A belief problem.

What we believe is so important if we are going to achieve all that God has for us.
Our beliefs can either hinder or propel us so we must be very aware of what we
believe. For a very long time I believed I was nobody and nothing good would happen
to me and that shaped the way I looked at life and the way I lived life.
When great opportunities came my way I would turn them down because it was “too good”
for me. I didn’t expect much to happen to me because that is what I believed.

We can see the danger of a wrong belief system in the word of God. The Israelites
were chosen by God. He had amazing plans for them. But they didn’t believe they
were special. They had a belief problem. When they were by the door of the promise
land they stumbled and fell short because of what they believed.

 

“But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are
stronger than we are.”

They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there
are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the
Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to
them.”
Numbers 13:31-33

 

They had so much potential because they were sons and daughters of God but what they
believed trumped the potential in them.

“It doesn’t matter how much potential you have, it’s what you believe that matters” is what
I was taught.

So in other words, what you believe is stronger than the potential in you.
Before I gave my life to Christ, I didn’t see myself as much. I thought nothing of myself
and even though I had the potential, my wrong beliefs silenced the potential in me.
What do you believe about yourself today? What do believe about God? Do you believe
all the good things the word of God promises you?

It’s time to take a long hard look at what we believe and ask God to help us as we believe
what He has said about us, and as we believe His promises for us.
The enemy is working overtime to get us to believe the wrong thing but we can’t let him
win. May the Lord reveal wrong beliefs that we have adopted that have stopped and hindered
us from growing and progressing.

The Lord has put so much in us and it must be realized and released. It must be unleashed all
for His glory and this is the season to start!
Bless you friends!

Rolain

 

I want to follow you Lord, but……!!

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:21-22‬ ‭MSG‬‬

What a sad story. Jesus called the young man to follow Him.

What an honor, what a privilege BUT the word tells us he was

holding on tight to a lot of things and he was not about to let

those things go….

 

Think about that for a minute.

 

There is no doubt that Jesus is calling us as well. So what

are some of the things you are holding on tight to?

We can’t be like the young man who was unwilling to let

them go.

I can think of a few things I am holding on tightly but I need

to let them go…..

Will you obey the call to follow the Lord by releasing those things

you are holding onto tightly??

That’s my challenge today.

Rolain

Scars of Loss.

If we are to experience God’s best there is a price to pay. This was so clear to me as I was reading Bob Sorge’s book on prayer. Are you prepared to pay the price, because there is a price?
The enemy has come and taken things, he has come and plundered our stuff but there will be restitution. He will pay for all he has done but there is a price.
I have been deeply challenged by the words I have read. This is what he had to say:

“There is a steep price to pay if we are to experience restitution.
What does qualifying for restitution mean?
And even though there is restitution, the reality of the actual loss is a scar that marks us forever.

Take, for starters, Job.

The indelible mark left upon Job because of the loss of his first set of ten children. Yes, he was changed, healed, restored, and given a second set of children. But nothing could erase the fact that he had lost his first children. They were gone forever, and their absence represented a hole in his heart that nothing could fill. This left an eternal scar on Job’s soul“.

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.  Job 41:10
We read Job’s story with no clue at the cost he had to pay for restitution. He lost his kids. All his kids. It didn’t mean just because God blessed him with more kids he forgot about the pain and the tragedy of losing his first ten kids. On the contrary the pain of losing his children would forever be with him.

–  Paul is another example of this. Paul was a mighty man of God who God delivered. At the end of his life Paul testifies of God’s faithfulness by saying,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7

Paul faced impossible opposition! It was not an easy road. For Paul to say what he said, had such a weight and significance. He didn’t just leisurely get there. He nearly died and was actually prepared to die for Christ. His deliverance and glory came at a huge cost. Consider this:

2 Corinthians 11:23-30

²³ Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

²⁴ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

²⁵ Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

²⁶ In journeying’s often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

²⁷ In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

²⁸ Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

As you can see, Paul suffered a lot.

The last person I would like to point out from the book is Naomi. The author says:

Naomi was comforted with Obed’s death, but she never got her husband and two sons back.
Ruth 4:17-22

We like happy endings but we need to realize like Job Naomi lost her family!
She was happy that she had a grandson but the fact remains, she lost her family and she had to live with that truth everyday of her life! She paid a huge price.

What I would like you to see through all of this is, what you have gone through, what you going through is not all for nothing! It is for a testimony! I would like you to start seeing your scars differently. Your scars are a reminder of what happened to you but they are also a testimony of God’s faithfulness. Let me give you one last practical example of what I mean.
I was abused as a child. My dad was a violent man and a drinker. I lived most of my childhood in fear then in shame and insecurity. I was abused physically and verbally. I have scars to prove it. Today, I can look at those scars and hate my dad but I don’t. I look at those scars and they remind me of how God saved me! I have come a long way because of God! The scars are a testimony of God’s faithfulness, do you understand? Look at Jesus, His nails bare the mark of what He paid on the cross. It is a reminder to us of how much He loved us. His scars are a testimony!

The author goes on to say, The point is: The losses are real, and the scars eternal. And yet, the suffering is worth it because of the glory which is revealed in us.

And I will stop there. God is so good. I hope you will look at your scars differently. There is a price to pay to experience God’s restitution.

Rolain

Why Did He Lead Them There??

What an eventful day its been. It has been confusing as well. I have been going through something and learning a few things about myself in the process. I got home and was meditating on the day’s event’s when I decided to go over what I have to teach on Sunday at kids church when something spoke to me. Its the story about the Israelite’s when they were released by Pharaoh. The plagues had destroyed Egypt literally and Pharaoh had enough. He let the slaves go. Can you imagine how the Israelite’s must of felt on that day?? They must of being ecstatic!!! They had been slaves for 400 years and now they were free!!!! God had delivered them with a strong show of His power. Things would never be the same for these people. They were off to a land that flowed with milk and honey! Oh what a day it must of being…..The singing, and the dancing, the jubilation, the laughter, the cries of joy, the sound of children playing!!! What a day it must of being!!!

As we read on we see how God lead them to the Red Sea. That’s what caught my attention. Why did He do that? He knew the Egyptians where coming. But God had a plan and a reason for bringing them there! Even though the Israelite’s couldn’t see the plan, God had a plan for leading them to that place.
But imagine how it looked from the people’s side? Imagine how they must of felt looking at the greatest army in the world!!!! They must of heard them and then they saw them!! What a terror filled sight it must have been. The Egyptians where out for blood. And they were trapped!!! The Red Sea was blocking their escape!!! It seemed like it was the worst situation they had ever faced!!!! It looked hopeless. It was better to surrender than die.

And in a way I felt like that. I found myself asking God why? Why am I in this situation? How do I get out? It’s confusing for sure and I don’t understand. The Israelite’s missed it. They never realized God had a plan. What seemed like a hopeless situation, what seemed like the worst circumstances ever was actually an opportunity for God to move. He had a plan for them! He knew how He would deliver them. They just had to trust Him. I see now that I need to trust God. Things may not have worked out the way I expected but God has a plan. Things may not make any sense but God has a plan for leading me here.

You may feel like it’s the end, like you can’t go on but know God has a plan. Your terrible situation is an opportunity for God to come through. He doesn’t lead us to hard places because He has nothing to do, No!!! He has a plan to bring us out stronger. Trust His leading. He has our best interests at heart. He wants to see us fulfill our callings. He will not abandon us. God has led you to the place you in for a reason. It’s not to die but to show you something about Himself! You need to trust that things are going to get better. You are going to come out stronger. God knows how He is going to deliver you.

Rolain