Tag Archives: worship

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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COVID-19 Chronicles Day 1

Today is Monday, March 23, 2020. I would like to present a 5-day journey into the mind of Christ for this Corona virus situation!  About a week or so ago right before we received word of lots of shut downs and closures, the Lord gave me a dream in the 4th watch of the night.  If you have ever studied the night watches from a Biblical standpoint, then you will know that the 4th watch occurs between the hours of 3 am to 6 am.  In the dream I was at work. I was sitting at my desk and all of a sudden there was a very loud siren or horn sound that blasted through my computer!  I could not maneuver at all on the keyboard.  The system was totally frozen.  The sound of the alarm (that is what it appeared to be) was not all that I heard. I also heard chatter in the air from others yelling, “Go…go to your safe houses, go to your safe house!”  I quickly picked up my purse and some other things that were important to me and headed out of the door of my office. As soon as I was about to get to the exit door, I was stopped by a woman in authority who extended out her hand in authority as to say, “Stop!”  Get back to work.”  Now there was another Lady standing beside the Woman in authority (that’s how I perceived her).  This other lady at first was one of the ones yelling for me to go and get out.  Now she was in agreement with the Woman in authority.  I went back to my office.  The dream ended. The interpretation is that it is time to go back to work. To do the work of the Kingdom. See, the other lady who switched from saying “go to your safe house, go”, to being on the side of the one in authority, represents the world without Christ.  See we as the Church, need to not be flip flopping between fear, panic, and faith!

Now, on yesterday, I was scrolling through Facebook and one of my dance Sisters posted a picture of Jesus with His hand extended out toward a large crowd of folks running as if to be in panic and war…she said that this is the picture that she saw in a dream!  Her dream was very similar to mine in that she interpreted her dream to mean that it was time to stop running and start praying against the virus!  I was astonished at this wonderful confirmation that God had truly spoken through my dream.

So…what are our take-a-ways on this 1st day of COVID Chronicles?  Well, I believe that God wants us to do two things and focus on those two things more than anything else.  Those two things are repentance and worship.  I know…sounds simple but believe me…it is profound!

On day #2, we will talk about repentance and how we can be sure that we are in alignment with the will of God for true repentance.

Thanks for reading!  Join me on tomorrow night!

Denise Cook-Godfrey

Minister/Author/Playwright/Liturgical Dance Instructor

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Relationship over Religion

Worshipping in spirit and truth has more to do with a mindset, an attitude and a lifestyle more than external rituals. The reality (truth)of who the Father is causes the deepest part of who I am in Him (my spirit man) to connect!!! The deepest part of me engaging with the deepest part of Him…remember, this is what the Father is seeking! God wants relationship over religion!

Lets Get Deep!

“Come, let me tell you something.  I want you to get into a deeper circle with Jesus as you pray for me.”  This is the request that I received from my 91 year old Mother-in-Law some two or three months ago.  You see, I was leading the altar worship prayer from the pulpit one Sunday morning and I prayed for my Pastor, my Asst. Pastor and my First Lady, along with other issues and areas that I felt compelled to pray for during my time of intercession.  At the end of the service, this 91 year old Holy Ghost filled-Seer/Prophetess, called me to the side, took me by the hand, and made this request of me.  It was something about the way our eyes connected with one another as she poured out.

Since then, I have been doing exactly what she requested.  Just this past weekend, God overwhelmed me and left me speechless as He blessed me to minister in dance at a program.  See, for the last 6 weeks, I have been suffering with an illness that not too many may have known about.  The illness affected my ability to dance.  The enemy wanted me to think that I was over and washed up!  In my deeper circle that I have started to form with the Lord, I was able to press past the doctor’s reports and people’s reports (you know folks that don’t have doctor degrees will also try to give you a diagnosis about your condition if you listen), and I was able to dance under an open heaven!  The reports and manifestations from the ministry were phenominal!  All I could say was “God, You done did it again!  You have completely blown me away and swept me off my feet yet again!”

Let me encourage you to stay in the race but go deeper!  Go deeper in your passion for God!  Spend extra sacrificial time with Him alone.  Pray for your needs and other needs last or at another time, but spend intimacy time with Him first and be CONSISTENT!!!  I capitalize this because I need to remember to do this!  Just wanted to encourage you with this testimony.

*P.S.-  My husband and I will be celebrating His Asst Pastor Appreciation Day on September 27, 2015 at 2:30 pm at our church location (212 East 5th Street, Sylacauga, AL 35150).  If you are unable to attend, please send up prayers asking the Spirit to do something unusual on a totally deeper dimension!  If you would like to donate to this ministry, you can do so at our website at www.worshipfulministries.com via the “donate” button on the side of screen.

Love ya!  Blessings to you!

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Thoughts From a Deep Cave!

Have you ever found yourself as if you were boxed in or perhaps stuck in a cave due to life’s circumstances and calamities?  I believe we all have at some point or another in this Christian walk.  I am actually in a place like that right now.  The Lord has pointed out to me that it is our soul that actually takes the hardest “licks” and “blows” during these times.  The soul is where our logic, reasoning, emotions, and wills are.  Our spirit is so willing, but the flesh is so weak.  We must protect our soul by allowing it to take refuge and find its home in the shelter of the presence of God through worship.  I am not saying that we deny our circumstances because it is what it is!  The thing we have got to remember is that we must renew the mind by allowing the word of God to replace the negative, fearful, doubting thoughts.  Set your thoughts and even your imagination on the Word of the Lord and you will make quiet that loud noise of those circumstances.  Listen to David from Psalms 57:1:(AMP)

“Be merciful, and gracious to me, Oh God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed.”

Until the next post, be confident in the Lord and rest in His manifested presence during your trials and during any other time in your life.  If this seems difficult, keep trying with a sincere heart.  Use worshipful music, promising scriptures, and turn your attention to the needs of others.  Do this in faith and WATCH GOD MOVE!

Minister Denise Cook Godfrey

dance pic in red

Giving Him a Gift of Dance this Christmas!

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!

Alabaster Box Dance in link below:

https://youtu.be/ebNds3FJg5U

 

Do You Know that God is for You?

Hello everyone!  Just wanted to share a spiritual nugget with you.  The more that I live in Christ, the more that I learn that I have absolutely got to keep Christ and my love-worship relationship with Him at the top of the priority list!  This holds true for every born again believer but especially for those of us who are anointed and appointed, filled with multiple passions and gifts, and those who truly want to be Kingdom Builders.  The more you give of yourself, the more you will see that times will come when you are just over looked and under appreciated.  Now I am not talking about wanting to get a “pat” on the back for working for the kingdom.  I am referring to times when we as men and women of God who truly labor for the sake of the Kingdom are just taken for granted!  It is during those difficult moments when you have to take a step back, breathe, and realize that even though you feel like you are chasing the wind and throwing pebbles in the ocean with no one to hear the sound, you must still press on and worship like never before!  Don’t get so discouraged until the spirit of depression begins to set inside of your soul.  Always keep in mind that you must allow the Word of God to build you up! God sees the heart of the matter. No matter how much rejection, false accusation, persecution, and heartache that you suffer while doing the will of God, you must know that God thinks beautiful thoughts toward you and that you must continue to know that it is not really about you.  It is about Christ and building His Kingdom.  He suffered at the hands of sinful men, yet He endured the cross despising its shame.  We must expect to endure suffering as well but know that He will make something beautiful of the suffering.  Well, just wanted to pour out and share with you my heart on this lovely Sunday evening.  The last thought I would like to leave with you is this:

If God be for you, who can be against you?  (Romans 8:31-What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?)  So, do you really know this by revelation and experience or is this just one of those feel good scriptures that we quote to pacify ourselves when we are licking our wounds?  It is important to know that you know that you know!  The world is cruel.  The church is filled with confessing Christians who are equally cruel.  Knowing that God is for you and that He will never forsake or forget you is crucial.  May seem elementary but  it is something that we have got to know by revelation from the Spirit of God.  This type of revelation will sustain us during the difficult times in our lives.

May God bless you as you endeavor to worship Him and serve Him mightily in these last days!

Minister Denise Cook-Godfrey

flags dance pic

 

 

Deeper Lord, Closer Lord!

Hello Worshippers!  It has been a “minute” since I have blogged, but there are numerous nuggets within my heart.  Finding time to get them on paper is more challenging now than ever.  But……I wanted to encourage all of us to keep asking the Lord our Lover to pull us deeper into Him!  The closer we get though, the hotter it will get!  I want to share an excerpt with you from our newest book release:  “The Day I Danced Under an Open Heaven”.  I hope that you will enjoy this excerpt and if you feel prompted by the Spirit of God, go to the author site and purchase it at www.amazon.com/author/denisecookgodrey.  Also, if you would rather have an autographed copy, you can select the “donate” button on the website and make your donation.  Leave your address confidently on my FaceBook inbox page, and I will mail it to  you!  Now, Here is the excerpt from the book.  Enjoy and may God bless you!

He wants to kiss you with the kisses of His lips: (Song of Solomon 1:2)- this passage is deeper than the image of a husband and wife.  The purpose of the book of Songs is to show forth the emotions of God and how He feels about His Bride.  It is to reveal the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

How can we partner with Him as His Ministers if we don’t truly know that He is calling us higher and to different levels in Him?  Song of Solomon 1:4 reveals to us that the Shulamite girl is asking her King to draw her into His love chambers.  That is a great place to be but at some point in time, we’ve got to move out of the chamber and make frequent visits higher into the mountains!  (See Song of Solomon 2:10)  He wants us to rise up and come away!  This takes intimacy on a deeper level.

The Day I Danced Under an Open Heaven!!!

Its here! Its here!  The book has finally been born!  This is not just another book about the praise dance.  “The Day I Danced Under an Open Heaven” is a book filled with revelation about worshipping the Father in the “NOW”!  With forewords by Paulette Rolle-Alesnik of Dare to Dance, Inc. and Jocelyn Richard of “The Praise Dance Life”, this book is sure to stir your hunger and desire to hear from heaven like never before!  Read some of what these Women of God had to say about “The Day I Danced Under an Open Heaven”:

Paulette Rolle-Alesnik had this to say about the book:

WARNING!!! Read this book ONLY if you are ready for “…on earth as it is in heaven” and to experience an open heaven over every area of your life through passionate worship.

“The Day I Danced under an Open Heaven” is a spiritually strong, foundational book.  It is a clarion call for the modern Levites to respond to the demands of heaven with an immediate earthly reaction(s).  When heaven speaks, we respond with obedience; heaven kisses earth as we worship in the NOW!  Following Mrs. Cook-Godfrey guidelines will bring success in any ministry AND deeper dimensions in your worship.

Jocelyn Richard wrote this about the Author:

My husband and I had lunch with Denise and her husband DeForest. During our delightful fellowship, I discovered that Denise has a genuine heart for the Lord and a strong passion to bring dance back to the Church for exclusive worship to Jesus. She is a mature humble woman of faith who gives her life to prayer, worship and study of the Bible. She practices and lives what she preaches in this book.

Go to www.amazon.com/author/denisecookgodfrey to order a paper back or to download to kindle. Contact Denise Cook Godfrey via face book or by email at sherrylcook@att.net for more details.  You may also visit the website www.worshipfulministries.com and leave a comment!  God bless you!

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