​Biblical Christianity is a life of faith.
 
Born-again believers in Jesus Christ walk by faith, not by sight (Romans 1:17).
 
As people of faith, what are we to do if doubt comes along and clouds the horizon of belief?
 
I believe the Bible tells us to doubt our doubt.
 
In Mark 11:22-23 Jesus told His followers straight up: “HAVE FAITH IN GOD.”
 
 “And Jesus answered saying to them, Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea”, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.” Mark 11:22-23
 
Nothing could be plainer and more powerful than this: put your trust in God.
 
The Lord said it is true that if we believe, and do not doubt in our heart, we can cast mountains (life’s obstacles) into the sea with our faith. If you are like me, you have faced many mountains standing in the path of your life. Mountains that had to be dealt with.
 
Doubt never cast any mountain out. Faith moves mountains. Even mustard seed size faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). A little faith in God can move mighty big mountains. What a promise!
 
The principle underlying the promise is this: mountain moving faith is doubt free faith.
 
Jesus instructed us to not doubt. Why? Because He knows it is human to doubt. Doubts start in our head. Doubt is a disrupter of faith. Before we believe, while we are believing, and after we believe we are tempted to doubt. The spirit of doubt is not our friend!  
 
The devil wants us to doubt what God wants to do in our lives. Satan is delighted when we doubt our faith in Jesus Christ. If the evil one can get us to doubt, he believes that he can take us out.
 
The danger of doubt is that when we begin to wonder (question our faith and trust in God) then we can begin to wander (stray off the faith path). Doubt is a deceptive tool of the devil designed to discourage and derail us from our faith walk. If we wander too far, we can end up in a wilderness of confusion, frustration and despair.
But you and I do not have to go there. Doubt is beatable and defeatable.
 
 My friend do not be discouraged if doubt tries to derail your faith. In the past I have been way too hard on myself when doubt clouded my vision of walking by faith. Self-doubt can lead to self-condemnation and self-condemnation can erode self-confidence.
 
During a faith fight, when we are battling to believe, the devil wields the weapon of doubt.
 
The enemy of my soul wants me to think that something is wrong with me and my faith, that my faith is not real, or it is not strong or big enough. Doubt whispers deceptive lies to me that I have missed something or that my faith is not as genuine or mature as somebody else’s. Can anybody identify with this? I am sure you can.
 
To walk in victory in Christ we must render powerless the power of doubt.    
           
How can we do this? I have learned to deal with doubt in a decisive manner. Call doubt what it is. Doubt is doubt. Nothing more and nothing less.
 
When doubt comes knocking on the door of your mind and heart, be bold. Slam the door on doubt. Lock doubt out of your mind and spirit. Stamp out doubt. Give doubt a knockout punch. Stand firm in faith (see I Peter 5:9 and Ephesians 6:13). Make no room for doubt in your thinking or believing.
 
Think about it. If you doubt, the devil takes you out.
 
You will never count for the Kingdom of God if you walk in doubt instead of walking by faith. I do not know about you, but the devil gets no piece of my life.
 
I choose to doubt my doubt and cast the devil out by faith in Jesus’ mighty name!
 
When tempted to doubt, cast the doubt out! Refuse to pout. Use your clout. Overrule doubt with faith. Shout your faith in Jesus Christ. Toss out that mountain standing in your way into the sea of God’s faithfulness and miracle working power.
 
Doubt out, faith in. Doubt your doubt. Believe your belief.
 
HAVE FAITH IN GOD. Put faith in your faith. That is the way to walk by faith and move mountains in Jesus’ name!
 
Be a mountain mover today!
 
 “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him (Peter), and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”                               Matthew 14:31
 
“But let him ask in faith without any doubting; for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and bossed by the wind.”                                               James 1:6
 
A WORD FOR YOUR WEEK: Never doubt your faith. Always doubt your doubt!

​Favor is an awesome word.
Favor is about advantage, attention, preference, partiality, friendliness, a kind act, good deed, approval and a host of other synonyms that mean special treatment.
I was counseling a young lady a few years ago who was emotionally reeling from an extremely painful, heartbreaking divorce. I asked her who she was in Christ. Without hesitation she confidently declared with a big smile “I am His favorite because I have His favor.”
Her response warmed my heart. God’s favor means Christians, you and me, are his favorites. Maybe we should wear a badge that says, “I am God’s favorite!” Just saying!
I do not know about you, but Steve likes being favored! Favor feels good, really good!
It is a biblical fact: favor belongs to God’s people.
Here are a handful of scriptures regarding favor from the Lord.
For he who finds me (wisdom) finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:35
“A good man will obtain favor from the Lord, but He will condemn a man who devises evil.” Proverbs 12:2
“Good understanding produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard.” Proverbs 13:15
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22
“It is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord; You surround him with favor as a shield.” Psalm 5:12
“And Jesus was increasing in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52
God favors His people in every area of life. I certainly have found favor from the Lord as He gave me a “good thing” in my wife Jo Ann!
His favor is like a shield covering, protecting, and guarding us as we walk by faith in this life. I feel secure when I live my life shielded by God’s favor. What or who can penetrate the favor shield?  
The Son of God, Jesus, was favored by His Father in heaven.
During His earthly ministry Jesus was favored by God repeatedly. Even men, some who struggled to believe in Him, favored Jesus. God’s only Son was favored all the way to the Cross and Empty Tomb.
Favor is relationship based.
When someone asks you to do them a favor, what does that mean? I believe it means, because you and I have a special relationship, we trust one another and help each other when needed. Favor is what friends extend to friends.
As the head of the Roll family, my family has favor with me based on our relationships.
My wife, children and grandchildren have advantage, favor, special treatment from dear old Dad and Doodah. They receive from me and get to do things with me others do not get to. Because they carry the Roll name, they have favor with father Roll!
Honestly, I love showering favor on my “favorites”. What an unspeakable joy it is for me to extend special advantage to them because I love them and they love me. 
What does God’s favor mean in real, every life? Favor means we are protected, preserved and sustained. Favor means we go to the head of the line. Favor means our application for employment gets special attention. Favor means we get bargains and deals. Favor means people go out of their way to help and serve us.
God’s favor means we really are “the head and not the tail, above and not beneath when we obey God’s commandments.” Deuteronomy 28:13   
How in the world can our ungodly, unrighteous, evil, anti-Christ culture harm a Christian who is shielded by the favor of Almighty God? Meditate on that for a while. The shield of God’s favor keeps the Evil One and his evil minions at bay.  
My friend, you as a child of Almighty God, are favored by Him.  You, yes you, are His favorite.
As one of His favorites, I encourage you to walk with bold, confident, victorious faith in His favor every day!
Where do you need favor in your life? Why not ask God for it? He will favor you because you are His kid!
When you head out the door each day declare “Watch out world. Here I come. I am one of God’s favorites because of His favor as my Heavenly Father.  
“And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us: and do confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.” Psalms 90:17
A Word For Your Week: God’s favor is yours today.

​The word this week is for dreamers whose dreams have not yet been fully fulfilled.
 
I am one of those dreamers. God graciously gave me a vision or dream for Christian ministry thirty-five years ago. I am happy to say that many facets of the dream have come to pass. But not all as of yet.  
 
David wrote in Psalm 20:4“May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your dreams.” I love this verse. Dreams and heart’s desires do come true.
 
To be honest, the unfilled parts of the dream are the ones that I think and wonder about. There is a fire burning in my spirit that will not be denied. I am dreaming a God-given dream. I cannot shake the vision from my soul, nor do I want to.
 
While it has yet to come true, I have asked myself what I am supposed to do.
 
I do know this: If I stop dreaming, I will start dying. If I quit dreaming, I will stop trying. Some people are dead while they live. How could this be? It is simple. They have stopped dreaming.
 
I have no desire to die while I live. With all my heart, I want to be fully alive in the Lord while I live and fulfill His dream for my life!
 
Proverbs 29:18 states “Where there is no vision (dream) the people perish.” When people have no revelation from God, they have no real reason to live. Death awaits those who do not dream. Our culture is dying because our people are rejecting God’s vision for a righteous nation. On the other hand, life, abundant and eternal is the reward of dreamers. Life, not death, is God’s will for man. God’s divine purpose through visions and dreams keeps us from perishing.
           
Our scripture speaks of “heart’s desires” and “your dreams.” Do you have a desire burning deep within to fulfill a dream for God? Are you dreaming about doing something significant with your life? Where does that vision to do something significant and meaningful come from?  Your dream comes from God. The Lord gives dreams to dreamers.  
 
According to David’s petition and prayer, God is the one who makes dreams come true! May He (God) bring your dream to pass. I Thessalonians 5:24 promises “Faithful is He (God) who calls you, who will also bring it to pass.”  What an encouraging word. God’s dreamers can count on God to fulfill the dreams He places in His people’s hearts.
 
So, my dream is not really my dream. It is His dream in me. And it is His responsibility to make it come true. Whew! That makes me feel a little better.
           
If dreamers stop dreaming, they will never know if the dream would have come true if they had just kept on dreaming the dream. Take some time and study in detail Genesis 37-50. Joseph was a dreamer who kept on dreaming his dream. He lived to see God’s dream come true.
 
 Dreaming a dream demands faith. Everyday faith. Dreaming your dream means trusting God to bring the dream to pass in His way and His time. God-given dreams cannot fail. Why? Because God can’t fail. And He doesn’t call His people to fail! Dreams help us succeed in life.
 
If I may, I would like to share some thoughts with you that I am meditating upon for myself.
 

• When your dream seems dashed on the rocks of disappointment, DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 

• When you your dream is detoured by the devil, DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 

• When your dream is halted by divine delays, DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 

• When the fire of your dream is doused by non-dreamers, DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 

• When your dream dries up due to depleted resources, DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 

• When discouragement knocks on your door, stand tall and DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 

• When the dream you are dreaming looks impossible, DREAM YOUR DREAM!

 
Important Reasons For Dreaming Dreams
 
DREAM YOUR DREAM because precious people for whom Christ died are depending on you to fulfill God’s call on your life.
 
DREAM YOUR DREAM because “little dreamers” are watching you pursue your dream.
 
DREAM YOUR DREAM because God will be glorified as His dream for you comes true.
 
DREAM YOUR DREAM because you will be thrilled to fulfill His will for your life.
 
DREAM YOUR DREAM because this heartsick, hopeless world needs to dream God’s good dreams again.
 
My fellow dreamer, with all the faith and determination you can muster, never stop dreaming. Never quit on God’s vision. Never give up on the God-given dream that beats in your heart.
 
God’s dream for you will come true!!!
 
“And they said to one another “Here comes this DREAMER.”      Genesis 37:19
 
A Word For Your Week: Dream your dream until it comes true!

​While working on a writing project, I was prompted and drawn by the Holy Spirit to my very first Bible that rests on a library shelf in my study. I had not looked at it for over fifty years.
My godly Grandparents George and Willa Eplin gave it to me as a present for Christmas in 1956 when I was four years old. Of course, I did not know how to read yet.
It is a King James Version Illustrated Bible. Beautifully painted pictures of biblical scenes caught my attention as a youngster. For its age, the Bible is in surprisingly good shape. The text is intact. The coal black cover is a bit worn and faded. The zipper cover protecting the Bible is non-functional. Overall, Steve Roll’s first Bible has weathered the decades well.
A little boy’s first Bible. Precious to me.   
What really grabbed and warmed my heart is an entry on the second page of the introduction written by my hand.
“Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” Acts 9:6. Pinelow camp. 1962.
Pinelow, located on scenic Deer Lake thirty-five miles north of Spokane, Washington was the northwest district campground for the Church of The Nazarene. Every summer my grandparents paid my way to attend a week at camp. I was ten years old in 1962.
Evidently, between sneaking peeks at pretty girls at chapel services, I listened to the preacher. He preached about Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. The words “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” must have struck a chord in my youthful spirit. I would not surrender my life to Christ until I was twenty. But something stirred me to write down that phrase.
Throughout my Christian life and ministry, I have asked the Lord what He would have me to do. The seed of that desire was sown in a fourth grader’s heart.
What did I think it meant then? Was it a foretaste of things to come in my life? Would I be saved like Paul and serve the Lord as a minister of the Gospel?  For whatever reason, and I believe it was of the Lord, I was moved to write it down in my Bible.
I have lived nearly seven decades. I love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. I have done my best to revere, honor, obey and glorify Him. I have joyfully served Him as a minister of the Good News for forty-five years.
Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? is my heart cry currently.
I am not thinking of retirement. Not on your life. Re-enlisting in God’s service sounds good to me.  I am asking “Lord, how can You use me in the fourth quarter of my life for Your glory? What do You want to do with me? How do you want me to serve You in these last days? What would You have me to do Jesus?
Paul, previously Saul who persecuted Christians, became the Apostle of grace who preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and Jews. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he penned thirteen books of the New Testament. He was martyred for his faith in Christ. He fought the good fight of faith, finished his course and kept the faith. He would receive a crown of righteousness from Jesus (II Timothy 4:5-8).
Paul’s journey to his heavenly reward began with the words “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?”
How about me and you? We are forgiven, saved by grace through faith in Christ who shed His blood on the Cross and rose from the dead to redeem us. You and I have abundant and eternal life. We are headed for heaven. What a day that will be when we see the Lord as He is! (I John 3:1-3).
Now what? Lord, what do you want to do with us?
How about you my friend? As a Christian, do you want to do what you want to or what the Lord wants you to do?
In general, all born-again believes are Christ’s witnesses, shining spiritual lights in a dark world, proclaimers of the Good News through word and deed, and servants of the Lord who minister to the needs of people in His name. Christ in us is the hope of glory and the hope of all who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  
In addition to the above, what about our personal calling? What would the Lord have you, yes you, to do?
My specific personal calling has been fulltime ministry. What is yours? Where has the Lord placed you and what are His plans for you?
Whatever your age or stage in life, God desires to use you.
Why not do these simple things this week.

• Set aside some undistracted time to ask “Lord, what would You have me to do?”
• Search Scripture as the Holy Spirit leads you concerning your task(s) for the Kingdom.
• Bounce your desire to be used of the Lord off one or two mature, wise, discerning, encouraging Christian friends.  
• Be still. For as long as it takes to listen and receive God’s answer.
• Then follow through on His plans for you.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoice that God wants to use you and me these last days to bring many people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. What a privilege to live for Jesus, serve Him, and do what He has planned, equipped and empowered us to do.
If you are bored, tired, confused, conflicted and discouraged because you think life is about you, think again. “Lord, what would you have me to do?” is the only way to live abundantly in Christ!
A Word For Your Week: Do what the Lord would have you to do.