Don’t Give In To Fear.

One of the enemy’s main goals is to put you and keep you in fear.

He wants you bound and paralyzed by it and he wants you to think you

are all alone. But that’s not true. You are not alone. God is with you.

Recently I was reading the story of Nehemiah and I saw something interesting in his story.

As he was doing the work God had called him to do, which was to build the walls of

Jerusalem, he had opposition. There were men who didn’t want him to succeed and they

used fear to try to stop him. Let’s look at a few scriptures.

“For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work,

that it be not done.

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.”

Nehemiah 6:9

“Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they

might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.”

Nehemiah 6:13

“Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him.

And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.”

Nehemiah 6:19

As you can see, Nehemiah’s enemies were using fear to try to stop him.

But Nehemiah did not let it stop him. Instead, he put his trust in the

Lord to help him.

I share his story to show you that the enemy is still using the same strategy today.

He is using fear as a weapon against you to try to weaken your hands or to get

you to do something rashly or to doubt God and so much more.

But like Nehemiah you must bring your fears to the Lord.

Make a decision to choose trust in God over fear no matter how intense it is.

Because at the end of the day you have nothing to fear because God is with you.

He is on your side and He will never let you down.

God bless you friends!

Have a great weekend.

Rolain

How to see God when life is difficult.

What problem are you dealing with today? What is getting you stressed, anxious and fearful?

As children of God we know the answer is to call on God but it’s harder said than done.

We live in a world that’s full of negativity. A world that doesn’t acknowledge a Savior.

A world that promotes bad news in every facet of life.

It’s not hard to find hopelessness, negativity, discouragement and the list goes on.

And the trap we keep falling into is accepting all that negativity. We accept a truth that’s made up and a truth

that is not a truth.

 

We need to be very careful what we are feeding our selves with today. The enemy’s goal is to destroy our

faith in God. If he can do that he can do his work which is to kill, steal and destroy.

But there is a way to fight his devices and it’s found in Mark 5.

There was a woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years. She had spent all she had on doctors but

was getting worse. Her situation was bleak. For twelve years she was in pain with no hope of healing.

She just kept getting worse but one day she heard about Jesus.

 

The words tells us,

“She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched 

His garment. 

For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.” 

Mark 5:27, 28

 

The circumstances around her were bleak but when she heard about Jesus things changed. She had faith in

Jesus and changed her confession. She charged her environment with faith using her words.

We are surrounded by so much negativity but we don’t have to accept it as our reality. Jesus is

our answer.

We can change the result with our words. Instead of letting fear, hopelessness and anxiety determine

our situations we can inject faith in those situations and see God move and do the impossible.

The woman kept saying. 

We need to charge our environment with faith so much that we begin to see victory, and breakthrough.

We can’t let the negativity and hopelessness in the world steal our faith in God.

No matter how bad things get there is always breakthrough and deliverance because God is with us.

The enemy doesn’t want us to see God as the answer.

 

Put your faith in God today. Charge your environment with faith.

Faith in God is what will get you through the hard times.

Faith in God’s ability will bring you the deliverance and healing you need.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

 

Is the door really closed??

As I considered my options I couldn’t help feeling discouraged. It seemed like I would not

get the breakthrough I was looking for. Should I even keep trying to pursue this opportunity

I asked myself?

 

I have been seeking the Lord for the next steps in my career and I took the step and tried something

new but I was stopped dead in my tracks. Did I hear God wrong?

Was this the direction he wanted me to go in?

 

We all have doors the Lord wants us to go through but there are times when it seems like the door is

tightly shut. At times it feels like the doors the devil has closed can’t be opened again but the Lord helped me

to see the truth.  The devil is not that powerful. He doesn’t have the power to close a door and keep it closed.

 

“And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write; These are the words

of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, 

Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open; 

I know your [record of] works and what you are doing. See! 

I have set before you a door wide open which no one is able to shut;”

Revelation 3:7-8

 

“And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall 

shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.” 

Isaiah 22:22

 

From God’s word, it is clear that when God opens a door, the devil has no power to close it and when

a door is closed he has no power to open it. So just because the devil closes a door doesn’t mean

it will stay closed. That door will be opened. We must not let him deceive us into believing the door

can’t be opened. When I got this understanding I continued pressing forward. I did not give up.

I have faith God will breakthrough for me.

 

Before I go any further I want to add something,

The only time we should stop trying to go through a door is if God has said no but other than that,

we need to by faith keep going through the door. So what I am writing about are the doors the devil tries

to close. Those are the doors we need to bust open.

 

All doors the enemy has closed are meant to be gone through. It can be so discouraging when

things don’t seem to be working out but don’t stop praying and moving in faith.

 

The enemy is always trying to close doors that God wants us to go through. In the book of Ezra,

we read how the Israelites started rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. They were making progress but the

Samaritans opposed them. (Ezra 4:4) They didn’t want the Israelites to finish so they wrote and sent

a letter to the King of Persia who was the ruling power at that time. The letter was malicious and was

the enemy’s way of closing the door on the Israelites. The Samaritans got their wish because the

king commanded the building of the temple to be stopped immediately.

The door had been closed.

 

“Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped.” 

Ezra 4:24

 

But that was not the end of the story.

All the doors the enemy closes can be opened. He has no power to keep any door closed. Always remember

that.

 

In the next chapter the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Israelites. They encouraged the

people to start building again which they did. The Samaritans tried to stop them again this is what

happened;

 

“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province [west of] the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates,

the Apharsachites who are [west of] the River, keep far away from there. 

Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor and the elders of the Jews build this house

of God on its site.” 

Ezra 6;6-12

 

You can read all of the good things the king decreed but the point is this,

 

The enemy tried to close the door of opportunity on the Jews but he had no power to do anything.

The door God opened for His people would stay open no matter how hard the devil tried.

 

Don’t give up when the door seems to be closed on you. If God has not closed it then the

door is still open. The devil has no power to close and keep a door closed.

It is only God who has that power.

 

What to do when a door seems to be closed by the devil? 

 

The bible is very clear on what we are to do when that happens.

 

“Keep asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; 

keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. 

For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking

finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [the door] will be opened.” 

Matthew 7:7-8

 

Don’t give up on the things God has put on your heart. Keep asking, keep seeking and

keep knocking.

Don’t be discouraged when things don’t work out. Keep looking to God. Keep praying to Him.

Things will work out for you. He will breakthrough for you!

Don’t let the devil deceive you in thinking the door can’t be opened. It’s not true.

Every door that he “closes” is not really closed!

Be encouraged today friends.

Bless you.

 

Rolain

 

 

Don’t stop speaking what you trusting God for….

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years

came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment;

For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to

health. “

Matthew 9:20, 21

 

The woman with the issue of blood kept on speaking what she wanted by faith!

She had tried another way (various physicians) before

but that way never worked.

But when she heard of all Yeshua did a glimmer of hope began to light up.

In the midst of dead ends there was a glimmer of hope.

 

So off she went and kept on speaking, not once, or twice or three times…..

The word says she kept on speaking. Who knows how many times that was.

She kept speaking what she wanted in her life. She could see her healing now.

Man had failed her but this MAN would not. She would receive what she needed.

There was no longer doubt. In its place was faith in Yeshua!

At the end of the story she received her healing!

She kept on speaking what she wanted in her life and by faith received it.

 

When I read this story today during my quiet time I couldn’t help thinking about how I

speak on a daily basis.

The woman with the issue of blood, kept speaking…..

Firstly I need to speak out the right things. I need to speak out my faith in Yeshua.

I am believing in Yeshua for a lot of things in my life so that is what I should be speaking.

What I am believing Him to do is what I should be speaking.

The second thing is to keep on speaking.

I shouldn’t stop. I should keep on speaking what I want to see happen in my life.

 

How have you been speaking? Have you been speaking the right things?

Are you consistently speaking what you trusting YAH to do for you?

Are you speaking life?

 

Bless you friends….

 

Rolain

 

She was a nobody but faith………

This is part of three of my series on Hebrews 11. Read part two here. As I start this post I would like to share a verse that got my attention,

[Prompted] by faith Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed along with those who refused to believe and obey, because she had received the spies in peace [without enmity]. Hebrews 11: 31

Rehab is a hero of the faith but I wonder if she sees the same thing?? If we spoke to her now would she say she is a hero proudly? A lot of people read her story and are inspired and it is good but let us look deeper into her life. She was a prostitute and that meant a few things:

– She slept with men for money. It didn’t matter if the man was married or a drunk, or abusive, as long as they had money she would sleep with them.

– She was looked down upon by society.

– It’s very possible she struggled with a low self esteem

– She was finding it hard to make ends meet and maybe that is why she became a prostitute.

– She lived in fear (it’s possible she was threatened by men she slept with)

– No one respected her.

– She may have broken a few families up. It’s possible wives found out their husbands slept with Rahab and left!

– She must have dealt with guilt and condemnation on a regular basis because of the things she had to do. .

– Did she try to commit suicide???

I would like to make something clear before we move on,

I look up to Rahab and in no way am I trying to tear down her reputation and what God had done for her. I am trying to paint a picture of what she probably went through to make you understand what God saved her from. Because despite all the bad she did and all the bad that happened to her, through faith she was saved. Her name is recorded among the Greats because she trusted God! Because of faith she saved her family and was found in Jesus’s lineage!! (Matthew 1:5)

We need faith and without it we can do nothing pleasing to God. Do I understand what faith is? Not really. What I do know is God did amazing things through the people who trusted Him. No matter what people labeled them, or where they grew up, they turned the world upside down!

This is what the word says about these great men and women of faith,

[Men] of whom the world was not worthy–roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth. (Hebrews 11:38 AMP)

Think about all Rahab could of gone through. How could God use her, one could think but in the end what matters is He did! No one is too far off for God to use!

You might feel like you are of no use and your life doesn’t count for something. You might think you have committed too much sin to ever do anything great or you may be plagued with guilt and condemnation but know God has a plan for you! He wants to do great things through you and that is why He wants you to trust Him. Only God can turn your life into something great but you have to have faith in Him!

Rahab did that. She stepped out in faith to God despite what she had done and what people thought and saved the spies. As she used her faith her life changed never to be the same ever. What an amazing testimony for her. I am going to look forward to meeting her and hearing her story! Her story is an example of what God can do with someone who has faith in Him!

Our faith in God can do things we never imagined ever. It can open doors only God can open. Have faith in Him.

Rolain

Fighting Discouragement….

I was reading something that stated discouragement was one of the enemy’s deadliest weapons. After giving it some thought I realized how true that statement was. Discouragement comes to us all but if not dealt with correctly it can destroy us.
Personally, I have struggled with discouragement and I still do. Discouragement comes in so many ways. It comes through people, through thoughts and through circumstances around us just to name a few. And once you get discouraged it’s hard to move. Discouragement kills your productiveness. It has the potential to destroy relationships. If left to itself it can take you away from God’s presence! It can steal your dreams and your hope if you are not careful.

Here are a few examples of how discouragement can affect you:

– it can come into your relationships. How many times can I open my heart you may ask yourself? I am just not meant to be in a relationship because so many of my relationships have not worked out!!! Why does it seem so easy for my friend’s to find that perfect person?? What’s wrong with me??

– Discouragement comes to your work. I have been working so hard yet no one sees! My boss is using me! My job is so menial, how will I ever get noticed? I am struggling to put food on the table for my family because I don’t get paid enough!!! There doesn’t seem to be a way out.

– You can be discouraged about your dreams.
I am a nobody. God doesn’t have anything planned for me. I don’t see a bright future for myself. God doesn’t care for me. I am useless to everybody. There is something very wrong with me.
The next question we need to ask is, how do we deal with discouragement? How can we not let it get the better of us?

For the answer we look to the word. King David was in a really difficult situation. He was running away from Saul who was pursuing him relentlessly. One day he made a decision to live in the land of the enemy to get away from Saul and everything seemed to be going well until something really tragic happened.

Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the South and on Ziklag and put it on fire; And had made the women and all who were there, small and great, prisoners: they had not put any of them to death, but had taken them all away. And when David and his men came to the town, they saw that it had been burned down, and their wives and their sons and daughters had been made prisoners. 1 Samuel 30:1-3

And David was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:6

David had it bad, really bad. An enemy had captured his family and the families of his men. They wanted to stone him because they were grieving. He could of given up but he didn’t. Instead he encouraged himself in the Lord. The next thing he did was seek the Lord! He didn’t blame God or blame his soldiers. He didn’t talk down on himself. Instead he looked to God, he sought the Lord for help! When discouragement comes seek the Lord. He can help. He WILL help!

This is the pattern we see in the Word. Job looked to God when he was discouraged, Joseph trusted in God, Jesus looked to God for strength in His most trying hour! The word is full of examples for us to follow. Discouragement comes to us all but it’s how we deal with it that matters! When it comes turn to God. Don’t let it take root in your heart because it will destroy you. It will kill your hope, and it will take away God’s best from you. God is in control of your life no matter how bad things get. The enemy would like us to think there is no way out of the darkness but there is. He would like us to think there is no hope but there is! He would like us to think it is the end but it is just the beginning! He would like us to think we are alone but God is with us! Don’t lose heart. Be encouraged in the Lord…….

Rolain