C H O F Ministry

Tag: Monday Morning Blog

“Continue To Pursue”

Happy Monday Everyone!!!
Beloved, are you believing God for something to happen in your life? Does it seem like it’s taking it a long time to come to pass? 😀

This morning and throughout this week I want you to be encouraged because the Bible says that through faith and patience, you’ll receive God’s promises. So, don’t give up!!!
😀

Continue to thank God for His closeness in your life. Have confidence that what He says is true. Continue to pray and maintain an attitude of faith and expectation. You must continue to ask. You must continue to pursue. You must continue to knock on the door. It will open to you. It may seem like it’s taking a long time but know this Beloved, God’s working behind the scenes on “your” behalf. He’s arranging things that’ll be in your favor. We serve a right on time God. His timing is always perfect!!!

So, as you stay true and faithful in your prayers and thanksgiving, the Lord will move tremendously on your behalf. He’ll take you places that you’ve never dreamed of!!!

Have a blessed Monday Everyone. 😀

November 5, 2018
“Kick Apprehension To The Curb”

CHOF Ministry’s Verse for Today

1 Kings 17:2-4 (NLT)

2 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! 😀

Bishop Houston’s Bible verse overview:

Here we find that Elijah had just predicted that until he prayed for rain there would be no rain on the land. Then God sent Elijah to hide from the king and provided for him in a rather unusual way. The ravens brought him the ingredients for sandwiches. Now, this was a miracle in itself because ravens like many other wild scavengers don’t like to share when they eat. As we can see here, God is Lord over His creation.

I read a story about a Chinese brother who was put in prison for his faith. The guards stopped feeding him because he wouldn’t renounce Christ, so the LORD ordered mice to bring him food. What the mice brought him was probably better than what the prison had to feed him.

Beloved, Jesus told us not to worry, (be concerned), about what we’ll eat or wear because we have a Father in heaven that knows we’re in need. If He feeds the sparrows He’ll feed us, that’s because He values us more than the sparrows. The psalmist said, from his youth to his old age, he had never seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.

Beloved, if we’re obedient to the LORD, WE WON’T GO WITHOUT. We may not always have the overflow we might desire, but God will take care of us. Having food and clothing, we should be content.

If we can learn to be content with the few necessities of life, the many things that distract us will lose their power of influence over us. Then we’ll be able to pay closer attention to the LORD and His instruction to us. Beloved, He didn’t promise us luxury in this life, in fact, He promised tribulation. But we have the assurance that He will take care of us as a Father/mother takes care of their children.

Have a blessed Week Everyone. 😀

October 8, 2018
“OUR HUMBLE SERVANT”

Praise the Lord Beloved. Happy Monday to you all.

I’m sure many of you that are believers like myself, like to talk about Jesus as Lord, Master, and especially Savior, but you know, rarely is He mentioned as Servant. Yet describing His own mission, Christ Himself said in Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Beloved, He entered this world to offer Himself for the Father’s purpose and mankind’s need. Because every human being is born enslaved to sin, Jesus came to set us free.

He voluntarily exchanged His glory for flesh because only as a human could He die in our place to pay the penalty for our sin. The greatest service He offered was His sacrifice on the cross. He allowed His purity to be violated on the cross by our transgressions. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 5:21 it tells us that God made Jesus “who knew no sin be sin on our behalf” so that we could gain His righteousness.

Beloved, our sinless Savior suddenly and painfully felt the burden of guilt, the despicability of sin, the weight of a tarnished soul, and a wretched separation from His Father. He suffered the injustice of dying for our sins in order that God’s holiness and our imperfection could be reconciled, and we could be shown mercy.

Beloved, Jesus was the Father’s servant, agreeing to an atonement plan that made Him a sacrifice. And He’s your servant as well, He humbly endued the punishment you deserved. To receive the benefit of His sacrifice, all you have to do is believe and call on Him for the forgiveness of your sins. When you receive Him into your life, then you too will know the Servant, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.

Have a blessed Monday Everyone.

September 17, 2018
“Wait for Him!!!”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!!

Happy Monday to you all. 😀

In Psalm 37:7 (AMP) it reads: “Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him;

Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”

You know Beloved, at times, waiting has got to be the toughest thing to do – at any age!!! Have you ever prayed, “Lord, please give me patience and give it to me NOW!” First Lady Donece served in the military. She – the United States Coast Guard’s Military branch and I served in the Air Force branch of the military. Whenever we’re competing with one another we unleash our military branches motto: Coast Guard – “Semper Paratus (Always Ready)”, Air Force – “Aim High, Fly-Fight-Win”.

But you know, few know the Christian motto:
Psalm 37:7 (AMP) – : “Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and entrust yourself to Him; Do not fret (whine, agonize) because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”

Now there may be someone out there asking: “Bishop, Houston why is that?”
WELL, I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!!! 😀

This is why: the answer is found in Isaiah 40:31 (AMP) – “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.”

Beloved, those words offer an awesome promise, even though they’re tough to practice. We’ve all seen or been around brown-nosing people or we’ve been around or seen people that lies, cheats, steals, backstab or manipulate their way to achieving something. And at times this makes waiting for the right doors to open at the proper time extremely difficult. Let me tell you, it’s even more frustrating for a leader who often will use all his/her administrative abilities and people skills to pry the door from its hinges if it refuses to open in a timely fashion.

There’s an old proverb that says, “God never shuts a door without opening a window”. Beloved, do you feel like there are doors slamming shut in your life presently? If you do, just wait for God’s hand to open the next window. If He chooses to allow you the relief of darkness to be your possession for a period of time, wait on Him. Wouldn’t you want His blessing in the hesitant times of your life rather than not sense His hand upon you at all? Believe me, when God does open the window, it’ll be the perfect one for you. It’ll be the exact one you need, even if it only opens onto the fire escape, roof or your yard!!!

Beloved, WAIT FOR HIM…it’ll be worth it!!! 😀

Have a blessed Monday. 😀

September 3, 2018
“I Got This!!!”

Yesterday after service a brother stopped me as I was headed out the door to my car, he called out “Bishop Houston, can I talk to you before you leave?” I stopped and waited for him to catch up to me. He said, “Bishop, it happened to me!!! I didn’t think it could happen to me!!! But it did!!!” So, I told him to slow down, catch his breath and let’s take it from the top. He said, I don’t know how or when I lost focus, but I got involved with this ol’ girl and it’s about to destroy my marriage. I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me.

Beloved, He’s not alone. You see, it’s very easy to think we’re immune to sin and temptation.

That’s because we apprehend a disorder called, “I GOT THIS SYNDROME”.

Many of us go to church and try to live right. Sometimes we even shake our heads when others fall into sin, and more than one Christian has said, “That will never happen to me – I GOT THIS.” But, that’s when we become tremendously susceptible. In Galatians 6:1, Paul warns us against the I GOT THIS SYNDROME, he says, “Watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted”.

Beloved, I just love Psalm 51:10-13 especially verse 10: “create in me a pure heart and renew a right spirit within me”. We all would do well if we made David’s prayer in verses 10-11 our daily prayer. No matter how strong we might think we are or what our good intentions might be, we’re no match for Satan.

Beloved, David was speaking from experience when he prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”

This week why don’t you take some time to memorize that prayer or do what I do when I want to remember something, write it out and put it on your refrigerator door or put it on your bathroom mirror. Pray it often.

Beloved, it’s only with the assistance of the Holy Spirit do we have the power to resist temptation.

Will you pray with me?

Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right (correct) spirit within me. Don’t remove me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

In Jesus’ Mighty Name I Pray,

Amen and Amen.

July 30, 2018
“You’ll Overcome”

Praise The Lord Beloved!!! Happy Monday!!!

Beloved, if you know you’re going into a thought-provoking season, you can get equipped for it. You can make sure you’re psychologically ready. Now you might ask yourself, what about the problems that you don’t see coming? Or the unforeseen crisis that catches you off-guard? Well, I’ll be the first to tell you that sometimes, it can seem very devastating that it almost knocks you to your knees.

But we must remember that the scripture says that we shouldn’t be surprised by fiery trials. That’s because the forces of darkness wouldn’t be fighting against you if they didn’t know that God has something wonderful in your future!!! Sometimes, those unforeseen complications are just a sign that you’re on the right track. It’s always darkest just before the dawn appears. Remember, the enemy always fights the hardest when you’re closest to your breakthrough. The key is to stay the course and keep fighting the good fight of faith.

So Beloved, in the tough times, keep your happiness and keep announcing God’s Word over your future. God has promised that you’ll overcome every complication. You’ll defeat every enemy, and you’ll hold on tightly to the blessing and victory He has in store for you!!!

Have a Blessed Monday!!! 😀

July 2, 2018
“The 2 Rs”

You know Beloved, there are portions of the old Wilburn I don’t miss and don’t have intentions of reliving. I’ve had my share of struggles, like anyone in life, and I still have struggles.

Beloved, there are parts of all our lives we want to be lifeless and remain lifeless. Sure, we could sidestep certain circles, so the past doesn’t reappear.

Maybe you’ve dodged a family reunion or high school reunion because of this. Maybe you dodge certain towns or shopping centers because of whom you might bump into. Maybe one of these situation has recently happened to you. Maybe you found yourself in a circumstance that causes you to shield the new you because of the old you. Beloved, this is terrible and not the way God wants us to live!!!.

As I was reading Luke chapter 8, verses 1-3, caught my attention.

It said: Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, (2) and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, (3) and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. Those 3 verses hopped right into my spirit.

Beloved, Mary Magdalene was once demon possessed!!!. Sure, we’ve all read it, its been taught to us, and I’ve taught about her being demon possessed. But, as I looked closer at this verse, I feel that one of the reasons her demonic characteristic really doesn’t stand out with us is because she was never treated as one who had been demon controlled.

For many of us when it comes to our old life, it wasn’t just one demon, but several!!! None of us want to be the poster child of one being demon controlled. But if there was ever one back in Jesus’ day, it was Mary Magdalene!!!

Demon possession is something we don’t see much of in America, well, we don’t pay it much attention many don’t recognize it. But it’s real!! There maybe someone you know that you’ve stopped hanging with that are fighting real demons. Beloved, I’m very serious here about peopled being controlled by real demons. And It’s something you shouldn’t take too lightly either.

Now, allow me to ask you a couple of questions right here: *Are you praying for people in the battles they are fighting? **Are you willing to extend to people the gift of the 2 Rs repair or reconstruct to bring them into your circle with full trust?”

Many don’t focus on how severely demon-controlled Mary Magdalene was because she was never again treated as one who was demon controlled.

You see, if that’s how people REALLY saw her, why would God make her one of the first (THE FIRST) eyewitness of the empty tomb? In the Bible we see her running saying, “the tomb is empty!!!” That would be crazy!!! LOL!!! To treat her as old demon-controlled Mary would have led to saying, there goes crazy Mary again.” To run and say to people, “Hey you guys, I talked to an angel, a real angel, JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!” People would have easily said “Yeah, right Mary!!! An angel or is it one of your demons again? Come on Mary come back to reality.”

But instead, she was treated as someone that was made new by Jesus. Beloved, no human can be alive and dead at the same time. NO ONE!!! You’re one or the other.

I read Romans 6:4-11 when people ask me to baptize them:

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (6) We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

(7) For one who has died has been set free from sin. (8) Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (9) We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. (10) For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. (11) So, you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Beloved, if you said yes to a relationship with Jesus, then let the past be dead. Live the new (different) life that Christ offers. The past life only brought death, so why go back? You’ve been made new, you’re now living, so LIVE Your Life!!!

Beloved, do you know someone with a past? Remember, you have a past also? Do you treat them as you hope others would treat you? Or, are you someone that certain people want to avoid because you might bring up the past? Or because you might treat them as if the past is still the present? Can you see, how Christ is treating them regardless of their past?

Beloved, complete forgiveness, full fellowship and relationship with God will help repair or rebuild a demon-controlled brother or sister who wants to get rid of their old sin nature. We should act like Jesus.

Mary didn’t have to live spooked by her past. God put her in leadership positions. She was a vital part of what God was doing. She was the first woman to the tomb, she was at the cross, she was with Jesus as He was proclaiming the gospel. Jesus didn’t see her as a black sheep or hindrance to His message. In fact, she was made for the message because we serve a God of life change.

Have a blessed week Everyone. 😀

May 21, 2018
“A Heart Disorder”

Beloved, if I told you I have a heart disorder, how would you respond? Many of you would likely respond with gasps or say, “oh no!!!” Some of you would probably feel remorseful for me.
Well, the truth is, I do have a disorder in my heart, and you do too.

Substances of the Heart
Beloved, your heart’s disorder is contingent on the affects you allow into your mind or emotions. These effects form your feelings and opinions, and in due time, will shape the deepest part of your character. It doesn’t matter what your situations are (on the outside), if your heart (the inside) is right, you’re going to be fine.

But if incorrect things in our mind or emotions are not noticed or dealt with, they’ll become extremely deep-rooted and tougher to deal with. Beloved, the earlier you can distinguish an incorrect heart disorder and get it corrected, the better off you’ll be.

Now!!! There may be someone out there asking: Bishop Houston, “How do I do that?”

WELL I’M GLAD YOU ASK!!! 😀

How to Protect Your Heart
Beloved, as Christians, we need to check our mental status frequently. Because many times, Christians can go through the motions and keep doing the “CHRISTIAN THING,” but something has sneaked into their hearts and is hurting them and others.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) says: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Now, notice that it doesn’t say somebody else will guard your heart. It doesn’t say God will guard your heart, your neighbor will guard your heart, or your pastor will guard your heart. It says “YOU” need to guard your heart.

Beloved, it’s your responsibility and you’re in control of guarding your own heart. And you must comprehend that it’s a full-time job because on any given day anything can come up. You don’t know what somebody may say to you that may hurt you, disappoint you or let you down. Then unexpectedly, there’s a wound in there that needs to be dealt with.

Beloved, you must regularly work with the Holy Spirit to keep your mind and emotions on point because you never know what may pop-off.

There Are Important Effects
Beloved, the biggest revelation I’ve received from God is when He revealed to me in 1 Peter 3:3-4 that “my real life is the life that’s in me.” Beloved, there’s nothing more important than our inner life!!! 😀 Life isn’t your environments or condition, the kind of house you live in, the kind of job you have or how much money you have. You can have the best of these things and still be unhappy or depressed.

On the other hand, it’s amazing how happy and peaceful you can be in the middle of the crummiest conditions, including the chaos that’s going on in the world today, if you keep your heart in the right order.

Matthew 5:8 (NIV) says, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. I just love this verse!!! Beloved, do you want to hear from God? Then keep your heart pure. Beloved, do you want to know God’s secrets? Then keep your heart pure.

You know, I relate taking time to keep your heart pure to cleaning out your basement or attic. You see, once you turn on the lights and start looking around, you will be surprised to find some things you didn’t expect.

Projectiles of the Heart
You know, Jesus said some mighty powerful things about the heart. In Matthew 5:28 He said if you see a woman and lust after her, then you have already committed adultery as far as your “heart” is concerned. Beloved, lust has an incredible effect on the heart, that’s why we all must guard against it. Just look at how it’s destroying the lives of people who look at pornography that’s so easily available today!!!

Another fiery projectile the devil tries to shoot into our hearts is hatred. The Bible says in 1 John 3:15 if you hate your brother, it’s no different than if you murdered him. We must “raise our armor” to keep our hearts pure.

Avoiding Additional Heart Injury
You know, I’ve found that if I can apprehend my opinions and emotions before God early in the morning, through prayer and meditating on Scripture, then it’s easier to protect my heart. Or, I can hazardously wait until the afternoon, when I’ve already let the enemy use my mind and emotions for his garbage dump for a while and then try to get a handle on it. Clearly, it would be better to start my morning doing the right thing!!!

Beloved, I want you to really understand this: Every time you feel like doing the incorrect thing and you choose to do the correct thing, you’re growing, and God is smiling.

So, develop a will power to become self-disciplined. Keep your obligations, keep your word and do what you know God wants you to do. And every time you feel like doing the incorrect thing, choose to do the correct thing.

I’m not saying ignore your feelings. We need to take care of our emotions. I tell God how I feel. But then I also tell Him what I’ll do through His strength and power.

Beloved, the bottom line is, if you want to be a victorious Christian, guard your heart, even when you don’t feel like it.

Have a blessed Week Everyone!!! 😀

May 14, 2018
“Just Say YES!!!”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! 😀

You know in my life I have had my fair share of grief mainly because of the choices I’ve made. It wasn’t until I made the choice to put total faith in God when “my life” took its transformation. In other words, I completely turn my life over to Him and started believing what the Bible says.

Beloved, it wasn’t until I emphatically said YES!!!

Beloved, when I said YES, I’m all in, YES, I accept the words of God to rebuild the foundation of my life, YES, I want to be fulfilled with the effectuated anointed words of Jesus Christ, is when God approved of my life’s renovation and granted me the permit to experience life’s approvals.

Beloved, you too can experience life’s approvals when you allow God to be your master builder.

That’s right!!! No matter where you’re at, what’s troubling you today, or what has happened to you in the past, true gratification is close at hand. It’s found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And along with the gratification that God gives you, peace and joy will flood your life to a breathtaking degree!!! This gratification and peace isn’t temporary either, it’s not just here until something bad happens. Experiencing true fulfillment in God lasts for an eternity.

Beloved, you can live the way you were born to live, the way God anticipated for you to live!!! By saying emphatically “YES” to God, you’ll get God’s approval, so that you can live an improved, happier, and triumphant life for as long as you live.

Let us Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your approval and granting me gratification that’s way beyond anything I have ever known. Reinforce me as I continue to seek ways to serve You and find my joy and fulfillment in You.

In Jesus’ Name I Pray. Amen and Amen.

Have a blessed Monday Everyone!!! 😀

May 7, 2018
“Confirm Your Reservation”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! Happy Monday to you. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a joyful Sunday.

This morning I was led by the Holy Spirit to read Ephesians Chapter 2 and it put a great smile on my face because I saw my past, present, and eternal life.

Beloved, God has raised us up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!!!
YES!!! That’s what the Word of God says. There are very few who actually believe this. And know actually, we’ve elevated Jesus. We’ve exalted Him, and this is the way it should be!!! But, at the same time, we’ve unintentionally belittled what He did by not allowing Him to bring us along with Him.

You see, that was God’s purpose at Calvary “to bring us along with Jesus.” To make us what He already was.

You see Beloved, Jesus didn’t need exalting. He was exalted before He ever came to this earth. He was already one with the Father. He didn’t need to get authority over the devil. He’d never lost it!!!

He put on a physical body so that He could come to earth as a man and gain authority over sin and illness, demons, distress, deficiency and all the other curses that came when the law of death moved into the earth, and He did just what He came to this earth to do. Yes!!! He succeeded!!! He mastered everything in the world of the “intellect”, everything in the physical world.

But before He ascended, He said, “All authority is given unto Me both in heaven and in the earth.” Then He turned around and gave that authority to us by giving us His Name. “HALLELUJAH!!!”

You and I are the reason Jesus came to earth and died and lived again. He didn’t do it for Himself. He did it so He could bring us together with Him. So, we could wear His Name and exert His authority on the earth. He did it so that we could stand before God and be everything to Him that Jesus is.

Beloved, when you were born again, you were made the righteousness of God in Christ!!! So, this week as a born-again believer, let us all continue to accept the challenge to receive God’s message, to meditate on it and to act on it.

Beloved it’s time to confirm your reservation around the throne.

Have a blessed week Everyone.

April 16, 2018