Who are you surrounding yourself with?

“Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about

six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.

A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds-a great

deal of livestock.”

Exodus 12:37, 38

 

When the Israelites left Egypt they left with a mixed multitude. The bible doesn’t

say much about the mixed multitude.

They could of been running away from the Egyptians.

Maybe as they saw all the miracles God performed they

thought they would see more miracles where they went.

Maybe some left because people were leaving.

 

Whatever the case Israel never left alone. At first you think nothing

of it but things aren’t what they seem.

 

“Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving;

so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?

We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons,

the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up;

there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

Numbers 11:4-6

 

My question to that is, who made the Israelites remember??

 

As I read these scriptures I couldn’t help but think of the people we allow

in our lives. We need to be very careful who we allow in our lives.

 

I know I can’t blame the mixed multitude for all the Israelites problems.

The Israelites were to blame for a lot of the bad that happened along the

way. But at the same time I can’t ignore the fact that the mixed multitude

were part of the problem!

 

Having the wrong people in your life could be disastrous.

You need to be very careful who you call friend.

Who are you walking with?

Do they have your best interests in mind?

Are they positive or negative people?

Do they challenge you to pursue the dreams God has put in

your heart no matter how impossible it seems or do they shoot

them down??

Are they always complaining, always whining, always speaking

about the bad?

 

This is a hard post to write but it must be written. If you are to grow

in the Lord, if you are to pursue the dreams God has put into your heart

you will need to look at the people you have surrounded yourself

with.

 

Make sure you have people who will push you to trust in the Lord.

Surround yourself with people who will encourage you

Surround yourself with people who will challenge you and be real with you.

Surround yourself with people who will remind you of God’s promises.

 

Don’t tolerate negativity in your life.

Be wise in choosing your friends.

 

God bless you friends

 

Rolain

Australia – Part 2

Hi friends!

It has been a week since I got back from Australia and

I have been racking my brain wondering what I should

share with you. It’s crazy!! At first I thought I would

share the places I saw, the fun things I did, but quickly

scratched that. It was fun going to the beach and sight

seeing but there was more that happened. The kind of

stuff that can change a man! Without taking anymore

of your time let’s get started.

 

WHY AUSTRALIA?

 

This is why we went. The Kingdom Festival happens every

year and this year, my pastor’s wife was the guest speaker!

If you live close to the Gold Coast I strongly urge you to

attend Kingdom Festival 2016. In fact, wherever you are

in the world I ask you to prayerfully consider going to

Kingdom Festival 2016. Please click here to find out more.

 

VISION

On the first night of the festival we went for something

called “vision night”. This was where the pastor cast the vision

for Kingdom Festival. I was deeply impacted by the event.

The dinner was held at the Metricon stadium. God told

him Kingdom Festival will be held at the stadium. It seems

crazy but you know what, that stadium will be filled!

Kingdom will be held at the Metricon because God said

so and because His people believed Him!

The vision was so clear, so precise. That is what vision

is supposed to be, very clear, precise with no room for

misinterpretation! I was moved. The pastor had faith

and he was declaring what God showed him. That is what

faith is. It is being bold

enough to speak and declare what God has revealed

even when it doesn’t make sense.

I want to challenge you about your vision. Is it clear?

Can someone run with it after they read it? I am speaking

to myself as well. I am still unclear about what God has

in store for me but I want to be clear. I want my vision

to be as clear as day!

 

The Metricon

 

MIRACLES

One of the speakers at the Festival had raised numerous

people from the dead (not at the Festival but in his life)

Lots of people were healed during the Festival because

of him. I am sharing this because I realized something.

The days of miracles is not over. We are living in the

end times and miracles are happening. Jesus said

greater things shall you do! I want to do those great

things. It is not for a special set of people but for

anyone and everyone! That is the revelation I got after

hearing the speaker.

 

EVERYTHING ELSE!

I want you to understand something. Going to Australia

was a miracle for me. My church has a congregation of

about 3500 people right. So out of all those people I was

chosen to go. In a team of 6 and I was among those

who were chosen! I don’t take that lightly. God was everywhere

at the Festival.

He was in the people I met, in the word I heard during

the Festival, in every worship song that was sung, in the

fellowship of the saints. I can’t put into words what I

experienced. God put imparted something in me,

something I will fight to maintain! This was not just another trip.

I refuse to stay unchanged! God did some deep work

in me and I refuse to sit on it.

This was not a coincidence but a moment that was

ordained by God.

 

Don’t stop trusting in God friend! He wants to take you places.

He wants to show you how good He is. It’s not about how

clever you are, or how rich you are, which family you came

from, which country you live in. Are you available?

Do you trust Him? There is nothing stopping Him

from blessing you, from bringing the breakthrough,

from healing you! Run to Him!

As I finish I want to share a few more pictures with you.

There was a lot more to share but for the sake of time and space

I cut it short. I hope this post spoke to you.

God’s chosen people!

 

God is moving in Australia!

 

Kingdom Festival!

 

A people hungry for the Lord!

 

A procession unto the Lord!

 

That is me!

 

I love to worship!

 

And that is all I have to share. God bless you all….!    🙂

 

Rolain

 

How destiny works.

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“You drove out the nations with Your hand and it was Your power that gave [Israel] a home by rooting out the [heathen] peoples, but [Israel] You spread out.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭44:2‬ ‭AMP‬‬

As I read my bible this morning this scripture stood out. I

believe God has a destiny for each and everyone of us and

His desire is to see us walk in it.

God had a plan for Israel, His chosen people.

 

“It was Your power that gave [Israel] a home.” 

 

Israel did not get a home by their own strength. Their

enemies were much stronger then they were. They were slaves

and had nothing but God is the One who gave them a home!

By His power they were saved.

By His power they entered the promise land.

 

When it comes to God’s plan for you remember this:

It is by God’s power that you will accomplish it.

God’s plan for your life is not dependant on how smart you

are, how qualified you are, how strong you are, how savvy

you are. It depends ENTIRELY on His power!

It is by His power you will accomplish His plan for your

life.

 

“For they got not the land [of Canaan] in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance [did it], because You were favorable toward and did delight in them.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭44:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Amen

Rolain

 

photo credit: Google images

 

 

 

The saddest story in the bible…..

The Israelites did secretly against the Lord their God

things not right.

They built for themselves high places in all their towns,

from [lonely] watchtower to [populous] fortified city.

2 Kings 17;9

 

I read this passage and I was saddened as I read it hence

the title. These were God’ s people for crying out loud.

The things they saw…..

The things they heard….

 

How could they have lost all that?

They had great leaders: Moses, Joshua, the Judges, Samuel,

King David, King Solomon…..

Yet they fell, and fell in a huge way.

Let us read more:

 

They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim [symbols

of the goddess Asherah] on every high hill and under every

green tree.

There they burned incense on all the high places, as did the

nations whom the Lord carried away before them; and they

did wicked things provoking the Lord to anger.

And they served idols, of which the Lord had said,

You shall not do this thing.  2 Kings 17:10-12

 

The Israelites saw God’s glory.

They saw and experienced His goodness.

They witnessed His power when He drove the enemy

out for them.

They experienced His faithfulness……

 

They despised and rejected His statutes and His

covenant which He had made with their fathers and

His warnings to them, and they followed vanity (false

gods – falsehood, emptiness, and futility) and [they

themselves and their prayers] became false (empty

and futile). They went after the heathen round about

them, of whom the Lord had charged them that they

should not do as they did.   2 Kings 17:15

 

They despised and rejected the Lord. They refused

to believe in God and yet they still prayed to Him!!!

That blows my mind.

I can’t believe how deep they fell, how far they went.

But this is a warning to us. As I read this I realized

that could be me……!!! It’s a scary thought. A friend

told me one time that, we are a step away from anything.

We are a step away from sin, a step away from grace. No

one is exempt from the power of temptation. Just one

wrong decision and all is lost. We need the grace of God

to help us indeed.

The word says, “The Israelites did secretly against the Lord

their God things not right.”

 

The secret things need to be dealt with. The secret thoughts,

the secret habits, the secret addictions……we need to confront

them head on. Our heart belongs to God. Let us not allow the enemy

to steal it. Our brothers and sisters fell and our job is to not say,

“how could you” but we are to look at their lives and learn. We are

to look at their lives and fall down on our knees and cry out to God

to save us from ourselves.

We are to plead with Him with tears and a broken heart realizing we

cannot do this alone……

 

The true you shows up when you are alone. When you are

alone what kind of thoughts consume you?

What kind of programs do you watch?

How do you speak when no one is watching?

What kind of habits do you have when you are alone?

 

The Israelites rejected God in their hearts

In their hearts they refused His commandments

 

There is hope for us. There is always hope!

Let us open our hearts before God.

Let us allow Him access to every part of our

hearts.

No part should be off limits to Him.

Nothing should remain in the dark.

No doors should be closed to Him.

We need to be totally open for Him to come!

Amen

 

Rolain

 

 

 

The Compromise of the Calling…..

 

 

We all agree that God has a destiny for each and everyone of us. No matter who you are or how you were brought up or where you lived, God has a destiny for you. Like the people of God you have a purpose and a calling. I would like to make a point but to do so we need to look at a few scriptures. Let us look at Judges 1:19:

The Lord was with Judah, and [Judah] drove out the inhabitants of the hill country, but he could not drive out those inhabiting the [difficult] valley basin because they had chariots of iron.

But the Benjamites did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; the Jebusites dwell with the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day. Judges 1:21

Neither did Manasseh  drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and it’s villages, or of Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their villages, but the Canaanites remained in that land.
Judges 1:27

As you read the rest of the chapter you will see a trend. You will see how Israel failed to drive out the inhabitants of the land. They compromised the call of God. They were specifically told to destroy the nations around them but they couldn’t. Why?

The promise God has for us is not easy to attain! We see this clearly shown in the scriptures I just wrote. Walking the path God has for you is not for the faint-hearted! It is hard, and difficult to attain. God was speaking to Joshua and this is what He told him as he was about to get into the promise land:

No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you, Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. Judges 1:7

Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for The Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Is it possible that Israel compromised because they didn’t understand what it really meant to walk into the promise land? Did they expect it to be a walk in the park? Did they not know it was going to be difficult?
Walking into what God has for you is not only difficult but impossible!!! In our own strength we don’t stand a chance,it would be better to give up right now.

When Moses told all this to the people of Israel, they mourned long and hard. But early the next morning they started out for the high hill country saying, We’re here; we’re ready – let’s go up and attack the land that God promised us. We sinned, but now we’re ready – let’s go up and attack the land that God promised us. We sinned, but now we’re ready.” Numbers 14: 39-45

We all know the story. The Isralites were defeated. They could not take the land in their own strength. This is what I would like you to see.
God has a calling and purpose for us. In the natural, it is impossible to accomplish it. The only way to walk in your purpose is to trust God. You will accomplish all He has for you when you look to Him and rely Him.
But even with all that said, to accomplish our purpose we need to be strong and very courageous. It takes a strong person, a person who knows who he is in God to accomplish his purpose!

God will not leave you alone. He will not expect you to finish the race on your own because He knows you can’t do it. We compromise the call of God on our lives when we think we can do it by ourselves in our own strength. The truth is we can’t. God is with us willing to help us. We just need to ask Him for help. As you trust in Him, He will help you and strengthen you.

I can see where God is leading me to next in my walk with Him. I also see it’s going to need me to be strong and courageous as I walk with Him. I also see without Him I will fail, no doubt but in the midst of all that I am confident He is with me. He will not let me down. And so it is with you. As you pursue the desires God has put in your heart know that He is by your side. There will be days when you will feel like giving up but just keep pressing on. He will bring you to the other side! He is good indeed!

Rolain

 

What a testimony we have……!!!

And so God gave Israel the entire land that He solemnly vowed to give to their ancestors. They took possession of it and made themselves at home in it. And God gave them rest on all sides as He had also solemnly vowed of their ancestors. Not a single one of their enemies was able to stand up to them – God handed over all their enemies to them. Not one word failed from all the good words God spoke to the house of Israel. Everything came out right.                Joshua 21: 43-45

“As I read this I realised something. Not one word failed from all the good words God spoke to the house of Israel.”

What a testimony of the God we serve. That was Israel’s testimony but it is also OUR testimony!

What God has planned and promised to you will come to pass. He will watch over it for you. On a daily basis He is watching over you making sure what He promised to you comes to pass! What a testimony we have!!!

Not one word He has promised you will fall to the ground. What He has promised will come to pass. God is good indeed!!

Rolain

What you didn’t know about God’s will……

Moses and Aaron went and gathered together [in Egypt] all the elders of the Israelites. 
Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 
And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the Israelites, and that He had looked [in compassion] upon their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.  Exodus 4:29-31

The people’s believed what Moses and Aaron had told them. God would deliver them! They bowed their heads and worshiped says the word. But they didn’t fully understand what that meant. I know this because in a few verses later we see them rejecting what God told them,

And the foremen met Moses and Aaron, who were standing in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh. 
And the foremen said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made us a rotten stench to be detested by Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to slay us. 
Exodus 5:20, 21

The leaders were told about God’s will for them and they believed. They thought it was going to be plain sailing but they were wrong. God doesn’t work like that. Yes, He has a plan for us but it comes with trials and times of testing. The people failed to see that and it cost them dearly. God’s will for our lives is so amazing but to get there, we will need to go through stuff…..!
The “stuff” is to make us stronger. The “stuff” will strengthen our faith in God. Please understand what I am saying, God’s will is not all trials and testing and hardship. There are victories, times of peace, breakthrough, joy, laughter, favor and a whole lot more. We need that understanding about the two aspects of God’s will.

And I will bring you into the land concerning which I lifted up My hand and swore that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage. I am the Lord [you have the pledge of My changeless omnipotence and faithfulness].
Moses told this to the Israelites, but they refused to listen to Moses because of their impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage. 
Exodus 6:8, 9

Can you believe that? They refused to listen to Moses and this was only the beginning. There was still the desert to come!
But there is something I would like to touch on that was in the scripture we just read. Impatience can steal what God has for you. The Israelites were impatient. They were not willing to wait or endure. They wanted God to come through now! Don’t get impatient. Learn to wait on the Lord. He knows what you need.  They thought it would be a bed of roses but it was so much more. Walking the road God has set out for you is not easy. It requires courage and trust. I am on this road right now. I am so tempted at times to just take the wheel but God is in control.  The will of God for your life is fulfilling but you need to understand there is another side to it. God doesn’t test us for the fun of it. He has a purpose for it, to bring us out stronger in faith, to bless us beyond our wildest dreams…..He is truly a good God!

Rolain

Why Did He Lead Them There??

What an eventful day its been. It has been confusing as well. I have been going through something and learning a few things about myself in the process. I got home and was meditating on the day’s event’s when I decided to go over what I have to teach on Sunday at kids church when something spoke to me. Its the story about the Israelite’s when they were released by Pharaoh. The plagues had destroyed Egypt literally and Pharaoh had enough. He let the slaves go. Can you imagine how the Israelite’s must of felt on that day?? They must of being ecstatic!!! They had been slaves for 400 years and now they were free!!!! God had delivered them with a strong show of His power. Things would never be the same for these people. They were off to a land that flowed with milk and honey! Oh what a day it must of being…..The singing, and the dancing, the jubilation, the laughter, the cries of joy, the sound of children playing!!! What a day it must of being!!!

As we read on we see how God lead them to the Red Sea. That’s what caught my attention. Why did He do that? He knew the Egyptians where coming. But God had a plan and a reason for bringing them there! Even though the Israelite’s couldn’t see the plan, God had a plan for leading them to that place.
But imagine how it looked from the people’s side? Imagine how they must of felt looking at the greatest army in the world!!!! They must of heard them and then they saw them!! What a terror filled sight it must have been. The Egyptians where out for blood. And they were trapped!!! The Red Sea was blocking their escape!!! It seemed like it was the worst situation they had ever faced!!!! It looked hopeless. It was better to surrender than die.

And in a way I felt like that. I found myself asking God why? Why am I in this situation? How do I get out? It’s confusing for sure and I don’t understand. The Israelite’s missed it. They never realized God had a plan. What seemed like a hopeless situation, what seemed like the worst circumstances ever was actually an opportunity for God to move. He had a plan for them! He knew how He would deliver them. They just had to trust Him. I see now that I need to trust God. Things may not have worked out the way I expected but God has a plan. Things may not make any sense but God has a plan for leading me here.

You may feel like it’s the end, like you can’t go on but know God has a plan. Your terrible situation is an opportunity for God to come through. He doesn’t lead us to hard places because He has nothing to do, No!!! He has a plan to bring us out stronger. Trust His leading. He has our best interests at heart. He wants to see us fulfill our callings. He will not abandon us. God has led you to the place you in for a reason. It’s not to die but to show you something about Himself! You need to trust that things are going to get better. You are going to come out stronger. God knows how He is going to deliver you.

Rolain

How God Works On Our Behalf……

Where are you at in this season? Are you satisfied with where you are? Are you in a place where you don’t need anything? Or are you in a place where you need God to come through for you? Have you looked at your life and come to a realization that you need more of God? Are you in a place where if God doesn’t come through for you, you will go under? Does it seem like you just pray and pray with no answer? If you are in that place I would like to share something God revealed to me.

When God revealed this to me I was trusting God for some things. I would pray and pray but nothing would happen. It was a really puzzling time for me because I was not getting what I was trusting God for. Puzzling and frustrating until God showed me what I was doing wrong. Please get me, praying is important. You cannot be an effective Christian if you don’t pray. But what I am saying is, you can’t just stop at prayer. There must be more. In that frustrating season i was reading the story of the four lepers in the book of Kings. They were in a really bad situation. Look at what the word says,

It happened that four lepers were sitting just outside the city gate. They said to one another, what are we doing sitting here at death’s door? If we enter the famine-struck city we’ll die; if we stay here we’ll die. So let’s take our chances in the camp of Aram and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us we’ll live, if they kill us we’ll die. We’ve got nothing to lose.   2 Kings 7:3,4

I don’t know about you but that is a really bad situation!! But God managed to help them and a whole nation because of a simple act. They got up from where they were and starting moving!! And that is what God showed me. It is not enough to pray or to even desire. There needs to be more and that more is moving, you doing something!! So I was praying and trusting God but only as I started moving and doing something did God come through. Doors began to open, things began to happen. It is important in our trusting that we step out and do something. without works faith is dead. And the action may be something small, calling a friend, going somewhere, writing that letter, but do something!

As the lepers got up from where there were and started moving God did something amazing and that applies to you. This way that we follow is one of grace and I am in no way advocating for a works based life. The pharisees thought works would save them but they didn’t. What I am saying is, there needs to be a balance. There comes a time when we need to get up and act and that is the way God works on our behalf. A lot of the times we think God works by Himself, alone, but He works through people. That is the way He has chosen to move.

This is not an easy word. I am trying to walk in this daily. At times I forget I need to act. Sometimes I am just plain lazy, at times scared but if we are going to see God move on our behalf we will need to step out. My prayer for you is that God will show you what you need to be doing in your life at this moment. Amen

Rolain.

 

Is Doing Something Great For God the Most Important Thing?

Solomon was the wisest, richest, most prosperous man that ever lived! He was the son of one of the greatest kings that ever lived. What a resume!! God had amazing plans for Solomon no doubt.
But somewhere down the line he missed it. There is a very important lesson to learn from his life.
Solomon had it in his heart to finish off the temple his father David wanted to build for God. But as Solomon was building God says something pretty profound to him. It could of been a warning. Whatever it was it was profound. This is what God told him:

The word of God came to Solomon saying, “About this Temple you are building – what’s important is that you live the way I’ve set out for you and do what I tell you, following my instructions carefully and obediently.
Then I’ll complete in you the promise I made to David your father. I’ll personally take up my residence among the Israelite’s – I won’t desert my people Israel.”  1 Kings 11-13

Wow right!! Could it have been possible that Solomon thought building the Temple would bring him closer to God??? Did He think God would love him more because of what he was building??? Did he think God would be even more pleased with him because of this “great work” he was doing because it was great!!!????

How many of us are like that. We rely on our works and think that’s enough but it’s not. Your destiny is not determined upon how much you do. It is determined on your obedience to living according to God’s word. So for example, you may travel around the world meeting the needs of orphans. That doesn’t mean God is more pleased with you than with the person who followed the call of God to serve in his local church to be a kids minister!!! Being a pastor doesn’t mean God loves you more than a young person who serves in his youth group!!! What matters is if you are following the path God has laid out for you and if you are listening to Him!!!

And this is what I think God was trying to tell Solomon. Let us determine to be people who do what God tells us to do and who follow the path God has laid out for us.

Rolain.