The spring of the year 2020 will forever be historic in America. It was in the spring of 2020 that most Americans came face to face with the Corona Virus also known as COVID-19. This highly contagious viral infection has been the reason schools, businesses, daycare centers, movie theaters and even churches have been locked down. Disney has closed all of their theme parks for the first time since opening in 1955. Supermarkets can hardly keep food on the shelves, especially items such as hand sanitizer, toilet tissue and paper towels. In the midst of all the panic, what is the role of the church? Or of the believer? I have experienced conversations with people who were wondering how is it that houses of worship have gone dark. Why are the doors shut on houses of God? Why are there no live streams, prayer calls or videos to offer hope? Very few pastors appear to be reaching out to parishioners during this season and those who are mature in the faith seemed disillusioned while babes in the faith seem bewildered. Everyone is looking for answers and leaders in the body of Christ have a Godly responsibility to nurture the flock in this season. True leaders take situations like a pandemic or other disaster to point people toward the cross; encouraging them to embrace God’s word.
Continue reading “Cultivating A Ministry Culture Around COVID-19”Tag: believer
Are You Willing to Die in the Fight?
Recently, I was reading the book of Esther 5:1-8 and in do so, God revealed a profound truth to me. In the story, Esther approaches the king to inquire if he would join the feast she prepared for him. Her objective was to make a petition to him so that she could save her people from certain death. As I read this I thought: how brave of her, to go to the king without him calling for her which meant death if he was displeased. Then God addressed me with the question, “Are you willing to die in the fight?” I had to think again about Esther. She came to the king to seek solace for her people but knew if he did not raise his sceptre to her, he could have ordered her execution. Although Esther prepared herself by fasting and calling all of the Jews to fast with her there was a chance that things could not go in her favor.
Esther, for the advancement of the kingdom of God was willing to die if it meant her people would be saved. She allowed God to use her as a type of Christ. Her response to Mordicai was, “if I perish, I perish. I’m going to see the king” As I thought about her response, it made me realize that many Christians today say they love God but are they really willing to make the ultimate sacrifice? Are we willing to die to things that keep us separated from God in order to advance His Kingdom in the earth? Or are we just satisfied with our surface worship that doesn’t have substance? Are we just willing to continue to give God our lip service until something catastrophic occurs in our little world? And lastly, what should we be doing to show God we are truly ready to sacrifice whatever it takes to spread the Gospel?
On thing Esther’s example taught me is that we all need to pull in to get closer to the Lord. I learned through prayer that God loves intimate, one on one time with us. We need to sacrifice time with friends, children and even spouses to get a bit closer to Christ. Without spending significant time with God, we will crumble under the pressures of life. Esther knew God and because she did, had no doubt that God would deliver her people from the evil verdict that loomed over them. She harnessed the ultimate belief and hope that God would save her (II Thess 2:16).
We also have to humble ourselves even more toward God. Esther was humbled and willing to die at her husband’s hand for her people. The modern day believer, from what I’m witnessing is deluded into believing that trouble should never knock on their door because they are saved….it’s a fallacy! As children of God, we’re called to war in the spirit and our relationship is described in military terms for a reason. If a soldier is not willing to fight, prepare and do battle he is sent home. He is not ready to fully embrace his call. In order to be victorious in our battles we must trust God because He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).
It is time for the church at large to recommit to dying in the fight. We have to let our carnal desires go and spend more time with the Lord. When is the last time we’ve fasted, led a brother or sister to Christ, spent an afternoon in the word or a few hours in prayer? In spending time with Him, he will teach us not only how to wait for His timing (James 4:4) but also we will become more like Him. Our carnal nature will become subject to the Christ in us. Let’s endeavor to get closer to Him in this season. If we choose to do so, our carnal man will die which will allow us to win the battles the enemy of God throws at us. We will be more than conquerors while spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ in the earth.
What carnal desire or habit are you willing to sacrifice and thus die in the fight to evangelize the world?
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The Prophetic Eclipse of 2017
The climate in America and the world is reaching a fever pitch. Confusion, hate, rioting and terrorist activity is erupting worldwide. As more subversive groups arise, people are living in fear. This demonic fear is driving even believers into making poor decisions by seeking comfort outside of Christ. In the wake of these horrendous events in which innocent people are being targeted and murdered, God is on the cusp of sending a word to the faithful. He is about to reveal His detailed message to those who have their ear to the ground; who are actively listening for His direction. Continue reading “The Prophetic Eclipse of 2017”
Pray On Demand
Around Christmastime last year, I received a phone call from the daughter of a lady I met while volunteering at a local nursing home. She had a multitude of health issues and as she recounted them, my heart went out to her. She was particularly upset that her medical problems and upcoming treatments would inhibit her ability to travel to Florida to see her Mom for the holidays. As she spoke, God whispered in my ear “Can you pray on demand?” I thought to myself what is praying on demand? How do I process this? This woman felt her prayers to God were unheard and that she was alone in this process she was experiencing. After pondering this thought for a bit, Continue reading “Pray On Demand”
Club Christian
I consider myself an unlikely activist in the Christian community. I feel especially drawn to shedding light on the unpopular issues that exist within the body. It is evident that we have a plethora of useless “feel good” preaching. Hollywood is alive and well as shallow leaders perform rather than minister to their flock. It seems evident that there exists a tremendous deficit in life altering truth. This naked truth illustrates to us that the majority of the body of Christ lives in constant limbo. Many have no clue what their purpose is and expect lack luster leaders to fill their spiritual void. It is here I feel compelled to emphasize I harbor great love for the people of God. 
They are diverse, talented and beautiful. However, many have adopted a club mentality in relation to their walk as a believer. They’ve perfected the lingo, embraced worldly attire, listen to compromising music, purchased the status quo vehicles and appear at the right churches. They’ve been duped into believing these rituals make them blessed. By trusting in the most popular pastor they deem themselves anointed. If this were true, every unbeliever with similar lifestyles would be heaven bound. There are many people in this world who have no relationship with God yet achieve similar milestones in their lives that often includes wealth. So the inquiry becomes, how do we discern who is really the blessed believer from the passive/aggressive atheist?
Jesus is not a magician.
In order to find firm ground in our relationship with God we must diligently commit ourselves to holy living. Everyone wants miracles, everyone wants to be used of the Lord and everyone is seeking a “fresh” revelation. Seriously? Why do we need to believe for miracles when we don’t believe enough to honestly report all of our taxes to the IRS? If we are kingdom minded believers we must uncompromisingly begin the process of taking full responsibility for our own spirituality. In order to cultivate a climate for miracles, an extreme level of spiritual discipline and maturity has to exist. It will not manifest by depending solely on Sunday morning homilies or mid-week prayer meetings. Sermons and weekly meetings will only supplement our spiritual journey but not the meat.
Change has to be embraced!
Club Christian exists because the spirit of compromise has infiltrated many converts. The hunger for Godly interaction has waned. If we are to see the miracles, signs or wonders our heart has to become pliable before the Father. His anointing of deliverance and healing is driven by love. If we don’t have it, the word says we are none of His (I John 4:20). Miracles show up when our heart mirrors His with an abundance of love and compassion. There is no magic scripture that will help us find a deeper intimacy with God. It happens through a choice we make to get closer to Him. We who claim to “be the church” have fallen short in our directive to love our fellow man unconditionally and need to repent. Once this is done, then we can seek direction in sincere selfless prayer. His provision of Godly instruction will provide directives to get us back on track. An investment of time, individual assessment and a willingness to change must be initiated. This self evaluation will supply an insight as to how committed we really are to the gospel. If this practice is not engaged we must face the fact that we’re not on fire for God at all, just mere unbelievers masquerading as saints.
God shouldn’t be scheduled into our day like an afternoon ball game. He should be the center of our very existence.
The depth of miracles we will witness in our lifetime will only match our level of belief. The unreserved love of Christ must reach believers and unbelievers. In Mark 9:29 the disciples learned that some things will improve or radically change solely through prayer and fasting. The disciples were perplexed because they were unable to cast a demon out of a man. They thought that just their mere association with Jesus would be enough. They thought that their word would be authoritative enough to help but in they end, they were ineffective. Jesus told them what it would take. Praying and fasting is what it takes in this dispensation just as it had then. We’ve heard it said or even said it ourselves “freedom isn’t free”. Indeed, it’s not. In order for miracles and deliverance to happen, someone has to pray into the wee hours. Someone has to fast a bit longer than what is comfortable. Someone has to desire to hear the voice of God. Hanging out at Club Christian with mediocre believers will not yield such results. The kind of power needed to deliver those in the condition of the demonic man in Mark 9:29 will not occur through eloquent, empty prayers or constant pleading of “the blood”. Obligatory offerings or regular appearances at conferences with renowned leaders will not facilitate yoke breaking deliverance either.
We American Christians blame the devil for so much he can actually take lunch breaks! There are some hardships we have to endure and some warfare that has to be waged if we want the modern church to emulate New Testament moves of God similar to those recorded in Acts. We will not always be able to pray everything away and blame the devil. There are some battles God wants us to actually fight which reveals what kind of stuff we’re made of. Some challenges we face really are tests. Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7 believed the stumbling block he struggled with would exalt him above measure. He gladly bore this inconvenience, knowing it would keep his heart knit to the will of Christ. Some adversity will drive us daily to our knees; which is where we need to be anyway. No matter how painful or unfair, some trails we will just have to press through in our walk with God.
The miracle is sometimes learning that we can walk through the fire and trust God while coming out on the other side.
We can’t find true peace in a thriving church if we linger at Club Christian. Club Christian has only a form of godliness because it is based on human effort. We won’t see miracles trying to attain celebrity on Christian networks or other venues that promise millionaire status. Club Christian is for those who are not brave enough to truly hearken to the voice of God. Now those brave souls who choose to avoid Club Christian and strive do the will of the Father daily are the heroes of the faith. They obey God even when society believes it’s not popular. Let us seek the Lord with a pure heart and mind. Let us return to loving others as much as we love ourselves. If we take the initiative to seek the meat of the word, we’ll find there is no viable place for us at Club Christian.
Be encouraged..…
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Denise Joyce Williams lives in Florida with her husband who is a career soldier. Her first book entitled, “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” was released by Publish America in 2009. Her much anticipated second book entitled “Chambers Of The Believing Heart” is expected to be released in the spring of 2012.
Find Your Roar
Recently, I was watching a documentary on television and in it they were illustrating patterns of male lions. One of the facts that I found profoundly interesting was that the lion has a unique way of making his presence known. Many of us know lions roar, but what I was unaware of is that they first point their face toward the ground. Initially, I thought that was pointless. How would the roar be heard? However when he roars, the ground reverberates the sound which carries it for miles. Any animal within the lion’s perimeter is immediately alerted that the king of jungle is in their midst. I learned it is not just the sound of the roar alone that alerts them. However it is the noise as well as the vibration of the ground beneath them which makes them know to respect that the powerful creature that is near.
In our ever changing world today everyone seems to be “standing up” for something. We can gain a glimpse of what is important to an individual by observing the causes they passionately support. People who’ve measured the pros and cons of supporting their cause are usually willing to be uncomfortable, will submit to being jailed or in extreme cases martyred for their beliefs. They are determined, aggressive and steadfast in their convictions. Society advocates saving the whales, protesting wars, government rebellions or rally for the downtrodden. No matter the issue, we look for purpose to be fulfilled and many find what they believe to be their reason for living through supporting a cause. We find gratification in making an attempt to restore or repair a breach in society and God has embedded this desire into the recesses of our DNA. We were designed to minister to one another through nurturing interaction. These actions breed relationship for which we were designed!
Our personal convictions guide us into the decision making processes, while provoking us to ponder “What is worth my ROAR?” We need to look at what we are doing in our lives that causes a massive impact. What are we doing in body of Christ that causes a roar? What part of our salvation or faith filled works accomplishes the agenda that Jesus has commissioned? Are our agendas bringing glory to God? It is only His mandate that will cause a roar. It is His customized mission He’s prepared for you that will allow not only the sound that denotes physical presence, but a true connection to God. It is that assignment which compels the enemy to acknowledge that the presence of God almighty rests in, on and around us which he fears. We don’t make demons tremble because we say we are Christians, go to church, pay tithes, feed the hungry or take in the homeless. We coerce the devil to tremble through the ROAR God has given us! Power for us is found through the yoke breaking anointing that reconciles the lost back to Him.
We are truly the lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), the lineage of King David. David was a warrior who had Judah’s roar. His praise was extreme, his worship pure and God made him a successful conqueror who overcame much adversity. Just as lions typically kill off threats to their pride (family); God allowed David to recover all that belonged to Israel and destroy any nation that would not respect their roar. The yoke breaking, miracle producing anointing that God has bestowed upon the body is our ROAR! It is what God has equipped us with in order to win souls. The enemy knows that he has no power against this pure, undefiled yet lethal anointing. We just have to count the cost and ROAR! Our God who goes before us into any cause, battle or territory will make our presence known so that those who oppose us are sure to feel defeat.
In this season, ask the Lord to help you find your ministry ROAR. Allow Him to cultivate you to a place of confidence so that you will, without hesitation offer your Roar in the body of Christ. When we all find our purpose and let God set the stage, our Roar will be felt while being effective in any endeavor we pursue. We are not without the tools needed to overcome. The economic desperation of this current dispensation provides us with a unique opportunity to show the world Jehovah Jireh is our powerful, omnipotent provider. He is our peace, our strong tower, our Judah, our ROAR. If you want to make an impact, find your divine purpose while experiencing a true sense of accomplishment. Gird up your loins and do whatever it takes to find your roar.
In closing I leave you with this: Man of God, Woman of God; I challenge you to seek the Lord without delay to FIND YOUR ROAR!
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Dr. Denise J. Williams was born & raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her first book “The Healing Of A Broken Vessel” can be found on amazon.com. Her second book “The Chambers Of The Heart” is in production to be released in early 2012.
The Healing Place Prayer Ministry! 