Derailed Plans

“They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”

Genesis 37:18-21

Joseph was in serious trouble. His brothers plan seemed full-proof so what chance did he have? But we know what happened. Joseph was sold into slavery instead of being killed. What happened there exactly? First of all we know that the devil was behind the plan. He comes only to seek, kill and destroy so I believe in was him pulling the strings. He wanted to take Joseph out. Now that’s out of the way, let answer the real question.

Why wasn’t Joseph killed?

Did the devil change his mind and think slavery was better than death? Because if he wanted to stop Joseph then death would have been better.

But I believe something else happened, Someone interfered in his plans – God! I believe the enemy was trying with all his power to kill Joseph. He hadn’t taken his foot off the pedal. In fact I think he pushed the pedal down harder to make sure.

But the truth was undeniable in that situation, God’s plans for Joseph’s life were stronger than the devil’s plans for Joseph. Nothing could change that. And you need to always remember that. Even though the enemy has plans for you, remember that God’s plans for your life are stronger and more powerful than the enemy’s plans for you. His plans will not succeed over you. God will derail them every time.

I think of Paul as well. There were 40 high powered officials that had conspired against him. It seemed like Paul was done for but once again God stepped in and derailed the enemy’s plan to destroy Paul. (Read the story in Acts 23:12-23)

Throughout scripture we see this truth played out again and again. So as I come to the end of this post I want to encourage you and remind you that God’s plans for your life are so much stronger than the enemy’s plans for you. The enemy’s plans will be thwarted and no weapon forged against you will prosper.

Bless you friends!

Rolain

God is taking you somewhere…

It can be frustrating not knowing where your life is going. At times it feels like you going around in circles

and at times it can feel like you are wandering about aimlessly. Then there are days when it seems like

nothing is happening. But I want to tell you that in the midst of all those things, God is directing your

life. Even when you can’t make sense of the things happening in your life God is in total control.

There is nothing to be worried about. You don’t have to lose sleep wondering what next.

The Lord cares about every detail of your life. Everything about you and your life matters to Him.

 

Look at how God led Peter. The way God leads us is so amazing!

In Acts 9:32 we are introduced to a man names Aeneas who lived in Lydda. Aeneas was paralyzed

and had been bed ridden for eight years. Peter goes on to heal him and the whole town of Lydda

and Sharon turn to the Lord! (Acts 9:35)

That was really amazing but the Lord was not done directing Peter. In a nearby town called Joppa a woman

named Tabitha fell sick and died. The disciples heard Peter was in Lydda so they called for him.

When Peter arrived in Joppa he raised Tabitha from the dead which brought more people to the

Lord. (Acts 10:5). But the Lord was not finished with Peter. In a town called Caesarea there was a man

named Cornelius. He was a Gentile and until then the good news was only been proclaimed to the Jews.

Salvation was closed to the Gentiles until then. One day an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told

him to go to Joppa to call Peter.

 

“And now send men to Joppa and have them call for and invite here a certain Simon whose surname is 

Peter; He is lodging with Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 

Acts 10:5, 6

 

The Lord knew exactly where Peter was. He knew his address. He knew who he was staying with.

Off course He knew, the Lord led him there!!

Because Peter was in the right place at the right time he was instrumental in the Gospel being preached

to the Gentile’s.

Because the Lord directed Peter’s steps he was able to be at the right place at the right time. On his

own Peter would never have been able to pull that off.

 

The Lord is directing our every step friends. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, He is.

It may feel scary but the way He leads us is amazing! Be expectant. Bring your frustrations to Him.

He really does have amazing things in store for you. It may seem like you are in the middle of nowhere

but the Lord is taking you somewhere. His hand is on you and He is directing your every step.

The way He leads us is so amazing!

Bless you friends!

 

Written in a book.

“My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and 

curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region

of darkness and mystery].

Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever

they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.” 

Psalm 139:15, 16

 

“and in Your book all the days of my life were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there

was none of them.”

 

I love this!!  Your life is not random. The events that happen are not accidental. The Lord took care

when He made you. There was thought, there was effort, there was intent.

When your life gets crazy and you have no idea what is happening know that YAH knows everything

about your life. There is nothing that happens in your life that catches Him by surprise, nothing!

He is in control of everything. All your days have been written in His book.

 

I am so encouraged to know all the days of my life have been written by Him. Even when I can’t

make sense of what’s happening the Lord knows and that makes the difference.

When I am overwhelmed or discouraged about the way things are going the Lord knows.

When I seem to be at a dead end, there is actually more journeying to be done.

The Author of my story loves me and is good so I don’t need to panic or fret.

He has the best in mind for me.

 

Turn to Him in your confusion. Call out to Him when things don’t go according to plan.

He wrote all your days in His book. Not some but all!

So the darkness you in now will change. The problems you have will be solved. The questions, the

concerns and the pain will be fixed and answered. The Lord is not done with you yet.

His plan for your life is amazing so trust Him with it…..

Blessings to you friends…..

 

Rolain

 

 

 

God’s purpose for you under attack……

 

We have an amazing purpose to live out that is given to us directly by YAH.

The thing is, the enemy is trying to do all he can to stop us.

As we pursue the dreams Yeshua has put in our hearts we must depend on

Him with our everything.

You may be discouraged and feeling overwhelmed because of the attacks but

take heart because the Lord is with you. Let me share a story with you that illustrates this

truth perfectly;

 

“And [that same] following night the Lord stood beside Paul and said, 

Take courage, Paul, for as you have borne faithful witness concerning Me at Jerusalem, 

so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

Acts 23:10

 

In this verse Yeshua promised Paul he would go to Rome and bear witness of Him.

But in the next verse we read something interesting,

 

“Now when daylight came, the Jews formed a plot and bound themselves by an oath and 

under a curse neither to eat nor drink till they had done away with Paul. 

There were more than forty [men of them], who formed this conspiracy [swearing together this 

oath and curse]. 

Acts 23;11-15

 

Wow right?! Hours after the Lord spoke to Paul the enemy launched an attack against him!

In the natural Paul had no chance against this attack. There were forty Jews who were in on this

including the chief priests and elders.

But we need to look at what was really happening here.

The enemy thought he could stop the Lord’s purpose for Paul. he is so deceived that he thinks he

can stop YAH.

The Lord had promised Paul he would bear witness in Rome. Nothing would and could stop that

from happening. No matter the weapons the enemy used, they would all fail.

But the enemy thought he could challenge that!

 

The enemy’s plans for you will not succeed. Hold on to that truth with all you got.

The truth is this, he is a defeated foe and no plan against you can prosper because the Lord

is with you.

No matter the scheme, no matter the plan, no matter the weapon, they will all fail because the Lord

is protecting you and guiding you on your journey. His plan for your life will come to pass and that

is why I said you need to trust Him with everything you got. The enemy will try to deceive you into

believing he is winning but it’s a lie.

Trust the Lord’s leading, trust He is protecting you, trust He is in total control.

The journey we are on is long and there is plenty opportunity to get discouraged. But even when we

fall we must always remember that the Lord is with us. He is protecting us and directing our every step.

As I end this post I want you to see how powerful the Lord is. Look at the way he thwarted the enemy’s

attack;

 

‘Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.”

Acts 23:16

 

The Lord used a young man! That’s all He needed. He didn’t break a sweat stopping the enemy’s plan.

The Lord has defeated the enemy and will continue doing so on our behalf with ease!

Don’t be discouraged. Keep trusting, keep praying…..

He will accomplish what He promised you.

Bless you friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The life He wants us to have……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy,”

John 10:10

 

This is a very known passage of scripture, a scripture that gives us insight into who the enemy is and

what drives him. The plan is very clear and we know what he is about.

But how many of us know the last part of that scripture which talks about another plan, Yeshua’s plan

for us. Let’s take a look at it,

 

“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)”

 

I love this! He wants us to enjoy life and have it to the full. Despite what our circumstances say, the Lord

wants us to have abundance, He wants us to enjoy life!

Are you experiencing these things?

If I am honest with myself I don’t look for those things enough. I don’t demand them enough!

 

That doesn’t mean a life without trials and challenges.

Those things will come but there will also be victory, there will be peace, there will be

freedom, there will be reconciliation, there will be forgiveness a whole host of other things.

His plan for us is good and only good.

 

And the thing we need to realize about this is that the Lord’s plan is stronger than the enemy’s plan.

Yes his plan is all bad but he doesn’t have the final say. The Lord has the final say and He says, He has 

come so we may have life and enjoy life and have it in abundance!! 

The enemy would like us to believe his plan is our reality but he is a liar. The stuff he stole will be restored,

and his weapons will not accomplish what they were designed for. They are powerless against us because

the Lord is our Shield and Protector.

Yeshua has the final say over what our lives will be, not the enemy.

Have a great weekend friends…..

 

Rolain

What God can do with a life…..

“But when some where hardened and did not believe, but spoke 

evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and 

withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of 

Tyrannus. And this continued for two years, so that all who 

dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews

and Greeks.”

Acts 19:9, 10

 

Look at what happens when God gets a hold of someone.

Paul’s life was not meaningless. God used him in such a

mighty way.

 

The word says he reasoned daily at the school of Tyrannus for

two years and because of that “all who dwelt in Asia heard the

word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.”

 

That is pretty mind blowing if you ask me.

The whole of Asia got to hear the good news because of Paul!

Did that happen because Paul was qualified? No!

That happened because of God.

 

Look at what else happened through Paul,

 

“Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 

so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from 

his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil 

spirits went out of them.”

Acts 19:11, 12

 

“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their

deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought 

their books together and burned them in the sight of all. 

And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty 

thousand pieces of silver. 

So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. “

Acts 19:18-20

 

Don’t look at your life and think it’s ordinary because it’s

not. God has a plan and purpose for you.

That will look different for us of course.

Your mission is not the same as my mission.

Your gifts and your experiences are unique, specially designed

to help you accomplish what God has called you to do.

 

Don’t despise what you are doing today.

Paul was reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus for two

years! Did he know the whole of Asia would hear what God

had put in his heart? I don’t know.

But everyday for two years he went to the school and spoke

the good news. It didn’t seem like much.

I don’t think he knew this was how the whole of Asia would

hear the good news!!

But God was in control, guiding him. He knew the truth.

 

As I close this post I want you to see the bigger picture.

Your life is important to God.

The world says you are a statistic but not God.

Don’t be discouraged where you are today.

Your life has meaning.

God is in control of your life.

 

God bless you friends!

 

Rolain

 

In the darkness God has an answer!

We are going through a difficult time in our nation Zimbabwe.

Just look at the news and you will see

what I mean. In this kind of atmosphere it is very easy

to think ones life is pointless and aimless. Can God make a way

for us in such darkness?

Is this intense darkness stronger than God’s glorious

light?

How will God’s plan work itself in such circumstances?

 

You may be in the same situation I am in, a situation where

things seem so bleak, so dark. What is the answer?

For the answer, let’s go to the word.

There is a man I would like to talk

about. Things looked bleak for him. His life

seemed like it was over. There was no answer in sight for him.

His name was Aeneas!

 

“Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he went

down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedfast

for eight years and was paralysed. “

Acts 9: 32, 33

 

Aeneas was paralysed.  His circumstances told him his life was

over. He couldn’t move.

He was bed-ridden for eight years and paralysed. I can’t

imagine how he felt. Did he have hope things would turn around?

I highly doubt it. But even though he was bed-ridden for eight

years God had a plan for his life. Even though he was paralysed

God had a plan.

 

“And Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [now]

makes you whole. Get up and make your bed! And immediately

[Aeneas] stood up.

 

Then all the inhabitants of Lydda and the plain of Sharon saw

[what had happened to] him and they turned to the Lord.”

Acts 9:34, 35

 

Did you see that? ALL the inhabitants saw what happened

and turned to the Lord! It’s amazing to think the key to a

whole town’s deliverance and salvation came through a

paralysed man! The enemy had a plan for Aeneas and we know

this because sickness and death are not part of God’s plan. It’s

the enemy that kills, steals and destroys.

But God’s plan prevailed because God is always stronger

than the enemy. There is not a time the enemy is stronger than

God, never!

 

When I read this story I was in awe. How God works is beyond

what you and I can comprehend.

I don’t know if Aeneas knew what God was going to do.

I don’t know if he knew God would use him to turn the hearts

of an entire town or city…..

 

What I do know is that Aeneas had been bed-ridden for eight

years and was paralysed but God had a plan for him. No matter

how bleak things seem God has a plan. No matter how dark

things may appear God has a plan. His plan will prevail.

Trust in the Lord.

That’s my declaration.

God bless you friends….

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

How destiny works.

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“You drove out the nations with Your hand and it was Your power that gave [Israel] a home by rooting out the [heathen] peoples, but [Israel] You spread out.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭44:2‬ ‭AMP‬‬

As I read my bible this morning this scripture stood out. I

believe God has a destiny for each and everyone of us and

His desire is to see us walk in it.

God had a plan for Israel, His chosen people.

 

“It was Your power that gave [Israel] a home.” 

 

Israel did not get a home by their own strength. Their

enemies were much stronger then they were. They were slaves

and had nothing but God is the One who gave them a home!

By His power they were saved.

By His power they entered the promise land.

 

When it comes to God’s plan for you remember this:

It is by God’s power that you will accomplish it.

God’s plan for your life is not dependant on how smart you

are, how qualified you are, how strong you are, how savvy

you are. It depends ENTIRELY on His power!

It is by His power you will accomplish His plan for your

life.

 

“For they got not the land [of Canaan] in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your countenance [did it], because You were favorable toward and did delight in them.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭44:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Amen

Rolain

 

photo credit: Google images

 

 

 

What God thinks about our desires…….

You have given him his heart’s desire and have

not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

[pause, and think of that]! Psalm 21: 2 (Amplified)

 

A very interesting passage of scripture if you ask me.

As I read it I thought about desire. What role does

desire play in the life of a believer?

What does God think about our desires?

I guess that’s the most important question.

If we are going to talk about desire we need

to talk about disappointment. How many times

desire has come only to be disappointed……

but is that God’s plan?

 

Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you

the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3

 

The thing a wicked man fears shall come upon

him, but the desire of the [uncompromisingly]

righteous shall be granted. Proverbs 10:24

 

May He give you the desire of your heart and

make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

 

I think you will agree with me that God wants

us to have desires.

I may even dare say that some of the desires you

have where given to you by God…!!!

 

This is my point, don’t abandon desire. It is

not wrong to have desires.

 

The pharisees did away with desire. They were

into following rules and traditions. All I am saying

is that, God wants to give you the desires of

your heart.

But desire is much too complex to end here.

It is your responsibility to bring your desires

before God. You can pick up desires from the

wrong things and that is why you need

to bring them to God. An unchecked desire

is a dangerous thing so be careful.

 

Let’s look at the Psalms 21:2 again:

 

You have given him his hearts desire

and have not withheld the request of

his lips. Selah [pause, and think of that]

 

David may have written this Psalm so

he may be talking about himself.

If that’s so then God gave him his hearts

desire and never withheld his the request

of his lips!!! That is amazing right….

 

Are you talking to God about the desires

that are in your heart or have you buried

them deep, so deep that you don’t

even know what they are? You have not

allowed yourself to desire because you

fear being disappointed.

My advice to you is, don’t abandon

desire. There is a chance it might be

thwarted but desire anyway. That

could just mean it was not of God.

Don’t be afraid of your desires.

Stand them up to the word of God and

let them go if they are not from God.

He has given you the desires of your

heart and His desire is that they be

fulfilled…..

 

Rolain

 

 

 

A strategy to destroy a dream!

“Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, 

Why have you come out to draw up for battle?

Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants

of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let 

him come down to me.  1 Samuel 17:8 

 

How could Goliath speak to the people of God

like that? These were the people of God for crying

out loud. Didn’t Goliath know who they were?

That is irrelevant because God’s people lost

sight of who they really were.

 

When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the 

Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 

1 Samuel 17:11

 

God loved His people, He had big dreams for His

people but…….

 

The Philistine came out morning and evening, 

presenting himself for forty days.  1 Samuel 17:16

 

….but for forty days Goliath came and defied the

armies of God! Why didn’t they just attack Israel?

We already know Israel was greatly afraid

when Goliath came out to taunt them.

They could of taken Israel out and in a way,

they did.

The enemy managed to instill fear in the heart

of the Israel. They didn’t stop after the first

week, instead, they taunted them for forty

days……

The enemy knew exactly what they were doing.

They knew the power of fear. For forty days

Israel saw the giant. That’s all they saw.

Fear made them see the giant and everyday the

giant kept on getting bigger. The stories kept

getting grander. During the forty days, Israel

saw nothing else but the giant. They never

saw a chance of victory, they never saw hope,

all they saw was a giant……

 

Fear blinded them from seeing God!

The army of God never saw their God!

 

You need to know that the enemy’s strategy has

not changed. He still uses fear to paralyze you, he

still uses fear to stop you from seeing God.

He still uses fear to destroy any hope you may

have. If he had his way, he would keep you in fear

for the rest of your life.

 

But then David came!

 

He had a relationship of God that was so amazing.

He loved God and his heart was for God. David

had a relationship with God that was like no other.

 

When he went to visit his brothers he was the only

one who saw something wrong. He was the only one

who didn’t fear the giant!

 

God’s presence in your life will break the hold

of fear.

Because David spent time with God he could easily

identify the fear and confront it head on.

Am I saying David never struggled with

fear ever? He battled with it indeed but as

he spent time with God he overcame it.

 

The enemy wants you in fear because he knows

that will get your focus off God.

But when you spend time with God, you will be

able to fight the fear. David didn’t rely on his

own strength. He trusted God as he approached

the giant.

 

As I read this story I realized the enemy will

do anything to stop us from accomplishing our

destiny. He knew God had a plan for Israel

but he used fear to stop them!

He might be doing the same thing to you today

but I am here to say there is a way out.

You don’t have to listen to the fear.

Look to God, trust Him, spend time with

Him! He is the answer.

Don’t be afraid of the future. God has an

amazing plan for your life. He is personally

guiding you.

I saw that so clearly today. There are some things

happening in my life that have made me fear but

God doesn’t want me to focus on the fear. He wants

me to look to Him and realize He is in TOTAL

control. Fear distorts the truth……

At the end of the day I made a decision to trust

instead of fear.

What will your decision be….?

 

Rolain