His faithfulness will not stop.

“It is true that some Jews were not faithful to God. 

But will that stop God from doing what He promised? No! 

God will continue to be true even when every person is false.” 

 

We mess up, we make mistakes, we rebel and disobey at times but those things won’t stop

God from doing what He promised us. Our failures and short-comings are not the things that

will stop God from doing the miraculous in us and through us. He knows we are not perfect.

He knows He is the only one who is faithful and true and He doesn’t expect us to be perfect.

Let’s stop holding up our weaknesses as a reason for not being used. God will use us despite our

short-comings.  Nothing can stop His faithfulness towards His people. Not even sin!

 

I am not saying we should ignore the sin in our lives and just do what we want but I am saying

we should not think God won’t use us because we are broken and imperfect.

He will perform every good thing He promised us and that should give us joy.

He loves and cares for us in a way we can’t even begin to comprehend. Trust Him,

rely on His faithfulness!

Bless you, friends…

 

Rolain

He promised it!

“The Lord made a promise to David. 

It was a sure promise that He will not take back. 

He promised, “I will make one of your descendants rule as king after you.” 

Psalm 132:11

 

Happy new year to you, friends! I hope you had a great holiday and are ready to continue walking

with God in this new year. God has done so much already and in this new year, He will

continue the work He started all those years ago. He has so much more in store for you.

It’s good to be back writing and I am expectant about what God has in store this year.

 

God’s promises to us are sure. He doesn’t take back what He has promised. He doesn’t change

His mind. When He promises, it comes to pass. When God promised David he would have

a son to rule when he died God is the one who brought it to pass in spite of David’s failings and weaknesses.

(remember the mess with Bathsheba)

 

If we are relying on our own abilities and strength to receive God’s promises then we have missed it.

He wants us to look to Him, to rely on Him. He is faithful to fulfill the things He promised us.

So as we go through the new year let’s remember His promises to us are sure. 

There is no “maybe” or “might” attached to His promises. They are sure and that’s enough for us.

Enjoy your weekend friends.

 

Rolain

 

 

Because of His faithfulness……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

 

“After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]!

The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible,

Steady) and True, and He passes judgement and wages war in righteousness

(holiness, justice, and uprightness).”

Revelation 19:11

 

No matter what you are going through know that He is faithful and true.

Your year may have started on a bad note and you can’t see the light but know He is faithful

and true.

You may have fallen and have no strength to get up but take heart because He is faithful and true.

He will deliver you, He will guide you through the pain, He will give you hope, He will restore what

has been stolen.

You may be bound and feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders but turn to Him because

He is faithful and true.

 

Don’t be discouraged, don’t fear, don’t lose hope friend, because He is faithful and true.

The enemy may try to deceive you into thinking YAH doesn’t care for you but that’s a lie.

Expect Him to move in your life, expect Him to turn your mess into something beautiful.

The tables will turn in your favor, the light will shine again, you will get your breakthrough

because He is faithful and true.

 

Amen

 

Rolain

 

 

 

 

What do we do when we don’t see God’s entire plan for our lives??

“And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir,

but one who will come from your body shall be your heir.”

Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if

you are able to number them. “ And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Genesis 15: 4-6

 

Happy New Year friends!! I hope you have had a blessed holiday. I am really excited for all YAH has

in store in the new year.

Without further delay let’s jump into the word today.

For a long time I have believed that YAH has an incredible plan for my life. I am not about to settle for

where I am in this season of my life.

And you shouldn’t settle too. Trust Him with your life and watch Him do wonders with it.

 

“YAH has a great plan for your life”

 

I have heard those words many times and I am guessing you have too but my question to you is, have

you fully grasped their meaning? I thought I had an idea but I was wrong.

Let’s take a look at Abraham,

YAH took him outside and told him to count the stars if he was able to.

“So shall your descendants be” YAH told him.

But did Abraham understand what that meant? Did he fully grasp what YAH was telling him?

 

What blows my mind is the fact that YAH spoke to Abraham about having descendants as countless as the

stars but at that time Abraham and Sarah couldn’t have children! (Genesis 11:30)

How crazy was that? It would have made sense for YAH to speak to a couple who could bear children, but no,

instead He spoke to a couple that COULDN’T have children!

He is the God who does the impossible! Why do you think He did that? He wanted to show how powerful

He was.

You may look at your life and think He can’t do the impossible but that’s just not true.

 

Something else that blows my mind about Abraham is that even though he and Sarah finally had a child they

would never be able to have descendants as countless as the stars without YAH’s help. I don’t even think they

knew what the Lord meant by that. They probably had an idea that YAH’s promise would transcended

their lives but I am not sure if they knew to what extent.

We are still benefiting from the promise YAH made to Abraham all that time ago!!!

There is was nothing Abraham could do in his strength to make sure he would have descendants as countless

as the stars, absolutely nothing!

Trusting YAH was the only way to ensure the promise would come to pass.

Every aspect of YAH’s plan for Abraham needed Him. Without YAH the plan would not work.

But there is something very crucial we need to understand about this whole thing, even though Abraham may

not have understood the full extent of what YAH was telling him the word tells us;

 

“And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”

Genesis 15:6

 

Abraham didn’t need to have the whole picture; all he needed was to believe the Lord.

 

You may think nothing can happen for you but things can and will happen. You need to believe in the

Lord like Abraham did.

We cannot stop believing in the Lord. He has a plan for our lives and even though we may not see

the full picture we must believe!

 

He has a purpose for your life and He wants to show you what it is. If you have no clue

then pray, ask Him to reveal it to you. He is not trying to hide it from you.

And if you do know the plan know that it’s not the entire picture. There is so much more, more than

you could ever imagine or make up. Trust Him to direct you step by step.

 

“Then He brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to

number them.”

 

As I close remember it’s your faith that is the key. It’s not your strength or willpower but your faith

in the Lord. How much do you trust Him? He will bring everything He has planned for to pass.

Every promise He has given you, He will fulfill……

 

  “And the Lord visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.”

Genesis 21:1

 

Bless you friends.

 

Rolain

He keeps His promises!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for her

as He had promised.”

Genesis 21:1

 

That is a very powerful passage of scripture! Sarah would not

remain barren because the Lord visited Sarah as He said He would

and because He kept His promise! That’s the God we serve.

He doesn’t take back promises, He isn’t fickle, He isn’t

undecided.

 

In the natural Sarah had no chance. She waited and waited

for God’s promise. For years and years she waited.

It didn’t seem like anything was happening. She may have even

lost hope but it wasn’t over. Because God visited her she had a

chance! It was because the Lord kept His word that she managed

to have a child in her old age!!

 

You have a chance today friends.

 

Your situation may appear grim, it may look like nothing is

changing and it may seem like there is no hope.

But because of the Lord things will change! Like Sarah

the Lord will visit you.

I don’t know what you are going through at the moment but

God is faithful. He will keep His promise to you.

 

“And listen! Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also 

conceived a son, and this is now the sixth month with her

who was called barren. 

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God 

shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. ” 

Luke 1:36, 37

 

You have a reason to hope in the midst of darkness.

You have a reason to laugh in the midst of pain because

the Lord will fulfill everything He promised you.

That’s who He is, and that is what He does!

 

“For behold, the instant the sound of your salutation reached

my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that there

would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken to her from

the Lord. “

Luke 1:44, 45

 

Mary believed the Lord would visit her. She believed He would

keep her promise to her and because she believed she was blessed.

 

“And blessed (happy, to be envied) is she who believed that

there would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken

to her from the Lord. “

Luke 1;45

 

You are blessed when you believe the Lord will visit you.

You are blessed when you believe the Lord will keep His

promise to you.

 

I encourage you to not let go of the promises of God.

Even when things are dark, even when it seems God

has changed His mind (which He hasn’t), believe in Him.

He will visit you, He will do for you as He has promised!

Amen!

 

Rolain

 

What true wisdom looks like……

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Hey friends!!

I hope I find you all well!

As the year closes I want to talk to you about something I was

thinking about recently.

 

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they

say, behold a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors

and [especially wicked] sinners!

Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her 

deeds) and by her children. “

Matthew 11:19

 

“Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does

(her deeds) and by her children.”

 

I was challenged by this verse. Do I really have wisdom?

After all, wisdom is justified and vindicated by her deeds and by

her children (fruit)

Wisdom is reflected by action and fruit!

Is there fruit in my life?

I can say I have wisdom but is it translating into works and am I

bearing fruit?

If there is no fruit in my life I am not really wise!

If I am really wise there will be action and there will be fruit

in abundance!

Wisdom will compel us to act, to stand up and make the

change! Wisdom does that.

 

This was hard to receive because I realized I haven’t really

taken the time to meditate on the things I have received.

I haven’t really put acting out what I know as the top

priority.

I need to be more deliberate and determined about applying

the wisdom I have received. It’s not enough to acquire

information.

 

Wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her

deeds) and by her children.

 

I want to really walk in wisdom. I am not content on just knowing

stuff cause that is not wisdom. Real wisdom is followed by action

and fruit! With real wisdom comes change.

If there is no improvement in my life and no fruit to show ‘

then I am living deceived!

 

If you are in the same boat I am in there is hope! We can start

2017 anew. We can make a decision to start again but this

time with a new understanding.

The Holy Spirit will help us if our desire is to walk in real

wisdom. I truly believe it. We may have blown it but we have a

second chance at this.

Have an amazing 2017 friends.

Bless you

 

Rolain

 

 

 

What is God really up to in the midst of the pain I face???

I finally finished reading, Live, Love, Lead written by Brian

Houston. What a journey it’s been. I loved every chapter

of it. I would like to share something he said in the last chapter

that spoke to me deeply. It has been a source of peace for me

in this week:

 

“We know that all things work together for good to those who

love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

 

“Simply put, life has moments that we could not describe as

good, some simple inconveniences and other serious trials.

But in case there is any doubt, let me drive the point home

for you.

In Romans, the Bible is talking about ALL THINGS.

All things means inconvenient things, difficult things, upsetting

things, hurtful things, confusing things, painful things,

shameful things, sorrowful things, and ucertain things.

God wastes nothing, and somehow, he weaves everything

together for his glorious future, as only he can. All things

includes connections and disconnections, things coming

together and things falling apart, your best day and your

worst day, opportunities gained and opportunities lost,

good seasons and tough seasons, problems and solutions,

conflicts and resolutions, trials and triumphs, relationships

and acquaintances, sickness and health, poverty and wealth.”

 

What a profound thought. I have always read that scripture

but the way it was explained really blew me away. God works

ALL THINGS for our good. No matter how bad, no matter

how confusing, no matter how frustrating, all things work

together for good. God knows exactly what He is doing.

I am comforted that in the hard times, God is working things

out for good.

 

It’s amazing to think that the bad that has happened is not the

end of my story. There is a better end.

You may be going through hell but God is working things out

for your good. The enemy may think he is working things out

for the worst but he is seriously misinformed. No matter what

he throws at you, God is working it out for your good! He is

working all things together for your good. There is a man in

the bible who experienced this truth first hand. His name was

Mephiboseth.

 

Jonathan, saul’s son, had a son whose feet were crippled.

He was five years old when the news [of the deaths] of

Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. And the boy’s nurse

picked him up and fled; but it happened that while she was

hurrying that while she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became

lame. His name was Mephiboseth.

2 Samuel 4:4

 

Of no fault of his own, Mephiboseth was crippled. That must of

been hard to deal with. He didn’t ask to be crippled. It just

happened. What were his thoughts like?

Where there days he wanted to give up?

Did he hate his life?

Had he forgiven his nurse who dropped him? Things would

of been very different if she had been more careful.

To top that all off, his father had been killed in battle. How

much of his father did he remember?

Did he see King David as the enemy?

Did he think things would ever turn around for the better?

 

He may of thought things would never change but the fact is,

God turned his situation around for good. In the baddest of bad,

God turned things around for good in his life.

 

“And the king said, “is there no longer anyone left of the house

(family) of Saul to whom I may show the goodness and

graciousness of God?”

Ziba replied to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan,

[one] whose feet are crippled.”

2 Samuel 9:3

 

David gave him everything that king Saul

owned. He also told him he would eat at his table for the

rest of his days. (2 Samuel 9:11-13)

Things turned around for good in a way Mephiboseth never

imagined! No man could ever orchestrate how things would

turn out for him.

But God who is true to His word turned things out for

Mephiboseth in such an amzing way.

I love that.

 

I love that through the pain, the confusing times, the intense

times, the good times, God is working all those things out for

my good.

And that is true for you. He is working all things together

for your good! The enemy will not win. Things will not stay as

they are. God is working all things for good. Will you trust

he is working all things together for your good? You may not

see it, and it may not seem like it but things are working

together for your good! That is the God we serve and He is

worthy to be praised! Amen

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

 

 

The saddest story in the bible…..

The Israelites did secretly against the Lord their God

things not right.

They built for themselves high places in all their towns,

from [lonely] watchtower to [populous] fortified city.

2 Kings 17;9

 

I read this passage and I was saddened as I read it hence

the title. These were God’ s people for crying out loud.

The things they saw…..

The things they heard….

 

How could they have lost all that?

They had great leaders: Moses, Joshua, the Judges, Samuel,

King David, King Solomon…..

Yet they fell, and fell in a huge way.

Let us read more:

 

They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim [symbols

of the goddess Asherah] on every high hill and under every

green tree.

There they burned incense on all the high places, as did the

nations whom the Lord carried away before them; and they

did wicked things provoking the Lord to anger.

And they served idols, of which the Lord had said,

You shall not do this thing.  2 Kings 17:10-12

 

The Israelites saw God’s glory.

They saw and experienced His goodness.

They witnessed His power when He drove the enemy

out for them.

They experienced His faithfulness……

 

They despised and rejected His statutes and His

covenant which He had made with their fathers and

His warnings to them, and they followed vanity (false

gods – falsehood, emptiness, and futility) and [they

themselves and their prayers] became false (empty

and futile). They went after the heathen round about

them, of whom the Lord had charged them that they

should not do as they did.   2 Kings 17:15

 

They despised and rejected the Lord. They refused

to believe in God and yet they still prayed to Him!!!

That blows my mind.

I can’t believe how deep they fell, how far they went.

But this is a warning to us. As I read this I realized

that could be me……!!! It’s a scary thought. A friend

told me one time that, we are a step away from anything.

We are a step away from sin, a step away from grace. No

one is exempt from the power of temptation. Just one

wrong decision and all is lost. We need the grace of God

to help us indeed.

The word says, “The Israelites did secretly against the Lord

their God things not right.”

 

The secret things need to be dealt with. The secret thoughts,

the secret habits, the secret addictions……we need to confront

them head on. Our heart belongs to God. Let us not allow the enemy

to steal it. Our brothers and sisters fell and our job is to not say,

“how could you” but we are to look at their lives and learn. We are

to look at their lives and fall down on our knees and cry out to God

to save us from ourselves.

We are to plead with Him with tears and a broken heart realizing we

cannot do this alone……

 

The true you shows up when you are alone. When you are

alone what kind of thoughts consume you?

What kind of programs do you watch?

How do you speak when no one is watching?

What kind of habits do you have when you are alone?

 

The Israelites rejected God in their hearts

In their hearts they refused His commandments

 

There is hope for us. There is always hope!

Let us open our hearts before God.

Let us allow Him access to every part of our

hearts.

No part should be off limits to Him.

Nothing should remain in the dark.

No doors should be closed to Him.

We need to be totally open for Him to come!

Amen

 

Rolain

 

 

 

The “Gifts” God gives us…..!

I don’t know where to start and I don’t know how to begin this post. All I can say is that the word “gift” has

taken a whole new meaning for me. A few months ago I found out my friend, was leaving the country for good! We were first friends, then he became my boss, then pastor, then mentor, then family!

My world turned upside down that day. I had people leave before and it was painful but this, this was a whole new level.

My pastor’s wife called me and sat me down as she told me the news. I was devastated and confused. Why God I asked?

This can’t be happening I thought. I had known my mentor’s family for over 10 years! I knew them when they

had their first son. They have four boys now and I love them to bits.  Anyway I remember going to God and

crying out to Him for answers to the question why. Nothing came. Instead revelation came……

 

God showed me how they were gifts from Him. I met my mentor when I had just met The Lord. I am a sinner

now but back then I was much worse. If there is a word worse than sinner I was it. I was truly lost. I had no

direction and no plan. I had crazy issues I was beginning to work out. I had just became a Christian and this new

life was still…..new! I was dealing with a lot of things. I had no confidence and I had no self esteem. When he

employed me a year after meeting him I stole money from him! It was that bad. I WAS that bad! But thank God he never fired me or called the police. He gave me a second chance…….

 

I didn’t trust anyone back then and when he tried to help me out I would think he had some evil intension! When he disciplined me at work I would take it personally. When he made a joke about me I would get extremely angry. My stuttering was so bad back then which didn’t really help things! So believe me when I say, things were bad back then, really bad!!!

But God used him and his wife to mold me into who God wanted me to be. They taught me so much. They stood by

me when I had family issues. They helped me out financially countless times. They sat down and taught me so much

about God and life. In one of the darkest times in my life they were there.

 

God showed me how that was not an accident.

He knew all the change that needed to happen in me. He saw all I was going through and because of that He sent them

into my life. They were gifts. We serve a God who is the giver of gifts but the mistake we make is thinking gifts come in the form of money only. That’s not true. God’s gifts are so much more than money. They are deeper than that. During that time I never thought of them as gifts. We had our good times together and we had hard and difficult times.

 

The fact of the matter is this. God sent me gifts in the form of my mentor and his family. I just didn’t know it at the time and I never gave them the honor they rightly deserved. I wish I never took them for granted. I wish I honored them more and thanked them more for all they had done for me. I can’t put into words all that they did for me. A lot of who I am is because of their input in my life.

They saw so much potential in me and stood by me patiently. They are my family. I am telling you all this because….

…….they left on Wednesday this week! It’s been a hard week I must admit. They had my back. But in the midst of the pain God showed me how He will bring other “gifts” into my life after all; those “gifts” came from Him. He is the giver of all gifts. My mentor and his family never willed or planned to do all they did for me. God was behind it all. My mentor never knew the kind of impact he would have in my life but God did because He planned it. God was behind it all……

Yes, I am sad and broken at them leaving but I am also at peace because God has some amazing “gifts” in store for me.

I pray I be a “gift” to someone else as well. Would God use me to be the kind of “gift” my mentor was to me……

 

Have you acknowledged the “gifts” God has put in your life? There is a reason He has placed them in your life.

Don’t take them for granted. Thank them for all they are doing for you. It is not easy for them. There is always a

sacrifice on their part. May we always appreciate the “gifts” God has given us, always!

 

 

* This post is dedicated to the Stewart family. *

The Stewart family!

 

Rolain.

The Disciple……

Have you ever felt left out or ignored? Have you ever felt like you like you are good for nothing? Who has ever felt abandoned by God? What would you do if you were never noticed? What would you do if you were always left out? Well, there was a man who felt like that. The only difference is, he chose to hang around. He was patient. His story is quite amazing.
His name is Matthias. Who was he?

For it is written in the book of Psalms, May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it; 
and let another take his office. 
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when, He was taken up from us, a witness to His resurrection. (read Acts 1:20-26)

He was the thirteenth disciple! His story is amazing because for the duration of Jesus three year ministry we never hear about a Matthias. Never! What did he go through? What were some of the things he faced? Did he ever want to give up like some of the other people that followed him? I don’t know but this is what stood out for me about Matthias:                                                                                                                                                          He was faithful to Jesus. There must of being challenging times, there must of being confusing times but he stayed faithful. People left but he didn’t.

John 6:60-66 says:

 60 Jesus’ disciples heard this. Many of them said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, “Does this upset you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are from the Spirit. They give life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. 65 So he continued speaking. He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps him.” 66 From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.

What can we learn from this man? You may feel like God has overlooked you but He hasn’t. You may feel like you are not important, but you are. You may feel like God doesn’t see you but He does. We need to remain faithful in the place God has called us. You may not get any recognition for it, you may not get a pat on the back but know this, God is watching. He is the One who rewards, He knows where you at. Your role in this story called life is so important. You are a vital to God’s big picture! People may brush you off but God doesn’t. People may fail to see your value but that is there loss. It is not your fault if people don’t see your true potential and value. It is their problem. Just continue on the path God has laid out for you and just like Matthias your time will come. It is God that promotes a man. As I end, please note you are important. God knows exactly where you are. He cares and He is the one who rewards…..And that is the lesson we learn from Matthias.

Rolain