New Book Announcement

Hi Friends!

I have some exciting news. I am about to release my second book and I wanted to share the title with you.

The book is titled, DELAYED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

It’s been years in the making literally. God has been teaching me a lot about waiting on Him for everything and to be honest it has been intense. Waiting is not easy at all. There has been pain, disappointment, heartache, confusion along the way but God has been so patient with me. He has lovingly guided me and continues to because my journey of learning to wait is far from over. There is so much more to learn.

In the book I talk about my journey of waiting and the lessons God has been teaching me. So I am so excited to share my journey with you. The book is in its final stages of completion so expect it very soon.

But in the meantime I have created a free version (teaser) as you wait.

Click here to get a copy of it on email.

What are you waiting for? How long have you been waiting?

Always remember that God never makes you wait out of spite.

He makes you wait because He loves you.

God bless you friends.

Rolain

Why the Delay God?

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea.”

John 11:5-7 ESV

As I read this scripture I couldn’t help but think why Jesus stayed two days longer where He was instead of going to Lazarus immediately? After all the Word tells us that He LOVED Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

Why did He delay?

Because He was about to something amazing. He knew Lazarus would die but He wanted to show everyone His glory. But He was the only One who knew what was about to happen. Mary and Martha on the other hand didn’t. And that must have been hard for them. They knew Jesus loved them so they expected Him to respond immediately but that’s not what happened.

“So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

One thing we can be sure of is that Jesus did not delay because He was trying to be mean or because He enjoyed seeing people suffer. He loved this family.

As you wait on the Lord you need to remember that the Lord makes you wait because He loves you. Even in the midst of delays He loves you and Has a plan. Behind the delays there is love and I know that’s a difficult statement because delays are not an easy thing to deal with. It’s easy to think God has abandoned us or He doesn’t care about us when delays happen. But He does care and He loves you deeply. He knows exactly what you are feeling, the fears, the confusion, the anxiety, the frustration…

He knows it all. In John 11:35 we read a very popular verse,

“Jesus wept.”

He wept because He knew what the sisters were going through. He could identify with the pain they were feeling.

As you wait and as you face delays know that God loves you so much. He understands everything you are feeling and going through. Trust Him in the wait. Trust Him when the delays come.

The Lord has a plan in the wait and in the delays. Don’t lose hope. You are not alone in the wait. He is right by your side. His purposes for your life will be accomplished as you wait on Him in faith! And always remember that He loves you so much.

God bless you friends

Rolain

There Is A Reason To Wait.

“And the king said, “All this misery is from the LORD! Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

2 Kings 6:33 NLT

Waiting can be so hard. It really isn’t for the faint of heart.

But we wait even though it’s hard because the LORD is faithful and good.

He doesn’t make us wait for nothing!

He doesn’t make YOU wait for nothing!

He will never waste your wait.

The Israelite king was frustrated and was in despair. His people were under siege and the food ran out.

People were desperate and he blamed Elisha. So he sent a messenger to take off Elisha’s head but he also sent him with a message,

“Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

At times it feels like that. It’s hard to see the benefit of waiting when nothing seems to be happening or when things are actually getting worse.

But I want to encourage you to continue holding on and waiting on the LORD. He knows exactly where you are. He will breakthrough for you very soon. He will answer your prayers shortly.

You just need not to give up. I read a quote that I love that I want to share with you,

Good things come to those who Believe,

Better things come to those who are patient

and the best things come to those who Don’t Give Up.

– unknown

I love that.

DON’T GIVE UP friends.

God will never fail you. He cares about you and knows what you are going through.

And He loves you so much.

“I wait quietly before God,

for my victory comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation.”

Psalm 62:1, 2 ESV

Bless you friends

Rolain

God is Bigger Than Our Mistakes

Don’t let the devil lie to you that your sins are too much for God to handle.
Don’t let him tell you that you are beyond saving.
It’s not true.

God is bigger and greater than your biggest sins.

“Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins.
They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.”

Psalms 107:17-20 NLT

We will sin and fall, that’s a definite but there is grace, mercy and forgiveness available to us. God is ready to forgive us and all we need to do is go ask Him.

When his people cried to Him, He saved them from their distresses even though they were the cause of the pain they experienced, even when they made the mistakes.

The other thing the devil will try to lie to you about is your past. He will try to tell you that there is no hope for you and God is not going to forgive your past but that too is a lie. He will use condemnation, guilt and shame to try to stop you.

But the Word of God is very clear in Romans 8:1 when it says,

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

God is greater than the sins you have committed.
Grace, mercy and a second chance are available to you today so receive it.

Bless you friends!

Rolain

Don’t Be Impatient

“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

Exodus 32:1

If only the Israelites were patient.

But they were not and because they were impatient they sinned. God had not forgotten about them. He knew where they were and He had a plan for them but the people let impatience get the best of them. And also note that Moses did not tell them when he would be back but they had an expectation of when he was supposed to be back and that expectation got them into trouble.

I am not going to sit here and say waiting on God is easy because it’s not. Courage is needed, to wait on God’s timing. But you can be assured of this one thing, He knows where you are at and what you need. He loves you and He doesn’t make you wait just for the fun of it. There is always a reason for the wait and one of those reasons is love. He loves you so much and wants the best for you.

So I want to encourage you to continue waiting on the Lord. He will come through for you. Look to Him and His strength as you wait.

God bless you friends

Rolain

How to Overcome Insecurities As You Walk In God’s Calling.

I don’t know about you but I feel inadequate often when it comes to God’s purposes for my life. I look at the things He is leading me into and I am like, how am I going to do this Lord? And with that comes the insecurities. Thoughts like,

I am not worthy

I am not qualified

Who am I to do this?

Where do I even start?

And so many more like thoughts ravage my mind.

Recently I was feeling very insecure but God reminded me of a few things that I want to encourage you with if you are facing the same feelings of insecurity.

• God’s purpose for your life will always be infinitely greater than your current abilities and strengths
• He knows very well that you are not able to accomplish His purpose in your own strength.
• He is very in tune with your weaknesses and failings but in His grace and mercy He has still chosen you!
• He wants you to trust Him wholeheartedly every step of the way because that’s the only way you can accomplish what He has called you to.

Another thing I realized is that the devil wants you to focus on your weaknesses, and sins so that you can disqualify yourself from God’s calling. Remember Moses.

When God called him, what did he do? Instead of saying yes Lord, he started giving excuses why he wasn’t the right candidate. Excuse after excuse he gave until he pleaded,

“But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else”

Exodus 4:13

The answer to feeling overwhelmed and out of your depth is not digging in and going at it alone in your own strength but it’s diving deeper into God and seeking His strength and wisdom.

Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy. You are enough because God calls you His son and daughter. He chose you not because you were strong enough, clever enough, rich enough, born in the right neighborhood, or because you went to the right school. It’s because He loved you and extended grace to you.

Whatever you do, don’t talk yourself out of his purpose. Take your insecurities to Him and drop them at His feet. Unpack every burden you feel and don’t hold anything back.

The Lord has amazing things planned for you so trust Him every step of the way.

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

The same favor.

“Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.””

‭‭Esther‬ ‭4:10-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Because we are sons and daughters of God we have favor but what does that mean?

Haman, the king’s top man set a plan in motion to destroy all the Jews so Mordecai challenged Esther to step up and do something to save them but there was one problem, she had to be summoned by the king. She couldn’t just approach him when she felt like. The penalty was death but after fasting and praying she went before the king and this is where we see the favor of God in action;

 

“When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.”

‭‭Esther‬ ‭5:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Because of God’s favor, Esther’s life was spared and the Jews were saved even though king Xerxes was one of the most wicked kings living at that time.

We have that same favor. There are so many other stories in the word that support that truth.

Nehemiah experienced God’s favor before his king as well as Ezra.

Mephilboseth experienced favor like never before.

And why is this important to know?

So we can trust God for breakthrough and deliverance in the most difficult of situations. No matter how tightly shut a door is, if God wants it opened, it will open.

No matter how many giants are standing in the way opposing you, God’s favor will make a way for you.

Favor will take on different shapes and sizes for each person but the fact is,

God’s favor is on you in this season.

It doesn’t stop just because the world has got darker. It just keeps getting brighter and brighter and that’s great news!

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

Don’t let your past be a stumbling block.

““But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Before the Lord appeared to Saul he had done some terrible things. He was killing and imprisoning God’s people and who knows what else. But despite all those things the Lord had a plan for his life. Yes Paul did some crazy things in the past but the Lord had a new future for him. Paul’s past didn’t stop the Lord from using him mightily.

If you have had an unpleasant past know that it doesn’t have to determine what your future is going to be like. The Lord has a wonderful future in store for you.

But here lies the challenge: Can we let go of the past?

The enemy wants us to hold on to it. That’s one of the strategies he uses to derail us.

There was a time the past was a reference point for everything I did. When new opportunities came I looked at them through the lens of the past. “I can’t do that because of my past” were the consistent thoughts I was having. But thanks to the Lord who was patient with me and changed all that.

Stop letting the past determine your future. The Lord has amazing things in store for you despite your past. No matter how dark your past has been, the Lord wants you. He wants to give you a second chance. Like Paul, will you say yes to Him?

Remember, there is no sin that is too much for God. No matter what you have done, there is forgiveness and grace. Don’t let the past keep haunting you. There is healing, forgiveness, grace and second chances in the name of Jesus.

Say yes to Him today!

Bless you friends

Rolain

He didn’t condemn her…

“This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger. However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

‭‭John‬ ‭8:6-7‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

 

 

Jesus was the only One without sin in that group. He could have thrown the first stone and be totally justified but He didn’t.

He didn’t condemn the woman but in the eyes of the people she was. Instead of condemnation He extended grace to her.

 

 

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

 

You don’t have to go on living with condemnation. Get rid of condemning thoughts at all costs. Jesus doesn’t condemn you so why let other people condemn you?

Condemnation from people is tough but self condemnation is just as bad if not worse.

Stop passing sentence on your self because of the mistakes you have made. Jesus forgave you, so you can forgive yourself.

Instead of condemnation, the Lord has extended grace to you. Take it.

The enemy condemns. He wants to see you depressed and ashamed. He wants to see you buried in guilt, unable to look yourself in the mirror.

He is the accuser and wants you buried.

 

 

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.””

‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭3:1, 3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

 

Approach the throne of grace with your condemnation and lay it at Jesus’ feet. Let Him replace it with love and grace.

He wants to free you of condemnation. Today is the day of deliverance.

Bless you friends

Rolain