A world without trouble….??!!!

²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have

worked much harder,been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and

been exposed to death again and again.

²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was

shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,

²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from

bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,

in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.

²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger

and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 

1 Corinthians 11:23-28

 

I think you will agree with me, Paul went through an a lot of hard times. As I read this

scripture I began to think:

Did Paul ever think God had abandoned or hate him?

He was shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, whipped, hungry, naked and a lot more.

I think it would be easy to get discouraged and think God was punishing him.

But that is not the case here. Paul is not complaining when he writes this.

He is giving glory to God, He is praising God!

We know without a doubt that God was with Paul through every step of the way.

God was with Paul when he was in prison

God was with Paul when he was whipped

God was with Paul when he was at the point of death,

when death was knocking at the door God was by his side!

 

God never left Paul, not once! He was by his side through it all….

 

God was with Paul when he spent a whole night at sea adrift on

a board!

When he was in danger from bandits and his own people, God

was with him!

In toil and hardships God was with him!

When he had nothing to eat or drink, when he was naked, God

was with him.

 

The trials Paul went through drew him closer to God.

The trials he went though strengthened his faith in God.

 

What troubles are you going through?

I want you to know, as you go

through the storm God is with you. He knows exactly what you are

going through. He will not abandon you!!

Praise God in the storms you are going through right now.

He wants to reveal His greatness to you.

He cares about you and will never leave you alone!

 

Rely on Him, call on Him in those times.

As God was with Paul, He is with you!

 

Rolain

 

Why am I going through this???

 

Ever feel overwhelmed with life?

Ever feel like everything is too much and you just want to tap out?

 

I was reflecting on my life this week (I have been doing a lot of

that lately). A lot has happened already this year good and bad.

Its easy to get discouraged these days. It’s easy to think God has

abandoned you! It’s easy to give up. I say that because as I was

reflecting on my life and the plans I had for this year, things I

want to do, places I want to go to, eveything felt so overwhelming!!

I cried out to God in that time. I asked Him to help me! I looked

to God for some sort of answer to the craziness I was feeling…..

Then it came, the answer,

 

I realised God is in control, He knows exactly where I am. Not sort

of or a bit confused but He knows EXACTLY where I am!

 

Then another thought came to me,

 

God intentionally allowed me to be here because He knew the

next opportunity, the next door will only open when I am here! No

matter how hard it is, how hopeless it seems this is the place that

will make it possible for the other door to open!

I need to be in this space if I am to walk in the next amazing door

God has for me! This place is preparing me for the next place where

ever that “place” is!

 

Think about Jabez:

Jabez was honorable above his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez [sorrow maker], saying, Because I bore him in pain. Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request. (‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭4‬:‭9-10‬ AMP)

He was in a difficult situation. His story is not just about being named

Jabez. From the day he was born he was called Jabez. Who knows

the ridicule he went through as a teen. All we know it got to a point

that he had enough! He cried out to the Lord!

He needed to be there for God to move on his life!

He needed to be in that place for the next door to open!

Did he enjoy being ridiculed and the struggle?

Did he feel helpless and hopeless?

I would like to think so but dispite all that,

GOD HAD A PLAN FOR HIM!

 

What about Joseph?!!!

He had a dream but he was sold into slavery! After things seemed

to turn around he was then  thrown into prison!

And Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the state prisoners were confined; so he was there in the prison. (‭Genesis‬ ‭39‬:‭20‬ AMP)

But as we all know, Joseph had to be in Egypt!! Joseph didn’t

understand at first but he needed to be there! Yes it seemed like

God abandoned him, yes it seemed like God was cruel and heartless

but the truth is, God was with him every step of his way!

For the next door to open Joseph had to be in Egypt! For

Joseph to accomplish God’s call on his life he had to go to

Egypt!

 

What does all that mean you might be thinking?

You might be in a place that is hard, a place where nothing

seems to be happening, a place that seems like a dead end but

that’s not true! That “dead-end” is where the next door is going

to open! It’s where that next big promotion will come through!

It’s where you will get to know God more!

It’s where breakthrough will come through!

Don’t quit, don’t tap out, but trust in the Lord.

Your promotion is around the corner, amazing things are in store

in that hard, frustrating place!

Things may seem dead and inactive but that’s not true! There is a lot

happening in the background! God is busy, He has gone ahead

of you to prepare the way!

 

So to end my story, after realizing all this I realized I don’t need

to worry! My life is in God’s hands. He knows everything I am

going through.

He has an amazing plan for my life.

I just need to trust Him consistently!

Where I am is exactly where He needs me to be because

the next door will open here and no where else!

And that is the same for you if you will trust Him!

He has only good things in store for you! Amen  😄

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember God today!

And when, in time to come, your son asks you, what does this

mean?

You shall say to him, by strength of hand the Lord brought us out

from Egypt, from the house of bondage and bondmen.

Exodus 13:14

 

And it shall be as a reminder upon your hand or as frontlets

between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought

us out of Egypt.

Exodus 13:16

 

Out of all the miracles God performed this is the most talked about.

God has constantly reminded His people to remember what He did

at the Red Sea.

God delivered His people in a mighty way!

His people were called to remember what He did and He told them

to tell their kids. It is clear God didn’t want His people to forget.

The Red Sea moment was a reference point for the Israelite’s!

When they lost hope they would remember what God did for their

ancestors at the Red Sea, and in Egypt! We too are His people and

He is calling us to not forget!

How important is it to remember?

To answer that I would like to share something a friend shared

with me a few days ago,

 

“God is the God of the impossible.

Reasoning your way out of an impossible situation

is not as effective as reminding your way out of it! – Unknown

 

That stopped me cold in my tracks. How many times I have

tried to reason myself out of a situation. The more effective

way is to remember our way out of it!

That brings me so much peace right now because as I began

to think on it some more I realized God wants us to remember

the great things He has done for us. I believe

we all have our “Red Sea moments” that we can look back to for

strength! Don’t forget those times the Lord came through for

you! Those are the things He wants you to remember. He

performed those miracles so you could remember them when

your faith was been attacked!

As I think back on my life I see the small and the big things

God did for me and I know those are the “Red Sea moments”

God wants me to always remember!

When I am in doubt, when my faith is weak that is when I

need to remember!

 

Fight to remember! Write down what God did for you. Tell

people what God did for you!

When the storms come remember what you wrote. God’s

miracles in your life are not just for you but for your kids.

They are to be a testimony for generations to come!

How great it would be if your great great great kids could

talk about how God came through for you! How amazing it

would be if they used God’s miracles in your life as a reference

point for their own lives!

 

Last year is long gone but we are still here because God is with us!

He kept us with care! His hand is on us and we must make sure

we don’t forget!

Fight to remember the miracles, fight to remember the goodness

of God in your life. He is so good!

Rolain