In the darkness, God has a plan.

I was encouraged today as I read the story of Joseph. With all that is going on with the pandemic, it’s easy to get discouraged but I was reminded that God is working in our lives in the midst of intense darkness.

So let’s get into it.

We all know the time Pharaoh had dreams and when no one could interpret the dreams someone remembered Joseph and he was summoned to interpret them. He told Pharaoh seven years of plenty would come followed by seven years of famine.

The seven years of plenty came and Joseph who had been promoted to second in charge stored away grain. He stored away so much that it became impossible to keep track of how much they were storing.

Then the seven years of famine arrived and this is what I want to focus on. The famine didn’t just affect Egypt but the whole world.

 

“And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.”

Genesis 41:57

 

It was a difficult time for the world but in that dark time God had a plan. There were some very important and key things that God was doing in that seven year famine period. I want to highlight two things.

 

1. Israel reunited with Joseph, who he presumed had died.

Since the famine affected the whole world, Israel was affected too and had to send his sons to buy grain which in turn led to the discovery of Joseph. That is important because it leads us to the next key thing that happened.

       2. Israel’s entire family relocated    to Egypt because of Joseph.

Joseph made plans for his whole family to move to Egypt so they would be provided for during the famine. And that is also important because it was a fulfillment of what God told Abraham,

 

“Then the Lord said to him, know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.”

Genesis 15:13, 14

 

We know God was talking about Moses and the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

So do you see?

In the seven year famine period, God was working and setting some big things up. And the famine had a part to play in the grand scheme of things.

God was setting pieces in place for Israel’s next chapter and that encouraged me because in this season of Covid-19, God has a plan too.

You may not see it or understand but He is working. You don’t need to stay discouraged or hopeless because He is in total control.

His plans and purposes for your life are working out in the midst of the darkness.

And that’s my encouragement to you. He will fulfill what He has promised you and this season will end.

Bless you friends

Rolain

From inside the fish…

We all know the story of Jonah. How he tried to run away from God but instead

was swallowed by a huge fish. It is there I want to pick up the story.

He was in the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 2:1)

Did he know he would live? Did he think God had abandoned him and was punishing

Him for his disobedience?

All we know is that in that dark, empty, solitary watery grave he prayed!

 

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.”

 

He was at the bottom literally and metaphorically speaking and it is there that he called out

to the Lord. He didn’t remain silent or give up. He prayed.

You may be in a dark place today. A place of pain and a place where God seems to be

absent. I want you to know that He is not gone from you. He is right there with you.

 

Jonah was in the belly of the fish. In the deepest part off the sea where no man could hear

and help. He could have tried to shout all he liked but no one was going to hear him down

there. There was only One who could and did hear his prayer. In that place where no man could

hear and help the Lord heard him and answered him.

 

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me.

From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help and You listened to my cry.”

Jonah 2:2

 

Don’t remain silent in your pain. Don’t think you are alone in that dark place.

When you have no one to help God is your help!

Call out to Him today because you are not alone.

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

The place of isolation.

“So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, send me David your son, 

who is with the sheep.” 

 

David was in an isolated place away from people and yet Saul knew where to find him.

How did that happen?

He was alone for the most part of his day. It wasn’t the coolest, hippest place to hang out

I can imagine but it’s in that place that David’s relationship with God was developed. It’s in that

place he communed and worshipped God. He learned to trust God in that place. It’s in that place

he fought a lion and a bear and God delivered him from them both. (1 Samuel 17:37)

 

You might be in a place where people don’t see you or even recognize you but know this,

the Lord knows exactly where you are. Be patient where you are. The Lord is at work in you

and is directing your every step.

 

“Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, 

The Lord has not chosen any of these. 

Then [he] said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? [Jesse] said, There is yet the youngest; 

he is tending the sheep. 

Samuel said to Jesse, Send for him; for we will not sit down to eat until he is here. 

Jesse sent and brought him. David had a healthy reddish complexion and beautiful eyes and

was fine-looking. 

The Lord said [to Samuel], Arise, anoint him; this is he.”

1 Samuel 16:10-12

 

David’s father forgot about David and had to be asked if he had another son but that will never

happen with God.  Like I said before, He knows where you are.

Don’t despise the place you are in today. It might not be the most exciting place to be or the most

fulfilling and can even be frustrating but God has a plan for your life. He knows what He is doing.

 

“Now Eliab his eldest brother heard what he said to the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled

against David and he said, Why did you come here? 

With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and 

evilness of heart; for you came down that you might see the battle.” 

1 Samuel 17:28

 

“With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?”

 

Did David’s brother have an understanding of what was happening in the wilderness with

those “few sheep”?

I don’t think he had the slightest clue.

The place of isolation was very important. It prepared David to fight Goliath and win!

It prepared him for the things God planned for him.

 

So today, don’t underestimate what God is doing in you and through you. He has not forgotten you.

He is working in and through the circumstances you are facing and even though it may seem like

you are alone you are not.

I was getting frustrated with where I was in my life but I began to realize that God was in total control.

He IS in total control and there is nothing that happens in my life or your life that catches

Him by surprise. You may have been in a place for a long time and it seems like things won’t change

but I am here to say that things will change for you. God is faithful and will not abandon you.

Man will let you down but not God. Look to Him alone.

He sees you in your place of isolation!

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

God is waiting for an invitation into your battles.

“Be glad that you are His. 

Let those who ask the Lord for help be happy. 

Depend on the Lord and His strength. 

Always go to Him for help.” 

Psalm 105:3, 4

This verse encouraged me greatly this week. It was a reminder I needed desperately. The Lord is waiting,

hoping I invite Him into my battles. And that’s the problem at times. I go ahead on my own,

in my own strength and lose. But God wants to fight for me. He wants to help me.

The word says, “Let those who ask the Lord for help be happy.”

They are happy because when they ask, the Lord comes in and helps them.

Breakthrough happens, healing, restoration and a whole lot more happens when He helps.

Don’t rely on your own strength. The Lord’s strength and power are available to you. You just need to ask.

The enemy doesn’t want God getting involved in the fight because he knows he will lose.

Invite the Lord to your battles. He wants to take over and fight for you. He wants you to be victorious,

He wants you to be in peace.

“Always go to Him for help”

God always cares about what you going through. If you hurting ask Him for help, if you stressed, speak

up. The point is this, Invite Him into your battles. Not some of them but all your battles. 

He wants to fight for you. 

Bless you, friends!

Rolain

 

One thing that can stop God’s power in your life…..

“And the woman [in due time] bore a son and called his name Samson;

and the child grew and the Lord blessed him.

And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in Mahaneh-dan

[the camp of Dan] between Zorah and Eshtaol “

Judges 13:24, 25

 

I used to think Samson as the most arrogant of the heroes of the

bible. I thought he was brash, proud and conceited but I was wrong.

He was humble.

He knew where his true strength came from.

 

Let’s take a look at a scripture,

 

“Samson was very thirsty, and he prayed to the Lord and said, You have

given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant, and now shall I

die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

Judges 15:18

 

When spending time with God he addresses himself as “servant”.

With all his strength and power he humbled himself before God.

He never once gave himself the glory.

We never read of a time where he praised himself.

Samson was a humble man.

 

Let’s take a look at one more scripture,

 

“And when he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him.

And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon [Samson], and the ropes

on his arms became as flax that had caught fire, and his bonds melted

off his hands.”

Judges 15: 14

 

“The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Samson”

 

That wouldn’t have been possible if Samson was arrogant and proud.

He knew God was the reason for his strength and power and that is why

he was used so mightily.

 

This is the lesson I want you to take from the life of Samson.

With all his strength and power he never became proud and arrogant.

He knew God was the source of his strength.

Because he was humble he was in a position to be used mightily by God.

He put God first in his life and that is why he did what he did.

He never once praised himself.

If he was prideful he wouldn’t have been used.

 

To be used by God we need to be humble. We need to always put Him first.

Pride takes God out of the picture and makes us believe we can do it on our own.

Pride wants to go on its own.

Pride thinks it doesn’t need God or anyone for that matter.

One of our prayers should be to be humble.

No matter how much God does for us we must remain humble.

No matter the great heights He takes us to we need to remain humble.

It’s only when we are humble that we can be used by Him.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

I was totally clueless until…..

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 

Mark 13:5

 

The disciples asked Jesus about the end times and it’s

interesting to me what He said to them.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are living in the end

times. This week in our weekly bible study as a church,

Mark 13 was the main focus. There are a few things that stood

out in that lesson that I would like to share with you.

 

In talking about the end times, Jesus warns us against being

deceived. In the end times the enemy will try and deceive as

many people as he can. Are you deceived?

Before you answer the question I want to ask you another question,

How does one know he or she is deceived???

 

Jesus made it very clear that in the end times the enemy would

try his very best to deceive us. We are in the end times so the

enemy is at work trying to deceive us.

Just last week God uncovered deception in my heart. The thing

about deception is this, it’s subtle. It creeps in like a thief in the

night without a trace. That is what happened to me.

I was deceived about the way I thought about life. I had a way

of looking at life that was wrong but I didn’t even know it!

Who knows how long I was deceived. All I know is that it was

years!!!!

Yep, that long and I didn’t even know I was deceived. Anyway last

week on my off day as I was spending time with God reading

His word, the light came on! It was like scales fell off my eyes

and for the first time I saw clearly. I saw right through the lies

and deception. I couldn’t believe I never saw it.

 

Jesus knew how real the danger was. How many times in that

passage does He warn us to watch and be alert??!!!!

 

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform

signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Mark 13: 22, 23

 

How do you guard yourself against being deceived?

Be in the spirit, be in the word constantly, pray

as much as you can! I wasn’t doing these things that much.

Yes I would pray but not enough.

I would read my word but not enough

 

The word of God will expose deception in our lives.

 

Watch what you listen to and what you see. Left unchecked

you will be deceived.  Let me give you an example:

Things in my country are critical at the moment. People are losing

their jobs, corruption is at an all time high. Things don’t look

good.

The enemy is deceiving people by making them believe the

situation is hopeless. Christians are not tithing because things

are difficult but they have been deceived. God is the One who

provides for us and makes a way and that is why we can tithe

in the most trying of times. He is the God who makes a way in

the wilderness! But see how easy deception comes.

We need to watch and be alert! We can all be deceived. No one

is exempt.

I encourage you to look at your life and ask the Holy Spirit to

reveal any deception that is in your life. Remember what I said

in the beginning. It is hard to detect deception.

Anything that does not line up with the word of God is deception!

As I end I will leave you with this;

 

What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ 

Mark 13:37

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

What God’s goodness has to do with the Sun and a Shield……..!

I am currently doing a bible study on discovering the will of God. The book I am using is really something. It is unique in the way it tackles questions about God’s will. I started about a month ago and I have learned so much already. I came across a question that I have been meditating on for quite some time now. And it is this question and portion of the study I would like to share with you. I am sure it will be a blessing to someone.

What I will do is write down the questions and the answers I put down. The scripture used is really amazing. Here goes….

Psalm 84:11 is an outstanding verse on how good God is. Meditate on the verse, then answer the following questions.

(I used the Amplified Bible to answer this question.)

For The Lord God is a Sun and Shield; The Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and 

[future] glory (honour, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from

Those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11 (Amplified) 

– What two things is God like? What does each of these do for us? 

My answer – He is like the Sun and a Shield. 

The Sun brings light. It also brings life! 

A shield protects us. 

The Lord is a Sun…..

As He is the Sun the darkness in my life can do nothing but flee. Darkness cannot reside in the light. The Sun comes to shine in the dark places within me. It comes to give those dead things in me life…..! 

As a Shield He protects me from ALL the weapons the enemy fashions against me. No weapon can hurt me or destroy me. He is my Shield! 

– What does God do? 

My answer – He bestows [present] grace and [future] glory (honour, splendor and heavenly bliss)!

– What does He not do? 

He does NOT withhold any good thing from me! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. 

and a Shield!!!!

– How do these truths help you? 

Firstly these truths encourage me. They give me hope. They strengthen me. They give me confidence to face the challenges on my path. 

They give me boldness as I go to Him. 

And that is it. As you read the questions take time to meditate on them. Use whichever version is easy for you. The Amplified gave a deeper meaning for me. The truths you find will give you the hope you need. He is our Sun and Shield!!!

Rolain.

Reflecting on trust……

 

I have been reflecting on one of my favourite scriptures this week. As I read it

I could not move from it. I just kept reading it over and over. With that said I am starting a new category. It is based on Psalm 119:9 which talks about how we are supposed to conform our lives to the word of God. A lot of the time we try to make the word conform to what we think and the way we live but that is wrong. The word is not supposed to conform to our beliefs. It will NOT conform to us. We are the ones who need to conform to it. We are the ones who are to align to what the word says.

My goal in this new category is to hold up the word of God against our lives and see how we can apply its truth. This is what Psalm 119:9 says,

 

Psalm 119:9 (Amplified) says,

How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking head and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it].

 

Let us start. The scripture I was reading that I couldn’t move past is found in Proverbs 3: 5-7 (The Message).

 

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do,

everywhere you go;

He’s the One who will keep you on track.

 

Here are my reflections…..

 

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;” –

 

In the things I am seeking God for, am I trusting Him completely?

This is not a weak undecided trust but a deep confident trust. The word says,

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart”! This kind of trust realises there is

no one else I must depend on. It realises everything else cannot be trusted. This kind of trust realises there is only One it can look to.

 

The question then is, do we trust God from the bottom of our heart? If not, what is stopping us? Is it fear, is it doubt, unbelief, previous failures??? What is it?

God wants us to trust Him from the bottom of our heart. No matter what you are going through, no matter how impossible it seems, He wants you to trust Him from the bottom of your heart!

 

“Don’t try to figure out everything on your own” –

 

We were not made with the capacity to figure out God. He is too big and too awesome. He is TOO MUCH….!!!! His ways are beyond our comprehension. The

more we try to figure Him out the more confused we get. We are TOO SMALL….!!

Don’t miss this please. We are too small!!!!!

Our understanding is too limited to go down that road.

Does that mean we are broken? Did God make us with a defect then? No!

He made us like that so we could learn to look to Him! He wants to be the One

we depend on. There should never be a time where we are enough for the storms we face. ( I hope you understand what I mean here)

Trying to figure everything out in your life by yourself is not trusting God. It is you saying you are enough for this life and you don’t need the Saviour!

 

In your life where have you tried to figure out things by yourself?

What areas in your life have you not allowed God to take the steering wheel?

 

“Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

He’s the One who will keep you on track” –

 

There is so much I am seeking God for. There is so much clarity I need. There are so many major decisions I need to make concerning my career, relationships, and life in general.

In all those things am I listening for God’s voice to lead me?? Are you?

Am I taking the time to hear what He is saying? Are you?

Do I depend on His voice in every decision I make? Do you?

 

Why is it important to listen for His voice in everything we do?

 

Because He is the One who will keep me on track. He is the One who keeps you on track!!

As I end this post I would like to leave you with this thought – He is the one who keeps us on track! Trust Him, depend on Him, seek Him because,

 

He is the One who keeps us on track!!

 

Rolain