Do You Have Unbelief In Your Heart?

It’s so easy for unbelief to creep into our hearts. And that is why we need to constantly check our hearts and see if we are

walking by faith or if we have unbelief in our hearts.

Unbelief can come so stealthily.

When things are not going the way we expect, or prayers don’t seem to be getting answered and it seems like we

are hitting a wall, that is when unbelief can creep in and the negative thoughts.

“When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs

before them, they still did not believe in him,”

John 12:36-38

Jesus was doing amazing miracles, healing people, raising people from the dead and so on but he saw people’s

heart and saw their unbelief. He knew they didn’t believe Him in spite of all the great things He was doing.

We need to be careful too. Jesus has done so much for us but it’s easy to forget. Unbelief can do that.

Even when things are not happening, and our prayers don’t seem to be getting answered, we must determine

in our hearts to always trust in Him.

The Israelites failed to enter the promise land because of unbelief,

“So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

Hebrews 3:19

I will say it one more time, It’s so easy for unbelief to creep into our hearts.

Let do the regular heart checks to see if we are walking by faith or if there is unbelief in our hearts.

As I close I want to share one more scripture,

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

Hebrews 3:12

Bless you friends

Rolain

When Will The Losing Stop?

At times it seems like the devil is winning over us. It seems like he has the upper hand in various

Situations and circumstances we are going through. And we seem to be powerless and we can’t see

The end of the tunnel and are hopeless. We keep losing over and over again.

But we must not believe the lies the enemy is trying to make us believe because he has been defeated.

When Jesus rose from the dead He defeated the devil once and for all. He was victorious over him.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and

True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.”

Revelation 19:11

In this verse we see Jesus riding on the white horse and He is named Faithful and True.

I want to mention something about the white horse. The color white was associated with victory so

In the old days kings, captains and generals rode on white horses.

But in this verse we see Jesus the victorious King riding on a white horse.

And because of what Jesus did on the cross we too have victory. We can walk in the same victory He

Walks in.

“And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.”

Revelation 19:14

Firstly we read of Jesus riding on a white horse and in verse fourteen we read that the army behind him

Were clothed in white and were riding white horses too. Jesus didn’t keep His victory to Himself.

His victory was passed on to the army behind Him. They walked in the same victory He had. 

Because of the victory Jesus obtained on the cross, we too have the same victory. Because He was

Victorious we too are victorious.

We don’t have to go on believing that loss is all we will ever know. We don’t have to believe that we

Have no chance against the enemy. We will be victorious over the enemy. We will win over the giants

Who seem to be winning over us today. Our portion is victory!

And we are reminded even more of this truth this weekend when we celebrate the death and

Resurrection of Jesus. This is a strong day for us. When Jesus died and was in the tomb, the devil

Thought he had won. He was having his own party BUT…

That was not the end of the story because Jesus rose from the dead and defeated the devil!

His grip over us was broken once and for all.

Jesus won it all for us. We were free! We ARE free because of what He did.

So as we remember and celebrate what He did for us this weekend, we can call on Him for help

against the enemy who seems to be winning now. That’s not the whole story.

Victory is our portion because of what Jesus did on the cross.

Happy Easter friends!

Rolain  

Jesus Know Your Pain

Jesus knows all of the pain we go through. He knows the grief, the sorrows, the disappointment,

the brokenness we go through. And that is why we need to go to Him with all those things.

He not only knows what we are going through but He is deeply acquainted with it because He

Went through all those things. He totally understands what you are going through more than the

Closest person in your life may know! 

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,

as one from whom men hide their faces and he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Isaiah 53:3

What a title. The Man of Sorrows!

And that is why we need to go to Him with our pain, sorrow, brokenness and grief. He wants you to

Help you in your dark times, when you are in pain, broken and in grief. So don’t go through it alone.

Tell Him what you are struggling with. Be open and transparent with everything you are facing.

He cares and loves you so much.

But there is more!

There is a promise we need to hold onto in the valley of death, an amazing promise that He has

promised us.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Luke 6:21

You may be weeping now but Jesus promises you will laugh. It may seem unlikely at the moment but

His promise will be fulfilled in your life. Don’t let the devil lie to you that things won’t change, that the

Darkness will stay. It’s not true. Hold on to God’s promises instead.

“Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Psalm 30:5

I love this!

So first we see laughter and now in this verse we see joy. There will be a turnaround in your life.

God is so good. He will bring healing to you.

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me

With gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks

to you forever!”

Psalm 30:11, 12

Because of Him there will be laughter, joy and now dancing!

How great is His love toward us!

So whatever you are going through at the moment, know that it won’t last. The Lord is with you and will

Help you. He won’t leave you in the valley of death.

And as I close I want to remind you to bring Him your pain, your grief, brokenness and sorrow.

He is the Man of Sorrows and knows what you are going through. He wants you to walk in the amazing

Promises he has for you. He wants to heal you and He wants you to walk in freedom.

Trust Him to make a way for you. You may not see how He will turn things around but that’s where faith

Comes in. Put your faith in Him to heal you of the pain you have.

You are His son and daughter and He will breakthrough for you.

He is not done with you friend.

Bless you

Rolain

You Are Not Alone at Christmas!

Christmas is a few days away and there are a lot of people who are excited. And how can they not be?

The Christmas tree is decorated

The gifts are ready

The family is coming over

The food is sorted

Friends will be there

and so on and so on…

But there is another reality to Christmas. The reality that there are a lot of people facing depression, people who are contemplating

suicide, people who are facing mental health issues and so many other negative things.

But there is an answer to all the pain and difficult things we go through not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom

men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Isaiah 53:3 ASV

I love this scripture because it’s talking about JESUS. He was despised and rejected by men. He was acquainted with grief.

He was a man of sorrows! What a title.

If there is anyone who knows the pain you are going through it’s JESUS. He knows exactly what you are going through?

He knows the darkness you are in and the chains that are suffocating you.

He knows the hopelessness you are feeling at the moment and that is why you should call on Him immediately.

Whatever you are going through at the moment I want you to know that you are not alone. He is with you. He wants

to help you and bring you out of the darkness. He wants to break the chains that are suffocating you right now.

Whatever pain and heartache you are going through remember that Jesus went through it. He was the man of sorrows.

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

Isaiah 53:4 ASV

Give Him your grief. He will carry your sorrow.

So cry out to Him for help. He loves you and wants to be there for you.

He knows your every pain that you are going through right now.

There is hope for you this Christmas friend. And His name is JESUS!

Rolain

 

Big Problems, Bigger God!

There will always be giants to fight, trials and difficult times that come our way but we must always remember that

no matter how big the giants are, or how threatening the trials and problems seem, that God is bigger than ALL the

problems we face.

In the midst of the problems you face remember that God is bigger.

There is NO problem that you are facing right now that is bigger than God.

And it’s especially important where you are focused. Make sure that you are not focused on the problem alone.

Focus on the Lord in the midst of what you are going through.

The enemy wants you to focus on the problems, and the giants that are in your way so much that they seem bigger and

stronger than God. That’s what happened to Israel when they faced Goliath.

Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

1 Samuel 17:8-11 NLT

And this happened for 40 days and nights. (1 Samuel 17:16)

They were so focused on the GIANT problem in front of them that they forgot that God was bigger and much stronger than Goliath. But that was not the case with David. He knew God was bigger than Goliath. He was confident that God would destroy Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

Friends, I want to encourage you to look to God in the midst of the difficult things you are going through today.

He is bigger than EVERY problem you will ever face.

No matter what you are going through call on Him.

You don’t need to go at it alone. You are not alone in the fire.

God is with you and He will deliver you!

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

Psalm 18:2 NLT

Bless you friends

Rolain

God Does!

“Who rises up for me against the wicked?

Who stands up for me against evildoers?

Psalm 94:16, 17

The question is obviously rhetorical. The author knows that its God who stands up and rises up for us.

But do you know that?

I want to encourage you in way of reminding you that God stands up for you when trouble comes your way.

God is the one who rises up for you when giants surround threatening to take you out.

He is the one who lights your path and shines his light when there is confusion and you don’t know what to do.

You can call on Him because he is with you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

The Answer to Fear

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Psalm 56:3

There are a million reasons to be fearful today. Global pandemics, war, sickness, starvation, debt and so many other things can easily thrust anyone in a state of panic and fear. But amidst the fear there is a way through for you and me. In Psalm 56:3 the writer states,

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

The answer to fear is trust in Jesus. He defeated fear a long time ago and because of that we have somewhere to look to when fear is banging on the door of our hearts and minds threating to take permanent residence. When we are paralyzed by all the terror filled news around us, we have Someone to run to and take shelter. The Lord is our Strong Tower of Refuge. He is a trillion times a trillion stronger than fear. Fear is a defeated foe.

But fear wants us to believe it is stronger. It wants us to forget that God is on our side. It wants us to forget God in the midst of the chaos but we must not give in to fear because the Lord is with us through the darkest of times.

The answer to fear is looking to Jesus and knowing beyond a doubt that He is with you.

As I end this post I came across a painting of Daniel that encouraged me so much. I hope it encourages you like it did me.

Bless you friends.

Rolain

The Beautiful Story of Our Lives

As I look at myself and all the imperfections I have, all the mistakes and sins I continually

make I am humbled by the Lord’s grace and mercy He has extended to me.

That’s not just my story but it’s OUR story.

God in his mercy and grace doesn’t leave us in our mess.

He cleans us up and changes us.

He forgives us and gives us a second chance.

And that is what I call the beautiful story of our lives because His love is beautiful.

I think of the woman in Luke 7:37 who the bible tells us was a sinner. We don’t

know exactly what she did but it is clear she was not popular in her community.

“When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “if this man

were a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what kind of woman

she is – that she is a sinner.”

Luke 7:39

But even though the Pharisee had written her off as a lost cause, Jesus saw her differently.

He loved her and forgave her despite knowing all her sins. He didn’t reject her and cast her away.

So don’t listen to the lies that say you cannot be forgiven.

Don’t allow people to tell you that you are a lost cause. That’s not true.

Jesus loves you and extends grace, mercy and forgiveness to you no matter how badly

you have messed up.

You can go to Him for help anytime.

God bless you friends.

Rolain

Silence The Negative Voices At All Costs

“But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were

with him, and went in where the child was.”

Mark 5:14

Negativity is all around us. That’s a given.

But we don’t need to live it out in our lives. The enemy is trying to use it to bring us

down but we must not let him succeed. We need to fight against the negativity

that comes our way, the voices that say we are ugly and the voices that say we will

never amount to anything, that nobody will love us and so many more words that

we are told.

In the scripture above we see that Jesus had to do the same thing. He had arrived

at Jairus house to heal his daughter but the people in the room laughed and made

fun of him.

And what did Jesus do?

He chased them out of the room. He didn’t give negativity a chance.

We can’t give negativity a chance.

What is your environment like?

What are you watching, listening to and reading on a daily basis?

What king of thoughts do you have of yourself and your situation? Are they

positive or negative?

What kind of words do you speak everyday?

All these things need to be looked at if you want to change your environment, if you want to

change the negativity that comes your way.

Encourage yourself with the word of God.

Surround yourself with the right friends.

Change what you read and listen to, replace negative words with positive ones.

But do something. Don’t just let negativity infiltrate your life without fighting it.

Take the necessary steps to change your environment.

God has amazing things in store for you and He is with you every moment of your life.

Bless you friends

Rolain

The Illusion Of Strength

“The king is not saved by his great army;

a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

and by its great might it cannot rescue.”

Psalm 33:16, 17

There is a tendency at times to try to go through life on our own. We try to show God we

got everything under control. We think He is impressed with our show of power, intelligence

and wit so we “power through” life when we should be looking to Him for strength.

You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and think it’s cool but it’s not.

In the world, showing how strong, independent, powerful you are is celebrated. We see this

in terms like “self made man or woman” But it’s not so in God’s kingdom.

He wants you to trust Him. He wants you to give up control and let Him take the steering wheel.

Surrender to Him in faith. Let Him do the heavy lifting.

I was working on a project recently and was getting frustrated and overwhelmed. As I stopped

to see what was going on I realized I was going at it in my strength. I never asked God for help.

I repented and asked Him to help me. I stopped trying to figure things out on my own and started

praying more and seeking His guidance.

He wants us to rely on His strength, not our strength.

Turn to Him for help always.

“He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. No, the Lord’s delight is in those

who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

Psalm 147:10, 11

Bless you friends

Rolain