Don’t Lose Hope

“O Israel, hope in the LORD

from this time forth and forever.”

Psalm 131:3

Jesus is our hope.

No matter how bad things get we can put our hope in Him.

But the devil wants to kill the hope we have.

He doesn’t want us to walk around with hope in our hearts. He wants us to be distraught, fear, hopeless and anxious.

But we must not lose hope.

There is a story from the Word that comes to mind that encourages me so much.

Israel was about to be destroyed by the Babylonians and about to be taken into captivity when God told Jeremiah

something quite confusing:

“Then, just as the Lord had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said, “Please buy

my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else,

so buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the Lord.”

Jeremiah 32:8

In the midst of such hopeless circumstances, God told Jeremiah to buy land!

It seemed like it was over for the Israelites. The enemy had won. They were by the gate literally.

But it was there that God gave them hope. There was a reason he told Jeremiah to buy land.

 “Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘

Take both this sealed deed and the unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.’ 

For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in

this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’”

Jeremiah 32:13-15

God gave his people hope when it seemed like it was over for them. Jeremiah struggled to understand what God was doing

(Jeremiah 32:24) but God knew what He was doing.

We always have hope with God. Don’t give up trusting in Him even if things are dead and hopeless.

He is Hope!

If you are in a hopeless situation right now and it seems like there is no way, look to God. Don’t give up hoping.

And that’s my encouragement to you today.

Hope in the Lord!

Rolain.

A Decade of Writing

The 9th of January marked my tenth year of blogging!

That’s a huge milestone for me. So much has happened from making the decision to start blogging. I have met some amazing people, got confident in my writing and even wrote a book.

I remember when I first started. I was afraid because I didn’t know how people would respond to what I was writing, and anxious because I didn’t know anything about blogging. “How was I going to do this” I thought?

But the important thing to note is that I did take the step of faith to start and God has been so good.

I want to encourage you to do what God has put in your heart to do. This is the best time to start. You may be like me who was fearful of the unknown or anxious but God is with you. He will help you as you take that first step. Just start friend.

If you gave up and think it’s too late to start again, you are not too late. God is the God of second chances and He is waiting for you. Don’t bury those desires God has put in you. That’s what the enemy wants you do. He doesn’t want you accomplishing what God has called you to do.

And as I come to the end of the post I want to thank all those who have been with me on this journey, new and old. Your support means so much to me. Here is to another ten years of writing!

Do what God has called you to do friend!

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

 

 

 

 

What power does worry really have?

“And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit)

to his stature or to the span of his life.”

Matthew 6:27

 

How powerful is worry? I am not talking about the negative effects of worry, like stress, depression,

mental illness and so on. Those are all the negative effects of worry that we are well acquainted with.

But what good things can worry really do?

The bible tells us there is nothing good about worry and it also shows us just how powerless worry is.

I am thinking like this because just the other day I was worrying and stressing about something.

After some time I realized worrying had accomplished nothing. There was no progress made, even a

little progress.

But instead of something good coming out of it the more anxious and fearful I got about

my situation!

 

“Does worry add anything to your life? Can it add one more year, or even one day? 

So if worrying adds nothing but actually subtracts from your life, why would you worry

about God’s care of you? 

Luke 12:25

 

The bible commands us not to worry. It reinforces the truth that God knows what we need

and will take care of us always. No matter what happens we will always have what we need.

Think about all the great things God has done, like creating the heavens and the earth,

all the animals, sea life and so much more and think about how much effort it would take

Him to grow an extra strand of hair for you or add an inch to your height. He would do

those things as an afterthought or with His eyes closed but the word shows us that worry

can’t even do something as minuscule as that.

 

After all, is said and done we cannot expect worry to help us with anything we face. There is never

a time worry is good for us. Worry cripples our faith in God. It brings in doubt and fear.

It always makes things worse for us.

 

The word tells us,

 

“Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, 

what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. 

Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent]

than clothing?” 

Matthew 6:25

 

We need God’s help because worry can feel so powerful, and real. It is in those times we

need to call on Him. Worry knows there is an answer for us but blinds us to it.

Its mission is to get our focus off God who is the way out and get us to panic, fear,

and be anxious. It wants to kill faith in the life of a believer. The less we walk in faith

the happier it is.

But we must choose faith no matter how real the threat of failure seems to be.

When it seems like that breakthrough is not going to come to pass we must keep trusting.

 

You may be feeling overwhelmed with the troubles you are in but stay in faith. God will

pull you through.

It may seem like He is late and the enemy is upon you but God will rescue you. He will not

abandon you and leave you helpless.

You might be on your last cent and have no idea where the next dollar is coming from but

He knows. He is the One who makes a way when there seems to be no way! Take heart.

 

Lord help us to walk by faith more and more in our daily life.

Help us to choose faith over worry, fear, and doubt always!

 

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

Focus on Him, not the waves…

Life can be really tough right and what makes it worse is when we focus all our energy and attention on

the problems we are facing. We worry, stress out, fear, panic and fret as we dwell upon all the problems

we face but there is a better way.

I was stressing out this week. Things were not going well and I was panicking and anxious but I remembered

Peter.

In faith, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water but as he was approaching the

Lord the word says he began to be aware of his surroundings (the enormous waves and the wind)

and became frightened and began to sink. (read Matthew 14:27-30) 

 

“Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, 

O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

Matthew 14: 27-31

 

As long as Peter set his gaze upon the Lord he walked on water but when he took his eyes off the

Lord and focused on what was happening around him he began to sink and I know that’s what

was happening to me. But the Lord wants me to keep my eyes on Him in the midst of the trouble that

comes my way.

What are you focused on today?

Are you focused on your problems more than the Lord?

 

Consider  Psalm 91:14, 15:

“Because he has focused his love on Me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows

my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in his distress. I will 

deliver him, and I will honor him.” 

 

The enemy would like us to get our minds off Christ. he doesn’t want us being victorious. he loves

it when we are in bondage, in fear, anxious and stressed.

But the Lord wants us to be free. He wants us to receive the answers and solutions we need to

the problems we are facing.

Let’s stop focusing on the waves. Let us focus on the Lord no matter how terrifying the storm is.

He is bigger than any storm we will ever face and that is why He wants us to focus on Him!

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

 

The Lord gave him a picture…..

“Then God led Abram outside. God said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars

you cannot count them. And your descendants will be too many to count.”

Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith and that faith made

him right with God.

  

Genesis 15:5, 6

The Lord led Abram outside and gave him a picture of his life and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

But as I look back at my life I see how I allowed people to give me a picture. The enemy was in the mix

as well and did everything in his power to enforce the picture he had given me

because I didn’t know better. It took years to break the negative picture I had been

given and thanks to God the healing is still ongoing.

The Lord has a picture for you too. The picture is amazing and glorious but there is so much opposition

from the enemy. he doesn’t want you to walk in the plan God has for your life because that’s what the picture

is about. It’s about where God wants to take you. It’s about what He has in store for you.

But the enemy uses fear, abuse, manipulation and a whole lot of other things to blind you to God’s picture.

Don’t accept the enemy’s pictures. They are all lies.

his pictures get you depressed, fearful, anxious, greedy, and weak.

his pictures are all void of goodness, peace, love, fulfillment, faith, joy and every other good thing

God is.

Reject them at every turn. But you need help. You need the Lord’s help.

The good news is this, the picture you have now can be changed. That’s what happened to me.

My picture was really bad but the Lord came and changed it. He replaced the dark, hopeless,

fearful picture and replaced it with His life-giving, fresh, new, energizing picture!

And that’s what He does for us as His children.

As I end I will leave you with a scripture that sums up what I have been talking about,

“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, 

which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”

Jeremiah 33:3

Blessings to you, friends

Rolain

When faith fails….

“Jesus asked the boy’s father, “how long has he been like this? 

From childhood,” he answered. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. 

But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 

“If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for one who believes.

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 

Mark 9:21-24

 

“If you can do anything” was what the man told Yeshua. He wasn’t sure He could

heal his son. Nothing had worked till that point.

But this is the thing, when coming to the Lord you need to have faith. Faith as small as a mustard

seed is better than coming to Him with nothing.

 

The man’s faith failed him……

I understand that totally. My faith in the Lord has failed a few times not because He failed me

but because I  was either impatient or I didn’t understand.

Nothing is impossible for Him and that’s the truth.

 

He helped the man in his moment of weakness.

He can do the same thing for you and me when our faith falls.

 

So when you lose hope, when you think He can’t do something cry out to Him for help.

He can help you in your moment of weakness.

He wants us to always come to Him in faith no matter how small it is.

The enemy on the other hand wants to destroy any kind of faith we have in YAH.

He wants us to worry, be anxious, and fear.

Don’t let him win. Don’t believe the lies he tells you.

 

The Lord is forever faithful. He can be trusted and no matter how bad things seem He will

come through for you. He will fulfill everything He promised you. He will never let you down!

Hold on to the word with all that you have. Come to Him in faith always no matter how small!

Bless you.

 

Rolain

 

The answer to the chaos around us…..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath

to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

[Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; 

and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated

and cowardly and unsettled.]

John 14:27 (emphasis mine)

 

It’s a choice to walk in peace.

When things get crazy you have a choice to be at peace or lose

your mind.

The word is very clear about this,

 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be 

afraid. “

 

When things are not going your way do not let your hearts

be troubled.

It’s not easy staying in peace but Jesus wants us to fight for it.

Refuse to succumb to anxious thoughts.

Refuse to panic and fret.

Choose peace.

 

“Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; 

and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated

and cowardly and unsettled. “

 

There is so much opportunity to lose our peace today.

Put on the news, read the papers, talk to people and you will

see it as clear as day.

But Jesus goes against the grain. He doesn’t advocate us

succumbing to fear. Instead He tells us to stay in peace.

He encourages us to walk in the peace He has given us.

 

Today the word is simple, stay in peace no matter what!

When fear, terror, confusion, and anxiety come, stay in peace.

Easier said than done I know.

But we are not alone. The Holy Spirit will help us in our

weaknesses.

The bad news will keep coming but despite being surrounded

by such darkness hold on to peace.

We can’t afford to live without peace.

Peace is found in His word, it’s found in prayer as you

commune with Him.

Let’s choose peace today!

 

*If you are struggling with mental illness and you need help or you know of someone

who needs help please click on the link below. *

 

https://www.betterhelp.com/start/

 

Bless you friends….

 

Rolain

 

Learning a few important things in my season of singleness!

There are a lot of single people out there who are anxious,

depressed, fearful and a whole lot of other things about their

singleness.

And there are a lot of single people who are not maximizing their

season of singleness but I want to address that today. As a single

person myself I know the struggle. There is so much we go

through but I want to tell you there is more…..

Singleness is not meant to be wasted on worrying about who

we are going to marry. There is so much more to singleness

than that. God knows who you will marry. You can trust Him

friends. He has got this!

 

If singleness is not supposed to be spent worrying about who we

are to marry then what is it for??

After all, singleness like marriage was created by God.

 

Singleness is a great time to work on you!

Don’t wait till you get married to work on yourself. Start now!

 

Have you got a vision for your life?

Is your relationship with God where you want it to be be?

Are you living a life of purity in thought and deed?

 

Do you have a vision for your life?

If not, this is the time to seek the Lord.

Men, this falls on you more because one day you will lead your

family. How can you lead if you have no vision for your life?

Having a vision for your life is not a one day gig. It takes time,

it takes patience, it takes being faithful with what God has put

in your hands, it takes faith, it takes getting on your knees

and seeking the Lord, it takes sacrifice.

 

How can we paint singleness as this boring stale season when

there is so much to learn, so much potential to grow, so much

discovering! Everything that comes from God is good so how can

singleness be bad??

 

Singleness has its challenges but so does marriage.

 

Is your relationship with God where you want it to be? 

Seek the Lord with everything within you in your singleness!

Chase after God when you single! Seek Him, pursue Him!

This is the time you discover who you are in God.

Your identity and worth should be in God alone and not a man or

woman.

A man dear sister will not complete you.

A woman dear brother will not complete you.

God is the only one that makes you whole. He is the one

who will complete you.

In your singleness learn this truth.

Rely on the Lord, run to Him, trust Him!

 

Are you living a life of purity in thought and deed?

What a challenge this is. But it’s a challenge to accept!

The world has made it crystal clear that there is no place

in it for purity!

It’s no longer honorable to be a virgin

People look at you funny if you haven’t dated

If you are dating it’s not cool to be with one person!

Kiss whoever you want, have sex with whoever you want, watch

whatever you want, think however you want, it’s

cool says the world. Do what you feel, it’s your life!

 

But that’s not God’s standard. He says if we even think

lustfully, we have sinned.

As He is is holy we must be holy. (He wasn’t suggesting, He was

commanding!)

Treat the young girls like your sisters and the older women

like your mothers!

The standard is high friends!

Like vision, living a life of purity is not a one day gig.

It is a life time thing.

It’s never too late to live a life of purity. When you fall keep

getting back up. I will admit the fight has become more intense,

more brutal. But we have to keep fighting to live a pure life.

I have fallen numerous times but I keep getting up.

Let’s live a life of purity in our singleness.

 

By now, I hope you are beginning to see how important your

season of singleness is.

It’s an exciting time of discovering who you are in God,

hearing from God, engaging the enemy, learning

new things.

Life doesn’t start when you get married, it starts now when

you are single.

 

We need God in our singleness. We need God in our marriages!

We need God period!

 

You have a decision to make for those of you who are

single.

You can make a decision to have the best time of your life

in your singleness or you can remain worried and stressed about

something God has already dealt with. He has got this!

He knows exactly who you are going to marry.

Bring your anxiety to Him. Let Him carry your burdens.

There is so much more we need to be doing now in this

season!

What will you decide??

God bless you friends

 

Rolain