Fight With A Song

The past couple of weeks have been hectic but there is something that has really helped me in those difficult times.

When I felt overwhelmed I would put on some worship music and begin to praise God. And what a difference that would make. I would come out of there feeling energized and refreshed and answered.

So after that I decided to increase the amount of worship. And it’s really helped. Even though there are difficult days worship takes my focus off the problems and onto God who is bigger than anything I am facing.

I share this with you to challenge and encourage you that worship is a powerful weapon we have been given by God to fight against the devil’s schemes. Because the devil wants to kill the sound of praise in your life. He wants to silence you because he knows the power of praise in your life.

There is a story in the word about Paul and Silas.

They were in prison but at about midnight they began to praise God and as they praised Him there was an earthquake and the prison doors opened. They were free. (Acts 16:25)

You may be in a prison at the moment and you feel beat down and defeated but I want to encourage you to praise God. Make it a habit in your life and use it constantly. Even when things are not going your way, praise Him.

And that’s my encouragement and challenge to you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

God sees what you are going through.

Thought of the day

“I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy and steadfast love, because You have seen my affliction, You have taken note of my life’s distresses, And You have not given me into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a broad place.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭31:7-8‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

 

You have a reason to hope and praise the Lord because what you are going through hasn’t gone unnoticed. He sees everything you are going through. He knows all the things that are stressing you out, big and small.

You are not going through the valley alone. He is with you always.

“You have taken note of my life’s distresses”

And not only does He see but He acts. He is fighting for you and making a way for you. He is a shield around you. Don’t panic or fear. The Lord will bring you through the difficult things you are facing because He is faithful and because He loves you so much.

Bless you friends

Rolain

What does God see when He looks at us?

“God has not beheld iniquity in Jacob [for he is forgiven], neither has He seen 

mischief or perverseness in Israel [for the same reason]. The Lord their God 

is with Israel, and the shout of praise to their King is among their people.” 

Numbers 23:21

 

This is a pretty amazing verse if you ask me. Balak hired Balaam to curse

the people of Israel but things were not going according to his plan.

Blessing was happening instead of cursing. Balaam could only speak what YAH

told him. But that’s not the amazing bit, whats amazing are the words YAH put in

Balaam’s mouth to speak (declare).

 

Up to this point Israel had rebelled against YAH in so many ways. They were back

in the desert because they failed to believe YAH could take them to the promise land

even though they were by the “door”.

 

They complained, tested, grumbled, and worshipped other gods (the golden calf) so you would think

YAH would allow the cursing to happen as a way of punishment for all the wrong things they

had done to that point. But that is not what happened.

 

Instead of allowing Balaam to curse them, He let him bless them!

He had forgiven them completely. Through all the bad they did and all the bad they were

going to do YAH still forgave them. He didn’t hold their sin against them.

This is a picture of how merciful our God is. We deserve worse because of our sin

but that’s not what we get.

The Israelites failed YAH so many times and yet He still loved them, He still forgave them,

He stopped Balaam from cursing them.

Do we really understand how great YAH’s love is for us?

I think the enemy lies to us that our sin is unbearable to YAH and because it’s so

unbearable, He will keep His distance from us. That’s a lie.

 

I am not saying it’s okay to sin, what I am saying is that YAH loves us no matter what.

There are consequences for sin and that is shown by the Israelites who never made it into the

promise land because of their unbelief.

 

But to say that the Lord hates us and can’t stand us because of sin is a lie. When He sees

us, He sees His children. He loves us so much.

You may have messed up and are continuing to mess up but know that you can repent.

Confidently cry out to Him when you fall. He doesn’t disown you when you sin. He picks

you up and that’s how much He loves us

We are truly blessed….

 

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

 

 

Unworthy!

As I got ready to serve at church today I had a thought;

 

I am not worthy to stand before the Lord.

I am not worthy to serve before His people.

 

Today is Resurection Sunday and it is a strong day!

Jesus conquered the grave and set us free and here I was

having these thoughts.

My mind immediately went to the movie “Thor”

Yes people, I was thinking about “Thor” during church!    😦

 

I thought about his hammer and how the only person able

to wield it had to be “worthy”!

There was a time in “Thor” when he wasn’t worthy. His dad

banished him from Asgard and took his hammer.

As he banished him to another world he sent the hammer

after him and spoke to it saying, “anyone worthy enough would

wield it”. Those are not the exact words but they were something

to that effect.

 

But this is the thing, can we be worthy?

Thor became worthy after he realised the errors of his ways.

By his own strength he became worthy but I think they got it

wrong there.

We cannot become worthy on our own. It’s impossible!

In fact, I don’t think it’s about that at all.

On this earth we will always be flawed. We will sin and struggle

with sin but it’s because Jesus Christ is worthy that we can

stand before Him!

 

“Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “

Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was

able to open the scroll, or look at it.

Revelation 5:2, 3

 

No one was worthy to open the scroll!

No one IS worthy still…..!!

No one but Him!

 

“So I wept much, because on one was found worthy to open and

read the scroll, or to look at it.

But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion

of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open

the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the

four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb

as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,

which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him

who sat on the throne.

Revelation 5: 4-7

 

It’s a long passage of scripture and I encourage you to read

the whole chapter but the point is this. He was and is the only

One who is worthy! Our mission is not to become worthy but

we are to trust in the saving power of the cross every single

day of our lives. We are to trust in the One who is worthy!

That’s what this day is about.

Death, the enemy, thought he

had won but he was wrong. Jesus Christ was the winner.

He saved us and made us righteous. Because of Him we can

stand confidently!

 

I don’t serve because I am worthy because I am the man,

because I am perfect, far from it! I serve because God makes

me able to serve.

On this strong day I realised I am unworthy, yes! But because

of what He has done He has makes me able to stand.

I rely on His grace and mercy consistently because without it

I would be a dead man walking, I would have no future, no hope,

nothing!

He is the One who is worthy! Amen and amen!!

Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

Australia – Part 2

Hi friends!

It has been a week since I got back from Australia and

I have been racking my brain wondering what I should

share with you. It’s crazy!! At first I thought I would

share the places I saw, the fun things I did, but quickly

scratched that. It was fun going to the beach and sight

seeing but there was more that happened. The kind of

stuff that can change a man! Without taking anymore

of your time let’s get started.

 

WHY AUSTRALIA?

 

This is why we went. The Kingdom Festival happens every

year and this year, my pastor’s wife was the guest speaker!

If you live close to the Gold Coast I strongly urge you to

attend Kingdom Festival 2016. In fact, wherever you are

in the world I ask you to prayerfully consider going to

Kingdom Festival 2016. Please click here to find out more.

 

VISION

On the first night of the festival we went for something

called “vision night”. This was where the pastor cast the vision

for Kingdom Festival. I was deeply impacted by the event.

The dinner was held at the Metricon stadium. God told

him Kingdom Festival will be held at the stadium. It seems

crazy but you know what, that stadium will be filled!

Kingdom will be held at the Metricon because God said

so and because His people believed Him!

The vision was so clear, so precise. That is what vision

is supposed to be, very clear, precise with no room for

misinterpretation! I was moved. The pastor had faith

and he was declaring what God showed him. That is what

faith is. It is being bold

enough to speak and declare what God has revealed

even when it doesn’t make sense.

I want to challenge you about your vision. Is it clear?

Can someone run with it after they read it? I am speaking

to myself as well. I am still unclear about what God has

in store for me but I want to be clear. I want my vision

to be as clear as day!

 

The Metricon

 

MIRACLES

One of the speakers at the Festival had raised numerous

people from the dead (not at the Festival but in his life)

Lots of people were healed during the Festival because

of him. I am sharing this because I realized something.

The days of miracles is not over. We are living in the

end times and miracles are happening. Jesus said

greater things shall you do! I want to do those great

things. It is not for a special set of people but for

anyone and everyone! That is the revelation I got after

hearing the speaker.

 

EVERYTHING ELSE!

I want you to understand something. Going to Australia

was a miracle for me. My church has a congregation of

about 3500 people right. So out of all those people I was

chosen to go. In a team of 6 and I was among those

who were chosen! I don’t take that lightly. God was everywhere

at the Festival.

He was in the people I met, in the word I heard during

the Festival, in every worship song that was sung, in the

fellowship of the saints. I can’t put into words what I

experienced. God put imparted something in me,

something I will fight to maintain! This was not just another trip.

I refuse to stay unchanged! God did some deep work

in me and I refuse to sit on it.

This was not a coincidence but a moment that was

ordained by God.

 

Don’t stop trusting in God friend! He wants to take you places.

He wants to show you how good He is. It’s not about how

clever you are, or how rich you are, which family you came

from, which country you live in. Are you available?

Do you trust Him? There is nothing stopping Him

from blessing you, from bringing the breakthrough,

from healing you! Run to Him!

As I finish I want to share a few more pictures with you.

There was a lot more to share but for the sake of time and space

I cut it short. I hope this post spoke to you.

God’s chosen people!

 

God is moving in Australia!

 

Kingdom Festival!

 

A people hungry for the Lord!

 

A procession unto the Lord!

 

That is me!

 

I love to worship!

 

And that is all I have to share. God bless you all….!    🙂

 

Rolain

 

The children were doomed…….

When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a 

riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed 

his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing

my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From 

now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”

The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and 

our children after us.   Matthew 27:24, 25 

 

I don’t know about you but I was in shock when I read this

scripture. How could they say things like that?

That was so unfair, so selfish…..

I don’t think the kids would approve. The

crowd cursed their kids just like that. There was no

thought behind what they were really doing. Blinded by

hate they doomed their children!

 

I was angry at the crowd’s ignorance. Shame on anyone

who thinks only of themselves, and forgets there is a much

bigger plan at play. I was hurt by the words they spoke.

What did their kids do????

They were innocent in all of this. They had dreams and

aspirations. But their futures were in danger because of the

carelessness of their parents!!!! That made me so mad.

But as I was thinking about that the attention shifted from the

crowd to myself.

What am I doing now that will prepare the way for my kids?

Am I speaking life, prosperity, victory, peace and other

strong words into their lives or am I cursing their future with

my words???

But it goes much deeper than just words. As a single man

I have a part to play in the future of my kids lives.

Understand what I am saying here. I have a part to play.

I thank God my kids futures are not dependent on my

success or else they would be in deep trouble. God is

the One who is holding them in His hand. He is the One

who created them and called them. He is the One

who knows them by name and is holding their lives in

His powerful hand.

I have a part to play in this amazing story.

Let’s look at a scripture,

 

And David the king went in and sat before the

Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what

is my house and family, that you have brought

me up to this?

And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O

God; for You have spoken of Your servant’s

house for a great while to come, and have regarded

me accordingly to the estate of a man of high

degree, O Lord God!

1 Chronicles 17:16, 17

 

God as you know has a plan for you but He also has

a plan for your kids. That is the exciting news if you ask

me.

Not only has He got a plan for your kids but He has a plan for

their kids and so on and so on!

In other words He has a plan for your posterity!

Let us take a look at another scripture:

 

David told the crowd:

God chose my son Solomon to build the temple,

but Solomon is young and has no experience.

This is not just any building – this is the temple

for the Lord God!

That’s why I have done my best to get everything

Solomon will need to build it – gold, silver, bronze,

iron, wood, onyx, turquoise, colored gems, all kinds of

precious stones, and marble.  1 Chronicles 29:1, 2

 

I love this…..David didn’t sit and expect his son to

walk in his calling. He prepared the way for him. He knew

God had called Solomon and he did all he could do to help

Solomon. We have the awesome responsibility of preparing

the way for our kids even in our singleness. We will not

curse our kids with our words like the crowd did.

How we live our lives has an impact on our kids too. We are

not perfect but we can do something to prepare the way…..

When God sees me and my life He sees a generation.

When He blesses me, He doesn’t stop there, He blesses

my posterity! Today I will make sure I am running after

God’s plan for me. I will pursue purity. I will pursue a

deeper relationship with Him, because all those things have

an effect on my posterity.

 

For He has strengthened and made hard the bars of your 

gates, and He has blessed your children within you. 

Psalms 147:13

 

This is one of my favorite scriptures. The Lord has blessed

my children within me and because of that I am grateful.

It wasn’t because of me that He blessed them but it was

because of His grace! And even now by faith I declare that

my kids will do great things for God not because I am

perfect but because I trust in a great big God. Their

future is secure I declare.

God has blessed the work of their hands.

Favor is with them everywhere they go.

They will bring many people to the Lord!

They will have wisdom far beyond their years.

They will walk in purity

and most importantly of all, they have a deep

relationship with God.

God will be the first and the most important thing in

their lives. They will be sold out for God……

 

That is my declaration….what is yours???

We will not curse our kids but bless them in word

and in deed.

Amen!

(Our children’s ministry is having a camp so I will be away for a

few days starting today. Please pray for me and the team that is

going. Pray for the kids as well.)      🙂

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The problem with being a virgin….!!!

It’s being a while since I have written about my

journey, my journey of singleness! It’s an important

season and we should give it the credit it deserves.

I am writing on singleness because there has been

something I have been wrestling with. I have been

wrestling with the significance of my virginity in the scope

of singleness.

 

For ages we have been told to wait, “don’t have sex

before marriage.” That is all good advise and that is not

the issue. The issue I have is when we are told we will get

God’s best if we keep ourselves!!! “You will get God’s best

if you don’t have sex and don’t date until you find the One.”

Before I carry on I want to make something very clear.

I have kept myself, I am a virgin, I haven’t dated yet and

years ago that was my pride and glory! I held that up

to everyone and even to God. I was going to get the best

because I was pure, I kept myself! But I was wrong.

The advise we have been getting is incomplete.

As the years go by I realize more and more

that the woman God has for me will not be given to me

because of what I have done, but because of His grace.

She will be a gift!

I don’t want to get anything based on my

performance because the truth of the matter is I would

not get anything! God looks at the

heart and my heart is sinful. I may not have slept around

but I have sinned incredibly in my heart!!

 

To be honest with you, I don’t deserve God’s best. I have let

Him down so much. How can I stand before Him holding

up MY version of purity (filthy rags) and with pride say,

“God give me your best”….!!!! It doesn’t work like that!

Don’t get caught up in law (I kept myself so I want this

kind of woman or this kind of man)

God is looking at your heart. He wants to give you the

best because He loves you not because you did this or

did that.

 

But if you have kept yourself please understand that I am

not attacking you. I want you to see that God will give you

the best because that is the kind of God He is.  Look at what the word says,

 

For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration

[to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity].

1 Thessalonians 4:7

 

The word says we should DEDICATE ourselves! That is

such a strong word. We dedicate ourselves to purity

because we want to honor God in our hearts of hearts!

We dedicate ourselves to purity because we love Him

with every fiber of our being.

When David committed sexual sin with Bathsheba he

ran to God. His heart was torn at what he had done.

But it was never about “I am a man after God’s heart”!

He saw himself as a man under God’s grace. He fought

to stay humble in his own eyes.

Don’t get caught up in the law side of things. We don’t

deserve anything from God to be honest. All the “good”

we have done is like filthy rags.

 

If God has someone out there for me it will be because He

loves me. And on my wedding day the focus won’t be on how

many years I kept myself, or how I never dated and so on but

the focus will be on God’s amazing grace and love.

It will be about how much God loved me a sinful man that He still

went ahead and gave me His best even though I didn’t deserve it!

It will be a day of praise

to Him. A day where people give Him the glory…….

I will have nothing else to stand on but His goodness

and grace and that is the way it should always be!

 

For those of you who think you have sinned so much that

you don’t deserve God’s best know this:

God loves you. He is a good God and He wants you to run

to Him. He knows what you have done but He wants to you

to trust Him. He has someone special for you.

Don’t believe the lie that there is no one for you. The lie

that says you have sinned too much.

The lie that says God can’t forgive you.

Just know, there is hope for you!

He has a plan for you.

 

God is so good. I think about all He does for me and

I thank Him. I have nothing to say. I am speechless.

I simply wait for His gifts and blessing that I didn’t

deserve or orchestrate. I do have a part to play but it

will not take away from ALL that God does for me.

Be encouraged in your season of singleness. God is

with you in it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Rolain

 

 

Don’t stay there!!

I have been feeling overwhelmed lately.
I have been looking at various situations in my life and have
felt dejected.
It all feels hopeless.
I thought I was strong enough for the battle but
I was wrong.
I thought I could handle the pressure but
I was wrong.
The waiting is difficult
I look at the situations and realize there is nothing I can
do….there is nothing Rolain can do!

How many of you have been at that place?
How many of you have been at a place of
hopelessness, where hope has seemed to vanish?
A place where the problems seem too much, too big
for you to take on?

In all of my thinking a thought came to me.

I could either stay in that place, or I could look to
God, the One who is in control of my life.

I could stay in a place of hopelessness or
I could trust Him to turn things around.

I could stay in a place where I think nothing is
happening or I could chose to speak about the things
God is doing in my life even when I don’t see them?!

I could stay in this place and talk about how bad it is
Or I could praise God because He has a plan for me and is
Bringing it to pass….!

Remember this: If you are in that place, you have a choice. You can either stay in that place of hopelessness where you think God doesn’t seem to be doing anything or you can see all the amazing things He has in store for you!

It’s okay to have days where you feel overwhelmed, and so on but don’t stay there! Move to a place of faith! Move to a place where you can see God move because the truth of the matter is, He is always moving!

God has great things in store for you!
He has made your life beautiful.
He is leading you in ALL of your steps!

Rolain

The doors will open…..

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

If God opened the first door He will surely open the second,

third, fourth, fifth door……..

 

As God opens doors of opportunity for us we must rest and be

assured He will open the other doors.

 

No matter how impossible it seems know this:

He opened the first door so He will open the second door and

ALL the other doors! Wait on Him!

 

In this moment of waiting be thankful that He has opened

the first door. Meditate on it, realize it was no small thing!

The doors will open.

He is good indeed……

Rolain