A Place for The Young and a Place For The Old – Part Two

This is the last post in this two part series I have been doing.

Last week I spoke to the seasoned people and if you want to know what “seasoned” means I encourage you to go back and read last weeks post.

Last week I talked about how we really don’t have an expiry date. In fact the only expiry date we have is when we die. Everything before that is open season.

I also talked about how God can you use anyone no matter how young or old you are. Don’t let your age limit you.

Today I want to talk to the young people.

God wants to use you and He doesn’t care how old you are. This is the time to ignite that fire for him. It’s time to pursue Him with all that you have. Look at what happened to the boy with the few fish and loaves. Jesus used that little boy and look at David, Jonathan, Mary and so many other young people.

Even though there is a lot to do at school and life make sure you are putting God first.

Get rid of the distractions that can so easily hinder you from achieving what God has called you to do.

Parents, make sure you are speaking to your little ones about the great plans God has for them. Make sure they grow up knowing that they are not a cog in a huge machine but that God created them on a purpose to do amazing things. Teach them that God can use them at the age they are now.

Proverbs 22 verse 6 says,

Direct your children onto the right path and when they are older, they will not leave it.” NLT

As I close I want to say one more thing to the seasoned readers.

Last week I spoke about how Caleb went to Joshua and asked for his mountain at the age of 85 years of age. Age was just a number to him. But there is something else in that story I want to show you.

“Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, amd Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him.”

Joshua 14: 6 NIV

I will stop there. When Caleb went before Joshua to ask for his mountain, he didn’t go alone. He went the rest of the tribe of Judah. He managed to pass on his faith to the people he was leading. They too had faith and that is why they went with Caleb.

We all have something to pass on to the next generation. The experiences you have gone through and the lessons you have learned are for a reason. God has put so much in you. Not just to use to accomplish what He has called you to do but to pass on to, to the next generation. There is a whole generation that needs mentors, that need men and women of God to love on them and show them the way. Will you be that person to step up to the plate?

As I end remember that God can use anyone no matter how young or seasoned they are.

Don’t let your age limit you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

Thinking about the next generation…….

It’s been an amazing weekend indeed.

If you didn’t know, I work at my church’s children’s ministry. It’s such an honor

working there.

This weekend was amazing because we had a grade seven graduation. Grade seven’s

are twelve year old’s and every year we release them from children’s ministry with a

dinner and graduation. The dinner happens on a Friday night and the actual graduation

happens on Sunday in the main service. It was really emotional because as leaders we

have been with the children from the time they were six. So seeing them become

men and women of God before our very eyes is something so amazing that cannot be put into words.

My desire for them is that they grow deeper into YAH and not stray from the

path they are on.

 

But that got me thinking about the next generation. We need to do all that we can to teach them

the way of the Lord!

You may not be serving in a children’s ministry like I do but I want to challenge you,

 

Is there something you can do?

 

I encourage you to read Deuteronomy 6:6.

I know it addresses the parents but we can get involved!

David writes in the book of Psalms,

 

“So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might

to another generation, your power to all those to come. “

Psalm 71:18

 

There is a generation that is coming that needs to know there is a God who

loves them and has a plan for their lives.

There is a generation that needs to know there is a God who will never forsake them.

There is so much they need to know about YAH and His ways……

 

The enemy doesn’t want the next generation to grow up knowing YAH.

He wants to take them out. But we can’t let him!

When YAH sees you, He doesn’t just see you, He sees the generations in you.

Look at Abraham.

YAH had a plan for his life and that plan included the generations in him!

So I will ask the question again,

 

Is there a way you can touch the next generation?

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where does your validation come from??

As humans we crave applause, attention and acceptance.  We

want to be validated but how far will we go to get it?

As I talk about validation I really need to talk about self esteem

because in my eyes these two things are linked closely together.

When we esteem ourselves highly the less we look to man to

validate us.

 

One of my mentor’s described self esteem this way, self esteem

is your estimation of your own worth!

 

How much value do you place on yourself?

Do you esteem yourself highly?

 

People may have their own opinions about

you but you should value yourself highly. You should be your

biggest fan no matter what.

But what should your estimation be based off? What is your

measure?

The word of God should be your measure!

God knows the truth about you so seek out what He says about

you.

His word has so much amazing truths to declare to you about you….

 

Be real about your shortcomings but be wise how you approach

them. Tearing yourself down is probably doing more

damage than people’s negative  words to you!

 

So like I said, be honest with yourself. When you make a mistake

admit it but correct yourself in a way that still

maintains your value. I was really bad at doing this. I used to tear

myself down badly. I thought that was the right thing to do

but I was wrong. No matter how wrong I am God would NEVER

tear me down so why do I think it’s okay??

We all sin so it’s natural to speak negative. We don’t need to put

much effort into speaking and thinking

negatively. It’s hard to NOT speak negatively. It’s hard to NOT

gossip. It’s hard to NOT think negatively.

We have to be very intentional and deliberate about being positive

and encouraging and we need help!

 

We need affirmation, we need encouragement, we need support but

is that the main drive behind everything we do?

 

^“But when He was in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, many

believed in His name [identified themselves with His party] after

seeing His signs (wonders, miracles) which He was doing.

But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them, because

He knew all [men];

And He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man

[needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself

knew what was in human nature. [He could read men’s hearts.]”

John 2:23-25

 

Jesus didn’t seek validation from man. He was content because

God validated Him!

 

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. 

At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of

God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. 

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love;

with Him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:16, 17

What just happened there? Jesus was being validated!

He wasn’t looking for applause or encouragement from man,

He came to accomplish the mission He was given by God!

 

We need to be careful when it comes to who we look to for

validation.

Man never created you, God did so He is the only one qualified

to tell you who you really are.

Your best friend may know you better than the average person

but that doesn’t mean they know the real you.

It may be argued that your family knows you best but it’s just

not true. They know you better than anyone else but they still

don’t know the real you.

God is the only One who knows you in and out!

You can’t even trust your own assessment of who you really

are because once again, you didn’t create you, God did! So stop

with the “this is the way I am” statements because your

assessment is not 100% accurate.

 

Think about a house for a minute. Let’s say you are selling it.

It would be crazy asking a friend or random

stranger to tell you what the value of the house is. You have to go

to the real estate agency to get an accurate value.

Stop letting people tell you what your value is.

Today you have an opportunity to make a decision.

Just because someone sees you one way doesn’t mean that’s

who you are. (that’s really good news!!)

That’s the way they see you and not the way God sees you.

Because we are flawed we see in part. No one sees perfectly,

just God, remember that.

You don’t have to confine yourself to the perceptions of others.

You can break out of that.

You can decide to be the person God has created you to be. Let

Him show you who you really are. I believe there is so much to

still discover about ourselves. If we stop at, “this is the way I am” or

believe someone’s assessment of who we are then we limit

ourselves. If God really created us (which He did) surely there is

more right??

Surely there is more to us than what people see? !!!!

 

And on that note I will stop here.

If you are struggling with a low self esteem and you need to talk to someone click on the

link below.

 

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/general/i-need-someone-to-talk-to-about-my-problems-but-where-do-i-turn/

 

Bless you friends!

 

Rolain

The “Gifts” God gives us…..!

I don’t know where to start and I don’t know how to begin this post. All I can say is that the word “gift” has

taken a whole new meaning for me. A few months ago I found out my friend, was leaving the country for good! We were first friends, then he became my boss, then pastor, then mentor, then family!

My world turned upside down that day. I had people leave before and it was painful but this, this was a whole new level.

My pastor’s wife called me and sat me down as she told me the news. I was devastated and confused. Why God I asked?

This can’t be happening I thought. I had known my mentor’s family for over 10 years! I knew them when they

had their first son. They have four boys now and I love them to bits.  Anyway I remember going to God and

crying out to Him for answers to the question why. Nothing came. Instead revelation came……

 

God showed me how they were gifts from Him. I met my mentor when I had just met The Lord. I am a sinner

now but back then I was much worse. If there is a word worse than sinner I was it. I was truly lost. I had no

direction and no plan. I had crazy issues I was beginning to work out. I had just became a Christian and this new

life was still…..new! I was dealing with a lot of things. I had no confidence and I had no self esteem. When he

employed me a year after meeting him I stole money from him! It was that bad. I WAS that bad! But thank God he never fired me or called the police. He gave me a second chance…….

 

I didn’t trust anyone back then and when he tried to help me out I would think he had some evil intension! When he disciplined me at work I would take it personally. When he made a joke about me I would get extremely angry. My stuttering was so bad back then which didn’t really help things! So believe me when I say, things were bad back then, really bad!!!

But God used him and his wife to mold me into who God wanted me to be. They taught me so much. They stood by

me when I had family issues. They helped me out financially countless times. They sat down and taught me so much

about God and life. In one of the darkest times in my life they were there.

 

God showed me how that was not an accident.

He knew all the change that needed to happen in me. He saw all I was going through and because of that He sent them

into my life. They were gifts. We serve a God who is the giver of gifts but the mistake we make is thinking gifts come in the form of money only. That’s not true. God’s gifts are so much more than money. They are deeper than that. During that time I never thought of them as gifts. We had our good times together and we had hard and difficult times.

 

The fact of the matter is this. God sent me gifts in the form of my mentor and his family. I just didn’t know it at the time and I never gave them the honor they rightly deserved. I wish I never took them for granted. I wish I honored them more and thanked them more for all they had done for me. I can’t put into words all that they did for me. A lot of who I am is because of their input in my life.

They saw so much potential in me and stood by me patiently. They are my family. I am telling you all this because….

…….they left on Wednesday this week! It’s been a hard week I must admit. They had my back. But in the midst of the pain God showed me how He will bring other “gifts” into my life after all; those “gifts” came from Him. He is the giver of all gifts. My mentor and his family never willed or planned to do all they did for me. God was behind it all. My mentor never knew the kind of impact he would have in my life but God did because He planned it. God was behind it all……

Yes, I am sad and broken at them leaving but I am also at peace because God has some amazing “gifts” in store for me.

I pray I be a “gift” to someone else as well. Would God use me to be the kind of “gift” my mentor was to me……

 

Have you acknowledged the “gifts” God has put in your life? There is a reason He has placed them in your life.

Don’t take them for granted. Thank them for all they are doing for you. It is not easy for them. There is always a

sacrifice on their part. May we always appreciate the “gifts” God has given us, always!

 

 

* This post is dedicated to the Stewart family. *

The Stewart 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

he is in the dark……!!!!!!

I had a talk with my mentor some time ago about my life and life in general. There was something he said that was triggered today as I went through my journal.
He said, the devil speaks from the dark. He cannot see because he is in the dark.
And after some meditation I see how significant that is. If he is in the dark how can he see clearly? He would like us to believe that he can see clearly but the truth is, he can’t! We don’t have to listen to his lies because that is what they are lies!! The thing is this, the enemy knows he is in the dark but he still speaks and we believe him. I was one of his victims and by God’s grace, I am starting to see the real truth. I believed I was nothing and useless for such a long time. I didn’t think my life would amount to anything. I thought I was done for. I thought I was a loser. But they were all lies!!! Lies, lies, lies……It’s like letting a blind man give you directions. The devil would like us to believe his lies. But understand, he is in the dark. He lives in the dark.

The word says, he walks around LIKE a lion seeking whom to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Please note, he is like a lion, not a lion! We are children of the light and we need to start listening to the right person, God.
It sounds very easy as you read this but it’s not. The enemy has had time perfecting his lies. He has had time to tweak his show and make it seem as real as can be. I have just come to an understanding of what I am talking to you about. When my mentor shared this with me, it was like my eyes were being opened for the first time. How could I have been so blind? Because he is in the dark I don’t have to believe the lies. The negative things I was brought up believing about myself are false because they came from someone who couldn’t see and still can’t see, and that applies to you as well. He is doomed. His end has been decided and there is nothing he can do to change it. He is defeated.
In your life what are the lies you have believed? Ask for help from the Holy Spirit because without Him you fight in vain. You will not win in your own strength. You need God on your side. The truth is, you will not die. You will not stay down. You have a hope and a future. Your children will be saved. You will be healed from that sickness. You will not be poor. Your life will be significant. You are important.

Please remember, the devil is in the dark. He cannot see anything. He is shooting in the dark hoping you will believe him. Don’t believe the lies. They make look, and feel, and smell like the truth but if it’s from the devil it’s lies. He cannot see how your life will end. He cannot see all the good things God has in store for you. He can only guess. He is in the dark and that makes all the difference.

And that brings me to another truth. Only God knows what is going to happen. He knows the end of your story. Don’t allow people who don’t know you to determine what you are going to be. Don’t let them set the limits in your life. Only God can do that. If God tells you something can’t be done then so be it but don’t let people tell what you can and cannot do. They are not qualified to do that. They did not create you, God did. As far as I am concerned, YOU are not even qualified to come to a conclusion about yourself. You may know yourself better than everybody else but you are still not qualified to say what you can and what you can’t do. You never created yourself, God did. I hope you are starting to see how important it is who you listen to……

Rolain

Why You Waiting for Tomorrow??

There are a lot of songs that speak to me and that is one way God speaks to me. There is one song that is really ministering to me that I would like to share. I had a talk with my mentor or can I say he had a talk with me about my future and he was very open about where I needed to change and where I needed help. I thank God for him, because we all need those talks. If you don’t have anyone who can see the bad in you and love you enough to tell you then you are in trouble. You cannot have people who only tell you how fantastic and awesome you are and never confront you about the wrong that is in your life…….

Anyway after this talk I really got thinking and he was so right on so many levels and this is why this song ministers to me so much. God has so many amazing plans for us but we think it’s going to just happen. At the snap of our fingers we are going to have the car we want, or the wife we have always dreamed of or we are going to have the ministry we have always wanted and so on and so on but the truth is, it takes work. We need to have faith and we need to make the sacrifices needed to get us to where God has for us.

The song is called, “Waiting for Tomorrow” sung by Mandisa. I think there is a lot we could identify with in this song. A lot of us wait till “tomorrow” to get up and do something for God. We wait for tomorrow to start eating right, we wait for tomorrow to stop a particular habit, we wait for tomorrow because we are so busy today but the truth is today is the day, TODAY! Whatever you are waiting for know that today is the day to start. You may not have everything to start off with; I don’t have everything to start off with but today is the day. We cannot keep on putting life on hold. God is calling us to start TODAY!

I love the chorus. This is what it says:

Can’t spend my whole life wastin’
Everything I know I’ve been given
‘Cause you’ve made for so much more than
Sittin’ on the side lines
I don’t wanna look back and wonder
If good enough could’ve been better

Everyday’s a day to start over
So, why am I waiting for tomorrow

Do you know God has given you so much? After the talk with my mentor I looked at all that God had given me only to realize it was a lot. We have this thing where we look for the next seminar or the next business speaker to come so we can know “more” but what are we doing with the $1200  seminar we paid for 3 years ago???!!! That applies to me more than anyone else…..! We all have the potential and we are just sitting on it. I realized this as well, it is a sin to have so much from God and not do anything with it! We have a responsibility to use what God has given us. It’s almost like being given a car but all you ever do with it is walk out to the garage and admire it!!! What is the use? We got to stop sitting on the sidelines and we don’t want to look back and wonder what life would of being like if we had done this or that. Like I said, I speaking to me as well….

I love the last part of the chorus because she says, “everyday is a day to start over”! Today is the day to start over, not tomorrow, not next week but today! There is one other part of the song that is so important and that is the vamp. She says:

Oh, I’m makin this my moment now
To grab the hand that’s reachin down to save me You saved me
And I’m makin this my moment now
To grab the hand that’s reachin down to save me You saved me

This part is important because if we are to make this change we cannot do it alone. God is the only one that can help us. He is the one that gives us the strength to break laziness or unbelief and a whole host of other things that are holding us down. God wants to save you and he wants to save me and that is why He has sent people who care for us enough to speak to us about our life.  Don’t block them out. Be open to what they have to say. God is very interested about what happens in our lives. He cares about what we go through and He is eager for us to accomplish all that He has for us in this life but you need to ask Him for help. Cry out to Him.

When we do that our tomorrow will look brighter and more than that, we will accomplish all He has for us! God has a plan and a purpose for each and everyone of us and today is the day to make a decision to chase after it. Today is the day….Amen

 

 

Rolain

5 Practical Things To Do To Get Closer To Your Purpose.

1 – Read Your Word: This is your starting point. One of the main ways God speaks to us is through His Word. His plan for your life is in the Word. Get hungry for the Word. It is the key.

2 – Pray: What is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God. How much time do you spend talking to God? A relationship is pretty much ruined without proper communication and that holds true for your relationship with God. He knows what you going through but He wants you to speak to Him about it. He wants to hear what challenges you facing. He wants you to speak to Him about the deepest issues of your heart.
The thing is this, prayer is a sign of faith. When you come to God in prayer you are declaring your faith in Him.

3 – Do the small things faithfully: The best way to explain this step is with a scripture. Luke 2: 51, 52 says,
And He went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them; and his mother kept and closely and persistantly guarded all these things in her heart.
And Jesus increased in wisdom (in broad and full understanding) and in stature and years, and in favour with God and man.

Jesus was the Son of God yet He submitted to His earthly parents. He could of just done His own thing but He didn’t. He was obedient to his parents. They were like any other parent in that time so I am guessing Jesus had chores to do, He was sent to the shops, He was probably asked to clean the house at times and so on. I am guessing He was reproved as well when He was naughty. But in the light of all these things we see that He was obedient to do the menial things. He was obedient to do the small things. To accomplish your destiny you will need to do the small things as well.

4 – Learn: If you know what you called to do there is a season of learning. There is a time to practice. You don’t get up one day and find yourself just doing great things. It starts with you practicing. You need to learn as much as you can about what you want to do. And there is a time to become skillfull at what you doing.
I would suggest you read as many books as you can. Speak to as many qualified people as you can. If possible get to do what you want to do part time. That will be a very eye opening experience for you.

5 – Have a Mentor: We all needs mentors. We have never been on this road before and that is why we need mentors because they have been on this road we have just started on. They can help us identify the traps we just can’t see. Because they have been on this road we have just started on they have acquired experience. We need that experience. We need the wisdom they have gained. Insanity is described as doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. So a mentor keeps us from insanity because he or she keeps us from doing the same things that made them fail by showing us a different way. Do you have a mentor? A mentor is someone you trust and someone who you know will tell you the truth no matter what. He or she will not be afraid to confront you and show you the ugly parts of you. That is a true mentor.

And those are the 5 practical things you can do to get closer to your destiny. They will really help you on your journey to accomplishing your destiny.

Rolain.P

Does Your Attitude Stink? Part 1.

What is your attitude like? Do people like your attitude? Do YOU like your attitude? My mentor taught me an interesting way to look at attitudes and I would like to share it with you.
Your attitude in life is important. It will determine how far you go. There is a saying which goes like, your attitude determines your altitude. I agree with that. Let me describe how my mentor described attitude to me.

I want you to think of attitude in aeronautical terms. They talk about the attitude of a plane depending on where the wings are leaning towards. And that is what an attitude is. It is the direction in which you lean in a situation. If you lean towards it you are said to have a good attitude and if you are leaning away from it you are said to have a bad attitude.
So let me give you an example of of what I mean. I love classical music. I think it is amazing. I listen to it as much as I can. If I had a choice between classical music and jazz music I would choose classical. Can you see that I am leaning towards classical music and that is considered a good attitude. I don’t have a good attitude about jazz because I am leaning away from it. And that is what an attitude is.

Now please understand, attitudes are neither good or bad until you set a goal. I can lean away from jazz but it doesn’t matter because I don’t have a goal. Before the goal my attitude towards jazz is just that, an attitude. It is neither good or bad. On the other hand, what if I had a goal to study jazz music, my attitude towards it would then be considered bad. I would have to review it and change it. Leaning away from jazz would not work now because I have a goal. Do you see that. In part two I will conclude on attitudes.

Rolain.P