The things God is behind……

Easter is over but at the same time it’s not! How can we go on from here as normal? There are things that must change. yes there is reflection, but that reflection must translate into something meaningful. There has been so much revelation I have got from Easter. I will hold it in my heart and make sure that revelation is acted upon. Today is a new day. Today, the day after Easter marks a new way of living, a new way of thinking and a new way of doing things. There is victory and there is hope! Will it be hard? Yes! But I can’t live my life the way I lived it before Easter….I just can’t! There is too much that I have been shown. I am accountable for the revelation I have been given.

Don’t let Easter just be a holiday! It is more than that…..

Anyway, that was a side note. That was not the main topic. On Saturday I read a scripture that really got me thinking. It is from Judges 14:3, 4 and it says,

His parents said to him, “Isn’t there a woman among the girls in the neighborhood of our people? Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumsised Philistines? 

But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the one I want – she’s the right one.”

(His father and mother had no idea that God was behind this, that He was arranging an opportunity against the Philistines. At the time the Philistines lorded it over Israel.)      Mesage.

As I read this passage a few things came to mind. Samson’s parent’s had no idea that Samson’s desire for a Philistine woman was part of God’s plan. He was behind that. But I think Samson had no idea as well. I don’t think he knew God gave him a desire for Philistine woman because it would lead to events that would lead to the down fall of the Philistines! He may have known, but I strongly think not.

But what does that mean? Could that mean there are things in our lives that are confusing and that look out of place that God is behind???

Samson’s parent’s must of been confused, and worried. But the fact remains, God was behind it. It didn’t seem like it, but He was.

God is behind a lot of things in your life. And it’s poosible you may not even have the slightest clue.God knew how He was going take down the Philistines. The parents didn’t. God knows how your life is going to take shape and you don’t but He want’s you to trust Him.

As I read this passage I was encouraged. Encouraged in the fact that God is in control of my life. Even with those things that don’t make sense at all. Now I know He is behind it all. Nothing is happening in my life just for the sake of happening. God is orchestrating all those things to meet an end, a good end!

That could be you. There may be things happening in your life that just don’t make sense at all! God may be behind it. Ask Him and seek answers. Did the parent’s eventually know the plan? I don’t know. They knew what the angel told them but did they know where their son’s desire would lead him too? Did they know it would lead to the deliverance of Israel? I don’t know. Let us trust God in the midst of confusing times. When things don’t happen as you expect, trust God! When something happens that confuses you trust God! He has a plan and His plan is always good.

Rolain.

A word to the rejected, outcasts, and nobodies…..

At that time Jesus began to say, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [and I acknowledge openly and joyfully to your honour], that You have hidden these things from the wise and clever and learned, and revealed them to babies [to the childish, untaught, and unskilled].
Yes, Father, [I praise You that] such was Your gracious will and good pleasure.  Matt 11:25,26

We serve an amazing God. He really does great things. This is the will of God, to call the childish and the untaught and unskilled. Can you imagine if God chose us according to the world’s criteria?? A lot of us would be in some serious trouble!

For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.
[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

You may be unpopular and made fun off but know God has a plan for you. You may think you are a nobody because of where you stay but know that God has a plan for you. People may think you are a complete loser because you can’t talk properly but God has a plan. Your teachers may have written you off but God hasn’t. This is the way He works. He takes the foolish things of the world and uses them to do great things. He uses them to confound the wisdom of the world. Listen to what Jesus says at the end of Matthew 11;26, Yes, Father, [I praise You that] such was Your gracious will and good pleasure. 

Looking at my life I see this truth so clearly. I was nothing and I was a nobody. I was made fun of at school because I stuttered. I wasn’t good at sports, I wasn’t good at academics and to top it of I was being abused at home. My dad was an alcoholic and abusive, please note, WAS. My parents had a divorce. So from the world’s perspective there was no hope of me doing anything of worth. I was written off but praise God, He didn’t. He had a plan for me all along. He took this nothing (me) and lifted me up and continues to lift me up higher. The amazing thing is He is doing that for you too because that is the way He works. You are not a nobody. You are special in the eyes of God.

Rolain

Our Kids Are At War……!!!!

I have been teaching kids for a long time and I teach  kids from the age of 8yrs to kids who are 12yrs. I love teaching them. I love the relationships that I have made. I love the time I have spent with them doing crazy things but as the year’s keep coming and the kids keep on growing there is something changing. I don’t know what it is exactly.

It is almost like the kids are losing interest in the things of God. It is getting harder and harder to get them engaged. I have been crying out to God for a long time and only recently did I see it. I saw how the kids of these days have a lot more to deal with than when I was a kid. The challenges are more sinister than before. The world is also trying to win our children. As teachers on a Sunday we are competing vs Disney or PlayStation or the internet and so on. We cannot teach the way we have always taught. We need to be more creative. The world has really gone full out and that is what is making our kids dull. We as parents just leave them in front of the television and think it’s OK but it’s not. Our kids are at war and we don’t even know it…..

We allow the kids access to internet where they are exposed to porn and violence and whole host of other things. We need to take our place as parents and protect our kids.
As teachers we need to step up. We need God’s creativity and God’s grace. Our Sunday schools are boring and dull. We do the same old thing and expect God to move! We teach the same way we were taught but we don’t realize that things have changed.. We stick to our traditional Sunday school songs but don’t realize that kids listen to a lot more mature music be it hip hop, rock or pop.
There needs to be a serious evaluation of how we do things.

My conclusion is this, kids are faced with so much. What they need on a Sunday is an encounter with God that will turn their lives around for ever. They need something really powerful to nullify the junk that they have exposed themselves to or we have exposed them to. We need to teach them what to eat and what not to eat metaphorically speaking.
As teachers we need to expect the power God in our services. What is the point of having a service when God doesn’t show up. What is the point of having a service if we as the teachers don’t expect God to come down and touch the kids???!
Our kids will begin to change when the presence of God comes down in our services.

Our kids are at war and we have a responsibility whether you are a parent or teacher. Our kids need us. They need  our help. Will you take their side in this war??? You have a responsibility of revealing God’s amazing power, and love, and mercy, and greatness and I could go on and on and on……. What God means in your life is what kids will pick up on whether you are a parent or a teacher. How passionate are you about God? How much do you love the Word? Do you watch television endlessly or do you talk about people behind their backs when your kids are around? (Talking behind someones back is bad either way)! Men do you beat your wives in front of your kids? Women, do you disrespect your husbands in front of your kids? All these things and more build a child’s idea of you and God. There is a statement my pastor keeps on saying, What you do in moderation, your kids will do in excess!!! If you are lukewarm in your love towards God your kids will be cold. If you drink one or two beers then your kids will be alcoholics!!! Do you get the picture?

I don’t know where all that came from. I was supposed to conclude a long time ago. I get so passionate about this. Our kids are the future and we need to see it. They are at  war and we need to stand with them in this time. They need to know we are for them. God bless.

Rolain

Life after “No”.

I was watching a talent show on TV which was very interesting. What was interesting about it were the comments judges were making about the people who were auditioning. I didn’t agree with a lot of the comments that were being expressed. I really felt for the people who were being shot down. They were being torn down by the judges. Some left the stage crying while the judges were laughing. That really got to me. Those judges don’t seem to realise that they are holding people’s future’s in their hands! You may think I am a bit extreme in what I am saying but think about it.

A person who thinks they have a gift goes for an audition but gets told they should never use that gift ever. They get ridiculed and joked at and probably get told to do something else.
Yes, there are people who should not venture into somethings because they are just not good at them. But this is what I am trying to get to, are the judges qualified to tell those people what they are good at or not? Are they credible?
In life we go around allowing people to tell us what we can do or can’t do but are not credible! They may have qualifications but that doesn’t make them credible. Let me be bold in saying that there is no one on this earth who knows the real you, no one! You are not even credible to tell yourself what you are good at or not! You have a more intimate knowledge of who you are compared to anyone else but you are still not credible to make a decision about what you can do or can’t do. What I mean by that is, you don’t know your real potential so be careful when you start drawing conclusions about what you can or can’t do. God is the only One who is credible because He created you. He is the only One who can tell you who you really are.

My conclusion is simple. Don’t allow people to define what you can or can’t do. There is hope after the “No”. Listen to the positive comments that come your way. But be very cognisent of the negative comments that come your way. A question to ask is, are the authority voices in my life credible to tell me what I can or can’t do in my life?
Is a teacher credible to tell me what I am good at or not?
Is the coach who tells me that I am useless really credible even if he is qualified?
Can a music teacher come to a conclusion that I am not musical?

If you have kids, beware who is telling them what they can or cannot do. You need to protect your kids from people who are telling them the wrong things. Your voice as a parent is the one they listen to so use your power wisely. Build them up by speaking positively. Tell them they can achieve whatever they desire. Draw them to who God says they are.
Your role in their lives is so important. Don’t take it lightly.

As I end I would like to ask, what have you being told you can’t do? What dreams have you abandoned because someone told you “No”? They said you could not do it.

It is time to make a decision and pursue your dreams.

Rolain.P