Wait A Bit More!

What are you waiting for? How long have you been waiting?

Waiting is not an easy thing to do. It actual is a big step of faith because you are giving up your control so God can be in control.

I love how Psalm 27:14 describes waiting on God,

“Wait patiently for the Lord.

Be brave and courageous.

Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

Words like, be brave, be strong and courageous are used. That should give you an idea of how hard it is to wait.

But I want to encourage you to keep on waiting. No matter how long you have been waiting, no matter the obstacles, the closed doors and unanswered prayers you have faced, keep waiting on the Lord. Don’t throw in the towel. Keep standing in faith that God will come to your rescue.

He will come through for you.

He will answer your prayers.

He will breakthrough on your behalf.

I would like to share a scripture that encouraged me this week

“I waited and waited and waited some more, patiently, knowing God would come through for me.

Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry. He stooped down to lift me out of danger from the desolate pit I was in,

out of the muddy mess I had fallen into. Now he’s lifted me up into a firm, secure place and steadied me

while I walk along his ascending path.”

Psalm 40:1, 2 TPT

Wait a bit longer friend.

God will come to your rescue. the word says, “AT LAST, he bent down and listened to my cry.” (emphasis mine)

It may seem like nothing is happening right now but things will change. He knows exactly where you are.

Don’t give up. God is good and He is faithful. He will not abandon you.

He knows you are waiting on Him so He will not waste your wait.

As you wait on Him be confident and assured that He has got you. Stand strong in faith as you wait on Him.

If you don’t know, I unveiled my book cover of my latest book this week.

It is almost finished so in the meantime

I created a free version (teaser) of my upcoming book. If you would like to get a copy of it please click here to get it.

And after you read it I would really love to hear your thoughts on it.

Bless you friends

Rolain

Is Jesus ever late?

“[As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me.

You are my Help and my Deliverer, O my God, do not tarry!”

Psalm 40:17

 

Is the Lord ever late?

As I think on this question there are things I am trusting Him for. Some of those things

are things that need to happen in the next few days and the next month. Some of the other things

have passed the timeline I made for them.

 

Is the Lord ever late?

 

As I continued to meditate on Psalm 40:17 Jairus came to mind.

His daughter was really sick and if nothing was done she would die. He decided to go to Jesus for help.

If there was anyone who could help He could. (Mark 5:22)

Everything seemed to be going well. Jesus had agreed to go to see his daughter but on the way,

some of his friends met him and told him not to worry the Teacher any longer. His daughter

didn’t make it. She had died.

Jesus was late?

But when all seemed lost, when it seemed like Jesus was late something incredible happened.

 

“Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not

be seized and struck with fear; only keep believing.”

Mark 5:36

 

Jesus continued on to Jairus’s house and brought his daughter back to life!!

When it seemed like He was late, He really wasn’t.

Help us, Lord, to wait on You when all seems lost, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense!

 

The last story that came to mind was of Lazarus and his sisters. (John 11)

He was very sick and on the brink of death so his sisters sent for Jesus.

He loved this family very much. (John 11:5)

So you would think Jesus would go immediately but He didn’t.

 

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [They were His dear friends, and He 

held them in loving esteem.]

Therefore [even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He still stayed two days longer in the same 

place where He was.” 

John 11:5, 6

 

By the time He got to Lazarus, He found out he had been dead for four days! I think it’s almost definite

that the sisters thought Jesus was late, extremely late! I can imagine them seeing their brother getting worse

and worse and feeling so powerless. Where is He? Why is He late?

That’s what I think they were asking themselves.  And eventually, their brother died.

What emotions were they going through?

 

I can identify with that because there have been things in my life I have been trusting God for that haven’t

come to pass yet and it’s been years, like over fifteen years of waiting on the Lord. Earlier in my walk with

Him I thought He didn’t care. I thought He enjoyed seeing me suffer. I thought He enjoyed getting my

hopes up only to crush them but I was so wrong. As I have grown in my walk with Him I have begun to

understand that the Lord is never late! His word shows us this truth so powerfully. There are so many stories

of Him coming through for His children at just the right time. Their idea of early might have been

wrong but God always came through at the right time.

 

What are you waiting on Him for, today?

As we ask the Lord to not tarry may we understand that He is never late. He comes through

at the right time. It may not be when we expect it but it’s at the right time.

He knows what you need. He has heard your prayers. He will not ignore you and He does not delight in

getting your hopes up. He wants to give you what you are trusting Him for.

Don’t lose heart and give up. The Lord will not tarry.

He loves you!

 

Bless you

 

Rolain

 

 

God is waiting for an invitation into your battles.

“Be glad that you are His. 

Let those who ask the Lord for help be happy. 

Depend on the Lord and His strength. 

Always go to Him for help.” 

Psalm 105:3, 4

This verse encouraged me greatly this week. It was a reminder I needed desperately. The Lord is waiting,

hoping I invite Him into my battles. And that’s the problem at times. I go ahead on my own,

in my own strength and lose. But God wants to fight for me. He wants to help me.

The word says, “Let those who ask the Lord for help be happy.”

They are happy because when they ask, the Lord comes in and helps them.

Breakthrough happens, healing, restoration and a whole lot more happens when He helps.

Don’t rely on your own strength. The Lord’s strength and power are available to you. You just need to ask.

The enemy doesn’t want God getting involved in the fight because he knows he will lose.

Invite the Lord to your battles. He wants to take over and fight for you. He wants you to be victorious,

He wants you to be in peace.

“Always go to Him for help”

God always cares about what you going through. If you hurting ask Him for help, if you stressed, speak

up. The point is this, Invite Him into your battles. Not some of them but all your battles. 

He wants to fight for you. 

Bless you, friends!

Rolain

 

One way to ensure your faith is alive and active……..

“So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up),

by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

But someone will say [to you then], you [say you] have faith, and I have [good] works.

Now show me your [alleged] faith apart from any [good] works [if you can],

and I by [good] works [of obedience] will show you my faith.”

James 2:17, 18

 

The book of James was part of my daily reading this week.

I am always so challenged when I read the scripture I just shared.

But something happened this week that brought it to life for me.

I was at training this week and after we were done we prayed.

The guy praying thanked God for divine healing.

He thanked God for keeping us healthy and he also prayed that

God would keep us in good health!

 

We always pray but this week the prayer struck something in me.

I realized I was looking at faith and action working hand in hand.

We have a desire to be healthy and fit so we train but our faith is

in God to grant us a healthy life!

 

That got me thinking about faith and action.

James 2:18 is not suggesting faith works if there is action. It’s telling

us that faith only works when there is action!

Faith without works is dead!

 

One person acting out of his or her faith can do more than 100 people

professing their faith without action!

 

It’s so true friends. I want to be that person who shows they have faith by

their works.

I really needed to be reminded of this truth!

 

Now, it’s not my place to tell you what action you need to take.

That’s between you and God. You are the one who knows what steps

God wants you to take.

As I read this verse I knew almost instantly the things I needed to be doing

right now that I was not doing.

Now remember, you can’t just act for the sake of  doing

something. God will ask you to do something specific for the thing you having

faith for. Allow Him to show what that thing is.

He may want you to be patient and wait,

He may want you to give into something,

He may want you to befriend someone,

He may want you to start writing that first chapter of that book,

He may want you to serve in a specific area at your church,

and the list goes on and on……

You need to be sensitive to His leading.

Remember, don’t act for the sake of acting.

That could do more harm than good.

God is surgical in the way He works.

What action is it that God wants you to be doing right now?

 

One thing is crystal clear though,

 

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

James 2:26

 

We have work to do friends……

Bless you.

 

Rolain

What it means to put your hope in the Lord…..

Hi all….!

It feels like it’s been ages since my last post. I have been

incredibly busy but it goes much deeper than that. The

drive to write left. I am serious. I woke up one day and

nothing! Conpletely nothing! It wasn’t because of a lack of

ideas….

The stuff I had didn’t feel relevant so I trashed it.

Maybe I was just being lazy, I don’t know.

Anyway I am back and ready…..(anyone else feel the same?)

 

There is a scripture that spoke to me this past weekend,

 

[What, what would have become of me] had I not believed

that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living!

 

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord;

be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and

enduring.

Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.

Psalm 27:13, 14

 

As we go through life we need to believe. We need to believe

things will change, we need to believe the winters will end, we

need to believe God will deliver us from our fiery storms!

Without a belief in God’s goodness, our lives will be miserable.

 

It’s not wrong to believe in the goodness of the Lord. It’s

not wrong to believe God will breakthrough for you. It’s

not wrong to believe in God period!

So if it’s not wrong, believe!

No matter how dark things are, believe.

No matter how impossible a situation seems, believe.

No matter the years you have spent waiting on God,

believe!

He will come through for you!

 

“Wait and hope for and expect the Lord”

 

I love these words. Wait, hope for and expect the Lord!

 

Wait on the Lord. It’s because He loves you that He makes

you wait.

Hope for the Lord. Put your hope in Him! Like I heard

someone once say, be a prisoner of hope. Never stop

hoping! The Lord is faithful and He sees your hope in

Him.

Expect the Lord to move on your behalf.

Expect the Lord to answer your prayers.

Be expectant!

 

As I have spoken on those three amazing words we must not

ignore the next part of that verse,

 

“be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout

and enduring.”

 

It’s not easy to wait, hope for, and expect the Lord.

It’s a battle to wait

It’s hard to keep hoping

It’s a fight to be expectant

 

The word says as you do those things (wait, hope for, expect),

your heart must be stout and enduring, you must have courage and

be brave.

Waiting on the Lord, putting your hope in the Lord, being

expectant will stretch you to the limit. Even when you feel

like giving up hope, keep hoping, be expectant, wait!

Don’t let the darkness around you quench your faith.

As I close remember to wait on the Lord, put your hope

in the Lord and expect the Lord!

God bless you….

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God silenced her voice…..

“But to Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah,

but the Lord had given her no children.

[This embarrased and grieved Hannah] and her rival provoked

her greatly to vex her, because the Lord had left her childless.”

1 Samuel 1:5, 6

 

There are times I feel like Hannah. It seems like people

are getting on with life and here I am still waiting…….

They look and wonder then ask, dude???

What’s going on? Why haven’t you got that, why aren’t you where

we at? Is everthing okay? What’s wrong with you?

What about you? Do you ever feel like Hannah?

 

I wish I had the answer but I didn’t and that is what Hannah

felt like. She was embarrased and grieved. There was nothing

she could say…..the Lord had left her childless!

Off course there was a reason she was barren. God had a plan

for Hannah but it was hard for her to understand. Peninnah was her

oppressor. It’s hard to understand for all of us I guess. We need to

know that God is good! His plan for us is good no matter how hard

things get.

We hear a lot of Peninnah in the first chapter. She is in Hannah’s

face and in life we will have Peninnah’s. Peninnah was provoking

her out of jealousy. The people who are ridiculing you have their

reasons but don’t worry about them. There will always be

Peninnah’s in your life!

 

But then at the right time God came to her rescue.

 

“The family rose early the next morning, worshiped before

the Lord, and returned to their home in Ramah.

Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. “

1 Samuel 1:19

 

The Lord remembered Hannah!

 

Hannah may of thought God had forgotten her but it wasn’t

true. God was up to something. He had a plan for her life.

He remembered her and gave her her heart’s deepest desire!

God has not forgotten you friends. You are on His mind.

He will silence the Peninnah’s in your life by giving you

what you have asked for! No matter how long you have waited,

He remembers you.

We don’t hear of Peninnah after the Lord remembered Hannah.

We don’t hear her provokings, her ridicules, her words of hate.

God silenced her voice completely and that is His plan for you too.

It grieves Him when people speak against you.

His plan is to silence her voice in your life completely!

 

“Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in

the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord.

My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my

enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.”

1 Samuel 2:2

 

Peninnah had managed to silence Hannah’s voice. Hannah

had believed what Peninnah was saying. So she remained

silent BUT God made it possible for her to open her mouth!

Yipeeee….!!!!

The enemy’s goal is to shut you up always. He doesn’t want you

praising the Lord and giving Him the glory. Don’t let the

negative voices in your life silence you. Don’t believe what

they are saying becasue it’s just not true!

We will not deny Hannah was barren but it was never

meant to last. Peninnah underestimated the power of God

in Hannah’s life. Remember, the situation you are in will not

last forever. God will open your mouth again! You will praise Him,

you exult Him because of His salvation in your life…..

 

“Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren

has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes

and is forlorn. “

1 Samuel 2:5

 

I believe this is a warning for all those who are proud and a

promise for those who will trust Him wholeheartedly.

Peninnah had children but that didn’t give her the right to

speak to Hannah like that. She got proud and in God’s eyes

that’s was unexceptable. God hates pride.

Pride affects us all but we must fight it. Even if I become a

preisdent, that should never be a reason to look down on anyone!

Humility says, ” I am not better than anyone, no matter

what position I hold, no matter what I own, no matter where

I come from.

 

“Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.”

 

Pride makes the full go out hiring themsleves out for bread.

There is no blessing found in pride.

But we know there is a blessing in being humble. So take

this warning seriously friends. Never get to a point where

you are too important for anyone. Never get to a place where

you are looking down on another person!

That’s a word for you and for me.

 

So after all is said and done remember,

God remembers you! He loves you and has a plan for you

no matter how hard things seem at the moment!

 

Be humble!

 

Blessings to you friends!

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

 

 

O my soul……!

Why are you cast down, O my inner self?

And why should you moan over me and be

disquieted within me?

Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him,

for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help

of my [sad] countenance, and my God.

Psalm 42:5

 

I can’t help but be encouraged as I read this

Psalm. It is clear the author is going through

stuff. But even as he goes through the “stuff”

he does something interesting. He begins to

talk to himself…..I think that is very interesting.

He doesn’t tear himself down, curse himself,

focus on how miserable and pathetic he is…No!

He encourages himself!!!!

He talks to his soul – “Put your hope in God!

Wow…..

 

There is a lesson to learn here. How do we speak

to ourselves? Especially when things are going bad?

It’s so easy to encourage yourself, and speak good

when everything is going well but what happens

when things get crazy??

 

It is said that the average human has 50 000 thoughts

running through his mind on a daily basis…..that is a huge

amount of thoughts right. How much of those thoughts

are positive, encouraging and uplifting???

Look at another verse with me:

 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from Him.

Psalm 62:5

 

What you say to yourself is very important.

Teach yourself to build yourself up.

Teach yourself to encourage yourself in the

Lord.

When everyone abandoned David, he encouraged

himself in the Lord! He didn’t beat himself up, or

tell himself how much of an idiot he was. He spoke

life over himself.

We need to speak to ourselves more often. We

need to speak more life. We need to speak the word

over ourselves. We need to encourage ourselves

to seek the Lord. We need to encourage ourselves

in the Lord.

Tearing yourself down doesn’t do you any good.

It actually makes things worse.

 

Think about something with me for a bit.

People trash talk themselves and tear themselves

down because they think they know who they are

right? There is no one who knows you better than

you. “I always forget things”, you say.

“That is exactly like me”

“I am so clumsy”

“I am horrible with faces”

 

But let me ask you something. Did you create

yourself? The answer would be no.

God is the One who created you and He is the

only One who knows who you really are. So why

do you speak to and about yourself like

you are the one who created yourself??? You

cannot trust your judgement about yourself.

We think we know ourselves but that is not true.

We may be way ahead than the closest people

in our lives but we still are not qualified to make

a final assessment about ourselves. We didn’t create

ourselves, God did. So before you tear yourself down

think about that. You don’t have all the information on

yourself so don’t be so quick to tell yourself who you

are. You are wonderfully and fearfully made….

Don’t forget that….

 

Rolain

 

 

Is It Worth The Wait?

What a day it has been. One of our pastors got married at church today. It was a really big event. He was so happy. He had been waiting for this day a really long time. They were all happy! This just got me thinking.
Is it really worth it to wait for the one God has for me?
Is it worth the wait to abstain from sex before marriage?
Is it worth the wait to not play with someone elses feelings just for the sake it?
Is it worth the wait as I have made a decision to not kiss any girl before my wedding day?
Is it worth the wait as I fight the passions and desires that war within me?
Is it worth the wait as I decide to live a life of chastity?

After what I seen today, it is worth the wait. God is delighted when we wait on Him. The bride was crying as the groom read his vows. The groom was in another world and he did not need to use words to express it. I couldn’t help but see God’s goodness, and mercy, and love and favour as all of this was taking place. I could easily imagine Him jumping for joy because two people decided to trust in Him and do it the right way!

As I end I would like to say that the enemy has tried to destroy the institution of family for a long time. Has he won? It is up to us to make sure he doesn’t win. As we go about marriage the right way we gain ground. If you are dating, do it in a way that honours God. Men, only get into a relationship if you are serious about marrying her. It does not honour God when you play with someone elses feelings. If you don’t want to marry her then don’t lead her on.

Is it worth the wait? The answer is a big resounding YES!!!

Rolain.