Nov 24 - Confidence In Knowing

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15

There is no denying that all of us live busy lives. In fact, we all understand that there is a challenge for us to set priorities and to stick to them. Some priorities that we set are just what we need and others that we set for our lives are all about what we want. That’s why it’s good to have confidence in knowing that God will supply all, not some, but all of our needs according to His riches in glory. Now that’s good confidence in knowing.

All of us together as one body in Christ have set Operation Transformation as a priority in our lives. As we live according to God’s will, as followers of Christ, we have the confidence in knowing that God will make the necessary provisions available to see the vision fulfilled. It is not our will that will be revealed, but the will of God will be revealed in the end.

As believers, our relationship with God should be strong enough that when we go to the Father in prayer no matter what the situation is, we have confidence that He hears us and He will answer our prayers.

Prayer Focus: Father, I thank you for this day and all of the provisions that you have allowed us to obtain in it. God, we thank you for Operation Transformation and the opportunity to be a part of it. Now God, as we move forward in the building of your Kingdom, we pray that you allow us to give according to your will and your way, Father. No matter the case or situation, I thank you in advance for the confidence in knowing that if we approach you God and that if we ask anything according to your will, that you will hear us, Father. Thank you for what you are in our lives and thank you for Operation Transformation. In Jesus’ name Amen.

Rev. Alex Bracey II

Nov 23 - Let's Be Ready For Jesus

He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17

As I have been reading the Bible in 90 days, it is evident that some of the very conditions that existed prior to God interceding in world activities exist today. One thing that has been reinforced in my mind is that God hates violence (Ezekiel 8:17). God’s people were moving far away from Him and before they could turn back to God, the temple had to be re-established to prepare the people for the return.

In Ezra 3:8, after coming out of captivity in Babylon, the children of Israel began a work to repair the temple in Jerusalem for worship. Worship may be considered a spiritual readiness to enter God’s presence. This is noted in chapter 6:21; the children of Israel left the ungodly behavior of their captives in preparation to seek God.

Nehemiah confessed that his people had not kept God’s commandments (1:7). Later in chapter 8, all the people who had been in captivity were called together in order to hear again the words of the Book of Moses. They were reminded and prepared to re-enter God’s presence by hearing again God’s Word. The temple building was to be resumed.

I believe the New Testament, through Jesus, prepares our bodies to be temples – temples for the Holy Ghost. It prepares us for that holy habitation. Matthew 25:34 says the kingdom has been prepared for us; let us be ready to receive it. Let Him find us doing the will of God. Luke 12:40 tells us to be ready; we know not when He will return.

Prayer Focus: Let us pray for a world that is readied for the return of Jesus. That He might be received with the love He is worthy of. Pray for a spiritual readiness that will allow us to recognize Him and that we are fearless and undeterred in following Him. We have all that we need in God’s Word to do so. Let us pray this in Jesus’ name – Amen.

Mona Riddick

Nov 22 - Let's Stay Together

Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” Psalm 133:1

I am very excited to know that God is allowing his children to experience the prophetic promises that indicate clearly his sovereignty, wisdom, and love. In this shift as a church family, it is to be expected some obvious warfare. It should equally be an expectation as we follow God, and of course, the one God chose to lead us in unity and a spirit of obedience. He has been a God of divine order and now we are to participate in each other’s spiritual rescue.
That rescue is to remind one another that our purpose is to work together for God. We are reminded that unity is important and necessary to make the church a positive example to the world and help draw others to the Lord and to help us to cooperate as a body of believers as God meant us to do.
God is totally aware of every need as we move forward in faith. He sees, hears and understands the prayers of his children. In the challenges of life, we are stretched or shapened by God’s hands in order to give him all the glory, yet the way we express ourselves toward one another will express our unity of purpose.
We have been equipped with the word of God (his logos) to help us in our situations and our communications with one another, and when we send the word out, it is written, that it will never come back void. If you truly want to see the supernatural manifestations of God in your life, then obey his word and don’t forget to use it no matter what may come.
God is not at all baffled or confused about what circumstances look like to us, nor is he pleased when we are not honest with him when we should be about the spirit warring against the flesh. If I can remind you that there is no good thing in the flesh, then come on and encourage yourself in the word of God. He will reward your diligence. Remember, this verse states that unity is wonderful and pleasant, so stay in the word, stay focused on your purpose of unity and let’s stay together.
Prayer Focus: Heavenly Father and all wise God, we come to you in the name of your Son Jesus, the Christ. We applaud you for being a God who is always in rhythm with what you created. We pray that you will allow your will to be done in Jesus name. We understand that there are many gifts but one body, and we ask that every leader, ministry, member, and visitor of Gethsemane Baptist Church will come together and move in order for the vision to continue to reach the lost and restore the backslider to you, dear God. Amen.
Rev. Walter “Tony” Robinson

Nov 21 - Beware of A Judgmental Spirit

Judge not, that you be not judged.” Matthew 7:1

A passage from “Our Daily Bread” dated October 17, 2005 written by D.
De Han reads, “Your Word instructs us not to judge; So, Lord, we humbly pray, “Restrain our lips when we would speak the things we should not say.”

The expansion of God’s kingdom requires lots of work and financial support from all of us. During the course of our daily activities, we should always be mindful of what we say about the way things are being done. Judging the vision of the pastor is a direct judgment of God. Once the man of God reveals to the congregation the vision for Operation Transformation, then we need to join in or become silent spectators.

What we say is often overheard by our children, because they are watching us constantly. Don’t let them hear us judging the plans for the expansion or any other projects/programs of the church. We can’t be perfect parents, but our children must see our desire to please the Lord. And when we fall short, they need to see our repentance. We teach them by both what we say and what we do.” Albert Lee (Our Daily Bread, March 19, 2003).

We must all be careful not to practice a judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build ourselves up. This would include personal circles of friends and our church family. Paul taught us that we should exercise church discipline and trust God to be the final judge.

Prayer Focus: Pray daily that God will help us to think before we speak. Practice speaking success into the lives of our children, family and friends. Help us to guard our mouths at all time. May the words we speak be beneficial to the kingdom of God and help to save the lost.

Elva Washington

Nov 20 - Love

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity.” (KJV)

In our daily lives, we encounter many problems and disturbances which cause us to lose focus on God’s presence. In losing focus, we have a tendency to miss HIS power to conquer anything. Keep the faith, stand firm and let the enemy know you are ready to fight a good fight, and when the battle is over, God will get the glory. Know and understand that with God, the battle is not yours; it’s the LORD’s.
The purpose of this prayer is to replace pain, sorrow and brokenness with God’s love to conquer any battle with God’s blessing.
Prayer Focus: Heavenly Father, forgive me of my sins. LORD, I pray you will give me understanding and guidance to seek your ways for purpose in my life. Help me, Lord to focus on you during my trials and tribulations. When I am weak, give me strength when I am at my low point, lift me up out of my pit of pains. Lord, I know you can fix my brokenness and my sorrows.
You alone God are my God. I can find no comfort anywhere like your comfort. Lord, your peace is the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. Keep my heart and mind in your protection. Keep me from falling back into places that you have shown me to be darkness, which once separated me from you. My Lord, help me to keep love in my heart and let no words part from my lips that will keep the presence of your glory from me.
Touch me, Lord with Your finger of love, so I may love my enemies and pray for those who despitefully use me. Help me God to hear your words from heaven, so I may speak of your mercy and love. Heal and deliver me God from anything that will hinder my relationship with you. Lord, I pray you will keep me and never let me return to that which you have delivered me from. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Dr. Brenda Ferguson

Nov 19 - Possession In The Time of Recession

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.” Psalm 23:1

Headline Reads: The USA is in a recession. The housing market is not favorable for the seller; foreclosures are at an all time high, the price of food has increased, gas prices are sky high, companies are downsizing. To top it off, President Bush just recently awarded citizens with a Stimulus Check to attempt to leverage our economy, but to no avail because the USA is still in a “recession” (I said the USA – not the Saints of God).

Remind yourself that as believers you are not and will not ever be in a recession as everything belongs to our Heavenly Father. Don’t get Hung by your Tongue speaking mere words against what God has promised. Since every need is met As God promised in the scripture above, will He not do the same thing for our pledges we made for Operation Transformation? So, whether your pledge was $.10 or $10,000 – He will meet the need. It is time for the saints to take possession of our land, streets, schools, work places, and family.

What we need, God has already given us the authority to possess it through His Word. It is when we start to apply the Word, that we will see the spiritual manifestation of the Kingdom advancing like never before! It’s time to take back everything that the enemy has stolen from us.

Prayer Focus: Heavenly Father, we thank you in advance for every need that is met. We thank you, God that every pledge that has been made towards Operation Transformation is met in the name of Jesus. You said in your Word that you are able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Lord, we have heard your Word preached many times concerning our finances and prosperity, and we take both of these principles and include it with our faith. - Our testimony will be Only the Lord could have done this. Amen.

Deaconess Shelli Moran

Nov 18 - God's Chosen Vessel

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Yes we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but, God still has a purpose and a plan for our lives. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God knew that you would become a part of the GBC family.

As you grow in the body of Jesus Christ, I encourage you to seek God first in all things and constantly stay before him in prayer. The mission of GBC is to disciple, minister, and empower by demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ to families throughout Hampton Roads and beyond. We also encourage you to embrace the vision that God has given for this branch of Zion.

The vision for this appointed time is Operation Transformation. This is a God sized assignment and every member of this body has been chosen to participate. We must be obedient to the vision God has given and a new edifice is required to effectively do ministry with the level of excellence that God has called us to. I encourage you to become an active participant in this ministry:

Prayer Focus: Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for each person that you have chosen to become a part of GBC. Lord, as we embark on this journey, I pray that you would lead, guide, and direct your people. Father help us to be obedient to what You are calling us to do. I pray that each member will take hold of the vision and seek God in prayer each and every day. Lord, we pray for your favor upon our lives, our pastor and Operation Transformation. Father, keep us unified and bind us together in Christian love. Lord, I pray that every need will be met for Operation Transformation and your people. Father I thank you in advance for the salvation of souls. Lord, I speak complete and absolute victory in our lives. We thank you for all you have done, what are you doing now and what you are going to do. In Jesus name, I pray. God Bless All!


Deaconess Rhonda Graves