There is hope in our darkest seasons

“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

The captain refused to listen to Paul and because of that they were caught in a hurricane. There was nothing anyone could do. And after many days the word says ALL hope of being saved was gone.

You may be in a hopeless situation right now but there is good news. You might be out of options and all your efforts have come to nothing but there is good news for you.

When hope was lost the Lord stepped in. When death was sure the Lord sent an angel with hope. Even though there was no physical evidence of a turn around the Lord told Paul all the men on the boat would be saved!

 

“Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 

In our darkest seasons there will always be hope because God loves us and cares for us. Don’t abandon hope. The Lord will step in and save you. He will turn your darkest season around for good. Keep looking to and trusting Him.

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

Please Lord, send someone else…

“But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

Exodus 4:10 NLT

 

The Lord was going to deliver His people from Pharaoh and Moses was the person He would use to bring about the deliverance. But Moses was not on board with that. Instead of jumping all in he protested and protested. The Lord keep assuring him with His words and with signs but Moses kept protesting.

 

But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4: 13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Moses doubted he could do what God was calling him to do. Even with God encouraging him, Moses stayed put.

Maybe it was years and years of telling himself he was not good enough, maybe it was because of how he spoke but whatever it was nearly derailed him from walking in God’s amazing plans.

I have been working on a project and it has been challenging getting it done. I am nearly done but as I was reviewing the progress I had made I heard a voice. This voice sounded like me and kept telling me the work I had done to this point was not good enough. It was so critical, so negative, so hopeless. But in my quiet time the Lord revealed what was really going on. That voice wasn’t my voice but the enemy’s.

The enemy doesn’t want us walking in and accomplishing God’s purposes. He wants us to doubt and second guess everything we do until we stop.

Moses nearly stopped.

The Lord is with you every step of the way. Don’t doubt God’s calling on your life. Trust Him as you take that step.

Stop listening to the enemy’s voice. It can be so subtle, invading our minds like a thief in the night.

The Lord has amazing things in store for you. Stop putting off that thing God is telling you to do no matter how scary it is. This is the time to act. Bring those negative thoughts you Him. Don’t hold on to them not matter how convincing they seem.

The Lord wants to use you so start doing what He wants you to do.

Blessings to you friends

Rolain

Plans gone wrong!

“Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “Hushai’s advice is better than Ahithophel’s.” For the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom!”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭17:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

Ahitophel’s advice could have ended David’s life if it was followed but God stepped in and delivered him by frustrating Ahitophel’s counsel and plan.

The enemy is always planning against you but his plans will come to nothing. They will not come to fruition because the Lord is protecting you. Like He did for David the Lord is stepping in and frustrating the enemy’s plans.

Remember Haman who had plans to eliminate the Jewish people. (Read the book of Esther)

It seemed like his plans were rock solid but God stepped in again and frustrated them.

“Then Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination.” “Then impale Haman on it!” the king ordered. So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.”

‭‭Esther‬ ‭7:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

 

The truth is this: No weapon formed against you will prosper.

Don’t be afraid of the plans the enemy has against you and the weapons he creates to take you out because the Lord will guard you and make sure you are safe. The only plans that are coming to reality are the ones the Lord has made.

I pray and declare that all His good plans over your life come to pass. There is no plan that the enemy has created that is strong enough to succeed over you.

So don’t lose heart. The Lord will be your Shield wherever you go!

Bless you friends!

 

Rolain

An opportune time.

“Know the importance of the season you’re in and a wise son you will be. But what a waste when an incompetent son sleeps through his day of opportunity!”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:5‬ ‭TPT‬‬

 

As I was reading this verse I thought about the season we are in now. I think it’s safe to say this is an important time in history. Will there be another time like this in our lifetime? I don’t know.

The world has stopped momentarily. We don’t know how long this season will be but one thing is certain, God knew this time would come. There must be more to this season that just staying at home. There must be more.

COVID-19 has taken many lives, interrupted everything, and now we look ahead where nothing is certain or concrete.

But there must be more. I believe God has something to say in this season. I believe God has things to show us in this time we are at home. There is sharping, surgery, cleansing, and revealing He wants to do.

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to come out of this the same.

I don’t want to look back at this time and see no changes made, no lessons learned, no new vision and purpose!

We need to maximize this unique time we are in. God wants to speak to us, to work on our hearts, and so much more as the distractions we faced have been greatly reduced.

Don’t come out of this season with nothing. There is something God has for you.

Bless you friends

Rolain

From inside the fish…

We all know the story of Jonah. How he tried to run away from God but instead

was swallowed by a huge fish. It is there I want to pick up the story.

He was in the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 2:1)

Did he know he would live? Did he think God had abandoned him and was punishing

Him for his disobedience?

All we know is that in that dark, empty, solitary watery grave he prayed!

 

“From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.”

 

He was at the bottom literally and metaphorically speaking and it is there that he called out

to the Lord. He didn’t remain silent or give up. He prayed.

You may be in a dark place today. A place of pain and a place where God seems to be

absent. I want you to know that He is not gone from you. He is right there with you.

 

Jonah was in the belly of the fish. In the deepest part off the sea where no man could hear

and help. He could have tried to shout all he liked but no one was going to hear him down

there. There was only One who could and did hear his prayer. In that place where no man could

hear and help the Lord heard him and answered him.

 

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me.

From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help and You listened to my cry.”

Jonah 2:2

 

Don’t remain silent in your pain. Don’t think you are alone in that dark place.

When you have no one to help God is your help!

Call out to Him today because you are not alone.

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

A belief problem.

What we believe is so important if we are going to achieve all that God has for us.
Our beliefs can either hinder or propel us so we must be very aware of what we
believe. For a very long time I believed I was nobody and nothing good would happen
to me and that shaped the way I looked at life and the way I lived life.
When great opportunities came my way I would turn them down because it was “too good”
for me. I didn’t expect much to happen to me because that is what I believed.

We can see the danger of a wrong belief system in the word of God. The Israelites
were chosen by God. He had amazing plans for them. But they didn’t believe they
were special. They had a belief problem. When they were by the door of the promise
land they stumbled and fell short because of what they believed.

 

“But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are
stronger than we are.”

They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there
are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the
Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to
them.”
Numbers 13:31-33

 

They had so much potential because they were sons and daughters of God but what they
believed trumped the potential in them.

“It doesn’t matter how much potential you have, it’s what you believe that matters” is what
I was taught.

So in other words, what you believe is stronger than the potential in you.
Before I gave my life to Christ, I didn’t see myself as much. I thought nothing of myself
and even though I had the potential, my wrong beliefs silenced the potential in me.
What do you believe about yourself today? What do believe about God? Do you believe
all the good things the word of God promises you?

It’s time to take a long hard look at what we believe and ask God to help us as we believe
what He has said about us, and as we believe His promises for us.
The enemy is working overtime to get us to believe the wrong thing but we can’t let him
win. May the Lord reveal wrong beliefs that we have adopted that have stopped and hindered
us from growing and progressing.

The Lord has put so much in us and it must be realized and released. It must be unleashed all
for His glory and this is the season to start!
Bless you friends!

Rolain

 

Start speaking better today.

“From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things.”

Proverbs 13:2

 

This is another thing God has been speaking to me about this year. I have been challenged

to improve the quality of my words. It’s especially hard to speak life when things don’t

seem to be going our way or when things are just bad but we need to. The word is very

very clear when it comes to the words we speak.

If you want to enjoy good things then start speaking better. Don’t allow yourself to speak

negatively when things are not going your way.

 

“From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands

brings them reward.”

Proverbs 12:14

 

It’s easy to speak positively when everything is going well but quite another story when we are

on the ground and losing. Speaking life doesn’t just happen, it’s a choice on our part. And just to

be clear I am not talking about pumping yourself up with motivational words only. I am talking about

declaring the word of God in your situations. Any one can say “everything is going to be okay” but

it is something else when you take God’s word and declare it as truth for yourself. Declaring

the word of God is powerful.

 

“From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled, with the harvest of their lips they are

satisfied.”

Proverbs 18:20

 

What are you trusting God for? Declare it, speak it out. Don’t let your faith remain silent. Speak

out what you believing for. Let’s this truth be something you use more and more in your life.

And not just in your life but in the life of others. Your friend may not have enough faith to declare

Healing over themselves but you can do it on their behalf. Use your words to encourage and inspire.

It’s time to work on the words that come out of our mouths today. Things begin to happen when we

speak out God’s word in our situations!

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

God is taking you somewhere…

It can be frustrating not knowing where your life is going. At times it feels like you going around in circles

and at times it can feel like you are wandering about aimlessly. Then there are days when it seems like

nothing is happening. But I want to tell you that in the midst of all those things, God is directing your

life. Even when you can’t make sense of the things happening in your life God is in total control.

There is nothing to be worried about. You don’t have to lose sleep wondering what next.

The Lord cares about every detail of your life. Everything about you and your life matters to Him.

 

Look at how God led Peter. The way God leads us is so amazing!

In Acts 9:32 we are introduced to a man names Aeneas who lived in Lydda. Aeneas was paralyzed

and had been bed ridden for eight years. Peter goes on to heal him and the whole town of Lydda

and Sharon turn to the Lord! (Acts 9:35)

That was really amazing but the Lord was not done directing Peter. In a nearby town called Joppa a woman

named Tabitha fell sick and died. The disciples heard Peter was in Lydda so they called for him.

When Peter arrived in Joppa he raised Tabitha from the dead which brought more people to the

Lord. (Acts 10:5). But the Lord was not finished with Peter. In a town called Caesarea there was a man

named Cornelius. He was a Gentile and until then the good news was only been proclaimed to the Jews.

Salvation was closed to the Gentiles until then. One day an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told

him to go to Joppa to call Peter.

 

“And now send men to Joppa and have them call for and invite here a certain Simon whose surname is 

Peter; He is lodging with Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 

Acts 10:5, 6

 

The Lord knew exactly where Peter was. He knew his address. He knew who he was staying with.

Off course He knew, the Lord led him there!!

Because Peter was in the right place at the right time he was instrumental in the Gospel being preached

to the Gentile’s.

Because the Lord directed Peter’s steps he was able to be at the right place at the right time. On his

own Peter would never have been able to pull that off.

 

The Lord is directing our every step friends. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, He is.

It may feel scary but the way He leads us is amazing! Be expectant. Bring your frustrations to Him.

He really does have amazing things in store for you. It may seem like you are in the middle of nowhere

but the Lord is taking you somewhere. His hand is on you and He is directing your every step.

The way He leads us is so amazing!

Bless you friends!

 

Let’s talk about the dead things in our lives

“The Jews said, see how [tenderly] He loved him! 

But some of them said, could not He Who opened a blind man’s eyes have 

prevented this man from dying.”

John 11:36, 37

 

Lazarus had died. Jesus could have saved him but got there late, four days late!

Everyone agrees that the outcome would have been better if Jesus got to him in time.

 

“Martha then said to Jesus, Master, if You had been here my brother would not have died.” 

John 11:21

 

“When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she dropped down at His feet, 

saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:32

 

But I noticed something not just in this story but throughout the new testament. Jesus was not

intimidated by death. While everyone stopped and came to a conclusion because of death,

He moved forward.

Jesus saw death as something to be conquered which He did.

 

That gives me hope.

When a dream appears to be dead or hope lost, Jesus is beckoning us to keep trusting, to keep hoping.

He is calling us to not give up, to keep believing because He brings the dead things to life!

We may have been disappointed over and over again but we need to remember that Jesus is stronger

than death. Its not “the end” for you.

 

Jairus experienced this truth. His daughter was deathly sick so he went to Jesus for help. (Mark 5:22-43)

He found Jesus and took him to his home. But on the way some men came to him and told him

that his daughter had died. It was all over for him it seemed. But listen to Jesus’ words,

 

“Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, 

Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep believing.” 

Mark 5:36

 

Jesus brought his daughter back from the dead! Death didn’t stop Jesus.

When everyone stopped at death Jesus moved forward and pushed death aside!

 

What is dead in your life? Where has hope been lost?

Look to Jesus because He brings dead things to life. Its not over yet.

Keep believing in Him.

He is the God who performs miracles!

 

Break the limitations we have placed on ourselves Lord. 

You see no limitations! 

You only see breakthrough! 

Amen! 

 

Rolain

 

 

Bring it all to God.

“Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation]

under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns,

once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”

1 Peter 5:6, 7

 

I want to focus on the last part of that verse today. The word says to bring ALL your anxieties,

worries and concerns. But how many times do we try to deal with problems on our own.

I had to stop myself the other day from worrying, from trying to solve a problem on my own.

The truth is the Lord wants to fix every problem we face.

 

The call is to bring everything to Him. We don’t need to carry a single thing.

But because we have been taught to be strong we try to go at it alone. But all that will do is

tire you out. The more I try to go at it alone the more worn down and weighed down I feel.

 

Like I have said so many times before, the Lord is not impressed with our show of strength.

He is impressed with our faith in Him, with the confidence we put in His ability.

Give it all to Him and don’t hold on to anything.

 

Blessings to you friends.

 

Rolain