Stop Eating “JUNK” Food!

In the past few weeks God has been teaching me to stop eating what the devil is dishing out.

Because the devil has a lot of crazy stuff he would like you and me to believe. And I was just there eating what ever he was dishing out which caused fear, anxiety, and hopelessness in me. I would cry out to God to help me in the midst of the attack because it was intense but God began to show me that I was not filtering the thoughts I was getting.

Our filter is the Word of God and that’s how we need to be measuring up everything that comes our way.

So He showed me that I need to reject the lies instead of entertaining them. And that’s what we tend to do right? Instead of taking the lies to God immediately we start thinking about what ifs, and project possible outcomes that are totally not according to God’s will for us. We let the fear shut us down.

But if we are going to hold on to the promises God has for us we need to stop doing this. We need to stop eating everything the devil is dishing out.

IT’S ALL LIES…

IT’S ALL LIES…

Resist and reject all of it. It’s not going to be easy I understand but God is with you and He will help you as you cry out to Him. The thoughts will come but they don’t have to pitch their tents in your mind. Cast them out with the authority Jesus has given you.

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

So as I come to the end of this post I want to encourage you with one more scripture,

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Philippians 4:8 NLT

Change what you think about. Stop thinking about the negative things the devil keeps trying to remind you about but instead think on the things God is doing in your life, the words He has spoken to you, on His beauty, on His grace, on the amazing things He has in store for you, His promises and so much more.

With that I have come to the end of the post.

Bless you friends and have a great weekend!

Rolain

Can These Negative Thoughts Stop?!

There is so much to be negative about today. Just turn on the news and see. Scroll your Twitter and Facebook feeds and see it all on display. We live in a negative-saturated environment. But that is an obvious observation off course.

What we need to do is look inside of ourselves and see the real battle taking place. People think that the devil’s attack is physical and it is but the other deadly strategy is mental. He attacks your thoughts. I experienced his attack first hand growing up. And for a very long time it looked like he won the war. I had no self-esteem. I thought very little about myself and didn’t expect that to change. And the crazy thing about his attack is that it went into auto-pilot. I didn’t need his help to tear myself down. I was my own worst enemy eventually.

It was only when Jesus came into my life that He destroyed all the strongholds the enemy had built. Through reading His word, and teachings my mind began to be renewed.

The mental war is real and it’s taking a lot of people out. What kind of thoughts are you battling today? It’s time to wage war on them because the thoughts the devil feeds are all lies. There is not even one that is true. And it’s easy to identify his attacks. Whatever thoughts cause you fear, panic, stress, anxiety, hopelessness, terror and so on are not from God.

Renew your mind with the Word of God. His Word is truth. Jesus is truth!

The only way to take down the strongholds in your mind is with the truth. I love Philippians 4:8 and this is what it says,  

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

This kind of thinking doesn’t just happen. Thinking positive doesn’t come naturally because we were born into sin. Because of Adam’s sin we are not perfect. And that is why Jesus had to come save us. On our own we would always lose. 

We need to train ourselves to think positive, to think about God’s word. We need God’s help to change the kind of thoughts we struggle with on a daily basis. We need His help to tear down strongholds that have been built on our minds.

You don’t have to fight alone. You don’t have to face the negative thoughts alone. Look to God. Bring Him the thoughts that are attacking you and let His truth replace the lies of the devil.

Bless you friends.

Rolain

What’s It Going To Be, GOD or Giants?

I was watching a live stream this week of an upcoming movie and the presenter was talking about a book he was reading from Eugene Peterson called Leap Over A Wall ( I think)

He talked about how David had a God-dominated imagination while Israel had a Goliath-dominated imagination. And because David had a God-dominated imagination he wasn’t afraid of the giant and that is why he stepped out in faith. He not only took on the giant but killed him. All he saw was how strong God was.

Israel on the other hand had a Goliath-dominated imagination and they cowered away in fear. All they saw was the giant and God was no where in sight. They were not able to get the victory because the giant was so strong in their mind.

And that really spoke to me.

It’s time to switch from a Goliath-dominated imagination where all you see is giants and not God, to a God-dominated imagination where all you see is God no matter the giants that come up against you.

You are sons and daughters of God and your portion is victory but the enemy wants to corrupt your mind. he wants you to believe he is stronger and there is nothing you can do. He wants you to forget about God and to not even consider Him as an option when the fight is at it’s thickest. Don’t let him do that.

Let God be all you see when the enemy rises against you. Let Him be the One you cry out to when you are overwhelmed and have no answers to the trials and tribulations you are facing.

God bless you friends

Have a great weekend!

Rolain

What Truth Are You Living By?

Some years back I took a course on Cognitive Psychology. It was a God-send for me because

prior to taking the course my mind was a mess. My thoughts were destructive, I had no self-esteem,

I didn’t think I could amount to anything and so many other destructive mental issues.

The core principle of the course is,

“We behave and act, not in accordance with the truth as the truth might be.

We behave and act in accordance with the truth as we believe it or perceive it to be.”

There were a lot of “truths” I had to unlearn that I had picked up growing up. And the course

helped me change those “truths”. Being a Christian doing the course was a huge benefit to

me because I had met the TRUTH so I was replacing the old “truths” with His Truth.

I share this because there are so many “truths” out there and not all truth is truth.

Where did you get the “truths” you are currently holding on to?

Are they based on the Word of God or are they based on something you read on the news,

on social media or something you watched on TV and the many other sources out there?

We need to be careful where we get our “truths”

Looking at the Word I think of Gideon.

His truth was,

“So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel?

Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my Father’s house.”

Judges 6:15

He grew up being told his clan was the weakest and was probably reminded that he was

the least. That’s the “truth” he adopted but it wasn’t true. God had another truth for

Gideon. And not just any truth but THE truth.

God’s truth for Gideon was that he was a mighty man of valor.

Man’s truth for Gideon was not God’s truth for him and that’s important to note.

God has a TRUTH for you that’s totally different to the truths out there. You don’t have to

live by the “truths” you have been given by people that tear you down, that tell you can’t

make it, that you will amount to nothing, that you have no future to look forward to and so

many other negative things. God has a better and greater truth for you.

It was a similar story for the woman with the issue of blood. (Luke 8: 43-48)

For twelve years she tried to find a cure to her ailment. But the answer was the same for

every doctor she went to. There was no cure for her no matter how much money she spent.

That was the “truth” she was given.

But one day she heard about Jesus and in faith decided to lay aside the “truth” she was

told for twelve years and got a hold of the real TRUTH. And once she did that she received

her healing.

The “truth” she had been told for twelve years was no match for Jesus. I don’t know how many

seconds it took to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment but that was enough to nullify the “truth”

she previously held. And that’s why it’s important to go the right source for truth.

The truth we find in Jesus is more powerful than every other “truth” out there.

His truth liberates and frees.

The wrong “truth” binds, instills fear, and limits God’s power in our lives.

So as I close I want to encourage you to take a look at the truths you are holding onto.

If it’s not helping you then it needs to go.

Look to Jesus who is TRUTH.

In Him we find real truth for every area of our lives.

Bless you

Rolain

When in doubt and fear, remember the good things the Lord has done!

Walking in faith is not an easy thing to do. There will be days you will get discouraged and doubt if

the Lord will come through for you. I have been learning to be patient as I wait on Him for my answer

to prayer but there have been days when believing is really hard. I had one of those days a few days ago.

As I brought my requests to Him thoughts of doubt flooded my mind. Will He really answer my prayers,

I thought. But as my mind was racing I began to think about the things He had done so far. I began to pull

out all the things He had already done for me. As I did that my faith began to increase. At the end of the

exercise my faith was restored. I was full of faith and AM still full of faith He will come though for me,

that He will answer my prayers.

 

And that got me thinking about how powerful remembrance is. We don’t give it the credit it deserves

but it is powerful.

 

“Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.”

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

There are so many scriptures on remembrance if you want to get deeper understanding. What I experienced

was the effect it had on me as I did it. It increased my faith. My hope was renewed. Because the fact of the

matter is that the Lord HAS done amazing things for me. In different seasons of my life when I needed a

breakthrough, when I was in chains, when I was in darkness, when I was desperate, He came and saved me,

He came and picked me up, He came and fought for me, He came and delivered me.

 

I know the Lord has done amazing things for you too. What you need to do though is remember those

things constantly. They will help you in really tough times. The only time remembrance doesn’t

work is if nothing has happened and as we all know, that is not possible. Yeshua is constantly doing

great things throughout our lives.

 

“If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them? you 

shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to

all Egypt.” 

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

As long as we live we will always be faced with giants and they come in different forms and sizes. But

we need to remember the giants that have come in the past which the Lord defeated! There are many

defeated foes. That will help you as you face the giants standing in your way now. That’s what David

did, remember?

 

“I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! Goliath, the Philistine who is not circumcised, will be 

like the lion or bear I killed. He will die because he has stood against the armies of the living God. 

The Lord saved me from a lion and a bear. He will also save me from this Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:36, 37

 

David remembered how the Lord delivered him from the lion and bear and and that is why  I think he was

so confident when he went to face Goliath. He remembered how powerful the Lord was. We need to remember

the good things the Lord has done for us more frequently. Forgetfulness is a thief and we must not allow it to

continue stealing.

Let’s ask the Lord to help us in this area.

 

Will you do something for me as I close? Write down the top ten things you think are amazing that the

Lord has done for you. Ten is the minimum. If you want to write more feel free to write more. The Lord

has done so much for us and there is so much He is about to do. Let’s not forget. Let’s always

remember the things He is doing because He is always doing.

Also feel free to share a few of the things He has done for you in the comments below. Your testimony

will bless someone!

Blessings to you friends…..

 

Rolain

He remembers us…..!!

“Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in

Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.”

Genesis 40:21, 22

 

The butler was restored to his position just as Joseph said but he forgot to tell Pharaoh about him

for two whole years! I can only imagine what was going on in Joseph’s mind. Was he expecting to be

released the next day or the very hour the butler was released??

But hours, turned to days, and days into weeks, and weeks into months and months into years.

It must have been hard for him.

Did the thought cross his mind that YAH had forgotten him?

I don’t know.

 

But one thing is clear, even though the butler forgot about him, YAH had not. Joseph was very much

on His mind. It may have looked like he had been forgotten but he was very much on YAH’s mind.

After two full years Joseph was freed from prison and his life turned around in a way he never imagined.

 

Does YAH forget us? Does He get absent minded about His children?

Not a chance! We are always on His mind.

Man will forget but not YAH.

The butler let Joseph down but YAH never does! We can rely on that.

If you feel like YAH has forgotten you know that you are on His mind always. He will never forget you.

You are not forgotten.

 

Bless you

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

What do we do when life doesn’t go the way we expect??

Living out God’s plan for my life has not gone anything like I expected!!

There have been turns, twists and surprising additions but nothing like I expected.

There have been difficult things I had to wrestle with.

There have been disappointments.

And as I write this post I still don’t have the full picture of YAH’s plan for my life!

Can anyone else identify??

 

Even though there is a lot I am still in the dark about concerning YAH’s purpose for my

life one thing remains, my faith in Him!

When we talk about purpose we need to talk about faith. Without faith in YAH we will

not accomplish His plan for our lives.

We may not make sense of what’s happening but we need to trust Him.

It may not happen like we imagine but we must trust!

 

And this is the thing, faith must be exercised every step of the way.

Think about the Israelites for a bit. YAH had a plan for them;

to take them out of Egypt (bondage) to bring them to Canaan (a land

flowing with milk and honey).  (Exodus 3:17)

A trip that was supposed to take eleven days took forty years! (Deuteronomy 1:2)

They consistently doubted YAH’s goodness, mercy and faithfulness.

They had a crazy amount of things happen to them along the way and things could have

turned out differently for them if they only trusted but as we know it didn’t.

They didn’t get into the promise land because of their unbelief.

Without faith in YAH we will fail. I want to share a scripture that

emphasizes the importance of faith in the life of a believer;

 

“Thus says the Lord: Cursed [with great evil] is the strong man who trusts in and

relies on frail man, making weak [human] flesh his arm, whose mind and heart turn

aside from the Lord.

For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he

shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the

wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.”

Jeremiah 17:5, 6

 

Before I carry on I want to say something. The price for relying on our own

strength or another man’s strength is steep. The message is very clear for

those who don’t put their trust in YAH.

This is not a scare tactic to get you to trust In YAH.

 

He wants us to come to that revelation on our own. He wants us to realize

that we can call to Him when things are not going our way. He wants us

to know that we can call on Him always! He loves us deeply and He

can be trusted. His desire is to see us accomplish all that He has planned

for us.

Let’s carry on;

 

“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord,

and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spread out its roots by the

river; and it shall not see and fear when the heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. 

It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease

yielding fruit. “

Jeremiah 17:7, 8

 

God has amazing things in store for us but we need to walk by faith.

Things may not go as we expect but faith in Him will keep us steady.

We may have no clue about the next step but faith will keep us moving.

Faith in YAH will preserve us when the fire comes, when the doubts rise.

We don’t need to see the whole picture to accomplish our purpose, we

need faith!

Let’s always walk in complete trust no matter what comes our way!

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

Because He loves us, He commands…..!

I was thinking about God’s commands today.

Did you know God commands us to follow His commands?

(If you love me keep my commandments. John 14:15)

 

He doesn’t suggest we forgive someone who wrongs us,

He commands us to forgive.

(Bear with each other and forgive one another if any

of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the

Lord forgave you. 

Colossians 3:13)

 

He doesn’t suggest we live pure lives, He commands us

to be pure.

(As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires

you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who

called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:

‘Be holy, because I am holy.  1 Peter 1:14-16)

 

He doesn’t suggest us to praise Him, no, He commands us to

praise Him.

(The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My

praise.  Isaiah 43:21)

 

I could go on and on but you get the picture. There is so much

God has commanded us to do.

But that word, “command” isn’t a word we like too much.

It’s so abrupt, so definite so final!

When we hear the word command walls come up. A lot of people

have commanded us before and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

So when we hear, God commands, the defenses are raised

instantaneously.

 

But I want to show you what God showed me about His commands.

When God commands, it’s not because He is drunk on power and

wants us to feel His awesomeness!

He doesn’t command for the sake of making life hard for us like

others have done.

He is God and not man.

When God commands, He has our well being in mind.

 

Let me show what I mean.

This is a command. When you see the sign you know exactly

what it means.

This is not a suggestion. They are commanding you to keep

out because they know the danger it will cause to you.

That sign was made with you in mind. It’s a way of protecting you.

And when you see it you don’t complain because you know it’s to

keep you safe.

 

When a parent commands their child not to talk to strangers

it’s not because they love making things hard for their child,

but it’s to protect them.

It’s out of love they command their child!

 

And that is how we need to look at God’s commands.

He has you and me in mind when He commands. It’s because

He loves us, that He commands us.

 

We need to stop fighting His commands.

 

I was fighting one this week. I had an argument with someone

and instead of forgiving them

I brought up reasons why I shouldn’t. I tried to justify myself but

that’s not what God commands.

He commands us to forgive as He has forgiven us. It’s not because

He enjoys seeing me in pain but

because He wants to see me grow and move to another level in my

walk with Him.

 

Are you obeying His commands?

Do you try to run away from the things He has commanded you?

We have an opportunity to do the right thing.

His commands are for our benefit.

He commands because He loves us deeply.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

Staying pure in your singleness!

I have been reading a book called “Hero” written by Fred Stoeker. It has been a Godsend. It has really challenged me concerning my purity! This is not a review of the book. I want to encourage you to read it if you are single especially if you are a man! It is up there with books like “Boy meets girl”, and “I kissed dating goodbye” by Joshua Harris. (I am biased towards Joshua Harris because I am still to find a book on dating I have enjoyed as much as his books!)

But this is why I am writing this post, because I HAVE found a book that is as good as or even better than the books I have read! As I read “Hero” purity was and is on my mind. Do we really understand what purity is in the context of life and relationships??

The first thought that came to mind was singleness. What is God’s purpose for singleness? Why does He allow us to go through a season of singleness? Singleness is not a time of nothing! It is not the “trailer before the movie”! God has specific purposes and plans for us in our season of singleness! After reading “Hero” I am convinced one of those purposes is to understand what purity is and walk in that understanding!

After reading “Hero” I made a decision:

I will fight for my sexual purity with all that I have! I will not allow the enemy to take it away through his deception and lies! It is my responsibility as a man to take up my sword and fight for my purity! It’s a gift from God which honors Him and will bless my wife! I will not wait for someone else down the line in my family who is more disciplined and who loves God more to fight this fight because I am weak! It stops here….. I will fight for the future generations! I am the one God has called to fight this giant and strike down with His help of course!

Purity is more than abstaining from sex before you get married! Let me show you what I think it is now:

1. It is about watching what you watch! Stop watching those illicit movies! Pornography has to go! What are you watching?

I DICTATED a covenant (an agreement) to my eyes; how then could I look [lustfully] upon a girl? Job 31:1

Job had to make a covenant with his eyes so he could stay pure and we need to do the same! When it comes to purity we can’t play games! It’s a war against anything and everything that will threaten it.

 

2. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasoning’s and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Being able to control your thoughts is what purity is all about. After reading “Hero” I realized I had mindsets and thoughts I had adopted from the media which were wrong and not biblical. They had to be torn down and that process is still happening! Bring thoughts that have exalted themselves against Christ.

 

3. I have addressed what you should do with your eyes and your mind. Purity means making a covenant with your eyes by watching what you watch. It is being careful what you think about. Every thought must be brought captive to the obedience of Christ. The next thing is watching what you say.

A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequences of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life] Proverbs 18:20-21

Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you. Proverbs 4:24

What’s the point if you have decided to watch what you watch and watch what enters your mind when you have a filthy mouth so to speak? It doesn’t add up. Life and death are in the power of the tongue so are you using it to give life or are you killing with that tongue of yours???? Being pure means being able to control how you speak, it means dispensing life with your words!

 

This is the final point:

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Guard your heart with all that you have! If your heart gets corrupted you will find yourself in a whole heap of trouble! How do you guard your heart?

You guard it by analyzing everything you allow. Everything should be tested. Don’t believe everything, don’t listen to everyone, measure everything according to the word of God! Is the heart pure?? I don’t know! But the one thing we can do is guard it.

 

It looks like there is a lot of work to do in the season of singleness!  It’s an important season of your life. Use the time you have wisely! You won’t be single forever. That is what I think purity is now and that is all thanks to “Hero” the book I read. As I read it purity began to become clear to me! It was then that it dawned on me we have a lot of work to do in our singleness! I hope you will get a copy of the book if you haven’t read it. With that said, please have a great weekend!

Rolain

When all seems lost…….

What challenges are you facing? Do feel like you up against a wall? Does your situation seem hopeless?? There was a man who was in the same boat. He was in a seemingly hopeless situation. There seemed like there was no way out. His name was Peter.

This is what the word says,

– When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread.

He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him.

Acts 12:3, 4

– The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and the two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail.

Acts 12:6

So let me paint this picture for you. Peter is put into jail and is guarded by 16 soldiers according to other bible versions. He is bound by chains in the jail cell and is being watched over by two guards on either side of him!!! If that isn’t enough there are two more guards guarding the entrance to the jail. It seems like Peter has no chance. It seems like there is no hope for him.

But we know the story. Peter is delivered out of Herod’s hand. But how?

While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him.

Acts 12:5

There are things I have been praying to God for. Some could call them extravagant and unrealistic. Someone might even call it impossible and to be honest doubts filled my mind as I prayed for those things. But the fact is, there is power in prayer. This story portrays this fact perfectly. Peter was in serious trouble with no escape, no way out but because of prayer he was saved!!! Prayer is powerful people. Things will happen when you pray. The enemy is powerless against prayer! My hope was renewed as I got this revelation. I will keep on praying and not let up. God will come through for me.

You may be in a seemingly hopeless situation but you need to know you have a chance. Prayer is that chance!! Don’t underestimate the power of prayer in your life. I am speaking to me as much as I am speaking to you. I needed this…..The enemy wants you to believe there is no way out. He wants you to believe he has won. He wants you to believe your situation is hopeless but it’s not true! There is hope, you have a chance! God has given you prayer for a reason! Don’t give up. Pray to God, He is the God who answers prayer. Deliverance is on it’s way for you! Trust Him!

Rolain.