Date: 04/24/2023

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to Him be the Glory, Power, and Dominion forever and ever and to the Holy Ghost that is yet abiding in the body. This week’s key word is Secret Hurt.

You may ask what is secret hurt? Secret hurt others don’t know about. Hurts others may know about, but not the depth of emotional pain connected with the hurt. Secrets that would shame us if they were made known. Secrets that we keep protecting others, but hurt us at the same time. There are a lot of people who carry and live with secret hurts daily. Some are haunted by their secret hurt; others are trapped in their secret hurt. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us “Come to Me, all ye that labour and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”.

Of all the scriptures, I found Matthew 11:28-30, to be the most hopeful to those who are hurting the most. It is God’s lifeline for people with secret hurts, and for those with very open and obvious hurts. It was designed by God to attach itself to any and all of the pains the human heart has had to bear, and bring the balm of God’s restorative love. The preface Jesus gave to this promise of his rest can be found in Matthew 11: 25-27. It reads, “²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. ²⁶ Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. ²⁷ All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him”. Jesus said things are hidden from the wise and intelligent and revealed to babes. In other words it is a kind of secret knowledge. Then Jesus goes on to say that not only is there secret knowledge, but even knowing Him or God  the Father is not possible unless the curtain is pulled back.

So, Jesus  is saying come unto me and learn of me. Brothers and Sisters, secret hurt stays a secret until you follow the trail Jesus has left. Jesus wants more than to help us, He wants to be close to us.  So He says come to Me. Hence, knowing who God is and learning who He really is crucial. In Mark 7:6, “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. This verse is speaking of the Jewish spiritual leaders said, these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts is from Him. That is the difference between a head and a heart of faith. Let me ask this question is yours a head or heart faith?  Have you fallen back to a head faith? We live in a generation where we speak the word, more than talk to the living Word which is Jesus. Where we speak to the storm more than we speak to the master of the Sea. Where religious truth has replaced personal relationships with God the Father.

In closing, Brothers and Sisters, no hurt is beyond Gods’ touch. No pain is impossible for Him to alleviate. No sorrow is beyond His scope and reach. Except those sorrows that are not brought to Him.  God stripped Jesus of the sick parts of humanity, and through His humanity He touches the deepest need and hurts. His words have been designed by God to get deep inside the human heart and provide the needed relief. God can give us rest through the removal of our burdens, the lifting of our load, and taking the weight off our shoulders. But it is more than that, it is the renewal of our life and energy. When God gives rest, He doesn’t just remove the weight, He make us whole again. He puts us back together, if we go to Him and learn of Him, we will find rest and be made whole. Until next week let us remember, “… with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop

Date: 04/10/2023

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to Him be the Glory, Power, and Dominion forever and ever and to the Holy Ghost that is yet abiding in the body. Over the next three weeks, we will look at “ The Steps in Healing from Hurt.”

The church has the power to gather, encourage, and heal God’s beloved people. Hurt stems from experiencing someone abusing their power whether spiritually or naturally. The first step to healing is to define the hurt. Hurt never just go away! Time will not bring complete healing. Nothing happens if you have not clearly defined the offense. You can’t forgive something if you don’t know or are not able to articulate what the hurt is. You must give your heart to Jesus, letting Him become your Lord. You must forgive (release) the person who has hurt you. Matthew 5:23-24 reads, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way; first, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift”. Hurt can affect us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The purpose of this step is not to harbor resentment. Instead, the initial process of healing hinges upon you naming the wrong behavior that occurred.

Apostle Paul gives us a simple model for healing hurt in II Corinthians 2:5-11. “But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted on many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”.

Looking back on hurt is not what God has called us to do (concentrating on situation) Philippians 3:13-14 tells us, “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”. Drawing us to look back at offenses and hurt is one of Satan’s tactics in keeping us spiritually immobilized. If we are consumed by the past it will hurt, we will come to a standstill in our Christian Walk. Brother and sisters there is nothing we can do to change the past. But do not allow the past to control your future or destiny.  Because God has created each one of us for a purpose.  Psalms 139:15-16, 14 tells us, “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. “ ⁴ I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well”. Our main purpose is to glorify Him (Jesus Christ). Because letting go requires the personal discipline to resist the temptation to repeatedly fight the battles of the hurt and remain focused on the victory that awaits in the future. Until we find the true source of the hurt and turn it off through forgiveness, it will continue to cause negative emotions.  Until next week let us remember, “… with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26b).

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop

Date: 03/27/2023

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to Him be the Glory, Power, and Dominion forever and ever and to the Holy Ghost that is yet abiding in the body. This week “Let us Examine Ourselves and our Internal Feelings”.

As Christians we sometimes struggle with integrating emotion into our spiritual lives and end up falling victim to dangerous tendencies. One danger is emotionalism, in which we allow our feelings to interpret our circumstances and form our thoughts about God. This is putting our feelings before faith. The other danger is a kind of stoicism, where faith is rooted in theology but void of affection. This tendency removes feelings from faith altogether. While it is true that our emotions should not lead our theology, it is vital to our faith that theology lead us to a deep experience of our triune God. We must learn how to live beyond our emotions/feelings. God calls us to learn to manage our emotions and feelings rather than having them manage us. In Paul’s day, the people thought with their hearts and felt with their gut. This is where we get term “gut feeling.” So, when Paul says, “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).  He is saying the problem is being led by our emotions, our emotions are our God, and we take pride in the shameful things we do. Our minds are set on worldly things.”

There are four reasons why we need to learn to deal with how we feel. First, our feelings are unreliable. They can lead us in the wrong direction and down the wrong path. Because not everything we feel is right. We need to learn to manage our emotions/feelings. Proverbs 14:12 says this, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”. So, our emotions are not infallible. The second reason is,  we don’t want to be manipulated. If we don’t control our emotions/feelings, they will control us. If we are always guided by our feelings, we will reject the truth of the Word of God. If  we’re guided by our feelings, others will take advantage of us. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:28, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls”. Not only are we defenseless against manipulation of others, but we are defenseless to the manipulation by our old nature. The sinful nature in us, can use our feelings against us and against the Word of God. I Peter 5:8 says this, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. The third reason we need to control our emotions/feelings is, we want to please God. God cannot be God in our life if emotions/feelings are god in our life. Romans 8:6-8 reads, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then they that are in the flesh cannot please God”. Saints, if we obey our human nature, we cannot please God.” The fourth  reason is because we want to succeed in life. In fact, I Peter 4:2 tells us, “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God”. Psalms 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. What is our heart? That is where our emotions are.  Psalms 19:14 reads, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer”. What is inside our heart will come out of our mouth. Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 

In closing,  the key is not to pursue our emotions/feelings but pursue the Lord Jesus Christ,  by looking to Him, knowing His ways, pondering His promises, and obeying His commands. And remember, “…With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop