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

Before The Time Of Fulfillment

“So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us,

Knowing that God always keeps his promises!

Hebrews 10:23 TPT

We serve a God who fulfills promises. What He has promised you, He will bring to pass. But we all know that there is a middle between when the promise is made and when it is fulfilled and that middle is filled with trials, tests, and difficult challenges. I like to use another name for the middle stuff – crucible.

What’s your attitude like as you are in the crucible?

Have you got an attitude of faith and fully expectant that God is with you in the fire or have you lost hope? Have you given up on God because of the intensity of the fire?

I want to encourage you to not lose heart and to keep holding on to the Lord in the midst of the fire.

He will bring to pass what He has promised you. He is with you in the fire because He loves you and because he has a promise to fulfill. He will never abandon you because He is faithful.

I think of Joseph who was given an amazing promise. But instead of everything going smoothly until the promise was fulfilled, he was shipped off to a foreign land as a slave. In fact, he nearly lost his life. Things went terribly wrong for him but in the midst of the fire we see something amazing,

“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.”

Genesis 39:1, 2 NIV

“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”

Genesis 39:20 NIV

God was with him in the crucible, in the fire. He never left him. And it’s the same with you and me. God is with you in the fire. He has not abandoned you no matter how intense the fire is. The trials and the tests and the difficult challenges have a purpose.

“Count it all joy, my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

James 1:2 NLT

The trials and the tests strengthen your faith. Through each trial and test your faith is getting stronger and stronger. The Word actually tells us to be joyful when trials come our way.

So as you go through the fire know that God is with you and there is a very important work happening in you – the strengthening of your faith in God.

Like I said earlier, God will fulfill what he has promised you. It’s just a matter of time. So as you approach the time of promise and you are in the fire know that God is with you. He will not leave you alone. Let me share one last scripture before I sign off.

“And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true.”

Joshua 21:44, 45 NLT

Bless you friends

Rolain 

Is God Really Good?

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1 NLT

If there is something we as sons and daughters of God need to always remember is that God is good. At His core of who He is, He is good. And it’s important to have that truth secured in your heart because the devil will try to challenge that truth by using the painful things we have been through, the heartbreak, the rejection, the loss, the unanswered prayers and so many other things. And we need to be careful to not listen to the lies he tries to tell us as he reminds us of the painful things that happened to us. A good example of that is with the people of Israel. God delivered them from 400 years of slavery but destroying Pharoah and his people but even on their journey to the promise land they doubted God. Their trust in him failed numerous times. Let’s look at what happened when they reached their destination.

“Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness! they complained. Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”

Numbers 14:1-3 NLT

God in His goodness had led them to the promise land to give them what He had promised but the people didn’t understand that. Instead they thought God wanted to kill them and their children!! And this kind of talk happens a few times in the desert.

The enemy wants us to believe God is a cruel God, he wants us to believe God is evil, unforgiving, mean, hateful, uncaring, unloving and so many other negative things but we can’t let him convince us because at the core of who God is He is good. He loves us so much.

So let me ask you this.

What do you believe about God in the difficult times, when your prayers haven’t been answered, when things are not going your way? Or let me ask it in this way. Do you believe God has got you in the midst of all the terrible things you have been through? Do you believe there will be a turnaround in your situation because He is good? Look at some of the people in the bible. Job went through some terrible trials but God showed him His goodness by revealing Himself to him and restoring double what he lost. Then there is Hannah who was barren. God gave her a son eventually. He showed his goodness to Abraham and Sarah by giving them a child in their old age and fulfilling the promise he made to them. And then David. Even though he sinned numerous times God in his goodness extended his grace and mercy to him. He called him a “man after his own heart”

God at His core is so so good. Hold on to that truth no matter what comes at you. As I close I want to share one more scripture;

He who diligently seeks good seeks [God’s] favor, but he who searches after evil, it shall come upon him.”

Proverbs 11:27 AMPC

So because God is good we need change our expectations. We need to expect good. The Word says we must SEEK good because when we do that we seek God’s favor! We go through so many tough things that at times we just expect bad things to happen. “No good things happen for me” is what we tell ourselves but that’s contrary to God’s word. We need to expect and seek His goodness to show up in our lives. Expect Him to answer your prayers. Expect the breakthrough to come. Expect the door to open for you. If I could sum it all up I would say,

Expect Him to be good to you! Period.

So with that I have come to the end of the post.

God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

Bless you friends!

What’s It Going To Be, GOD or Giants?

I was watching a live stream this week of an upcoming movie and the presenter was talking about a book he was reading from Eugene Peterson called Leap Over A Wall ( I think)

He talked about how David had a God-dominated imagination while Israel had a Goliath-dominated imagination. And because David had a God-dominated imagination he wasn’t afraid of the giant and that is why he stepped out in faith. He not only took on the giant but killed him. All he saw was how strong God was.

Israel on the other hand had a Goliath-dominated imagination and they cowered away in fear. All they saw was the giant and God was no where in sight. They were not able to get the victory because the giant was so strong in their mind.

And that really spoke to me.

It’s time to switch from a Goliath-dominated imagination where all you see is giants and not God, to a God-dominated imagination where all you see is God no matter the giants that come up against you.

You are sons and daughters of God and your portion is victory but the enemy wants to corrupt your mind. he wants you to believe he is stronger and there is nothing you can do. He wants you to forget about God and to not even consider Him as an option when the fight is at it’s thickest. Don’t let him do that.

Let God be all you see when the enemy rises against you. Let Him be the One you cry out to when you are overwhelmed and have no answers to the trials and tribulations you are facing.

God bless you friends

Have a great weekend!

Rolain

Zoom Out And See God’s Big Picture.

God has an amazing plan for our lives. But at times we can get so engrossed in the now, the present

and forget that God is moving in our lives.

We need to learn to regularly take a step back or zoom out.

I was given a picture of this as I played a game. The game is called, Guess The Picture.

And the point of the game is to decipher a magnified picture as quick as you can.

The game is best played with a group of people.

In the beginning, you can’t make out the picture because it is magnified to the max but when

the game starts the picture begins to zoom out and the picture gets clearer and clearer.

And that’s what happens when we are so zoomed in. The picture makes no sense because

it’s a blur.

But as we take a step back and look at the answered prayers, the breakthroughs, the things

God has done for us, we begin to realize that God really is in control. He knows exactly what

we are going through. Taking a step back strengthens our faith as we see God’s faithfulness.

But also remember that God is working through the tests and trials we face. They are not

meaningless or pointless.

Think about a an image for a moment.

What makes an image? Pixels right.

An image is comprised of millions of pixels.

But this is the thing, without pixels, there is no image. A picture cannot exist without pixels.

Pixels play a very important role in the formation of a picture and that is the same in our lives.

The difficult times, the trials, the tests, all have a purpose. We are learning to trust God more.

We are experiencing His faithfulness and greatness in the hard times.

We are growing in the midst of intense opposition.

So don’t disregard what you are going through today. It’s not meaningless or pointless.

God is working in the midst of the tests, trials and hardships. Trust Him.

As I close I want to remind you that God is at work in your life, even in the times when it doesn’t

seem like it. Take a step back and see His hand in every aspect of your life.

And if you like what I write and want to support me financially you can now do so by buying

me a coffee or two. I have signed up with “Buy Me A Coffee” and it’s an easy way to support me.

Click here to support.

God bless you friends

Rolain

Faith Has A Voice!

“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written,

I believed, and therefore have I spoken:

We also believe, and therefore we speak.”

2 Corinthians 4:13

What are you speaking today?

Are you speaking about everything that’s wrong in the world and all that’s not going

right for you or are you speaking out the faith, God has put in your heart because that’s

what you should be doing.

In the scripture above, Paul is talking about speaking what he believes, speaking what he

is trusting God to do for him and that is very important for us to.

There is power in our words so we should be very careful of the words that come out

of our mouths. Now, I am not saying we ignore all the bad things happening around us

and act like they don’t exist. What I am saying is that in the midst of the hardships, trials,

and challenges and when things don’t seem to be going our way, we should be speaking

out what we are trusting God to do for us.

Whether its healing, financial breakthrough,

whatever it is, we need to speak out our faith because faith has a voice so don’t remain silent!

Bless you friends

Have a great Easter/Passover weekend!

Rolain

How Can We Win Against These Strong Enemies?

What should we do when life gets overwhelming and the troubles we face seem too much for us? 

I was in a situation this past week and I was overwhelmed by the things I was facing. I felt discouraged

and felt like God wasn’t listening but I came across a scripture in my quiet time that recalibrated my thoughts

back to Him. 

Life has a way at times of getting our minds off God, and driving us into some pretty dark and ugly tunnels and

that is why we need God’s word in our lives. 

It recalibrates, and realigns our thoughts back to Him. 

Let’s get into the word I read; 

“Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful

than we are?’ But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the

land of Egypt.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses was addressing the people of Israel as they were about to enter the promise land. They would come up

against some very powerful enemies and Moses knew they would encounter times of fear, doubt and anxiety. 

But he reminded them to REMEMBER, what God did to the Egyptians. 

As powerful as the Egyptians were, God delivered and saved Israel from them. He defeated the Egyptians. 

He also reminded them that God was with them.

““No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So if you are feeling overwhelmed by the troubles you face and the giants that are before you, remember what the

Lord has done for you. Remember the great deliverances He has delivered you with. Remember how He has answered

your prayers through the years and still continues to do so. 

He is with you. You are not alone at any time, especially when trouble is at your door. God will deliver you like He has

done many times before. Keep holding onto your faith in Him. 

Bless you friends

Rolain

Who can rescue us in times of trouble?

On this earth there will be trials, challenges and struggles. That’s a given.

We have an enemy who wants to take us out, who doesn’t want us to complete what

God put us here to do.

And even today, you may be going through some extremely difficult things with no answer in sight,

the bills keep coming but the account balance is on zero, trouble after trouble comes your way….

I want to encourage you that we serve a God who rescues and His name is Jesus.

 

There is a story I would like to talk about that enforces this important truth.

 

“But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the burning furnace. And then

what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Daniel 3:15

 

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were in serious trouble. The king made an image and

commanded everyone to bow down to it but the three Hebrew young men refused. The king

gave them another opportunity and in his eyes he thought he had won. He didn’t know the

God they served. He didn’t know their God was a God who rescues;

 

“And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” 

 

We are not alone in this. The Lord is with us as we face all the trials and tribulations that come

our way. When the three Hebrew young men were thrown into the fire the king jumped from

his seat because he saw four men and fourth Man looked like the son of God!

Jesus was with them in the fire. He never abandoned them and He won’t abandon us.

 

And even as I write this I am reminded of so many other stories of how God saves His people.

When Peter was in prison and Herod had planned to execute him the next day, surrounded

by soldiers, the angel of the Lord led him out of the prison to freedom.

 

The Israelites were being chased by the Egyptians who had a change of heart after letting them go.

But as they fled they were stopped by the Red Sea. On one side were the Egyptians and on the

other side, the Red Sea. It seemed like there was no where to go but God Almighty made a

way for them and parted the Red Sea! He rescued them in an amazing way.

 

Then there was Daniel. Some jealous people wanted to take him out so they got him thrown into the

lions den. It seemed a sure thing that his life was over but God rescued him in the lion’s den.

 

And this is the God we serve. He is the God who rescues.

Listen to what the king said after the Hebrew young men came out of the furnace,

 

“There is no other god who can rescue like this.”

Daniel 3:29

 

And let’s read what King Darius declared after Daniel was rescued from the lions,

 

“He rescues and He saves: He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. 

He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” 

Daniel 6:27

 

So as I close, remember the God who rescues. Call on Him and know He will act because

 

“There is no other god who can rescue like this.”

 

I will leave you with one of my favorite all time songs, Came to my rescue

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

Look ahead with confidence

“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.””

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17:37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

As David faced Goliath his confidence was in the God who had delivered him from the lion and the bear.

David knew Goliath had no chance against him because of what God had done before.

As you look ahead it’s important to remember what the Lord has done for you. As He brought you through last year with all its challenges and trials He will bring you through this year.

You can look ahead with confidence because the Lord who rescued and delivered you from the trials and challenges last year will do it again and again. He never let David down. He didn’t let the giant be victorious over him.

And it’s the same with you. He won’t let you down. He will deliver you and rescue you from the enemy who is standing against you. You can trust the Lord always!

Bless you friends

Rolain

God is not deaf, so tell Him what you going through…

“As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon

will I utter my complaint and moan and sign, and He will hear my voice.” 

Psalm 55:16-17

 

When we pray God listens but not only does He listen, He responds (He saves)!

Don’t hesitate when you are in trouble.

Don’t hesitate when you are confused and looking for answers.

Don’t hesitate when you are fearful.

 

Bring your requests to Him with full assurance that He hears you and will save you.

 

I was in trouble a few days ago and armed with this revelation I prayed. I asked God for help and

He heard me. I know He heard me because He helped me. The trouble I was in He fixed.

I don’t know where you are today but let me tell you that God hears your prayers.

God is not deaf. He knows what you need. He knows the battles you are facing.

He knows your every desire.

The enemy, on the other hand, wants us to believe that God doesn’t care, that He has forgotten about

us. But it’s not true.

Pray to Him always, no matter how small or insignificant you think your request is.

And if you don’t get an answer then go back to Him and ask Him why. There is always a reason

for unanswered prayer.

 

“O You Who hear prayer, to You shall all flesh come.”

Psalm 65:2

 

Because He hears our prayer we go to Him. He wants to hear our prayers.

So today make your requests to Him known.

 

Bless you!

 

Rolain