There Is Still Hope.

I was on YouTube this week and came across a song. I was so encouraged by the message.

It talked about not letting go of hope and encouraged us to keep our faith in God. That’s

what I got from listening to it anyway and that is what motivated this post.

I want to remind you to keep hoping in God. No matter how difficult things get, God is

with you. There is a story that comes to mind that I would like to share.

 

In the first book of Kings in chapter seventeen verse ten we are introduced to a widow at Zarapheth.

She is gathering sticks to make her last meal so she and her son can eat and die. Pretty grim right.

Things are really bad for her. But Elijah the prophet comes along and asks the woman to get him

some water. As she goes to get the water, he tells her to also give him some food to eat.

She tells Elijah that she has been preparing the last meal so that her son and her would eat then die.

But Elijah tells her to give him something to eat because, God would provide for her until the rains

came down since they were in a famine.

So the woman does what Elijah says and God provides for the woman and her family for many days.

 

The woman was in a desperate situation but God stepped in and saved her.

With God we have hope, no matter bad the situation is.

Don’t lose heart and don’t let go of hope.

The Lord is with you and will save you from every trouble

that comes your way. And that’s my encouragement to you friends.

Blessings to you.

 

And here is the song I listened to: 

 

Rolain

An opportune time.

“Know the importance of the season you’re in and a wise son you will be. But what a waste when an incompetent son sleeps through his day of opportunity!”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:5‬ ‭TPT‬‬

 

As I was reading this verse I thought about the season we are in now. I think it’s safe to say this is an important time in history. Will there be another time like this in our lifetime? I don’t know.

The world has stopped momentarily. We don’t know how long this season will be but one thing is certain, God knew this time would come. There must be more to this season that just staying at home. There must be more.

COVID-19 has taken many lives, interrupted everything, and now we look ahead where nothing is certain or concrete.

But there must be more. I believe God has something to say in this season. I believe God has things to show us in this time we are at home. There is sharping, surgery, cleansing, and revealing He wants to do.

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to come out of this the same.

I don’t want to look back at this time and see no changes made, no lessons learned, no new vision and purpose!

We need to maximize this unique time we are in. God wants to speak to us, to work on our hearts, and so much more as the distractions we faced have been greatly reduced.

Don’t come out of this season with nothing. There is something God has for you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

In hard times we have a chance…trust God!

The Israelites didn’t stand a chance if God wasn’t on their side. They would have died

in Egypt in slavery had the Lord not saved them. They would have been swept away

by the powerful enemies that fought against them in the desert had God not stepped in

and fought for them. They would have been swallowed up by the giants that resided in the

promise land if God had left their side.

 

We don’t stand a chance if we go at life on our own, in our own strength and power.

We need the Lord so desperately friends. This life is hard, painful, disappointing but in spite

of all that God is with us. He is on our side and He will get us through the hard times we are

facing. It doesn’t matter what mountain is standing in our way, we will get over it because the

Lord is our strong tower of Refuge. He is our Protector and Deliverer.

 

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:17

 

“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

Psalm 34:19

 

We will face hard and difficult times but we need to always remember that the Lord will be with

us through those difficult times. We don’t need to rely on our own ability and strength which is

useless in the day of battle.

We don’t stand a chance if we depend on our strength, intelligence, and ability but we have every

chance in the world when we put our hope and trust in God.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

In the face of overwhelming odds……

“And the Philistines gathered to fight with Israel, 30 000 chariots and 6000 horsemen and troops like sand 

on the seashore in multitude.” 

1 Samuel 13:5

 

Saul and his army were in serious trouble. The enemy outnumbered them 1000 to 1 (it could have been more).

The enemy had cornered them with no way of escape, they were trapped!

 

As I read this story I think about the battles, the trials, and the storms we face. They vary right?

Some are not as devastating, then there are some that have the potential to rip your world apart.

But whatever the case storms are difficult. They test us, they rock us to the core. They show us who we

really are and where our faith and focus are.

 

Saul and Jonathan were in real danger. To add to the fact that the army they were facing outnumbered

them 1000 to 1, they had no weapons! (read 1 Samuel 13:19-22)

The only people with weapons were Saul and Jonathan. It’s crazy to think they had 2 swords

between them!  How big was Saul’s army? He had a 600 strong army (read 1 Samuel 13:15)

 

So as you can see, their chances looked grim. But this is where the story gets interesting because against such

overwhelming odds something amazing happened. What happened is a lesson, a strategy for us to use as we

face the terrifying storms, the trials, and the challenges.

Let’s take a look at what happened;

 

“One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor bearer, “come let us go over to the Philistine garrison

on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.” 

1 Samuel 14: 1

 

So to backtrack a bit, the only people with swords were Saul and Jonathan but Jonathan decided to go over

to the Philistine garrison without telling his father which meant he had one sword.

With one sword Jonathan would face an entire garrison! Had he lost his mind???

Look at what he told his armor-bearer;

 

“Jonathan said to his officer who carried his armor, “Come. 

Let’s go to the camp of those men who are not circumcised. Maybe the Lord will help us. It doesn’t matter

if we have many people, or just a few. 

Nothing can keep the Lord from giving us victory.” 

1 Samuel 14:6

 

Jonathan was brave but his dependence was on God. That’s why he was so confident, so sure.

His faith wasn’t in his ability with a sword. His faith was in a God who was stronger than any enemy

he would ever face. And it wasn’t his sword that delivered him. It was his faith in God. That made all the difference.

And that’s how powerful faith in God is.

What situation are you facing today? What kind of storm are you in? Is your faith in God or are you focused

on something else??

It’s not the people you know, your intelligence, where you work,

how much you serve in your church that will get you through the storm.

It’s faith through and through. Faith really does move mountains.

Faith in God is not a lost cause.

There are times when it seems like God is silent and taking matters into our hands seems like the next

best thing but it isn’t. Give God room to move. Put all of your faith in Him and see the things He will do.

God knows everything. There is not a single thing that gets past Him.

In your darkest season trust Him. It’s your faith in God that makes all the difference.

Bless you, friends.

 

Rolain