The word you need to hear when you are in a difficult place…..

“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of

Mary and her sister Martha.”

John 11:1

 

Mary and Martha were going through a really hard time. Their brother

Lazarus was very sick. They must of thought the sickness was serious

if they had to send for Jesus.

 

“Therefore the sisters sent to Him saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love

is sick.”

John 11:3

 

Yeshua’s response is something I really believe we need to embrace and receive

in this season. The world around us is crumbling. The systems that have been established

for so long are shaking and breaking.

Can we keep on looking to man as things are getting crazy and crazy?

How can we explain the pressure that we experience on a day to day basis??

Let’s look at Yeshua’s response after being told that Lazarus was sick;

 

“When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death,

but for the glory of God, and the Son of God may be glorified

through it.”

John 11:4

 

The amazing thing is this, Yeshua knew things would get harder for the

sisters. He knew Lazarus would die. And that’s what makes His declaration

so powerful.

Through Lazarus sickness and eventual death Yeshua knew He would be glorified

because He would have the opportunity to show the people His power!

He would have an opportunity to show the people how weak the enemy really was

by raising Lazarus from the dead!

That’s amazing to think!!

 

The enemy may try to lie to you that he is more powerful than God but he really isn’t.

Your pain and hardship is an opportunity for Yeshua to be glorified.

Understand this, He doesn’t go around causing chaos so He can then come in and

save the day. If He did, then we would be in real trouble.

The God we serve is loving and merciful. He would never let harm come to us. It’s the enemy that

goes around causing chaos hoping we would be destroyed in the process. But like I said, the enemy

is not as strong as he thinks he is.He is a defeated foe!!

 

The enemy thought he had dealt this family the ultimate blow but he was SO wrong!

He had no idea that the evil he had planned would be an opportunity for Yeshua to be

glorified. Let’s look at how badly he was beaten;

 

“Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’

sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.

But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many

of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. ” (emphasis mine)

John 12:9-11

 

The enemy was defeated badly!

So in your situation know that the enemy has no chance. It may seem like he has the

upper hand at the moment but YAH will turn your situation around because He is stronger

and has already defeated him!

 

I want to show you one more thing,

 

“Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did,

believed in Him.

But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.”

 

“Then from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.”

John 11:45, 11:53

 

After reading the response to the amazing miracle Yeshua performed by

some of the Jews and the Pharisees one things is clear to me.

 

The enemy hates all that is good!

 

What an amazing miracle Yeshua performed but there were still people who

totally missed it. All they had was hate in their hearts for Yeshua.

They even went as far as plotting the death of Lazarus who did nothing but

get raised from the dead!! That really gives us insight into what the enemy really thinks

about YAH and us.

 

Let that sink in, the enemy hates all that is good and I don’t just mean that in a general way,

he also hates everything good in your life!

He doesn’t want anything good happening for you. He would love it

if he could take you out. He wants to see you discouraged and hopeless.

It would bring him satisfaction to see you fail and miss YAH. He hates

you and wants you gone! Let me rephrase that, he hates us and wants

us gone!

 

But we are under the protection of the Almighty! No matter how hard he tries

and no matter what kind of weapons he fashions they will not prevail over us

because we belong to YAH. He is protecting and watching over us.

In the hard times have faith. Look to YAH. He will carry you through.

He will be glorified in your dark times. The enemy may try but he cannot respond

to that truth!

Praise to Yeshua!!

Bless you friends!

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can God still use me??

 

Ever wonder if you can still be used by God? Well, a friend

sent me a poem that encouraged me so much regarding this

very thing. We can still be used by God, friends.

In fact, He is using us as long as we are open hearted and willing

to be used.

 

A USEFUL AND BETTER TOOL

 

If you want to be like those of old,

Who were sent to win the world,

Here’s the secret of their precious lives:

 

They held still enough, so Jesus’ words could be poured into them.

They were weak enough, so that His light could shine through them.

And yet strong enough, so they could be used by Him.

Dependant enough on Him to pull them through.

And willing enough just to be His vessels and His tools.

 

Their torch has now passed onto you.

God’s purpose must be fulfilled.

If you are wondering what to do

and how best you can do His will?

The secret is still the same.

Close to Him you must remain.

And this is all that you must do.

 

Hold still enough, so Jesus love can be poured into you.

Be weak enough so that His light can shine through you.

Yet be strong enough so that He can use you

and dependent on Him to pull you through.

And that’s how He’ll make of you a better tool.

– author unknown

 

Blessings to you friends!!

 

Rolain

The old man who was fully convinced……

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“In hope against hope Abraham believed that he would

become a father of many nations, as he had been promised

[by God]: “So [numberless] SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS

BE,”

Without becoming weak in faith he considered his own body,

now as good as dead [for producing children] since he was

about  a hundred years old, and [he considered] the deadness

of Sarah’s womb.

But he did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the

promise of God, but he grew strong and empowered by faith,

giving glory to God being fully convinced that God had the

power to do what He had promised.

Romans 4: 18-21

 

I have been really impacted by Abraham. There is so

much wisdom we can extract from his story of faith. I read

the above passage of scripture yesterday and it spoke to me

deeply.

As we all know God had an amazing plan for Abraham. He

took him outside and showed him something glorious,

something amazing! (read my last post which went into 

great detail about what God showed him)

But there was a problem, Abraham couldn’t have children

because he was old. His body was dead!

His wife Sarah was in the same boat. She was barren and way

past the age of child bearing. So yeah, that was a problem!

 

What spoke to me though was how Abraham considered all

these factors but still trusted God. He believed what God

promised would come to pass. He never wavered or doubted!

He didn’t allow his dead body and Sarah’s deadened womb to

dictate what he could and could not receive. He didn’t allow

those things to stop him from receiving what God had

promised him.

He considered his own dead body and considered Sarah’s

barren and deadened womb but didn’t allow that to hinder

his faith in God!

 

That blows my mind!

 

The word tells us, ‘He was fully convinced that God had 

the power to do what He had promised.’ !!!!

 

Just because our circumstances are difficult or seemingly

impossible doesn’t mean we should stop trusting in God.

We should be fully convinced that God will come through

for us. I don’t know how Abraham did it because I have

failed in my faith numerous times. There have been times

I doubted God. But I think the important thing is to get up

when we failed. That’s what I did. I got up again and again.

I repented and moved ahead in my faith.

 

The lesson is this: Wherever you are in life, trust God. Everything

may be working against you but God is true to His word.

Stop looking at what’s happening around you. Don’t let that

determine what you should trust God for.

Faith doesn’t wait for the circumstances around you to be

favourable to work. Instead, it just works despite what is

happening around you!

 

There is so much I believe God wants me to do and to be

honest I looked at what was in my hands. I got discouraged

because what was in my hands was very little. It was

insignificant. I wanted to try and think up a plan but I read

the passage of scripture I shared in the beginning and

realised God didn’t want me to look at what I had. He didn’t

want me to rely on my own strength and He most definitely

didn’t want me deciding what I could and couldn’t do based on

what I had or how much I got paid and so on. He wanted

me to trust Him!

 

As I end I would like to leave you with two questions?

 

Are you looking at what is in your hand as you trust God?

Are you allowing what is happening around you to determine

what you should trust God for?

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

 

A thought about the impossible!

                                             photo credit: google images

 

“Lord,”Martha said to Jesus, “if You had been here, my

brother would not have died.

But I know that even now God will give You whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise in the resurrection

at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The

one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

Do you believe this?

John 11:21-26

 

I had to share the whole passage with you because it’s key to

what I want to speak on today. I was supposed to share

what I am about to share with you last week but something

happened last week to shake my faith. I was trusting God

for something huge and it didn’t happen! I was broken and

wondered why it never came to pass. But I realized

something. Just because something doesn’t happen in our lives

doesn’t mean it is too much for God, it just means it wasn’t

part of His plan for our lives. It took time processing that.

 

Anyway, lets move on. Last week God showed me something

that gave me so much hope! I was thinking about the big

things I am trusting God for but there was one thing in

particular I was doubting. As I was doubting if this thing

would happen I had a thought and wrote it down in my

journal:

 

We all know God does the impossible but there is

something you need to get into your spirit,

God can do YOUR impossible.

Whatever I am believing for that I think is impossible,

God can do. He is doing my impossible!

 

Look at Martha. She believed Jesus was the resurrection

and the life. She believed Jesus could do the impossible!

That was not the issue. But Jesus wanted her to know He

could accomplish her impossible! There is a big difference

between believing God can do the impossible and believing

He can do YOUR impossible!

 

Nothing in your life is too big for God to handle. When

you read of all those great things Jesus did in the bible

know He can do those same things in YOUR life. He cares

about you……

I was so encouraged when I got that revelation. I thought

to myself about the things I was trusting God for. I could

pray to God about that thing. He actually wanted me to

come to Him with “my impossible” things!

 

God has great things in store for you and no matter how

impossible they seem please understand He is the God of

the impossible, the God of YOUR impossible! Don’t doubt

Him. If something doesn’t happen after you have brought

that thing to Him then know that it wasn’t in His plan!

There is no such thing as, too big for God!

He wants to show Himself strong on your behalf!

Trust Him.

Amen!

 

Rolain

How He grows your faith…….

“When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, He said 

to Philip, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?”

He said this to stretch Philip’s faith. He already knew what He 

was going to do. John 6:5, 6

 

When Jesus and Philip looked out at the large crowd what did they see?

Philip saw an impossible situation! In his mind it was an impossible situation!

Jesus saw something different when He looked out at the crowd. He knew exactly what He was going to do. Philip on the other hand saw obstacles and barriers but Jesus wanted to stretch his faith.

I have been meditating on this verse for a couple of days now. It is such a powerful scripture…..

We are like Philip in many ways. There are situations in our lives where we look and think, “impossible”! How am I going to do this or do that? How, how , how……but Jesus already knows what He is going to do!

You may be freaking out because you can’t see a way out or a solution but Jesus sees, He has the solution!

But He won’t just come and sort it out, like Philip He is asking us the same question,

“Where can we buy bread to feed these people?”

He wants to stretch our faith. What was impossible in Philip’s mind was possible in Jesus’s mind! He didn’t see barriers, limitations, roadblocks or anything like that………

As long as there is faith, the impossible does not exist! Jesus wants to stretch our faith!  No matter what impossible situation you are facing please know that Jesus has the answer. He wants you to be able to face any situation and know He has the answer!!!! No matter how big, no matter how impossible, He want’s you to know He has the answer. Philip had faith in God but Jesus knew his faith in Him had to grow, it had to be stretched!! I am comforted to know that Jesus wants to stretch my faith! I want my faith to grow……There is so much bad happening around me that the only way to get out of it is to have strong faith in Him! Having strong faith will not erase the situation, instead it will help me walk through it with peace and confidence that He is in control!!! He is so good!

Rolain

 

 

The weakest link.

Today was a real eye opener for me. We have been teaching the kids about praise and worship for two weeks and today was the last week of the teaching. God really came down and touched the kids and I will boldly say we had a tangible manifestation of God’s presence. Words fail to express how amazing the service was.

 

But this was the eye opener for me – I never prepared sufficiently for the service. It was important for me to have planned because I am the one who decided on having a time in the year where we have a service specifically dedicated to teaching our kids the importance of praise and worship. I have been doing this for 6years and this was the 7th. But like I said, I did not plan sufficiently. I was not prayed up enough. I was not ready for today. I had feelings to deal with as well. I felt guilty for the sin I committed through out the week and thought it inappropriate to ask God for His help. I was not ready on all levels.

I realized how in this relationship I am the weakest link. I haven’t brought anything to the table. My contribution to this relationship is nothing…..I am the weakest link but unlike the game where the weakest link gets eliminated, God still works with me. He doesn’t eliminate me but bestows me with His grace. He covers my faults with His amazing grace and mercy. I was blown away today because God’s presence came down and touched the kids not because I had been prepared or prayed up, or because I was smart enough but He used me in spite of that! ! And thinking about that I realize how that happens everyday. We are the weakest link in our relationship with God but He stays with us. He still gives us a purpose that is bigger than we can imagine and loves us. He doesn’t tell us We are useless but instead makes us useful…….

Even though you are the weakest link in your relationship with God He will never leave. You will not be eliminated. It’s because you are weak that He will use you. You will do incredible things in your weak state because He will cover you. He will give you the wisdom you need, the strength you need……thank God for that. He is amazing.

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.

What you didn’t know about God’s will……

Moses and Aaron went and gathered together [in Egypt] all the elders of the Israelites. 
Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 
And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the Israelites, and that He had looked [in compassion] upon their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.  Exodus 4:29-31

The people’s believed what Moses and Aaron had told them. God would deliver them! They bowed their heads and worshiped says the word. But they didn’t fully understand what that meant. I know this because in a few verses later we see them rejecting what God told them,

And the foremen met Moses and Aaron, who were standing in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh. 
And the foremen said to them, The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made us a rotten stench to be detested by Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to slay us. 
Exodus 5:20, 21

The leaders were told about God’s will for them and they believed. They thought it was going to be plain sailing but they were wrong. God doesn’t work like that. Yes, He has a plan for us but it comes with trials and times of testing. The people failed to see that and it cost them dearly. God’s will for our lives is so amazing but to get there, we will need to go through stuff…..!
The “stuff” is to make us stronger. The “stuff” will strengthen our faith in God. Please understand what I am saying, God’s will is not all trials and testing and hardship. There are victories, times of peace, breakthrough, joy, laughter, favor and a whole lot more. We need that understanding about the two aspects of God’s will.

And I will bring you into the land concerning which I lifted up My hand and swore that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage. I am the Lord [you have the pledge of My changeless omnipotence and faithfulness].
Moses told this to the Israelites, but they refused to listen to Moses because of their impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage. 
Exodus 6:8, 9

Can you believe that? They refused to listen to Moses and this was only the beginning. There was still the desert to come!
But there is something I would like to touch on that was in the scripture we just read. Impatience can steal what God has for you. The Israelites were impatient. They were not willing to wait or endure. They wanted God to come through now! Don’t get impatient. Learn to wait on the Lord. He knows what you need.  They thought it would be a bed of roses but it was so much more. Walking the road God has set out for you is not easy. It requires courage and trust. I am on this road right now. I am so tempted at times to just take the wheel but God is in control.  The will of God for your life is fulfilling but you need to understand there is another side to it. God doesn’t test us for the fun of it. He has a purpose for it, to bring us out stronger in faith, to bless us beyond our wildest dreams…..He is truly a good God!

Rolain

The way to greatness……

How did THEY do it? The great men and women who went before us? How did they achieve greatness? One thing is for sure. None of those men and women became great in a day. It took time. Look at Israel, what a great example. Jacob was one man with a promise. He would become a mighty nation! Psalm 105: 11, 12 says,

Saying, unto you will I give the land of Canaan as your measured portion, possession, and inheritance. 

When they were but a few men in number, in fact, very few and were temporary residents and strangers in it. 

Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. We see from this short passage that God started with a few people. He started off small. It is doing the small things that great things are born. Without the small things you cannot be great. So you may have started writing but no one knows your name, please know there will  come a day when people will know your name, a day where your books will impact millions. Keep on writing. You may have started a company but it hasn’t picked up like you would want it too but know the day is coming when you will be so busy you will not know what to do with the clients that come to your place.

All great things start as small things. It is just the way it is. Don’t despise the “small” that you are doing now. It is to an end. God has a much bigger plan in store for you. It takes time for “small” to turn into great. You need to keep at it. keep pushing, keep trusting, keep declaring, keep on working. God knows what He is doing.                                                        I need to constantly remind myself of this truth. God is doing something and I must not despise the day of small beginnings. He is making me stronger, preparing me for the great and so it is with you. King David looked after his fathers sheep. But God was preparing him out there. He fought the lion and the bear out there. God was preparing him for the giant and more. He was preparing him to be a king as he was doing the “small”. Did he know what God was up to, I don’t know! People saw but didn’t understand. His own family didn’t see it. People don’t usually tend to see what God is doing but keep on with what He has shown you.

What you need to do, is see beyond the “small” as you do the “small”. Do you understand?? When you do the “small” see the end result. See the “small” in it’s completed state. If you are at school aspiring to be a doctor keep the picture of the doctor up. When things get hard at school, having the main picture in front of you will help you. It takes faith to see ahead. You can only see the big picture by faith! The “small”  you are doing now is the key. Don’t despise it.  The “small” is setting your foundation down and making it stronger. That is where greatness starts…..

Rolain

Are You Full or Hungry???

This is a new thing I am going to do. I will be jotting down thoughts that I have had for the day. There are thoughts that I know I should share but I don’t because I don’t have an avenue to do it, but that changes from today. Hope you enjoy them and I hope they inspire you!!!!!

 

The full man has no use for honey, but to the man in need of food every bitter thing is sweet.   Proverbs 27:7

 

Principle:  The word is showing us how important it is to live a life that is hungry. Hungry to grow, and hungry to learn. Once you get to a place that says, I have arrived you are in trouble! The full man will turn down even the best opportunities because he is “full”!!! Are you “full”?

 

When you are hungry you will begin to see things other people don’t normally see. When you are hungry you will do things that seem out of the ordinary to other people. When you are hungry nothing can stop you from reaching your goal…..

Which person do you want to be like, the man who is full or the hungry person? The decision is all yours…..!

Rolain