You Are Not Alone at Christmas!

Christmas is a few days away and there are a lot of people who are excited. And how can they not be?

The Christmas tree is decorated

The gifts are ready

The family is coming over

The food is sorted

Friends will be there

and so on and so on…

But there is another reality to Christmas. The reality that there are a lot of people facing depression, people who are contemplating

suicide, people who are facing mental health issues and so many other negative things.

But there is an answer to all the pain and difficult things we go through not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom

men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Isaiah 53:3 ASV

I love this scripture because it’s talking about JESUS. He was despised and rejected by men. He was acquainted with grief.

He was a man of sorrows! What a title.

If there is anyone who knows the pain you are going through it’s JESUS. He knows exactly what you are going through?

He knows the darkness you are in and the chains that are suffocating you.

He knows the hopelessness you are feeling at the moment and that is why you should call on Him immediately.

Whatever you are going through at the moment I want you to know that you are not alone. He is with you. He wants

to help you and bring you out of the darkness. He wants to break the chains that are suffocating you right now.

Whatever pain and heartache you are going through remember that Jesus went through it. He was the man of sorrows.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

Isaiah 53:4 ASV

Give Him your grief. He will carry your sorrow.

So cry out to Him for help. He loves you and wants to be there for you.

He knows your every pain that you are going through right now.

There is hope for you this Christmas friend. And His name is JESUS!

Rolain

 

All I see is God’s faithfulness.

 

“Great are the works of the Lord;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.”

Psalm 111:2

 

In a year when it seemed like nothing could happen God did the impossible and brought 

to reality a dream and desire I had been holding on to for seven years. 

He is faithful. 

Watch the video to hear my testimony. 

 

 

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Bless you friends and I hope you are having a great holiday. 

 

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

Have you seen what God has in store for you in 2015??

So much has happened this year. A lot of good has happened but bad things have happened as well. As a country we have gone through some really hard times but as I reflect on all that has happened I realize God has brought me this far! Through all the times of testing, trials, challenges, and disappointments, God has been faithful. He has been with me every step of the way. He has been by my side and has not abandoned me.

What has YOUR year been like? Are you looking forward to 2015? Are you dreading it? Do you get fearful when you look at 2015? Can I confess something to you?

In the natural it looks like 2015 is going to be worse than 2014.

It looks like nothing is going to change for me.

It looks like I have come to the end of the road.

It doesn’t look like any doors could open for me.

I know God has a plan for me but going into 2015 I have no idea what He has in store!

 

Can you believe that? I am just being honest. Our country is going through a lot and it looks like things are just going to get worse but…………….

 

I was convicted the other day as I was thinking like this.

Since when did my circumstances determine what God had for me???

My circumstances have rarely being “just right” for God to work, but He has done amazing things! God does not wait for circumstances to get better to work! He doesn’t wait for the drought to finish to provide! He doesn’t wait for the sick person to get stronger to heal! He doesn’t wait for the poor to get rich to bless him!

What He waits for is FAITH! It is faith that compels Him to move on your behalf. So what does that mean?

As you read Hebrew 11 you will see how men and women of God were able to look ahead by faith and obtain the promises God had promised them!

By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. Hebrew 11:5

By an act of faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. Hebrews 11:7 

By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. when he left he had no idea where he was going. Hebrew 11:8

So what am I trying to say?? 2014 was a difficult year and it had it’s fair share of challenges, challenges that could deceive me into thinking 2015 is going to be the same or worse but I can choose to believe different.

You can choose to believe different! 

You can declare what God has shown you by faith! Even if it sounds crazy, and even if it looks like it’s impossible, trust God!

 

2015 is going to be a great year for me!

The doors that were closed in 2014 will be opened for me in 2015!

New opportunities are waiting for me in 2015!

Blessing and prosperity are waiting for me in 2015!

God’s favor is with me 100 fold in 2015!

My country is going to turn around in 2015!

God is going to perform amazing miracles in my country in 2015!

My church is going to a new level in 2015!

Going is going to do something really significant in our church in 2015! Something that will impact the world!

2015 is a year God is going to establish me!

 

My circumstances say I am crazy for speaking like this, but my circumstances are not the god I worship!! I serve a real and powerful God who says,

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Jeremiah 29;11

What do you see when you see 2015? You can choose to see 2015 in the natural, what you see is what you get. So if you had a bad year then next year will be the same or even worse and there is no hope!

Or you could choose to believe in God and believe He has a great year in store for you! Your faith will be tested but it will make you stronger.

Can you imagine how Noah felt as he built an ark in the middle of dry ground??

What was going through Abraham’s mind as he traveled to an unknown place. He had no idea where he was going but he trusted God!!!

Your faith in God will set you apart. It may make you unpopular or seem crazy but don’t stop! God will come through for you! Don’t be discouraged, 2015 is going to be an amazing year for you if you only choose to believe in God! That is my declaration! God bless……

Rolain

 

 

 

Why were the shepherds chosen???

And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night. Matthew 2:8

Have you ever wondered why God chose the shepherds to proclaim the good news on that historical day? Wise men, I can understand.Wise men had been trained. These men were taught and taught by the best. They were wealthy and influential. So I can understand why they would be used but shepherds??? They were just commoners. They were not considered special people. I don’t think they were rich and influential. I could say they were ordinary men providing for their family and trying to make a living. But these are the men that were chosen. And as I read that I get excited because there is hope. That is one of the miracles of Christmas. It is not about how popular you are or the type of car you drive or the kind of house you live in. You are chosen because God in His grace chose you. Why He chose the shepherds we will never know but we know this, we have been chosen as well.

17 And when they saw it, they made known what had been told them concerning this Child,

18 And all who heard it were astounded and marveled at what the shepherds told them.

The shepherds went out and told people what had been told to them and people believed them. God will use anyone and that’s the truth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Christmas time marks the start of something new. You will never be the same because of what Christ did for you. When He was born everything changed never to be the same….Like the shepherds He can use you…..The question is, do you believe that????

Rolain