It’s time to move…..

Life is constantly teaching us stuff and to grow we need to learn what we are being taught.

Unfortunately there is a lesson I had to relearn this year (this week to be more precise) that I ignored

last year. It’s so frustrating because the lesson had a financial cost. That really got me thinking though.

How many lessons have we ignored that keep coming back but we just don’t learn. For whatever reason

we make a decision to do nothing.

But YAH wants us to learn the lessons that come our way. Those lessons once learned will make us grow.

 

I am reminded of the Israelites. They too didn’t learn their lesson and because they didn’t, they had to go

round the same mountain.

 

“And the Lord spoke to me [Moses], saying, 

You have roamed around this mountain country long enough; turn northward.”

Deuteronomy 2:3

 

It’s time to stop going round the same mountain. It’s time we start learning the lessons we are supposed

to learn. I am tired of going round the same mountain. I want to grow, I want to move.

I don’t learn because it’s hard at times, or because of laziness and so on and so on….

But that needs to stop.

It’s time to move!

 

ACT ON IT – What lessons have you refused to learn because they are difficult? 

Ask the Lord to show you the most critical lesson you need to learn so you can grow.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

 

How will we see breakthrough in our lives today?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

“And Simon (Peter) answered, Master, we toiled all night [exhaustingly]

and caught nothing [in our nets]. But on the ground of Your word, I will

lower the nets [again].

 

And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish;

and as their nets were [at the point of] breaking,

They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold

with them. And they came and filled both boats,

so that they began to sink.”

Luke 4:5-7

 

Peter and his team had spent the whole night toiling trying to catch fish but caught

nothing.

With all their experience, resources and strength they came up empty!

 

Is that not a perfect picture of what happens when we rely on our own strength

instead of relying on the strength of YAH??

We need to understand that in our own strength we will fail, period!

No amount of money, no amount of experience, no amount of strength will ever

be enough.

 

But look at what happens when Peter listened to Yeshua;

 

“And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish;”

 

They caught an incredible amount of fish. The number was so great

that they had to call their partners to help them.

But the number was still so great that both boats began to sink!

 

We need to stop relying on ourselves and look to YAH.

It is when we respond to Him and obey Him that things begin to

happen.

Impossible things begin to happen as well when we look to

Him instead of looking to ourselves.

 

We have a choice today, we can either “toil all night in our strength”

but come up empty or we can obey what Yeshua has told us and see

breakthrough in the situation we are in at the moment?

The choice is yours!

 

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

 

 

Let’s talk about airports and purpose…..

As I sat at the airport in Sydney I couldn’t help but notice

how busy the airport was. Our Zimbabwean airport cannot

even begin to compare to the Sydney airport. In fact, I don’t

even have to go that far. I can simply look at O.R Tambo

International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Compared

to us that airport is enormous. So sitting there at the airport,

thoughts of destiny and purpose came to mind!

 

God wasn’t speaking to me about airports only,

He was speaking to me about my life, about His vision

for my life……

 

Having a big airport doesn’t just happen!

 

Before anything can ever happen there has to be a vision for it.

The CEO of the airport in my country MUST get a vision

for a bigger airport! Nothing will ever change if that vision

isn’t there!

 

And that is how it is in our own personal lives. You must get

a vision for your life but not just any vision, God’s vision!

God has a purpose for you. That’s why you were born. Ask

Him to show you your purpose. I believe He will show you

if you genuinely want to know. Without a vision the word says

we perish! Without a vision there is no growth, just stagnation!

 

 

After the vision is there, he will need to think about construction.

He can have a vision of having the biggest airport in Africa and

even the world, but if he doesn’t start constructing new runways,

breaking down hangars to buid bigger ones and so on, that vision

is not going to happen. He must realise the current capacity

will not be suitable to accommodate the new vision! There

must be a change if the airport is to become bigger. He has

to start thinking global instead of local. He must abandon the

old systems and learn new ones if he is to be recognized globally

and be a force to reckon with!

 

That stands true for you and me. I was seriously convicted

by this point. My current capacity is not capable of

accomodating all that God has for me. I must realise this.

We must realise this!!!

 

I need to understand there must be a tearing down of the

old (old habits, old ways of thinking, old ways of talking) and so

on if I am to grow! I will not become the international airport

God has called me to be if I am comfortable with the old

airport!!! If I don’t see anything wrong with the old then I

am in deep trouble. Change begins when I see a problem

with the old! I hope I haven’t lost you………haha 

 

 

 

The next thing the CEO will need to look at is education.

He has to make sure his staff are on the same page as he is.

They have to be trained but not just by anyone. He has to hire

the best in the world if they are going to have a chance! He has

to eradicate all small thinking at all costs.

He will have to think about sending his staff to some of the

major airports so they can get the vision! If he is to move

in the new vision he must make sure his staff are on the same

page. He has to encourage them. If someone doesn’t want to

get it then he has to cut off that person.

 

Do you have people who encourage you in what God has

called you to do? It’s important you hang out with the right

people.

Do you have a mentor?

If you are around negitive minded people all the time,

beware! They can pull you down, snuff the purpose right

out of you. They can discourage you from pursuing

God’s purpose for your life. Surround yourself with

like minded people, people who believe in you and

people who are not afraid to tell you the truth when

you go down the wrong path!

 

Disclaimer

This is a very broad description of what an airport

might do if they wanted to change. Don’t quote me on

any of the technical steps! I was looking at the airport from a total

outsiders point of view, as someone who has no idea of how or

what makes an airport tick!

I thought I should make that clear in case one of you works

at an airport and thinks, what the heck is he talking about???

🙂

 

As I end be encouraged. God is busy working on your

behalf. His purpose for your life will be accomplished if you

decide to trust Him. Expect Him to do big things in your

life friend because I believe He can and will!

Amen

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

I want to follow you Lord, but……!!

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:21-22‬ ‭MSG‬‬

What a sad story. Jesus called the young man to follow Him.

What an honor, what a privilege BUT the word tells us he was

holding on tight to a lot of things and he was not about to let

those things go….

 

Think about that for a minute.

 

There is no doubt that Jesus is calling us as well. So what

are some of the things you are holding on tight to?

We can’t be like the young man who was unwilling to let

them go.

I can think of a few things I am holding on tightly but I need

to let them go…..

Will you obey the call to follow the Lord by releasing those things

you are holding onto tightly??

That’s my challenge today.

Rolain

This life we live as Christians…..

I was thinking about this life we live as Christians and the God

we serve.

It is a truly amazing journey we are on. Think with me on what it

means to serve the Lord God Almighty!

On this journey we are on:

God calls us to trust Him completely! Not when it makes sense or

when the conditions are right, no! In every situation He says, trust Me!

 

While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.” (‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭49-50‬ NLT)

 

We serve a God who calls us to jump out of boats to walk on water!

He does that so He can increase our faith! Peter had to learn a lesson

on faith that he could only learn by stepping out of the boat!

 

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭28-31‬ NLT)

 

We serve a God who confronts us about the fears we have!

And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping. And they went and awakened Him, saying, Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing! And He said to them, Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith? Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness). (‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭24-26‬ AMP)

Why did He confront them about their fears? He did it because He

wanted them to realise He was bigger than any fear they ever had.

And that’s the truth, God wants you to know He is bigger than any

and every fear you have and will ever have…..

 

We serve a God who has great and amazing plans for us even if it

seems impossible!

 

And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God. And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David, And He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end. [Isa. 9:6, 7; Dan. 2:44.] And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband? (‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭30-34‬ AMP)

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her. (‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭37-38‬ AMP)

God’s plan for Mary was impossible in the natural but she still

believed God!

Like Mary we are to believe God no matter how outrageous it seems

in the natural. He has a great and amazing destiny for each of us!

We just need to trust Him!

We serve a God who calls the least qualified.

Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak (terebinth) at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage. (‭Judges‬ ‭6‬:‭11-12‬ AMP)

Gideon said to Him, Oh Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. The Lord said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man. (‭Judges‬ ‭6‬:‭15-16‬ AMP)

 

Gideon didn’t see himself as much because his family was poor

but God saw someone He could use. Gideon may have been looked

down upon by his community because his family was poor but God

had a plan for him! God can and will use anyone! Gideon’s story

reminds me of one other hero who God used mightily.

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” (‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ NLT)

But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” (‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭13-14‬ NLT)

But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD never appeared to you’?” (‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ NLT)

But Moses pleaded with the LORD, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” (‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ NLT)

But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” (‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ NLT)
Let me say this, whoever you are, no matter what you have been

through, whateveryou think you are lacking know this, GOD HAS A

PLAN FOR YOU!

He will not rest until you are walking in the purpose He has for you!
This is the God we serve! He is so good!

As you can see, God does a lot of amazing things

for us….It’s not easy at times but the

reason He does all He does is because He is good and because He

loves us!

Rolain

What do you believe about prayer?

How does God answer prayers? Is there a formula, a to-do list we have to follow? Well, a friend was speaking to me about prayer and this is what he had to say:

Throughout the Bible, God told His people to do something first before he answered their prayers. 

– God told Moses to strike the rock, and then water would come.

– The prophet told the widow to bake him a cake first. She believed God’s promise through the prophet and was kept alive through the famine.

– Before Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, He tested the their faith first, He told the mourners to first roll away the stone, then because of their obedience He brought Lazarus back to life. 

– Jesus told the blind man to go wash in the Pool of Siloam, then he would receive his sight.

– He told the ten lepers to go show themselves to the priests. When they showed their faith by obeying and heading in that direction, only then did God do the miracle. As they went, they were healed. 

 

I thought what he said was very interesting. You may not have an answer to prayer because He wants you to take the first step? As I read what he was sharing, things started popping up that I know God would want me to do first. Not that He is unable to perform a miracle because He is capable.

With that said, I don’t think God expects us to do everything. He wants to see our faith in Him in the first step we take! Do you trust Him, then step out? Have you prayed and not received an answer? Maybe you need to take the first step, in faith that He has heard you!

Rolain

When we can’t see God’s plan for us……

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

Luke 5:4, 5

There is a something I have been declaring to God for the past couple of days which says, 

I can’t see Lord! But I make a decision to trust You. 

I have come to a place where there are a lot of things that don’t make sense.A lot of things that are happening that I don’t understand. I don’t have control over a lot of things, a lot! I can’t see the whole picture. But even in these circumstances I make a decision to trust God. Like Peter who had been fishing for the whole night and caught nothing. Jesus told him to cast his net and even though he didn’t understand, he obeyed God. He couldn’t see the end result but he just obeyed. That is how I feel.  

You may be unclear of the future, or unclear about other things that are happening in your life but God is in control. He can be trusted. He sees everything. He sees the beginning and the end. When things get confusing, when things are unclear, you can either fret and panic or wait on God. You can trust God. He has a plan for you and even though you may not see the whole picture trust in Him.

Let us be like Peter and just obey. Let us be like Peter and just trust! 

“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”

God bless

Rolain

Why Did He Lead Them There??

What an eventful day its been. It has been confusing as well. I have been going through something and learning a few things about myself in the process. I got home and was meditating on the day’s event’s when I decided to go over what I have to teach on Sunday at kids church when something spoke to me. Its the story about the Israelite’s when they were released by Pharaoh. The plagues had destroyed Egypt literally and Pharaoh had enough. He let the slaves go. Can you imagine how the Israelite’s must of felt on that day?? They must of being ecstatic!!! They had been slaves for 400 years and now they were free!!!! God had delivered them with a strong show of His power. Things would never be the same for these people. They were off to a land that flowed with milk and honey! Oh what a day it must of being…..The singing, and the dancing, the jubilation, the laughter, the cries of joy, the sound of children playing!!! What a day it must of being!!!

As we read on we see how God lead them to the Red Sea. That’s what caught my attention. Why did He do that? He knew the Egyptians where coming. But God had a plan and a reason for bringing them there! Even though the Israelite’s couldn’t see the plan, God had a plan for leading them to that place.
But imagine how it looked from the people’s side? Imagine how they must of felt looking at the greatest army in the world!!!! They must of heard them and then they saw them!! What a terror filled sight it must have been. The Egyptians where out for blood. And they were trapped!!! The Red Sea was blocking their escape!!! It seemed like it was the worst situation they had ever faced!!!! It looked hopeless. It was better to surrender than die.

And in a way I felt like that. I found myself asking God why? Why am I in this situation? How do I get out? It’s confusing for sure and I don’t understand. The Israelite’s missed it. They never realized God had a plan. What seemed like a hopeless situation, what seemed like the worst circumstances ever was actually an opportunity for God to move. He had a plan for them! He knew how He would deliver them. They just had to trust Him. I see now that I need to trust God. Things may not have worked out the way I expected but God has a plan. Things may not make any sense but God has a plan for leading me here.

You may feel like it’s the end, like you can’t go on but know God has a plan. Your terrible situation is an opportunity for God to come through. He doesn’t lead us to hard places because He has nothing to do, No!!! He has a plan to bring us out stronger. Trust His leading. He has our best interests at heart. He wants to see us fulfill our callings. He will not abandon us. God has led you to the place you in for a reason. It’s not to die but to show you something about Himself! You need to trust that things are going to get better. You are going to come out stronger. God knows how He is going to deliver you.

Rolain

Love Defined . . . .

What is love? There are so many definitions that I could pick from. From scripture we know that love is not an emotion. It is more than that. Love is a decision, a committment you make. Emotion is not enough. We are in error when we think love is just a feeling. When you really love someone you make a decision to be there for them in the good and the bad. Real love speaks about sacrifice. There is a dying to ourselves involved. Love is not easy. We need the Spirit of God to help us love.
The world has painted a picture of love that is wrong. According to the world you can fall in and out of love. According to the world, love is an emotion. That is where it stops. But that is not true. As christians we need to be able to know and understand what love really is.

I would like to share another definition of love that is found in the scriptures.
Another definition of love is being obedient to God. As christians we say we love God but we are not obedient. How many times have we not done what God has called us to do?
If we really love God we will obey Him. John 14:15 says:
If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. (Amplified).
This is how we measure our love for God. Are you obedient?

John 14:21 says:
The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]

As you can see, we need to be obedient to the Word of God. When you get a word from God you need to act on it. How much do you value the word? It should be something you esteem very highly.
Our obedience to God’s word reflects the love we have for God. In other words that is how God measures our love for Him. Do you really love God?

John 14:23, 24 says:
Jesus answered, if a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey my teaching]; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.
Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching.

And that is another definition of love. Obedience reflects our love toward God. Do you really love God? Having emotions alone does not cut it. You cannot measure feelings and emotions but you can measure actions.
As christians we are called to love. Let us not be fake. Let us be genuine in our love toward God and each other. Let us make a decision to love the way God wants us to love and not the way the world wants us to love.

Rolain. P