“Welcome back to reality”?!

“Welcome back to reality” was what a friend said to me a day after returning back from Kenya.

I had gone to Kenya for about two weeks and it was hard going to a place that is improving and growing

while things at home are stagnant.

Kenya is growing rapidly and stuff works which is the total opposite in my country.

 

Anyway, the day after my return one of my friends said “welcome back to reality”

I was really bothered by that statement. When he saw my resistance he said it again. I rejected his

statement completely.

I didn’t want to make the circumstances in my country my reality.

Before I went to Kenya had I made them a reality? Maybe I did but I wanted that to change.

 

What’s your reality? Is it in line with what God promised you or is it something entirely different?

We are constantly being pushed to take on a reality that is not what God has for us. We have settled

for a reality that is way below the level God would have us live at.

 

Think about the man who was crippled for 38 years (John 5:1-17). What was his reality? Did he ever see himself

healed in his reality?

Was hopelessness his reality?

 

We need to take a deeper look at the reality we live by. Who gave us the reality we are currently living by?

It’s so easy to adopt a way of thinking, a way of speaking, a way of living.

 

The good news is this, the reality we are living by can change.

That’s what happened to the man who was crippled. For 38 years he was living in a reality that

was not God’s reality. God wanted him healed and living a full life.

The enemy on the other hand wanted him bound. he wanted him living in hopelessness.

But Jesus came and changed his reality. 

 

We have hope friends.

You don’t have to accept the reality you are living by today.

The limitations people have put on you don’t have to be your reality.

The circumstances you live in don’t have to be your reality.

God can and wants you to live by His truth. His truth is liberating. His truth is full of life,

joy, peace and so much more goodness.

 

What is your reality? Let God determine what your reality is.

There is so much He has in store for you.

Bless you,friends.

 

Rolain

Do not fear change!

 

     “The only thing that is constant is change”

 

How many of you have heard that quote before?

In my church it has become a mantra we live by. The one thing

you can expect in this life is change. We cannot escape change.

Change is a part of life but there is problem or ‘was’ a problem.

I never liked change!

I fought it with all I had. It was crazy.      🙂

 

As time has gone by my relationship with change has improved.

Please note, I have used the word “improved”.

I have gotten much better when change has happened.

And this year I decided I would step it up even more. Instead of

dreading change I would welcome it. I would go with the flow, I

would throw myself into the change that was happening instead

of resisting it.

 

As I look back at all the change that has happened in my life

I can see how difficult it has been.

From a change of friends, to a change in career, to a change

of environment and so on it’s been hard. I guess that is why

I didn’t like change.

 

It’s always been testing, it’s pushed me out of my comfort zone,

it’s made me change the way I think and the way I see things,

it’s pushed me to change how I do things.

 

I want to share a scripture with you,

 

“And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied

on Jesus Christ) were united and [together] they had everything

in common;

And they sold their possessions (both their landed property and

their movable goods) and distributed the price among all,

according as any had need.

 And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with

united purpose, and in their homes they broke bread [including

the Lord’s Supper]. They partook of their food with gladness and

simplicity and generous hearts,

Constantly praising God and being in favor and goodwill with all

the people; and the Lord kept adding [to their number] daily

those who were being saved [from spiritual death].”

Acts 2:44-47

 

What an amazing picture of the new testament saints. Things

were really going well for them.

• They sold their goods and distributed the money among

those who had need

• They assembled regularly in the temple with united purpose
• They broke bread in their homes
• They praised God and the Lord kept adding to their number     daily those who were being saved.

Like I said, things were going really well for them. Some amazing

things were happening in their midst.

Did the saints know things would change?

Did they think the way they were living at that moment in time

would always be?

 

But things did change. Let’s look at another scripture,

 

“And Saul was [not only] consenting to [Stephen’s] death [he was

pleased and entirely approving]. On that day a great and severe

persecution broke out against the church which was in Jerusalem;

and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and

Samaria, except the apostles (special messengers).”

Acts 8:1

 

After Stephen was killed a severe persecution broke out and the

church in Jerusalem had to scatter.

Was the change pleasant? No!

Was it something anyone expected? No!

 

But this is what I want you to see that God showed me about

change. In the midst of the change God was with the saints!

He never left them. Change in this context seemed

disastrous but God’s will prevailed!

 

God showed me He would be with me through whatever change

that came my way. No matter the change

I had no reason to fear because He was right by my side.

He always has a plan in the midst of change.

He won’t abandon me when change happens.

When change happens I need to look to Him to guide me,

help me and preserve me!

 

Be comforted friends. You might be going through change but

know that God is with you in the change and that’s what matters.

The enemy may have other plans for the change but

that won’t come to reality because Jesus is with us.

We don’t need to fear change anymore because we will never

be alone in it!

Remember this when you are going through a change,

Jesus being with you though the change is the most important

thing about change.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

What God expects today……

“For it is like a man who was about to take a long journey,

and he called his servants together and entrusted them with

his property.

To one he gave five talents [probably about $5000], to another

two, to another one-to each in proportion to his own personal

ability. Then he departed and left the country. ”

Matthew 25:14

 

I shared this scripture because it illustrates perfectly where I am

at the moment. God has been speaking to me about the talents He

has given me. I haven’t been faithful with them I am sad to say.

I have been slacking for lack of a better word.

I haven’t been living to my full potential and I know it!

 

I was the man who was given the one talent who hid it in the

ground. But this is the thing, the only way to get to the five

is being faithful with the one talent!

 

I want you to think about something along the same line,

 

Is getting the five talents the main goal or is it being

faithful with however many talents you have?

 

They are both important but I think being faithful with the talents

you currently have is more important.

 

At the level you are at are you being faithful? (are you faithful

today?)

If you have one talent, are you being faithful?

Are you faithful with the two talents God has given you or

are you looking at the guy or girl with the five talents and

wishing you were them??

 

God wants us to be faithful with the talents He has given us.

 

For me, it means being faithful with this blog, being faithful with

my job, and being faithful in the areas of ministry I serve in (those

are my two talents metaphorically speaking).

God is looking at my faithfulness in those areas.

Getting the five talents is not the main goal.

Being faithful with the two is.

 

I am walking in His amazing purpose when I give 200%

into what He has given me to do now, no matter how small

it seems.

 

When increase, promotion and growth come (which always

do)  I will still be required to be faithful. God will still expect me

to bear fruit.

But it starts now. I should be bearing fruit with the two talents

I have right now. There will be no progress if I sit on my talent.

There will be no blessing in my life if I am not moving!

 

As I end here I would like you to think about a few things.

Are you faithful with the talents God has given you?

If not what can you do to change that?

Are you envious of other people who seem to have

more than you?

 

Bless you

 

Rolain

 

 

The girl who beat me……!

 

This is not going to be an easy post to write but write it I must.

I love all things healthy. I love exercise,  eating healthy and so on

but in the last couple of months I had lost the vision. I stopped

going to gym and I stopped eating healthy. I just stopped. I can give

all the excuses in the world but that is all they will ever be,

excuses!

 

But that all changed last week when I started exercising again.

It was good to be back. On the day I started I saw a lady who

I exercise with.

Let me rephrase that, the lady I used to see every time I went

out to train. I would get up every morning

to exercise and I would see this lady go for a run. I have never

spoken to her in all of our exercising and we never crossed

paths. Anyway, on my first day of getting back, I saw her,

again. Like clock work she was about to go on her run……

At that moment a thought came to me;

 

And that is what makes her better than you.

That is why she will be fitter than you.

That is why she will win and achieve her goals.

 

Because she has stayed consistent!!

 

And I was like, “ouch”!!

She has been disciplined to keep up her routine on a daily

basis. When I do exercise I hit it hard, very hard but that

doesn’t matter because I am not consistent!

I haven’t stuck to it, haven’t done the things that need to be done

on a daily basis!

 

Isn’t that how life is though? The disciplined people, the people

who don’t give up, who push through no matter how painful

it is, those are the people who win.

A disciplined person will win over the undisciplined person

any day. The focused and diligent person can have anything

they want.

 

I was so challenged by her dedication and persistence!

I want to be disciplined. I can have all the

passion in the world but it will come to nothing if I am not

motivated, disciplined. I won’t get it right all the time but

I need to keep on pushing!

It was hard writing this. It’s never easy writing about

your own weaknesses but I know I have a chance. I can make a

decision to learn from her or choose to ignore what I saw.

I can change and AM changing! The person I am today can be

and will be different tomorrow. As long as the Holy Spirit is in me

I have a chance and so it is with you. There may be things you

don’t like about yourself but there is hope. Ask for God’s help.

The process is not easy but it’s worth it……

 

And that is how I was beaten by a girl!  🙂

 

image credit: google images

 

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