A time of endurance…

“So Moses and Aaron gathered all the elders of the Israelites. 

Aaron told them everything that the Lord had told Moses. 

Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see. So the 

Israelites believed. They heard that the Lord was concerned about them

and had seen their troubles. Then they bowed down and worshipped

Him.” 

Exodus 4:29-31

 

The Israelites were in bondage for a really long time. Things had been really

difficult for them. So when Moses and Aaron told

them that God was concerned about them and had seen their troubles they must have

been encouraged.

 

But the hope they had quickly disappeared when the pressure intensified. The joy, the hope,

the faith they had was replaced with doubt, fear, and anxiety. They were not patient with the

Lord. They wanted the deliverance to happen that very instant.

 

“As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron. 

Moses and Aaron were waiting for them. So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the 

Lord punish you. You caused the king and his offices to hate us. You have given them 

an excuse to kill us.”

Exodus 5:20, 21

 

That story spoke to me today. We need to endure as we wait for God’s promise

to materialize in our lives. His promise for our lives, our families, and our countries will be

contested against by the enemy. There is no way he is going to just sit and let you

stroll into what God has promised you. he is the adversary and by the very nature of

that name he opposes and fights against everything good that God has prepared for us.

 

The Israelites thought it would be a walk in the park but it wasn’t. They had to trust God with

all that they had. They had to believe His word was true. They had to endure.

God’s promise was true and He would deliver them and they needed to understand that no matter

how bad things got.

 

“He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant. His feet they hurt with fetters;

he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into iron. 

Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true until the word of the Lord tried and tested him.”

Psalm 105:17-19

 

When the promise seems like a fantasy we must keep trusting, we need to endure. His promise

is true, it will come to pass. The Lord is not a man that lies. His word is sure and if He promised

it will come to pass.  Difficulty doesn’t mean the promise won’t come to pass.

There is nothing that can stop the word of God from coming to pass.

Hold on in the storm. Endure, put your faith in Him.

He will fulfill what He promised you.

 

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

 

When the enemy seems to be winning the war…….

“When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon,

and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph,

And to the kings who were in the north in the hill country and in the Arabah

south of Chinneroth and in the lowland and in the heights of Dor on the west;

To the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites,

the Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below [Mount] Hermon in the land

of Mizpah.

And they went out with all their hosts, much people, like the sand on the seashore in number,

with very many horses and chariots.”

Joshua 11:1-4

 

Jabin wanted to eradicate the Israelites from existence. I think he heard all the stories

surrounding these peculiar people.

 

“When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon,

and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, (italics mine)

 

What did he hear?

– YAH parting the Jordan river so His people could pass (Joshua 3:14-17)

– Jericho’s massive walls crumbling when the people shouted (Joshua 6:20)

– The sun and moon not moving from their positions for a full day! (Joshua 10:12, 13)

– Rock missiles falling down from heaven crushing the southern kings. (Joshua 10:11)

 

He saw how the southern kings failed in their endeavor to eliminate YAH’s people. But he

had a plan, he would muster up the largest army ever to do the job. His goal wasn’t to cripple the

“enemy” no, he was thinking total annihilation!

YAH’s people didn’t stand a chance or so he thought. This is how the word of God described his army;

 

“And they went out with all their hosts, much people, like the sand on the seashore in number,

with very many horses and chariots.”

 

His army was compared to sand. Sand is uncountable and so was his army, innumerable,

“incontestable.”

 

I am sharing this story because this is a picture I believe of what it is like between me, you and the enemy.

The enemy is constantly trying to attack us because we have a purpose. There is no such thing as

an “easy road” if you are a son or daughter of YAH. The enemy doesn’t want you accomplishing what

YAH has for you at all costs.

He wants to take you out however he can. He is going to play dirty, and unfairly.

But we don’t have to fear because the Lord is fighting for us. The enemy will not be victorious.

The worst thing to do is try to live this life on your own, in your own strength because by yourself

you will lose.

It makes sense why the battle is so intense.

We need to know there is a battle but we also need to know that the God who fights for us has already

defeated the enemy.

 

The Hebrew word satan means “an adversary, one who resists”

That’s his very essence, to resist, to be an adversary.

 

It’s a fact we will face opposition when we are out to accomplish something significant for YAH

Think about Paul who had a mammoth task from Yeshua. This is what he said,

 

“For a wide door of opportunity for effectual [service] has opened to me [there, a great and 

promising one], and [there are] many adversaries.” 

1 Corinthians 16:9

 

Be assured that no matter what the enemy tries, no matter the horde that is in

your way, know this;

 

“The Lord is a Man of War; the Lord is His name.”

Exodus 15:3

 

Satan is a defeated foe and he doesn’t have the last say, far from it!

The “Man of War” has the last say and He is on your side. When you are surrounded by the enemy

call out to Him. When the enemy seems to be winning in your life cry out to the Lord. He will

come to your rescue!

Pursue the calling YAH has for you. He is with you every step of the way.

God bless you friends!

 

Rolain

 

When man relies on himself…..(part 2)

This is part two of a four part series I am doing on David. If you

missed the first post click here to read.

 

“So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go

number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of

them to me that I may know it.”

1 Chronicles 21:2

 

“But Levi and Benjamin he did not include among them, for the

king’s order was detestable to Joab.

And God was displeased with this [reliance on human resources]

and He smote Israel. “

1 Chronicles 21:6, 7

 

This was another one of David’s mistakes. I would like to

make myself clear before I move on. My goal is not to discredit

David. God called him a man after his own heart so instead I

want us to learn from the challenges he faced. The enemy was

not just going to let him walk freely into God’s glorious plan. The

enemy would fight him with everything.  There

are some very valuable lessons we can learn from David’s

battles. Let’s move on…..

 

David decided to count Israel. Why?

The answer is found in verse one of the same chapter,

 

“Satan [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up

David to number Israel.”

1 Chronicles 1:1

 

David counted Israel because the enemy filled him with fear, doubt

and lies! That is how satan stood up against him. Everything

was going well for David but the enemy used fear and lies

against him. “Does God really have my back?”

“Am I really safe?”

“Did God really mean all that He promised me?”

Where these the kind of things going through David’s mind?

And is David alone in this? I don’t think so….

 

I have allowed fear to paralyse me at times, I have allowed the

lies of the enemy to get my attention off God a lot.

David began to rely on what he had. Fear drove him to lean

on weapons, human resources and so on. Fear made him forget

God was by his side never to leave him! Fear made him doubt

God’s goodness and faithfulness.

How the enemy has done this to me so many times. He whispers

the lie that God has abandoned me, that God doesn’t have my

best interests at heart, that faith in God is futile because He will

surely let me down but it’s not true!

 

Our trust should always be in God. We should never rely on

man, a government, a system, the money and other resources

we have. Don’t rely on your strength, don’t rely on how smart you

are. Instead, trust God! He wants us to trust in Him.

Where is your hope and trust at the moment? Is it in man? Is it

in the stuff you have or the stuff you have accquired? Is it in the

elaborate plans you have formulated for yourself?

I want to challenge you to trust in the Lord completely. The

enemy will always try and make you doubt, he will always

try and use fear but don’t let those things dissuade you from

trusting in the Lord. Hold on tightly to God’s

word!

David repented of his sin and God restored him. He can do the

same for us. Trust in the Lord completely. He can be trusted!

Amen!

 

Rolain

 

Why I don’t want to just speak……..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

 

Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim).

I do not box like one beating the air and striking without

an adversary.

But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly,

discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that

after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things

pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not

stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a

counterfeit].

1 Corinthians 9:26, 27

 

I don’t know about you but as a writer there is always

this urge to share everything I learn! It has been something

that has been a continual fight to be honest.

 

“What to share, and what not to share” is the constant

question I ask myself. I have won at times and I have lost.

The issue is not just in sharing but am I living out what I share?

Do I live what I preach? Get the drift?

I don’t ever want to get caught up in sharing for the sake

of it without ever looking at my life and trying to marry the

two things, what I say and what I do.

 

As leaders we need to do everything in our power to make

sure our actions are matching up with what we are speaking.

What we say and what we do should go hand in hand.

Paul didn’t want to be disqualified from the race because of this

very same thing. He didn’t want to get to a place where after

showing people the way, he couldn’t enter himself because

his actions didn’t match his words!

 

Thank God we are not alone to do this. The Holy Spirit is here

to help us. We must humble ourselves and ask for His help.

He doesn’t want us to fail, to miss heaven. He wants us to

bring as many people as we can to the kingdom.

Thank God we have the Holy Spirt to help us.

We are not alone in this. He is helping us…..

So as I end, remember to live what you preach!

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images