he had died! I just stood there in the rain looking at the corpse! I saw life leave him…….

 

God’s goodness……

During this traumatic time a few things happened which I can only describe as God’s amazing love. A friend who I had not seen for at least 5 years saw my car and stopped to help!! I had seen him earlier in the day which was amazing in its self but a few hours later in another part of town he stopped to help me! That was God indeed.

In a few minutes of him leaving another close friend of mine who heard the news arrived! As a guy I was putting on a strong front for the people that were at the scene but when my friend came he understood. He saw through the front I had made. I broke down when he came. We embraced and he kept on telling me, “It wasn’t my fault”! Once again I can’t tell you what that did for me! God knew what I needed. It wasn’t something I could put into words but He knew. When I stopped crying my friend left. But those few minutes he spared were so crucial that day! Sometime after that another friend came. He was driving when he seen me. He turned his car around and came and asked if I needed anything. There was nothing he could do at that precise moment so he left but as I left the scene of the accident with the police he returned with a hot cup of coffee! I had been in the rain the whole time and I was freezing but I never noticed it until he handed me the cup of coffee….!!  God is so good.

 

Lessons learned…..

Things have changed since that day. My relationship with God has gone deeper. It’s crazy to think but a few weeks before the accident I would have days where I would get nothing from the word, just dryness! Nothing would jump out at me but after the accident, it was like I was reading a different bible. The bible I was reading was alive. Every day had something new and something for me, something I could hold on to. My prayer times where different. In actual fact they still are. Something has changed. It’s like the blinders have been taken off. I see God more clearly! When I read my word I see Him, when I listen to music (worship music) I hear Him, I see Him in people when they come to encourage me, and pray for me, when I spend time with Him I feel Him!

Whatever pain or tragedy you are going through know that God has a plan in the midst of the pain! He wants you to run to Him. And as you run to Him, He will comfort and deliver you. He will not leave you to go through the pain alone! He will be with you every step of the way! His hand will be on you……That’s a promise!

 

Today……..

I am still waiting on the police. They are still working on the case and I am waiting for them to come to a decision. They can press charges or let it go. I am believing for the latter! I would really appreciate your prayers in this time!

I am much better than last week. I realize I will never forget what happened that day and I need to make a decision how I go from here. I can live in guilt and blame myself and I can live in fear of driving and so on or I can trust God!

Rolain

When fear knocks at my door!!!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

 

When fear bangs and kicks on my door, screaming and shouting, demanding to be heard, I look to You Lord! I look to You……

 

Rolain

What do you believe about prayer?

How does God answer prayers? Is there a formula, a to-do list we have to follow? Well, a friend was speaking to me about prayer and this is what he had to say:

Throughout the Bible, God told His people to do something first before he answered their prayers. 

– God told Moses to strike the rock, and then water would come.

– The prophet told the widow to bake him a cake first. She believed God’s promise through the prophet and was kept alive through the famine.

– Before Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, He tested the their faith first, He told the mourners to first roll away the stone, then because of their obedience He brought Lazarus back to life. 

– Jesus told the blind man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam, then he would receive his sight.

– He told the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests. When they showed their faith by obeying and heading in that direction, only then did God do the miracle. As they went, they were healed. 

 

I thought what he said was very interesting. You may not have an answer to prayer because He wants you to take the first step? As I read what he was sharing, things started popping up that I know God would want me to do first. Not that He is unable to perform a miracle because He is capable.

With that said, I don’t think God expects us to do everything. He wants to see our faith in Him in the first step we take! Do you trust Him, then step out? Have you prayed and not received an answer? Maybe you need to take the first step, in faith that He has heard you!

Rolain

They threw down their crowns……!

And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.                                                                                                               

And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities),                                                     

The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out,          

Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.        Revelation 4:8-11

 

This passage of scripture intrigues me. It intrigues me and fascinates me so much. I envy the four living creatures. They get to be in God’s presence all the time. They get to see Him face to face……I know God has a purpose for me on this earth but I can’t wait for the day when I will see Him face to face. To be in His presence for eternity!!!!                                                                                                 What an honor it must be for the four living creatures! What has the presence of God done to them? How do they see? How do they speak? What do they think of God?

As I was meditating on the passage of scripture a thought came to me. The word says,

“Day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”

If I had to say Holy, holy, holy for a whole month non-stop I think I would get bored. I am just trying to be honest. So how did they do it? Before the earth was created and for eternity they will be crying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord so how is that possible? Maybe I am being crazy for trying to reason it out with my mind but it’s a thought I had. Don’t shoot me down just yet.   J

Then the answer came to me:

“He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb.” Revelation 5:7, 8

Is it possible they have been able to cry Holy, holy, holy from the beginning of time because God revealed a new aspect of Himself to them???

Is it possible their praise has been a reaction to what God has shown them that they have never seen before??

In other words every time the four living creatures cry Holy, holy, holy it is because God showed them something new about Himself that they didn’t know and they will continue for eternity because God is so big that no one can ever say they know God fully!!! We can never get to a place where we can say we have seen ALL of God!

I want to be like the four living creatures where I see God working all the time. I don’t praise God enough not because He is not working but because I am distracted! I want to be able to see more of God at work in my life and in people’s lives and respond in praise to Him! Why wait till I get to heaven to start crying Holy, holy, holy! I can start now by being more sensitive to what God is doing, because He is working all the time!

The last thing I want to touch on is the twenty four elders. The word says,

The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever, and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out, Revelation 4:10

They threw down their crowns. I think those crowns were significant. They meant something. They had meaning and they were precious. They were a gift from the Master but the twenty four elders were so overcome by God that nothing was more precious and important than God!! Yes, the crowns are important but for eternity they will throw them to the ground as a sign and declaration that God is the only One who is important!!  In worship, it’s not what we have that is important but the God we serve and the twenty four elders understood this. Nothing and I mean nothing came close to God no matter how precious it was. Can we be like them? The word says they “threw” down their crowns! They didn’t carefully place them down but threw the crowns!! May we get an understanding of how awesome our God is!

 

This post is different because I am rambling. I have been thinking about this passage for most of the day and this is what I have been coming with. I am going to leave it like this and hope you get the message behind the post. I am still trying to understand what it means for me. All I know right now is, I want to be more aware of what God is doing in my life and respond, like the four living creatures I want to cry out Holy, holy, holy day and night because I saw something about God I had never seen before; I want to be like the twenty four elders who threw their most precious gifts at God’s feet! Everything paled in comparison to God! Such passion, such devotion!!!!God is worthy of all our praise and may we see more of Him at work in our lives and respond!!!

Rolain

To the “Like” Button

Originally posted on That Space of Life Between:
Thank you, “LIKE” button. I’m not forced anymore to write a comment to every good word I receive from kind people in the internet. You spare me from thinking what to say…

When you don’t know what to do…….

 

I have come to a realization! What I thought God had planned for me is not what God has for me!! I have been holding on to something I thought was from God but really originated from my own mind! This week I surrendered that plan to God which means I don’t know what God has for me in the next season of my life! I have nothing to fall back on. It’s all or nothing! It’s crazy because I felt secure because I had a plan. I was confident and had no fear. But everything has changed. It has all changed because of something a friend said to me a few days ago:

“The best position your heart can be in, is where you don’t know what to do!”

At first I was like, what????? But upon further meditation I realised how deep that statement was. It is in that position that we get on our knees and seek the Lord for answers and clarity!

It is in those times of “I don’t know” that God shows up!

We grow the most in those times because we are desperate for answers and direction.

“Desperation is a native language in heaven”……,.

 

The best example that comes to mind is found in 1 Samuel 1. We are introduced to a women named Hannah. She didn’t know what to do. The Lord had not given her a child and she was being ridiculed by her husband’s second wife Peninnah. How hard it must of being. Her pain drove her to tears constantly! What was she thinking? Did she have it altogether? I don’t think so. But in the midst of her pain, in the midst of “I don’t know” she sought the Lord and the Lord heard her!

Remember this:

The best position your heart can be in, is where you don’t know what to do!

If you know everything why would you need God???

If everything made sense all the time would you really need God???

If God showed you everything He had planned for you and I mean everything would you still seek Him???

I realised something, not knowing is not a bad thing. In fact if we are to grow in God we need MORE of those times! I am now in a place where I don’t know what to do or where my life is going but I know God is good and that is what matters. I trust Him to guide me! Even though I don’t know, He knows!

If you are confused about some things in your life, if you have no idea what the answer is to what you are going through then turn to Him! He allows us to have those times so we can seek Him and get deeper into Him! He is so good……..

Rolain

P.S      Please pray for me as I will be traveling to Botswana tomorrow! I will be in Gabarone for a music tour with my church. We will be there for about five days. I truly believe God wants to show me something new and everytime I travel is an opportunity to see. So I want to see what He wants me to see. This is a time to get refreshed in His presence because I will be in a different place! Please pray I have a safe journey. And pray I will be impacted by being in Botswana! I would really appreciate your prayers!

 

 

Staying pure in your singleness!

I have been reading a book called “Hero” written by Fred Stoeker. It has been a Godsend. It has really challenged me concerning my purity! This is not a review of the book. I want to encourage you to read it if you are single especially if you are a man! It is up there with books like “Boy meets girl”, and “I kissed dating goodbye” by Joshua Harris. (I am biased towards Joshua Harris because I am still to find a book on dating I have enjoyed as much as his books!)

But this is why I am writing this post, because I HAVE found a book that is as good as or even better than the books I have read! As I read “Hero” purity was and is on my mind. Do we really understand what purity is in the context of life and relationships??

The first thought that came to mind was singleness. What is God’s purpose for singleness? Why does He allow us to go through a season of singleness? Singleness is not a time of nothing! It is not the “trailer before the movie”! God has specific purposes and plans for us in our season of singleness! After reading “Hero” I am convinced one of those purposes is to understand what purity is and walk in that understanding!

After reading “Hero” I made a decision:

I will fight for my sexual purity with all that I have! I will not allow the enemy to take it away through his deception and lies! It is my responsibility as a man to take up my sword and fight for my purity! It’s a gift from God which honors Him and will bless my wife! I will not wait for someone else down the line in my family who is more disciplined and who loves God more to fight this fight because I am weak! It stops here….. I will fight for the future generations! I am the one God has called to fight this giant and strike down with His help of course!

Purity is more than abstaining from sex before you get married! Let me show you what I think it is now:

1. It is about watching what you watch! Stop watching those illicit movies! Pornography has to go! What are you watching?

I DICTATED a covenant (an agreement) to my eyes; how then could I look [lustfully] upon a girl? Job 31:1

Job had to make a covenant with his eyes so he could stay pure and we need to do the same! When it comes to purity we can’t play games! It’s a war against anything and everything that will threaten it.

 

2. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasoning’s and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Being able to control your thoughts is what purity is all about. After reading “Hero” I realized I had mindsets and thoughts I had adopted from the media which were wrong and not biblical. They had to be torn down and that process is still happening! Bring thoughts that have exalted themselves against Christ.

 

3. I have addressed what you should do with your eyes and your mind. Purity means making a covenant with your eyes by watching what you watch. It is being careful what you think about. Every thought must be brought captive to the obedience of Christ. The next thing is watching what you say.

A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequences of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life] Proverbs 18:20-21

Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you. Proverbs 4:24

What’s the point if you have decided to watch what you watch and watch what enters your mind when you have a filthy mouth so to speak? It doesn’t add up. Life and death are in the power of the tongue so are you using it to give life or are you killing with that tongue of yours???? Being pure means being able to control how you speak, it means dispensing life with your words!

 

This is the final point:

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Guard your heart with all that you have! If your heart gets corrupted you will find yourself in a whole heap of trouble! How do you guard your heart?

You guard it by analyzing everything you allow. Everything should be tested. Don’t believe everything, don’t listen to everyone, measure everything according to the word of God! Is the heart pure?? I don’t know! But the one thing we can do is guard it.

 

It looks like there is a lot of work to do in the season of singleness!  It’s an important season of your life. Use the time you have wisely! You won’t be single forever. That is what I think purity is now and that is all thanks to “Hero” the book I read. As I read it purity began to become clear to me! It was then that it dawned on me we have a lot of work to do in our singleness! I hope you will get a copy of the book if you haven’t read it. With that said, please have a great weekend!

Rolain