Convocation 2013
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It does my heart good to have witnessed the fellowship and the spirit of unity
that dwelt among the sister churches this week during our annual convocation.
The theme for this year’s convocation was “Next Level Faith”. The foundational
scripture for the theme can be found in Genesis 22:11-15.
During the first night of the convocation, Pastor Williams encouraged the people
of God to move their faith from material to spiritual! Throughout the sermon, she
began to let members know that deliverance comes in more than one way, that
there is a difference between a blessing and a miracle, and that every person is
given a measure of faith; but in order for that measure of faith to transition to the
next level, you must put that faith into action. A lasting sentiment from Thursday
night’s sermon was that God Can! God Will! God is Able.
Friday night, Pastor Alexander informed the congregation that when their faith
had taken them as far as it could go, it was time to ask God for an upgrade in faith.
In the course of his sermon, he began to let the believers know that faith comes
from within and not from without. He stated it is paramount that you know what is
inside of you, so that when you reach a low place in God or a place of testing, you
are able to pull up God’s resume in your life, and believe on and in Him to bring
you through the current state of testing you are enduring. A lasting thought from
Friday night’s sermon was your faith can be strong enough to believe for someone
else miracle, healing, deliverance, and salvation!
Saturday morning, Pastor Leaks simply told the congregation a promise is a
promise. He began to let the people know, if God spoke, that settles it, but they
have to believe it. All through the sermon, Pastor Leaks spoke about becoming
immune to the people who are speaking against what God has said concerning their
life, destiny, and well-being. He prompted the people of God not to abort God’s
promises concerning them. A lasting thought left by Pastor Leaks was when God
speaks something concerning you take God at His word and block out distractions
or negative things that contradict what God has said!
I was charged with the task to close out the convocation and seal all the mighty and
marvelous acts God had performed during the course of the week. I began to let
the people of God know, there comes a time in life when we must grow up in Him
and put off immature behavior, attitudes, and thinking. I wanted to let the people of
God know it is time to leave the shallow places in God, mature in Him, and mature
in their faith concerning His principles and His promises. A mature saint knows
the true meaning of having faith is when you don’t see or don’t know how God is
going to resolve any problem, but have a full assurance that He is going to do it in
His timing! Life happens to all of us, but one thing we all must do is learn bluff!
The devil has perfected the art of bluffing because he has caused many of us to
fear and to fret. I challenged the people of God to play the hand they were dealt!
God never shows us the in between, so please don’t lose it in the turn! A lasting
thought I want to leave with you is this: we all have a palace destination waiting on
us, but before you get there, you will have some pit experiences. In that low place,
it takes faith in God for you to believe He is going to bring those spoken things in
your life to pass. You will also encounter places of imprisonment where you feel
your dreams, hopes, and promises are trapped and hindered by the cares of life, but
know all things are possible to those that believe.
Be blessed & Always keep God First!
