God Doesn’t Stay In a Box!

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built.”

1 Kings 8:27 ASV

God is so big and cannot be contained. Even Solomon the wisest man on earth acknowledged this truth.

He knew that the temple he built could not contain the God of the Universe.

We know God is big but do we REALLY know it?

The way we see God is determined by the way we have been conditioned in the past. That can be by people close to us, TV, news, books we have read and so much more.

But that needs to change. We need the limitations broken because God is crazy big.

This week I cried out to Him to break the box I have put Him in. There are so many big things I am trusting Him for and I feel like there are limitations I have put on Him. Sometimes we put Him in a box without even knowing it.

But, God doesn’t not stay in a box.

The only way we can break the negative conditioning about God’s bigness and greatness is by immersing ourselves in the Word of God which is the Truth. We need an increase of God’s presence in our daily lives because this is the thing, God is big but our view of God is small at times. So when we consume more of His Word and get into His presence our perception of God begins to get bigger, it begins to grow.

We need to reprogram our minds with the Word of God.

God wants to perform miracles in our lives but if we only see a weak, powerless and feeble God then how is that going to happen? Remember the Israelites and what they said when they arrived to the land God promised them?

“Let’s go at once to take the land, he said. We can certainly conquer it!

But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are! So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought too.”

Numbers 13:30-33 NLT

God doesn’t stay in a box. He is crazy big, He is the God of the universe and nothing is too big for Him. There is nothing He can’t do.

God break the box we have put you in and the limitations we have put on You!

Show us your greatness and awesomeness anew again!

Amen

Bless you friends

Rolain

A Place For The Young And A Place For The Old -Part One

I was watching one of my favorite series recently, Masterchef Australia. I love this show so much. Anyway, the latest season is champions versus fans or something like that. There was one contestant who was the first winner of Masterchef Australia who is probably in her late fifties or sixties I think.

She was talking about how she was struggling with the fact that she didn’t think she had nothing much to offer. She didn’t think she had anything new to bring to the table amongst a thriving and growing industry. The home cooks have got so much better, the creativity has blown through the roof.

And that struck a cord with me because in the world older people have been for the most part been relegated to the back. They are overlooked and not considered much but that is not the case in God’s kingdom. In His kingdom there is a place for both the young and the old. The world may be quick to tell you when your expiry date is but not so with God.

As far as I am concerned our expiry date is when we die and everything else before that is open game. No matter how young or old you are know that God wants to use you. And as you look into the word you will see a place for the young and a place for the old.

I think about Caleb who was eighty five years old when he went to Joshua and asked for his mountain. He didn’t let his age limit him. His faith was in God and that’s all that mattered. Age was certainly just a number in his case.

Don’t let age stop you from walking into what God has called you to do. He has so much in store for you. Remember Abraham and Sarah.

They had to wait for a really long time to see the fulfillment of what God had promised them but they kept their eyes on Him. They didn’t let their age or what people said about their age stop them!

“And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.”

Romans 4:19, 22 NLT

This is part one of this series so I will be talking about the young people in the next post.

I will see you next week.

God bless you friends!

Let Go Of Negative Labels

Throughout our lives we have been picking up labels from family, friends, teachers, coaches, you name it.

But this is the thing, the majority of the labels we picked up are not accurate and

at times downright destructive. We need to be careful what labels we have adopted

and from where.

Take Moses for example.

God called him to lead His people out of Egypt. So as He called him,

He gave assurances that He would be with him but there was one thing

that was giving Moses second doubts about his ability to carry out what

God had called him to do. And that thing was the label or labels he was holding

on to.

“But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past

or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

Exodus 3:10

Instead of saying “yes Lord”.

He almost let the labels he had stop him from walking into what God had for him.

And also note, God knew the potential Moses had. He knew the great things He would

do through him but Moses didn’t see any of that because of the labels he held on to.

And that’s the danger of holding on to the wrong labels. They limit what we think

God can do and blind us to the opportunities available to us.

We need to measure up every label we have, to what God says about us. We measure

them up to His word. If words spoken to us are not in line with what God says in His Word

then it needs to go.

And we also need to be careful about what we say to ourselves. That’s what happened to

Moses. He may have told himself and believed he was slow of speech and not eloquent

and in his mind those labels disqualified him from doing what God told him to do.

You probably know yourself better than anyone on this planet but at the end of the day

you need to remember that you did not create you, God created you!

And because He created you He knows every little thing about you. There is nothing He

doesn’t know about you but you on the other hand you don’t have the full picture. You don’t have all

the information. There is stuff missing.

So stop with the “this is the way I am” statements.

Stop with the “I am clumsy, I am forgetful,

I can’t do this, I can’t do that” statements.

You don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle so why label yourself and make “absolute” statements

about yourself?

God is the only one who can do that so go to Him to tell who you are, what you can do and the

amazing opportunities waiting for you.

Ask Him for help as you do this. There is no way you are going to get rid of the negative labels

in your life by yourself. Ask Him to show you what negative words you are holding on to.

And ask Him to replace those words/labels with His truth, with His Word.

And as I close I want to end with a quote I read that I love. It says,

“Let no label stick unless it was put there by God.”

Have a great weekend friends!

Rolain

Giants and Walls.

“But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!””

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭13:30-31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Because of fear the ten spies thought the promise land was off-limits to them. They saw the giants and walls and thought the game was over. But the Lord’s word and promises had not changed. The promise land was still theirs to take.

But that got me thinking about my own life. What had I written off because of fear or doubt?

What dreams and desires that I had and have did I think were off-limits?

Especially with all that has happened this year. Everything was locked down and it seemed like nothing could be done.

But the truth is the Lord wants you to accomplish everything He has created you to do. No matter how impossible and out there it seems the Lord wants you to trust Him.

Keep trusting the Lord and take that step of faith and see Him do the impossible in your life.

 

On another note I want you to know that my book, Rise Above Fear which is a 31-Day Devotional is now available on Amazon. If you would like to get your copy I have left the link below.

Click here.

Bless you friends.

Rolain

Let’s talk about the dead things in our lives

“The Jews said, see how [tenderly] He loved him! 

But some of them said, could not He Who opened a blind man’s eyes have 

prevented this man from dying.”

John 11:36, 37

 

Lazarus had died. Jesus could have saved him but got there late, four days late!

Everyone agrees that the outcome would have been better if Jesus got to him in time.

 

“Martha then said to Jesus, Master, if You had been here my brother would not have died.” 

John 11:21

 

“When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she dropped down at His feet, 

saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:32

 

But I noticed something not just in this story but throughout the new testament. Jesus was not

intimidated by death. While everyone stopped and came to a conclusion because of death,

He moved forward.

Jesus saw death as something to be conquered which He did.

 

That gives me hope.

When a dream appears to be dead or hope lost, Jesus is beckoning us to keep trusting, to keep hoping.

He is calling us to not give up, to keep believing because He brings the dead things to life!

We may have been disappointed over and over again but we need to remember that Jesus is stronger

than death. Its not “the end” for you.

 

Jairus experienced this truth. His daughter was deathly sick so he went to Jesus for help. (Mark 5:22-43)

He found Jesus and took him to his home. But on the way some men came to him and told him

that his daughter had died. It was all over for him it seemed. But listen to Jesus’ words,

 

“Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, 

Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep believing.” 

Mark 5:36

 

Jesus brought his daughter back from the dead! Death didn’t stop Jesus.

When everyone stopped at death Jesus moved forward and pushed death aside!

 

What is dead in your life? Where has hope been lost?

Look to Jesus because He brings dead things to life. Its not over yet.

Keep believing in Him.

He is the God who performs miracles!

 

Break the limitations we have placed on ourselves Lord. 

You see no limitations! 

You only see breakthrough! 

Amen! 

 

Rolain

 

 

How to respond in difficult times…

 

“So Potiphar arrested Joseph and put him into prison. This prison was where the king’s

prisoners were put. And Joseph stayed there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph

and showed him kindness. The Lord caused the prison warden to like Joseph.”

Genesis 39:20, 21

 

Joseph was having a really tough time in Egypt. Firstly he was sold into slavery by his brothers,

then he was falsely accused by his master’s wife which put him into prison. It’s important to

note and understand that the hardships he was facing did not limit God’s power in his life.

God didn’t stop moving in Joseph’s life because he was in a bad place. In slavery God was working,

in prison, being falsely accused, God was at work in his life.

 

No matter how bad things are in your life God is still working. The difficult things around

you don’t limit Him one single bit. He is not looking at what’s happening around you to move.

He is looking at your faith. Will you still look to Him when things are difficult?

Will you allow what’s happening around you to determine how big you dream? Are you going to

wait for circumstances to get better before you move in faith or will you start trusting Him where

you are right now??

 

I am fully convinced God is moving in your life even when the world around you is falling apart.

Don’t let the bad things that are happening around you determine how must live.

Put your trust in God and move with Him.

 

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

 

When limitations are the only thing you see…..

I was laying down on my bed yesterday afternoon when a

thought came to me. A thought that woke me up and made

me think…..

 

“Just remember something, when you speak to God you are

the one who sees the boundaries and the limitations, not God!

God doesn’t see any boundaries when He speaks to us.”

 

I woke up instantly and wrote the statement down. As I

pondered on that thought I realized how true that statement

was, especially in my life.

How many times I have felt God say something only to

rationalize it away. But we serve a God who knows no

boundaries and the people who serve Him know every

boundary! But it must stop! God wants us to trust Him.

He wants us to look past the obstacles and the limitations.

 

 

“Elijah replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what

the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the

finest flour will sell for s shekel and two seahs of barley

for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.

The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the

man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the

floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?

You will see it with your own eyes, answered Elisha, but

you will not eat any of it.” 2 Kings 7:1, 2

 

We all know the conclusion of the story. God used four

lepers to save the city. But before that all happened

we know the city Elijah was in was under siege. There

was a famine and they were powerless to do anything.

No wonder the army officer said what he said. But

consider this, the army officer saw obstacle after

obstacle but God saw victory, life, and breakthrough!

 

Let’s take a look at another example. Think about

Gideon. God called him to save his people but what

does he do???

 

“Pardon me, my Lord, Gideon replied, but how can

I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh,

and I am the least in my family.” Judges 6:15

 

Gideon saw obstacles and limitations. There are only

a few people in the word of God who believed the

first time! But for us to walk in all God has for us the

limitations must go. We surely need the grace of God

to see God as He really is. The first step is to recognize

we have put limitations.

The second step is to bring them to God and ask Him

to help us.

 

God has so much more in store for you.

We are not meant to deal with the “how” when God speaks,

we are just meant to believe. God will deal with the how.

This is something you must train yourself to do. You

train yourself by spending more time with God. He will

increase your faith. He will give you the peace you need

as you trust Him without limit.

 

I have failed so many times in my faith with God.

I have doubted Him and have even given up at times.

And that’s what it’s all about. I read a post today which was

extremely challenging. Karina asked the question,

Do you really believe Luke 1:37 which says:

“For with God nothing is impossible”?

Do you really believe, with God nothing is impossible??

Read her post here.

Remember, when God speaks we are the ones who see the

limitations and the boundaries, He doesn’t. When He

speaks into your life about your life He sees it as done!

 

Will you trust Him today? Will you make the decision

to look past the boundaries and limitations and believe

the One who doesn’t see the limitations???

 

Rolain

 

 

 

How He grows your faith…….

“When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, He said 

to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?”

He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what He 

was going to do. John 6:5, 6

 

When Jesus and Philip looked out at the large crowd what did they see?

Philip saw an impossible situation! In his mind it was an impossible situation!

Jesus saw something different when He looked out at the crowd. He knew exactly what He was going to do. Philip on the other hand saw obstacles and barriers but Jesus wanted to stretch his faith.

I have been meditating on this verse for a couple of days now. It is such a powerful scripture…..

We are like Philip in many ways. There are situations in our lives where we look and think, “impossible”! How am I going to do this or do that? How, how , how……but Jesus already knows what He is going to do!

You may be freaking out because you can’t see a way out or a solution but Jesus sees, He has the solution!

But He won’t just come and sort it out, like Philip He is asking us the same question,

“Where can we buy bread to feed these people?”

He wants to stretch our faith. What was impossible in Philip’s mind was possible in Jesus’s mind! He didn’t see barriers, limitations, roadblocks or anything like that………

As long as there is faith, the impossible does not exist! Jesus wants to stretch our faith!  No matter what impossible situation you are facing please know that Jesus has the answer. He wants you to be able to face any situation and know He has the answer!!!! No matter how big, no matter how impossible, He want’s you to know He has the answer. Philip had faith in God but Jesus knew his faith in Him had to grow, it had to be stretched!! I am comforted to know that Jesus wants to stretch my faith! I want my faith to grow……There is so much bad happening around me that the only way to get out of it is to have strong faith in Him! Having strong faith will not erase the situation, instead it will help me walk through it with peace and confidence that He is in control!!! He is so good!

Rolain