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You are a MasterPiece!

Do you believe that you are a masterpiece, valuable and priceless? Well you are! You and me both! Look at what God’s Word proclaims:

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

God predestinated us to be conformed into the image of Christ so that we can fulfill what He planned for us to fulfill long ago. This means that we all have a destiny to become more like Christ, to first accept Christ as Lord and Savior. But…..we all also have a destiny for our individual lives. God thinks beautiful and peaceful thoughts toward us as individuals. No one can fulfill your individual destiny but you. God wants us to have an expected end, which means He wants us to have a beautiful and hopeful future.

Do you know what your individual purpose is? Do you know exactly what you are supposed to be doing right now in this season of time? This is important. If you are unsure of the answer to the questions just posed, then simply ask God! Spend time meditating and worshipping and just ask. Once you ask, wait and listen. God is more than willing to reveal His perfect will to you as you present yourself wholly to Him. Remember, you are His masterpiece! He created you for a wonderful purpose.

Love, Minister Denise Cook-Godfrey

Get information about inspirational books by Minister Denise at:

amazon.com/sherryl-Denise-Cook-Godfrey/e/B00B8KDHH4

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Unequally Yoked-The Pleasures of Sin lasts for a Season!

Hello! This book is now ready to purchase and I have some in stock so you can order on https://www.worshipfulministries.com or if out of town, order straight from https://www.amazon.com\author\denisecookgodfrey. Please read the Prologue below for my newest Book Release entitled “Unequally Yoked-The Pleasures of Sin lasts for a Season”, and let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment! You may order an autographed copy by selecting “buy now” on side of the screen. Blessings to you!

PROLOGUE

It was the middle of June and seemingly the perfect weather and season for a wedding. Hot, yet, somewhat breezy with the smell of fresh flowers and fresh mowed lawns. Everyone was filled with excitement as people from all walks of life flooded the small country church in great anticipation for what was soon to take place. It was Christine’s wedding day. After waiting so long and after much debate, she was finally marrying one of the most eligible Christian bachelors that a woman could marry. Well liked in the small community the couple lived in, Aldridge, was a genuine man of God.

He came from a long line of preacher men, as Christine’s grandmother called them.

“Hold that preacher. Grab him and don’t let go of him.” Christine could hear those words that Grandma Ruth used to recite.

Also, some of the older mothers of her home church would practically idolize the preacher. These women had some sort of notion that if you went out of your way to accommodate a preacher, then you had special favor with God. Now Christine was about to marry one, so you can imagine how all the older women felt.

“Marry that preacher man, and you set yourself up for life. Don’t ever let him go.” Ah, yeah! If Grandma Ruth were alive today, she’d cut her a step across the church for sure today.

Christine, with her marred past, had managed to get her life together, or so it seemed. Christine still endured emotional struggles. For one, the residue dangling from her past before meeting Aldridge. Her appetite for acceptance and identity flawed her ability to choose wisely in the arena of finances and men. She held onto low self-esteem, even though she was one of the most beautiful young women in the church. She had a difficult time accepting gifts and encouragement. She didn’t have a connection with her family, and most of all, didn’t seem to find real satisfaction in her ministry work for the church. The more she worked, the more down and out she’d become.

Christine suffered from depression. At times she’d cover up her pain by involving herself in relationships with men who were not right for her; even after meeting Aldridge. After all, by her not having that special bond with her father growing up, she didn’t know how to distinguish love from sex and had a serious identity problem. In her past, Christine seemed to connect with the bad boys and not the nerdy guys who attended church. The ones who were not so nerdy were already taken, or flirted so badly with the women until it became a complete turn off for Christine. Christine remembered having an affair with a married man during her early twenties before she’d gotten saved, and it ended up in total disaster. She vowed never to involve herself with married men again.

And then she met Aldridge. He was not the type of man that she normally fell for, but for some reason, she did. The two seemed to hit it off soon after Christine had broken up with one of her flings. She was getting more acquainted with God at this time of her life and becoming more serious about her faith. Aldridge, of course, was a big help to her in this area. He had his own hidden baggage and had no idea how to communicate his struggles to Christine. He busied himself with playing the Knight in Shining Armor for Christine.

As time went on, Christine developed a passion for the things of God. She was fine spiritually, but emotionally she was troubled. This goes to show that there are many in the church world today who mask their pain. And even though they have truly given their life to Christ, without healing and deliverance in certain areas, they still live poor quality Christian lives. This is dangerous, because the devil knows how to push certain buttons and attempts to destroy our fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

In the meanwhile, think and ponder on this question: When one engages in sexual sin at a very early age, can the results that follow open a Pandora’s Box of emotional trauma and baggage that can have an erratic effect on our lives even after becoming a Christian? Let us get to reading. [contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

Sex too Soon!

When we open ourselves up to sexual sin at a young age, do we also open a Pandora’s Box filled with pain and emotional baggage that could have an adverse effect on our adult life?
This Novella is a compelling story of influence, choices, consequences, and the offer of redemption that some receive and others reject.

*The book also provides a separate bible study guide that can be used for individual or group studies. Quote provided by best-selling Author Michelle Stimpson.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY via FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/unequallyyokedcookgodfrey/# or by submitting an email to dcookgodfrey@gmail.com

www.amazon.com/author/denisecookgodfrey

Do you know your “Times?”

Last night as I sat on our bed after an exhausting day, I looked into my husband’s face and poured my heart out! I told him that I just wanted to know my “times”. I was in one of those modes where I was feeling unaccomplished, although I was working and doing all sorts of things! What I meant was that I understand who I am in Christ, I just wanted to understand the specifics of my purpose right now and who God intended for me to grow to become! I do not want to engage in dead works for the Lord! Life as a Minister has a way of sometimes draining an individual. I thank God that He heard my heart’s desire. See although my husband sort of nodded and agreed that I needed to understand my “times”, he never really expounded on an answer. Well, the very next morning, I stumbled across Isaiah 30:20: And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

Wow was all that I could say! God does answer our hearts cry. The Lord was simply letting me know that He has sent and will continue to send “teachers” my way to teach me through my experiences. These “teachers” will show me and remind me which doors to go in, what my path is, and so on. Sometimes these teaching experiences will be difficult but if I am willing to grow and learn, I will know day by day just what specific paths to take and where I am now and what my goals are for the future.

Have you been in a place where you felt overwhelmed and unsure of your destiny and purpose right now? Perhaps you knew what the future held but you needed advice and assurance along the way? Pray and ask that you receive wisdom to recognize your “teachers”. Our “teachers” may come in the form of other people’s advice, other people’s failures, our own experiences, and even our own creative ability to teach others and support where they are going! I never dreamed that I could learn so much from being used by God to support someone else’s destiny!

Take heart. Just know that God is with you and that your “teachers” will no longer be hid from you in some dark corner when you seek the Lord and search for Him with all your might. He reveals His heart and His plans for our lives through “teachers”.

Minister Denise Cook Godfrey

Beauty in the Struggle

Ok, in learning the ways of God, sometimes His methods and techniques just don’t make sense! No seriously, the natural mind does not receive the things of God. This is why we must keep our spirit man focused and open to how and what God is saying.

I am taking note of an awesome thought that was planted in my mind by the Spirit of God this morning as I was having a conversation with my husband. The thought comes from Psalms 119:71: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Your statues”

The natural mind would ask: how is it a good thing to be afflicted? David answered by saying that when we suffer affliction, we learn something in the struggle. We learn to pay attention to the decrees, statutes, and will of God. I remember this past August, I went through a terrible 6 weeks of awful pain due to discs in my back. It was by far one of the worst times in my life. The nerve pain I experienced not just in the back area, but the hip, thigh, leg and foot was just awful. Worse than giving birth!!!! I will never forget it. There was a certain artist that had a new album, and as I listened to the listing of songs on the ITunes website, I remember being ministered to by almost every song on the album. As I listened to the songs more and more, the Spirit of the Lord began to show me the theme and which songs from the album to use in my youth group’s annual praise dance celebration which we typically have in February each year. Even though I could not dance at that time, I was shown a vision of it all! My team ministered these pieces on last Sunday and it was phenominal! So you see, even though I was suffering, I learned to listen to the Spirit and receive revelation. Not only did I receive my theme, some of the choreography, and song selections for the annual event, I also received other revelation from some of the songs that dealt with my response to affliction. I learned to trust God on a totally different level. God is requiring our trust. Sometimes we have to go through affliction to learn or re-learn this concept.

Pity Party Over With….Now What?

The word says that we are to confess our faults to one another and to pray for one another that we may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much!

(JAMES 5:16—¹⁶Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much).

So many times we remember the latter part of this verse without regarding the first part. I would like to confess that today, I had my very own pity party! I got angry and quite distracted. It affected my concentration and worship time. I vented to my husband, bless his heart, and he had words for me but I can tell, he really did not want to hear it. He was on his very own cloud 9 so to speak after delivering a powerful message today. So there I was, all alone with no one to pet me and listen to my whining. No one except for Daddy God Himself! He spoke gently to me at the end of the day so now I can pass the word on to someone else: “After you have thrown your pity party, there is nothing else left to do now but WORSHIP!” This worship is what will bring about a shift in my atmosphere! This is what my awesome, loving Father said to me in a very quiet and practical way.

You see, I had a huge thorn in my flesh. As a matter of fact, this thorn has been in my side for quite some while. So, since Abba is not going to move it (cause I have asked and asked), then I know that He will provide the strength and grace that I need to just make it through. I pray that your week is blessed and filled with the peace and grace of God. Remember, your worship is what will shift your atmosphere.

Maybe you have been in a place similar to the one I was in today, or perhaps you know someone that can use this encouragement. If so, pass it on!

Stop, Look, Listen!

So many times I find myself sorry for something I said or how I reacted to an issue. Have you ever been there? I believe we all have. Thanks be unto our Lord who always speaks comfortably to us in those wilderness places! James 1:19-20 teaches us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath because the wrath (anger) of man does not work and produce the righteous kind of living that each Christian is required to produce. What makes us fail at this from time to time? I believe life’s pressures and tight squeezes and sometimes just not deciding to stop, look, and listen. When we stop, look and listen in the spirit realm, we will not only be able to hear and see what is going on around us in the natural, but we can go further and hear and see what God wants us to hear and see. The Word of God is quick, sharp, and active. It is alive! It will come and visit us at the right time. Holy Spirit also brings the Word to our remembrance so that we can respond to life’s issues and say the right things.

I needed this word. I have so many things going on right now; however, I will take this chastening word from the Lord and make it active in my life. We are breathing, so we have another opportunity to bear the good fruit of the Spirit!

A Broken Hallelujah?

Ever been there? Where you praise through the pain, shame, emptiness, frustration, aggravation, etc. and etc.????? This is what I am referring to by a “broken hallelujah!” It’s when you are experiencing feelings of desperation and pain and give Him the praise anyhow. But does He accept it? Is the savor of the incense from that broken praise sweet to Him? What about the bowing, the running, twirling, and dancing? Is it a pleasant and pleasing sight in His eyes? YES! When we give Him a sacrifice of praise from our hearts when we are down and don’t feel like it, yes, our Father still accepts it! As a matter of fact, this is that place where we begin to praise our way out of the pain and aggravation that we are experiencing, even if the problems still exist!

There has been many times when I ministered with a broken heart. There is something about focusing our eyes on someone else’s needs before our own that causes so much spiritual maturity. So go ahead and praise Him anyhow, in spite of whatever. You will be glad that you did. I promise! Let me know your thoughts on the matter. I would love to hear from you.

Be blessed!

Minister Denise Cook-Godfrey

Just When I thought I Died!

Just when I thought I died on the altar yesterday or last week………oooops, there she goes again! She thinks she will overrule, she thinks she is the leader. She sometimes even gets her way but I declare she must die! Who is the “she” that I am referring to? She is my flesh! She rises up and wants to rule. That is all she knows, but I declare as the Apostle Paul declared, “I DIE DAILY!” (I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. –I Corinthians 15:31)

Dying to self is something that we must do each day. We must present ourselves to our Lord as living sacrifices, so therefore the flesh must die, our own self will must die in order that His will be done in every area of our lives. So you see we are living dead men/women! The sacrifices of the Old Testament required death of the animals. The sacrifice required of us requires death of our flesh. We offer spiritual sacrifices unto our God with our praise and also our lifestyle.

Let’s encourage one another to live the Holy lifestyle that God is requiring. It is a fight! We must prepare to die daily. Yes, a slow painful death it is at times but it is well worth it! Lets keep putting a smile on our Lord’s Face! So God, if you provide the fire……..I will be the sacrifice.

Blessings to you!

Minister Denise Godfrey

WORSHIPFUL MINISTRIES

Setting the Gospel in motion through writing, drama, song, dance, & film!