I was totally clueless until…..

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 

Mark 13:5

 

The disciples asked Jesus about the end times and it’s

interesting to me what He said to them.

There is no doubt in my mind that we are living in the end

times. This week in our weekly bible study as a church,

Mark 13 was the main focus. There are a few things that stood

out in that lesson that I would like to share with you.

 

In talking about the end times, Jesus warns us against being

deceived. In the end times the enemy will try and deceive as

many people as he can. Are you deceived?

Before you answer the question I want to ask you another question,

How does one know he or she is deceived???

 

Jesus made it very clear that in the end times the enemy would

try his very best to deceive us. We are in the end times so the

enemy is at work trying to deceive us.

Just last week God uncovered deception in my heart. The thing

about deception is this, it’s subtle. It creeps in like a thief in the

night without a trace. That is what happened to me.

I was deceived about the way I thought about life. I had a way

of looking at life that was wrong but I didn’t even know it!

Who knows how long I was deceived. All I know is that it was

years!!!!

Yep, that long and I didn’t even know I was deceived. Anyway last

week on my off day as I was spending time with God reading

His word, the light came on! It was like scales fell off my eyes

and for the first time I saw clearly. I saw right through the lies

and deception. I couldn’t believe I never saw it.

 

Jesus knew how real the danger was. How many times in that

passage does He warn us to watch and be alert??!!!!

 

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform

signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

Mark 13: 22, 23

 

How do you guard yourself against being deceived?

Be in the spirit, be in the word constantly, pray

as much as you can! I wasn’t doing these things that much.

Yes I would pray but not enough.

I would read my word but not enough

 

The word of God will expose deception in our lives.

 

Watch what you listen to and what you see. Left unchecked

you will be deceived.  Let me give you an example:

Things in my country are critical at the moment. People are losing

their jobs, corruption is at an all time high. Things don’t look

good.

The enemy is deceiving people by making them believe the

situation is hopeless. Christians are not tithing because things

are difficult but they have been deceived. God is the One who

provides for us and makes a way and that is why we can tithe

in the most trying of times. He is the God who makes a way in

the wilderness! But see how easy deception comes.

We need to watch and be alert! We can all be deceived. No one

is exempt.

I encourage you to look at your life and ask the Holy Spirit to

reveal any deception that is in your life. Remember what I said

in the beginning. It is hard to detect deception.

Anything that does not line up with the word of God is deception!

As I end I will leave you with this;

 

What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ 

Mark 13:37

 

photo credit: google images

 

Rolain

An interesting road…..!!!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

 

The road of right living bypasses evil;

Watch your step and save your life.

Proverbs 16:17

 

We are on the road of right living and it’s an

interesting road indeed. The interesting thing

about this road is, it bypasses evil!!!

I don’t think that was a mistake.

As we walk on this interesting road we have

a decision to make:

Keep walking, don’t turn to the left or the right,

look straight ahead or

get distracted by the evil. Stop and allow the evil

to take you off the path!

 

The warning to us is, “watch your step and save your life!”

 

As you walk on the road God has for you watch your step.

It bypasses close to evil, within touching distance!

God would not allow us to walk that way if it could destroy us!

One thing is most definite, the road to right living will

not be an easy one…..! Watch your step friends!!!

 

Rolain

 

 

Does that make sense???

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord

with all your heart and mind and do not rely

on your own insight or understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

 

If you are going to walk in everything God has

for you there is something you need to do.

You will need to throw what you know out of the

window!!!

The word says, we must trust in the Lord with

ALL of our heart and mind….that’s clear.

Then it says, “and do not rely on your own

insight and understanding“…not so clear???

Let me share another scripture with you:

 

“Men, I can see that our voyage is going to

be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and

cargo, and to our own lives also.”

But the centurion, instead of listening to what

Paul said, followed the advise of the pilot and

of the owner of the ship. Acts 27:10, 11

 

It’s very clear why the centurion listened to

the pilot and the owner of the ship. The pilot

who I am guessing is the captain had sailed

these seas numerous times. He had years

and years of experience. Wasn’t that

enough? Let me rephrase that, it should

have been enough! But it wasn’t!!

There is a time when experience and insight

play their part but we must be must know

when that time is.

Our own understanding gets in the way of

what God wants to do at times. A lot of the

time our own insight and understanding

excludes God from the equation!

The centurion was not about to listen to a

man who knew nothing about the sea. Paul

was not a sailor so why listen to him???

 

God’s word a lot of the time doesn’t make sense

and calls us to believe in the impossible!

Your destiny doesn’t make sense.

God’s blessing in your life does not make sense.

You are not supposed to be standing but you are

because of God.

Trust in Him with all of your heart and mind.

 

Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear

and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away

from evil. Proverbs 3:7

 

There it is again. Don’t rely on your own wisdom!

 

As you walk the road God has called you to don’t

lean on your own understanding and insight but trust

in Him with all of your heart and mind!

A truly difficult word to live by…….

Rolain

 

 

What it means to have a purpose!

Most Christians know God has a plan for their lives.

But when they  are told God has a plan for them, a purpose,

What does that mean? What does that mean for us??

To answer that question I will look at the life of Abraham

the Father of faith!

 

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your

people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

Genesis 12:1

• For Abraham, having a purpose meant having to leave

the familiar behind! He didn’t know where he was going but

He trusted God. He took everything he owned and moved!

Could that still apply today? Could God be calling us out of

our comfort zones to a place we have never heard of before,

to a place we have never been to before?

Is he calling us out of the familiar? Is it possible to experience

the new if you haven’t let go of the familiar, if you are in your

comfort zone??

 

 

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham”!

“Here I am, “he replied.

Then God said, Take your son, your only son, whom you love-

Isaac-and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt

offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2

 

Because Abraham had a purpose God tested him!

He told him he was to sacrifice the one thing he loved more than

anything else – his son! God tested with him with something

he held dear to his heart, his son!

Could it be possible that is our story too? Does God want to make

sure He is first in our lives by testing us?? We say we love God and

He is the most important thing in our lives, but is that the truth???

Only He knows!

 

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your Shield,

your very great reward.

But Abram said, Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I

remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of

Damascus? And Abram said, You have given me no children;

So a servant in my household will be heir.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: This man will not be

Your heir, but a son who is your flesh and blood will be your heir.

He took him outside and said, Look up at the sky and count the

stars – if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, so shall

your offspring be.

Abram believed the Lord, and He credited to him as righteousness.

Genesis 15:1-6

 

Because Abram had a purpose he had to trust God! He had to think

bigger and grander! God’s purpose for our lives is huge but faith

in God is the key. God’s plan for your life will not make sense to

a carnal mind a natural mind! You need faith to see it and accept it!

We know without faith it is impossible to please God. He wants us

trust Him.

Something you need to look out for as you walk in God’s purpose

for your life:

 

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had

an Egyptian slave named Hagar, so she said to Abram, “The Lord

has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave;

perhaps I can build a family through her.” 

Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Genesis 16:1-5

 

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see what really happened.

Sarai knew what God had promised her along with Abraham but

what really happened? In Genesis 15 it tells us Abraham believed

God and it was counted to him as righteousness but in chapter 16

we read something different. Sarai suggests to Abram that he

sleep with Hagar and he agrees!  Why would Abram agree to that?

He clearly heard from God!

Did he think God had abandoned him?

Had he lost so much hope that he resorted to trying to make things

happen in his own strength?

Was he tired of waiting on God?

Did he focus on his old aged body and Sarah’s deadened womb and

let his carnal mind take over?

We really don’t know but what we do know is he agreed to go

along with Sarah’s plan! They had lost hope in God and set out

to accomplish God’s plan in their own strength!

They were discouraged and dejected!

 

There are things God

will allow and take you through to strengthen you. Like I said before,

it is by faith and faith alone you will accomplish God’s purpose for

your life. Yes, you will need to step out and do things but you will

need faith! If Abraham the Father of Faith could lose hope in God

and rely on his own strength what does that mean for us? It means

we have to be humble and admit we can’t do this alone!

God wants you to walk in the purpose He has for you. Don’t be

afraid.

Trust Him to lead you because He knows the way! He made the way!

Everything He does for you is because He loves you! Your purpose is

amazing and glorious! Be bold and confident as you step into it!

Rolain

 

An Introduction on faith…..

 

Do we really understand all we need to understand about faith? I don’t think so. And as I read Hebrews 11 I was more convinced of that fact. There is so much we don’t understand about faith, so much we need to learn. As we begin to understand more of what faith is the deeper we can walk in it. The men and women of old had a different view of faith and we see it in the stories we read. Let me not get ahead of myself….

As we begin let us look at the definition of faith according to scripture.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

That is the way the Amplified Version puts it. I like this definition a lot because I understand a little about title deeds. An individual doesn’t need to take people to his house to convince them he owns the house. All he has to do is show them the title deeds. Even though the house can’t be seen the title deed is the person’s proof. And so it is with faith. Your faith is the “title deed” you carry around. We can’t see the house, the car, the career or whatever it is you are trusting God for but the faith you have in God is your proof! It is the tangible proof that God will give you what He promised. But with that being said, how does faith work? To answer that question let us look at another passage of scripture.

The Message bibles says it like this,

By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see. Hebrews 11:3

This is the essence of faith. “What we see created by what we don’t see”. God didn’t wait to see, feel, touch, taste for Him to create. Let us learn from Him. Your life may look like nothing is happening but have faith.  Your life seems meaningless but it’s not. You need to speak and act upon what God has shown you. It may seem out of this world but you need to speak it out. Faith doesn’t wait for things to take shape and happen before it acts, no! In the darkness, in the bareness faith works!

To drive this point home let us look at another scripture:

By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. Hebrews 11:7

Let us imagine this because I think it’s pretty amazing. Noah was warned by God about a flood. He had never experienced a flood before. So because he feared God he built an ark. How crazy must he have looked by everyone! The word says, “He built a ship in the middle of dry land”! Wow. Did he have to struggle with doubts? Did he ever stop and think, what the heck am I doing? We don’t know all that but what we know is he built a ship on dry land. God wants us to start building our ships. It may not make sense, it may sound like the craziest thing in the world, people will mock you, but that is not what matters, believing what God tells you is what is important. Having faith in Him is the most important thing.

As I conclude this post let us look at one more scripture:

By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned. Hebrews 11:29

Faith will let you go places other people can’t. Faith will sustain you in situations that would kill other people in normal circumstances. Who has ever walked through the Red Sea or any sea for that matter?? But because the Israelites had faith God parted the Red Sea so they could walk through it. The Egyptians thought it would be an easy task but how wrong they were. If we rely on our flesh we will fail. If we think we are strong enough or clever enough we will fail. The best of flesh is still flesh. Faith is the only thing that will allow us to do the impossible. Faith is the only thing that will get God’s attention.  So let’s picture this scenario,

The Israelites had faith and they walked through the Red Sea

The Egyptians didn’t have faith in God but thought because they were the strongest and fiercest, they could walk through the Red Sea. They were wrong, dead wrong!

As I end this post I would like to share another scripture:

But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. Hebrews 11:6

Faith is so much more than we imagine. Without faith we will not be able to connect to God. Without faith we are like two people trying to communicate to each other in two different languages. It’s impossible! God responds to faith. God is pleased with our faith. Faith in God is what moves mountains! I am not talking about a faith in self or something like that. I have been talking about faith in God. This is just the introduction. In the next post I will continue sharing insights I got from Hebrews 11. It is really a powerful chapter on faith……..God bless

Rolain

To be continued…….

 

 

Don’t Waste Your Life.

I would like to read a passage of scripture that got me thinking and it actually scared me. This is Jesus speaking to his disciples:

At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
Watch therefore [give strict attention, be cautious and active], for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote one] your Lord is coming.
But understand this: had the householder known in what [part of the night, whether in a night or a morning] watch the thief was coming, he would of watched and would not have allowed his house to be undermined and broken into.
You also must be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.
Matthew 24:40-44

Like I said, this passage got me thinking. The first two verses are speaking about the rapture. Which of those two men am I? I would like to be the one who is taken and not the one who is left. What about you? Which man or women are you? We are indeed living in the end times and we need to make our life count. We cannot afford to have a half-hearted relationship with God. There is just too much at stake!
No one knows when the day of the Lord is coming. Our job is to do the work of our Father wholeheartedly. Will you be found waiting for Him? Will you be sober or will you be drunk and be like the wicked slave who was not patient?

Jesus carries on and says:
Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time?
Matthew 24:45

Like the wise servant God has given us things in the form of gifts and talents. We will be accountable for how we use them. If the day of the Lord had to come tomorrow can you confidently say you have used all that God has given you? Or are there things still pending that you have not finished either because of laziness or procrastination? This needs to change. I don’t want Christ to come and find that I am sitting on some of the gifts and talents He gave me. As I write this a few things have come to mind. There are things that I need to do that I have put off for too long. What about you?
Let us be warned and get started on ALL that God created us to be!

Rolain.P