2021
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of December:
Evangelist Shirley Gillespie
“He’s Our Protection in Time of Trouble”
Nahum 1.7 (New King James Version) – “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”
Blessings have been abundant in this season. However, for myself and many others, it has been a trying year, as well. Inspirational words to an old, familiar song resonate in my mind constantly, ministering to my spirit in this season. All the lyrics to this song have been a blessing in my daily walk as they constantly remind me how awesome our God is. The words of the song have so much meaning, and they allow me to reflect on how much life has changed. If you look back over current and past events just in this year, I believe you can somewhat relate:
“Tragedies are commonplace,
All kinds of diseases, people are slipping away,
Economies down, people don’t get enough pay,
But as for me, all I can say is,
Thank you, Lord, for all you’ve done for me!”
The song goes on with much more to say. But, for me, the summary in this song is the following line:
“But He’s been my protection every step of the way!”
In this, I can truly attest. Ecclesiastes 1.9 says, “That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” In other words, history repeats itself. It has all been done before; nothing under the sun is new. Even though the song was written years ago, we’re living again in those days. We’re not to be alarmed! Instead, we should be so very thankful to God for giving us the opportunity to give Him our fears, pains, sorrows, disappointments, brokenness, and even our failures.
Prayers are effective against the overwhelming evils in this world. Staying in touch with God will give us the wisdom needed to meet the challenges in this season.
1 Peter 5.7 – “[C]asting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
2 Samuel 22.2-4 – “And he [David] said, ‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.’”
2 Timothy 1.7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Thank you, Lord, for loving us enough in these trying times. You will go before us. Your promises reassure us that Your love for us will be there to navigate and help us through our struggles we face daily. Thank you, Lord, for being our protector through sickness, death, and even those things we have not understood. Thank you, Lord, for being our protector in this season.
Be encouraged.
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of November:
Evangelist Janice Chapman
“Having a Thankful Heart”
Psalm 107.1-8 (King James Version)
1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
If it is ever a time for the people of God to give thanks, now is that time. Through everything that we have been through or are in the process of going through, God has been right there by our side. My supervisor tells us daily to “not allow what’s going on around you to get in you.” Simply put, don’t allow the distractions of Satan to cause you to lose focus and faith in God. Don’t forget your mission, and don’t forget your promise that God has provided for you. Never stop giving God thanks because it truly is God’s will for us to be victorious in Him. Psalm 107 begins with a song of thanksgiving to God for giving us mercy that endures forever. Psalm 107 reminds us of God’s provisions for the children of Israel when they cried out to the Lord for help and how He responded to their cry by meeting their needs and sheltering them from their enemies. God redeemed Israel from their enemies, responded to their cry in the wilderness, and poured out His gracious goodness to them. God met the needs of His people even when they rebelled against the Word of God. Today, as we reflect on the issues of life’s circumstances, we must recognize God’s goodness towards us; even when we don’t deserve God’s goodness, He’s there for us. Therefore, we must have a thankful heart towards God.
What does it truly mean to have a thankful heart? Having a thankful heart means having an appreciation for life. It’s counting our blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging the abundance that we have now. When we are truly thankful for what we already have, that’s enough. I can be the first to say that there have been moments in my life that I did not show appreciation and gratitude for what was going on in my life. To be truthful, I acted like the children of Israel. God was providing a way of escape out of bondage for me, and all I could do was complain about it. We must recognize that bad things do not come from God, but with God, we can be in control of those bad events when we go through them by clearly giving thanks for all things.
Regardless of what we go through in this changing world, God wants us to be still and trust in His Word. 1 Thessalonians 5.18 (New Living Translation) states: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” This verse reminds us to have an appreciation of God by giving Him credit in good times and thanking God and glorifying Him for His wonderful works and the great things that He has done for us. This scripture also reminds us to be thankful for the many struggles we encounter. In our struggles, we must find reasons to thank God.
You can give thanks in all things because thanksgiving is a response to the goodness and grace of God. God’s nature does not change based on outward circumstances. Things in life can change at any moment, but when you’re filled with thanksgiving, you can weather any storm in life and come through it filled with praise and thanksgiving.
Psalm 107.8 (KJV) declares: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” We have a right to praise the Lord. There are many reasons that I could list regarding our right to praise the Lord; the most important one is John 3.16 (KJV): “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In conclusion, as we begin this month, let us be encouraged through God’s Word by having a heart of thankfulness.
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of October:
Evangelist Shirley Wilson
“We Must Come to God Humbly”
II Chronicles 7.13-14 (Authorized King James Version) – “13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Since the pandemic started, we have heard this Scripture quoted; we have heard this Scripture preached; and numerous times, we have seen it on Facebook. It has always been the fourteenth verse used. However, we need to read it again, starting at the thirteenth verse where it begins. I have read and quoted this Scripture since the 1970s until the Lord showed me it is one sentence separated by a semicolon, and the fourteen verse starts with a lowercase “i” in “if My people.” Then, He showed me that people are failing to humble themselves before praying. What is the problem? How we approach Him is the problem. People are acting like the Pharisees in the courtyard in Luke 18.9-13 with a superior attitude, while the public approaches Him with a humble attitude. Psalm 34.11 (AKJV) says, “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” We must come as little children humbly before our Father. We are our Father’s children.
Do you know everything that the Lord said in II Chronicles 7.13 is present in this world as I prepare this lesson? In some places, the rain has been shut-up. In some places, the locusts have been sent out over eighty million strong. Pestilence is in the land among God’s people. We are here trying to invoke our God to move His hand on our behalf. We have got to humble ourselves. James 4.3 (AKJV) says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” We’re praying amiss if we don’t line up with what God said. Even our Savior humbled Himself: “5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2.5-8, AKJV). That’s God the Son humbling Himself before God the Father. Come, come, let us all start examining ourselves. Even if we have to go on a 21st century sackcloth-and-ashes-fast with prayer, we want to see the brakes put on fires, locusts, and pestilences!
Now if you don’t know Him, the Lord is waiting for you to repent. Humble yourself. He is waiting to receive you.
Let’s do the actions in II Chronicles 7.14: humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, turn from wickedness. Then, God says He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal the land.
To God be the glory. Bless Your people.
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of September:
Evangelist Regina Golar
“The Enemy Did Not Run You Away—God Sent You Away”
I Samuel 20: 18.22 (Amplified Bible) – 18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon [festival], and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day [when my father tried to kill you], and shall stay by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a target. 21 And I will send a boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come [back to my father’s table]; for it is safe for you and there is no danger, as the Lord lives. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away.”
In this passage of Scripture, we witness a conversation between David and Jonathan, the son of King Saul. Previously, the prophet Samuel has acted according to God’s instructions and anointed David as the future king of Israel. Due to King Saul’s disobedience to God, he has been rejected by God as a leader of His people. Time passes and David begins to distinguish himself as a leader. Truthfully, he cannot hide it; God’s hand is upon his life, and when God’s hand is upon your life, you cannot hide it. Once King Saul realizes that David is the next king—which means his son Jonathan will not be king—he begins his mission to kill David. In the verses above, we see Jonathan and David making a plan to find out if King Saul really has set his mind to murder David or not. (Those individuals who are familiar with this Scripture know that King Saul indeed tries to murder David; however, he does not succeed.)
As many times as I have read the story of David, King Saul, and Jonathan, I never have understood this passage of Scripture the way I understand it now. I always thought David left King Saul, Jonathan, and the royal court because King Saul ran him away; David was trying to save his own life. However, that is not what the Holy Bible says: “But if I [Jonathan] say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you [David] away” (I Samuel 20.22). Who has sent David away? Jonathan says the Lord has sent David away—not King Saul. Many times, when challenges and hardships occur in our lives, we give the enemy too much credit. However, this passage of Scripture informs us that King Saul and his plan to murder David were only a part of God’s ultimate plan for David’s life. King Saul did not run David away; God sent David away. If God had determined that the best plan for David’s life was for David to stay in the palace, then no one—including King Saul—would have had the power to make David leave. God allowed King Saul to act as horribly as he did because God wanted David out of his comfort zone so that God could mold him into the king he needed to be.
The next time you experience hardship, I encourage you to avoid giving the enemy too much credit. Consider the following:
You say your ungodly boss pushed you away from that job. Is it possible that God sent you away?
You say your abusive husband forced you out of that abusive marriage. Is it possible that God sent you away?
You say your former church gave you no choice but to leave. Is it possible that God sent you away?
God cannot mold us into who He wants us to be while we are in our comfort zones. Discomfort is God’s chosen construction site. God is the Master Builder. Let Him build you. Remember, the enemy does not have the power to run you away—but God does have the power to send you away. Beloved, be encouraged and be blessed.
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of August:
Evangelist Brenda Buxton
“If God Said It, You Can Count On It”
Remember when God instructed the prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath when there was a famine in the land? “And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. […]” (I Kings 17.8-10a, King James Version). Elijah went to Zarephath and met the widow as she was gathering sticks to prepare her “last meal” for herself and her son. She was down to her “last handful of flour” and “a little oil.” She felt that all hope was gone. After she baked her cake, she expected the worse: “that we may eat it, and die” (I Kings 17.12, KJV).
Well, when you are down to your last, don’t count God out. God is up to something. Elijah interrupted her plans: “And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son” (I Kings 17.13, New King James Version). We see here that obedience to God brings results. Elijah then motivated her with the Word of God: “For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth’” (I Kings 17.14, NKJV). The Holy Bible says the woman “did according to the word of Elijah” (I Kings 17.15, NKJV). She put her faith to work, and we, too, must work our faith: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2.17, KJV). And she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, just as Elijah had decreed (I Kings 17.15-16).
Yes, we can decree a thing. Job 22.28 (KJV) says, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee.” Not might be, not may be, but it shall be. Remember, David decreed victory over Goliath: “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (I Samuel 17.46, NKJV). David decreed the end (outcome) from the beginning, and so can we. And it happened exactly as David decreed. Speak to that “Goliath” in your life. Yes, it is good to tell God about your problems, but try telling your problems about your God. Decree victory over whatever your “Goliath” may be. This day, step out and decree a thing; believe that the power of God flowing through you will bring it to pass. Concerning everything we’ve been praying for, I decree that whatever the enemy has used to deceive or delay our manifestation is canceled in Jesus’ name. Remember Numbers 23.19 (KJV): “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
As the song says, “If God said it, you can count on it. He will do just what He said!”
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of July:
Evangelist Lorie Coleman
“I’ve Fallen, But I Can Get Up”
The Action (the fall)
The Pain (embarrassment)
The Recovery (healing)
During the early part of the year, the Lord used a simple but tremendous fall to teach me a lesson. As a matter of fact, it was so tremendous that I told the Lord it had to be a message in it. I had my grandchildren at the time and was coming in from an errand with dinner in my arms. I did something as simple as attempting to straighten the rug with one foot while continuing to walk with the other. Well, my foot got caught under the rug, and the only alternative was to fall. I knew the fall was coming, so I had to make a quick but conscious decision, “How am I going to fall?” Should I try to brace, or break the fall with my already hurt knees, or just bite the bullet and fall flat on my stomach face first? The latter was the most sensible, believe it or not. So there I was—fallen with no ready mind to get up.
The definition of fall is to move downward, typically rapidly and without control from a higher to a lower level, to lose one’s balance and collapse. The aftermath of a fall is when you can look back and trace or see how it could have been avoided. As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, but Proverbs 24.16 (King James Version) says, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” With that being said, the issue is not so much in the fall but in the ability to bounce back. After I fell, I wanted to stay down because, first of all, I didn’t think I could get up. Proverbs 23.7 says, “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.” I was embarrassed, but I knew the longer I stayed down, the harder it would be to get up.
The impact was tremendous, but I couldn’t allow the pain to incapacitate me; therefore, I had to move speedily to prevent immobility. That’s where we often allow the enemy to trick us to think, “I might as well stay down,” but we have to talk back to the enemy: “Yes, I know I fell, but I’m about to get up from here, Devil. I will not stay down because I fell!” Thank God, I didn’t die; and as long as breath is in my body, there is hope—hope to get up and try again. Romans 3.23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Just because one person’s fall was caught on camera while another person fell in a corner makes no difference; both were falls!
The recovery is the process of when you return to a state of health, mind, and/or strength. Consider these scriptures:
Jeremiah 30.17: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.”
Isaiah 41.10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41.13: “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
Jude 24-25: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
As the Lord was ministering this to me, I literally felt the healing process in my body from my physical fall, and I trust that healing will take place for someone in his or her spiritual body.
Blessings and favor be upon you.
Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Words of Encouragement to Fathers
Father’s Day (June 20)
New King James Version
Psalm 127.3-5
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Proverbs 4.1-2
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
Ephesians 6.4
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Colossians 3.21
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
I Corinthians 16.14
14 Let all that you do be done with love.
Happy Father’s Day!
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of May:
Evangelist Shonda Robinson Bass
Thomasville COGIC Singles' Ministry President
Clarke County School System Educator
“Nothing Will Ever Separate Me from My Savior! (I am Persuaded!)”
Romans 8.35-39, King James Version - “35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8.35-39, The Message Bible - “Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”
In this life, I know we have all encountered and experienced many different trials, tribulations, disappointments, and struggles. It was in those times when we looked to God and recognized His power and presence in and over our lives. Sometimes, it felt as if we were not going to make it. We were almost persuaded that the cares of this life would overtake us or cause us to lose our minds—and some may have even contemplated suicidal thoughts. Oh, please don’t act as if we have never been in that place. But it was in that place where we found the enemy to be a boldfaced liar and God Almighty to be the unadulterated Truth. In the midst of all our struggles, God provided; God delivered; God comforted; God healed; God brought us out; and most of all, HE turned it for our good. Yes, He supplied everything we needed. He promised He would.
God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 1.20, New International Version: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through [H]im the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” Through Christ, when we say “Amen,” the glory of God will be revealed in our lives. Let’s put emphasis on “Amen.” When we speak “Amen” out of our mouths, we are simply saying, “surely,” “truly,” and “so be it.”
Therefore, we must believe and know that in the midst of trying times, surely we are persuaded or truly we are persuaded that nothing will separate us from the love of God. So then, we must conclude that no matter the struggle, “so be it.” “So be it” gives us true clarity and peace knowing that God has already intervened and strengthened us with victory. Therefore, we must be assured and rest in Jesus, knowing His grace is sufficient in whatever or wherever we find ourselves.
We must remember never to dwell on our circumstances, but rather believe 1 Peter 4.12-13, KJV: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
Oh, joy will come in the morning because God’s anger is just for a moment, but His favor is everlasting. That is why we must walk in the FOG daily, meaning favor of God. I don’t know about you, but I need the favor of God to dwell in me when trials come upon me.
Yes, trials are coming. Trust me—they are coming. But we must be persuaded, knowing nothing we embark upon will separate us from the love of God. We must learn how to endure hardness as good soldiers. We must be of good cheer and wait on the Lord because it is in the wait when our strength is renewed.
We must realize God provides for us. And HE specializes in all things that seem so impossible. That is because He is sovereign in all His ways. All we have to do is believe as Hebrews 12.2, KJV has said: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In my closing, know that Jesus loves us right where we are. We may think or even feel that we are alone when going through, but know today that we are not alone. God’s Word says, “[L]o, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28.20b, KJV). I encourage us to be absolutely convinced that nothing—living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Pray my strength in the Lord.
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of April:
Evangelist Shirley A. Wilson
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“Being Copycats”
I remember when I was a child, and I would hear one of my siblings crying, “Mama, tell so-and-so to stop copying me!” All they were doing was imitating a sibling. Thanks be to God, He will never tell you to stop imitating Him. It is just the opposite in the Holy Bible; His Word tells us to be Christ-like. Every Christian is predestined and called to become Christ-like. Romans 8.29-30 (NKJV) states, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
Christians are renewed in the image of God and are being transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ (II Corinthians 3.18, Colossians 3.9-10). In Ephesians 4.22-24 (KJV), it states, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Jesus tells us to become more like Him in John 13 as He purposely modeled before His disciples when He washed their feet. In imitating Christ, we must love the way He loved. We need to be free from sin so that through intercessory prayer (which means standing in the gap for others), we can pray freely with no dead cats on the line.
Copying Jesus means having a humbled spirit and a self-sacrificing attitude. In this, we imitate Jesus. I Peter 2.18-23 addresses how we act when someone mistreats us. Do we take revenge or retaliate? That’s not imitating Jesus. We must set an example. Jesus had every right to be angry. Christ’s example is that He suffered for us so that we should follow His steps. He knew no sin. Never was guile found in His mouth. When he was reviled, He didn’t return it. He suffered but did not take revenge.
Remember, we are copying Jesus. We should always keep Him in the forefront of our mind. Christ-like obedience leads to Christ-like enjoyment of divine love, and hope leads to conformity, which motivates to purity. Likewise, let us reckon ourselves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Copy Him, my beloved.
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of March:
Evangelist Tamiko McConnell
“God: The Focus of Our Hope!”
Without focus, our vision (20/20) can still be blurry. I know we’ve gotten weary, but we should be steady in the battles, knowing that God is causing us to have clear focus on Him. Look at Moses who sat facing the battle but was too tired to stay uplifted. God gave him help in the midst of it until victory was won. God will send help to keep us uplifted and focused. He is our Banner of Hope. We must keep our hands up in praise to God (Exodus 17).
We must focus and remember that He is the God who hears and fulfills our petitions and prayers. Our trust is not in the government or vaccinations but in the God who is our Banner. The things and enemies that come against His people with great power will be brought down and fall, but we will rise and stand upright (Psalm 20).
The focus must not be on being still in fear because of COVID-19, racial issues, or the presidential leaders, but being still as a nation and a people to be reminded that He is God. No matter how the whole earth is shaken, it is God who allowed the shaking. This test is a test of our faith. God restores His people (Psalm 60).
We should focus on singing our songs of praise to God to be steady and have peace of mind. God is reassuring those of us who belong to Him. He has asked us to go in our homes and be still only for a little while. His indignation is passing over the whole earth (Isaiah 26).
No matter how troubling it may look, we must keep hope in God who fights against the unseen enemies. As for the enemies we see, God will give us those who are to be active in our fight when we are tired, like He did for Moses. We should focus, praise, pray, and be still until we receive further instructions from God. We must be assured that with our focus on God, He will lead us through to victory!
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of February:
Missionary Regina Golar
“It’s Praying Time”
Many times, due to the separation of church and state as expressed in the Constitution of the United States of America, spiritual leaders will not speak concerning political matters. However, spiritual leaders are not wrong if they choose to speak on political matters in order to provide guidance and insight to the people IF God has ministered to them concerning the situation. In other words, spiritual leaders should not use their platform to spew their own personal thoughts and ideas, but if God has ministered to them, then they may share those spiritual insights with the people. Accordingly, I will address some of the events of the 2020 presidential election, limiting my words to the insights provided to me by God.
I absolutely, positively, DID NOT understand how masses of people, including U.S. senators, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and other leaders of this great nation, could so blindly, willingly, and emphatically believe the lies that were consistently told about the election results. Indeed, how could the very people who were elected and commissioned to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the land be the very people to launch attack, thereby trying to overtake the government? A scripture kept nudging me in my spirit until I stopped to look it up in its entirety: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (KJV, John 3.19-20). Suddenly, I began to understand what the Lord spoke to my spirit. No, all of those people were not fooled. No, all of those people were not duped into believing false information. Many of them made a conscious, deliberate, and intentional decision to “believe” the lies that were told because their own deeds (i.e., racism, ethnocentrism, bigotry, and prejudice) were evil. (I use the word “lies” because no evidence was ever submitted to prove the election results were false.) They willingly chose darkness because coming to the light (i.e., truth) means having their deeds reproved (i.e., corrected).
Beloved saints of God, the new President and Vice President cannot change the nation by themselves, so we need not put our trust into people (Psalm 146.3). Only God can change men’s hearts. However, the new leaders of this nation do have the power to set the tone of the nation and thereby push back against the darkness rather than allow it to have free course throughout the land.
· Let us pray for our national leaders while understanding they cannot do the work of God; they can do only the work of mankind.
· Let us pray against the darkness in people’s hearts that has presented itself so boldly and unapologetically in the past year.
· Let us pray that people will have a willingness to come to the light in the world (i.e., truth) as well as the Light of the world (i.e., Jesus Christ).
Saints, it’s praying time.
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of January
Special Guest: Superintendent J. R. Allen
Genesis District Superintendent
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“Let’s Keep Hope Alive!”
Romans 5.3-5: “[…] we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us [...].”
I’m sure that most of us are familiar with the statement often spoken by Reverend Jessie Jackson: “Keep hope alive!” In my opinion, that statement is very much appropriate for the times that we are now living in.
There’s a little verse tucked away in the book of Proverbs in the middle of the Holy Bible that speaks volumes about the human condition. In Proverbs 13.12, it says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
This verse tells me that hope is a wonderful thing to have. It’s the feeling that the events in my life will turn out for the best even if it doesn’t happen exactly the way I envision.
When the things you’ve hoped for don’t happen, or the events in your life don’t turn out so well, it can literally cause your heart to be sick. How well do I know this with the death of my dear sister. But when your dreams and longings are fulfilled, you feel as though your life has tapped into a source of joy that will never end. As the Holy Bible says, you are “like a tree planted by the rivers of water” (Psalm 1.3).
2020
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of December:
Evangelist Kitty McWilliams
“Love One Another”
John 13.34-35 (KJV) says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Christ loved us so much that He sacrificed His life for us that we may have eternal life. He is a living example of God’s love, just as we are to be a living example of His love. Such love will be a testimony to the world as well as a reminder of His continued love. Christ is the source of our love. He loved us enough to sacrifice His life for us. He is our example of what it means to love. Everything Christ did in his life and death was love.
Love is more than simply a warm feeling. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. We can love others by giving when it hurts and by devoting our energy to others without complaining or fighting back. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to love. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and makes us more and more like Christ. God’s love always involves a choice and an action; our lives should be like His.
I Corinthians 13 defines real love. It says love is more important than all the spiritual gifts exercised in the church body. Faith, dedication, sacrifice, and miracle working power produce very little without love. Love makes our actions and gifts useful. Although people have different gifts, love is available to everyone.
Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. We can serve others with no thought of receiving anything in return.
Let us love one another, for love comes from God. If we love one another, God lives in us, and His love is made complete in us!
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of November:
Evangelist Shonda Bass
Thomasville COGIC Singles' Ministry President
Clarke County School System Educator
“Make Me Whole”
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
(King James Version, Psalms 139.23-24)
Have you ever asked God to search you? Have you ever asked God to help you develop a better relationship in Him? Of course, we have all asked God to search us and help us develop a better and sincere spiritual relationship with Him!
We should desire a heathy and whole relationship with God. Our relationship with God should consist of us realizing the areas in which we need reformation and following God’s guidance so that we can be healed, reformed, and transformed. This realization means only the power of God can change our ways. We can’t do it without His help.
Our relationship with God has been broken by sin. We have all made choices showing we are inclined to be passively indifferent to God: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one, to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on [H]im the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53.6).
Our relationships are sometimes actively opposed to God: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3.19-20).
Sometimes our relationships result in choices to resist or ignore God, which will result in spiritual death (separation from God): “And you hath [H]e quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2.1); “[A]nd so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5.12b).
Because of the LOVE God has for us, He has provided solutions for our broken relationships. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves: “For God so loved the world, that [H]e gave [H]is only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in [H]im should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3.16).
Jesus came into the world to bring us back in right fellowship with His Father: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by [M]e” (John 14.6).
Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that [H]e might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (I Peter 3.18).
Jesus rose from the dead to show that His claims were true: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that [H]e was buried, and that [H]e rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15.3-4).
Dear God, We know that our sins have separated us from You. Thank You for sending Your Son to die in our place. Thank You for whole and restored relationships. We trust Jesus to forgive our sins. We invite you into our lives, Jesus, as our Savior. Thank You for receiving us into Your eternal family. We ask that you reveal to us any areas of our lives in which we need to do better. Lord, we also ask that you help us improve in these areas because it is only through You that we can! Amen.
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of October:
Evangelist Debera M. Chapman
“The Times That Try Men’s Souls”
In the year 1776, the writer Thomas Paine penned the following words: “These are the times that try men’s souls” (The American Crisis). America was in a crisis in 1776 and is now in a crisis in 2020. I submit to you that Christ is the answer for any crisis regardless of the time or season. The year 1776 was a year to “try” men’s souls as is the year 2020. The word “try” refers to a testing. It refers to the testing of the souls of men, women, boys, and girls. The current trying of our souls will certainly reveal what we are made of. As we are tried during this crisis, will we come forth as pure gold, or will we be consumed? Will we continue to adhere to sound doctrine, or will we be driven away and turn to false doctrine? The COVID-19 pandemic, along with wildfires and hurricanes raging America, has resulted in death; sickness; economic collapse; and closures of places of worship, schools, and employment. Will you allow these trials to come between you and the sound doctrine of the Holy Bible? May each of you be encouraged to remain rooted and grounded in the true Word of God during these times that try men’s souls.
The Apostle Paul penned a letter to Timothy in the book of I Timothy in approximately 56 or 57 AD. Paul referred to Timothy as “my own son in the faith” (King James Version, I Timothy 1.2a). Paul wrote unto Timothy to encourage him to stand firm as he exhorted teachers to preach sound doctrine. The early church was in a crisis as a result of false doctrine being taught and carried. People were turning away from the truth and turning to fables. There were individuals preaching who had neither understanding of the Gospel nor any desire to learn the truth of the Gospel. Paul encouraged Timothy to fight a good fight and hold on to the profession of his faith. The Holy Bible states, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Timothy 4.3-4). Fables teach moral lessons, but they are not the truth. Fables are entertaining, tickling the senses and soothing itching ears. In Paul’s time, people were turning away from the truth of the Gospel to fables. In the year 2020, we yet see a great falling away as people would rather hear fables than the truth of the Holy Bible. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, “fibula” is the Latin root of the word “fable.” The word “fib” is a synonym for lie. I encourage you not to believe the hype of the lies preached by ungodly individuals.
In the day and time that we are now living in, people are turning away from the truth and in essence chasing lies. In Paul’s time, the people were noted as “having itching ears.” In 2020, people still have itching ears. To have itching ears means one is seeking out doctrines and messages that condone the particular lifestyle they desire to live. Churches are springing up here and there, preaching a doctrine to soothe the itch of the ears of individuals who desire to live contrary to certain aspects of the Word of God. These leaders found ministries and organize conferences to preach a doctrine other than the full Gospel. Paul wrote to Timothy in the book of II Timothy to let him know that perilous times would come (II Timothy 3.1). In the year 2020, it appears all around us that perilous times have come as we see that men have become “lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good” (II Timothy 3.2-3).
In conclusion, I will encourage you with the words of Paul: “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (II Timothy 3.14). I encourage the people of God to stand firm even during the times that try the souls of men. I encourage you to be instant in season and to preach and teach the true, uncut Word of God. Do not be led away by false teachers who preach messages to make you feel at ease in sin and iniquity. Do not be as the silly women spoken of in the Holy Bible who are “laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 2.6b-7). During these Times That Try Men’s Souls, be encouraged to “[…] press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3.14).
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Monthly Missionary Ministry
Month of September:
Evangelist Lorie Coleman
"The Power of Recall"
Luke 15.11-17
Recall by Definition
Recall in Action
Result of Recall
The word recall by definition means 1) to bring (a fact, event or situation) back into one’s mind; to remember. 2) an official order (someone or something) to return to a place. Recall is a wonderful thing. I often reminisce about my younger days growing up as a child in comparison to today’s society, and it seems like night and day. The power of recall can be life changing. The Holy Bible tells us in Philippians 3.13 (KJV), “[. . .] forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before [. . .].” Sometimes, however, to recall a thing can mean the difference between life and death.
In the lesson today, I am reminded of the story of the Prodigal Son who was the younger of two sons; he asked his father to give him the portion of goods that fell to him. There is something unique about the youngest child—"they ain’t never scared.” They are risk takers; they are go-getters, but usually it’s at the expense of everything and everyone else. They don’t count up the cost; they just DO IT! He wanted to live his life free of boundaries and constraints, so he got his inheritance and took his journey into a far country. The Holy Bible says he wasted his substance with riotous living. (That wild child spirit had taken him further than he intended to go.) When he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want, so much so that he took a job feeding the hogs. I can imagine while he was feeding the hogs, his sense of recall kicked in—and he remembered back at his father’s house he had servants who were eating and living better than him! There is something about recall that changes your situation. That is why the enemy tries to keep us blind to the fact of what God HAS done, IS doing, and WILL do on our behalf. As we go through our trials, it is important to remember if He did it once, He will do it again. While the Prodigal Son was in his low place—and we have all been there—no doubt the enemy was talking to him. I can imagine he was saying, “Nobody cares about you; you are in this thing by yourself. Look at you eating with the hogs! If the Lord really cared about you, he wouldn’t allow you to be down in the hog pen!” The thing we have to remember is that he left his father’s house; many times we abandon God; He doesn’t leave us! But when the Prodigal Son CAME TO HIMSELF and remembered WHOSE he was, he demonstrated to us that the power of RECALL allows us to remember who our Daddy is and come to the conclusion that I’m better than this. When we THINK, we will THANK!
When we come to ourselves, then and only then will we realize the Father is standing with His arms outstretched waiting for us. Do whatever it takes—look in the mirror; take a selfie; ask a friend—to recognize this is not the plan God has for my life; I’m not living to the full potential intended for my life. Sometimes the hardest part is to acknowledge we messed up and to come humbly back to the Father and say, “I’m not worthy to be called son; make me a servant.” But a real father will always throw a party in your honor to celebrate his child who was lost is now found.
Let us remember and never forget that we have a Father who cares for us no matter how badly we’ve messed up; He’s standing with open arms, willing to receive us back again.
Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of August:
Evangelist Janie C. Williams
Genesis District Supervisor of Women
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Refuse to Blend In – Part Two
As previously stated in Part One, God does not want His people blending in or copying the world or its value system. God also doesn’t want believers hiding their true identity, or where true believers stand when it comes to right and wrong actions, behaviors, or conduct: “Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (KJV, Esther 4.13-14).
Blending in just doesn’t work well for true believers. Something always goes undone or gets left unsaid that should be done or said when believers blend in. Blending in also causes us to miss our purpose or our assignment, and sometimes blending in even causes us to damage and ruin our family’s name and birthright.
So, ladies, let’s not blend in, but rather let’s stand out, stand up, shine, and be counted. Who knows? Maybe we are in the Kingdom for such a time that we are living in today. As Michelle Obama said in her book Becoming, “We need to keep our feet pointed in the direction of progress.” I totally agree, and blending in is not progress.
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of July:
Evangelist Janie C. Williams
Genesis District Supervisor of Women
Refuse to Blend In - Part One
“Be yourself, not your idea of what you think somebody else’s idea of yourself should be.” --HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Too many of us are stuck in the habit or pattern of blending in. Let me explain. According to the Macmillan Dictionary, “If someone or something blends in, they are similar to the other people, objects, buildings, etc. around them, and so they seem appropriate or you do not notice them” (“blend in”). FYI: God does not want His people to blend in; He wants us to stand out. The Holy Bible states, “[…] come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord […]” (KJV, II Corinthians 6.17). Separate in this context means to put into groups, or a thing or persons that have been removed from a group. In essence, God wants His people not to blend in, but to shine or stand out.
Since I am basically speaking to women, allow me to give a couple of examples of women who refused to blend in but chose to stand out. Ruth and Deborah both chose to stay true to themselves and both chose to be shiners, not blenders. Both went down in biblical history as unique, strong women who were powerful in their own distinctive roles. To leave our mark and a great legacy, we cannot lose ourselves in the crowd. Esther tried that and failed: “Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people […]” (KJV, Esther 2.20a). In other words, Esther was trying to blend in with her surroundings. She was not true to herself, and it backfired.
Refuse to blend in.
Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of June:
A Psalm of David
Psalm 23
(New King James Version)
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
***Your table has been prepared.***
Image taken from the following:
https://www.hopelutheranaustin.org/bible-studies/the-lord-is-my-shepherd/
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of May:
Aspirant Missionary Regina Golar
To Single Mothers in Recognition of Mother’s Day (May 10)
In Genesis 21, the Holy Bible records the story when Sarah (Abraham’s wife) told Abraham to put Hagar (Abraham’s concubine or what we call “baby mama”) and Ishmael (Abraham’s illegitimate son) out of the house. Abraham agreed although he did not want to do so. After Abraham put them out, Hagar wandered in the wilderness with Ishmael. When their water ran out, Hagar left Ishmael under a bush, sat down a distance away from him because she could not bear to see him die, and “raised her voice and wept” (AMP, Genesis 21.16). However, the Holy Bible states, “God heard the voice of the boy” (AMP, Genesis 21.17). Wait a second—did you miss it? Hagar was the one who raised her voice to cry, but God heard the voice of the boy—not Hagar. The scripture never said that Ishmael cried; nevertheless, God heard his voice. Remember that his father had put him and his mother out of the house, and his mother had left him to die due to her own grief. Ishmael was alone, but Ishmael was not alone! God was attentive to the needs of Ishmael during this emotionally devastating time in his life.
As women, sometimes we get caught up in our own emotions, and we focus on our own feelings. However, as a single mother, you must be mindful of what your children are feeling. In Genesis 21.18 (Amplified Bible), Hagar receives a specific set of instructions from the angel:
“Get up.” As a single mother, you must first get up from your place of emotional devastation before you can be of any use to God or your children.
“Help the boy up.” Your strength cannot be wasted. God is counting on you to help your children get up from their places of emotional devastation when their father is not in their lives.
“Hold him by the hand.” Your children may or may not be young. (At this point, Ishmael was approximately seventeen years old.) Nevertheless, they need you to hold them by the hand, which means to lead and guide them to where God has called them to be in life.
“I will make him a great nation.” This last statement was not an instruction—it was a promise! God has a blessing waiting for your children! They may not be in their biological father’s house, but they are in their spiritual Father’s heart! Your children are in position to be blessed by God!
Single mothers, be encouraged. God loves you and your children. He will provide for your every need. Enjoy your Mother’s Day!
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of April:
Evangelist Brenda Buxton
“Wear Your Coat”
Genesis 37.3 says, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours” (KJV, emphasis added).
The first color that came to my mind was red. Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus; we are covered in the blood. The Holy Bible says we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (KJV, Revelations 12.11).
The next color is black. Our hearts were shattered and blackened by sin. Jesus’ red blood took our black hearts and washed them white as snow.
Purple represents royalty; we are a royal priesthood, adopted into the royal family.
Brown is the color of a seed; there is a seed in us—the seed of greatness.
White symbolizes purity; we must keep our hearts and minds pure. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (KJV, Matthew 5.8).
Green is the color of money. As the hymn says, “Our Father is rich in houses and land; He holds the wealth of the world in His hand.” According to the Holy Bible, we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8.17). In other words, everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to us.
Gray is the color of the clouds. There will be cloudy, dark days in our lives, but behind every dark cloud, the sun will shine. Remember, Joseph had some dark days in his life, such as his time in the pit. However, the sun did shine for him in the palace. He went from the pit to the palace. The Holy Bible confirms, “[W]eeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (KJV, Psalms 30.5b).
Orange and yellow are the colors of the sun, and the sun shines brightly. As women of God, let us let our light shine brightly in this dark world. Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (KJV, Matthew 5.16).
Blue is the color of the sky, and the sky is upward. Let us keep looking up while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12.2).
Yes, when you wear your coat of blessings and favor, you will encounter haters. Remember that Joseph was hated by his own brothers (Genesis 37.4). However, in spite of being hated, let us keep loving and being kind. The Lord says, “[T]herefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (KJV, Jeremiah 31.3b). Remember that we are not responsible for people’s reaction; we are responsible for our action.
Wear your coat.
Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of March:
Evangelist Kittie McWilliams
“We Need a Healing”
“If [M]y people, which are called by [M]y name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek [M]y face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (KJV, II Chronicles 7.14, emphasis added).
Today, we need a spiritual healing. In order to get this healing, there are things we must do. In II Chronicles 7, Solomon asked God to make provisions for the Israelites when they had sinned. There were four things God asked them to do.
To humble themselves by admitting their sins – Humility is not a belittling of oneself but an exalting or praising of others, especially of God and Christ.Humble people focus more on God and others than themselves.True humility does not produce pride but gratitude.Jesus is a perfect example of humility by giving His life for us on the cross that we might have a right to the Tree of Life.
To pray asking God for forgiveness – Prayer is a request to God who answers as He knows best.We should not think that God will always give us what we ask for.God hears and answers in the way that is best.God has promised to answer our prayers when we believe that we will receive what we ask, ask in His name, abide in Him and His words, pray in the Holy Spirit, obey His commandments, and ask according to His will.
To seek God continually – We should seek God in everything we do.To seek His kingdom and His righteousness means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything.
To turn from sinful behavior – True repentance is more than talk; it is changed behavior.Whether we sin individually, as a group, or as a nation, these steps will lead to forgiveness.God will answer our earnest prayers.God set forth certain conditions for Solomon to meet if he wanted the kingdom to come.If Solomon followed God, he and his descendants would prosper; if Solomon did not, he and the nation would be destroyed.Sin is attractive, and Solomon eventually turned from God; as a result, his son and heir lost most of the kingdom.Turning away from God brings suffering, punishment, and destruction.Today, God’s conditions are just as clear as they were in Solomon’s day. Choose to obey God and live.
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of February:
Evangelist Christine Robinson
"Lost and Found"
In St. Luke 15.1-32, we find three parables. Jesus begins His teachings first about the lost sheep. He asks, suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one; wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine and go looking for the one that is lost? And when you find it, wouldn’t you joyfully put it on your shoulder, go home, and call friends and neighbors to come and rejoice with you for the found sheep? Heaven rejoices over one soul.
Are you that lost sheep?
Next, Jesus begins to teach the parable of the lost coin. There was a woman who had ten valuable coins and lost one. She lit a lamp and looked in every corner of the house. She swept every nook and cranny until she found it. Afterwards, she wanted her friends and neighbors to know that she found her coin and to rejoice with her. Heaven rejoices over one soul.
Are you that lost coin?
Lastly, Jesus teaches the parable of the prodigal son. I believe the father thought everything was going well within his family, but one day the younger son came to him and asked for his inheritance. A few days later, the son packed up all his belongings and took a trip to a far country. He partied with prostitutes and so-called friends. Before long, he had nothing and nowhere to go. One day, he found a farmer with some pigs, and before his hunger caused him to eat the food meant for the pigs, he remembered he had a father who provided food for his servants with plenty to spare. He decided to go back home and repent to his father. His father joyfully welcomed him back home.
Are you that prodigal son?
Just like with the lost sheep and coin, Jesus is standing by to find you and joyfully receive you as one of His own. Maybe you are like the prodigal son and need to repent to the Father and come home.
Jesus is standing by.
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Monthly Missionary’s Ministry
Month of January:
Genesis District Supervisor of Women
Evangelist Janie C. Williams
Happy 2020, Everyone!
In Isaiah 43.18-19, God encourages His people with these words: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (KJV). The NIV Bible says it this way: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
The year 2020 is the year to expect the NEW—new associations, new affiliations, and new connections—so clear your vision for the new. Ask God to surround you with people who do the following:
Maintain positivity
Believe in the highest you
Desire the best for you out of a genuine heart
Perceive in you what others cannot see or refuse to see
See the potential of your future and know it will come to pass
Cheer you on and speak the truth in love
In other words, in 2020, ask God to send you covenant people or covenant connections. These people will stand with you through thick and thin. Release the old. Clear out what is no longer useful or productive in your life. Ask God for a new cleansing in you. Remember, God does not put new wine into old bottles (Matthew 9.17).
Now praise God for the new that's on the way!
2019
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of December:
Evangelist Frankie Allen
First Lady of the Genesis District
"So Love"
During our dating years, my boyfriend often told me that he so loved me. It is not a new phrase. In fact, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (KJV, John 3.16).
As we approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, it should be embraced from a so love perspective. Galatians 6.7 reminds us not to get it twisted because whatever we sow, we also reap. Let’s consider opportunities to sow:
Sow love into others, and be grateful for family and friends.
Sow peace in the midst of confusion. Embrace a new day filled with hope and opportunity.
Sow joy into those whose hearts are filled with heaviness.
You might never know the benefits to others when you sow, but God sees and rewards.
As far as rewards, my boyfriend has been my husband of forty-one years. So love because it can truly be everlasting in this life and eternity.
Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of November:
Evangelist Janice Chapman
"My Situation Is Not My Destination: It Isn’t What It Looks Like"
Numbers 11.1-2; 21.4-5
Every now and then, we will find ourselves in some type of situation. It does not matter how you got into the situation; all you know is that you are in it, and you need to get out. When we are in a situation, it causes us to lose focus on what is important in our lives. While you are in your situation, just know that your situation is not your destination. Webster defines the word situation as, “the way something is placed to its surrounding, a relative position or combination of circumstances and a critical, tying or unusual problem” (“situation”). In this text, we see where the Children of Israel complained about their current situation. They had lost hope, and it seemed as though they were about to die in the wilderness. They began to rebel against the leader whom God had given them, and they also began to question God’s reasoning for them being in their current situation. They mumbled and complained about their lack of necessities, such as food and water, even though God was providing for their needs daily. They forgot about what God had already done and what He was about to do for them.
Please know today that your situation is not your destination. In order to make it to your destination, remember these key points.
Point 1: God has already given you the tools needed to help you get to your destination. It is up to you whether you accept and use what He has given you.
Point 2: To make it to your destination, you need to recognize that you have purpose. Know who you are and Whose you are.
Point 3: Do not allow your attitude to get the best of you. Have an attitude of gratitude.
Point 4: Understand that to get to what God has designed for you, you must be willing to go through the process. What you are going through will pass if you allow it to do so.
Point 5: Stay focused. Do not look at where you are, but look at where you are going.
When you learn to leave it with God, you can then truly say that your situation is not your destination.
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of October:
Evangelist Shirley Gillespie
“There is Wholeness in Holiness”
Holiness requires us to remain in God’s presence. God Himself is holy. We cannot attain holiness through our own effort because of the sin nature that has been passed down from one generation to the next since the fall of humanity (Genesis 3). Holiness is part of the nature of God our Father, and it is a mark upon God’s people that has enabled us to be in right standing with Him while living a separated lifestyle from sin in obedience to God. Holiness gives us confidence in knowing Him while calling us out of darkness into the marvelous light. Holiness influences a lifestyle that purposes us to the highest moral standard of living; it allows us to exhibit confidence in who we are.
We are blessed to be holy because God is holy. To be “whole” in Him includes doing the righteous things of God, loving Him with our “whole” heart, separating ourselves from the sins of this world, being in right standing, honoring our Father through complete obedience, and following peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12.14).
Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of September:
Evangelist Janie C. Williams
Genesis District Supervisor of Women
“Just Saying”
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4.13)
Don’t ever function in ugly. It’s ungodly.
Don’t ever dim your spiritual light for anyone. Shine!
Don’t ever lose your smile. God gave you that smile. Keep it.
Always look your best—love is not blind.
Decide what kind of difference you want to make, and make it.
When nobody else celebrates you, learn to celebrate yourself. When nobody else compliments you, give yourself a compliment. You deserve it.
Refuse to live backwards. Get out of the PAST lane.
Never tell everything you know. Never.
Every day is an opportunity to get better at something worthwhile.
Courage is being yourself—every day—even when others want you to be someone else.
Your “rainbow” is on the way. Hold on.
Stop crying over was.
Ask God to give you an “Anyhow Anointing.” Help me to make it—anyhow. Help me to press on—anyhow. Help me to hold on—anyhow.
Embrace your imperfections, flaws, and shortcomings. They are part of you.
Give yourself permission to take a nap—every day!
God canceled your past. Thank Him.
Fact: You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139.14)
It’s not crying time. It’s soaring time. Go to the next level. Spread your wings. You are not too old, and you are not too late. Remember Caleb (Numbers 14).
Get that quit out of your spirit. God created you to win.
Don’t copy other people. Stop trying to fit and blend in. You are supposed to stand out.
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3.13-14)
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of August:
Evangelist Shirley Wilson
“Don’t Leave Earth without Your Down Payment Guarantee”
Our God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3.16). We have a heavenly bank account that includes adoption, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, inheritance, and the seal of the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 1.22 and Ephesians 1.13-14 report that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, but the promise is not being taken advantage of. Why? Why do we not see the need for Him? Or are some professing the Holy Spirit but living such a shady life that the attractiveness of Him is being obscured?
The Bible in Luke 11.13 states all we have to do is ask the Father, and He will give us the Holy Spirit. Please don’t leave earth without Him. Ephesians 1.13-14 lets us know He is the guarantee of our salvation; He will complete it. We must realize our salvation is in three stages.
Stage One: We are saved from the penalty of sin (our justification).
Stage Two: We are saved from the power of sin (our sanctification process).
Stage Three: We are saved from the presence of sin (our glorification).
Let’s be fully prepared for that time.
Looking at Matthew 25, it reports about ten virgins who all had oil, which is a representative of the Holy Spirit. The Bridegroom comes, and five virgins were without oil. The door was shut after the five virgins with oil went in. No one can receive oil after death. Get your seal, earnest, down payment, guarantee, engagement, or however you want to call Him. Just don’t leave here without the Holy Spirit if heavens is your goal.
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of July:
Evangelist Shonda Bass
"If It Had Not Been the Lord on My Side"
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,” Let Israel now say
[Let the Genesis Women’s Department now say!]
“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us; […]”
(NKJV, Psalm 124.1-3)
Have you ever been in a place where you thought all odds were against you? You felt like there was no use, or I may as well throw in the towel. Maybe the enemy (yes, Satan himself) tried to convince you that nobody loves you, you ain’t nothing, and will never be nothing. Your family looks discombobulated (mirrors as shallowed glass broken into pieces). Maybe you couldn’t make ends meet. Shall I go on? Sooo, you may as well lay it all down and KILL yourself, Satan says. Well, if you have never been in this cold, dreadful, agonizing, frustrating, or depressing state of mind, let me give our God a praise with you because this message is not for you!
Listen, I did not say that you stayed in this place, cultivated this place, or nurtured this place, but I said have you ever been in this cold, dreadful, agonizing, frustrating, depressing state of mind?! Well, let me say, “If it had not been for the Lord on my side!” I will be the first to hold up both hands, stand on my two feet, scream to the top of my lungs, and say, “I HAVE!” But, oh, if it had not been for the Lord who was on my side. Of course, we knew these were all lies, but when we were in a place of doubt (we thought), complacency (we thought), or even defeat (we thought), and there was no one who could answer our plea (we thought), did not our God come to our rescue?! We would have to stand up and give our God a praise and say loudly and boldly, “If it had not been for the Lord!” We would have been swallowed up a long time ago—but our God. I said our God is a very present help in the time of trouble. He never slumbers nor sleeps, for He keeps us.
Behold, [H]e that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: [H]e shall preserve thy soul.
(KJV, Psalm 121.4-7)
Yes, we will feel some repercussions from our shadow of death sometimes, but it will not kill us! We must remember that we don’t have to encounter anything alone! That means nothing! Our God has already told us to cast our care on Him, for truly He cares for us! He cares continuously, which means over and over and over! Hallelujah! Do you get the picture? We must remember that in our dark places, God lifts up standards against that DEFEATED enemy. Nothing that we go through should shake our faith in God completely. He is still our King of kings, Lord of lords, Savior, Healer, Way Maker, Promise Keeper, and more.
Stay encouraged, Mighty Women of God, and remember that if we are faithful, He will make us rulers over much! God is our source among all others. We must stay steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in God (I Corinthians 15.28.) Go through; go through; go through! I did not say stop, but go through! Keep moving while you are in the fire! If you fly, you are moving; if you run, you are moving; if you walk, you are moving; if you crawl, scoot, or roll, YOU ARE STILL MOVING! It does not matter the pace—just move and endure! God is on our side! God is with us! That means whatever pace we are moving, He is moving at that pace, too, because He is with us!
This word is what God has given me. My prayer is that it will take root and begin a work in our lives!
God is love!
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Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of June:
Evangelist Lorie Coleman
“He Knows My Name”
Have you ever been in the grocery store, mall, or restaurant, and you see someone who walks right up to you and starts to hold a conversation, calling you by name—and you don’t have a clue who he or she is??? And you are too embarrassed to ask the person his or her name? Well, it happens to the best of us and worsens after the age of fifty. However, often times, people don’t identify you by your name; rather, too often we identify people by their past, life experiences, failures, flaws, and, yes, even rumors! One such example in the Bible is found in Mark 5.25, which talks about the woman with “an issue.” The text never even gives her a name—never talks about the extreme amount of faith she must have possessed to simply believe a touch of the Master’s clothing would rid her of twelve years of misery. Another such example is found in Matthew 26.6, which talks about Simon “the leper.” Although he was declared clean of his condition, he was still identified by his past!
In an attempt to remember people, we often attach their Life’s Imperfection Made Public (LIMP) to their name. How often do we attach to Peter’s identity the fact that he denied Jesus as well as the fact that he was a cusser who cut a man’s ear off? On the other hand, we neglect the fact that Peter was the only person in the history of the Bible who ran a one-night revival, and 3,000 souls were saved. Peter was also the only one of the disciples who had faith enough to step off the boat! We’ve all been guilty of attaching people’s past to the NOW person, but we don’t know the private conversations that have transpired between a person and God or the sleepless nights spent praying with a face turned to the wall—we don’t know a person’s real story. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart (I Samuel 16.7). Most importantly, HE KNOWS MY NAME!!!
A wise person once said, “It’s not what people call you but what you answer to that matters!” Therefore, you can call me by ANY name; it doesn’t matter because I know who I am and, most importantly, Whose I am. I’m not bothered by the antics of people or the drama they create. Isaiah said it like this: “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and [H]e that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine (KJV, Isaiah 43.1). So it matters not what you call me or what you attach to my name down here because GOD KNOWS MY NAME! Yes, I have several, but the thing I love about God is that He doesn’t disqualify me because of my LIMP; instead, my LIMP is what identifies me as one of His!
God’s strength is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12.9). As our Father, God wants us to depend upon Him; He wants us to need him. In comparison to the natural senses of a man and a woman, a man has the natural instinct to need to be NEEDED! The moment we acknowledge to God (as the songs say) “I'm weak but Thou art strong” and “I need Thee! Oh, I need Thee!” God says, My child is calling Me! Let Me rush in and see about My child! God doesn’t get my set of needs confused with your set of needs. He knows my downsitting and my uprising (Psalm 139.2). HE KNOWS MY NAME! God said in His Word, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (KJV, Isaiah 43.2).The Message Bible says it like this: “When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: [ . . . ] That’s how much you mean to [M]e! That’s how much I love you!” (MSG, Isaiah 43.2-4). HE KNOWS MY NAME, AND HE KNOWS YOUR NAME, TOO!
Man’s love is conditional; it depends on what one may display, but I came to reassure you of this one thing: He knows our name. Oh, how He walks with me! Oh, how He talks with me! Oh, how He tells me I am His own! Yes, He knows my name! Therefore, no fire can burn me; no battle can turn me; no mountain can stop me because God is holding my hand! I am walking in victory because God’s power is within me. No giant (trial, obstacle, tribulation) can defeat me because He’s holding my hand. Why?
TRULY, HE KNOWS MY NAME!!!
BE BLESSED IN JESUS’ NAME.
Monthly Missionary's Ministry
Month of May:
Evangelist Tamiko McConnell
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Sometimes situations—and even people—may cause us to become bitter in life. The bitterness troubles us and defiles others. Bitterness even goes so far into our soul that it causes physical ailments, like David, causing the bones to ache and groan (KJV, Psalm 38).
Once bitterness has settled in us, it has gone past the mind (thoughts) and past the heart (hurts from negative reactions towards people or situations). We then know it has formed bitter roots that have infested our soul. Jesus said to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul. Therefore, we know that all three are connected.
These bitter roots have bound us inwardly and outwardly. Also, these bitter roots influence the way we affect others. Even our finances may be held bound, so we need deliverance. Jesus prayed, “[D]eliver us from evil,” when teaching the disciples (KJV, Matthew 6.13). Yes, the saints need deliverance sometimes.
God is ready to deliver us when we repent and call on Him. Let us no longer allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies (KJV, Romans 6.12). Let us choose to believe in the Word of God, which is a finished work for us to be free through Christ Jesus. Jesus transforms our minds, heals our hearts, and restores our souls. He does all of this so that we may prosper and be in health, even as our soul prospers (KJV, III John 1.2).
Be healed; be whole; and be prosperous in Jesus’ name!