A time of endurance…

“So Moses and Aaron gathered all the elders of the Israelites. 

Aaron told them everything that the Lord had told Moses. 

Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see. So the 

Israelites believed. They heard that the Lord was concerned about them

and had seen their troubles. Then they bowed down and worshipped

Him.” 

Exodus 4:29-31

 

The Israelites were in bondage for a really long time. Things had been really

difficult for them. So when Moses and Aaron told

them that God was concerned about them and had seen their troubles they must have

been encouraged.

 

But the hope they had quickly disappeared when the pressure intensified. The joy, the hope,

the faith they had was replaced with doubt, fear, and anxiety. They were not patient with the

Lord. They wanted the deliverance to happen that very instant.

 

“As they were leaving the meeting with the king, they met Moses and Aaron. 

Moses and Aaron were waiting for them. So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the 

Lord punish you. You caused the king and his offices to hate us. You have given them 

an excuse to kill us.”

Exodus 5:20, 21

 

That story spoke to me today. We need to endure as we wait for God’s promise

to materialize in our lives. His promise for our lives, our families, and our countries will be

contested against by the enemy. There is no way he is going to just sit and let you

stroll into what God has promised you. he is the adversary and by the very nature of

that name he opposes and fights against everything good that God has prepared for us.

 

The Israelites thought it would be a walk in the park but it wasn’t. They had to trust God with

all that they had. They had to believe His word was true. They had to endure.

God’s promise was true and He would deliver them and they needed to understand that no matter

how bad things got.

 

“He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant. His feet they hurt with fetters;

he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into iron. 

Until his word [to his cruel brothers] came true until the word of the Lord tried and tested him.”

Psalm 105:17-19

 

When the promise seems like a fantasy we must keep trusting, we need to endure. His promise

is true, it will come to pass. The Lord is not a man that lies. His word is sure and if He promised

it will come to pass.  Difficulty doesn’t mean the promise won’t come to pass.

There is nothing that can stop the word of God from coming to pass.

Hold on in the storm. Endure, put your faith in Him.

He will fulfill what He promised you.

 

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

 

Having a good attitude when things are bad…….

What is your attitude like in difficult times, when things, are going wrong for you, when nothing

seems to be working in your life? I have been thinking about this today and I think it’s

so critical what your attitude is like.

I am being tested in this at the moment. Things are really bad in my country at the

moment and it’s so hard to have a good attitude in the midst of what’s going on.

Just because it’s easy to have a bad attitude doesn’t make it right to have one. A bad attitude

doesn’t cultivate faith, hope, and peace. It cultivates the exact opposite.

 

Having a good attitude in the midst of hardships is critical.

Look at Paul for example. He went through a lot of difficult things. He had every reason to have

a bad attitude towards life but he didn’t. There is a difference between being discouraged and having

a bad attitude and I think Paul did have days when he was discouraged but I don’t think he had a bad

attitude in the trials he was facing. His focus was on God who was His strength and help.

 

“Are they serving Christ? I am serving Him more. (I am crazy to talk like this.) I have worked much 

harder than they. I have been in prison more often. I have been hurt more in beatings. I have been 

near death many times. Five times the Jews have given me their punishment of 39 lashes with a whip.

Three different times I was beaten with rods. One time they tried to kill me with stones. Three times

I was in ships that were wrecked, and one of those times i spent the night and the next day in the sea. 

I have gone on many travels. And I have been in danger from rivers, from thieves, from my own people, 

the Jews, and from those who are not Jews. I have been in danger in cities, in places no one lives, and on 

the sea. And I have been in danger with false brothers. I have done hard and tiring work, and many times

I did not sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. Many times I have been without food. I have been cold and 

without clothes. Besides all this, there is on me every day the load of my concern for all the churches.” 

2 Corinthians 11:23-29

 

He also said,

 

“We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not

give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.” 

2 Corinthians 4:8, 9

 

“Always be happy. Never stop praying. Give thanks whatever happens. This is what God wants for you

in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16

 

Bad attitudes have a way of twisting how we see life. It blinds us from seeing God’s hand in our

life and gets us focusing on the negative. Instead of being joyful and being a light, a bad attitude sucks

the life out of us and makes us sharp and painful towards others. Instead of speaking words of

healing we cut down and kill with our words.

Ask for the Lord’s help when you have a bad attitude because it has to go. (I am speaking to myself

too)

A person with a good attitude sees the total opposite. Even when the storm is raging the person with

a good attitude sees God always! He or she will always be optimistic when everyone else is being pessimistic.

It’s hard to move in faith when you have a bad attitude.

Remember the solider in the story of the four lepers in the old testament? (2 Kings 7:3)

He failed to believe the word from Elisha in a time of famine. That is an apt picture of how destructive a

bad attitude is.

 

And with all that I will conclude. Have a good attitude in life. You won’t get far in life with a bad attitude.

This is my challenge to you.

Blessing to you all.

 

Rolain

 

 

 

Wait for hope to appear……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, 

to the woman who diligently seeks. 

It’s a good thing to quietly hope, 

quietly hope for help from God. 

It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out

through the hard times. 

When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself.

Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:

Wait for hope to appear. Don’t run from trouble. Take

it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst. 

Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail 

to return. If He works severely, He also works tenderly. 

His stockpiles of loyal love are immense. 

He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing 

roadblocks in the way: 

Lamentations 3:25, 36

 

What an amazing passage of scripture. There is so much to take

from it. What stood out for me was this verse that said,

‘wait for hope to appear‘

A lot of us have abandoned hope because what we were

trusting for didn’t come to pass.

We thought God abandoned us. But the word is very clear,

‘wait for hope to appear’…..

 

When all hope is gone, wait for hope to appear.

When life is hard, wait for hope to appear.

When trouble comes, wait for hope to appear.

Wait for hope to appear!

No matter how bad things seem, wait for hope to

appear.

The word is very clear:

 

“It’s a good thing to quietly hope,

quietly hope for help from God.”

 

We can hope because the Lord will never walk out on us,

He will never fail to return to us, the word tells us.

 

Hope can return. I may have given up and lost hope but

it can return! I will wait for hope to appear. God will not

let me down.

Don’t abandon hope, instead wait for it to appear!

Amen

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

When the fire becomes too much…….

 

“SO, SINCE Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God]. For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God],”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Jesus was on a mission here on earth. He was here to fulfill

the call of God on His life. Was it easy??

Far from it. He encountered some really hard times. The

Pharisees constantly opposed Him. People left Him because

they didn’t understand Him. His disciples didn’t believe He

was who He said He was. There was constant doubt, fear, and

who knows what else. Why am I sharing this?

 

I am am sharing this because in life we walk through the fire.

But as we walk through it we need to remember what Christ

went through. There will be times the fire becomes too much

and in those times we NEED to remember Christ. We need to

patiently suffer the things we are facing. Why? That is what Christ

did. He could of given up or commanded an army of angels to

come and take out the people who were trying to kill Him but

He patiently endured the suffering.

 

As Austraila is around the corner I have been in a fire. It’s totally

unrelated to my trip but involves something very close to my heart.

It doesn’t even make sense. I am literally in a fire and it feels like it’s

too much. I wanted to give up. I wanted to throw in the towel.

Then there were days when I thought I could shrink back.

Crazy right. But then I read the scripture I shared in the

beginning of this post and a few things were revealed to me.

In the fire I need to hold on. In the fire I got to keep the main

thing the main thing. There is a purpose in the fire. God is testing

me.

 

“Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:12-13‬ ‭AMP‬‬

 

I read this and was like what????

Firstly, I must not be amazed in the fire. There is a purpose in the

fire. The next thing the word tells me is to rejoice!! If I am sharing

Christ’s sufferings then I should rejoice! If I endure there will

be a glory that will be revealed and that is why I am to rejoice.

I will triumph, I will win says the word. The fire won’t consume

me. Even when the fire seems too much, even when it seems

too strong for me I must rejoice. There is a glory that will be

revealed if I hold on.

Are you in a fire right now? Are you on the verge of giving up?

My word to you is hold on. Jesus has a plan in the fire.

He will bring you out of it. The fire is meant to make us stronger,

not so we can go through it alone but stronger in our faith in

God. Christ knows exactly what we are facing. We are not in it

alone. Be encouraged…….

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

Will you wait….???

 

Be strong and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for and hope for and expect

the Lord!

Psalm 31:24

 

If you think waiting on God is a walk in the

park think again……

If you have really waited on God you will

know the truth. It’s a fight to wait.

Psalm 31 captures it perfectly.

Waiting is not for the faint of heart.

The word says take courage!

 

There have been things I have been waiting

on God for. I have been waiting for months

and years! It’s been such a test. But do I regret

the wait? Not on your life. The waiting was needed.

It played an important part in my growth as a son

of God and it still does…..!

You see, waiting reveals where you are really

at with God. It reveals your heart.

 

The Israelites saw that they were in trouble.

They felt trapped. They ran away to hide in

caves and cracks in the rock. They hid among

the rocks, in wells, and in other holes in the

ground.

Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan

river to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was

still at Gilgal. All the men in his army were

shaking in fear.

Samuel said he would meet Saul at Gilgal.

Saul waited there seven days. But Samuel

had not yet come to Gilgal, and the soilders

began to leave Saul. So Saul said, “Bring

me the burnt offerings and the fellowship

offerings.” Then Saul offered the burnt

offering.

As soon as Saul finished offering that sacrifice,

Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him.

Samuel asked, “What have you done?”

1 Samuel 13:6-11

 

There is such an important lesson in this story.

Waiting is its own kind of fire. The offering of the

burnt offering was reserved for the priest but

Saul even though was king did it.

God has a reason for making us wait and even

though we don’t understand we must wait. I

have been waiting for a long time for a lot

of things. It has been hard I must admit but I

see it’s what I must do.

God is in control even though it’s hard to see

at times.

 

If you are waiting for God, be strong. It takes a

strong person to wait on the Lord.

Let your heart take courage. The enemy wants us

to panic and take matters in our own hands.

Waiting is one of the greatest acts of trust we can

perform to God.

Impatience shows God our lack of trust in Him.

God’s promise to you may take weeks, months or

years but wait!! He can be trusted…….

He is working in the waiting! Some of His most

important work happens in the waiting so don’t

despise it.

Don’t lose heart….

You are on His heart….

He has not forgotten about you…..

He is true to His word…..

Amen

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The conclusion of the believer’s story.

As believer’s we go through so much.
Trials, testing times, challenges, hard times, times of confusion, are all among some of the things we face.
Is this the kind of life God has sentenced us to??
Does He enjoy seeing us confused?
Does He laugh wickedly when we are bowed down in pain?
Does He look forward to seeing us helpless??

Psalm 118:15 says:

Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs in the camp of the saved? 

Another translation says it like this:

From the tents of God’s people come shouts of victory: “The Lord is powerful! (‭Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭15‬ CEVDCUS06)

Yes there is pain, confusion, testing times, trials and so on but at the end of the day there will be rejoicing in the camp of the righteous!!!!

Did you hear me?

THERE WILL BE REJOICING IN THE CAMP OF THE RIGHTEOUS!!

The pain, the trials, the testing times WILL come to an end!

Victory is our portion!!

Breakthrough is our portion!!

The enemy will not have the last say in our lives. God will have the last say and because of that we will rejoice and shout! We will come out triumphant because God is on our side!!

Don’t listen to the negative voice that says:

There is no way out

You will never win

You will die

The winter is never going to end

You are going to lose

No one loves you

God has abandoned you

You will never get well…….!

It’s ALL lies!! Lies I tell you!

Let’s read that verse again:

From the tents of God’s people come shouts of victory: “The Lord is powerful! (‭Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭15‬ CEVDCUS06)

God will come through for you. He will not leave you! The enemy will fail, his scheme’s will fall in a heap! He will be defeated and you will shout, you will sing in triumph because of the great things God has done for you!!

But this is the thing, we should be be praising Him in the pain, in the midst of the trials! One way or the other shouts, and triumphant songs will be heard in the camp of the saved!!! We will shout in faith! We will sing those triumphant songs in faith because we know He is with us!!

No matter how bad it looks know it will change! Shouts of victory will ring out in your camp! You will not die but live and praise the Lord for all He has done for you! Amen

Rolain

God’s plan for you in the fire….!!!

Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel should be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no hurt of any kind was found on him because he believed in (relied on, adhered to, and trusted in) his God. Daniel 6:23

In this season this scripture has ministered to me deeply. What do we do when we find ourselves in the fire and the lion’s den? Because the truth of the matter is, everyone will face the fire everyone will face the lion’s den! No one is exempt! And this proves true for the Christian. Just because you follow Christ does not exempt you from the fire or the lion’s den!

 

I had my accident but I just found out one of my friends is in hospital because a car bumped into his car!

Another friend of mine has got cancer!

Another friend is unsure about what the future has in store for them and so on and so on…

 

Pain, heartache, death, disappointment, rejection, and a host of other things are some of the things we have to deal with in this life. But what do we do when we are in the fire, what do we do when we are in the lion’s den??

 

When I read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den there were a few things that stood out:

Daniel had a relationship with the King who at the time was the most powerful man in the world but even he couldn’t help him! He could not reverse the law he had put in place.

“You should stop trusting in people to save you, because people are only human; they aren’t able to help you.”  Isaiah 2:22 NCV

From the story we see the king had tried everything to help Daniel! But with all his power and authority he was not able to deliver him! I am not saying don’t look to people for help. When the fire comes we need the support of people. I could not have got through the trauma I faced without the encouragement and support of people (To read about the accident I was in click here) the issue comes when you rely on people to save you instead of God! He is the only one who can deliver you from the fire and the lion’s den! Man can only do so much but if you think they are the answer then you have missed it.

The king who was the most powerful man in the world at the time was powerless to save Daniel but God wasn’t! God wants you to know He is the only One who can save you from the fire! He is the only One who can deliver you from the lion’s den. No one else is qualified to take God place so don’t put that kind of expectation on people!

“So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no hurt of any kind was found on him because he believed in (relied on, adhered to, and trusted in) his God.”

Daniel was not hurt in anyway because he trusted in God! Your trust in God will deliver you from the lion’s den and the fire. That is the ONLY thing that will deliver you!

It doesn’t say his trust in man delivered him from the lion’s den but his trust in God! I want you to get this. When you are in the fire you need to look to God. When you are in the lion’s den cry out to God! He will deliver you. Let us learn from Daniel. I have seen this truth in action! It’s God that has kept me from falling. As I looked to Him, He has put His hand on me. I am at peace because I have decided to trust Him completely.

When I fear I feel His love,

When I open my bible I see him so clearly,

When I spend time with Him, I feel His tangible presence,

When I worship, I feel His hand on me,

I hear His voice in the music I listen to (worship music mostly) and the people who encourage and support me!

That’s what happened to me when I trusted Him in the fire, in the lion’s den!

“My God has sent His angel and has shut the lion’s mouth so that they have not hurt me,” Daniel 6:22

God was with Daniel in the lion’s den and like Daniel He is with you! His angels are with you. You are not alone in the fire and in the lion’s den!  So praise Him, draw close to Him!

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

4 Lessons to learn from Joseph about destiny…..

Some time ago I wrote a post entitled, “3 lessons  from David about destiny“. Well this time I am going to touch on someone who is another inspiration to me – Joseph. His story was pretty amazing as you know and there are things we can learn from him about destiny.

1. Joseph had a dream but as we see, it was not all roses for him. Yes he had a dream but he had no idea what he was about to go through for that dream to come to pass. I don’t think he had the slightest idea he would be sold into slavery or be wrongfully accused. As far as he was concerned, he had a dream……
Please note, I am not trying to instill fear in you concerning dreams. All I want you to see and know is, there is so much more to your life than what you see.  There is a process that must take place. That process will involve testing. With testing comes reward, if you pass! Don’t be afraid of the testing, because God will be with you through it all. He was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery, He was with him when he was wrongfully accused. He was with him in prison. God was with him through it all…….He never abandoned him for a single moment! That is great news for all of us.

2. But the Lord was with Joseph, and he [though a slave] was a  successful and prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Genesis 39:2

This verse shows us, even though Joseph was in a hard place God was with him. Wherever you are just know that God is with you. If you are on the right path you will have favour.

3. But think of me when it shall be well with you and show kindness, I beg of you, to me, and mention me to Pharoah and get me out of this house. 
For truly I was carried away from the land of the Hebrews by unlawful force, and here too I have done nothing for which they should put me into the dungeon.   Genesis 40:14, 15

Joseph tried to take things in his own hands. He tried to direct his own life. He got tired of waiting on God. I can identify with Joseph. When the chips are down and nothing is working for you there is a temptation to take the steering wheel and drive but we always need to remember, God is control. He knows exactly what He is doing. I constantly try to keep this on mind always. He is in control and He knows exactly what He is doing.

This is the point. At times we try to do things on our own because we are not patient. We give up waiting on God because we think He has forgotten us or abandoned us. But that is not the truth. God knows exactly where we are.

4. After two full years, Pharoah dreamed that he stood by the river [Nile]. Genesis 41:1

Can you imagine how he must of felt. The butler was a free man but he never said anything to Pharoah for two whole years……..I wonder what he must of being thinking. Did he give up on God? Did he complain? The one thing he had to learn was patience. Yes he tried to take matters in his own hands but he had to be patient. He had to wait and trust in God. We will need to do the same. God’s call on our lives is not a day journey or even a year long journey. It takes a much longer time. Will you be patient and wait on Him?

And that is all I would like to share with you on the life of Joseph………God did amazing things through him. Please note that the way God worked in the life of David is completely different compared to the life of Joseph and it will be different for us. There are a few things we can learn that are universal but in the whole scope of things, God will work differently in each of our lives. The plan He has for us is exciting, fulfilling and amazing……Praise be to God, the maker of our dreams!!

Rolain

In trouble, he slept like a baby……..!

Everyone faces trouble. Everyone faces storms and trials  and testing in their lives. That is one thing we cannot escape. I had a really bad day today. One of those days where you want to just throw in the towel. It really has been a crazy day. This is the thing though, troubles and problems are a part of life and my job is to learn to cope, learn to trust God in the midst of confusion and hopelessness……So in the midst of all that I read a pretty amazing story. The story was about Peter when he was arrested by Herod. The word says,

All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jail house, the church prayed for him most strenuously.

Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances!    Acts 12: 5, 6

I could not believe what I read. Peter was surrounded by guards and was even shackled to the guards. He was in very real trouble. He was going to die the next day but the word says he slept like a baby! He never complained or worried. He was not fearful, instead he slept like a baby. I would of being freaking out if I was in his shoes. Herod had doubled the guards. He was not taking any chances.

I want to have that same kind of attitude. Peter was in perfect peace. James had just being killed but that never phased Peter. His trust was in the Lord. His faith in God was deep, and unshakable. He was in a storm but he knew who was watching over him. When the storms of life come how do you respond? When trouble comes what thoughts come to mind? Let us  learn from Peter. I want to walk in the kind of peace he walked in. The fact that he wasn’t in fear showed where his faith was at. Your response to situations determine where your faith is at.

The lesson for me is, rely on God. In the midst of pain and confusion trust Him. Let the peace of God reign. Remember Peter……….

Rolain