C H O F Ministry

Tag: Bishop Houston’s Monday Morning Blog

  • “Like a Hand in a Glove”

    New Morning blog Picture

    Praise the Lord Beloved and Happy Monday to you all. 😀
     
    I love the verse that comes from Psalm 28:7 it says: “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” (NLT)
     
    Beloved, praise and strength go together like a hand in a glove. You see, when you give God praise, He gives you strength. When you thank God in advance for the answer, that’s what keeps you encouraged.
     
    Now, you must remember, you’re not going to stay strong in faith by mummering, complaining or doubting. That’s because when you’re always murmuring complaining or doubting it drains you of your strength and energy. Believe me Beloved, you’re not going to stay determined if you’re talking about how bad it is all the time. So, if you’re one that is constantly mummering and complaining or doubting, it’s time to flip your switch or put your hand in the spiritual glove and start to praise Him. “Business may be slow, but Lord, I want to thank You that You prosper me even in a desert.” “The people coming against me may be powerful, but Lord, I want to thank You that You’re all-powerful.” Beloved, praise will keep you moving forward!!! 😀
     
    You know so often we think, “I’ll give God praise after the problem turns around.” But if you don’t learn this principle to thank God in advance, you won’t have the strength you need to wait for the promise.
    Beloved, every morning when you wake up, start the day by saying, “Father, thank You that my dreams are coming to pass. Thank You that this problem is turning around. Thank You that You’re bigger than this obstacle.” Keep praising Him and keep receiving His strength so you can boldly embrace the victory He has for you!!!
     
    Will you pray with me this morning? Let’s pray.
    Dear Heavenly Father, today I give You praise because You’re worthy. Thank You Father God for working in my life even when I can’t see it. Father God I bless You and receive Your strength today.
    In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen and Amen. 😀
     
    Have a blessed Week Everyone. 😀

  • “Unembarrassed Loyalty”

    New Morning blog Picture
    Praise the Lord Beloved!!! Happy Monday to you!!! 😀

    What a great day to be alive and present before the Lord one more day.

    This morning the Spirit of the Lord led me to Psalms 34:1-4. But it was verse 3 that captured my attention. It says: “Join me in spreading the news;
    together let’s get the word out” (Message Bible).  As I meditated on that verse this morning I couldn’t help but think about all the people that stand out in my mind that has exemplified their embarrassed loyalty toward me and many others including Jesus Christ. If you know that these people exist in your life-KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!!! GOD IS ON HIS WAY BACK TO RESCUE AND REMOVE YOU FROM THE UNCOMFORTABLE DESIGN OF COUNTERFEIT, INSINCERE, DECEPTIVE AND FICTICIOUS LOYALTY.
    AND AS GOD REVEALS THEM TO YOU – THEY ALREADY KNOW WHO THEY ARE. 😀

    You know, unembarrassed loyalty is so awesome!!! As the NBA Playoffs are coming into the picture, March Madness has arrived, the baseball season is just around the corner and so is the NFL draft. Sports fans around the world is gearing up to show and share their love, loyalty and sing praises to their desired team(s). They will be wearing logos, posting notes on Facebook and other social media sites about their beloved team(s), or talking about them with friends or co-workers. The true fans are unembarrassed when it comes to their team(s), they leave no doubt where their loyalty stands. I love my Cleveland Indians, Dallas Cowboys (NFC), (Cleveland Browns (AFC)), Cleveland CAVS (Eastern conf.) and San Antonio Spurs (Western conf.) I wear my ball caps and shirts, to show my unembarrassed loyalty to them WIN, LOSE OR DRAW!!! If you hold a conversation long enough with me it will indicate that I’m right there with those who express their unembarrassed loyalty to their chosen team(s).

    Beloved, I created the illustration above to illustrate that just like our unembarrassed loyalty to our favorite sports teams our truest and greatest loyalty must be to our Lord.

    Beloved, I think of such unembarrassed loyalty when I read Psalm 34, where David draws our attention to Someone enormously more vital than anything else on earth. In Verse 1 David says: “I bless God every chance I get…” (Message Bible). Beloved, we shouldn’t wonder or be amazed about the cause, or the gaps in our lives when we live as if God is not our source of truth, light, and salvation. Verse 1 finishes with: “my lungs expand His praise” …

    Beloved, just think about how many times we praise things of this world more than we praise Him. David says in verse 2, “I live and breathe God’…. And it’s sad, because we understand that we boast about our own small successes more than what Jesus has done for us.

    Beloved, I might not be your favorite, friend, brother, cousin, parent, grandparent or minister, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not wrong to enjoy our teams, our interests, and our accomplishments. But our highest praise goes to our Lord.  David says in verse 3: “Join me in spreading the news; together let’s get the word out (Message Bible).

    Dear Heavenly Father, help me to have Your praise on my lips and to boast in You. Help me to keep my focus on You because I’m unembarrassed to show and share my loyalty to You.

    In Jesus’ Mighty Name I Pray,
    Amen and Amen!!!

    Have a blessed Monday Everyone!!! 😀

  • “Bless Them and Pray for Them”

    New Morning blog PicturePraise the Lord Beloved. Happy Monday to you. 😀

    Beloved, this morning you’ll find that Matthew 5:44 says “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
    Beloved, if you’re going to pursue a larger church/ministry, if you’re going to be a great businessperson, if you’re a great coach, a great parent, a great pastor/leader, Beloved, you have to comprehend that not everyone is going to cheer you on. I’d love to tell you that your family members, friends and co-workers will celebrate you, but that’s not necessarily the case. You see, some people simply can’t handle your success. As you grow and increase, as God pours out His favor on you, someone will get jealous. Someone will start finding fault. Don’t be surprised if a relative try to belittle, discredit or re-direct you.
    Beloved, you can’t focus on making everyone around you happy or you’ll start changing and lose sight of what God has placed in your heart.
    Remember, your destiny is too great to be distracted by people who are never going to affirm you. But, don’t take it personally. It’s not about you. It’s their problem. Shake it off, run your race, and be great anyway.
    Beloved, having greatness in the midst of criticism or disapproval, begins with forgiveness. 😀 Though it may be hard “don’t hold a grudge”. Bless those who curse you; pray for those who spitefully use you. As you keep doing what is right, God will honor you. He’ll promote you, and you’ll be great in the midst of criticism!!!
    Have a blessed Monday and week Everyone!!! 😀

  • “Angels Are Not Just for Children”

    New Morning blog Picture Black History

    Praise the Lord Beloved. Happy Monday to you. 😀

    Beloved, in Hebrew 1: 14 it says: therefore, angels are only servants, spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

    There are many of you like myself that has heard about our guardian angel when we were children. And, in those days, it always brought reassurance. You know, with monsters waiting behind the closet door and scary things crawling beneath the bed, it was good to know that someone was there to protect us when the light was out. 😀

    But, as the years passed, we grew out of our childhood fears. The imaginary creatures that had once seemed so real vanished from our minds, and it’s sad to say, for most of us, the angels did too. Beloved, angels are not just children stuff. They’re powerful spirits sent forth to minister for us who are heirs of salvation.

    The word salvation in Hebrews 1:14 is from the Greek word soteria, which means “deliverance, preservation, material, and temporal deliverance.” Now just think about that for a moment!!!

    Beloved, God has created an enormous number of magnificently powerful spiritual beings for the express purpose of protecting us and delivering us from the evils of this world.

    And let’s remember, according to Psalm 103:20, the Word of God is what puts those angels in action. So, when you’re in trouble Beloved, don’t get frightened and cry about how terrible things are. Speak the Word!!! Give your angels something to respond to. Then be patient and let them have time to work.
    Believe me, they’ll get their job done.

    Have a Blessed Monday Everyone. 😀

  • “The Joy of Christmas Is Jesus”

    Morning BlogPraise the Lord Beloved!!! 😀

    I hope you had a great weekend and super Sunday. 😀

    Beloved, as you know Christmas is just seven days away, and just about everywhere I went over the weekend joy was in the air. I saw many children laughing and playing in the stores and on their best behavior at restaurants.

    Luke 2:10 says: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” But you know, joy was not in the equation for Adam and Eve after they disobeyed God. God expelled them from their garden home to prevent something worse from happening. You see, if they had eaten from the tree of life after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would have lived forever in their misery.

    Life outside the garden was not easy for Adam and Eve. They had to work hard for their food. The reality of death was everywhere, has animals preyed on one another. Even worse, the couple’s firstborn son murdered his younger brother. What could be worse? Beloved, sin had penetrated their lives, and the couple couldn’t stop the death of joy.

    But, God had a plan to reincarnate joy. Sure, joy was lost in the Garden when death came, but joy returned through birth and I’m talking about the birth of God’s very own Son. Luke 2:10 say: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people”.

    Beloved, Jesus grew up to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead. But this was just a taste of things to come. God entered our world, experienced our sorrow, and conquered death, giving us hope that He will keep His promise to end pain, and eliminate sorrow and death.

    No wonder Christmas is the season of joy!!!
    “Jesus Is the Reason for The Season.”

    Have a Great Week Everyone. 😀