When Things Go South…

God is bigger than our circumstances.

We need to remember this constantly. Even when everything seems to be failing and crumbling around us.

Even when our circumstances are telling us that there is no hope, we need to trust in God.

There is a scripture that I would like to share that has been helping me so much.

“Though the fig trees should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields

yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer’s he makes me tread on my high places.”

Habakkuk 3:17

As you can see Habakkuk was having a difficult time. Things were not going well at all but despite what was

going on around him he chose to focus on the Lord.

The bad circumstances he was facing did not weaken his faith in God.

His faith remained resolute and unwavering.

What are you believing in the midst of difficult situations?

Are you convincing yourself that you are doomed, that there is no way out?

I want to encourage you to look to God. He wants to help you through what you going through.

Let me share one more scripture with you,

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.”

Psalm 146:5-7

The Creator of the Universe is our help!

The word says we are blessed because he is our Helper.

So don’t remain silent as go through the storm. Ask Him for help. Put all of your hope in Him.

Bless you friends

Rolain

Big Problems, Bigger God!

There will always be giants to fight, trials and difficult times that come our way but we must always remember that

no matter how big the giants are, or how threatening the trials and problems seem, that God is bigger than ALL the

problems we face.

In the midst of the problems you face remember that God is bigger.

There is NO problem that you are facing right now that is bigger than God.

And it’s especially important where you are focused. Make sure that you are not focused on the problem alone.

Focus on the Lord in the midst of what you are going through.

The enemy wants you to focus on the problems, and the giants that are in your way so much that they seem bigger and

stronger than God. That’s what happened to Israel when they faced Goliath.

Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

1 Samuel 17:8-11 NLT

And this happened for 40 days and nights. (1 Samuel 17:16)

They were so focused on the GIANT problem in front of them that they forgot that God was bigger and much stronger than Goliath. But that was not the case with David. He knew God was bigger than Goliath. He was confident that God would destroy Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

Friends, I want to encourage you to look to God in the midst of the difficult things you are going through today.

He is bigger than EVERY problem you will ever face.

No matter what you are going through call on Him.

You don’t need to go at it alone. You are not alone in the fire.

God is with you and He will deliver you!

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

Psalm 18:2 NLT

Bless you friends

Rolain

What Are You Holding Onto In Difficult Times?

When you are in a difficult place, what are you holding onto?

Are you holding onto God’s Word or man’s word?

God’s Word is sure, reliable, trustworthy and dependable and that’s

what you should be holding onto.

In the book of Acts chapter twenty-seven we read a very interesting story.

Paul is imprisoned and is on his way to Rome because he appealed to Caesar.

They boarded a ship and reached a place called Fair Havens but instead of staying there

until the seas become a bit more calm the centurion decided to proceed with the journey.

Paul warned them that he could foresee loss of cargo and even loss of life.

But the centurion decided to listen to the captain of the ship which makes total

sense because the captain had experience and he probably sailed those seas hundreds of times.

But look at what happened when they listened to the captain’s advice,

“We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo

overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither

sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope

of being saved.”

Acts 27:18-20

The captain’s advice was wrong even though he was the most experienced and even though

he probably sailed those seas hundreds of times.

As we face the storms of life we need to hold on to God’s Word over any other word.

That’s the only word that can and will get us through the storm.

Man’s word will fail and disappoint but not the Word of God.

After that Paul told all the men that an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him that no

soul would be lost. Paul held on to the word of the Lord and encouraged the men to do so.

And what the angel spoke came to pass. There were no souls that were lost. Everyone reached land

safely.

“The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached

land safely.”

Acts 27:44

We can depend on God’s Word because it is sure, trustworthy, reliable and dependable.

“Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word

has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.”

1 Kings 8:56

Bless you friends

Rolain

When bad things happen…

“Even when bad things happen to the godly ones, 

the Lord will save them and not let them be defeated by what they face.” 

Psalm 34:19 (TPT)

 

Life can be unpredictable. One moment you are having a great day then the next moment

something bad happens.

It makes me think of the time I had a car accident. One moment I was trying to sleep in the back

seat and in the next moment the car lost control. Thankfully no one was injured.

God saved us that day because at the speed we were going we

should have come out much worse.

 

But the thing is this, even though life throws curve balls at us God can be depended upon.

When bad things happen we can turn to Him for help because He will save us. No matter what

the enemy throws at us we will survive it because God is true to His word. We may fall but

we will also get up again and again and again. We won’t stay down.

If you are in trouble today pray to Him. He will help you.

He will save you from the trouble you are facing.

 

He protects us from every trouble!

 

Enjoy your weekend friends…

 

Rolain

Focus on Him, not the waves…

Life can be really tough right and what makes it worse is when we focus all our energy and attention on

the problems we are facing. We worry, stress out, fear, panic and fret as we dwell upon all the problems

we face but there is a better way.

I was stressing out this week. Things were not going well and I was panicking and anxious but I remembered

Peter.

In faith, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water but as he was approaching the

Lord the word says he began to be aware of his surroundings (the enormous waves and the wind)

and became frightened and began to sink. (read Matthew 14:27-30) 

 

“Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, 

O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

Matthew 14: 27-31

 

As long as Peter set his gaze upon the Lord he walked on water but when he took his eyes off the

Lord and focused on what was happening around him he began to sink and I know that’s what

was happening to me. But the Lord wants me to keep my eyes on Him in the midst of the trouble that

comes my way.

What are you focused on today?

Are you focused on your problems more than the Lord?

 

Consider  Psalm 91:14, 15:

“Because he has focused his love on Me, I will deliver him. I will protect him because he knows

my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him in his distress. I will 

deliver him, and I will honor him.” 

 

The enemy would like us to get our minds off Christ. he doesn’t want us being victorious. he loves

it when we are in bondage, in fear, anxious and stressed.

But the Lord wants us to be free. He wants us to receive the answers and solutions we need to

the problems we are facing.

Let’s stop focusing on the waves. Let us focus on the Lord no matter how terrifying the storm is.

He is bigger than any storm we will ever face and that is why He wants us to focus on Him!

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

 

He delivers us from trouble.

“For He has delivered me out of every trouble, and my eye has 

looked [in triumph] on my enemies.”

Psalm 54:7

 

What trouble are you facing today? God will deliver you.

Which giant is standing in your way? God will move him out of your way.

 

The enemy thinks he is powerful but is not. he is under the impression that he has a

chance against you but he is so wrong. Because God is with you, victory is yours!

God will deliver you out of EVERY trouble you face, not some troubles but EVERY trouble.

That is the truth.

 

As I end I want to share a testimony of what God did for me.

Things have been pretty crazy in the country right now and our economy is in a bit of a

state with everything doubling or tripling in price but salaries staying the same.

So a few days ago I went to the shop to buy groceries because I had run out but as I swiped to pay

I had the dreaded insufficient funds message! I panicked a bit as the month is not

yet over. My mind started racing. How was I going to survive the next week and a

half with no money? How was I going to do when I ran out of fuel?? It was crazy.

But when I got home I remembered to pray about my problem. So I did. I brought it

to God.

A few days after that a friend blessed me with some money! He didn’t know I had nothing.

The money would get me to the end of the month and help me with the things I was worried about.

 

All praise to God.  I hope that testimony encourages you and helps you to realize the

Lord will deliver you from every trouble you are facing.

Call to Him. Tell Him what you going through. Ask for His help. Don’t remain silent.

He will come to your rescue.

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

 

In the face of overwhelming odds……

“And the Philistines gathered to fight with Israel, 30 000 chariots and 6000 horsemen and troops like sand 

on the seashore in multitude.” 

1 Samuel 13:5

 

Saul and his army were in serious trouble. The enemy outnumbered them 1000 to 1 (it could have been more).

The enemy had cornered them with no way of escape, they were trapped!

 

As I read this story I think about the battles, the trials, and the storms we face. They vary right?

Some are not as devastating, then there are some that have the potential to rip your world apart.

But whatever the case storms are difficult. They test us, they rock us to the core. They show us who we

really are and where our faith and focus are.

 

Saul and Jonathan were in real danger. To add to the fact that the army they were facing outnumbered

them 1000 to 1, they had no weapons! (read 1 Samuel 13:19-22)

The only people with weapons were Saul and Jonathan. It’s crazy to think they had 2 swords

between them!  How big was Saul’s army? He had a 600 strong army (read 1 Samuel 13:15)

 

So as you can see, their chances looked grim. But this is where the story gets interesting because against such

overwhelming odds something amazing happened. What happened is a lesson, a strategy for us to use as we

face the terrifying storms, the trials, and the challenges.

Let’s take a look at what happened;

 

“One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor bearer, “come let us go over to the Philistine garrison

on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.” 

1 Samuel 14: 1

 

So to backtrack a bit, the only people with swords were Saul and Jonathan but Jonathan decided to go over

to the Philistine garrison without telling his father which meant he had one sword.

With one sword Jonathan would face an entire garrison! Had he lost his mind???

Look at what he told his armor-bearer;

 

“Jonathan said to his officer who carried his armor, “Come. 

Let’s go to the camp of those men who are not circumcised. Maybe the Lord will help us. It doesn’t matter

if we have many people, or just a few. 

Nothing can keep the Lord from giving us victory.” 

1 Samuel 14:6

 

Jonathan was brave but his dependence was on God. That’s why he was so confident, so sure.

His faith wasn’t in his ability with a sword. His faith was in a God who was stronger than any enemy

he would ever face. And it wasn’t his sword that delivered him. It was his faith in God. That made all the difference.

And that’s how powerful faith in God is.

What situation are you facing today? What kind of storm are you in? Is your faith in God or are you focused

on something else??

It’s not the people you know, your intelligence, where you work,

how much you serve in your church that will get you through the storm.

It’s faith through and through. Faith really does move mountains.

Faith in God is not a lost cause.

There are times when it seems like God is silent and taking matters into our hands seems like the next

best thing but it isn’t. Give God room to move. Put all of your faith in Him and see the things He will do.

God knows everything. There is not a single thing that gets past Him.

In your darkest season trust Him. It’s your faith in God that makes all the difference.

Bless you, friends.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

When courage is lost.

“[Those aboard] mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the deeps; 

their courage melts away because of their plight. 

They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end [all their 

wisdom has come to nothing]. 

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.”

Psalm 107:23-30

 

“Their courage melts away because of their plight” 

 

I can understand that. Life throws things that have the potential to melt away your

courage. It can throw things that render you hopeless and weak.

Situations that leave you clueless and powerless.

But what I want to look at and discus is how you deal with those situations. There will always

be giants stronger than us. We will always be faced with hard things that we don’t have answers to.

But knowing how to deal with those situations will make all the difference.

 

Psalm 107:23 paints a vivid picture for us. There were sailors out at sea and a storm

arose. The sailors knew a lot about the sea and you would expect that knowledge would help them,

but it didn’t. Their wisdom came to nothing. With all their experience and knowledge there was

nothing they could do. They didn’t have answers.

All hope they had of being saved was crushed. Their courage was lost.

But things turned around because of one thing and one thing alone, God. Their situation turned around

not because they were skilled, not because they were sailors and had tons of experience, and not because

of their strength.

When they cried out to God in their trouble He heard and saved them. The bible says it this way,

 

“Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.”

 

When you are at your wits end, when your courage is lost because of the enormity of the

storm cry out to God. He doesn’t expect you to deal with the storm by yourself. He expects you to call Him.

He expects you to trust Him in the fiercest of storms.

 

When the sailors cried out to God, He delivered them from their distress.

What are you going through today? What trouble are you facing?

Has your courage gone because of your plight? Is your hope lost?

Don’t lose heart in the storm.

God is with you and He will carry you through.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

A faith that cannot be destroyed…..

“So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to crumble away. 

We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes, 

moving mountains and casting them into the sea. 

For the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith 

in You.”    Pause in His presence.

Psalm 46:2, 3

This scripture spoke to me today.

I was thinking about the difficult things we face in this life

and wondered if the storms we face are eroding our faith in God or strengthening it?

Is the constant onslaught of the enemy slowly eating away at your faith?

We must be careful when this begins to happen.

The more intense the fire gets the more we rely, and lean on Him. We need to beware

our faith is not diminishing as the onslaught continues because that’s the enemies goal.

He wants to decimate our faith, decimate us. he wants us hopeless, he wants us in fear, he wants us

paralyzed.

Let’s take a look at the definition of the word erode.

Erode definition

1: to diminish or destroy by degrees:

a: to eat into or away by slow destruction of substance (as by acid, infection, or cancer)

b: to wear away by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice flooding eroded the hillside

c: to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if by eating or wearing away inflation eroding buying power

 

The eating away of your faith doesn’t happen suddenly. It happens in degrees. It’s barely visible and

before you know it your faith is wrecked.

We need God’s help against this attack. The Lord is by our side always and no matter how many attacks

the enemy launches he will not succeed. Don’t lose heart in the fire. Don’t give up in the fiery storm.

He will save you every time! Keep hope alive.

And this is the thing, your faith may be as small as a mustard seed but that’s enough for the Lord

to work with.

Things WILL get better, the storm will pass. Hold on to your faith.

No matter how intense the storm gets ask Him to give you strength to keep holding on.

Bless you friends….

 

Rolain

 

When in doubt and fear, remember the good things the Lord has done!

Walking in faith is not an easy thing to do. There will be days you will get discouraged and doubt if

the Lord will come through for you. I have been learning to be patient as I wait on Him for my answer

to prayer but there have been days when believing is really hard. I had one of those days a few days ago.

As I brought my requests to Him thoughts of doubt flooded my mind. Will He really answer my prayers,

I thought. But as my mind was racing I began to think about the things He had done so far. I began to pull

out all the things He had already done for me. As I did that my faith began to increase. At the end of the

exercise my faith was restored. I was full of faith and AM still full of faith He will come though for me,

that He will answer my prayers.

 

And that got me thinking about how powerful remembrance is. We don’t give it the credit it deserves

but it is powerful.

 

“Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.”

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

There are so many scriptures on remembrance if you want to get deeper understanding. What I experienced

was the effect it had on me as I did it. It increased my faith. My hope was renewed. Because the fact of the

matter is that the Lord HAS done amazing things for me. In different seasons of my life when I needed a

breakthrough, when I was in chains, when I was in darkness, when I was desperate, He came and saved me,

He came and picked me up, He came and fought for me, He came and delivered me.

 

I know the Lord has done amazing things for you too. What you need to do though is remember those

things constantly. They will help you in really tough times. The only time remembrance doesn’t

work is if nothing has happened and as we all know, that is not possible. Yeshua is constantly doing

great things throughout our lives.

 

“If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them? you 

shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to

all Egypt.” 

1 Chronicles 16:12

 

As long as we live we will always be faced with giants and they come in different forms and sizes. But

we need to remember the giants that have come in the past which the Lord defeated! There are many

defeated foes. That will help you as you face the giants standing in your way now. That’s what David

did, remember?

 

“I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! Goliath, the Philistine who is not circumcised, will be 

like the lion or bear I killed. He will die because he has stood against the armies of the living God. 

The Lord saved me from a lion and a bear. He will also save me from this Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:36, 37

 

David remembered how the Lord delivered him from the lion and bear and and that is why  I think he was

so confident when he went to face Goliath. He remembered how powerful the Lord was. We need to remember

the good things the Lord has done for us more frequently. Forgetfulness is a thief and we must not allow it to

continue stealing.

Let’s ask the Lord to help us in this area.

 

Will you do something for me as I close? Write down the top ten things you think are amazing that the

Lord has done for you. Ten is the minimum. If you want to write more feel free to write more. The Lord

has done so much for us and there is so much He is about to do. Let’s not forget. Let’s always

remember the things He is doing because He is always doing.

Also feel free to share a few of the things He has done for you in the comments below. Your testimony

will bless someone!

Blessings to you friends…..

 

Rolain