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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.

Living from the Inside Out

Rumble…Rumble!!!  That is what was heard late this afternoon during a thunderstorm here in the city where I live. The thunder was so loud and powerful until it could be felt throughout the house. It was indeed a rough thunderstorm. Life is like that as well. I am reminded at how loud things are right now in our nation. Not only in the nation as a whole, but in my personal life there are some pretty loud voices resounding forth in my ears.

But just as the thunder and lightening finally calmed itself and faded away after a while, I am believing that the noise in my life will do the same. That is, until the next storm. In the meanwhile, God has designed for us to continue to exercise a supernatural quietness from within our souls when the noise of life seems to drown out the still small voice of the Lord. The word says that when we keep our minds stayed on Jehovah, that we would experience perfect peace. What does this really look like anyway? It looks like a baby bird tucked under the feathers of its mother, hiding under those wings until the calamity of what can be heard passes on. It looks like Jesus Christ, sleeping on a pillar at the bottom of a ship while the disciples were startled with so much fear during a dangerous storm. And lastly for me, it looks like me, choosing to sit under the shade tree of God’s sweet presence praying, singing, declaring His word over my circumstances until my peace returns and is dominating my every moment.

Lets remember that we can live from the inside out…no matter what is going on in our world…God has ordained peace for us. We can’t be taught how to live in this divine peace, but it’s something that we have to experience by faith.  Lets work this peace out in our walk each and everyday. After all, it is impossible to please our Lord without FAITH…

Enjoy an older clip of a dance that speaks to living in a divine place of peace..

Blessings,

Denise

 

I Have Not Divorced You

Life as we know it right now is off the chain! Our nation is in chaos. We do not know from day to day what is literally going to happen when it comes to the pandemic, the health of the economy, and so on. We cannot even meet for church as we need to. Some of us are in the fight of our lives and it is NOT surprising that many are falling away and have given up.

Well, as I am reading and preparing for a short sermonette, I realize that I am not exempt from being totally overwhelmed right now myself. I thank God for the Word in Isaiah 50:1—

50 :1—-This is what the Lord says:

“Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce
    with which I sent her away?
Or to which of my creditors
    did I sell you?
Because of your sins you were sold;
    because of your transgressions your mother was sent away.

In this verse, the prophet is continuing from a point in the previous chapter where the people of God questioned God’s love for them because of what they were suffering. (See Isaiah 49:13-18).  Just as God spoke through the prophet at that point to ensure the people that He had not forgotten them, He now was asking a rhetorical question…”where is the paperwork that shows I have divorced you?”  There was no paper work. God did not change HIS love or alter His attitude about the future of His people. It was because of their disobedience that they were suffering.

It is the same way with us. We suffer because of the consequences of our choices. Or, sometimes God will allow suffering when we are in His will for a purpose. Regardless, We must set our faces like a hard flint rock and continue on our path during these dark days. God has not forgotten us and He still has a future plan for us. This is not easy, but we must trust the process.

I believe God will always find a way to confront the soul that harbors a feeling of “Where are You God?”, or “God does not care about what I’m going through”.  Is that you today? Do you feel that God is ignoring your pain or that He is hard to reach right now because of what you are suffering? Well, if it is, go ahead and acknowledge it. Let God comfort you the way He did for the Israelites long ago. You will never be put to shame when you trust your bewildered emotions to God. He’s waiting to comfort your soul. Let Him.

Has God Cancelled on Me?

Have you ever been really excited about plans made with someone and out of nowhere those plans got cancelled? Something like this can be really disappointing. Well, there are some among us right now who are feeling disappointed because they feel as if their purpose, destiny, and promises from the Lord has been cancelled! I did a teaching on our local radio broadcast this past Sunday morning where I taught on the true context of Jeremiah 29:11. This scripture verse is popular and most do not ever take the time to receive the essence of the meaning of the verse because of the failure to dig deeper into the context of the scripture verse:

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

First of all, this word was given to a people who were in captivity in the form of a letter from the prophet (29:1). What is captivity?  Captivity is confinement, imprisonment, enslavement, bondage, restraint, etc. God’s intentions was to encourage the people while in this condition. Even though the people disobeyed and rebelled against the Lord and He caused them to be carried away captive, He wanted them to know that His attitude about their future was still the same. He wanted them to know that He would visit them in the future and cause HIS promises to come to past for them.

10 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

Even though God, in His righteous judgment allowed the captivity, He assured His people that His thoughts toward them were only peaceful and beautiful and that they still had hope for the future. He instructed the people to “get comfortable” in that place so to speak because they would not be able to escape the situation until their season of judgment was over.

My encouragement to us today is that we must trust God in every season, even the reaping seasons where we are going through chaos and fire because of our own choices. Not all sufferings are the result of sin; however, some are. Nevertheless, God has not cancelled our destiny. We still have hope as long as there is breath in our lungs.

Blessings,

Minister Denise

Denise with Praying Hands-Backyard

Are You Ready for the Next Major Move of God?

Do you believe that God can move mightily and favorably during this pandemic that we are dealing with? I do. As a matter of fact, God has been moving in my life in awesome ways ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic I have met people, wrote and published a book, launched a virtual course, and have gotten tons of things done around the house in the midst of working a secular job each day.

All of the above sounds great but God also wants to move in the arena of our intimacy with Him. He wants us to see facets of His glory that we’ve never seen before. Will we be ready for a  move such as this? I’m talking about a move where the glory fills the place and miracles and manifestations are breaking forth. Times where revival and repentance is evident everywhere.  In Exodus 20:18-21, Israel experienced a time in their lives when they were learning to approach God. When God allowed them to see Him move, the people distanced themselves because they were afraid. They had already seen miracles when departing out of Egypt but now they stood far away in fear.

Exodus 20:18-21

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.

19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

When God begins to move, lets not expect Him to move according to our ways, but lets be ready to respond in faith. God wants to bring us into new levels during this new era of time. We are living in prophetic times and must understand  seasons and times. Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding so that you will know how to respond to the next major move of God in your life as an individual and for all of us as a church body and as a nation.

As a liturgical dancer (Praise and Worship Dancer), I have been declaring through movement that God will rain on us as a nation and as the Body of Christ. I have also been crying out for the Light of His countenance to shine upon us like never before…enjoy a brief clip below of a portion of the movement declarations that I have consecrated to our God on behalf of our nation.

Blessings,

Denise

Dance Language that Gives Birth

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

COMING IN JULY 2020…A NEW ONLINE COURSE FOR LITURGICAL DANCERS…

DO YOU FEEL A HOLY DISSATISFACTION WELLING UP ON THE INSIDE AS A PRAISE DANCER? ARE YOU IN SEARCH FOR THE DANCE FROM HEAVEN?  I CAN TEACH YOU TIPS AND DYNAMICS FOR DEVELOPING MOVEMENT THAT WILL GIVE BIRTH TO DESTINY, PURPOSE, AND THE WILL OF GOD.  ENROLLMENT COMING DURING THE WEEK OF JUNE 28, 2020

Denise with Praying Hands-Backyard

Divine Chaos

Chaos, darkness, loss of peace, confusion, etc.?  Well it’s no secret.  Life is filled with overwhelming challenges in our nation and the entire world right now!  I call it “raw” life!  Take heart though, think of El Elyon (the Most- High God).  This is one of the Names of God that comes to mind when I visually see the tidal wave of chaotic things in my life and in society right now.  This Name describes that part of God that is in total control of this universe!  He is the Almighty Creator and nothing or no one can take Him by storm!  God is in control and will perform His word in your life.  Rest in Him!  At times the chaos is divine, in that God is using it for a specific purpose that will turn out for our good.

Now…do you believe that you have a future and that God will do for you just what He said He would do before the pandemic?  Just a thought question…

Announcement…Coming in July…A new online course for Liturgical Dancers!  Be sure to spread the word to all the dancers that you know. More detail coming next week!

When There Are No Words…

Denise with Praying Hands-Backyard

Chaos, darkness, frustration, tears, tears, tears…these are a few words that come to mind when I think of the situation in our Nation at this time during 2020. Death, sickness, prejudice, injustice!  Anger, fear, pity, compassion…so many emotions. I remember a couple of nights ago sitting in my den…speechless. I recall whispering to the Lord in shame “Lord, I don’t know what to say…I don’t even know how to pray!”  Well, being an intercessor, this hit below the belt but do you know what? A tender voice straight from my loving Heavenly Father began to remind me that I had a Comforter living within my spirit who is ready to pray through me!  He, the Holy Spirit helps in our infirmities when we do not know how to pray. (Romans 8:26)  He leads our prayers but we must remain in faith and in hope. We must not allow our hearts to be affected by what we see and hear in the natural.

Protect your heart, beloved. Be sure that you are watching your responses, your emotions, and what you are allowing to invade your ear, eye, and heart gate. We are living in prophecy. The Bible teaches us of the perilous times. Take heart. Our redemption is drawing nigh and the LORD is still in control. Even when we can’t feel anything. He is still God and we still have a future in the land of the living. Again I say, take heart.

God Plays Hide and Seek

“You will find Me if you search for Me with all your heart,” states Jeremiah 29:13.  So the question in the heading is does God play games?  This eye-catching title has to do with God seemingly playing the old hide and seek game that we used to play as children in the sweltering heat of the day many years ago.  Well, of course, God does not play games like that but He does have a desire for fellowship and trust.  God wants us to trust His love for us.  He wants to bond with us.  So, in a sense of hiding and seeking, He hides revelation so that we are thirsty and hungry enough to seek after that revelation.

The context of Jeremiah 29 is all about Israel in captivity.  The word from Jeremiah in verses 11-13 speaks hope to a people who were in great despair because they disobeyed their God and began to trust in false prophecies of a sudden deliverance from their oppressors.  But how does the promise of verse 13 apply to us today?  This verse can apply to the backslider or anyone who desires to find a relationship with God. For those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord, I believe it is about the search.  It is actually what we learn throughout the seeking process that really counts.  God knows everything but yet He does not tell us everything we need to know at once about our life situations.  He wants us to ask, seek, knock on a continual basis.  Why?  Because He loves us and created us for Himself.  As we worship and as we seek His perfect will through His word (written and rhema), we continue the bonding process.  So, let the games begin.

I want the Spirit of the Lord to continue to reveal to me how to search for God!  Be encouraged and be diligent in your search for God ‘s will for your life.  For example, I have an upcoming dance workshop to teach during July this year.  It is now May 1st; however, I have already begun to ask God which songs to use and exactly how to format the workshop. Sure, I could pick any song and format the workshop in any manner, but if I pray and seek God’s wisdom, He will eventually speak to my heart and show me exactly which songs and format will work best for who is going to be attending. I have no idea who will be there but the Holy Spirit does!  So in the midst of the search, there is a voice, there is peace, there is intimacy.  I gain more than just a few songs and some choreography, I gain more of His heart.  Are you a seeker?  Do you love to play hide and seek with the Lord?

Denise Cook Godfrey

Minister/Author/Playwright/Liturgical Dance Instructor

https://www.amazon.com/author/denisecookgodfrey

dcookgodfrey@gmail.com

COVID-19 Chronicles Day 3

Hello!  We are here on day 3 of the COVID-19 Chronicles.  Today we will continue in our discussion of what I believe the Lord spoke to me in a dream a week or so ago.  There were two major things that I believe the Lord reminded me of for the church…repentance and worship.

Continuing in our discussion of repentance (Day 2 started our discussion).  I want to encourage us with a scripture verse from Isaiah 30:15:

New King James Version
For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not,

The above scripture lets us know that when we return to the Lord in quietness…we will rest in the Lord.  In my dream, there was chaos and fear until the Woman in Authority stopped me in my tracks and I was directed to get back to work.  When we repent for real…we can literally kill the noise in our soul. We will be able to take Jesus yoke and swap our yokes with His so that we can have a heart of peace and tranquility.  Remember, we discussed yesterday that true repentance has to align with God’s will and it must be mixed with contrition and brokenness!

Another aspect of the scripture verse above is confidence and strength!  We can minister in boldness, walk in boldness, and live a bold confident life when we truly repent and give our whole heart to God.

Let’s pray:

Father, I give you my heart…I thank you for my salvation and I do repent right now of what I stand in need to repent of.  I repent also on behalf of this entire nation!  Beak my Lord, Shake me Lord…I want confidence and quietness before you.  I love you and I praise you,

In Jesus Name…Amen

Minister Denise

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COVID-19 Chronicles Day #2

Welp!  Here we are on day 2 of this special time of recording what I honestly believe to be the mind of Christ on the matter of the virus thing!  If you have not read day #1 of these chronicles, please do so.  On day ,1 I described the purpose of the chronicles which started with a dream that I had about a week ago.  So today is March 24, 2020 and today we are talking about repentance.

Repentance is definitely one of the things that the church must do individually and as a whole during this time.  It’s crucial. It is not an option.  What I feel compelled to speak on today is true repentance that aligns with the will of God.

First, the definition of repentance is a sincere regret and remorse.  So…from a Biblical stand point, lets look at the Hebrew meaning:

“According to Strong’s Concordance, the English word repent appears 21 times in the Old Testament. These come from two different Hebrew words. The one used most often is Nacham, which means to regret. The other is shuwb which means to turn or return.”

So to be sure that our repentance is aligned with the will of God, we must have a mind set of regret concerning our present heart condition.  The remorse and the regret, called “contrition” in Psalms 51:17, is what will eventually manifest in a turning back to GOD!!!  This is true repentance.

Take-a-way from this chronicle:

I must feel the burden of my sin…I must be sorry for real…I must trust God to cleanse me and by faith receive forgiveness as I confess and acknowledge my sinful condition…then i must TAKE ACTION!  I must plan to do something.  Taking action means doing something different than before.

God bless you!  Let’s pray:

Father, in the Name of Jesus…have mercy upon my, according to Your loving kindness, according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.  Forgive me and purify my heart. I want to turn to you in repentance.  Break my heart for what breaks Yours and restore unto me joy in Your presence.  Grace me to take action and do what is needed to be done in my situation today…In Jesus Name…Amen

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