Refuse to give up!

It’s easy in difficult times to throw in the towel. The enemy wants you to give up but no matter how hard things get you must not give up because the Lord has amazing things in store for you and by not giving up you receive what God has for you.

Paul want through a lot in his life but through all that he faced he never gave up. For a run down of all the things he went though read,

2 Corinthians 11:23-26 but I want to focus on a specific story.

Paul was in Lystra ministering and had healed a lame man from birth. But some Jews came from Antioch convinced the people to stone him. When they thought he died they dragged the body outside the city but Paul had not died. And this is what I want to focus on.

Paul nearly lost his life but instead of quitting and giving up, he got up and carried on with his mission. He  went to another town and this is what happened;

 

“They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.”

Acts 14: 21, 22

 

There was no stopping Paul. At the end of his life he had this to say about his life,

 

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

2 Timothy 4:7

 

What a testimony.

We can’t give up. In fact, we must refuse to give up. So through the hard times keep going. Trust God every step of the way and ask for His help because He helped Paul on his journey. There is a race to run and finish.

Bless you friends

Rolain

2020: Unfazed – Part 1

I think you can agree with me that this has been a crazy year. It’s been intense, difficult, challenging,

hectic and so much more. But in the midst of the craziness, something beautiful has been emphasized

and that beautiful thing is JESUS.

His grace, power, goodness, and faithfulness have shone through the darkness and if He wasn’t with

me in this season I can confidently say I wouldn’t be here today. It’s only by His grace that I have got so

far.

 

So in this new series simply titled “2020” I take some time to stop and look back at all the amazing things

God has done in the hope to encourage you because as 2021 fast approaches we need to go into it full

of hope, and full of faith.

And we do that by remembering His blessings and how good He has been to us.

 

We also need to settle something in our hearts,

There is nothing that can faze the Lord

There is nothing that can catch Him by surprise and

There is nothing that can limit Him

 

No matter what the enemy throws His way, it is nothing to Him.

So as Covid-19 has wrecked havoc in the world we need to know and be reminded that

God is stronger and greater than Covid-19. He is not limited by it and it hasn’t cast a spanner

in His plans. God is working more in this time and His plans for us are very much alive in this

crazy season and even though we may have no idea what’s in store next year we know that God

is with us and is protecting us and watching over us.

 

No weapon formed against us will prosper. 

 

As I conclude I want to encourage you to not limit the Lord today. Keep dreaming, keep praying

and keep taking steps of faith in all that He has shown you. Don’t let the circumstances we are in

stop you from moving. Don’t let what’s happening in the world fill you with fear.

Be expectant for what God has in store for you. Look forward in hope because God is faithful.

Bring your fears, worries and anxieties for 2021 to Him.

He is your strong tower of refuge!

 

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

What is my food?

“Meanwhile His disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing

about.”

John 4:31, 32

 

Jesus knew why He was on earth. He knew His purpose and that dictated what He did. 

 

Thinking about it more, Jesus could have told the crowd to wait while He ate something

but His “food” was more important than eating at that moment. He understood His “food” 

had eternal consequences and would change people’s lives forever. 

 

There are so many times in my life when I have put making a living and surviving before

my “food” but the truth of the matter is that God has given us a purpose and a mission on 

this earth. He has promised to provide for our needs but how hard it is to balance the two! 

 

Do you know what your “food” is? 

If you don’t, ask the Lord to show you. Ask Him to reveal to you what your purpose is. 

He is not trying to hide it from you but He wants you to discover the amazing things He has 

in store. 

 

The world we live in is getting crazier and crazier and people need the truth. The “food” we have 

been given will bring light into a world that desperately needs it. 

So what is your “food”?

 

Bless you friends 

 

Rolain

 

No matter what you face…

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

 

“So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever;

for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:4‬ ‭AMPC‬‬

 

King David went through a lot in his lifetime. 

When it seemed like his strong enemies were close to taking his life, he looked to the Lord for help.

When he had to go into exile his trust was in God. 

God told him he would be king but as the years passed by and the promise seemed to be getting

more and more distant his trust was in the Lord. He trusted in the Lord’s faithfulness.

Through all the trials and challenges he faced, his faith in God never wavered.

In fact, that’s what got him through all those challenges.

So today I want to encourage you to continue trusting the Lord through whatever circumstance you are in.

Trust in the Lord forever because He is faithful. He won’t let you down because He is the everlasting Rock! 

 

Bless you friends. 

 

Rolain

The truth about failure

 

How do we respond to failure?

What kind of mindset do we adopt after we fail?

How we respond and the kind of mindset we should have when failure comes is so important

if we are going to grow and learn.

There is a train of thought out there that goes along the lines of, failing makes you a failure.

But is that true? Do our failures make us failures?

No it is not true. As long as we live on this earth we will have to deal with failure,

we will make mistakes, but those things do not need to dictate who we are as people or

what we are going to accomplish.

 

One of the most important questions we need to ask is, how does Jesus see us even though we

fail and make mistakes?

For the answer to that question we are going to look at Peter.

As you know he was a disciple of the Lord and loved him much. But one day before Jesus was

to be crucified, Peter was told he would deny the Lord.

Peter obviously denied it and declared his devotion and that he was ready to die with the Lord.

But as we all know Peter denied the Lord. He messed up big time. He failed Jesus and it seemed

like all was lost. How can anyone bounce back from that?

Imagine the headline in the newspapers the next day,

PETER DENIES JESUS!!

 

But let’s focus our attention on an interesting passage of scripture,

 

“Simon, Simon, satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you,

Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31

 

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him!

But instead of abandoning him or washing His hands of him, Jesus prayed for him and encouraged him.

Peter’s failure did not change the way Jesus saw him. It did not change the Lord’s plans for his life.

And this is important for us to understand. Even when you fail and make mistakes the Lord is with you.

He hasn’t abandoned or disowned you. Failure doesn’t mean the end of you.

It wasn’t the end of Peter.

 

It seemed like Peter’s story was over when he failed but we all know how powerfully he was used

in the creation of the early church. He was instrumental in the building of it.

And that’s how good the Lord is. Don’t allow your failures and mistakes to stop you in your tracks.

We are to grow and learn from our failures but never to stop and die.

Jesus has amazing things in store for you in the midst of failures. So because you are a son and daughter

of God you are not a failure but a victor and that’s the best news! 

 

On one last note, if you would like to get a copy of my devotional, click here. 

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

 

Stop and listen

““Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:41-42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

Mary knew there were things that needed her attention but she put them aside to hear what the Lord was saying.

The Lord knows what you need and He knows what you are going through but lay those things aside but not just anywhere, lay them at His feet and take the time to hear what He is saying to you. He has great news for you. He wants you to know He has sorted out those things you are worrying and stressing about. He cares for you deeply.

Bless you

Rolain

Is the door really closed??

As I considered my options I couldn’t help feeling discouraged. It seemed like I would not

get the breakthrough I was looking for. Should I even keep trying to pursue this opportunity

I asked myself?

 

I have been seeking the Lord for the next steps in my career and I took the step and tried something

new but I was stopped dead in my tracks. Did I hear God wrong?

Was this the direction he wanted me to go in?

 

We all have doors the Lord wants us to go through but there are times when it seems like the door is

tightly shut. At times it feels like the doors the devil has closed can’t be opened again but the Lord helped me

to see the truth.  The devil is not that powerful. He doesn’t have the power to close a door and keep it closed.

 

“And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Philadelphia write; These are the words

of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, 

Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open; 

I know your [record of] works and what you are doing. See! 

I have set before you a door wide open which no one is able to shut;”

Revelation 3:7-8

 

“And the key of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder; he shall open and no one shall 

shut, he shall shut and no one shall open.” 

Isaiah 22:22

 

From God’s word, it is clear that when God opens a door, the devil has no power to close it and when

a door is closed he has no power to open it. So just because the devil closes a door doesn’t mean

it will stay closed. That door will be opened. We must not let him deceive us into believing the door

can’t be opened. When I got this understanding I continued pressing forward. I did not give up.

I have faith God will breakthrough for me.

 

Before I go any further I want to add something,

The only time we should stop trying to go through a door is if God has said no but other than that,

we need to by faith keep going through the door. So what I am writing about are the doors the devil tries

to close. Those are the doors we need to bust open.

 

All doors the enemy has closed are meant to be gone through. It can be so discouraging when

things don’t seem to be working out but don’t stop praying and moving in faith.

 

The enemy is always trying to close doors that God wants us to go through. In the book of Ezra,

we read how the Israelites started rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. They were making progress but the

Samaritans opposed them. (Ezra 4:4) They didn’t want the Israelites to finish so they wrote and sent

a letter to the King of Persia who was the ruling power at that time. The letter was malicious and was

the enemy’s way of closing the door on the Israelites. The Samaritans got their wish because the

king commanded the building of the temple to be stopped immediately.

The door had been closed.

 

“Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped.” 

Ezra 4:24

 

But that was not the end of the story.

All the doors the enemy closes can be opened. He has no power to keep any door closed. Always remember

that.

 

In the next chapter the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied to the Israelites. They encouraged the

people to start building again which they did. The Samaritans tried to stop them again this is what

happened;

 

“Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province [west of] the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates,

the Apharsachites who are [west of] the River, keep far away from there. 

Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor and the elders of the Jews build this house

of God on its site.” 

Ezra 6;6-12

 

You can read all of the good things the king decreed but the point is this,

 

The enemy tried to close the door of opportunity on the Jews but he had no power to do anything.

The door God opened for His people would stay open no matter how hard the devil tried.

 

Don’t give up when the door seems to be closed on you. If God has not closed it then the

door is still open. The devil has no power to close and keep a door closed.

It is only God who has that power.

 

What to do when a door seems to be closed by the devil? 

 

The bible is very clear on what we are to do when that happens.

 

“Keep asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; 

keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you. 

For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking

finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [the door] will be opened.” 

Matthew 7:7-8

 

Don’t give up on the things God has put on your heart. Keep asking, keep seeking and

keep knocking.

Don’t be discouraged when things don’t work out. Keep looking to God. Keep praying to Him.

Things will work out for you. He will breakthrough for you!

Don’t let the devil deceive you in thinking the door can’t be opened. It’s not true.

Every door that he “closes” is not really closed!

Be encouraged today friends.

Bless you.

 

Rolain

 

 

A day full of promise!

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts, as [happened] in the rebellion [of Israel] and their

provocation and embitterment [of Me] in the day of testing in the wilderness,

Where your fathers tried [My patience] and tested [My forebearance] and

found I stood their test, and they saw My works for forty years.”

 

“Then while it is [still] called Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [in the desert, when the people provoked

and irritated and embittered God against them].”

Hebrews 3:7-15

 

Today is not just another day. Today is the day. We can’t change what happened in our past.

The future is too far away to make any meaningful change. What we have is today.

The Israelites sinned against God in the wilderness. they murmured, they complained,

they doubted, they envied, they tested God. He gave them chance after chance but their

hearts were hardened.

I don’t what your past has been like but know that “Today” the Holy Spirit is calling.

The past is the past. He wants to do something new in your life starting today.

You might be riddled by guilt but TODAY is a new day! The Lord is calling out to you.

 

Today is our second chance.

We messed up and messed up some more but today is our second chance.

A day can make all the difference when God is involved.

I have made mistakes,

I have made some bad decisions,

I have done a lot of dumb things in my life but as I read this scripture I believe God wanted

me to know today is a new day.

I don’t have to keep looking back at those things.

You don’t have to let the things of the past hold you back any longer.

God is calling you today!

And all you have to do is answer His call.

Don’t let today go to waste. Make the most of it by answering the Holy Spirit. In our own strength,

we will fail but with God, today can be a start of something great!

Amen!

 

Rolain

What power does worry really have?

“And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit)

to his stature or to the span of his life.”

Matthew 6:27

 

How powerful is worry? I am not talking about the negative effects of worry, like stress, depression,

mental illness and so on. Those are all the negative effects of worry that we are well acquainted with.

But what good things can worry really do?

The bible tells us there is nothing good about worry and it also shows us just how powerless worry is.

I am thinking like this because just the other day I was worrying and stressing about something.

After some time I realized worrying had accomplished nothing. There was no progress made, even a

little progress.

But instead of something good coming out of it the more anxious and fearful I got about

my situation!

 

“Does worry add anything to your life? Can it add one more year, or even one day? 

So if worrying adds nothing but actually subtracts from your life, why would you worry

about God’s care of you? 

Luke 12:25

 

The bible commands us not to worry. It reinforces the truth that God knows what we need

and will take care of us always. No matter what happens we will always have what we need.

Think about all the great things God has done, like creating the heavens and the earth,

all the animals, sea life and so much more and think about how much effort it would take

Him to grow an extra strand of hair for you or add an inch to your height. He would do

those things as an afterthought or with His eyes closed but the word shows us that worry

can’t even do something as minuscule as that.

 

After all, is said and done we cannot expect worry to help us with anything we face. There is never

a time worry is good for us. Worry cripples our faith in God. It brings in doubt and fear.

It always makes things worse for us.

 

The word tells us,

 

“Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, 

what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. 

Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent]

than clothing?” 

Matthew 6:25

 

We need God’s help because worry can feel so powerful, and real. It is in those times we

need to call on Him. Worry knows there is an answer for us but blinds us to it.

Its mission is to get our focus off God who is the way out and get us to panic, fear,

and be anxious. It wants to kill faith in the life of a believer. The less we walk in faith

the happier it is.

But we must choose faith no matter how real the threat of failure seems to be.

When it seems like that breakthrough is not going to come to pass we must keep trusting.

 

You may be feeling overwhelmed with the troubles you are in but stay in faith. God will

pull you through.

It may seem like He is late and the enemy is upon you but God will rescue you. He will not

abandon you and leave you helpless.

You might be on your last cent and have no idea where the next dollar is coming from but

He knows. He is the One who makes a way when there seems to be no way! Take heart.

 

Lord help us to walk by faith more and more in our daily life.

Help us to choose faith over worry, fear, and doubt always!

 

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

Let faith lead you and not doubt, anxiety and fear.

“The just shall live by faith.”

Galatians 3:11

 

I was challenged a few days ago as I thought about this scripture and what it meant for me.

It’s not talking about having faith occasionally and it’s not talking about faith as an event.

Instead this verse talks about faith as a lifestyle, as the driving force behind everything we

do.

As I live my life there needs to be an expectation that God sees and is working things out

for my good. I need to believe He is faithful to what He promised and even though

things are hard, He will deliver me and that my best days are yet to come.

I am not where I am by accident, so there needs to be a conviction that God has led me here

and He is directing my every step. The things that are happening in my life are not a coincidence.

The things I am believing for will come to pass. He has a purpose and plan for the gifts and talents

He has given me. I was not an after thought when He made me so there is so much more in store.

That’s what it means to live by faith and that’s what I feel I was challenged about as I read that

verse.

 

When things don’t go the way we want or we encounter difficult times that’s when

it becomes harder to hold on to faith, to live by faith. The difficult things we face can distort our

vision. We can lose sight of how great God is and instead of living by faith the doubts, fear, and anxiety

lead us. Instead of faith we become discouraged and hopeless. We lose sight of the big picture and

go into survival mode. But that’s not the way God wants us to live.

 

The just shall live by faith. 

 

In everything, He wants us to trust Him. In sickness, He wants us to trust Him for healing, in financial

turmoil He wants us to trust He will provide, in economic hardship He wants us to hold on to the truth

that He is our provider. When the door is closed He wants us to believe He can open the door.

When faced with a dark and grim life, He wants us to believe He has a future and an expected end

for us, that our lives will get better.

 

Don’t fall into the trap of getting by. As you work, or go to school have faith. He wants you to believe.

Because the truth of the matter is this;

 

The Lord is working on your behalf

The Lord is directing your every step

He is your Shepherd so you won’t lack

You were created for a purpose

Your life has meaning and relevance so even though it doesn’t feel that way, He is busy making sure

everything He planned and promised for you comes to pass!

 

Be expectant. Don’t take your life for granted. Don’t give up hope.

The Lord is in control and that’s all that matters.

Live by faith!

 

Blessings to you friends.

 

Rolain