What Are You Holding Onto In Difficult Times?

When you are in a difficult place, what are you holding onto?

Are you holding onto God’s Word or man’s word?

God’s Word is sure, reliable, trustworthy and dependable and that’s

what you should be holding onto.

In the book of Acts chapter twenty-seven we read a very interesting story.

Paul is imprisoned and is on his way to Rome because he appealed to Caesar.

They boarded a ship and reached a place called Fair Havens but instead of staying there

until the seas become a bit more calm the centurion decided to proceed with the journey.

Paul warned them that he could foresee loss of cargo and even loss of life.

But the centurion decided to listen to the captain of the ship which makes total

sense because the captain had experience and he probably sailed those seas hundreds of times.

But look at what happened when they listened to the captain’s advice,

“We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo

overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither

sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope

of being saved.”

Acts 27:18-20

The captain’s advice was wrong even though he was the most experienced and even though

he probably sailed those seas hundreds of times.

As we face the storms of life we need to hold on to God’s Word over any other word.

That’s the only word that can and will get us through the storm.

Man’s word will fail and disappoint but not the Word of God.

After that Paul told all the men that an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him that no

soul would be lost. Paul held on to the word of the Lord and encouraged the men to do so.

And what the angel spoke came to pass. There were no souls that were lost. Everyone reached land

safely.

“The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached

land safely.”

Acts 27:44

We can depend on God’s Word because it is sure, trustworthy, reliable and dependable.

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word

has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.”

1 Kings 8:56

Bless you friends

Rolain

No Matter How Bad Things Get, God Is With You.

I was having one of “those days” a few days ago.

You know, those days your faith is low and things don’t seem to be

happening. My prayers didn’t seem to be getting answered and for a

little bit, I thought God didn’t care. I actually thought He was ignoring me!

But later that day, the answer to my prayer came and God proved once again,

He can be trusted. I don’t like it when I doubt God and when I do it makes me

wonder. But I guess that’s part of the downside of being human. We are not

perfect and we make mistakes and that’s why we need a Savior, Jesus.

As I journaled the events of the day I penned these words, which are the title

of this blog post,

“No matter how bad things get, God is with me”

And it’s true. You may be having a bad day but I want to encourage you with this

truth. In the bible we see this truth in action.

In Luke 7:12-16 we see Jesus arriving to a city called Nain and there is a funeral procession

happening. A woman has lost her only son and she is going to bury him. Things are

really bad for her but at that moment, she meets Jesus. I don’t believe it was an accident

Jesus being there. I believe He went there FOR her. He wanted to help her at her lowest point.

And He did just that. He raised her son from the dead and gave him back to her.

When things were at their worst for the woman, Jesus stepped in and turned things

around for her.

So even when your hope and faith fail, remember, Jesus doesn’t fail.

He knows what you are going through and there is no problem you go through, that

God doesn’t see. Trust in Him no matter what happens.

Bless you friends!

Rolain

We have a chance to win…

The fight we are in is not an easy one. The enemies we face are strong, intimidating

and formidable. Their goal is to take us down, to make us fail.

On our own, we are seriously outnumbered and outgunned. Do we have a chance?

Can we win when the odds are stacked heavily against us?

As I look at my own life and the challenges I face it can be intimidating and overwhelming

at times. There are times I can’t see a way out or an answer. There are times I feel

completely powerless and not sure how things will work out but this week

I have been thinking about victory. I believe the Lord has been showing me

I have a chance. Even though the enemy seems like a mountain blocking

my way I believe I have a chance, we have a chance!

No matter how gigantic the enemy is or how impossible our situation is we have

a chance because God is with us. Let’s look at a story that beautifully portrays this,

 

“Now four men who were lepers were at the entrance of the city’s gate; 

and they said to one another, Why do we sit here until we die? 

If we say, We will enter the city-then the famine is in the city, and we shall die

there; and if we sit still here, we die also. So come now, let us go over to the army

of the Syrians. If they spare us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, 

we shall but die.” 

2 Kings 7:3-16

 

The lepers were in a dire situation. They had no weapons,

they were heavily outnumbered and had very limited options but God made a way for

them. Because God was with them the lepers had a chance. With everything against them,

God turned their hopeless situation around for good.

 

We have a chance against the hordes that stand in our way. God will not abandon us.

Have hope because you will win. The Lord will carry you through the valley of death.

He is faithful and can be trusted.

Be encouraged today!

 

Bless you, friends.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

He takes the painful things in our lives and makes them beautiful…….

*I was reminded of something I wrote some time back and that is why I am writing this post today.

This post is dedicated to everyone who has made mistakes and think God has turned His back 

on them. As you will read, that is not true. He loves you and will do all He can to get you back 

on track.*

 

“And when the morning was past, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became 

his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.” 

2 Samuel 11:27

 

This was one of David’s darkest periods of his life. He slept with Bathsheba and got her husband killed.

To make things worse he was blind to his sin. He never repented, he never confessed his sin. Somewhere,

somehow his heart became hardened. I want to stop here for a bit.

 

We all make mistakes, we all mess up in life. What we need to pray for is for the Lord to correct, and to intervene

like He did for David. He could have left him in his sin but He didn’t. He confronted him about what he

did and delivered him. Because He loved David, the Lord sent Nathan.

The Lord knew David wasn’t going to snap out of sin on his own so in His mercy and grace He stepped in.

We need YAH to step in for us always. We can’t fight sin on our own. We need Him.

 

David messed up bad but the Lord didn’t abandon him. He was patient with him even when he was blinded.

He was blinded for nine months but the Lord never left. When the baby was born the Lord sent Nathan.

We need His mercy and grace more than we know. We will fall, we will make mistakes but the Lord

will not abandon us when we do. He will pick us up, He will confront us and He will deliver us.

 

But the biggest thing we need to overcome is thinking the Lord’s plan for our life, His goodness, and His

mercy stops when we mess up.

That’s not true. There is hope. Let me show you why I think so,

 

“David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went to her and lay with her; and she bore a son and she 

called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved [the child]. 

He sent [a message] by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and [Nathan] called the boy’s [special]

name Jedidiah [beloved of the Lord], because the Lord [loved the child].”

2 Samuel 12:24, 25

 

Out of the horrible mess David was in, the Lord turned it into something beautiful. And that’s how

good Yeshua is. David’s life was not over. The Lord didn’t take back all the amazing things He promised

him. I think of David’s other wives, Abigail to be precise. She was amazing. Surely YAH could have used

her to show David how great, and amazing He was?? He didn’t. Instead, He took a

horrible moment, a terrible situation in David’s life and turned it around into something beautiful.

 

There is a lesson here for all of us. The Lord can take what’s painful, what’s horrible and turn it into

something beautiful. David could not take the glory for what happened. All glory went to YAH.

It was very clear He had performed a miracle in His life.

Don’t throw in the towel today. You may be in distress, guilty, condemned because of something

you have done but the Lord can turn it around. He has not abandoned you friend. He has not

turned His back on you. And that is why He is our God!

No matter how dark your past has been, He can and will light it up. There is nothing too hard for

the Lord. Put all your hope in Him. Call out to Him. Don’t stay silent.

With that have a great weekend friends….

Blessings to you.

 

Rolain

 

 

God’s purpose for you under attack……

 

We have an amazing purpose to live out that is given to us directly by YAH.

The thing is, the enemy is trying to do all he can to stop us.

As we pursue the dreams Yeshua has put in our hearts we must depend on

Him with our everything.

You may be discouraged and feeling overwhelmed because of the attacks but

take heart because the Lord is with you. Let me share a story with you that illustrates this

truth perfectly;

 

“And [that same] following night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, 

Take courage, Paul, for as you have borne faithful witness concerning Me at Jerusalem, 

so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

Acts 23:10

 

In this verse Yeshua promised Paul he would go to Rome and bear witness of Him.

But in the next verse we read something interesting,

 

“Now when daylight came, the Jews formed a plot and bound themselves by an oath and 

under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they had done away with Paul. 

There were more than forty [men of them], who formed this conspiracy [swearing together this 

oath and curse]. 

Acts 23;11-15

 

Wow right?! Hours after the Lord spoke to Paul the enemy launched an attack against him!

In the natural Paul had no chance against this attack. There were forty Jews who were in on this

including the chief priests and elders.

But we need to look at what was really happening here.

The enemy thought he could stop the Lord’s purpose for Paul. he is so deceived that he thinks he

can stop YAH.

The Lord had promised Paul he would bear witness in Rome. Nothing would and could stop that

from happening. No matter the weapons the enemy used, they would all fail.

But the enemy thought he could challenge that!

 

The enemy’s plans for you will not succeed. Hold on to that truth with all you got.

The truth is this, he is a defeated foe and no plan against you can prosper because the Lord

is with you.

No matter the scheme, no matter the plan, no matter the weapon, they will all fail because the Lord

is protecting you and guiding you on your journey. His plan for your life will come to pass and that

is why I said you need to trust Him with everything you got. The enemy will try to deceive you into

believing he is winning but it’s a lie.

Trust the Lord’s leading, trust He is protecting you, trust He is in total control.

The journey we are on is long and there is plenty opportunity to get discouraged. But even when we

fall we must always remember that the Lord is with us. He is protecting us and directing our every step.

As I end this post I want you to see how powerful the Lord is. Look at the way he thwarted the enemy’s

attack;

 

‘Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.”

Acts 23:16

 

The Lord used a young man! That’s all He needed. He didn’t break a sweat stopping the enemy’s plan.

The Lord has defeated the enemy and will continue doing so on our behalf with ease!

Don’t be discouraged. Keep trusting, keep praying…..

He will accomplish what He promised you.

Bless you friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strive to be faithful….

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

“But be faithful, even if you have to die. If you are faithful, I will give you the crown of life” 

Revelation 2:10

 

As sons and daughters of YAH it is required that we are faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2).

I was challenged immensely when I read this scripture. After all is said and done, am I faithful to Yeshua,

am I faithful with the talents He has given me, am I faithful with the wisdom He has given me,

AM I FAITHFUL??

 

The Lord is faithful, that’s the truth. He doesn’t fail us, He never lets us down, He is constant, He is our Rock!

 

“Your faithfulness endures to all generations;  you have established the earth, and it stands fast.”

Psalms 119:90 

 

As His children, we need to be faithful too. We won’t do it perfectly like He does, we will fail at it but the

important thing is that we get up and try again.

It’s not easy being faithful and that is why we need the help of the Holy Spirit.

Faithfulness is something that can be worked on and improved. If you are faithful, there is room to be more

faithful but let it always be a desire, a goal.

Always strive to be faithful in all you do……

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

When the fire becomes too much…….

 

“SO, SINCE Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Jesus was on a mission here on earth. He was here to fulfill

the call of God on His life. Was it easy??

Far from it. He encountered some really hard times. The

Pharisees constantly opposed Him. People left Him because

they didn’t understand Him. His disciples didn’t believe He

was who He said He was. There was constant doubt, fear, and

who knows what else. Why am I sharing this?

 

I am am sharing this because in life we walk through the fire.

But as we walk through it we need to remember what Christ

went through. There will be times the fire becomes too much

and in those times we NEED to remember Christ. We need to

patiently suffer the things we are facing. Why? That is what Christ

did. He could of given up or commanded an army of angels to

come and take out the people who were trying to kill Him but

He patiently endured the suffering.

 

As Austraila is around the corner I have been in a fire. It’s totally

unrelated to my trip but involves something very close to my heart.

It doesn’t even make sense. I am literally in a fire and it feels like it’s

too much. I wanted to give up. I wanted to throw in the towel.

Then there were days when I thought I could shrink back.

Crazy right. But then I read the scripture I shared in the

beginning of this post and a few things were revealed to me.

In the fire I need to hold on. In the fire I got to keep the main

thing the main thing. There is a purpose in the fire. God is testing

me.

 

“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

 

I read this and was like what????

Firstly, I must not be amazed in the fire. There is a purpose in the

fire. The next thing the word tells me is to rejoice!! If I am sharing

Christ’s sufferings then I should rejoice! If I endure there will

be a glory that will be revealed and that is why I am to rejoice.

I will triumph, I will win says the word. The fire won’t consume

me. Even when the fire seems too much, even when it seems

too strong for me I must rejoice. There is a glory that will be

revealed if I hold on.

Are you in a fire right now? Are you on the verge of giving up?

My word to you is hold on. Jesus has a plan in the fire.

He will bring you out of it. The fire is meant to make us stronger,

not so we can go through it alone but stronger in our faith in

God. Christ knows exactly what we are facing. We are not in it

alone. Be encouraged…….

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

When you are faced with the impossible…….!

 

I have been talking to God about my life. I don’t know about you

but as I look at my life there are things I am trusting God for that are

way over my head. Things that are bigger than me.

I look at those things and I can’t even can’t make sense of it!

But it’s okay right?

Okay to dream big, okay to ask God for the unimaginable?

 

We all have something like that, something crazy and big!

Something only God can do….something you know that you

know only God can do!

 

But as I was meditating on the sheer absurdity of what I

was asking God, a friend of mine shared a scripture that opened

my eyes:

 

Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭26‬ MSG)

 

There are a lot of things in life where we simply need God!

How many times do we try to do things in our own strength only

to fail?

God wants us to trust Him.

Whatever you are trusting God for no matter how big it is, please

know that you can trust the Lord!

 

You have a chance if you dare to trust Him, but no chance at

all if you try to pull it off by yourself because of your lack

of faith in Him!!!

 

So the word today is, trust! Trust the Lord when you are

faced with the impossible!

You have a chance in the face of the impossible if you will

trust Him but no chance if you try to do it on your own!

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

Eleven days…….

 

It is [only] eleven days journey from Horeb by the way of

Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea [on Canaan’s border;

yet Israel took forty years to get beyond it]. Deuteronomy 1:2

 

I have heard so many teachings on this passage right here.

And in nearly all the teachings I have heard on this scripture

it would always be about how Israel sinned,

“Just imagine if Israel obeyed the Lord”, they would say.

Their journey would have taken eleven days, only eleven

days!!!

 

I think it is something to think about but at the same time I think

there is more to the story.

As human beings we will always sin. Yes, Israel went to the extreme

in the wilderness but sins are sins. They could off taken eleven days

if they were perfect but they were not and instead it took them forty

years!

Just imagine if they managed to make it in eleven days???

There would be no stories of disobedience and rebellion,

lack of trust and so on. Nothing would of being dealt with!

The Israelite’s needed the forty years! In that time there

was death, repentance, and a whole lot of other things

that needed to take place. This is how the word puts it:

 

And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord

your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble

and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart,

whether you would keep His commandments or not.

And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you

with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know,

that He might make you realize and personally know that man

does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that

proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:2, 3

 

God LED Israel for forty years so He could reveal what was

in their hearts! More precisely He wanted to know if their

hearts were devoted to Him……

He wanted them to make Him first in their hearts!

The Israelite’s went through so much in the forty years. They

would of missed out on so much if they took eleven days!

 

Let’s bring this home……

Just imagine it took you eleven days to get to the place God had

for you??? A measly eleven days!!!

I was a mess and it’s taken me at least fifteen years to begin to

get out of it but there is still much work to be done! I fail God

daily, I abandon Him daily, like Peter I disown Him by my

actions a lot, when I should be praying I watch TV or

something crazy like that.

But the good news is, from the first step I took on this journey

there has been growth. My relationship with God has deepened.

I have seen Him in a new way. My faith in Him has become

stronger. The failures, the hard times, the times of doubt, the

chastening, have drawn me closer to God.

I needed the forty years, as hard and difficult as they are,

I needed them!

What about you? Do you wish it would take you eleven days?

God wants to know what’s in your heart. He will test you

in the desert. He will allow times of hunger so He can

humble you so you can know His words are all you need!

Know this, God has a plan for you in the wilderness!

You are not there by mistake……

God has allowed times of hunger to test you, will you look to

Him or will you complain and murmur??

Will you lose your faith in Him in those times??

 

Teach me Your way, Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.

Psalm 86:11

 

What an amazing prayer! Lord, give me an undivided heart!

I have allowed so many things to have a piece of my heart.

This heart that should be ALL Yours!

So I pray, give me an UNDIVIDED heart Lord!

God wants Your heart. Not a piece but all of your heart.

Fight those things that have contended for it….He is all you

need.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

How the wars in your life are won!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

 

We all have wars to fight. We cannot run away from battles. They are a part of life but how are we to deal with them?

How do we become victorious? We find the answer in the book of Samuel.

 

David strengthened himself with trust in his God. He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Bring me

the Ephod so I can consult God. Abiathar brought it to David. 

Then David prayed to God, Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them? 

The answer came, go after them! Yes, you’ll catch them! Yes, you’ll make the rescue! 

1 Samuel 30: 6-8

 

When the Philistines got word that David had been made king over all Israel, they came on the hunt for him.

David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. When the Philistines arrived, they deployed their forces in Rephaim Valley. 

Then David prayed to God: “Shall I go up and fight the Philistines? Will you help me beat them? 

Go up, “God replied. Count on me. I’ll help you beat them.”

2 Samuel 5:17-20

 

Later there was a repeat performance. The Philistines came up again and deployed their troops in the Rephaim

Valley. David again prayed to God.

This time God said, don’t attack them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and ambush them from the grove

of sacred trees. When you hear the sound of shuffling in the trees, get ready to move out. It’s a signal that God is going

ahead of you to smash the Philistine camp.

2 Samuel 5:22– 24

 

Time and time again we see this pattern throughout scripture. Whoever it was, they always sought The Lord first.

As we face the battles that come our way we need to realize we can come to God. He is our Defender and He will fight for us.

The mistake we make is we think we can do it on our own. But it’s not true!!!! We are not strong enough, and smart enough. We need

Gods help. He is the One who will deliver us. I have tried at times fight on my own only to fail. David as great as he was,

and as great as an army he commanded always sought The Lord first. He didn’t rely on his own strength and on the strength of his mighty men.

 

Who are you relying on when you go to war?

Is it the weapons you possess or the connections you have or the family you come from or the riches you possess?

The experience you have, the intellect you possess????

That means nothing if you don’t seek The Lord. You will fail if you go out alone!!!

Rely on The Lord when you go to war! Rely on God when you face the giants in your life!

 

Rolain.