Category Archives: The presence of God

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

 

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!

Hello New Things!

Hi, Denise Cook-Godfrey here…God wants to do new things for you in this new year.  According to the Jewish calendar, we have entered into a new year. God not only wants to do new things but unusual things.  He also wants us to understand our spiritual “times”.  Our times are definitely in His hands.  I am prophesying a suddenly and a springing forth of new things and also a springing forth of things that were spoken and declared in previous years!

Now, enjoy the place of His presence.  He wants to hide you in His secret place. REJOICE IN HIM!

*be sure to enjoy the youtube clip and become a follower. I am also inviting you to becom a follower of the author page at https://www.amazon.com/author/denisecookgodfrey

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Are You Ready for Your BIG Next?

Hi! What huge transformation or breakthrough are you awaiting from the Lord?  Its gonna be awesome!  There have been so many prophetic ministries that have been prophesying concerning the next move of God, including my own Pastor and even me! Yes, I have a word that is burning me up and it only confirms what I’ve been hearing for the past few months. Watch the short clip below and be blessed!  Be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel.

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A Call to Dance

 

Dance shoes, tutus, buns, and technique training were never a part of my life as a child. As a matter of fact, I was in my late thirty’s before I ever stepped foot into a professional dance studio. For this reason, I find that my “call to dance” so to speak is indeed a divine call that reaches far beyond my own natural understanding.
When I first felt the burning passion and desire to dance before the Lord, it was not something that I willingly embraced. Fear, inferiority, and inadequacy were the ruling emotions that shackled my feet, hands, and soul all together. I told myself, “You’re too old, you have no training, and you’ll look ridiculous!” I tried to sweep it under the rug and laughed at myself; however, the more that I ran from the call, the hotter the fire blazed from within. Each time I would see this awesome ministry of dance (of course during that time I did not realize that it was ministry!) being manifested on television or at certain events, the desire only intensified.
After about a year of hiding, running, and attempting to extinguish the burning desire to dance, I decided to step out of hiding and explore ways to learn about how I can get started in praise dance ministry. I googled a few sites, looked for videos and even joined with two other adults who were also seeking training for praise dance ministry in my community. After a few months being involved in this community team, the Lord led me to an ordained minister who was also a trained professional dancer of thirty plus years! She had owned her own studio for many years and was then working as a partner in one of the studios in my city. I started taking classes with children for about six years! This was indeed a very humbling time for me. It was not easy, but I know now that it was necessary. The Lord was not only preparing my body and increasing dance vocabulary, He was also working on my heart!

The years described above were very necessary and I thank God for them; however the depth of the call can be summed up in what I refer to as a prophetic mandate. There are two events that I like to refer back to when I speak concerning my personal call to dance ministry. For one, some years before I felt the desire and pull to dance, I received a prophetic word from my Bible study teacher, (who is now my husband!). The prophetic word was this: “For the Lord says that from now on, take care of your feet! Take special care and see to it that you no longer purchase cheap shoes”. Okay, so both he and I laughed at this word because it indeed sounded strange. I trusted prophetic words and I trusted my Bible mentor so I wrote the prophetic word out and placed it on the shelf. I did not want to despise it. It was not until a few years after I was fully active in dance ministry that this prophetic word was brought back to my remembrance by the Holy Spirit, providing me with a fresh reminder and confirmation that what I was doing in dance was indeed the will of God! You simply cannot dance without your feet right? Another event is my call to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When God gave me the final confirmation to publicize myself as being called into the Ministry to Preach the Gospel, he confirmed it through a calling dream. At the end of this dream, He alerted my attention to my white gloves. Back in those days, I only did interpretive dance and never danced without those gloves. Praise the Lord! God was confirming that even though He was calling me to a higher level of ministry, He was still allowing me to continue to dance as part of the ministry as well!

Dance ministry is so dear to my heart. I thank God that He has confirmed His anointing on my life to express His heart through drama, technique, and song. I do not take it lightly. One other event in my life that comes to mind is the vision that I have seen of myself all along in a very large open field, dancing, twirling and spinning. In the vision, I could hear this phrase within my heart: “All I want to do is please my Daddy.” My prayer is that I never lose this childlike innocence as I go from level to level in dance ministry.

Denise Cook-Godfrey

Minister/Author/Play-Wright/Liturgical Dance Educator

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

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Does God Play Games?

“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

Swallowing the Bitter Pill

You’ve been there!  God gives a word either through speaking directly to your spirit man or through another person.  The word has been confirmed and you are excited beyond excited.  Your faith is stirred and you wait patiently.  Finally, the day comes for the manifestation of the promise.  All the signs point to it.  This is it, or so you thought!  Your understanding of the matter is now somewhat clouded.  You begin to drown in despair. What just happened?  A set back is what some call it.  Hope deferred is how King Soloman described it (See Proverbs 13:12:  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life).  Either way, what you are experiencing in this moment of disappointment is quite common to all of us.  This valley like experience has nothing to do with the great purpose and destiny that God has planned for you.  It does not cancel out the promise that He made to you.

So how do you cope?  Here is something that came to mind this morning as I was reading a short article from a ministry called “Streams Ministries International.”  The article spoke of our learning to celebrate private victories as we wait for what God has prepared for us.  I was thankful for the article, but as I pondered this more and more, here is another point that was brought to my attention:  At times, we have got to embrace disappointments.  Sometimes we are just not ready for what is ahead.  Swallowing the bitter pill of disappointment and “hope deferred” as King Solomon put it, is really a pill that is good for the soul.  No, it does not feel good, but once we endure we will come out on the other side more polished and mature and ready to face the responsibilities of the blessings that our future promotion holds for us.  Until we are back on that path (because there are detours we must take on our way into our destiny), we must remain in love with the Father!  We must worship as we have never worshipped before!  Worshipping and continuing to declare and study God’s word during these types of seasons will sustain us and keep us grounded.  Keep busy.  Do for others.  Follow after peace and do the things that you can for God’s Kingdom.  Be satisfied with His goodness!

So…go ahead and cry, yell, ask God how you are to tread from this place and swallow that pill!  Someday you will be glad that you did.

Denise Cook-Godfrey

Minister/Author/PlayWright/Liturgical Dance Instructor

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

denisecookgodfrey@gmail.com

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