You Have A Compelling Story.

For the past couple of weeks I have been catching up on the Olympics. In times past

I never really watched it. I would watch a race here and there but that was it. I was

never really interested in Olympics as a whole but this year has been different.

I have been engaged and I am enjoying it so much. A few days ago I was wondering

why I enjoyed it so much and it came down to one thing – the compelling stories.

No matter the discipline there is a compelling story to follow. That was what has kept

me engaged and on the edge of my seat. For example, the men and women’s

BMX Freestyle competition. There have been some amazing stories on both the men and women’s side

but I want to focus on the women.

First of all, this was the debut of BMX Freestyle. That was history in the making.

Then Charlotte Worthington from Great Britain won the gold medal which was amazing

but her story continues. The way she won was even more amazing.

She successfully attempted a backflip 360 which has never been done in any women’s

competition ever. On the biggest stage in the world she did a backflip 360 for the first

time ever, landed it and won the gold. Talk about a compelling story!

And as I listened to compelling story after another I thought about you and me as sons

and daughters of God.

Do we have compelling stories too?

And the answer is a resounding yes. God has a compelling story for you and me.

Jeremiah 29:11 confirms this truth,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you a hope and a future.”

I think about Nick Vujicic who was born without arms and legs and in the beginning he struggled

to reconcile why he was born and tried to take his own life but God intervened and turned his

life around. Nick has travelled the world encouraging and inspiring people with his story.

What a compelling story right…

In the word of God I think of Esther. She had no parents and was raised by her uncle but God

used her to save an entire nation!

I also think of Paul who hated Christians and did his best to exterminate them. He imprisoned them

and killed them but God stopped him and turned his life around. He gave him a new purpose and

new direction and used him to bring the word of God to the Gentiles and so much more.

I share all those stories to encourage you that God has amazing plans for your life. He has a

compelling story for you.

But it doesn’t end there. You have an enemy who doesn’t want you to accomplish God’s purpose

for your life. He is trying to stop the compelling stories God has written for you from happening.

There is a war.

You need to stand up and trust God with everything within you.

You also need to stand up and do your part by taking the steps of faith He is leading you to take.

This is a bit of what makes up a compelling story.

You need to be strong and courageous like Joshua as he led God’s people into the promise land.

God kept telling him to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid.

So as you walk in the amazing purpose and plans God has for you remember that He is with you.

He will never leave or forsake you and will bring your compelling story to completion.

He is fighting on your behalf.

Put all of your trust in Him and step out in faith as He leads because He has a compelling

story for you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

Don’t Give In To Fear.

One of the enemy’s main goals is to put you and keep you in fear.

He wants you bound and paralyzed by it and he wants you to think you

are all alone. But that’s not true. You are not alone. God is with you.

Recently I was reading the story of Nehemiah and I saw something interesting in his story.

As he was doing the work God had called him to do, which was to build the walls of

Jerusalem, he had opposition. There were men who didn’t want him to succeed and they

used fear to try to stop him. Let’s look at a few scriptures.

“For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work,

that it be not done.

Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.”

Nehemiah 6:9

“Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they

might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.”

Nehemiah 6:13

“Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him.

And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.”

Nehemiah 6:19

As you can see, Nehemiah’s enemies were using fear to try to stop him.

But Nehemiah did not let it stop him. Instead, he put his trust in the

Lord to help him.

I share his story to show you that the enemy is still using the same strategy today.

He is using fear as a weapon against you to try to weaken your hands or to get

you to do something rashly or to doubt God and so much more.

But like Nehemiah you must bring your fears to the Lord.

Make a decision to choose trust in God over fear no matter how intense it is.

Because at the end of the day you have nothing to fear because God is with you.

He is on your side and He will never let you down.

God bless you friends!

Have a great weekend.

Rolain

What God Thinks About Our Imperfections.

As I begin I want to ask a question.

Do our imperfections stop God’s grace from operating freely in our lives?

For the answer let us look at Matthew 1.

I want to focus on the genealogy of Jesus Christ because it is there that we find the answer.

You would think that list would be comprised of the who’s who at the time.

The rich and powerful, the superstars and such like people. But that was not the case.

The people on that list were the complete opposite. They were anything but perfect.

What I want to do is focus in on five women that were mentioned on that list.

The ONLY five women mentioned and I don’t think that was a mistake.

The women were Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary.

I am not going to talk about Mary because we know she was the mother of Jesus.

So let’s talk about the other women.

Rahab – We know she was a proustite but the direction of her life changed when she

welcomed and hide the spies by faith. Despite her past the Lord turned her life around.

Her imperfections, her past, her past sins did not stop the Lord from doing something

amazing in her life.

Bathsheba – At a time when kings were supposed to go for war, David stayed behind and

got into trouble. He slept with Bathsheba and had a child with her. To hide the fact, he got

Uriah her husband killed.

In a dark time, the Lord gave them Solomon and they found favor and grace. When

there didn’t seem to be a way out the Lord made a way for them.

Ruth – Ruth was a Moabite and was in a unique position.

“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD,

not even in the tenth generation.”

Deuteronomy 23:3

The Moabites had a curse on them because they tried to stop Israel when they came from Egypt.

There was nothing Ruth could do about her nationality. She was born into it but that didn’t stop God from blessing

her in amazing ways. The Lord was with her despite her nationality.

Tamar – To read Tamar’s story you will have to go back to the book of Genesis 38:6-30

Judah had three sons and he got Tamar to marry his firstborn son. But he displeased the

Lord and was killed. She was then given to his second son and once again he displeased

the Lord and was killed. So Judah decided to not give Tamar his third born son because

he was afraid he would lose him too. But Tamar had a plan. She disguised herself as a

prostitute and slept with Judah and they had kids.

(this is a very condensed version of the story)

That was crazy right but that is the Tamar that is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. She was a descendant

of Jesus Christ!

As you read all these women’s stories its clear to see how God did amazing things considering the

diverse things that happened.

The lesson is a simple one,

Don’t let your failures, your sins, where you were born and so much more make you believe that God

can’t use you.

He is not hindered by your imperfections. They don’t limit Him one single bit.

Trust Him to use you in amazing ways.

He loves and cares for you.

And to answer the question I asked in the beginning. The answer is no.

Our imperfections don’t stop God’s grace from moving in our lives.

Bless you friends

Rolain

With So Many Reasons To Live In Fear, Trust God Instead.

There are so many reasons to live in fear today.

You don’t have to go far to find fear. It’s all around us.

It’s on television, radio, the newspaper, Facebook feeds, WhatsApp Group Threads and so much more.

So what must we do when we come face to face with fear?

For the answer let’s get into the Word Of God.

In the second book of Chronicles chapter twenty, King Jehoshaphat was given some bad news.

A huge army was about to attack him. Let’s read what happened next,

“Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat saying, There cometh a great multitude

against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar,

which is Engedi.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout

all Judah.”

2 Chronicles 20:2, 3

When the king heard the news he feared. He didn’t try to hide it or ignore it.

But instead of allowing fear to overwhelm and paralyze him he set himself to

seek the Lord for help against the mighty army that came against him.

And when he sought the Lord for help, the Lord fought for him and destroyed

the army that came against him.

So like Jehoshaphat, seek the Lord for help when you are face to face with fear.

He will help you always.

He will hear your prayer as you cry out to Him.

Put your trust in Him in times of fear.

Bless you friends

Rolain

Surrounded…

There are times when it feels like the enemy has us surrounded and is going to finish off the job.

Times when it seems like we are about to be overrun and left for dead.

But in those times there is hope for us.

I was encouraged as I read the Word a few days ago.

The king of Aram wanted to get rid of Elisha so he found out where he was and at night had the place

where he was surrounded. In the morning Elisha’s servant saw the army surrounding the city and he

freaked out. He went to Elisha to tells him the “bad news” but Elisha was as cool as a cucumber.

This is what Elisha said to him,

“Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

2 Kings 6:17

But Elisha went further. He prayed that his servant’s eyes be opened and after the prayer the servant saw the

hills filled with a great and mighty heavenly host outnumbering the enemy.

And that is what I want to encourage you with. Just like the servant saw, there are more with you than they

that are against you. It doesn’t matter how many enemies come against you, the fact and truth remains.

Let go of the fear and trust the Lord. He is fighting for you and is stronger and far greater than any enemy

that threatens you.

“Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise up against me,

in this will I be confident.”

Psalm 27:3

God bless you friends and 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

When The Battle Seems Lost, You Have Help.

“Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shem,

and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord

helped us.”

1 Samuel 7:12

The Philistines came against Israel to wipe them out. They were strong

and powerful. It seemed like Israel had no chance but Samuel prayed

to the Lord for help and his prayer was heard.

He fought for Israel and won against the Philistines.

The Lord is your Stone of help. When it seems like the enemy is winning,

remember that you have help, God’s help. Call on Him in your time of

trouble. Don’t fear or lose hope. You have victory because God is your Helper!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

Bless you friends

Rolain

Unstoppable – Your purpose cannot be stopped.

“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage!

As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

Acts 23:11

 

We all have a purpose given by God and His desire is to see us accomplish it but the enemy doesn’t want us to accomplish it, he wants us to fail.

Paul had a clear mission from God. He would testify in Rome but a few hours after the angel spoke with him the enemy launched his attack,

“The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot.”

Acts 23:12

 

The enemy didn’t care that the Lord had spoken to him. He wanted to stop Paul but the good news is that he COULDN’T stop Paul, because God was with him. Paul did testify in Rome despite all the attempts from the enemy.

God has a calling on your life which the enemy will try to stop. But he will not succeed because God is with you. Trust Him fully.

We have a similar pattern in the story of Moses and the Israelites. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron to encourage His people that deliverance was coming. (Exodus 4:29-31)

But after receiving the promise instead of things getting better, things got worse for them. They were persecuted even more. (Exodus 5:6-15)

But as you know, the Lord delivered His people. The enemy tried to stop the call of God on their lives but once again he was powerless to stop it.

What the Lord has promised you will come to pass even when it seems like the enemy is winning. He will not stop the purpose God has for you.

So keep moving ahead in faith and even when things get tough, know that the devil will not be victorious over you. God is watching over you and will fulfill the purposes He planned for you.

Bless you

Rolain

Always on God’s mind.

“Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.”

Genesis 40:23

 

People will forget us at times but I want to remind you that God will never forget you.

Even though the butler forgot Joseph, God hadn’t forgotten him.

 

“And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed:”

Genesis 41:1-7

 

Two years was a long time to wait but it was important for Joseph.

Imagine if he got out when the butler was released two years earlier.

Pharaoh wouldn’t have had his dreams yet so who knows what Joseph would have done with his life back then. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to get an audience with Pharaoh.

But waiting two years was what was needed because that was when the next chapter of God’s plan for his life began. So God had not forgotten him and God will not forget you too. Let me rephrase that, He will never forget you.

You are always on His mind.

Be confident in Him knowing He is working in your life.

Bless you

Rolain

The plan.

“Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

And that is another reason we can put our hope in Jesus.

He wasn’t expecting Philip to figure out the problem on his own. He wanted Philip to look to him and trust He had a plan.

What are you stressing about today?

What problems are you facing that you need to hand over to Jesus?

He has the answer because He is the Answer.

Bless you friends

Rolain