– Bishop, W. F. Houston, Jr.
Tag: Wednesday
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“As a Christian Is It OK To Date?”
“God knows the who, what, when, where, why, and how to the questions that you have when it comes to getting involved in dating and a relationship.”
– Bishop, W. F. Houston, Jr. -
“A Very Special Privilege”
Praise the Lord Believers in the Christian faith.Beloved, being human is very special. We’re created in the image of God. We’re designed to be a companion to Him.Some people have the impression that God made man, so He’d have someone to control or rule over. But God isn’t a dominator nor is He a dictator. God is love and love wants to give to someone. That’s why God made the man. He made him, so He could give him His love.Beloved, God could have given His love to just the angels. But giving to angels didn’t provide total fulfillment and angels aren’t made in His image. But we are.Let me give you an example: you have a puppy, a kitten, a bird, etc.… as a pet. You can fellowship with that little pet just for so long, but then there comes a time when you need someone to talk to. There comes a time when you need to have communication on your own level.The reason you’re like that is that you’ve been created in the image of God. 😀 That’s how He is. He has a yearning to fellowship with someone like Himself.Beloved, you’re the ultimate in God’s eyes. You’re really special to Him. You’re a one-of-a-kind creation made by God in His very own image. This morning I’m encouraging every one of you to receive His love and love Him back!!! 😀CHOF Ministry’s Mid-Week Prayer:Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us in Your image. Thank You for granting us the privilege to fellowship with You. In Jesus’ Name, I Pray 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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly light. 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 “Wonderful” Wednesday.Please visit Christian House of Faith, CHOF – CHOF Ministry on Facebookand Bishop W. F. Houston Jr. Ministrybishopdrwfhoustonjr.wordpress.com“An Online Ministry Teaching and Inspiring People All Over the World with Informative Biblical Principles.” -
“Get It Right On the Inside”
Praise the Lord Believers in the Christian faith.You know, many times we ask God to repair the anomalies around us when what He really wants to do is resolve the problem within us. I’ve done that on many occasion especially when it comes to my weight. I used to pray and pray for God to help me lose weight. Yet I experienced repetitive disappointment. I would literally loose many pounds, only to gain them right back again.Finally one day, I made a firm decision. I said God, “I’m not going one step further until I find out what to do about this!!!” Then I went on a fast. I closed off anything that was going to hinder me until I heard from God.Beloved, during that fast the Lord exposed the actual cause of my problem. He showed me that I wanted to lose weight, but I didn’t want to terminate my eating habits. I was like an alcoholic who wants to be able to drink continuously and not be affected by it. I wanted to eat huge plates of food 4 times a day and get my weight down to 200 pounds!!!Then it hit me!!! I realized God wasn’t content for me to simply get rid of the extra pounds on the outside of me. He wanted me to get rid of the sin of gluttony on the inside of me. So, I repented of that sin right then and there. I also recognized just how hard it is for a person who drinks or have an addiction to face the fact that they’re an alcoholic or addicted to a substance. WOW-it hurts to admit something like that. So, instead of asking God for liberation from my weight problem, I asked Him to liberate me from my excess eating habit.Well, I’m pleased to announce, He has. 😀 I still barbecue large, but I don’t eat large plates of food and my weight is decreasing. “Hallelujah!!!! 😀Beloved, if your prayers don’t seem to be changing the problems around you, maybe it’s time to take a look inside. Maybe it’s time to ask God to go to work on the heart of the matter.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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly light. 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 Pleasant Wednesday. 😀
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“Circumventing Spiritual Misconception”
In Matthew 7 verses 21-23 you’ll find it chronicles the sad results of spiritual misconception. Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”Beloved, Jesus made a strong pulsating dissimilarity between those who just claim to be Christians and those who actually are. The difference is, true believers do the will of the Father. In the words of James, they’re doers of the Word, not just hearers who deceive themselves. “Hearers” in James 1:22 translates a Greek word that speaks of auditing a class. Auditing students go to class and listen to the instructor but don’t do any work. So, they don’t receive credit for the course. The phrase “delude themselves” speaks of being persecuted by one’s own defective reasoning. People who listen to God’s Word but never obey it are spiritual auditors who delude themselves by thinking that hearing the Word is all God requires of them. Unfortunately, many churches and ministries are full of these people. They attend services and hear the sermons, but their lives never seem to change. They’re content to hear the Word but they never apply it. Like those whom Jesus condemned in Matthew 7, they’ve chosen “religious” activities over true faith in Christ.You’re in a sad situation to think you’re saved, only to hear. Matthew 7:23 (AMP) says: And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].Beloved, that will never happen if you’re a doer of the Word.Amen? – Aaamen. 😀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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly light. So today, reach out and touch someone and tell them you love them, BECAUSE TELLING THEM LATER JUST MIGHT BE – TOO LATE.Beloved, once again, I thank God for you. You all are truly my inspiration. 😀I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Have an “Awesome” Wednesday. -
“Not Too Extreme – Not Too Moderate”
Several weeks ago, I posted, blogged and spoke on radio programs the topic I’m delivering this morning. Many people have approached me about being more than who they are but stay humble at the same time. Lord knows I can relate to what their encountering. If you’re on this same path maybe this post will assist you also.
Beloved, at one time in my life I use to ask the Lord, how can I become happy and satisfied with just who I am, no one special and no one to look down on?I was certainly motivated to want more and be more. To be smarter, handsomer, amusing, and acceptable. To be more productive, creative, happier and energetically developed along with flying below the radar, low maintenance, being a peacemaker, more level-headed, and focused.
I wanted to have improved self- consciousness, and yet I wanted to be less disturbed about what others think of me.
I wanted to be a better barbecue pit master, to sing in tune, and to have a nice home with a great yard.
I wanted to be a better creative writer – one that’s both extremely innovative and methodically prepared. And I wanted less carnal appetites.
Beloved, I wanted to be both extreme and moderate.
Our mornings verse in the book of Matthew is among several in the Bible that energies one of my principal convictions: When I stop motivating or pushing myself to create a life for myself, I find the life God creates for me. This is a predominant truth, undeniably a celestial secret. You see, His life for me begins exactly where mine ends. My life ends in my debauchery and pushy motivations and begins again in God’s LOVE and AUTHORIZATION. In other words – Him refining me and Him approving what He has just decontaminated.
His authorized, inside permanent presence affords me everything I actually need and nothing I actually don’t. So, if you desire to be pleased with just who you are in Christ – no one special and no one to look down on, Jesus addresses us in Matthew 23:11-12 (MSG) – “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”
Beloved, it’s amazing how God’s grace humbles us without humiliating us, and His favor lifts us up without swelling our heads. The life we find in Him makes us the proud owner of everything money can’t buy. As Jesus put it, “the whole earth.”
Beloved, what we get with humility is a life of contentment. Not too extreme and not too moderate. Amen? – Aaamen.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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly light. So today, reach out and touch someone and tell them you love them, BECAUSE TELLING THEM LATER JUST MIGHT BE – TOO LATE.
Beloved, I thank God for you. You all are my inspiration. 😀I LOVE YOU ALL!!! Have an “Awesome” Wednesday.
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“Remembering the Sabbath”
Praise the Lord Beloved. Happy Wednesday. 😀 I hope your day has started off with a smile. 😀You know the Israelites had weekly Sabbaths (a day of rest), but they also had new moon Sabbaths and other distinct Sabbath days related to their feasts. On those days, there were limitations as to how much they could do and how far they could go. All these were designed to have them take time to reflect on the God they served. They were to be still for a day to focus upon God. Beloved, this morning’s verse teaches that the reason for the Sabbath was to know who the LORD is and that He’s the One who makes us holy. It seems that they missed the whole point of the exercise and concentrated on the rules surrounding the Sabbath instead of the purpose. They thought that keeping the rules made them holy, when it’s clearly the LORD that makes them holy.
Beloved, they had the illustration of Abraham who was acknowledged right with God by simply believing in God before he had done anything the Lord asked. They also had the illustration of the man recording this passage, “Moses”. He was a murderer and failed miserably when he tried to do it his own way. But when we know we can’t do it ourselves, that holiness is inaccessible by our efforts, we finally look to the LORD who makes us holy. Even though, at that time, they didn’t understand how, they simply needed to believe He would. Beloved, it’s the trust placed in God, not a comprehensive understanding of the method that makes men right with God, back then and now.
Beloved it’s God who makes us holy. His work will transform our lives when our trust is placed in Him.
Amen? – Aaamen.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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly light. So today, reach out and touch someone and tell them you love them, BECAUSE TELLING THEM LATER JUST MIGHT BE – TOO LATE.
Beloved, I thank you for being such an inspiration to us. 😀
I LOVE YOU ALL!!! And have a blessed Wednesday Everyone. 😀 -
“Hurt and Angry?”
Praise the Lord Beloved. Let us all say, “Thank You Lord for another Wednesday to be in Your presence”.You know Beloved, many of us have cried out to God and felt like He wasn’t listening, or He doesn’t care. Many of us have gotten angry at God. And I’ll be the first to say those are scary thoughts. Beloved God created everything. He sent Mount Everest protruding up from the Earth and ransacked channels in the depths of the Pacific. He made the billions of stars, and that gives us just a miniscule picture of His marvelous glory. Yet we dare to be mad at Him? It’s crazy that many of us at some time or another in our life have felt upset towards God. In our verse, this morning Jesus will reference from the Cross one of many cries by David. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he makes a habit throughout the Psalms of asking God where He is. I believe this is God’s way of telling us that these feeling are only human.
Beloved, we may get angry, but we need to remember He’s still God. We must always be respectful and must never sin in our anger. That’s what David does here at the end, he still glorifies God.
Beloved, put off your anger and remember the God who created the Heavens and the Earth is the same God who loves you and wants the best for you. Amen? Aaamen. 😀
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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly light. 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 blessed Wednesday Everyone. 😀
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“God’s Boundless Love”
Praise the Lord. Happy Wednesday. 😀Beloved, we’re now in a world where people have this entitlement mentality. It’s now all about the brand, it’s all about how many likes people get on their social media sites. People are fighting for their rights and expected to have them because they feel they deserve it. Some would even say that life is unfair. This leads me to a question: what if God really gave us what we truly and rightly deserved? Wouldn’t that be horrifying? You see, we’re sinners, and we deserve punishment. Every day we commit sins against God both large and small. So, if God were to sternly implement the right penalty for each of our sins, where would we be? What would happen to us? That’s why we have to be thankful that we have God’s boundless love. He’s so loving and forgiving, He’s saves us from our sins. The woman in this morning’s verse knows how sinful she is, but at the same time, she also knows God’s great grace. That’s why she offered the most expensive perfume that she had to express her great gratitude.
Beloved, what about you? What’s your response to God’s boundless love? 😀Beloved, life’s 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 will be permitted to enter our room and blow out our earthly 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 blessed Wednesday Everyone. 😀 -
“The Sign of a Completely Occupied Heart”
Praise the Lord. Happy Wednesday Everyone. 😀You know we live in era that it’s becoming more difficult to know if a person’s heart (mind and emotions) is completely occupied with God’s word.I have two questions for you to ponder:*1. Will that person appear to be more devout (spiritual) than others?*2. Will that person exhibit great knowledge of the scriptures, memorizing lots of verses or achieving a high level of Biblical studies?Well, the answers are no. You see, being devout (spiritual) and knowledgeable of the Bible isn’t a guarantee that a person is undeniably completely occupied with God’s word. We must remember the Pharisees and the Sadducees during the time of Jesus, were very religious and had excellent knowledge of the Scriptures. But the life they lived as well as their attitude and character were far from what the Scriptures teach. So, the person whose heart (mind and emotions) is completely occupied with God’s word has a loving disposition and attitude like the Lord Jesus. Definitely, if your heart (mind and emotions) is completely occupied with God’s word, you’ll display a character that’s courteous, humble, easy-going, caring and devoted just like the Lord Jesus Christ.Amen? AAAmen. 😀“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 will pass through our window and blow out our lights here on earth.So today, reach out and tell those you love that you love them.BECAUSE TELLING THEM LATER JUST MIGHT BE, TOO LATE.”I LOVE YOU ALL!!!Have a blessed Wednesday Everyone. 😀 -
“Spiritual Assignment Location”
Good morning and Happy Wednesday Everyone.Sometimes we hear ministers talk about their ministries in other locations, (cities, states, and countries) and wonder what it’s like, traveling to other areas or countries to reach the lost. As Christians, we have been assigned with the Gospel and have been told to spread it far and wide. Now, I’m sure there are many ministers that will say “That’s Awesome – for those that have been blessed financially.” Some of you ministers are like me, can’t always jump up and buy a plane ticket to other distance cities nor other countries. We have responsibilities. But that shouldn’t stop us from spreading the Good News. For many of you ministers God has planted you where He needs you to be – this doesn’t mean it’s your permanent location. To find your present spiritual assignment location, just look down and see where your feet are planted. Are you a mother with small children at home? Your spiritual assignment location maybe your home, and the minds of your children, whom the Lord has assigned you to train up in the way they should go. Do you work outside the home? Your spiritual assignment location maybe your place of employment which includes your coworkers, customers, and bosses. Your spiritual assignment location could be on social media as a – morning greeter, inspirational or devotional deliverer, prayer warrior, spiritual teacher or sharing a post of love, joy, happiness, wisdom and knowledge. Beloved, for some, being a minister doesn’t always mean traveling across the city, from city to city or to other countries nor speaking a different language. We can do the Lord’s work wherever we are. That means spreading the gospel message far and wide and to as many people as you can. You have a responsibility to do it wherever you are, even if that only spans a few city blocks or your living room.
Have a blessed Wednesday Everyone.