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

 

 

How the wars in your life are won!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

 

We all have wars to fight. We cannot run away from battles. They are a part of life but how are we to deal with them?

How do we become victorious? We find the answer in the book of Samuel.

 

David strengthened himself with trust in his God. He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Bring me

the Ephod so I can consult God. Abiathar brought it to David. 

Then David prayed to God, Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them? 

The answer came, go after them! Yes, you’ll catch them! Yes, you’ll make the rescue! 

1 Samuel 30: 6-8

 

When the Philistines got word that David had been made king over all Israel, they came on the hunt for him.

David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. When the Philistines arrived, they deployed their forces in Rephaim Valley. 

Then David prayed to God: “Shall I go up and fight the Philistines? Will you help me beat them? 

Go up, “God replied. Count on me. I’ll help you beat them.”

2 Samuel 5:17-20

 

Later there was a repeat performance. The Philistines came up again and deployed their troops in the Rephaim

Valley. David again prayed to God.

This time God said, don’t attack them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and ambush them from the grove

of sacred trees. When you hear the sound of shuffling in the trees, get ready to move out. It’s a signal that God is going

ahead of you to smash the Philistine camp.

2 Samuel 5:22– 24

 

Time and time again we see this pattern throughout scripture. Whoever it was, they always sought The Lord first.

As we face the battles that come our way we need to realize we can come to God. He is our Defender and He will fight for us.

The mistake we make is we think we can do it on our own. But it’s not true!!!! We are not strong enough, and smart enough. We need

Gods help. He is the One who will deliver us. I have tried at times fight on my own only to fail. David as great as he was,

and as great as an army he commanded always sought The Lord first. He didn’t rely on his own strength and on the strength of his mighty men.

 

Who are you relying on when you go to war?

Is it the weapons you possess or the connections you have or the family you come from or the riches you possess?

The experience you have, the intellect you possess????

That means nothing if you don’t seek The Lord. You will fail if you go out alone!!!

Rely on The Lord when you go to war! Rely on God when you face the giants in your life!

 

Rolain.

The key to breakthrough is……

We need prayer in our lives. Prayer is the key to the breakthrough we are

seeking in our lives. But how do we pray for the breakthrough?

Luke 11 has the answer.

“Here’s what I am saying:

 

Ask and you’ll get;

 

Seek and you’ll find;

 

Knock and the door will open. 

 

Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. 

 

This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. 

Luke 11:9

It is that simple, actually too simple! But this is the thing. I have

had things I have asked for and sought which I still don’t have.

There are some things I have been waiting for weeks, months and years.

Are there things you have been praying for that you are still waiting for from God?

Has He forgotten or simply just ignored those requests? No!

The answer is in the story He tells before hand…..

“Then He said, “Imagine what would happen if you went to a friend in the middle of

the night and said, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. An old friend travelling through

just showed up, and I don’t have a thing on hand. 

The friend answers from his bed, don’t bother me. The door’s locked; my 

children are all down for the night; I can’t get up to give you anything. 

But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend, if you stand your 

ground, knocking and waking all the neighbours, he’ll finally get up and get you whatever you need. 

Luke 11:5-8

There is a principle in this story that I totally believe in and apply. A principle that keeps me asking and stops me from giving up. The principle is this, Friendship is not enough at

 times when it comes to prayer,

“But let me tell you, even if he won’t get up because he’s a friend….“

We have a relationship with God but that doesn’t mean He will hear us all the time. Sometimes we will need to be persistent! The friend gave the bread because of the persistence of the other friend!

There is a saying I have, Persistence will get you what friendship can’t. I even wrote a post about it some time ago. I can’t get into it right now but all you need to know is,

to get breakthrough you need to persist. Friendship will help at times but at other times we need something more.

The point is this. Be specific when you come to God in prayer. Be very clear. Ask, seek

and you will find. Then persist. If something doesn’t come through keep knocking,

keep seeking, and you will find! God is not trying to hide things from you. He has so

much in store for you. God bless.

Rolain.

Persistence vs Friendship. Part 1

There is something God taught me that I would like to share with you. It is actually a principle that I try to live by as consistently as I can.

PERSISTENCE WILL GET YOU WHAT FRIENDSHIP CAN’T!

Persistence is very important in a person’s life. Can you say that you are persistent in all that you do? Believe it or not but there is power in persistence.

Jesus tells a story about persistence and in this context, prayer. In Luke 11:5-10 He tells a story about a man who in need of bread goes to his friend at midnight. Even though he has a legitimate reason we read that the friend will not get up to give him bread. This is his friend who needs help but doesn’t get it. Friendship in this case is not enough. But listen to what will get him what he needs,

“I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”
Luke 11:8

Please understand, there are things that you can’t get because of friendship that you can get only through persistence!
What is the lesson here? It is ok to say you know God but He wants you to be persistent.

“So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.
For everyone who asks and keeps on asking recieves; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
Luke 11:9,10

I have been in a lot of incidents where I wanted something from a friend but never got it only to get it after I bugged them daily!!!
This principle works. I have experienced it first hand.

In part two of this post I will expound more on this principle.
As I end always remember, Persistence will get you what friendship can’t!!

Rolain.

How Do We Make Our Lives Count?

We all in one way or the other want to make our lives count. We want our lives to be significant but how is the question. Today we have a plethora of information on the subject. So I am going to add to that information. The question is, how do we make our lives count?

James 4:10 says:

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

So that is the short of the matter but let us go back to verse 8 if we are to get the full picture.
We want our lives to count. We don’t want to be another statistic. But to do that we are to draw close to God. As we draw close to Him the word says He will draw close to us. We are to recognise we are sinners who have been disloyal to Him with divided interests and we are to purify ourselves of the spiritual adultery that we have committed against Him!
In verse 9 it says:

[As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].

This is all part of humbling ourselves which needs to be taken seriously. As we humble ourselves we see God as He really is. We see Him in His full power. We also see how we cannot accomplish anything of worth without Him! In our humble state we are able to let God be God and have His way.
And that is the long of the matter!!

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. James 4:10
(Amplified)

Rolain.

God’s Favour In Our Lives!

What are you seeking? Are you focused on the right things in life. I spoke about this in detail in a post entitled “What Are You Seeking” that I wrote last month but I came across a scripture that reminded me of it. This is one of my favourite scriptures which ministers to me everytime I read it.
In a world where we have been trained to be “realistic” what have we come to expect?

Proverbs 11:27 says:
He who diligently seeks good seeks [God’s] favour, but he who searches after evil, it shall come upon him.

He who DILIGENTLY seeks good seeks God’s favour! In all the things that you are doing, have you being seeking good? In other words have you being looking for positive results?
In the company you have started have you been expecting to succeed or fail?
In the plans that you have, do you expect to fail or to succeed?
When you seek and expect good things to happen to you in everything you are doing you are actually seeking God’s favour!
God wants you to be a success in every area of your life so you can be a blessing to others.
Yes bad things happen in life but don’t seek them. Don’t expect to fail. Don’t plan to fail because the word is clear when it says:

“but he who searches after evil, it shall come upon him.”

I encourage you to expect good things to happen to you. Seek good things to happen in your life. As you do that you are seeking God’s favour!!!
Amen!

Rolain.P

The Secret of the Quiet Place.

We live in a very fast moving world. We also live in a world where we are constantly being bombarded by information. If it is not television, its radio. If it’s not radio it is internet and so on and so on. My point is this, it is very hard to be silent. It is extremely difficult to just have uninterupted times of silence! But this is the thing, we need times of silence. They need to be a vital part of our lives.

In those times we meet God. In those times we get to offload all the baggage we have acquired. In those times we get to strip ourselves before God and be open about what we are facing. In those times we cry out to God. In those times we get strengthened to face other greater challenges.
So without those times we are in trouble. How many of us take time to spend with God? We need those times to learn how to hear God. So if we don’t have quiet times how can we survive?

The main reason we need to have a quiet time with God is to meet with Him!
So where are you? Do you have those times when you are silent before God, where you allow Him to deal with your heart and where you allow Him to speak to you and refresh you? If not make a decision to have that time. It will change your life as you do it.
He is waiting for you.

Rolain. P