Don’t carry that!

“Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; 

He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall or fail). 

Psalm 55:22

 

You can put it down now. You don’t have to carry that weight any longer. The Lord wants to carry

the burdens YOU are carrying. We go through life with the weight of the world on our shoulders

but that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. When we are under immense pressure we need to cast

it on to the Lord’s shoulders.

 

Remember, there is nothing too heavy for Him. There is no weight on earth or heaven that can

crush Him.  Sometimes we carry our burdens because we think He will let us down and will abandon

us when we need Him the most but God is not man. He is always faithful and will never ever

let us down.

 

You will not slip, fall or fail.

This doesn’t mean there will be no bad days, days you feel like giving up, or days you feel hopeless.

It means through it all you will not be moved.

When you fall you will get up.

When your back is against the wall the Lord will come in and save you.

When you are in chains, the Lord will rescue you, free you.

You will not be moved because the Lord is with you.

 

Cast it all to Him. Don’t leave one single thing. Learn to walk light.

 

“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 5:7

 

Give it all to Him. Your worries, your concerns, your fears, your anxieties, and your troubles.

He will help you with all the trouble you face. He knows what you going through and will not leave

you helpless.

Turn to Him today!

 

Bless you, friends

 

Rolain

 

A father’s faith??

“And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that 

there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken

to her from the Lord.” 

Luke 1:45

 

Do you believe that EVERYTHING God promised you will

come to pass?

Mary was called blessed because she believed God would

fulfill everything He promised her.

 

Things didn’t go too well for Zechariah, John’s father. He

didn’t believe the words of an angel who had been sent by God.

He didn’t think God could accomplish what He promised.

 

“Now behold, you will be and will continue to be silent and 

not be able to speak till the day when these things take place, 

because you have not believed what I told you; 

but my words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the 

appointed and proper time.” 

Luke 1:20 

 

I think there was more to Zechariah being silenced. Yes, he

didn’t believe the words of the angel but I think there was

an additional reason.

I think it was to Zechariah’s benefit he was silenced. I believe

he would of talked himself out of faith in God. Because he

didn’t believe, he would have spoken about how impossible

God’s promise seemed.

As we believe in the Lord we need to watch how we speak.

Our words have power and they can do some real damage if

not checked.

 

What God promises He brings to pass.

 

“And listen! Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also 

conceived a son, and this is now the sixth month with her

who was called barren.

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from 

God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. ” 

Luke 1:36, 37

 

Today, I am challenging you to believe what the Lord has

promised you will come to pass. It will be fulfilled.

I am challenging me too…….

 

As Mary was blessed because she believed God would fulfill

what He promised her so it is with you and me. You are blessed

when you believe!

 

Zechariah had time to reflect on what he did. Look at what

happened when he was able to speak again,

 

“And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and

he began to speak, blessing and praising and thanking God.”

Luke 1: 64

 

Was that how he was supposed to respond the first time he

heard the promise?

 

What are you speaking in this season of waiting for the

promise to be fulfilled? Are you talking yourself out of faith?

Are you blessing, praising and thanking the Lord??

 

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to watch your

words. God will fulfill His promise to you but your negative

words can disqualify you.

Just recently I was the one speaking negatively. But a friend

brought me back to the right place…..faith. Thank God for a

friend like that. My faith was ignited again as I was reminded

of the truth I am sharing with you.

 

God will fulfill everything He promised you friend.

He won’t abandon you. He won’t leave you stranded.

 

You are blessed when you believe God will fulfill all He has

promised you…..Amen!

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait for hope to appear……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, 

to the woman who diligently seeks. 

It’s a good thing to quietly hope, 

quietly hope for help from God. 

It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out

through the hard times. 

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself.

Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:

Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take

it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. 

Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail 

to return. If He works severely, He also works tenderly. 

His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. 

He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing 

roadblocks in the way: 

Lamentations 3:25, 36

 

What an amazing passage of scripture. There is so much to take

from it. What stood out for me was this verse that said,

‘wait for hope to appear‘

A lot of us have abandoned hope because what we were

trusting for didn’t come to pass.

We thought God abandoned us. But the word is very clear,

‘wait for hope to appear’…..

 

When all hope is gone, wait for hope to appear.

When life is hard, wait for hope to appear.

When trouble comes, wait for hope to appear.

Wait for hope to appear!

No matter how bad things seem, wait for hope to

appear.

The word is very clear:

 

“It’s a good thing to quietly hope,

quietly hope for help from God.”

 

We can hope because the Lord will never walk out on us,

He will never fail to return to us, the word tells us.

 

Hope can return. I may have given up and lost hope but

it can return! I will wait for hope to appear. God will not

let me down.

Don’t abandon hope, instead wait for it to appear!

Amen

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

What God thinks about our desires…….

You have given him his heart’s desire and have

not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

[pause, and think of that]! Psalm 21: 2 (Amplified)

 

A very interesting passage of scripture if you ask me.

As I read it I thought about desire. What role does

desire play in the life of a believer?

What does God think about our desires?

I guess that’s the most important question.

If we are going to talk about desire we need

to talk about disappointment. How many times

desire has come only to be disappointed……

but is that God’s plan?

 

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you

the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3

 

The thing a wicked man fears shall come upon

him, but the desire of the [uncompromisingly]

righteous shall be granted. Proverbs 10:24

 

May He give you the desire of your heart and

make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

 

I think you will agree with me that God wants

us to have desires.

I may even dare say that some of the desires you

have where given to you by God…!!!

 

This is my point, don’t abandon desire. It is

not wrong to have desires.

 

The pharisees did away with desire. They were

into following rules and traditions. All I am saying

is that, God wants to give you the desires of

your heart.

But desire is much too complex to end here.

It is your responsibility to bring your desires

before God. You can pick up desires from the

wrong things and that is why you need

to bring them to God. An unchecked desire

is a dangerous thing so be careful.

 

Let’s look at the Psalms 21:2 again:

 

You have given him his hearts desire

and have not withheld the request of

his lips. Selah [pause, and think of that]

 

David may have written this Psalm so

he may be talking about himself.

If that’s so then God gave him his hearts

desire and never withheld his the request

of his lips!!! That is amazing right….

 

Are you talking to God about the desires

that are in your heart or have you buried

them deep, so deep that you don’t

even know what they are? You have not

allowed yourself to desire because you

fear being disappointed.

My advice to you is, don’t abandon

desire. There is a chance it might be

thwarted but desire anyway. That

could just mean it was not of God.

Don’t be afraid of your desires.

Stand them up to the word of God and

let them go if they are not from God.

He has given you the desires of your

heart and His desire is that they be

fulfilled…..

 

Rolain

 

 

 

A world without trouble….??!!!

²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have

worked much harder,been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and

been exposed to death again and again.

²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was

shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from

bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,

in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.

²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger

and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 

1 Corinthians 11:23-28

 

I think you will agree with me, Paul went through an a lot of hard times. As I read this

scripture I began to think:

Did Paul ever think God had abandoned or hate him?

He was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, whipped, hungry, naked and a lot more.

I think it would be easy to get discouraged and think God was punishing him.

But that is not the case here. Paul is not complaining when he writes this.

He is giving glory to God, He is praising God!

We know without a doubt that God was with Paul through every step of the way.

God was with Paul when he was in prison

God was with Paul when he was whipped

God was with Paul when he was at the point of death,

when death was knocking at the door God was by his side!

 

God never left Paul, not once! He was by his side through it all….

 

God was with Paul when he spent a whole night at sea adrift on

a board!

When he was in danger from bandits and his own people, God

was with him!

In toil and hardships God was with him!

When he had nothing to eat or drink, when he was naked, God

was with him.

 

The trials Paul went through drew him closer to God.

The trials he went though strengthened his faith in God.

 

What troubles are you going through?

I want you to know, as you go

through the storm God is with you. He knows exactly what you are

going through. He will not abandon you!!

Praise God in the storms you are going through right now.

He wants to reveal His greatness to you.

He cares about you and will never leave you alone!

 

Rely on Him, call on Him in those times.

As God was with Paul, He is with you!

 

Rolain

 

Eleven days…….

 

It is [only] eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of

Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea [on Canaan’s border;

yet Israel took forty years to get beyond it]. Deuteronomy 1:2

 

I have heard so many teachings on this passage right here.

And in nearly all the teachings I have heard on this scripture

it would always be about how Israel sinned,

“Just imagine if Israel obeyed the Lord”, they would say.

Their journey would have taken eleven days, only eleven

days!!!

 

I think it is something to think about but at the same time I think

there is more to the story.

As human beings we will always sin. Yes, Israel went to the extreme

in the wilderness but sins are sins. They could off taken eleven days

if they were perfect but they were not and instead it took them forty

years!

Just imagine if they managed to make it in eleven days???

There would be no stories of disobedience and rebellion,

lack of trust and so on. Nothing would of being dealt with!

The Israelite’s needed the forty years! In that time there

was death, repentance, and a whole lot of other things

that needed to take place. This is how the word puts it:

 

And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord

your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble

and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart,

whether you would keep His commandments or not.

And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you

with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know,

that He might make you realize and personally know that man

does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that

proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:2, 3

 

God LED Israel for forty years so He could reveal what was

in their hearts! More precisely He wanted to know if their

hearts were devoted to Him……

He wanted them to make Him first in their hearts!

The Israelite’s went through so much in the forty years. They

would of missed out on so much if they took eleven days!

 

Let’s bring this home……

Just imagine it took you eleven days to get to the place God had

for you??? A measly eleven days!!!

I was a mess and it’s taken me at least fifteen years to begin to

get out of it but there is still much work to be done! I fail God

daily, I abandon Him daily, like Peter I disown Him by my

actions a lot, when I should be praying I watch TV or

something crazy like that.

But the good news is, from the first step I took on this journey

there has been growth. My relationship with God has deepened.

I have seen Him in a new way. My faith in Him has become

stronger. The failures, the hard times, the times of doubt, the

chastening, have drawn me closer to God.

I needed the forty years, as hard and difficult as they are,

I needed them!

What about you? Do you wish it would take you eleven days?

God wants to know what’s in your heart. He will test you

in the desert. He will allow times of hunger so He can

humble you so you can know His words are all you need!

Know this, God has a plan for you in the wilderness!

You are not there by mistake……

God has allowed times of hunger to test you, will you look to

Him or will you complain and murmur??

Will you lose your faith in Him in those times??

 

Teach me Your way, Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.

Psalm 86:11

 

What an amazing prayer! Lord, give me an undivided heart!

I have allowed so many things to have a piece of my heart.

This heart that should be ALL Yours!

So I pray, give me an UNDIVIDED heart Lord!

God wants Your heart. Not a piece but all of your heart.

Fight those things that have contended for it….He is all you

need.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

If God wasn’t for me…….

This week has been a very testing week for me. It is said, you know more of who you are in times of hardships and trouble and I agree. On Monday I was called in by the officer in charge of my case. If you have no idea what I am referring to then please read this here.

Meeting with him was not the problem. It was the conversations I had after I met him. I met with one of my friends and he talked about jail and how the police were trying to pin the case on me. Fear gripped my heart after that! I started thinking about all the bad things that could happen. I could go to jail, I won’t be able to travel until the case is resolved, and many other thoughts……

But in the midst of fear God has been speaking! He has been using people and His word!! Today I was deeply ministered by the story of Peter walking on water which was written by Anna. Click here to read her post! It is so powerful! I was also ministered by a word I read which has really helped me in this time!

“If God hadn’t been for us – all together now, Israel, sing out!          Psalm 124: 1

That is how it starts. Let me share a few of the things that jumped out at me as I read the scripture:

“If God hadn’t been for us when everyone went against us,

we would have been swallowed alive by their violent anger,

swept away by the flood of rage,

drowned in the torrent;

We would have lost our lives in the wild, raging water.”

 

If God wasn’t for us we would be in deep trouble. We would be helpless and we would have no hope! That would be our testimony IF God wasn’t for us! But He IS so our story is different! Because God is for us we have a chance!

Because God is for us we will live!

Because God is for us we will not drown!

Because God is for us we will win!

Because God is for us we will be saved!

I was was so encouraged as I read that. No matter how bad things appear I know God is for me and because of that I have a good ending! I will not be left alone, I will not lose.

“Oh, blessed be God!

He didn’t go off and leave us.

He didn’t abandon us defenseless,

helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.” Psalm 124:6

I am at peace as I read this. I am not alone in the storm! He is with me every step of the way and He is with you too…..!!! Don’t lose heart! Your story is not finished. The enemy will not have victory over you. He will not have the last laugh! Never!!!

Your testimony starts with, “Because God is with me…..!!!!

Look at what the last part of the chapter says,

 

“God’s strong name is our help,

the same God who made heaven and earth.”

 

The One who created heaven and earth is the One who is helping you!!!! Think on that, meditate on it! What a powerful truth!

The Creator of heaven and earth is the One who is helping you!

I am lost for words……! We truly serve an amazing God! Look to Him, and trust in Him! He is with you…..Amen!

Rolain