The Enemy’s Plan For You, Will Be Defeated.

What happens to the enemy’s plans for us?

Because truth be told, he has plans to take us out.

He doesn’t want us to succeed but there is good news for us in the Word of God.

The bible has the real truth. The enemy’s plans will not succeed over us.

Take David for instance. He had to flee from Absalom for a season and to make matters worse

his counselor Ahithophel had sided with Absalom which was really bad news for David.

Ahithophel was David’s trusted advisor. He was wise and knew David really well, the way

he worked, his family, how he thought and so much more. He was not the guy to go up

against.

Anyway, he had a plan to eliminate David and went to Absalom to tell him his plan.

Everyone loved his plan but before it could be green lit they called Hushai (another of David’s

counsellors) to hear what his plan would be. Earlier on in the story, David sent him back

in the hope to overthrow the counsel of Ahithophel.

So when they called Hushai they asked him what his plan would be and they loved his plan.

They thought it was better than Ahithophel’s plan. So they decided to go with his plan.

And this is the lesson I want to get across.

Ahithophel’s plan to eliminate David was better than Hushai’s. The word tells us so.

“Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “Hushai’s advice is better than Ahithophel’s.

For the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better

plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom!”

2 Samuel 17:14, 15

So if Absalom and his men had listened to Ahithophel’s counsel they would have managed to

destroy David and his men BUT….

Because God was with David, He overthrew the counsel of Ahithophel. David would not be eliminated

by the enemy’s plan because God was watching over him and protecting him.

And like David, God will frustrate and stop the enemy’s plan for you. His plans will not succeed

over you.

No weapon formed against you will prosper the word tells us.

So don’t fear when the enemy rises against you to destroy you. The Lord will never allow the enemy

to be victorious over you and that is good news!

So trust God no matter how intense the battle gets because He is protecting you and watching over you.

No plan of the enemy will succeed over you.

Blessings to you.

On one last note,

If you would like to support me financially in what I am doing here you can now do so with a few

dollars every month.

Simply click here to find out more.

Have a great weekend friends

Rolain

The challenges of a righteous man….(part 1)

Good day friends!

I will be doing a four part series on David the man after God’s

heart. David loved God with all of his heart but it wasn’t easy.

He went through a lot and his relationship with God was tested

immensely! I want to talk about some of the challenges he faced.

There is no doubt God had an amazing plan for David’s life but

we need to realise that the enemy didn’t sit back and let it be. he

fought and at times he seemed to be victorious BUT

God was with David and saved him from all of his trials! I hope

and pray this series is a blessing to you. Let’s get started….

 

“Then the Jebusites said to David, You shall not come in here.

But David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David.

And David said, whosoever smites the Jebusites first shall be

chief and commander. Joab son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister]

went up first, and so he was made the chief.

1 Chronicles 11:5, 6

 

This was one of David’s worst decisions. This decision would

impact his life in a way he would never expect. Instead of

seeking the Lord like he always did he turned to his flesh!

He left the decision of who would be his chief and commander

to a test of physical strength! Now get me right, there are a

few things Joab did right but the bad things far outweigh the

good.

You might think I am over exaggerating but look at the

consequences of David’s decision:

 

Joab murders Abner against David’s wishes.

(Read 2 Samuel 3:21-30)

Okay fair enough, Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel but

Joab still went against David’s wishes.

 

Joab kills Absalom, David’s son (Read 2 Samuel 18:14, 15)

Yes, Absalom took over David’s kingdom and even sought

to kill him but after being instructed by David (2 Samuel 18:5)

to not kill Absalom, Joab still went ahead and killed him.

 

Not convinced Joab was the wrong choice? Let me share a

few more incidents that will convince you otherwise:

 

Joab kills Amasa (Read 2 Samuel 9:10)

 

Joab betrays David by supporting Adonjah rather than Solomon

the promised king. (1 Kings 1: 7)

 

To conclude read 2 Samuel 23:8-39

All of David’s mighty men are mentioned but Joab’s name

is not there.

 

Look at how one decision made in the flesh impacted David’s

life. David always sought the Lord in his decision making.

But this one decision made in the flesh cost him much.

We need to always seek the Lord when making decisions. And

please understand,

I am not talking about deciding between drinking coffee

or tea tonight. 🙂  That’s not the kind of decision making I am

talking about. I hope you get the gist of what I mean.

David made a mistake. He made a really important decision

without seeking God and he paid a hefty price for it.

May we always seek the Lord in everything we do.

As we seek the Lord for His direction and guidance in the

decisions we have to make know it pleases Him.

It shows Him our faith in Him.

So as I end the lesson is this,

 

Seek the Lord! Things go horribly wrong when God is taken

out of the decision making process. Seek the Lord in every decision

you make!

Bless you….

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

A strategy to destroy a dream!

“Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, 

Why have you come out to draw up for battle?

Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants

of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let 

him come down to me.  1 Samuel 17:8 

 

How could Goliath speak to the people of God

like that? These were the people of God for crying

out loud. Didn’t Goliath know who they were?

That is irrelevant because God’s people lost

sight of who they really were.

 

When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the 

Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 

1 Samuel 17:11

 

God loved His people, He had big dreams for His

people but…….

 

The Philistine came out morning and evening, 

presenting himself for forty days.  1 Samuel 17:16

 

….but for forty days Goliath came and defied the

armies of God! Why didn’t they just attack Israel?

We already know Israel was greatly afraid

when Goliath came out to taunt them.

They could of taken Israel out and in a way,

they did.

The enemy managed to instill fear in the heart

of the Israel. They didn’t stop after the first

week, instead, they taunted them for forty

days……

The enemy knew exactly what they were doing.

They knew the power of fear. For forty days

Israel saw the giant. That’s all they saw.

Fear made them see the giant and everyday the

giant kept on getting bigger. The stories kept

getting grander. During the forty days, Israel

saw nothing else but the giant. They never

saw a chance of victory, they never saw hope,

all they saw was a giant……

 

Fear blinded them from seeing God!

The army of God never saw their God!

 

You need to know that the enemy’s strategy has

not changed. He still uses fear to paralyze you, he

still uses fear to stop you from seeing God.

He still uses fear to destroy any hope you may

have. If he had his way, he would keep you in fear

for the rest of your life.

 

But then David came!

 

He had a relationship of God that was so amazing.

He loved God and his heart was for God. David

had a relationship with God that was like no other.

 

When he went to visit his brothers he was the only

one who saw something wrong. He was the only one

who didn’t fear the giant!

 

God’s presence in your life will break the hold

of fear.

Because David spent time with God he could easily

identify the fear and confront it head on.

Am I saying David never struggled with

fear ever? He battled with it indeed but as

he spent time with God he overcame it.

 

The enemy wants you in fear because he knows

that will get your focus off God.

But when you spend time with God, you will be

able to fight the fear. David didn’t rely on his

own strength. He trusted God as he approached

the giant.

 

As I read this story I realized the enemy will

do anything to stop us from accomplishing our

destiny. He knew God had a plan for Israel

but he used fear to stop them!

He might be doing the same thing to you today

but I am here to say there is a way out.

You don’t have to listen to the fear.

Look to God, trust Him, spend time with

Him! He is the answer.

Don’t be afraid of the future. God has an

amazing plan for your life. He is personally

guiding you.

I saw that so clearly today. There are some things

happening in my life that have made me fear but

God doesn’t want me to focus on the fear. He wants

me to look to Him and realize He is in TOTAL

control. Fear distorts the truth……

At the end of the day I made a decision to trust

instead of fear.

What will your decision be….?

 

Rolain

Who doesn’t need counsel…??!!!

We are all on a journey, a journey God has mapped out for us. But for that plan to take shape in our lives there is something we need. For us to be successful and accomplish what God has called us to do it’s important we realize the importance of advisors, counselors, and mentors in our lives. I will not say it is a must have but it is very important.
King David as mighty as he was had counselors.

Jonathan, David’s uncle, a wise and literate counselor, and Jehiel son of Hacmoni were responsible for rearing the king’s sons. 
Ahithophel was the king’s counselor, Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend. Ahithophel was later replaced by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. 
Joab was commander of the king’s army.  1 Chronicles 27:33-34

King David surrounded himself and his family with wise people. Even though he was king and even though He had a relationship with God he still had people who he could go to for counsel. This is a lesson for us too. We need to surround ourselves with wise people. We don’t need to be afraid to ask for counsel from people we deem as wise! We were not created to be an island. God created community for a reason.
Surrounding yourself with wise people is a very intentional thing. You have to go out and ask people. You have to humble yourself and go to someone who has been through more and ask for help.

I haven’t got to where I am by myself. There were times I just had no idea what I supposed to do but God brought people in my life who brought clarity to me. Your destiny is about other people and INVOLVES other people. You were not created to be a one man army! Reading the scripture I shared with you was a good reminder for me. If King David needed counselors and he was a man after God’s heart how much more do I need counselors?

Do you have someone who you can go to for advise and counsel from time to time. I don’t think it’s supposed to be all day everyday. God is the first point of call. King David always turned to God first and it seemed as he walked the road God marked out for him, God brought wise men into his life. Like I said in the beginning, having counselors is important. Counselors and advisors come in many forms these days. There is nothing that states your counselor or advisor must be someone who lives in the same area as you or must be someone who you can talk to face to face or must be the same colour or age or gender! Ask God to show you why certain people are in your life! Don’t limit yourself. One of my mentors is dead. I learn from him through the material he has left behind. Another counselor of mine lives on another continent who I have never met face to face! God wants you to accomplish your destiny. To make sure you accomplish it God sends you people to help. We just need to be humble enough to admit we need help and ask for help. God will not leave you alone.

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.

I see nations……

Last year I started speaking about how God sees nations when He looks at us. We were not put on this earth just to live for ourselves. The picture, the plan is so much bigger than we could ever imagine! Abraham’s story is an amazing one. In Genesis 17:1 it says,

When Abram was ninety nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete).

As we read this chapter we see Abram who was 99 years old get an amazing promise. His life seemed like it was over but it was not. He was past the age of bearing children or so it seemed, but it was only the beginning….God was saying things like:

As for Me, behold, My covenant (solemn pledge) is with you, and you shall be the father of many nations. Genesis 17:4

And I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. Genesis 17:6

And God said to Abraham, As for you, you shall therefore keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. Genesis 17:9

To the outsider it looked like things were pretty much finished. Abram’s life was almost over but that was not the case. God had a plan….What is also interesting to note is, yes God said He would bless Abram but God was thinking hundreds of years ahead!!! He had a plan for his posterity…And that is how God thinks. We see the same pattern in the life of King David. He had a desire to build a house for God but God wouldn’t let him because of the blood he had shed but look at the promise He made to him because he had the desire:

4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.           2 Samuel 7: 4-17

Yes, He has a plan for you but He also has a plan for your posterity! I get so excited when I hear that God has blessed my children within me. I am just the beginning, the introduction to the real story that is about to unfold! I didn’t come from a Christian background. My parents brought me up the best they knew how, they even sent me to church when I was a child!!! I thank God for that. So in a way I am paving a new way, setting a new path. You might think its all over but don’t believe the lies. God has so much more in store for you. The other thing I would like you to start doing is seeing yourself as a nation because that is how God sees you!!!  God has a plan for you and your posterity. Your life is just the introduction to a much greater and wonderful story.  Let us be like David who prepared all that Solomon needed to build the house of God. David used the relationships he had, the resources he had to make sure his son would accomplish what God had called him to do. We need to do the same thing King David did. Even if you are single, what you do now matters. Let us look to God to help us………Amen!

Rolain

What is God’s will for my Life????

God created each and everyone of us for a purpose. He made no mistakes when He created us. But there are a lot of people who don’t know what their purpose is on the earth. What is God’s will for my life, is one of the most asked questions among Christians. You see, everything around us speaks to us about destiny. If there is one thing you cannot deny is the fact that, everything on this earth has a purpose! For example, let us take a look at  a butter knife. It is a knife but it was made for a specific purpose. It was made so it could be used to spread butter on bread. You cannot use it to cut wood. It was not made for that.

The butcher knife on the other hand was made to cut harder things. Does it make it better than the butter knife, no! It makes it different. Each has a different function. What am I trying to get at, you might be wondering? My goal is to show you that everything is made with a purpose and that goes for us. What is our purpose?

     

To find out what our purpose is we need to look to the Word of God. There is so much in there for us. Let us look at a familiar passage of scripture which says,

  New American Standard Bible 
“The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.  Isaiah 43:21

We were created with the sole purpose of worshiping God!!! God created you and me to worship Him. You were specifically made to do that. Everything else comes after that. Yes, you are a doctor, lawyer, athlete, pilot, governor, and so on but God created you to worship Him!!! Our purpose is to worship God in the place He has called us to be in. David was a king and a warrior but he was a worshiper! King David says in Psalm 119:164 –  New International Version
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. 

He understood he was created to praise God. The Word says, the people I formed for myself WILL….not might, or if they feel like but WILL!!! It is a command and not a suggestion. God doesn’t command us to do things just for the sake of being difficult but because He knows there is a blessing. Will you answer to the challenge? Will you answer the call to live a life of worship. We were created to worship God! As you do that everything else will fall into place.

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

From Ugly to Beautiful…

 

We all have made some really bad decisions and I guess the question is can the situation be redeemed?  Can the wrong we have done be reversed? This has been the question on my heart of late. I have made mistakes and in the back of my mind I have been thinking if my situation is reversible? Does God punish me because I have made some serious mistakes as a way of making me learn? I know there are consequences to sin but that is not what I am talking about. I understand there is consequence to sin but what I was battling with was if God gets back at people for the stupid mistakes they make? Does He make sure He makes me know that things are not going right in my life because I messed up last week???

Anyway as I have pondering this I came across a quote that made me think. The quote said,

 

The most beautiful pieces of art come from the ugliest situations.

 

I battled with this and asked God what it meant. Does God really work like that I asked? It was hard to accept. Surely the God I serve is going to make me pay for the stupid mistakes I have made!! How could He not…….?

 

As I was pondering this God spoke to me through King David. He made a serious mistake. He slept with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah!! He was in a really bad place. Could God turn his situation around? But he did. A seemingly bad situation was turned around for good. Bathsheba lost her first baby and that would of being enough for David but God turned the situation around by giving him Solomon!!!

(Read 2 Samuel 11 for whole story)

God didn’t give him Solomon through Abigail (1 Samuel 25) who was an absolutely amazing woman; instead He used a really bad situation and turned it into something beautiful. And that is why I think He did that. He wanted to show David that He has the power to turn something really ugly, something we think can’t be redeemed and something we think we have lost and turn it around into something so beautiful and amazing!!!

 

After reading that I had hope, my faith was strengthened and still is. You may have made some really bad mistakes that you think are beyond repair but know that God can turn them around for good.

What I do find as a constant challenge is trusting God. It has been hard relying on Him. It is a constant battle trusting God. I thought it would be easy but it has been hard. I would think I was stronger than that but I was wrong. The negative thoughts have been hard to fend off but I hang on to the word God has given me with everything within me.

You will need to fight to trust God. It is not easy especially when your circumstances are saying the complete opposite. But hold on to God with everything you have got. He is the God that turns the ugliest of situations into the most beautiful of situations. And I believe that with all of my heart even if my emotions are saying something else. My trust is in God. Yours should be too…..

 

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.