Why the Delay God?

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, let us go back to Judea.”

John 11:5-7 ESV

As I read this scripture I couldn’t help but think why Jesus stayed two days longer where He was instead of going to Lazarus immediately? After all the Word tells us that He LOVED Martha, Mary and Lazarus.

Why did He delay?

Because He was about to something amazing. He knew Lazarus would die but He wanted to show everyone His glory. But He was the only One who knew what was about to happen. Mary and Martha on the other hand didn’t. And that must have been hard for them. They knew Jesus loved them so they expected Him to respond immediately but that’s not what happened.

“So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

One thing we can be sure of is that Jesus did not delay because He was trying to be mean or because He enjoyed seeing people suffer. He loved this family.

As you wait on the Lord you need to remember that the Lord makes you wait because He loves you. Even in the midst of delays He loves you and Has a plan. Behind the delays there is love and I know that’s a difficult statement because delays are not an easy thing to deal with. It’s easy to think God has abandoned us or He doesn’t care about us when delays happen. But He does care and He loves you deeply. He knows exactly what you are feeling, the fears, the confusion, the anxiety, the frustration…

He knows it all. In John 11:35 we read a very popular verse,

“Jesus wept.”

He wept because He knew what the sisters were going through. He could identify with the pain they were feeling.

As you wait and as you face delays know that God loves you so much. He understands everything you are feeling and going through. Trust Him in the wait. Trust Him when the delays come.

The Lord has a plan in the wait and in the delays. Don’t lose hope. You are not alone in the wait. He is right by your side. His purposes for your life will be accomplished as you wait on Him in faith! And always remember that He loves you so much.

God bless you friends

Rolain

Be deliberate about what you think on daily.

What are you thinking about every day? Have you thought about what you think about lately?

I had to train myself with my thoughts. It’s crazy how easy it is to let your mind wander

to thoughts of defeat and hopelessness.

Just last week I was wrestling with thoughts of inadequacy. Someone said something to me and I

had to catch myself in the moment. I was not about to accept the words that were spoken to me.

I was not about to let that word take root in me.

 

You need to know the enemy is not taking a back seat when it comes to

your thoughts. He is trying to get you to think a certain way, in a way that is destructive. He is not waiting

for you to think negatively. He is being proactive in affecting the way you think.

So must we take a back seat then when it comes to our thoughts? No!

We need to be vigilant and proactive.

 

There are so many opportunities to think negatively these days. We need to be vigilant when it comes

to guarding our minds. Let’s look at what the word says,

 

“For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, 

whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and 

gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh

and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. 

Philippians 4:8

 

Let’s take this word to heart. This is our offensive attack against what the enemy is trying to do.

If we are going to protect ourselves against the world’s infiltration we need to be proactive about what we

think about. Like I said before, there is so much opportunity to think negatively about our lives and

everything going on around us. Let’s be deliberate about our thoughts. Have a plan!

 

ACT ON IT: Right down ten things (using the Philippians 4 model) that you can think about on a daily basis.

What do you think about when you think about your life? 

Write down three things you feel YAH has spoken to you about concerning your life. 

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

What it means to have a purpose!

Most Christians know God has a plan for their lives.

But when they  are told God has a plan for them, a purpose,

What does that mean? What does that mean for us??

To answer that question I will look at the life of Abraham

the Father of faith!

 

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your

people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

Genesis 12:1

• For Abraham, having a purpose meant having to leave

the familiar behind! He didn’t know where he was going but

He trusted God. He took everything he owned and moved!

Could that still apply today? Could God be calling us out of

our comfort zones to a place we have never heard of before,

to a place we have never been to before?

Is he calling us out of the familiar? Is it possible to experience

the new if you haven’t let go of the familiar, if you are in your

comfort zone??

 

 

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham”!

“Here I am, “he replied.

Then God said, Take your son, your only son, whom you love-

Isaac-and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt

offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2

 

Because Abraham had a purpose God tested him!

He told him he was to sacrifice the one thing he loved more than

anything else – his son! God tested with him with something

he held dear to his heart, his son!

Could it be possible that is our story too? Does God want to make

sure He is first in our lives by testing us?? We say we love God and

He is the most important thing in our lives, but is that the truth???

Only He knows!

 

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your Shield,

your very great reward.

But Abram said, Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I

remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of

Damascus? And Abram said, You have given me no children;

So a servant in my household will be heir.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: This man will not be

Your heir, but a son who is your flesh and blood will be your heir.

He took him outside and said, Look up at the sky and count the

stars – if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, so shall

your offspring be.

Abram believed the Lord, and He credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1-6

 

Because Abram had a purpose he had to trust God! He had to think

bigger and grander! God’s purpose for our lives is huge but faith

in God is the key. God’s plan for your life will not make sense to

a carnal mind a natural mind! You need faith to see it and accept it!

We know without faith it is impossible to please God. He wants us

trust Him.

Something you need to look out for as you walk in God’s purpose

for your life:

 

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had

an Egyptian slave named Hagar, so she said to Abram, “The Lord

has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave;

perhaps I can build a family through her.” 

Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Genesis 16:1-5

 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what really happened.

Sarai knew what God had promised her along with Abraham but

what really happened? In Genesis 15 it tells us Abraham believed

God and it was counted to him as righteousness but in chapter 16

we read something different. Sarai suggests to Abram that he

sleep with Hagar and he agrees!  Why would Abram agree to that?

He clearly heard from God!

Did he think God had abandoned him?

Had he lost so much hope that he resorted to trying to make things

happen in his own strength?

Was he tired of waiting on God?

Did he focus on his old aged body and Sarah’s deadened womb and

let his carnal mind take over?

We really don’t know but what we do know is he agreed to go

along with Sarah’s plan! They had lost hope in God and set out

to accomplish God’s plan in their own strength!

They were discouraged and dejected!

 

There are things God

will allow and take you through to strengthen you. Like I said before,

it is by faith and faith alone you will accomplish God’s purpose for

your life. Yes, you will need to step out and do things but you will

need faith! If Abraham the Father of Faith could lose hope in God

and rely on his own strength what does that mean for us? It means

we have to be humble and admit we can’t do this alone!

God wants you to walk in the purpose He has for you. Don’t be

afraid.

Trust Him to lead you because He knows the way! He made the way!

Everything He does for you is because He loves you! Your purpose is

amazing and glorious! Be bold and confident as you step into it!

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.

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.

The Essence of God’s Dreams.

One of the main reasons for having this blog was to inspire people to pursue their God given dreams. We all have a dream given to us by God and we are all designed with a purpose. There is no one on earth born without a purpose, no one! We all have a mission to carry out from God but this is the thing, we have an enemy who doesn’t want us to fulfil all that God has for us. A pastor once said it like this, “the enemy is afraid of our assignment” because he knows how much of an impact we will have if we find out what our “assignment” is and carry it out! We all have an assignment from God, do you know what your assignment is?  Assignment, calling, dream, destiny call it what you want, do you know what it is?

I was reading a book on destiny the other day and there were a few very important points on the importance of God’s dreams that I would like to share with you. I hope these help you in identifying God’s plan for your life. The first thing that he said was,

– So here’s the not-so-small print that maybe you never read at the start of your journey: God’s dreams for you are ultimately not really about you. 
Oh don’t misunderstand. They’ll bring you some of the best days of your life; you will be fulfilled beyond any imaginable expectations. But God’s dreams take form only when they are about others, for the benefit of others. Loving them. Guiding them. Serving them. Influencing them. Filling their heads with dreams and hopes. There are no other type of God dreams.

Wow right!! God’s dreams are not about us but they are about people! His dreams for us are to be an impact in someone else’s life. There is no room for selfishness and pride in God’s dreams . And that is one way you can tell if the dream you have is from God, is it all about you getting what you want and you being comfortable or is it about people??!!

– God’s destiny for you will never be so trivial as building a kingdom for you to enhance your acclaim. Such is a kingdom of dust and lint.

I have already spoken about this in the last point. A person who has dreams of grandeur for himself and him alone is on the wrong path. But please don’t get me wrong here. It is OK to want a car a house, money and so on. Those desires are fine. The problem comes when those desires are the things that consume us. The problem is, when that is the only desire we have or they are more important than seeking God and touching people!!

– The dream He has prepared custom for you is explosively beautiful and alive. It’s about His glorious kingdom-a plan involving you from before there was time!

Do you believe that? The enemy has lied to us by telling us that God’s dreams for us are dull and boring! They are not. They are fun and exhilarating and fulfilling!!!

– This stunning dream always involves others. Others being freed, healed, convinced of who they really are, convinced that they can fly, convinced His dreams in them can come true.

– Think about it – God’s dreams for us reflect His heart. If we are not maturing in sync with His heart, how would we distinguish other-centered dreams from self-centered dreams?

– God wants to reveal Himself to us in authenticity. Because one of God’s dreams is that we influence others far more out of who we are than out of what we do. So above all else, your destiny requires that you be a maturing person.

I like it when the author says God’s dreams for us reflect God’s heart. And for me, that is why I think it’s important not to go through life aimlessly without a goal or direction because we are supposed to express God’s heart in the way He created us to do it. People get to see who God is when we walk in what He has called us to do! But to do that we also need to mature. We mature by taking responsibility for things in our lives. We mature by acting on the Word of God. Are you someone who is growing? Is your spiritual man growing stronger by the day or you are at the same place you were 5 years ago? Remember what he said, “God’s dreams for us require us to influence others far more out of who we are than out of what we do“.
I know you have the title Pastor, Bishop, Priest, and any other important title out there but God wants you to influence people out of who you are rather than your title!
What good is it calling yourself pastor but you have no self control and you are lazy? or what good is it being a fitness instructor but you eat like a pig and don’t exercise outside of the times you train people!! It does not work.

And that is the essence of God’s dreams. Let us pursue them with all that we have. If you don’t know the reason you were born ask God! He is eager to show you your purpose. He is a good God!!!!  🙂

Rolain