Author Archives: admin

About admin

Minister Denise Cook Godfrey is the wife of Assistant Pastor DeForest L. Godfrey. Minister Denise has devoted her life to God in true worship and desire to be used to motivate, inspire, and arouse the Body of Christ to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Minister Godfrey’s vision also involves teaching the Body of Christ to utilize the arts such as praise and worship dancing, interpretive movement and expressive signing, drama, and poetry within the local church in order to bring edification, comfort, exhortation, and deliverance. Denise is also the founder of Cook-Godfrey Productions. She is the mother of two children and is a loving grandmother. Minister Godfrey enjoys writing, aerobic exercising, and just spending time with her family.

Postures of Praise

PSALMS 95:6- Oh COME, LET US WORSHIP AND BOW DOWN, LET US KNEEL BEFORE THE LORD OUR MAKER.

BARAK– TO PRAISE BY KNEELING OR BOWING DOWN- AN IMPLICATION OF BLESSING GOD WITH HUMILITY OF HEART AND ADORATION.  (SEE ALSO Psalms 34:1, 63:4, 134:3)

Cook

While you are in your positions and postures of praise, allow your Mighty Creator to deal with your heart.  This is when dance choreography becomes more valuable than just 1234 1234 steps.  While you are in the process of preparing music or songs for worship, allow Him to speak to your own spirit.  Preparation for service becomes extremely valuable.

Dance pictures for website 006Dance pictures for website 011

Praise requires movement.  We can then move from praise into worship where there may not be any movement at all other than kneeling or laying prostrate on our bellies and faces before our awesome God!  Take the time to look up scripture pertaining to movement in the Word and you will be surprised to know that praise and worship is a physical demonstration of our love for God.

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take me to the KING

 

For more inspirational nuggets, feel free to browse the website, www.worshipfulministries.com.  Also, become a follower of the blog and never miss new posts!

 

 

 

Do You Know Your God???

Daniel 11:32b proclaims:  But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.  In the context of this passage, Daniel as a prophet is being shown some serious, heavy duty stuff that will take place on this earth in the last days.  In those days during the tribulation period.  It will be a time of great deception, where the Anti-Christ will use flattery and deception to hinder people from receiving the truth about Jesus Christ and of course this is truth that should  have been accepted and received before the rapture.  My friends we are now living in the last days and even though the rapture has not taken place yet, we ourselves are living in crucial and perilous times.  Paul talked about the condition of the world and the wickedness that is taking place right now.  So I wanna ask one more time:  Do You Know Your God???  Even though this world is corrupt and there is trouble on every side, those of us who have intimate knowledge of our God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will still do exploits for God under His anointing (exploits can be defined as exciting and notable deeds and acts!)  Although this world is really not going to get any better and there are so many wicked things going on, there will also be exploits and supernatural events taking place in the church!  (Dreams, visions, prophecies, healings, deliverance, signs and wonders!)

Stay strong and grounded and continue to KNOW YOUR GOD and better yet, worship Him each day in order to have Him reveal more and more of Himself to you.  There is security in Jesus!  He places a blanket of protection over His children.  He is our shelter.

https://youtu.be/ebNds3FJg5U  Enjoy a dance clip of “Alabaster Box”

The Struggle is Real!!!

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE ONLY A FEW WEEKS INTO A NEW YEAR AND YOU ARE SUDDENLY “BURNED OUT”?

Well, the question posed within the title of this article is “forreal”!!!  Have you ever heard the expression “THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!”  Yes, it is very much real because the enemy hates you and because you are dearly loved by God, he intends to wear you out!  Don’t feel bad.  This just means that you are on to a good start and God has glorious plans for your life and your ministry (service unto Him for the Body of Christ-whatever that is).

Don’t give up.  You were made for this!  You were built for this!  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.  Philippians 4:13  Go ahead, repeat it and put your name in it:  Denise can do all things through Christ who strengthens her!

So, what do we do, now that the new year has just come in and it seems as if we are already tired?  The answer is simple but profound:  We pull on our source!  We look inside of our own spirit and declare that there is a river in there!  There is a river inside of us that will flow and bless us with refreshing water.  The water is what will give us stamina and strength so that we won’t get weary and give up.  The water mixed with the Word of God will restore and give us the GRACE (divine favor and enablement) to just keep it moving.  I am praying for you.  I pray that your faith will never fail.  I pray that you will be refreshed and never lose focus of your God given purpose!  Remember, Jesus said that we who believe in Him, as the scriptures has said, out of our belly (heart, spirit) flows rivers of living waters!  (See John 7:38)

He Sent Me To Just One

Alabaster Box

Ministry is so peculiar at times.  I have been a licensed Minister of the Gospel now since 2007 and I still stand in awe of how God always takes my breath away with surprises!  That is why we have to follow hard after Proverbs 3:5-6.  You know it.  Go ahead and quote it, “Trust in the Lord with all of thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths!  This is one of those feel good scriptures that is so popular.  Everyone can quote it but do we truly understand it by revelation and experience?  I am still learning it!  I had a dance ministry assignment not too long ago and I was all in a “tizzy” because I just did not know what songs to use.  I was asked to do 2 dances, which is unusual because normally I only do one when I dance alone as a soloist.  So this doubled my trouble, so to speak.  I knew about the engagement at least a month and a half ahead of time but still did not know.  I prayed and tried to put aside extra time to prepare myself like I love to do but still nothing.  So, on the day of, I placed several songs that I had done in the past on a single CD and thought of two particular ones and went on my merry way.  As I arrived I finally just had to pick 2 numbers.  I prayed once more and went with it.  Well, God moved in that place like never before.  After I ministered, there was a woman sitting in the back who had an oxygen tank with her that she was on.  She said to me:  “let me hug  you, you know, I just had open heart surgery and this is my first time attending church since that, and you know what, your dance has blessed my soul.  I  never gave up my hope during my trial”.  Well, after this woman hugged me and said those words to me, I lost it.  I melted, I began to be so humbled because I knew that God sent me up to that place for that one woman.  One of the songs that I ministered was “I never lost my praise” and that particular song was the song that ministered to this woman.  Praise the Lord!  Had I done what I originally planned to do in my own mind, it would not have been that song.  As I waited on the Lord to speak, I did not hear anything.  I chose that song at the last minute because what I practiced as I was waiting on a confirmation from the Lord surely was not that particular song!  So you see Ministers, sometimes God will hold out on you and then He will send you to just one!  Yes, your ministry is to the masses, but sometimes you are sent to just one.  I know this to be true.  Take courage and always remain open to the odd ways that God reveals His will to you.  Be Blessed!

Giving Him a Gift of Dance this Christmas!

https://youtu.be/ebNds3FJg5U

What can I give to You my Wonderful King?  Well, really, the best gift to give to Him this Christmas is a heart that is full of worship.  He wants our affection first and foremost.  I will have to admit though, that there are times when there are specific areas of our life that He is after as well.  The Lord taught me this one day when I was super busy, creating choreography for one or maybe even two dances for my youth church dance ministry.  Right in the middle of the busiest moment, I could hear the Spirit of the Lord speaking in my ear:  “Will you choreograph one for Me?”  Now you can imagine my astonishment.  All the work and the effort I was placing into the dances was fine but He was drawing me to His heart and reminding me not to forget to choreograph a love dance for an audience of ONE.  That audience is Him!  So if you are a praise and worship dancer, don’t forget to give Him a gift of dance this year.  Create a special love dance just for Him and please Him first and your musicals and Christmas dances and skits will go well.  He will bless you all the more to serve and give to others this season.  If you are not a dancer, think about what you serve best.  What area of your service to the Most High God claims most of your attention?  Give back to God and He will make all your plans to succeed.  Remember, the sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite heart and spirit.  God will not despise these.  So we need those times with Him where we really are not doing anything at all except just simply being with Him.  I believe that when I continually dance before Him in worship, when the music stops, we will just have that quiet intimate time together where I will bond even closer and begin to know Him more and more.  Now this is the best Christmas present that I can give or obtain.  Awesome!

 

FIRE!!!

What was your first experience with fire?  You may not even remember but some I am sure can probably remember being young and touching something hot and even learning a valuable lesson to stay away from fire!  What about the old expression:  “If you play around with fire, you might get burned!”  Well this month’s nugget is about the fire of God.  I know, when we normally talk about God’s fire, we always think of it in a negative fashion because of judgement and punishment for disobedience and sin.  Well it is correct to see God’s fire that way but I also want to draw our attention to another purpose for His fire.  What about purification?  God is looking for a purified heart. (Malachi 3:2-3)   His blood has already sprinkled our hearts from an evil conscience when it has to do with us being able to commune with Him and be reconciled to Him because of what Jesus has done for us at calvary.  (Hebrews 10:22)  There is no problem here, but……on a daily basis we all are subject to getting defiled, dusty and contaminated by the world.  Jesus said that He was not praying that we be taken out of the world but that we be protected from the evil in it.  (John 17:15) So we go to the Word to be washed by the water of the Word to clean us from the dust and filth of the world but what about our hearts?  Our hearts are still susceptible to becoming hardened, full of pride, self centeredness, bitterness, etc.  So God wants to baptize us in the fire so that we can be purified.  Sometimes He will even allow the the fire of trials to accomplish this within us.  I know.  Does not sound pretty but believe me God knows what He is doing!  I want to share something personal….I have experienced times of lonliness and dryness because I needed to be broken in order to continue to feel His presence and to continue to become more like Christ in my attitude and deeds.  He allowed the brokeness and the fire to purify me.  So, fire is a good thing when it accomplishes His desire within us!  True repentance and a fresh love for Him.

 

Sign up for Online Drama Class! (Gospel Plays)

Sign up for Online Drama Class! (Gospel Plays)

“IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WRITE THAT INSPIRING PLAY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT…HOW?  GO TO THE FORM ON THE RIGHT AND SIGN UP FOR ”DRAMA IN THE CHURCH” NOW!  I WANT TO TEACH YOU HOW TO WRITE AND DIRECT DYNAMIC, ANOINTED PLAYS THAT WILL CHANGE LIVES.

THE COURSE IS BEING OFFERED FOR A ONE TIME DONATION OF $35.00.  THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF 3 SESSIONS.  YOU CAN PAY FOR THE COURSE BY CLICKING ON THE “DONATE” BUTTON TO THE RIGHT OR YOU CAN GO TO https://worshipfulministries.eventbrite.com.   WHEN YOUR DONATION IS RECEIVED, I WILL SEND YOUR COURSE OUTLINE TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU SUPPLY.  THE FIRST CLASS WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER 14TH AT 7:00 P.M. CST (8:00 EDT)!  IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO MAKE AN IMPACT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD!  I WANT TO HELP YOU DO JUST THAT.  Love and Blessings to you,,,,Minister Denise Cook Godfrey

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GOSPEL STAGE PLAY COURSE COMING SOON!

Hello everyone.  So very excited to announce the upcoming online course for writing and directing your own gospel stage play!  Do you have inspiration to direct a gospel stage play?  Do you have a vision or see the images, yet cannot seem to get it all on paper?  I can help you with this!  The course will show you how to use the inspiration inside of you to write your own play and how to know the dynamics for directing it at your local church or in your community!  Stay tuned for more details.

Minister Denise Cook Godfrey

 

IS THIS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR?

Well hello everyone!  It has been a “minute” since I have written in this blog but that surely does not mean that I have not had anything going on or anything in particular to write about!  God has given me this creative gift and any inspirational writer will tell you….you can only go so long before picking up that pen and letting go of what is inside of you by spilling your guts on paper!

Today, on this rainy afternoon, I contemplate on feelings of chasing the wind!  Ever feel like the more you attempt to live at peace with everyone and the more  you try to walk in the Spirit and live a Godly life, the more it seems as if you have to lay down and take all types of assaults, meanness, and just down right disrespect!  Hey, what about those times when it appears that all your sacrificing, praying, ministering, laboring, is just as if you are chasing the wind and throwing pebbles in a large ocean and never hearing the sound!  Well, it is ok if you are feeling that way or have felt that way.  This is just the way it is.  I am there right now and that is the reason for the title…..”IS THIS WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR?”  Well, I am mature enough to know that my life is in His Hands!  Sometimes our God will allow these times to come upon us so that we can take a moment to realize that we did not sign up for anything, we are responding to the purpose that God has for us.  Even though we have our moments, God is still molding and shaping us into what He truly wants us to become.  So we will not deny the way we feel; however, we will not allow the feelings to dictate how we respond to life’s disappointments.  We will continue to seek the face of God and continue to say “Yes Lord” to Your will and Your way!

My prayer today is that we all take a moment to reflect on our purpose and never forget that He who has begun a good work in us, is able to complete it unto the coming of Christ!  (See Philippians 1:6)  So, when you feel like you are going through a season of something you really did not sign up for, or you are persecuted and attacked just for doing good and what is right, cheer up!  Know that God has your back and that no good deed goes unrewarded.

The State of my Heart Determines the State of my Life!

Wow!  Our God is an awesome God who truly wants us to surrender our hearts to Him.  It does not matter how long we have been saved, we are still to surrender our entire beings to Him daily.  (See Romans 12:1-2)  We are to be like the whole burnt offerings of the Old Testament days.  Jesus has made this possible for us.  Without His death, burial and resurrection, it would not be possible.

How do I ensure that my heart is surrendered to My God?  First, the heart must be purified.  Only the pure in heart shall see God.  (Matthew 5:8).  This verse not only refers to seeing God when we get to heaven but it also means that we are able to see and perceive God’s heart, what He wants to do and say, when we allow our hearts to be purified.  His Spirit rests within our spirits and if there is “junk” there, then we have a serious problem.

At about 4:45 a.m. this morning, I was communing with the Lord in His presence.  I was suddenly awakened from a dream a little after 4 a.m., got up to use the restroom, and then proceeded to pray and seek God.  I had lots of heaviness and things to request of Him and talk with Him about.  After this, I began to just thank, praise and enter into worship.  Before long, God was leading me on a journey backward in order to show me the spiritual blockages that were in my heart.  Things from our past still controls us when we allow bitterness, self centeredness, shame, painful hurts, unforgiveness, rejection, etc to not be dealt with by the Spirit of God.  Just because we believed and became born again does not mean we do not stand in need of deliverance from past issues.  Unresolved issues in the heart makes us to become hindered from experiencing all that God has for us in His presence.  It hinders our worship.  What do we do?  We surrender by asking God for His grace to enable us to go free.  To give up control of it and allow Him to purge all these past heart problems in the fire of the Holy Ghost.  This is a progressive process but it is possible.

Try this today. This is important because the state of your heart determines the state of your life!  More on this topic at a later time.  Take the first step by being honest in the presence of God. He will show you your spiritual blockages.

I love you with the love of Jesus.  If you need prayer, leave a comment or contact me via email at sherrylcook@att.net.  You may also inbox me on face book at Denise Cook Godfrey.  To sow a love gift to this ministry, you may go to the “donate now” button on right side of the webpage..