Monthly Archives: October 2020

He is Willing as well as Able

Focus on the willingness of Christ…

In Matthew 8:1-3, we read about the account of a leper, who sought Jesus for the impossible. This poor leper did not the doubt the power of Christ, he only wondered if Jesus was willing to heal him by a miracle. You see, in the ancient world, the disease of leprosy was like being dead while still alive. it was a disease where the nerves disconnected from other parts of the body and the victim would lose fingers, toes, etc. and eventually the entire body part. It was progressive and highly contagious. Researchers indicate that people were required to stay at least six feet distance from a leper! (hummm, same as CDC guidelines). Most religious folks looked upon a leper as being under the divine judgment of God and the victim was rendered hopeless.

Let’s look at the passage: Matthew 8:1-3

1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

What situations are you in that appear to be hopeless? Will you take the same stand as the leper and worship Christ in the midst of it?  Looking at my own life, I see that the anxiety of sickness and family responsibilities has been crouching at my door for some time. The Lord even prompted a Woman of God whom I know walks in faith to send me a message the other day to NOT DOUBT.  I most definitely received the word as a loving reminder from my Father to keep my focus on what HE is willing to do for me in any kind of hopeless situation. See, here’s the thing…I never lost faith in my God but I sure had become weary and frustrated along the way. The spirit of doubt was reaching and grabbing at my soul because I’ve been in the storm too long, but God…I’m telling you…one day I will share my testimony of what my family and I have gone through and overcome over the past three months. I thank God for loving me enough to remind me in His word that not only does He have the power to supernaturally do the impossible, but He is also WILLING..

I challenge you to place special focus on God’s willingness to heal, deliver, set free, transform, and any other thing that you stand in need of. Most of all, don’t forget to get up and bathe in His love each day. He loves you with an everlasting love. Never forget it.

Enjoy this clip from a couple of  years back with my myself and youth dance ministry:

 

Minister Denise Cook-Godfrey

 

Quiet Down

God says in His Word for us to “be still and know that He is God” (Psalms 46:10). This is a favorite verse for so many, but do we really know how to do this?  The other morning as I led intercessory prayer I had a woman to ask for prayer for guidance…she cried out that she did not understand how she could pray so hard but with “closed ears”.  Wow! I lost it, This broke my heart. I could not contain myself and tears began to fall from my eyes right there! We prayed for her and gave some encouraging words but I could not help but feel that somewhere and somehow, this woman has been let down by those in ministry. We must mentor and train people how to hear the voice of God.

I have always been fascinated by the voice of God. Each and every time I hear from heaven I weep as if it is my first experience. One thing I want to encourage us with in this short article is that we’ve got to learn the art of stillness. Its not that God is NOT speaking. He speaks all the time in various ways. Sometimes the noise of life is just too loud. Life is literally drowning out the voice of God.  We are His sheep, we know Him, He knows us, and we are not supposed to be following after strange voices.

Here are just a few disciplines that I believe we need to be reminded of in order to progress in hearing from God. By no means am I saying these are the only disciplines, but these are the ones that come to mind and that is working in my life and others have also testified that these work in their lives as well.  (See Exodus 33:14, Psalms 16:11, Psalms 27:8 for starters…so many others)

  1. Be relationship conscience. Know that you must prioritize your life where you are spending quality quiet time in the presence of God. Practice the presence of God as A LIFESTYLE and not a tradition. Where there is no presence of the Lord…there will be no voice of God.
  2. Devour the Word of God…You absolutely have to be a student of the word. Study and meditate on the Word of God because your life depends on it. The word of God is not just ink on paper. The Word of God is Spirit and life. The Word is active, living, sharper than a two-edged sword. The Word will commune with you upon awakening, during the day, and in the night seasons.
  3. Be sure you are meditating on the word that seems to jump out at you during your times of study. Pray before, during, and after you read and study the Word of God. There are times when God will allow what is written (logos) to become rhema (alive) and when this happens, God is speaking something specific to you.
  4. Pay close attention to stray thoughts that appear to come out of nowhere. Pay close attention to circumstances, dreams, visions, prophetic words and teachings, etc. Familiarize with the ways that God speaks.
  5. Be sure that you have a spiritual covering…don’t walk around bald and naked. Don’t hold on to the lone ranger mentality. Remember, the one sheep that is out on its own is more susceptible to be devoured by the wolf. Your spiritual leaders should also be able to teach you disciplines concerning hearing the voice of God and at times, they will become the voice of God for you!  This is important and should not be taken lightly.
  6. Finally, take care of your mind…fill your mind with God’s Word on a daily basis by rejecting thoughts of fear, worry, anxiety, etc. Certain patterns of thinking will block the voice of God.

There is so much more to be said; however, I will stop here. Remember, I am praying for you. Please stay encouraged in the Lord. We are going to make it to our next dimension together!

By the way, I hope that you enjoy the ministry clip below. I plan to share more ministry clips in the future.

Love,

Denise

Change it Up!

A little change is good every now and then right? Whether we’re changing our wardrobe or hair styles to changing the appearance of a room in our homes, it’s natural to feel great about positive changes.

But what about spiritual changes? How do we handle drastic changes that occur without notice? I’m talking about COVID-19 positive results for yourself and several family members, lingering symptoms months after recovery from COVID including hair loss, bereavement due to not one family member but three in a three week timespan, and a health diagnosis regarding two major areas that will call forth challenging lifestyle changes! Life is what I like to refer to as “raw” and as Christians we must be able to adapt to the changing climates and seasons in our path. The list i explain above is not a complaint, but an observation. We all are going through tough times but I believe we must acknowledge our pain and embrace suffering for Christ’s sake as a part of the will of God.

So how do we handle change? There are, I’m sure, multiple answers to this question but what comes to mind for me is this: “and be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

Above is a snippet of verse two of Romans chapter twelve. I just want to encourage you from that portion. When sudden and overwhelming changes hit tour life, the result is sudden actions that you must take. So, why not follow after the snippet! We must be sure our minds are being renewed by God’s Word each day so that our pattern of thinking and mindsets are healthy enough to weather each storm in our path. This is not always easy but when we intentionally meditate on God and His Word, we can expect change to occur within all stormy and fierce changes are taking place around us. May I pause here to say that in the midst of all that we personally suffer from season to season, I testify that God has been and always is so recklessly good to me!

Blessings to you and enjoy your week!