C H O F Ministry

Tag: Weekend

“Properly Prioritize God”

I’m sure we all agree that there are a lot of things that requisition our attention. Requisitions such as work, our families, household responsibilities, and more. At the core of all of that, there’s God. Now, if we say or have a mentality to put God first, our priorities should replicate that.

Now, perhaps there’s someone out there asking: “What does that mean Bishop Houston?” if you’re out there asking that question – Well, I’m glad you ask!!! 😀 It means if we’re not able to wash a load of clothes so we can spend time with God, so be it. It means if we won’t be able to hang out with our friends to go to a spiritual Christian event we want to attend, oh well. It means, if we’ll miss out on watching our favorite TV show or sporting event on TV that will be the top subject the next day, we’ll just have to miss it. God understands all the things we have to do daily, “BUT” that doesn’t mean He should get pushed to the side or put on the back burner.

Beloved, as we head into this weekend if your house is out of order it’s time to think about getting your situation prioritized properly. If you want God to prioritize you in your time of need, properly prioritize Him first.

Weekend Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father today help us recognize the improper position of our requisition. Help us to re-prioritize by embedding You as the core of our mentality first. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen and Aaamen.

Have a great Friday and a “Lovely” Weekend Everyone!!! 😀

October 25, 2019
“Unpretentiousness and Uncomplicatedness”

Beloved, just reading this morning’s verse alone, we can see that John the Baptist wasn’t your normal man or systematic God-fearing person. The clothes he chose to wear were not very fashionable, as a matter of fact, his clothes appear to be old or odd, his food of choice was also unique and unusual.

John didn’t care what others thought about him or his external appearance. He didn’t care about the opinion of others because he was focused on working for God. Beloved, as long as we’re in this world residing in our earthly tents, we’re always going to be affected and enticed by worldly pressures. But when we’re devoted to serving God, we think less of this materialistic world, our intensive absorption is to amplify God and His kingdom. Now, we don’t have to dress like John or eat locusts as he did, but let John be a good example to us in living a life of unpretentiousness and uncomplicatedness.

Beloved, as we head into this weekend remember it’s OK to live a life that’s uncharacteristic and inflexible. Continue your loyal quest to gratify God rather than men and women.

Weekend Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father thank You for showing us that life doesn’t need to be complicated. Life is about more than material things. What we wear or what we eat isn’t a prerequisite to serving You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen and Aaamen.

Have a great Friday and a “Fantastic” Weekend Everyone!!!

😀

October 18, 2019
“The Expert Over Everything”

Beloved, when God formed the earth, He demanded everything to happen.

Not only does this show us the paranormal power of God during the earth’s construction, but it also shows us His brilliant expertise. If God created the world just with His hands, manufacturing and establishing every element, then we could say that He used his aptitude and not His expertise. But God demanded, and with His words, everything happened.

Just like when He formed light, He just simply says “Let there be light” and then light appears. It shows us that from the beginning of time, God exhibited His authority over everything in the world.

When Jesus came and performed His many phenomenal spiritual illustrations, these sensations were also a demonstration of a specialist not of capability. Beloved, this reminds us that God is worthy of our worship and submission. Everyone should humble themselves, reverence Him, praise His name and honor Him.

Beloved, as we head into this weekend let us all remember God demands respect and obedience, and He wants us to make Him the Lord of our lives.

Weekend Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve displayed insolence and a noncompliant attitude. Help me to continue to defer to You always and to propose to You the worship that You justifiably deserve. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen and Aaamen.

Have a blessed Friday and an “AWESOME” Weekend Everyone!!!

October 11, 2019
“Not Popular?”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! Happy Friday. 😀

You know at times, Not being popular, disliked, ostracized, hated can be a good thing, especially when you’re not following the crowd because you know their objectives are misguided or just plain foolish. Also, there are times when the Holy Spirit convicts you to take a stand to speak the truth in love. But let me also add here that you’re not a witness for Christ either when you’re consumed by being righteous and full of pride. This doesn’t serve as an example of Christ-like behavior.

Believers in the Christian faith should never act like the Pharisees who were righteous frauds. They were filled with deception and scams. They were hypocrites whose hearts were far away from God. In contrast to them is Jesus. He was kind and gentle and came to heal the brokenhearted – “unpopular, disliked, ostracized and hated.” So, don’t be concerned about being politically correct and possibly dishonoring God in the process. You see, when you take a strong stance for the truth according to God’s Word, God will bless you. 😀

It isn’t always necessary for you to be argumentative just to prove your point. There are times when you have to speak up and times you know to hold back or shut up. God doesn’t want you to be in constant conflict with others. Proverbs 15:1 (AMP) tells us: “A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, but harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.”

Beloved, this weekend, take a chance and just stand on the Rock. You’ll find that it’s the correct choice. God is real and He wants to be your firm foundation. And if this makes you unpopular, disliked, ostracized, hated – “So Be it!!!” – It could be a good thing.

Weekend Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help us all to remember the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven “IS NOT” attained by popularity. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen and Aaamen.

Have a blessed Friday and a “Great” Weekend Everyone!!! 😀

October 4, 2019
“Going Through Transitions”

“Going Through Transitions”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! It’s Friday. 😀

Transition. What a word – Evolution.

Beloved, transition is a part of life. Everyone one of us transition’s one way or another each and every day. We all go through them. Some are very hard and painful. Others come and go almost without being noticed. Expectation – hope, and enthusiasm about new options or opportunities are often interrupted with uncertainty and fear of the unfamiliar. We ask ourselves what lies ahead? And what will we leave behind during the procedure?

Beloved, it’s in these unsure moments, God speaks to us affectionately through the words of Isaiah 41:10. Isn’t that exactly what you need to know when you’re facing indecision? You want to know that you’re not alone and that it’s not up to you to figure out what to do next? God reminds us in this verse that He’s concerned and want to get involved in what’s happening in our lives and promises to fortify and support us when it’s time for us to face whatever comes our way.

There’s nothing we can do to stop the ever-changing waves of change. But even when constancy seems unsubstantiated, we as believers have to choose to submerge ourselves in the Word of God and hang on to what we know is true, regardless of how we feel.

Beloved, as you go through a transition this weekend remember, it’s God’s commitment “dedication” and unalterable nature that gives us the only solid foundation to stand on, even when everything else in our world seems to be ever-changing.

Weekend Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for being endless, permanent, and unchangeable. Help me to hang on to You when my world is in disorder. You’re our Rock of Ages, our perpetual stability in a world where nothing is sure. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen and Aaamen.

Have a blessed Friday and a weekend filled with harmony. 😀

September 27, 2019
“Stay Humble – God Will Expose”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! 😀 The soul of Friday is here. Let us all be attentive to our persona according to God’s purpose.

Beloved, God’s focus is in the heart of man and not on their external or superficial appearance and accomplishments in life. You’ll find in this morning’s parable; Jesus Christ equated the tax collector and the Pharisee. The tax collectors are publicly known as sinners for their dishonesty when they’re collecting taxes. They’re called thieves because they steal money from people. The Pharisees on the other hand, are publicly known as holy, righteous and law-abiding people. They openly display their religious acts such as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. People looked up to them and were impressed by their deeds, but God wasn’t. When Christ came, He began to expose their private sins, their pride, and self-righteousness.

In this morning’s parable, we find the Pharisee began to brag about his righteous acts while the tax collector humbly admitted his wrongdoing and ask for God’s mercy. So we see, God, honored the prayer of the tax collector, but He hated the self-aggrandizements of the Pharisee. Beloved, God will eventually expose anyone that postures themselves arrogantly, snobbishly, self-righteously, and barbarous.

This weekend Beloved, let us all keep in mind that no matter who we are or what we do, God is willing to accept us if we humble ourselves and submit to His mercy.

Weekend Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for repeating to me about being proud and why it doesn’t give You pleasure or glory. Help us to stop looking at our divine accomplishments and start focusing on Your boundless love, mercy, and grace.

In Jesus’ Mighty name I pray, Amen and Aaamen.:-D

Have a wonderful Friday and a blessed weekend everyone.

September 13, 2019
“PYMWTWOG”

Praise the Lord Beloved Happy Friday!!!:-D

If you think just like the world thinks, eventually you’ll perform just like the world performs. You see, uncontrolled views, opinions, and feelings manufacture uncontrolled views, opinions, and feelings.

So, supervise your views, opinions, and feelings. You need to transition them into obedience to the Scriptures. In different words, “PYMWTWOG” – Program Your Mind with the Word of God. The Word is spirit and its life. Once your mind is saturated with the Word of God, you’ll become robust once the time comes for you to exercise authority to beat each ungodly, unsocial, unreasonable thought and evil habit.

Beloved, this weekend, don’t let secularism deceive you into surrendering the glory of God in your life for many moments of pleasure-seeking and sin. Imprison your worldly views, opinions, and feelings concerning life. Meditate on the Word rather than egocentric, carnal thoughts. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, WHO Is the author and finisher of your spiritual belief. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen and Aaamen. 😀

Weekend Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for reintroducing Your Word to my mind and emotions. Your Words have blessed me with a brand-new vision. Your Words have restructured the way I process life. My new insight has internally delivered spiritual views, opinions, and feelings that assist me as I pass through the carnal world. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen and Aaamen. 😀

Have a blessed Weekend Everyone.

September 6, 2019
“Passing Judgement”

Happy Friday Beloved!!!

Beloved have you ever been so upset “mad” that your blood pressure goes through the roof, so mad your hands literally starts shaking? Well, that was my situation yesterday. I was verbally attacked about something that was out of my control even though I made every attempt to temporarily resolve the issue until it could be properly repaired. Many times, people will not accept that they dropped the ball and accuse others for their lack of being responsible “dereliction of duty.” In my heart I’ve forgiven the person. That’s because I understand there are always going to be those moments in which we make some type of mistake and stumble as we live our lives. In many ways, this is the right assumption, but an important part of living is recognizing our mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is passing judgement on those around us without first getting the complete picture. We need to consider the other side of the story in order to make sound judgement. In the book of Romans, Paul challenges us to do just that. We all have those moments of weakness in our lives, but when we make the extra effort to embrace forgiveness over judgement, we overcome those faults and become better because of it.

Beloved, this weekend try to not pass judgement on anyone until you get the complete view from both sides.

Dear Heavenly Father, today I pray that you’ll help me to continue to embrace forgiveness over judgement. Help me to continue to be loving, understanding, and forgiving. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen and Aaamen.

Have a blessed Labor Day Weekend Everyone. 😀

August 30, 2019
“Look Carefully”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! 😀

Let us all smile and say: THANK YOU GOD for the opportunity to be a part of another Friday. 😀

You know James 1:21-24 shows us the differences between the hearers “listeners” of the Word and doers “achievers” of the Word. Those that only listen don’t respond to Scripture or gain any advantage from its realities – even after they have studied it in depth. But the achievers receive it in humbleness and “CONFORM” to its commands. James 1:25 goes on to add by saying: they’re blessed in what they do. In other words, there’s blessings in the very act when we comply “obey”.

James calls Scripture “the perfect law, the law of liberty” (*1). It’s “law” because it’s God’s mandatory behavioral code.

Beloved, grace doesn’t eradicate God’s moral law, but it gives us the mental “spiritual” resources to conform, and forgiveness when we fail. That’s how Jesus fulfills the law in us (*2). The scripture is “the perfect law” because it’s extensive, necessary, all-inclusive, and without error. Through it God meets every need and fulfills every desire of the human heart. In addition to that, it’s “the law of liberty – freedom.” Now that may sound contradictory because we tend to think of law and freedom as opposites. But if you look carefully into the Word, the Holy Spirit enables you to apply its principles to your life, which means freeing you from the guilt and oppression of sin and empowering you to live to God’s glory. NOW THAT’S TRUE FREEDOM!!! 😀

Now when I say “look carefully” I’m speaking of deeply studying something with eagle eyes – paying close attention to something with precision. You see, to really get an understanding about anything indicates self-effacement and a desire to see clearly what Scripture reveals about your own spiritual condition. It’s an attitude as well as an action. 😀

Beloved, as you go into this weekend don’t just read scripture “STUDY” Scripture carefully and LET IT become your primary attitude in life.

Let Us Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, as I look carefully into your Word, expose the things in my life that need to be changed. Then allow me the grace to make those changes so I can live more fully to your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen and Aaamen.

CHOF Ministry’s Cross Reference Scriptures:
*1. James 1:25
*2. Matt. 5:17

August 9, 2019
“The Dogs Cared More”

Praise the Lord Beloved!!! Happy Friday to Everyone. 😀

I love dogs but not as much as my wife. She loves dogs!!! 😀 In my personal experience, I have noticed how dogs behave in that they reciprocate their feelings for us. My wife had a beloved miniature schnauzer named “Jordache”. Jordache was so protective that no one could get close to First Lady, Donece – if he sensed someone was unfamiliar he wouldn’t let anyone get close to her, if he sensed she was having a bad day he would crawl up in her lap or do silly things to make her smile. He was very loyal and faithful to her. He always knew the time she would get home from work. He would run and post up in the big picture window at least 10-15 min. prior to her getting home to greet her with lots of jumping up and down tail wagging and of course barking.

In this passage, the rich man feasted daily but was unsympathetic to the needs of the poor. Beloved, many people today act the same, not caring about others. This story just puts the rich man to shame and exposes his wickedness. Beloved, even the dogs paid attention to Lazarus!!! They licked his sores, but the rich man didn’t do nothing. In reflection, we may not be rich people but in this life, there will always be people who are greater or lesser than us.

As we head into this weekend, let us be sensitive “transparent” to the needs of others and love our neighbors as Jesus has commanded us to do. (*1).

Let Us Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, forgive us for our laziness and deficiency when it comes to compassion for the needs of others. Lord, please cleanse our hearts and remove all selfishness from us. Please instill in us the love to care and help others without hesitation. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen and Aaamen.

Have a fun Blessed Friday and a Fun-Filled weekend Everyone!!! 😀

CHOF Ministry’s Cross Reference Scriptures

*1. Mark 12:31

August 2, 2019