Bring it all to God.

“Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation]

under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns,

once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”

1 Peter 5:6, 7

 

I want to focus on the last part of that verse today. The word says to bring ALL your anxieties,

worries and concerns. But how many times do we try to deal with problems on our own.

I had to stop myself the other day from worrying, from trying to solve a problem on my own.

The truth is the Lord wants to fix every problem we face.

 

The call is to bring everything to Him. We don’t need to carry a single thing.

But because we have been taught to be strong we try to go at it alone. But all that will do is

tire you out. The more I try to go at it alone the more worn down and weighed down I feel.

 

Like I have said so many times before, the Lord is not impressed with our show of strength.

He is impressed with our faith in Him, with the confidence we put in His ability.

Give it all to Him and don’t hold on to anything.

 

Blessings to you friends.

 

Rolain

When you are having a bad day…

“This is the day which the Lord has brought about; 

we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

The day ahead didn’t look good. I had just got up and was thinking about the day.

The problems I had were big and I had no answer to them. But as I got into my quiet

time Psalm 118:24 stood out to me. I know it was God speaking to me.

Even though I had big problems I was at peace knowing God was in control. And that’s

what Psalm 118:24 is talking about. There will be bad days because we live in a broken

world and because we have an enemy but because God is the Creator He has filled our

days with goodness, mercy, peace, happy endings, breakthrough, healing, victory and

the list goes on and on.

No matter how bad our days get know that God is in control. He will make a way for you

through the trials and hardships of the day. When you get up declare Psalm 118:24.

When I got to the end of my day I realized God had sorted all the problems I got up

thinking about. As I gave Him each problem He helped me and came to my rescue.

The enemy’s plan was to mess up my day but God stepped in and delivered me.

Find God in your day for this is the day He has made.

Bless you friends.

Rolain

God cares about the little details of your life.

Something happened to me a few days ago that solidified the truth that God cares about

the little things in my life. Let me tell you about it.

 

I was playing mini basketball at lunchtime and as I was playing one of my cufflinks broke.

I was a bit stressed because most of the shirts I wear require cufflinks. In the larger scope of

things, this was not a huge train smash. It would throw me off financially but not by a lot but there

I was stressing about what I was going to do. I don’t know about you but there are days

when the simple things seem like mountains. What you would usually swat away in a second becomes

a real burden on your mind. Anyway a few days later I attended a meeting and

at that meeting, a friend handed me a small black box. After the meeting, I opened the box

and in there was a pair of cufflinks!

 

What! How did my friend know I needed cufflinks? I hadn’t told him I needed a new pair

of cufflinks.

He didn’t know, but God knew.

 

God cares about everything we go through. No matter how small the problem God cares. You don’t

have to worry and stress about anything that comes your way. Just bring it to Him in prayer.

There is a story in the bible that drives this point home.

 

“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices

so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 

Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb, and they 

asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

Mark 16:1, 2

 

“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

 

The problem the ladies faced wasn’t a matter of life and death? With the help of a few strong men,

the problem would be resolved but in the next verse, we learn that the stone which was very

large had been already rolled away by an angel!

The seemingly large but really small problem was taken care of.

 

God cares about everything you go through in your life, no matter how small.

There is no problem that is too small for Him. Bring it to Him in prayer.

Bring everything you are going through to Him in prayer.

He will help you, always!

Blessings to you, friends!

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

Is the door really closed??

As I considered my options I couldn’t help feeling discouraged. It seemed like I would not

get the breakthrough I was looking for. Should I even keep trying to pursue this opportunity

I asked myself?

 

I have been seeking the Lord for the next steps in my career and I took the step and tried something

new but I was stopped dead in my tracks. Did I hear God wrong?

Was this the direction he wanted me to go in?

 

We all have doors the Lord wants us to go through but there are times when it seems like the door is

tightly shut. At times it feels like the doors the devil has closed can’t be opened again but the Lord helped me

to see the truth.  The devil is not that powerful. He doesn’t have the power to close a door and keep it closed.

 

“And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write; These are the words

of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, 

Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open; 

I know your [record of] works and what you are doing. See! 

I have set before you a door wide open which no one is able to shut;”

Revelation 3:7-8

 

“And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall 

shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.” 

Isaiah 22:22

 

From God’s word, it is clear that when God opens a door, the devil has no power to close it and when

a door is closed he has no power to open it. So just because the devil closes a door doesn’t mean

it will stay closed. That door will be opened. We must not let him deceive us into believing the door

can’t be opened. When I got this understanding I continued pressing forward. I did not give up.

I have faith God will breakthrough for me.

 

Before I go any further I want to add something,

The only time we should stop trying to go through a door is if God has said no but other than that,

we need to by faith keep going through the door. So what I am writing about are the doors the devil tries

to close. Those are the doors we need to bust open.

 

All doors the enemy has closed are meant to be gone through. It can be so discouraging when

things don’t seem to be working out but don’t stop praying and moving in faith.

 

The enemy is always trying to close doors that God wants us to go through. In the book of Ezra,

we read how the Israelites started rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. They were making progress but the

Samaritans opposed them. (Ezra 4:4) They didn’t want the Israelites to finish so they wrote and sent

a letter to the King of Persia who was the ruling power at that time. The letter was malicious and was

the enemy’s way of closing the door on the Israelites. The Samaritans got their wish because the

king commanded the building of the temple to be stopped immediately.

The door had been closed.

 

“Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped.” 

Ezra 4:24

 

But that was not the end of the story.

All the doors the enemy closes can be opened. He has no power to keep any door closed. Always remember

that.

 

In the next chapter the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Israelites. They encouraged the

people to start building again which they did. The Samaritans tried to stop them again this is what

happened;

 

“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province [west of] the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates,

the Apharsachites who are [west of] the River, keep far away from there. 

Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor and the elders of the Jews build this house

of God on its site.” 

Ezra 6;6-12

 

You can read all of the good things the king decreed but the point is this,

 

The enemy tried to close the door of opportunity on the Jews but he had no power to do anything.

The door God opened for His people would stay open no matter how hard the devil tried.

 

Don’t give up when the door seems to be closed on you. If God has not closed it then the

door is still open. The devil has no power to close and keep a door closed.

It is only God who has that power.

 

What to do when a door seems to be closed by the devil? 

 

The bible is very clear on what we are to do when that happens.

 

“Keep asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; 

keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. 

For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking

finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [the door] will be opened.” 

Matthew 7:7-8

 

Don’t give up on the things God has put on your heart. Keep asking, keep seeking and

keep knocking.

Don’t be discouraged when things don’t work out. Keep looking to God. Keep praying to Him.

Things will work out for you. He will breakthrough for you!

Don’t let the devil deceive you in thinking the door can’t be opened. It’s not true.

Every door that he “closes” is not really closed!

Be encouraged today friends.

Bless you.

 

Rolain