Hold On

You need to hold on to God’s promises because He has so much in store for you. He has amazing things lined up for you. But it’s the standing in faith that is not as easy as it seems. It’s a fight to hold on to what God has promised you.

It’s our responsibility to do the hard work of standing on God’s truths and promises for our lives in the face of attack and opposition. It won’t be easy. We will fall and fail numerous times but we must always get back up and dig our feet deeper in our faith in God. Because He will fulfill and bring to pass what He promised us, period!

I think of Abraham and Sarah who held on to God’s promises. They held on to His promises despite the challenges they faced and the challenges were tough. But in all that they didn’t give up and lose heart. Even when they fell short, they still got up and dug deeper in their faith in God. And as they did that they received what God had promised them.

So as I come to the end of this post I want to encourage you to keep holding on to God’s promises in the face of opposition and attack. It’s going to be a fight for sure but even when you fall make sure to get back up and dig deeper in your faith in God, even when you haven’t seen the answer to your prayers yet, and when you haven’t seen the breakthrough because God is faithful. You will receive what God has promised you!

Bless you friends

Rolain

Don’t Give In To Fear.

One of the enemy’s main goals is to put you and keep you in fear.

He wants you bound and paralyzed by it and he wants you to think you

are all alone. But that’s not true. You are not alone. God is with you.

Recently I was reading the story of Nehemiah and I saw something interesting in his story.

As he was doing the work God had called him to do, which was to build the walls of

Jerusalem, he had opposition. There were men who didn’t want him to succeed and they

used fear to try to stop him. Let’s look at a few scriptures.

“For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work,

that it be not done.

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.”

Nehemiah 6:9

“Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they

might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.”

Nehemiah 6:13

“Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him.

And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.”

Nehemiah 6:19

As you can see, Nehemiah’s enemies were using fear to try to stop him.

But Nehemiah did not let it stop him. Instead, he put his trust in the

Lord to help him.

I share his story to show you that the enemy is still using the same strategy today.

He is using fear as a weapon against you to try to weaken your hands or to get

you to do something rashly or to doubt God and so much more.

But like Nehemiah you must bring your fears to the Lord.

Make a decision to choose trust in God over fear no matter how intense it is.

Because at the end of the day you have nothing to fear because God is with you.

He is on your side and He will never let you down.

God bless you friends!

Have a great weekend.

Rolain

Zoom Out And See God’s Big Picture.

God has an amazing plan for our lives. But at times we can get so engrossed in the now, the present

and forget that God is moving in our lives.

We need to learn to regularly take a step back or zoom out.

I was given a picture of this as I played a game. The game is called, Guess The Picture.

And the point of the game is to decipher a magnified picture as quick as you can.

The game is best played with a group of people.

In the beginning, you can’t make out the picture because it is magnified to the max but when

the game starts the picture begins to zoom out and the picture gets clearer and clearer.

And that’s what happens when we are so zoomed in. The picture makes no sense because

it’s a blur.

But as we take a step back and look at the answered prayers, the breakthroughs, the things

God has done for us, we begin to realize that God really is in control. He knows exactly what

we are going through. Taking a step back strengthens our faith as we see God’s faithfulness.

But also remember that God is working through the tests and trials we face. They are not

meaningless or pointless.

Think about a an image for a moment.

What makes an image? Pixels right.

An image is comprised of millions of pixels.

But this is the thing, without pixels, there is no image. A picture cannot exist without pixels.

Pixels play a very important role in the formation of a picture and that is the same in our lives.

The difficult times, the trials, the tests, all have a purpose. We are learning to trust God more.

We are experiencing His faithfulness and greatness in the hard times.

We are growing in the midst of intense opposition.

So don’t disregard what you are going through today. It’s not meaningless or pointless.

God is working in the midst of the tests, trials and hardships. Trust Him.

As I close I want to remind you that God is at work in your life, even in the times when it doesn’t

seem like it. Take a step back and see His hand in every aspect of your life.

And if you like what I write and want to support me financially you can now do so by buying

me a coffee or two. I have signed up with “Buy Me A Coffee” and it’s an easy way to support me.

Click here to support.

God bless you friends

Rolain

How To Talk To “Giants”

How do you speak to the giants that come against you?

As I read the Bible this week there was a story that made me think about that.

There is a way we are meant to speak to giants. We are not supposed to

cower away in fear or terror because God is our Protector.

He is so much stronger than the giants we face

I was reading the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45-47 and there

were a few things that stuck out to me that I would like to share about how we

should speak to giants.

• David didn’t talk to Goliath about his strength. He spoke about God’s strength and power.
• David knew the battle wasn’t his but the Lord’s. He knew that the God who delivered him from lion and the bear would deliver him from Goliath.
• David never negotiated or pleaded with Goliath. He TOLD him what was going to happen to him.
• Because David had faith in God, he knew he was going to win.

We don’t have to let giants determine what happens to us.

Our faith in God will make us see giants differently and will make us talk differently because that’s what

happened to David. He didn’t run away in terror when he saw Goliath, he defeated him and told him

he was going to kill him.

Keep trusting the Lord and don’t let go. Let your faith be the driving force behind the words and actions

you speak and take against the giants that come against you.

And before I go I have some exciting news.

If you like what I do here and would like to support me financially, you can now do so.

With a coffee or coffees you can support on Buy Me A Coffee.

You can also become a member if you really enjoy what I do.

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And with that, I have come to the end of the post.

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

Breakthrough!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“So [Israel] came up to Baal-perazim, and David smote [the Philistines] there. Then David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand, like the bursting forth of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim [Lord of breaking through].”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭14:11‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

 

Where do you need breakthrough today? 

At Baal-perazim, David experienced the Lord’s breakthrough. The Lord delivered him and his army from the Philistines.

We don’t need to be afraid as we face insurmountable challenges. When it all becomes too much we can call on the Lord because He is the Lord who breaks through for us.

God will give us victory as we rely on Him!

Bless you friends

Rolain

What’s the deal with fear?

I was deep in thought thinking about how I was going to make it.

Wondering how the bills would get paid.

Wondering how my life would turn out in the midst of such opposition.

As I thought on those things fear gripped my heart. I was afraid.

 

But it was at that exact moment that I realized something about fear.

 

Fear was not going to tell me everything would be okay.

 

I should expect no encouragement from fear. It is not an option thinker. All it thinks and

sees is negative. It’s not optimistic.

It will never direct me to God in any situation.

It wants me paralyzed.

It wants me to fail.

It doesn’t want me to see God.

It wants me hopeless and discouraged.

 

Fear chooses to forget God in difficult circumstances.

It can’t love, it can’t trust, it can’t hope.

It focuses on the worst possible outcome in any situation we face when it knows there is a better

outcome in God.

Fear ALWAYS sees the negatives in everything and CHOOSES to ignore the positives.

Or in other words, it chooses to see the dead ends, the failure, the death and refuses to see

light at the end of the tunnel, the hope, the answer!

 

And that is why we can’t listen to fear. As I let fear grip me, all I thought about

were the negatives.

 

But the truth of the matter is that there was another option.

There was a better and more positive outcome if I allowed my faith in God to take the lead instead of fear.

Let me rephrase that, there IS a better and more positive outcome…

 

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), 

but (He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind

and discipline and self-control. 

2 Timothy 1:7

 

As we walk out our faith in God, fear will always try to get in the way. It will try to disrupt the faith

we have put in God. Let us fight against fear no matter how long it takes.

This battle can’t be won in our own strength. We need God’s help to show us the areas we

have allowed fear to dominate us. We need His help to overcome Fear so we can move forward

in what God has for us.

The Lord is with us in this fight and leading the charge!

Bless you, friends.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

The Lord gave him a picture…..

“Then God led Abram outside. God said, “Look at the sky. There are so many stars

you cannot count them. And your descendants will be too many to count.”

Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram’s faith and that faith made

him right with God.

  

Genesis 15:5, 6

The Lord led Abram outside and gave him a picture of his life and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

But as I look back at my life I see how I allowed people to give me a picture. The enemy was in the mix

as well and did everything in his power to enforce the picture he had given me

because I didn’t know better. It took years to break the negative picture I had been

given and thanks to God the healing is still ongoing.

The Lord has a picture for you too. The picture is amazing and glorious but there is so much opposition

from the enemy. he doesn’t want you to walk in the plan God has for your life because that’s what the picture

is about. It’s about where God wants to take you. It’s about what He has in store for you.

But the enemy uses fear, abuse, manipulation and a whole lot of other things to blind you to God’s picture.

Don’t accept the enemy’s pictures. They are all lies.

his pictures get you depressed, fearful, anxious, greedy, and weak.

his pictures are all void of goodness, peace, love, fulfillment, faith, joy and every other good thing

God is.

Reject them at every turn. But you need help. You need the Lord’s help.

The good news is this, the picture you have now can be changed. That’s what happened to me.

My picture was really bad but the Lord came and changed it. He replaced the dark, hopeless,

fearful picture and replaced it with His life-giving, fresh, new, energizing picture!

And that’s what He does for us as His children.

As I end I will leave you with a scripture that sums up what I have been talking about,

“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, 

which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”

Jeremiah 33:3

Blessings to you, friends

Rolain

For our good…..

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together
for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28

All things work together for good to those who love God.
I love this!
As I look at all the bad things that have happened in my life to this point
it’s comforting to know that the Lord is working all those things together for my good.
The good and the bad all being worked together for my good!
What an amazing thought!

Life may be hard at the moment but take heart friend, He is working all things
together for your good.
You may have had a difficult past that you think you can’t recover from but be encouraged,                                                              the Lord is working your situation together for good.
Things may seem dim, bleak and hopeless right now but it will get brighter.
There will be a turn around I assure you. The darkness will turn to light. the closed
door will open, the defeat will be overcome by victories.
Hold on to this word because it is also prophetic. ALL THINGS are being worked
together for your good even if it doesn’t seem like it. No matter how hard the enemy
tries to derail your life the word says YAH is working ALL THINGS together for your good!

Will you take Him at His word? Will you believe Him?
His word is true and cannot be challenged. As you look at your life rest in the knowledge that the
Lord is at work in your life. You are not alone. His hand is on you.
He is so good! He is faithful and He can be trusted. Put all of your hope in Him.
Bless you friends….

Rolain