When Things Go South…

God is bigger than our circumstances.

We need to remember this constantly. Even when everything seems to be failing and crumbling around us.

Even when our circumstances are telling us that there is no hope, we need to trust in God.

There is a scripture that I would like to share that has been helping me so much.

“Though the fig trees should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields

yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer’s he makes me tread on my high places.”

Habakkuk 3:17

As you can see Habakkuk was having a difficult time. Things were not going well at all but despite what was

going on around him he chose to focus on the Lord.

The bad circumstances he was facing did not weaken his faith in God.

His faith remained resolute and unwavering.

What are you believing in the midst of difficult situations?

Are you convincing yourself that you are doomed, that there is no way out?

I want to encourage you to look to God. He wants to help you through what you going through.

Let me share one more scripture with you,

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;

who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.”

Psalm 146:5-7

The Creator of the Universe is our help!

The word says we are blessed because he is our Helper.

So don’t remain silent as go through the storm. Ask Him for help. Put all of your hope in Him.

Bless you friends

Rolain

A Talk About Eggs and Faith

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

This is a popular piece of advise especially when you talk about investing. And all it means is that someone should not concentrate all efforts and resources in one area as one could lose everything. But I read a quote recently that brought my faith walk in perspective. It said,

“Faith is putting all your eggs in God’s basket”

And I love that. That’s the attitude we should have when it comes to faith in God. It’s either we trust Him completely or we live in doubt of his ability. Now I am not talking about being reckless but I am talking about having an attitude of, “I will trust God and I am not looking to so and so or I have another plan just in case”

The word of God says that the just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17)

So as you trust God today, do you have a back up plan, for just in case he doesn’t come through or are you all in with your faith? Do you know He will come through for you? Do you know He will never let you down? He has got your back even when it seems like things are going horribly.

True faith sees God as the ONLY option.

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

Bless you friends!

Rolain

When You Can’t See A Way…

There will be times when you are met with dead ends, closed doors and walls but you need to remember this simple truth,

God makes a way when there seems to be no way.

Think about the Israelites when they left Egypt. They got to the Red Sea and were resting there when suddenly they saw the Egyptian army marching towards them. In front of them was the Red Sea and behind them were the Egyptians. They were trapped. But God made a way for them through the Red Sea. They experienced breakthrough in the most unexpected way.

You may be in a tough situation and it seems like you are trapped with no way out but I want to remind you that there is a way even if you can’t see one because God is with you. He will make a way for you in the most unexpected way.

Before I move on I do want to make something clear. There are some dead ends and closed doors that are God-ordained and you need to be able to discern them. You need to ask God for wisdom and you need to ask Him if He has closed a particular door but that’s not what I am talking about in this post.

What I want to encourage you with today is that God will open closed doors and dead ends that are stopping you from moving forward in His purpose. He will make a way for you where the enemy has barricaded.

Don’t give up and lose heart when there seems to be now way instead trust God to make a way for you.

Bless you friends.

Rolain

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

Empty The Tank!

I love to run and what I like to do is name parts of the course depending on how difficult it is or depending on an experience I may have had on a run. There is one part of the course, the last 50 meters or so that I have called “empty the tank”. And as the name implies, I empty the tank. No matter how long or how far I have run or how tired I am I sprint that last part. I empty the tank literally. There should be nothing left after I have finished the run.

I share that story because as far as purpose is concerned we need to empty the tank. We need to be doing everything God has called us to do. We don’t want to get to heaven to find out we completed a small percent of what God had planned for us.

Paul did everything God had called him to do.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”

2 Timothy 4:7

God has so much in store for you. So if you don’t know what He has in store for you seek Him for answers because He wants you to know your purpose. God wants you to succeed in your purpose so you are not alone in this.

We are living in the end times and there is no time to waste. We can’t afford to be distracted or not be serious. Nothing should be left in the tank when we are done.

Bless you friends!

Rolain

A Decade of Writing

The 9th of January marked my tenth year of blogging!

That’s a huge milestone for me. So much has happened from making the decision to start blogging. I have met some amazing people, got confident in my writing and even wrote a book.

I remember when I first started. I was afraid because I didn’t know how people would respond to what I was writing, and anxious because I didn’t know anything about blogging. “How was I going to do this” I thought?

But the important thing to note is that I did take the step of faith to start and God has been so good.

I want to encourage you to do what God has put in your heart to do. This is the best time to start. You may be like me who was fearful of the unknown or anxious but God is with you. He will help you as you take that first step. Just start friend.

If you gave up and think it’s too late to start again, you are not too late. God is the God of second chances and He is waiting for you. Don’t bury those desires God has put in you. That’s what the enemy wants you do. He doesn’t want you accomplishing what God has called you to do.

And as I come to the end of the post I want to thank all those who have been with me on this journey, new and old. Your support means so much to me. Here is to another ten years of writing!

Do what God has called you to do friend!

Rolain

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