The “Impossible” Question

“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. “

Luke 1:45 ESV

When the angel of the Lord visited Mary and told her she would have a baby boy, she didn’t doubt. She believed completely. And because she believed, her cousin Elizabeth being prompted by the Holy Spirit declared to her the words in the scripture above.

There is a blessing for those who choose to believe the promises God has promised them no matter how impossible it seems at the time. God is the God of the impossible and He wants you and me to trust Him.

So my question to you is, Do you believe God can do the impossible in your life today?

No matter how impossible things seem, do you know that you know, God will answer you and come through for you?

Let’s be like Mary who believed the Lord without a single doubt.

The Lord will never let you down so believe in Him always!

Bless you friends

Rolain

What God Thinks About Our Imperfections.

As I begin I want to ask a question.

Do our imperfections stop God’s grace from operating freely in our lives?

For the answer let us look at Matthew 1.

I want to focus on the genealogy of Jesus Christ because it is there that we find the answer.

You would think that list would be comprised of the who’s who at the time.

The rich and powerful, the superstars and such like people. But that was not the case.

The people on that list were the complete opposite. They were anything but perfect.

What I want to do is focus in on five women that were mentioned on that list.

The ONLY five women mentioned and I don’t think that was a mistake.

The women were Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary.

I am not going to talk about Mary because we know she was the mother of Jesus.

So let’s talk about the other women.

Rahab – We know she was a proustite but the direction of her life changed when she

welcomed and hide the spies by faith. Despite her past the Lord turned her life around.

Her imperfections, her past, her past sins did not stop the Lord from doing something

amazing in her life.

Bathsheba – At a time when kings were supposed to go for war, David stayed behind and

got into trouble. He slept with Bathsheba and had a child with her. To hide the fact, he got

Uriah her husband killed.

In a dark time, the Lord gave them Solomon and they found favor and grace. When

there didn’t seem to be a way out the Lord made a way for them.

Ruth – Ruth was a Moabite and was in a unique position.

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD,

not even in the tenth generation.”

Deuteronomy 23:3

The Moabites had a curse on them because they tried to stop Israel when they came from Egypt.

There was nothing Ruth could do about her nationality. She was born into it but that didn’t stop God from blessing

her in amazing ways. The Lord was with her despite her nationality.

Tamar – To read Tamar’s story you will have to go back to the book of Genesis 38:6-30

Judah had three sons and he got Tamar to marry his firstborn son. But he displeased the

Lord and was killed. She was then given to his second son and once again he displeased

the Lord and was killed. So Judah decided to not give Tamar his third born son because

he was afraid he would lose him too. But Tamar had a plan. She disguised herself as a

prostitute and slept with Judah and they had kids.

(this is a very condensed version of the story)

That was crazy right but that is the Tamar that is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. She was a descendant

of Jesus Christ!

As you read all these women’s stories its clear to see how God did amazing things considering the

diverse things that happened.

The lesson is a simple one,

Don’t let your failures, your sins, where you were born and so much more make you believe that God

can’t use you.

He is not hindered by your imperfections. They don’t limit Him one single bit.

Trust Him to use you in amazing ways.

He loves and cares for you.

And to answer the question I asked in the beginning. The answer is no.

Our imperfections don’t stop God’s grace from moving in our lives.

Bless you friends

Rolain

Plans gone wrong!

“Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “Hushai’s advice is better than Ahithophel’s.” For the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom!”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭17:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Ahitophel’s advice could have ended David’s life if it was followed but God stepped in and delivered him by frustrating Ahitophel’s counsel and plan.

The enemy is always planning against you but his plans will come to nothing. They will not come to fruition because the Lord is protecting you. Like He did for David the Lord is stepping in and frustrating the enemy’s plans.

Remember Haman who had plans to eliminate the Jewish people. (Read the book of Esther)

It seemed like his plans were rock solid but God stepped in again and frustrated them.

“Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.” “Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.”

‭‭Esther‬ ‭7:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

The truth is this: No weapon formed against you will prosper.

Don’t be afraid of the plans the enemy has against you and the weapons he creates to take you out because the Lord will guard you and make sure you are safe. The only plans that are coming to reality are the ones the Lord has made.

I pray and declare that all His good plans over your life come to pass. There is no plan that the enemy has created that is strong enough to succeed over you.

So don’t lose heart. The Lord will be your Shield wherever you go!

Bless you friends!

 

Rolain

He gave him back his strength…

“He answered them, The Man who healed me and gave me back my strength, He Himself

said to me, Pick up your bed and walk! 

John 5:11

 

For thirty-eight years the enemy had stolen the man’s health. For thirty-eight years he was under the

power of the enemy. The enemy thought he had won. But he was wrong. The story was not over.

 

The enemy is all about taking stuff away from us. From the moment he was cast out of heaven he

has been stealing, destroying and killing. he doesn’t want us to have the good things God has for us.

But there is some really good news for us.

 

“He answered them, The Man who healed me and gave me back my strength, He Himself

said to me, Pick up your bed and walk!

John 5:11 (emphasis mine)

 

Jesus gave the man back his strength which enabled him to walk again. The enemy’s hold on

the man was broken.

As I read this there are things the enemy has stolen from me that I want back.

The Lord came to restore what was stolen from me. He wants me to have all the goodness

and blessings He planned for me and so it is with you.

 

What has the enemy stolen from you? The Lord wants to give you back what the enemy has stolen.

It may take a day, a month or years but the Lord wants to restore to you what has been taken. The enemy

might think he is in the driving seat but he never was and will never be.

The Lord is gracious and merciful and fights for us!

 

Rolain

What do we do when life doesn’t go the way we expect??

Living out God’s plan for my life has not gone anything like I expected!!

There have been turns, twists and surprising additions but nothing like I expected.

There have been difficult things I had to wrestle with.

There have been disappointments.

And as I write this post I still don’t have the full picture of YAH’s plan for my life!

Can anyone else identify??

 

Even though there is a lot I am still in the dark about concerning YAH’s purpose for my

life one thing remains, my faith in Him!

When we talk about purpose we need to talk about faith. Without faith in YAH we will

not accomplish His plan for our lives.

We may not make sense of what’s happening but we need to trust Him.

It may not happen like we imagine but we must trust!

 

And this is the thing, faith must be exercised every step of the way.

Think about the Israelites for a bit. YAH had a plan for them;

to take them out of Egypt (bondage) to bring them to Canaan (a land

flowing with milk and honey).  (Exodus 3:17)

A trip that was supposed to take eleven days took forty years! (Deuteronomy 1:2)

They consistently doubted YAH’s goodness, mercy and faithfulness.

They had a crazy amount of things happen to them along the way and things could have

turned out differently for them if they only trusted but as we know it didn’t.

They didn’t get into the promise land because of their unbelief.

Without faith in YAH we will fail. I want to share a scripture that

emphasizes the importance of faith in the life of a believer;

 

“Thus says the Lord: Cursed [with great evil] is the strong man who trusts in and

relies on frail man, making weak [human] flesh his arm, whose mind and heart turn

aside from the Lord.

For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he

shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the

wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”

Jeremiah 17:5, 6

 

Before I carry on I want to say something. The price for relying on our own

strength or another man’s strength is steep. The message is very clear for

those who don’t put their trust in YAH.

This is not a scare tactic to get you to trust In YAH.

 

He wants us to come to that revelation on our own. He wants us to realize

that we can call to Him when things are not going our way. He wants us

to know that we can call on Him always! He loves us deeply and He

can be trusted. His desire is to see us accomplish all that He has planned

for us.

Let’s carry on;

 

“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord,

and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spread out its roots by the

river; and it shall not see and fear when the heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. 

It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease

yielding fruit. “

Jeremiah 17:7, 8

 

God has amazing things in store for us but we need to walk by faith.

Things may not go as we expect but faith in Him will keep us steady.

We may have no clue about the next step but faith will keep us moving.

Faith in YAH will preserve us when the fire comes, when the doubts rise.

We don’t need to see the whole picture to accomplish our purpose, we

need faith!

Let’s always walk in complete trust no matter what comes our way!

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

Make the most of His blessings…..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Some people dig a fork into the pie but are too lazy to 

raise it to their mouth. “

Proverbs 19:24

 

The poor people! They have the tools (the fork), they have the

blessings from God, the opportunities from God (the pie) but are

too lazy to eat the goodness laid out before them!!

 

May that not happen to us friends.

May we use our gifts and talents in the right way.

May we take the opportunities God has given us.

May we be not like the lazy man who sits and does nothing!

 

I have to admit I act like that man a lot. God has laid out a clear

plan and path for me and I get so distracted. It’s getting better

though. I am fighting the distractions but there is still work to

be done.

I am not doing enough of what I know I am supposed to be

doing!

I don’t want to be that man !

I will not be that man!

 

What about you?

Are you staring at the pie?

 

Let’s enjoy the pie together friends!

God has so much in store for us.

We need to step out.

We need to say no to somethings.

We need to say yes to somethings.

Let’s not let laziness get the best of us…..!

 

Amen

 

Rolain

 

 

 

God silenced her voice…..

“But to Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah,

but the Lord had given her no children.

[This embarrased and grieved Hannah] and her rival provoked

her greatly to vex her, because the Lord had left her childless.”

1 Samuel 1:5, 6

 

There are times I feel like Hannah. It seems like people

are getting on with life and here I am still waiting…….

They look and wonder then ask, dude???

What’s going on? Why haven’t you got that, why aren’t you where

we at? Is everthing okay? What’s wrong with you?

What about you? Do you ever feel like Hannah?

 

I wish I had the answer but I didn’t and that is what Hannah

felt like. She was embarrased and grieved. There was nothing

she could say…..the Lord had left her childless!

Off course there was a reason she was barren. God had a plan

for Hannah but it was hard for her to understand. Peninnah was her

oppressor. It’s hard to understand for all of us I guess. We need to

know that God is good! His plan for us is good no matter how hard

things get.

We hear a lot of Peninnah in the first chapter. She is in Hannah’s

face and in life we will have Peninnah’s. Peninnah was provoking

her out of jealousy. The people who are ridiculing you have their

reasons but don’t worry about them. There will always be

Peninnah’s in your life!

 

But then at the right time God came to her rescue.

 

“The family rose early the next morning, worshiped before

the Lord, and returned to their home in Ramah.

Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. “

1 Samuel 1:19

 

The Lord remembered Hannah!

 

Hannah may of thought God had forgotten her but it wasn’t

true. God was up to something. He had a plan for her life.

He remembered her and gave her her heart’s deepest desire!

God has not forgotten you friends. You are on His mind.

He will silence the Peninnah’s in your life by giving you

what you have asked for! No matter how long you have waited,

He remembers you.

We don’t hear of Peninnah after the Lord remembered Hannah.

We don’t hear her provokings, her ridicules, her words of hate.

God silenced her voice completely and that is His plan for you too.

It grieves Him when people speak against you.

His plan is to silence her voice in your life completely!

 

“Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in

the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord.

My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my

enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.”

1 Samuel 2:2

 

Peninnah had managed to silence Hannah’s voice. Hannah

had believed what Peninnah was saying. So she remained

silent BUT God made it possible for her to open her mouth!

Yipeeee….!!!!

The enemy’s goal is to shut you up always. He doesn’t want you

praising the Lord and giving Him the glory. Don’t let the

negative voices in your life silence you. Don’t believe what

they are saying becasue it’s just not true!

We will not deny Hannah was barren but it was never

meant to last. Peninnah underestimated the power of God

in Hannah’s life. Remember, the situation you are in will not

last forever. God will open your mouth again! You will praise Him,

you exult Him because of His salvation in your life…..

 

“Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren

has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes

and is forlorn. “

1 Samuel 2:5

 

I believe this is a warning for all those who are proud and a

promise for those who will trust Him wholeheartedly.

Peninnah had children but that didn’t give her the right to

speak to Hannah like that. She got proud and in God’s eyes

that’s was unexceptable. God hates pride.

Pride affects us all but we must fight it. Even if I become a

preisdent, that should never be a reason to look down on anyone!

Humility says, ” I am not better than anyone, no matter

what position I hold, no matter what I own, no matter where

I come from.

 

“Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.”

 

Pride makes the full go out hiring themsleves out for bread.

There is no blessing found in pride.

But we know there is a blessing in being humble. So take

this warning seriously friends. Never get to a point where

you are too important for anyone. Never get to a place where

you are looking down on another person!

That’s a word for you and for me.

 

So after all is said and done remember,

God remembers you! He loves you and has a plan for you

no matter how hard things seem at the moment!

 

Be humble!

 

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

 

 

Australia.

In approximately 7 days I will be leaving for Australia. I will be gone

for two weeks. I hope I will be able to write when I am there.

I am going for a conference with my pastor. For more information

about the conference please click here. It would be so amazing

if I met you there!!!

But this post is about something deeper than going to Australia.

It will be my first time to visit and I am so excited. At the same

time I am blown away, I am amazed at how good God is.

I have no words honestly. God continues to bless me not because

I did something right but because of His unending, boundless,

grace. I stand here in awe knowing full well that I had nothing

to do with being blessed. I sin every day, I ignore God, I lash out

at God and the reward is blessing???

 

My testimony is, if God could do it for me then He can

certainly do it for you! I don’t deserve to be blessed the way

I have been blessed. I can’t make sense of any of this. It just

doesn’t make sense. A few months ago I was blessed with a car!

Can you imagine that? A friend wanted to see me after church so

I went and saw him. After speaking to him briefly he handed me

car keys! I was wrecked for weeks with no words

to say. I tried talking to God after that but no words came. I was

shell shocked for lack of a better word. And now, I am going to

Australia! I have no words……

 

God is surely the God of the impossible. If He can do it for me,

He can do it for you. I totally believe that. There is nothing special

about me. I am just someone God blessed. I know this is

just the beginning. I would be foolish to think this was it!

There is more, so much more and I am not talking about

material things.

What are you trusting God for?

Don’t stop praying, don’t stop believing. God will answer

your prayer.

He has amazing things in store for you, friend. You may think

You don’t deserve His blessing but that’s just it, none of us

deserve anything from God. We have sinned and the only thing

we deserve is death but He gives us life instead!

My prayer is that you will look at my life and be encouraged.

I am not showing off. I am hoping you will see the faithfulness

of God through my testimony.  He is the reason I am blessed.

I cannot give that credit to anyone else.

After everything that has happened I am encouraging you

to not shrink back, don’t give up on that thing you are

praying for. God hears your prayers.

 

Rolain

 

 

What praise is…..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I got up this morning and did my daily reading of the word and a word jumped out at me. It’s a word that has blessed me so many times. But this morning, I was blessed by it even more. Here is what I read:

Hallelujah!

You who serve God, praise God!

Just to speak His name is praise!

Just to remember God is a blessing –

now and tomorrow and always.

From east to west, from dawn to dusk, keep lifting all your praises to God!

Psalm 113:1-3 (The Message)

 

Wow right!!!! This verse does something for me every time I read it.

We serve a really really really big God. He deserves all our praise and worship.

So…….if you serve God, praise God! He has done great things for you. (Oh, and that is not a suggestion, it’s a command. God commands us, not to make life hard for us but because He knows there is a blessing when we do it).

Just to speak His name is praise – what power He has!!! Where just to speak His name something happens!!!  Jesus!

Just to remember God is a blessing – now and tomorrow and always – Get rid of those things that hinder you from remembering Him daily. Not just daily but constantly through the day. IT IS A BLESSING TO REMEMBER GOD!

And lastly, lift up your praise from dawn to dusk! He has done great things and is doing great things. Doing that magnifies God in your life. He gets bigger the more you praise Him. This is your challenge and my challenge. Let us give Him the praises He deserves.  Amen

Rolain

 

What does God see when He sees you?

I will sing of the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation. Psalm 89:1

I have established the fact that God has a plan for you. But there is more. God has a plan for you but He has a plan for your children and their children and their children and so on. God doesn’t just see you. When He looks at you He sees generations. He doesn’t want to just bless you but the generations after you!! We need to begin to see like He does. We need to think like Him  in every sphere of our life. When you make a decision concerning your life, know that it is going to affect the generations after you. Where will your kids be and what will they believe, who will they worship? Do you want them to be blessed? Do you want them to do great things for God? Well, you have a part to play in that.

For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your gates, and He has blessed your children within you. 
Psalm 147:13

God has already blessed your children within you! If you are single, know that your kids are blessed. If you are married and you have kids, God has blessed them. God has a plan for them and He has a plan for their children. There is more to God blessing you than just blessing you. There is a part you are to play in all of this.

When King David dwelt in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. 2 Samuel 7:1, 2

We know the story. Nathan comes back to him and tells him he will not build the house for God but because the thought came into his mind God would bless his children.

And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring, who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom. 2 Samuel 7: 12
(read the whole of chapter 7)
God blessed David by blessing his generation to come!

“Your throne shall be established forever.” 

Wow!!!! I hope you are beginning to see it. You are not just living for yourself but for the generations to come after you and God doesn’t just see you but the generations that are to come after you. He is not just blessing you but He has blessed the generation after you! When you understand that, the way you live changes. The way you make decisions changes.
Remember, when God sees you, He sees generations. Amen

Rolain