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Drama in the Church! Can I get an AMEN!

MANY YEARS AGO, THE LORD PLACED A STRONG DESIRE WITHIN MY HEART TO UTILIZE THE ARTS SUCH AS DANCE, SKITS, PLAYS, AND POETRY AS METHODS AND TOOLS TO USE FOR GOSPEL MINISTRY.  AT THAT TIME, I HAD NO TRAINING, NOT MUCH DIRECTION, AND I WAS VERY FEARFUL.  THERE WAS NOT MUCH OF THIS SORT OF THING GOING ON WITHIN OUR LOCAL AREA.  I LAUGHED AT MYSELF, I TRIED TO SWEEP IT UNDER THE RUG, I TOLD MYSELF THAT I COULD NOT DO SUCH A THING; HOWEVER, THE FIRE AND PASSION FOR THIS TYPE OF MINISTRY, WOULD NOT GO AWAY.  THE DESIRE WOULD KEEP COMING BACK STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE.

AS TIME PASSED BY, GOD BEGAN TO OPEN DOORS, GIVE PROPHETIC WORDS, AND ENABLE ME BY HIS GRACE TO STEP OUT ON NOTHING BUT A WORD AND A PROMISE.  AS I KEPT THE FAITH, IN TIME I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE MANIFESTATIONS OF WHAT GOD WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH THE ARTS.

THE OLD TESTAMANT PROPHETS OFTEN SPOKE PROPHETICALLY BY “ACTING OUT” THE WORD OF THE LORD.  AGABUS, A NEW TESTAMENT PROPHET, USED DRAMA TO PORTRAY A PROPHETIC WORD TO PAUL.  GOD SPOKE THROUGH THE PROPHET ISAIAH IN A DRAMATIC WAY IN ISAIAH CHAPTER 5 WHEN HE WANTED HIS PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS NOTHIN ELSE THAT H COULD HAVE DONE FOR THEM TO CAUSE THEM TO LOVE AND OBEY HIM BY BEARING FRUIT AS A FRUITFUL VINEYARD (THE STORY OF THE BELOVED VINEYARD).

SO LET THE DRAMA IN THE CHURCH CONTINUE!  GOD CAN GET SO MUCH GLORY OUT OF THEM!

I will begin an online course to teach, inform, and inspire you to write and direct your very own gospel stage plays!  The courses will begin during the first week in October and will be recorded live, so if you cannot attend the live session, you will be able to listen at your convenience.  Please go to the right hand side of the page and register with your email address.  I will send you further details via email as to how to register and all other details!  I look forward to blessing you with this course.

 

Don’t Give Up on God. He Will Never Give up on You!

WHAT HAPPENS IN BETWEEN THE TIME A PROMISE IS SPOKEN AND THE ACTUAL FULFILMENT OF THAT PROMISE?  SOMETIMES WHEN GOD HAS SPOKEN SPECIFICALLY TO US ON A CERTAIN MATTER, WE WILL RECEIVE THE PROCEEDING WORD INTO OUR HEARTS WITH GLADNESS AND GREAT EXPECTATION.  A WORD FROM THE LORD BRINGS ENCOURAGEMENT AND COMFORT IN OUR TIMES OF DISTRESS.  HOWEVER, OFTENTIMES THERE IS A DELAY IN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE PROMISE.  IT IS AT THESE TIMES WHEN WE EXPERIENCE TEMPTATION TO BECOME WEARY AND TO GIVE UP.  DON’T FEEL TOO BAD, FOR YOU ARE  NOT ALONE AND THIS IS NOT SURPRISING TO GOD.  THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL COULD NOT WAIT FOR MOSES TO COME DOWN FROM THE MOUTAIN BEFORE THEY GAVE UP AND BEGAN TO MAKE FOR THEMSELVES OTHER gods, ABRAHAM AND SARAH GREW VERY WEARY AND EVEN DISCOURAGED AND BIRTHED FOR THEMSELVES AN ISHMAEL WHO WAS NOT THE PROMISED CHILD, AND HAGAR FORGOT HER PROMISED WORD WHEN SHE WANDERED IN THE DESERT AFTER BEING THROWN OUT OF WHAT SHE KNEW AS HOME FOR AT LEAST 13 OR 14 YEARS.

THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER WHEN WE ARE IN A DESERT OF WEARINESS IS THAT WE ARE NOT TO GIVE UP ON GOD, GOD NEVER GIVES UP ON US AND HE IS VERY MUCH ABLE TO DO JUST WHAT HE SAID THAT HE WOULD DO.  HE WATCHES OVER HIS WORD TO PERFORM IT.  SO THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP BECAUSE IT APPEARS THAT THE YOU HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN OR THAT YOUR PROMISE IS NEVER COMING TO PASS,  JUST PRAY THIS PRAYER:  LORD, REMEMBER THE WORD THAT YOU SPOKE TO YOUR SERVANT WHEN I WAS IN DISTRESS, THAT WORD WAS MY COMFORT THEN AND  NOW I TAKE COMFORT IN IT AS WELL.  STRENGTHEN ME IN MY INNER MAN SO THAT I CAN RUN THIS RACE WITH PATIENCE.  BLESS ME WITH MORE GRACE AND DIVINE ENABLEMENT TO BE KEPT IN PERFECT PEACE.  IN JESUS NAME……AMEN!

When God is Silent

When God is silent, its not time to give in.  When the world is spinning out of control- only God knows how to show the way for each day, but the quietness is almost too burdensome to bear…..for it seems as if He is unaware of the pain and loneliness, the uncertainty, the fearful thinking that is taking place right here and now!

When God is silent- we must be content with what we heard in our spirit.  Yes, that word we received in the past that caused great joy.  That same word will cover every bit of despair, knowing that He really is there! 

When God is silent what can we do?  How can we go on?  We must know of His unfailing love for us, on this we must trust.  For in the test, though there may be silence, He is as close as our next breath.  He has not abandoned us.  He will manifest His presence…..and we will not only hear, but we will yet see the salvation of our Lord who is oh so near!

Gospel Stage Plays: Can God UseThem?

So many struggle with generational behavior patterns, habits, emotional pain from a broken past, rejection, and the like….. you may be feeling like you will never experience real change in your life. Maybe you know someone who suffers fr…om low self esteem because choices of their past have left them in a “hot mess”, but I tell you the Hand of God can bring change in an instant! In a moments time. What it took me 20 years to mess up, God can clean up miraculously! Come to our next Gospel stage play, “A change is gonna come” and experience an evening of poetry, drama, song and dance and at the same time, TRANSFORMATION! CHANGE!!!! At New Beginning Ministries on April 14th at 3 pm. We have a great cast from our church and surrounding churches. ALL ARE WELCOME!

NOW….CAN GOD USE GOSPEL STAGE PLAYS FOR HIS GLORY

Gospel Stage Plays are an excellent ministry tool for the Spirit of God to use in order to bring comfort, edification, exhortation and deliverance.  A visual demonstration is very effective in pulling on the strings of the heart.  Jesus Himself often used parables (Stories) to teach His disciples spiritual truths.  The prophets often were used in dramatic ways to speak the Word of God.

So to answer the question in the heading, Can God use Gospel Stage Plays?  The answer is “yes”.  He can and does use not only plays but also other dramatic forms of artistic creativity to speak to His people.

Sleeping During a Storm!

And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being
covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep .(Matthew 8:24)

Ok, have you ever been in a situation where you felt overwhelmed with fear or with so much un certainty until you literally became “unglued”?  Becoming “unglued” in frightening and troublesome situations is a common thing for the human race.  So I wonder, how did He do it?  How could Jesus continue to sleep during a fierce storm that was about to take His disciples and Him out?  Well, you may be thinking…..”well He was Jesus, He was God in the flesh”.  True that, but let us not forget that He was also Son of Man.  Fully God, yet fully man.  Jesus had emotions and humanity.  He was made like unto man for the suffering of death!  So, I ask again….what was His secret?  What about the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:24?  Paul had been given revelation by the Holy Spirit that chains and afflictions awaited him as he was about to go from city to city to preach the gospel.  But he said in Acts 20:24 that “none of these things move me”.  Paul kniew that he had an assignment from God.

The secret to enduring great trials and even fears and uncertainties of life is to rest in what the Lord has already SAID!  We must spend time alone with God during evey season of our life so that we can receive a proceeding word out of His own mouth.  This type of word is what sustains our hearts during the most difficult times.  The spoken or proceeding word always lines up with the written word and is trust worthy.  It is impossible to please God without faith.  We must practice walking a walk of faith not only when times are good or fair, but even in despair, fear, danger, persecution, and any other situation or wilderness experience of life.  I can remember times in my own life when I would be so overwhelmed but others would be coasting along as if they did not have a care in the world!  It was not that they did not have trials, they had learned to respond in faith.  They were bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

So the next time you have an opportunity to become “unglued”, remember Jesus, sleeping on a pillow in the lower part of a boat that was about to sink.  Yes, in His humanity, He was probably tired from His ministry work, but the main point is that He rested!  Let us rest in Christ during our fierce storms of life and pray for one another. Our lesson from Matthew 8:24 teaches us to rest.  To be at peace.  Read the remainder of the story of the situation and see what Jesus told the disciples when they woke Him up from His little nap.  There is lots to gain from this passage.

Praise Dancers: God has given you a dance for each season of your life!

In the life of each believer, we go through seasons.  Even as in the natural realm, so it be in the spiritual realm!  Sometimes your season is a jubilant time of feasting, celebration, and joyous praise.  If so, let the Holy Spirit birth a celebration dance within you.  A dance of joy using all your might!  Use your arms, hands, face, even your flags, tambourines, and streamers!  Celebrate the goodness and blessing of our God!

But what if this is a time of extreme warfare, pressure, and lack?  What season is this?  What dance will He birth out of this?  My, my, my!  Let Holy Spirit birth a dance of warfare mixed with extreme praise and worship.  If you are believing God for a breakthrough then He will give you a dance of great travail where you are pushing, contracting, spinning under a violent emotion, kicking, and in the end rejoicing!

Whatever your season, just dance!   Dance your way into the Holy of Holies.  Dance in travail until you birth something or someone into the Kingdom.  Dance with such strength and might until you actually see yourself leaping over that high wall, running through that troop of enemies, and pulling down every stronghold in your mind!  Stomp, punch, kick, leap, and twirl until you or your loved ones receive breakthrough!  But most of all, no matter what season you are in or what type of dance He births in you while you are in that season, always end with a dance of worship.  Ah yeaaa, the worship dance is the dance to dance no matter what your season.  Do it in your private prayer closet or do it publicly, just do it  This is a dance for HIM and about Him!  Bow, lay prostrate, twirl beautifully, extend your arms and hand upward to Him, blow Him a kiss, or use signs with your hands and face to express your love to Him.

If you were helped by this Holy Spirit inspired message, please follow me on this blog and also leave a comment.  I look forward to sharing with you and hearing from you.  May God continue to bless you as you minister to Him

Called to Praise Dance

Are you called to use the art of dance as a means of worshipping God?  What about using dance technique as a tool to minister to the Body of Christ?  How do you know that you have been appointed by God to dance?
This is how you know that you are called to the worship dance ministry:  God places a strong desire within you that does not go away.  Even though the desire is there, there is still an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy that comes along with it.  The whole idea seems to interrupt the “norm” of your entire life, or so you think.  IF THIS DESCRIBES YOU, then the book, “So You Say You Can Praise Dance….Now What” is a must for your library.  Go to amazon.com/author/denisecookgodfrey for more details on this very informative book.
Prase and worship dance is an excellent tool to use to bring forth worship to our Lord and King.  It is also a great way to demonstrate the gospel message.  The physical movement on the outside actually demonstrates what is going on inside the heart of the worship dancer.  Remember, check out the book described above.  You will be very glad that you did!

Help Is On It’s Way!

Many of us has already declared and decreed that 2013 will be a year like no other!  A year of restoration, blessings, and exaltation.  The proceeding Word out of the Mouth of God has even gone forth, providing a refreshing and joyous ray of hope deep down within the soul at a time in the past just before the new year arrived.

Well, the first quarter of the year is not even over yet and some feel as if they have been to hell and back and the enemy is, as it may appear, putting such a “squeeze” on us until it seems as if the hope is diminishing!  Well, God would have us to know that He will complete the work that He started.  He is full of mercy and He will not forsake the works of His own Hands!  He will come forth because He watches over His word to ensure that it comes to pass.  Take heart.  Know that help is on its way.  Even when a proceeding, or prophetic word from God seems to be delayed, know that it will come to pass in its own season.  Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.  Standing still is not literal.  It means remain calm in your soul.  Let the peace of God rule and reign in your heart and have faith in God during the darkest hours.  He is faithful.  Look back and remember His faithfulness from the past and trust like never before.

Hold on!  Your future still looks pretty bright to me.  Help is on the way.

Free You Mind!

Sometimes you have to wrestle with the spirit of your mind and force it to come into subjection to God’s Word when trying to get into that secret place of the Most High God! The enemy does not want you there, so he will send distracting thoughts. Don’t give up, wait in the presence of the Lord and worship Him, for it is for this purpose that we were created, according to Isaiah 43:7-

“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him”. So the sum of it all is this: we must discipline our lives so that we can make time for worship. The mind must be renewed by the Word of God. So put on some slow worship music and enter in! He wants you there more than you know!