Don’t give up.

Perseverance outlasts persecution

This is one of my pastor’s favorite sayings. But it’s more than a saying. It’s a kingdom principle. That’s what he taught me and it’s true. 

When Jesus came to earth He persevered. He didn’t give up or throw in the towel when things got intense. No, He pushed on towards His goal and He achieved it.

Don’t throw in the towel in this season. Keep looking at the prize. Keep persevering and know as you do,  the door will open, the breakthrough will come the prayer will  be answered. The Lord will carry you through. He can be trusted. 

But you need to keep moving forward no matter how hard it is. Keep taking that step then another then another. 

As I wrote this today I was reminded of a video that perfectly illustrates perseverance.

Here is the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V38QYllfYtM&t=36s

I came across it as I was preparing to teach some kids. Even though it is for kids I really enjoyed it and I think you will too. It has no sound but the message gets  across and if you have kids you can show it to them too🙂

Bless you friends

Rolain

The children were doomed…….

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a 

riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed 

his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing

my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From 

now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”

The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and 

our children after us.   Matthew 27:24, 25 

 

I don’t know about you but I was in shock when I read this

scripture. How could they say things like that?

That was so unfair, so selfish…..

I don’t think the kids would approve. The

crowd cursed their kids just like that. There was no

thought behind what they were really doing. Blinded by

hate they doomed their children!

 

I was angry at the crowd’s ignorance. Shame on anyone

who thinks only of themselves, and forgets there is a much

bigger plan at play. I was hurt by the words they spoke.

What did their kids do????

They were innocent in all of this. They had dreams and

aspirations. But their futures were in danger because of the

carelessness of their parents!!!! That made me so mad.

But as I was thinking about that the attention shifted from the

crowd to myself.

What am I doing now that will prepare the way for my kids?

Am I speaking life, prosperity, victory, peace and other

strong words into their lives or am I cursing their future with

my words???

But it goes much deeper than just words. As a single man

I have a part to play in the future of my kids lives.

Understand what I am saying here. I have a part to play.

I thank God my kids futures are not dependent on my

success or else they would be in deep trouble. God is

the One who is holding them in His hand. He is the One

who created them and called them. He is the One

who knows them by name and is holding their lives in

His powerful hand.

I have a part to play in this amazing story.

Let’s look at a scripture,

 

And David the king went in and sat before the

Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what

is my house and family, that you have brought

me up to this?

And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O

God; for You have spoken of Your servant’s

house for a great while to come, and have regarded

me accordingly to the estate of a man of high

degree, O Lord God!

1 Chronicles 17:16, 17

 

God as you know has a plan for you but He also has

a plan for your kids. That is the exciting news if you ask

me.

Not only has He got a plan for your kids but He has a plan for

their kids and so on and so on!

In other words He has a plan for your posterity!

Let us take a look at another scripture:

 

David told the crowd:

God chose my son Solomon to build the temple,

but Solomon is young and has no experience.

This is not just any building – this is the temple

for the Lord God!

That’s why I have done my best to get everything

Solomon will need to build it – gold, silver, bronze,

iron, wood, onyx, turquoise, colored gems, all kinds of

precious stones, and marble.  1 Chronicles 29:1, 2

 

I love this…..David didn’t sit and expect his son to

walk in his calling. He prepared the way for him. He knew

God had called Solomon and he did all he could do to help

Solomon. We have the awesome responsibility of preparing

the way for our kids even in our singleness. We will not

curse our kids with our words like the crowd did.

How we live our lives has an impact on our kids too. We are

not perfect but we can do something to prepare the way…..

When God sees me and my life He sees a generation.

When He blesses me, He doesn’t stop there, He blesses

my posterity! Today I will make sure I am running after

God’s plan for me. I will pursue purity. I will pursue a

deeper relationship with Him, because all those things have

an effect on my posterity.

 

For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your 

gates, and He has blessed your children within you. 

Psalms 147:13

 

This is one of my favorite scriptures. The Lord has blessed

my children within me and because of that I am grateful.

It wasn’t because of me that He blessed them but it was

because of His grace! And even now by faith I declare that

my kids will do great things for God not because I am

perfect but because I trust in a great big God. Their

future is secure I declare.

God has blessed the work of their hands.

Favor is with them everywhere they go.

They will bring many people to the Lord!

They will have wisdom far beyond their years.

They will walk in purity

and most importantly of all, they have a deep

relationship with God.

God will be the first and the most important thing in

their lives. They will be sold out for God……

 

That is my declaration….what is yours???

We will not curse our kids but bless them in word

and in deed.

Amen!

(Our children’s ministry is having a camp so I will be away for a

few days starting today. Please pray for me and the team that is

going. Pray for the kids as well.)      🙂

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God has a plan for your kids…….

13 And this you do with double guilt; you cover the altar of the Lord with tears [shed by your unoffending wives, divorced by you that you might take heathen wives], and with [your own] weeping and crying out because the Lord does not regard your offering any more or accept it with favour at your hand.

14 Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows].

15 And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously and be faithless to the wife of his youth.     Malachi 2: 13-15

There is a lot to address in this passage of scripture but I am going to address one thing. I am going to focus on verse 14 and 15 to be more precise. What I am about to share with you is true and I have seen it in action. These scriptures are addressing one purpose of marriage. There are many reasons God has created the institute of marriage but I would like to focus on this specific one. Marriage is something God created and it is not to be taken lightly. In verse 15 we read,

“And why [did God make you two] one?” (Husband and wife)

“Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously and be faithless to the wife of his youth. ”

Marriage is bigger than husband and wife. God has a plan for your kids as well. Your children are not ordinary. God had a “godly offspring” in mind when He brought you together. And if you are still single He has the same thing in mind for you. He has a plan for you as an individual and as a family and then He has a plan for your children. It’s is your job as the parent to train up the child in the way he or she should go. The responsibility you have must not be taken lightly. If you are single how does this apply. Well for starters, be careful who you choose. Who you choose is going to determine a lot. How do you know if you have chosen the right mate? That is an entire discussion all on it’s own.

As a couple you have to be solid. Protect your marriage. God brought you two together because He has a plan for you and He has a plan for your kids and their kids and so on. A lot of parents think their kids are ordinary but that is not the truth. They are going to do great things and you have a responsibility to show them that. Make them see it. Teach them, instruct them. Their future is bright. Don’t force your agendas onto them. God’s call on their life is very unique.

If you are a young person and you don’t know your parents for whatever reason I want you to know you are not a mistake. God brought your parents together because He sought a “godly offspring” (you) from them. They might not even known what they were doing through ignorance but God knew. He has a plan for you. Don’t lose heart, you are not forgotten. God has an amazing plan for you. He has an amazing woman for you if you are a guy and an amazing man for you if you are a woman but He doesn’t stop there. He already has a plan for your kids!!! Wow, that is truly amazing.

Please, don’t treat your kids like they are normal because they are not. He has a plan for them. Bring them up in the admonition of the Lord. Like I said in the beginning, there are many reasons God created marriage. This is just one of them. God bless you and your family…..

Rolain

You have got competition…..

I had an amazing time at kids church today. It was one of those weeks where the kids were very responsive. It was great. My responsibility at kids church is to lead praise and worship and I love it. After church though one of the other leaders came to me and told me I had competition…….I know, you probably wondering, and that affects this story how????  🙂

For the past year I have been leading praise and worship at kids church. On any given Sunday we have two teams that teach. One team will teach the really small kids and another team will teach the older kids. I lead praise and worship for the older kids, but this week I was teaching the younger kids and I was not able to go and lead praise and worship like I usually do. So one of the leaders came to me when we were done and told me I had competition. He told me how one of the other leaders led the kids well in praise and worship. I went on to tell the leader that it’s not a competition because it really isn’t. I have been taught that as a leader you need you be able to duplicate yourself. I am glad when there is someone else who can do what I do. A leader without followers is not a leader. What is the point of being the only person who can do a specific thing? In Africa this is our biggest problem. We don’t want to teach others what we know because we are afraid we will lose our job. We are afraid we will lose the attention. We are afraid we will seize to be important. And that is why we don’t grow. We can be so much better than we are now and I believe there are people who are starting to see how important it is to pass down the knowledge they know. A real leader has followers, people he is leading. It’s not a competition. It is about extending the vision, it’s about growth.

When I used to work at a Thai restaurant the head chef was like that. He was afraid to teach other people what he knew. Instead he would teach them a portion of what he knew but not everything or he would teach them the wrong thing. He thought he was being wise but he was wrong. As leaders it is our job to duplicate ourselves. It’s a shame to be the only one!!!! Please remember, it is not a competition. God will bless you because you liberally gave what you know. I am here because someone stepped out and taught me what they know. They did not hold back. Are you like that? Do you freely give what you know? A leader is not a leader if he doesn’t have followers. And a leader has not succeeded if he is the only one that can do what he can do. There is a much bigger picture at work here. It is not a competition. Be eager to teach others and watch and see how God will bless you.

Rolain

Taking Responsibility For The Next Generation!!!

Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this Your people who are so great?
2 Chronicles 1:10

This was what King Solomon prayed to God when God asked him what he wanted. Instead of asking for wealth or long life or a whole host of other things, he asked God for wisdom to guide the nation of Israel!!!!
How did this young man who was about to lead so great a nation know what to ask for?

Today we have a lot of kids who are not growing up in the way of the Lord. We have kids who are passionate about everything but God. We have young people who will not raise their hands to God in praise! The things of God don’t seem to interest our kids but why? As mentor’s and parents we blame Facebook and other social networks, we blame television but the truth is, it’s our fault! We have not set a good example. We watch anything and everything but expect our kids to be pure in what they watch!
Our kids are not passionate because WE are not passionate. We read our bibles once a week and expect our kids to read their bibles daily. We eat trash but we teach our kids to eat right!!! Something is wrong with that picture.                               Even if you don’t have kids yet this applies to you. Are you on fire for God? Do you read your word? Are you a passionate person?
King David managed to transfer his vision to Solomon. Could you say that about your kids? Do they know what God has called them to do?  Do they know your vision? Look at what the next scripture says:

When I [Solomon] was a son with my father [David], tender and the only son in the sight of my mother [Bathsheba],
He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.
Proverbs 3:3-27

Solomon asked for wisdom because his dad treasured it. His dad would sit down and talk to him about it.
As mentors, teachers, and parents we have the responsibility of leading the way. I wrote a post sometime ago entitled Our kids at War. They are at war and they are losing. They need more role models. They need someone to follow. But how can they follow us if we are not passionate about God and we are lukewarm???? It won’t work. Let us follow King David’s example and raise up our kids in the admonition of the Lord….

As we do that our kids will be stronger. They will be able to stand on our shoulders as we lead them.

Rolain

Thinking About The Next Generation…

I was in South Africa for the whole week last week. I had gone for another music tour. I really enjoyed being there. As I was on tour I had time to think and meditate on the important things. I got time to get deeper into God which was great and there were a few lessons I learned while on tour which I would like to share with you. I will only share one with you in this post.
I love King Hezekiah. He is one of my favourite characters in the Bible that is until I read 2 Kings 20. King Hezekiah was sick unto death but he begged God to heal him which He did. Hezekiah had visitors from Babylon who came to see him because they heard he was sick. ( 2 Kings 20:12)
He showed them everything in his kingdom which got him into trouble. This is what God said to him:

Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah. Hear the word of the Lord! 
Behold, the time is coming when all that is in your house, and that which your forefathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord.
And some of your sons who shall be born to you shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of Babylon’s king. 
Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, The word of the Lord you have spoken is good. For he thought, Is it not good, if [all this evil is meant for the future and] peace and security shall be in my days?    2 Kings 20:16-19

We all have weaknesses and I am not expecting Hezekiah to be perfect. But think about this, Isaiah is giving him a horrific prophesy about his nation and his children and all he has to say is, “the word of the Lord you have spoken is good“!!!!
We are meant to learn from the men and women in the bible and there is an important lesson here. Please understand, everything you do now has a bearing on your future. What you do now will determine what your future will be like.
The things you do now will also determine your kids future!!
If you are 15 years old, know that your actions have a bearing on your kids in the future! Yes your actions determine what you will become but they also determine who your kids will become. We need to be think about the next generation. We need to have that mindset. Hezekiah’s children where destined for evil because of his actions but he didn’t care. How different would it have been if he fell on his knees and repented for what he did. Would he have saved his children’s lives and the lives of his people? I don’t know for sure but it is something to think about.
We need to fight for our kids in this time. We do that by the things we say and the things we give our time to and how we think. They need to be able to stand on our shoulders. We have got to stop thinking about ourselves. We have become so selfish as people thinking about how we are going to make it and what we are going to eat and so on and have totally forgot about the people around us. I don’t want to carry on being selfish. My family’s lives depend on it. I want my kids to come and do great things for God because I laid a good foundation in the relationships I have made and the things I have done. I don’t want them to start from square one because I was too busy thinking about myself and I don’t want to play a role in the destruction of their future!!!

As I end I would like to remind you that what you do now has a bearing on your family’s future. What you do now does matter. Let us have the next generation in mind. Ask yourself, what am I doing that will benefit the next generation?
Am I building a good foundation for the next generation to stand on?
Am I destroying the future of the next generation by my attitudes and the things that I do?

The next generation is depending on us.

Rolain.

Our Kids Are At War……!!!!

I have been teaching kids for a long time and I teach  kids from the age of 8yrs to kids who are 12yrs. I love teaching them. I love the relationships that I have made. I love the time I have spent with them doing crazy things but as the year’s keep coming and the kids keep on growing there is something changing. I don’t know what it is exactly.

It is almost like the kids are losing interest in the things of God. It is getting harder and harder to get them engaged. I have been crying out to God for a long time and only recently did I see it. I saw how the kids of these days have a lot more to deal with than when I was a kid. The challenges are more sinister than before. The world is also trying to win our children. As teachers on a Sunday we are competing vs Disney or PlayStation or the internet and so on. We cannot teach the way we have always taught. We need to be more creative. The world has really gone full out and that is what is making our kids dull. We as parents just leave them in front of the television and think it’s OK but it’s not. Our kids are at war and we don’t even know it…..

We allow the kids access to internet where they are exposed to porn and violence and whole host of other things. We need to take our place as parents and protect our kids.
As teachers we need to step up. We need God’s creativity and God’s grace. Our Sunday schools are boring and dull. We do the same old thing and expect God to move! We teach the same way we were taught but we don’t realize that things have changed.. We stick to our traditional Sunday school songs but don’t realize that kids listen to a lot more mature music be it hip hop, rock or pop.
There needs to be a serious evaluation of how we do things.

My conclusion is this, kids are faced with so much. What they need on a Sunday is an encounter with God that will turn their lives around for ever. They need something really powerful to nullify the junk that they have exposed themselves to or we have exposed them to. We need to teach them what to eat and what not to eat metaphorically speaking.
As teachers we need to expect the power God in our services. What is the point of having a service when God doesn’t show up. What is the point of having a service if we as the teachers don’t expect God to come down and touch the kids???!
Our kids will begin to change when the presence of God comes down in our services.

Our kids are at war and we have a responsibility whether you are a parent or teacher. Our kids need us. They need  our help. Will you take their side in this war??? You have a responsibility of revealing God’s amazing power, and love, and mercy, and greatness and I could go on and on and on……. What God means in your life is what kids will pick up on whether you are a parent or a teacher. How passionate are you about God? How much do you love the Word? Do you watch television endlessly or do you talk about people behind their backs when your kids are around? (Talking behind someones back is bad either way)! Men do you beat your wives in front of your kids? Women, do you disrespect your husbands in front of your kids? All these things and more build a child’s idea of you and God. There is a statement my pastor keeps on saying, What you do in moderation, your kids will do in excess!!! If you are lukewarm in your love towards God your kids will be cold. If you drink one or two beers then your kids will be alcoholics!!! Do you get the picture?

I don’t know where all that came from. I was supposed to conclude a long time ago. I get so passionate about this. Our kids are the future and we need to see it. They are at  war and we need to stand with them in this time. They need to know we are for them. God bless.

Rolain

Life after “No”.

I was watching a talent show on TV which was very interesting. What was interesting about it were the comments judges were making about the people who were auditioning. I didn’t agree with a lot of the comments that were being expressed. I really felt for the people who were being shot down. They were being torn down by the judges. Some left the stage crying while the judges were laughing. That really got to me. Those judges don’t seem to realise that they are holding people’s future’s in their hands! You may think I am a bit extreme in what I am saying but think about it.

A person who thinks they have a gift goes for an audition but gets told they should never use that gift ever. They get ridiculed and joked at and probably get told to do something else.
Yes, there are people who should not venture into somethings because they are just not good at them. But this is what I am trying to get to, are the judges qualified to tell those people what they are good at or not? Are they credible?
In life we go around allowing people to tell us what we can do or can’t do but are not credible! They may have qualifications but that doesn’t make them credible. Let me be bold in saying that there is no one on this earth who knows the real you, no one! You are not even credible to tell yourself what you are good at or not! You have a more intimate knowledge of who you are compared to anyone else but you are still not credible to make a decision about what you can do or can’t do. What I mean by that is, you don’t know your real potential so be careful when you start drawing conclusions about what you can or can’t do. God is the only One who is credible because He created you. He is the only One who can tell you who you really are.

My conclusion is simple. Don’t allow people to define what you can or can’t do. There is hope after the “No”. Listen to the positive comments that come your way. But be very cognisent of the negative comments that come your way. A question to ask is, are the authority voices in my life credible to tell me what I can or can’t do in my life?
Is a teacher credible to tell me what I am good at or not?
Is the coach who tells me that I am useless really credible even if he is qualified?
Can a music teacher come to a conclusion that I am not musical?

If you have kids, beware who is telling them what they can or cannot do. You need to protect your kids from people who are telling them the wrong things. Your voice as a parent is the one they listen to so use your power wisely. Build them up by speaking positively. Tell them they can achieve whatever they desire. Draw them to who God says they are.
Your role in their lives is so important. Don’t take it lightly.

As I end I would like to ask, what have you being told you can’t do? What dreams have you abandoned because someone told you “No”? They said you could not do it.

It is time to make a decision and pursue your dreams.

Rolain.P