He takes away shame….

“Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant. She did not go out of her house for five 

moths. Elizabeth said, “Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed of me, 

but now the Lord has taken away that shame.”

Luke 1:24, 25

 

I love this story for so many reasons. Elizabeth couldn’t have children and in her time people looked

down on her because of that. She didn’t decide to not have babies. She just couldn’t. It was out of her

control but I don’t think people understood that. They looked down on her because of it and that’s all

we need to know.

 

As I read this story it really spoke to me. As I look at my life there are a lot of things that haven’t

come to pass and sometimes it can be frustrating especially when it seems like the next person is

getting everything they prayed for and more. I have had to deal with people who thought there was

something wrong with me.  I have had to deal with the shame of unanswered prayers which is so

hard. Where do you even begin explaining why God hasn’t answered your prayers in a certain area??

There have even been times I thought God had forgotten about me because certain things had not

happened yet.

 

If you are in a similar situation as me then this story provides hope. Elizabeth was being ridiculed, and was

the talk of the town because she couldn’t have children but God did something amazing. He answered

her prayers and gave her a child. He took away her shame.

 

I believe God will take your shame, whatever it is. Just keep praying, keep trusting God. What you praying

and trusting God for will come to pass. Don’t lose heart. This is the thing, people will always talk. There

is nothing you can do about that but you can do something about your response. Don’t be discouraged

by other people’s words. God will fulfill what He promised no matter what the next person thinks. His

promises are never dependent on another persons opinions and ideas.

Maybe all your friends have gone to university but for one reason or the other you are still waiting to go,

God will answer your prayer.

You may still be single and the majority of your friends married. Just know that God knows exactly where

you are. Don’t panic or fret. He will answer your prayer.

Whatever it is, know that God will come through for you. He will take away your shame. Keep your eyes on Him!

Bless you friends.

 

Rolain

Drawing the right conclusions from setbacks and failures…..

How do you respond when faced with a setback? How do you respond to failure?

If you are not careful you can draw the wrong conclusions from them. I am much better at this now,

but there was a time I used to draw the wrong conclusions a lot. The doubts caused by the failures and setbacks

wreaked havoc in me. The obvious response was to project all those negative emotions to the rest of my

life which was downright destructive.

 

There is a way to respond to setbacks and failures. Tearing yourself down because you failed is not the

way. It’s important to see failures and setbacks as “isolated incidents” Don’t let the doubts and other

negative emotions bleed into the rest of your life. You can grow after a fall, after a setback but make sure that’s

what’s happening. I am reminded of a quote that perfectly portrays what

I am talking about;

 

“Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your three other tires because you

got a flat.” – author unknown 

 

That is so true. We need to learn to draw the right conclusions from our setbacks. A setback doesn’t mean

we are failures. We failed yes, but we can get back up. We have another chance to try again.

Don’t let your setbacks and failures define what your tomorrow will be like. Don’t let them define what your

life will be like.

Remember to view them as “isolated incidents”. The Lord will lift you up when you fall.

He is more than able to turn around any situation no matter how bad. Look to Him when

faced with setbacks. Call on Him when you fall.

Bless you friends…..

 

Rolain

 

When in doubt and fear, remember the good things the Lord has done!

Walking in faith is not an easy thing to do. There will be days you will get discouraged and doubt if

the Lord will come through for you. I have been learning to be patient as I wait on Him for my answer

to prayer but there have been days when believing is really hard. I had one of those days a few days ago.

As I brought my requests to Him thoughts of doubt flooded my mind. Will He really answer my prayers,

I thought. But as my mind was racing I began to think about the things He had done so far. I began to pull

out all the things He had already done for me. As I did that my faith began to increase. At the end of the

exercise my faith was restored. I was full of faith and AM still full of faith He will come though for me,

that He will answer my prayers.

 

And that got me thinking about how powerful remembrance is. We don’t give it the credit it deserves

but it is powerful.

 

“Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.”

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

There are so many scriptures on remembrance if you want to get deeper understanding. What I experienced

was the effect it had on me as I did it. It increased my faith. My hope was renewed. Because the fact of the

matter is that the Lord HAS done amazing things for me. In different seasons of my life when I needed a

breakthrough, when I was in chains, when I was in darkness, when I was desperate, He came and saved me,

He came and picked me up, He came and fought for me, He came and delivered me.

 

I know the Lord has done amazing things for you too. What you need to do though is remember those

things constantly. They will help you in really tough times. The only time remembrance doesn’t

work is if nothing has happened and as we all know, that is not possible. Yeshua is constantly doing

great things throughout our lives.

 

“If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them? you 

shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to

all Egypt.” 

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

As long as we live we will always be faced with giants and they come in different forms and sizes. But

we need to remember the giants that have come in the past which the Lord defeated! There are many

defeated foes. That will help you as you face the giants standing in your way now. That’s what David

did, remember?

 

“I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! Goliath, the Philistine who is not circumcised, will be 

like the lion or bear I killed. He will die because he has stood against the armies of the living God. 

The Lord saved me from a lion and a bear. He will also save me from this Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:36, 37

 

David remembered how the Lord delivered him from the lion and bear and and that is why  I think he was

so confident when he went to face Goliath. He remembered how powerful the Lord was. We need to remember

the good things the Lord has done for us more frequently. Forgetfulness is a thief and we must not allow it to

continue stealing.

Let’s ask the Lord to help us in this area.

 

Will you do something for me as I close? Write down the top ten things you think are amazing that the

Lord has done for you. Ten is the minimum. If you want to write more feel free to write more. The Lord

has done so much for us and there is so much He is about to do. Let’s not forget. Let’s always

remember the things He is doing because He is always doing.

Also feel free to share a few of the things He has done for you in the comments below. Your testimony

will bless someone!

Blessings to you friends…..

 

Rolain

He takes the painful things in our lives and makes them beautiful…….

*I was reminded of something I wrote some time back and that is why I am writing this post today.

This post is dedicated to everyone who has made mistakes and think God has turned His back 

on them. As you will read, that is not true. He loves you and will do all He can to get you back 

on track.*

 

“And when the morning was past, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became 

his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.” 

2 Samuel 11:27

 

This was one of David’s darkest periods of his life. He slept with Bathsheba and got her husband killed.

To make things worse he was blind to his sin. He never repented, he never confessed his sin. Somewhere,

somehow his heart became hardened. I want to stop here for a bit.

 

We all make mistakes, we all mess up in life. What we need to pray for is for the Lord to correct, and to intervene

like He did for David. He could have left him in his sin but He didn’t. He confronted him about what he

did and delivered him. Because He loved David, the Lord sent Nathan.

The Lord knew David wasn’t going to snap out of sin on his own so in His mercy and grace He stepped in.

We need YAH to step in for us always. We can’t fight sin on our own. We need Him.

 

David messed up bad but the Lord didn’t abandon him. He was patient with him even when he was blinded.

He was blinded for nine months but the Lord never left. When the baby was born the Lord sent Nathan.

We need His mercy and grace more than we know. We will fall, we will make mistakes but the Lord

will not abandon us when we do. He will pick us up, He will confront us and He will deliver us.

 

But the biggest thing we need to overcome is thinking the Lord’s plan for our life, His goodness, and His

mercy stops when we mess up.

That’s not true. There is hope. Let me show you why I think so,

 

“David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went to her and lay with her; and she bore a son and she 

called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved [the child]. 

He sent [a message] by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and [Nathan] called the boy’s [special]

name Jedidiah [beloved of the Lord], because the Lord [loved the child].”

2 Samuel 12:24, 25

 

Out of the horrible mess David was in, the Lord turned it into something beautiful. And that’s how

good Yeshua is. David’s life was not over. The Lord didn’t take back all the amazing things He promised

him. I think of David’s other wives, Abigail to be precise. She was amazing. Surely YAH could have used

her to show David how great, and amazing He was?? He didn’t. Instead, He took a

horrible moment, a terrible situation in David’s life and turned it around into something beautiful.

 

There is a lesson here for all of us. The Lord can take what’s painful, what’s horrible and turn it into

something beautiful. David could not take the glory for what happened. All glory went to YAH.

It was very clear He had performed a miracle in His life.

Don’t throw in the towel today. You may be in distress, guilty, condemned because of something

you have done but the Lord can turn it around. He has not abandoned you friend. He has not

turned His back on you. And that is why He is our God!

No matter how dark your past has been, He can and will light it up. There is nothing too hard for

the Lord. Put all your hope in Him. Call out to Him. Don’t stay silent.

With that have a great weekend friends….

Blessings to you.

 

Rolain

 

 

Written in a book.

“My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and 

curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region

of darkness and mystery].

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever

they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.” 

Psalm 139:15, 16

 

“and in Your book all the days of my life were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there

was none of them.”

 

I love this!!  Your life is not random. The events that happen are not accidental. The Lord took care

when He made you. There was thought, there was effort, there was intent.

When your life gets crazy and you have no idea what is happening know that YAH knows everything

about your life. There is nothing that happens in your life that catches Him by surprise, nothing!

He is in control of everything. All your days have been written in His book.

 

I am so encouraged to know all the days of my life have been written by Him. Even when I can’t

make sense of what’s happening the Lord knows and that makes the difference.

When I am overwhelmed or discouraged about the way things are going the Lord knows.

When I seem to be at a dead end, there is actually more journeying to be done.

The Author of my story loves me and is good so I don’t need to panic or fret.

He has the best in mind for me.

 

Turn to Him in your confusion. Call out to Him when things don’t go according to plan.

He wrote all your days in His book. Not some but all!

So the darkness you in now will change. The problems you have will be solved. The questions, the

concerns and the pain will be fixed and answered. The Lord is not done with you yet.

His plan for your life is amazing so trust Him with it…..

Blessings to you friends…..

 

Rolain

 

 

 

Do you really believe Jesus can do the impossible in your life?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“And it has thrown him both into fire and water, intending to kill him. But if You can do 

anything do have pity on us and help us. 

And Jesus said, [You say to Me], If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible)

to him who believes!”

Mark 9:22, 23

The father wanted his son to be healed but wasn’t too sure if Yeshua could do it. His statement

would have been totally understandable if he was asking anybody else but he wasn’t speaking

to just anyone. He was speaking to Yeshua.

Yeshua is more than able to answer our prayers. 

There is nothing too big for Him to handle. 

We don’t need to ever doubt His ability because He is able. 

No matter what you facing today He will help you. There is nothing 

that can overwhelm Him or overpower Him. 

“And Jesus said, [You say to Me] If You can do anything? [Why,] all things can be (are possible)

to him who believes!” 

There is no limit to what Yeshua can do in our lives but it’s clear from this story that we can put

a limit to what we believe.

So let me rephrase what Yeshua was really saying to the father in that passage of scripture.

“Why do you doubt what I can do? I am more than able to heal your son and more if you believe 

in Me. In fact, there is no limit to what I can do for you if you put your faith in Me so believe!.”

Don’t entertain doubts and fears. Bring them to Him. Ask Him to help you when your faith fails.

I was so challenged as I read this scripture because there is so much I am trusting the Lord for

but at times I KNOW I limit Him. I limit Him when I doubt Him,when  I speak negatively but like

the father cried out, I want Him to help me with my unbelief.

He wants to help us where we are weak and when we weak. We just have to ask.

Trust Him for everything in your life!

Bless you friends…..

Rolain

He changed His environment…..

The Lord wants to do some incredible things in you and through you and because of that you need

to pay attention to what you are exposing yourself to consistently. You need to take a long hard look at the

people you call your friends and ask yourself if they are encouraging you in your faith or are killing

your faith. You need to take a long hard look at all that you digest (social media, music, media) and ask

yourself if it’s strengthening your faith or killing it.

How is it at home? Have you created an environment for Yeshua to speak to you easily or are there

just too many distractions? (I am dealing with this right now)

All this matters. Like I said in the beginning, the Lord has incredible things in store for you.

Let’s look at a story in the bible that will bring home what I am talking about.

 

In Mark chapter 5 a man named Jairus meets Yeshua. His daughter is near death and has come to

the Him for help. The Lord agrees to go with Jairus and we pick up the story when Yeshua

arrives at the house.

 

“And when He had gone in, He said to them, Why do you make an uproar and weep? The little

girl is not dead but is sleeping. 

And they laughed and jeered at Him. But He put them all out, and taking the child’s father and mother

and those who were with Him, He went in where the little girl was lying.”

Mark 5:39, 40

 

The Lord was about to perform a miracle but in order to do that He had to put out the people

who were laughing and jeering at Him. He had to change the environment. It would be impossible for

Him to do what needed to be done if the people stayed.

 

And that is why the parents stayed. They may have had their doubts but their little faith was enough.

All the Lord needs is a little faith. But doubt, and fear are a different story.

In the very next chapter we look at how the Lord could not do any miracles except heal a few people here

and there because the majority of people didn’t trust Him, doubted Him.

 

“But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor (deference, reverence) except in his [own]

country and among [his] relatives and in his [own] house. 

And He was not able to do even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few 

sickly people [and] cured them.” 

Mark 6:4,5 (emphasis mine)

 

If there is no faith it makes it hard for the Lord to move, very hard!

 

But to my main point, the Lord had to change His environment by putting out the negative crowd.

If the Lord did that how much more do we need to? We need to take a long hard look at every aspect

that makes up our environment that I mentioned earlier and start making some decisions.

If we are to walk in all the amazing things the Lord has for us we need to cut off the things that

are weighing us down, the things that keep us in fear, the things that make us doubt YAH, the things

that contradict the word the Lord gave us about your lives. When I talk about things I am also talking

about people. We have some really toxic relationships and think it’s okay but it’s not. Those toxic

relationships are doing you major harm.

We need to ask for the Lord’s help and wisdom. This can only be done successfully with Him.

On that final thought enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Bless you friends

 

Rolain