C H O F Ministry

Tag: Relationship

“Who Are You Hanging With?”

Beloved, it’s not just vital how we devote our time, but who we devote our time with. The only thing that’s preventing some people from a different fresh, elevated level to their destiny is incorrect friendships. You may have to cut off (disconnect) some relationships that aren’t increasing or improving value to your life. Don’t be around people who aren’t keeping it 100, always throwing you under the bus, aren’t going anywhere, who have no ambitions or visions, who compromise and take the easy way out.

Beloved, if you allow mediocrity, “it will” enter you like

COVID-19 and will psychologically meticulously clean you out. If you hang out with envious, critical, angry people, you’ll end up vindictive, vicious, and angry. You won’t be the person God created you to be hanging out with them.

So, as we end another week and prepare to enter the weekend, take a good hard look at your list of friends!!! If your friends are winners, leaders, contributors, supporters, and productive, if they have integrity, a spirit of quality, distinction, is optimistic, confident, and motivated, those good qualities are what you want to hang out with. Invest your time with them. They’re going to make you better. Amen? Aaamen.

✝️❤️😊

Let Us Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the connections and friends in my life who refine me, motivate me, promote me, and boost me forward. Help me to know if there are connections that I need to disconnect and friendships that I need to be cautious of or cut off. I want to hang out with the proper – decent people. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen and Aaamen.” ✝️❤️

Have a lovely Friday and a Guarded and Prudent Weekend, Everyone. ✝️❤️😊

April 10, 2020
“Understanding The Profound Relationship”

Praise The Lord Beloved. Wishing a blessed Monday to everyone.

You know Beloved, there are many of you like myself that have found out that trials in life traumatize our hearts, causing us to close ourselves off to profound significant family relationships and friendships. Have you ever had someone try to provide, connect, or genuinely care for you and it frightened you? Why did it scare you? Many of us are afraid to open our hearts to re-open family relationships or new/old friendships because we’re afraid we’ll be hurt again. We’ve been created for close relationships and to be devoted to fellowship (*1). God has created us to connect with each other, to sharpen each other, and to grow with each other (*2). God also desires to have a close intimate relationship with us. To know Him, to understand He’s good, and to know He has a plan for our lives.

Beloved, today and throughout the rest of the week reflect on your heart and ask God to mend the wounds and traumas that are there so you can develop meaningful relationships with God and other Believers. Amen? Aaamen. ✝️❤️😊

Let Us Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, this morning we pray that You would tenderly allow our past hurts to reappear and heal them with Your unconditional and comforting love. Father God guide us in the relationship and friendship You have blessed us with and enable us to re-open or choose new ones wisely. Open our hearts up to affection with You and others. Though this can be difficult, we pray that we continually turn our hearts to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen and Amen. ✝️

Beloved, life is very short. It comes and goes like an unannounced gust of wind. None of us know the hour or day when that gust of wind may enter our earthly room and blow out our candle. So today, reach out and touch someone and tell them you love them, BECAUSE TELLING THEM LATER JUST MIGHT BE – TOO LATE. I LOVE YOU ALL!!! – Have a GREAT Monday and a wonderful week everyone.

CHOF Ministry Cross-Reference Verses:

*1. Acts 2:42

*2. Proverbs 27:17

November 11, 2019
Don’t Be So Eager To Quit”

For all of you so eager to call it quits and throw in the towel on your relationships because everything isn’t “perfect”…here is some food for thought. Lifelong commitment is not what most people think it is. It’s not waking up every morning to make breakfast and eat together. It’s not cuddling in bed until both of you fall asleep, peacefully, at night. It’s not a clean home filled with laughter and lovemaking, everyday. It’s someone who steals all the covers (and snores!).

It’s slammed doors and a few harsh words, at times. It’s stubbornly disagreeing and giving each other the silent treatment until your hearts heal…and, then…FORGIVENESS! It’s coming home to the same person, everyday, that you know LOVES and CARES about you in spite of (and because of) who you are. It’s laughing about the one time you accidentally did something stupid. It’s about dirty laundry and unmade beds WITHOUT finger pointing.

It’s about helping each other with the hard work of life! It’s about swallowing the nagging words instead of saying them out loud. It’s about eating the cheapest and easiest meal you can make and sitting down together at late to eat because you both had a crazy day. It’s when you have an emotional breakdown and your Love lays with you and holds you and tells you everything is going to be okay…and you BELIEVE them. It’s about still loving someone even though, sometimes, they make you absolutely insane. Living with the person you love is not perfect…sometimes it’s hard; but it’s amazing and comforting and one of the BEST things you’ll ever experience!

(The words are from the cover page of a Facebook friend).

June 12, 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 Contaminated Relationship”

Here Is Today’s Question
Agatha H. asked:
Bishop Houston, my name is Agatha H. I am in a relationship with a man that won’t stop smoking drugs (weed is his drug of choice) and he comes home at all times of the morning. I love him, but I am tired. What should I do about this contaminated relationship?

Thank you for your question Agatha H.
Today’s Bible scripture reverences are from the
New Living Translation Bible versions”.

Answer:
Well Agatha, at times it’s easy for us to overlook how much God loves us and how much value we have in Him. When we lose sight of the greatness God has put on the inside of us, we can begin to make choices based on a poor self-image. Those decisions cause many Christians to end up in bad relationships. That’s because they lose their focus on protecting the special gifts God placed on the inside of them.

So, as a believer you should look to God. Your desire should be to please Him. You see, the morals of someone who has taken their eyes off Jesus will be different. The problem with trying to please people who aren’t serving God is you’ll eventually violate your conscience and become unhappy. Now, I have some good news for you. The good news is that God definitely has better relationships available for you if you’ll trust Him!!!

I’m encouraging you, if you feel that you’re in an unhealthy relationship, please don’t stay in it!!! Now, if you need more assistance go to your pastor or another godly adult who will counsel you and your friend.

Agatha, God will help you move from a destructive relationship into a strong, healthy one that fits your desire!!!

I’m standing with you as you seek God in your relationship. I encourage you to spend time thinking, meditating and praying over these scriptures I am about to give you. They relate to your friendship and relationship with God.

Psalm 37:4-5 (NLT)
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”
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Psalm 119:63 (NLT)
“I am a friend to anyone who fears you— anyone who obeys your commandments.”

Proverbs 3:3-6 (NLT)
“ Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)
“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”

Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)
“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”

Proverbs 27:6 (NLT)
“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.”

Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

James 4:4 (NLT)
“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

Thank you for your question Agatha H.

April 25, 2018