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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Christmas still relevant today?

I love Christmas!

But I have a question.

What does Christmas really mean?

(Deep in thought……)

Christmas is about Santa Claus

It’s about giving and spending time with family. It’s about food (lots of it) haha

It’s also about the birth of Christ! For Christians this is the main purpose of Christmas.

It’s that time of the year we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

But as I reflect on Christmas a few things come to mind:

The 2014 Isla Vista killings – where a man shot and killed six people and injured thirteen others before committing suicide! I can only imagine what the families are going through!

The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines earlier this year which resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives! Hundreds of families will spend Christmas alone!

The death and loss caused by ISIS. There are people still fleeing for their lives. There are people still losing loved ones. There are lots of people living in fear because of ISIS.

The kidnapping of 200 girls by the Boko Haram.

Women and girls who have been trafficked and haven’t been rescued!

The list goes on and on!

As I thought on this I thought to myself,

Surely Christmas is more than gifts, food, Santa Claus, and family? Those things are important but what does Christmas offer to the person who has lost everything?

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭10-11‬ NKJV)

We were lost doomed to die but Jesus came and changed that. He reversed our death sentence to one of life! When I think of Christmas, I think of the hope it brings!  A hope that the world desperately needs. A hope WE desperately need!!

Christmas offers hope for everyone! No matter how bad things are, no matter how hopeless they seem, there is hope! Don’t be discouraged, don’t lose heart. You have been given a second chance!

Christmas is a beacon of hope to all that need hope!

Bad things have happened and are still happening but the birth of Jesus Christ is the answer to the pain and the terror that has happened.

When you think of the birth of Jesus Christ, His death and what He accomplished should come to mind! You cannot separate those two powerful, world changing events!

He came to give us life, peace, joy, a reason to live again, hope and a whole lot more!

If you are in pain, if you are alone, if your future looks hopeless know this:

There is hope for you……

You have a second, third, fourth chance!

God cares for you and looks after you.

Christmas represents HOPE for everyone!

Merry Christmas to you all.

Rolain

Three hours later……

Why do people not see how powerful their words are? Three hours have passed and I am still struggling with the words that were spoken to me by a pastor friend. He may have thought he was being sincere but his words reached their target. No matter who you are words hurt. You may be a seasoned Christian or the hulk but the fact remains, words hurt. I think I am a very confident person with a healthy self esteem but his words broke through all of that!

If your words are not going to build, encourage, inspire, and bring out the best in someone then don’t say it. Why would you say something you know will hurt someone? If you know it’s going to hurt them then don’t say it. Let us honor people by the way we speak to them. You may think you are being real and being realistic but you are simply hurting them. Yes people need to hear the truth and yes they need to be confronted but we need wisdom in how we speak to them!

As I conclude remember, no matter who you are words hurt.

 

Rolain

He didn’t understand surrender…….!

 

 

What does it mean to really surrender? I am interested to know how God sees surrender. Let us look at a story of the young rich man who came to Jesus. His story will help us see surrender the way God sees it. As you know the rich young man came and asked Jesus what he should so to get eternal life (Matthew 19:16) We read in a later verse that the young man had kept all the things Jesus had suggested. We will pick up the story from there:

 

“The young man said, I’ve done all that. What’s left?

If you want to give it all you’ve got, Jesus replied, go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.”

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. Matthew 19: 20

 

The young man had followed the commandments unwaveringly and to some extent he may have thought it was enough. But it wasn’t. He may of thought he could hold on to those other things because he was following the commandments. He thought tithing, going to church, praying, fasting, listening to Christian music, and reading the bible was enough, He thought that was sacrifice and it is but it was not enough. The word says,

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. Matthew 19:22

What are you holding on to tightly? The young man couldn’t BEAR to let things go! He held on really tight but real surrender is being able to let those things go. I read this scripture a few days ago and instantly things came up, things that I had been holding onto tightly. I brought those things to God and asked Him to help me let go, I want to really surrender. God wants everything! Partial surrender is not surrender at all. He wants our all……! Will you surrender….??

Rolain

The “Gifts” God gives us…..!

I don’t know where to start and I don’t know how to begin this post. All I can say is that the word “gift” has

taken a whole new meaning for me. A few months ago I found out my friend, was leaving the country for good! We were first friends, then he became my boss, then pastor, then mentor, then family!

My world turned upside down that day. I had people leave before and it was painful but this, this was a whole new level.

My pastor’s wife called me and sat me down as she told me the news. I was devastated and confused. Why God I asked?

This can’t be happening I thought. I had known my mentor’s family for over 10 years! I knew them when they

had their first son. They have four boys now and I love them to bits.  Anyway I remember going to God and

crying out to Him for answers to the question why. Nothing came. Instead revelation came……

 

God showed me how they were gifts from Him. I met my mentor when I had just met The Lord. I am a sinner

now but back then I was much worse. If there is a word worse than sinner I was it. I was truly lost. I had no

direction and no plan. I had crazy issues I was beginning to work out. I had just became a Christian and this new

life was still…..new! I was dealing with a lot of things. I had no confidence and I had no self esteem. When he

employed me a year after meeting him I stole money from him! It was that bad. I WAS that bad! But thank God he never fired me or called the police. He gave me a second chance…….

 

I didn’t trust anyone back then and when he tried to help me out I would think he had some evil intension! When he disciplined me at work I would take it personally. When he made a joke about me I would get extremely angry. My stuttering was so bad back then which didn’t really help things! So believe me when I say, things were bad back then, really bad!!!

But God used him and his wife to mold me into who God wanted me to be. They taught me so much. They stood by

me when I had family issues. They helped me out financially countless times. They sat down and taught me so much

about God and life. In one of the darkest times in my life they were there.

 

God showed me how that was not an accident.

He knew all the change that needed to happen in me. He saw all I was going through and because of that He sent them

into my life. They were gifts. We serve a God who is the giver of gifts but the mistake we make is thinking gifts come in the form of money only. That’s not true. God’s gifts are so much more than money. They are deeper than that. During that time I never thought of them as gifts. We had our good times together and we had hard and difficult times.

 

The fact of the matter is this. God sent me gifts in the form of my mentor and his family. I just didn’t know it at the time and I never gave them the honor they rightly deserved. I wish I never took them for granted. I wish I honored them more and thanked them more for all they had done for me. I can’t put into words all that they did for me. A lot of who I am is because of their input in my life.

They saw so much potential in me and stood by me patiently. They are my family. I am telling you all this because….

…….they left on Wednesday this week! It’s been a hard week I must admit. They had my back. But in the midst of the pain God showed me how He will bring other “gifts” into my life after all; those “gifts” came from Him. He is the giver of all gifts. My mentor and his family never willed or planned to do all they did for me. God was behind it all. My mentor never knew the kind of impact he would have in my life but God did because He planned it. God was behind it all……

Yes, I am sad and broken at them leaving but I am also at peace because God has some amazing “gifts” in store for me.

I pray I be a “gift” to someone else as well. Would God use me to be the kind of “gift” my mentor was to me……

 

Have you acknowledged the “gifts” God has put in your life? There is a reason He has placed them in your life.

Don’t take them for granted. Thank them for all they are doing for you. It is not easy for them. There is always a

sacrifice on their part. May we always appreciate the “gifts” God has given us, always!

 

 

* This post is dedicated to the Stewart family. *

The Stewart family!

 

Rolain.

The Truth About Sin……

I have been in South Africa for the past two weeks now. I was in Durban to be precise, on a tour with my church choir and pastor’s wife. We had such an amazing time of ministry. God really showed up where ever we went to minister. One of my highlights going there was connecting with friends of mine who are in University in Durban. It was great catching up with them. As we were having fun,the issue of grace in context of sin came up. There were many solid arguments that came up and I left that day with a greater understanding of grace and how we should be more understanding with people. As Christians our model is Jesus.
Is there sin that is more abhorrent that the rest? In my country homosexuality is up there among the seven deadly sins.  What I am addressing is how we as Christians deal with people who are involved in the “unspeakable”sins. So having an affair is not so bad compared to homosexuality, someone would think.”How dare he come to church. He is gay and he should be stopped from coming to church”. “What nerve she has, coming to church when she is a prostitute. ” There are so many people who think they can judge certain people because their sins are among the “unspeakable.”

Jesus had to deal with the same mind set in His day.
Early in the morning (at dawn), He came back into the temple [court], and the people came to Him in crowds. He sat down and was teaching them, 
When the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They made her stand in the middle of the court and put the case before Him. 
Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery. 
Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women-offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do you say [to do with her-what is your sentence]? John 8:2-5

Let us think about this for a moment. The Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery and it was considered bad to the extent that the offender was to be stoned! Did the Pharisees sin, yes! But they didn’t see sin as sin and because of that they thought they had the right to judge the woman.
Let’s look at how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees.

However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. John 8:7

We know the rest of the story. One by one being convicted, each person left and Jesus himself did not condemn her. So what am I saying. We need to be more understanding and patient with all people. We can’t be patient with someone who has just had a divorce but then separate ourself from someone who has murdered. What we need to do is look into ourselves and ask ourselves, what do I find detestable? Once you answer that question put that sin in place of adultery in the story I shared. What if a homosexual was brought to Jesus that day? I believe He would of said the same thing to the Pharisees. What if a murderer was brought before Jesus, I still believe the answer would be the same. If we are going to make an impact in the world we need to extend grace to all people. We extend grace because Christ extended His grace to us. What if He just left us? We would be dead with no hope. It’s because of His love and grace that we have a hope and future.  As Christians we cannot spend our time judging people when we all sin.

This is the conclusion. Sin is sin. we have no right to judge someone else just because we think their sin is a lot more atrocious than our own sin. Yes, we confront sin. If someone is doing wrong tell them but don’t let  a person’s sin stop you from loving that person. Jesus told the adulterous woman to go and sin no more but before that, He gave her a chance. He did not condemn her. Are we condemning before even giving that person a chance? And that is my challenge to you.

Taking Responsibility For The Next Generation!!!

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this Your people who are so great?
2 Chronicles 1:10

This was what King Solomon prayed to God when God asked him what he wanted. Instead of asking for wealth or long life or a whole host of other things, he asked God for wisdom to guide the nation of Israel!!!!
How did this young man who was about to lead so great a nation know what to ask for?

Today we have a lot of kids who are not growing up in the way of the Lord. We have kids who are passionate about everything but God. We have young people who will not raise their hands to God in praise! The things of God don’t seem to interest our kids but why? As mentor’s and parents we blame Facebook and other social networks, we blame television but the truth is, it’s our fault! We have not set a good example. We watch anything and everything but expect our kids to be pure in what they watch!
Our kids are not passionate because WE are not passionate. We read our bibles once a week and expect our kids to read their bibles daily. We eat trash but we teach our kids to eat right!!! Something is wrong with that picture.                               Even if you don’t have kids yet this applies to you. Are you on fire for God? Do you read your word? Are you a passionate person?
King David managed to transfer his vision to Solomon. Could you say that about your kids? Do they know what God has called them to do?  Do they know your vision? Look at what the next scripture says:

When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba],
He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.
Proverbs 3:3-27

Solomon asked for wisdom because his dad treasured it. His dad would sit down and talk to him about it.
As mentors, teachers, and parents we have the responsibility of leading the way. I wrote a post sometime ago entitled Our kids at War. They are at war and they are losing. They need more role models. They need someone to follow. But how can they follow us if we are not passionate about God and we are lukewarm???? It won’t work. Let us follow King David’s example and raise up our kids in the admonition of the Lord….

As we do that our kids will be stronger. They will be able to stand on our shoulders as we lead them.

Rolain