Use Your Weapon(Club 21 blog location)

Hello to all who follow my blog! I thought I’d take a moment to let you know of my other blog location that’s located on my church’s website. It’s a blog specifically targeted towards those who are pursuing a fasted lifestyle. A fasted lifestyle is a regimen of regular fasting, in order to maintain a disciplined, “Christ-Centered” life! For example, I purpose to fast regularly from 6am-6pm one day of each week. We call it “Club 21″ several of us purposed to take 21 days to a fasted lifestyle. Click the link below to read the newest blog post and I also encourage you to read the others posts. I’d be honored if you’d join me in Club 21 and I believe that you’ll find that a fasted lifestyle is definitely the way to go! Take a moment of your time and read, then try it and see for yourself. Join me in a new level of victory! Join me in Club 21!

Click here to read the blog post

God Bless,
Dr. Dexter Howard

The Spirit of Sonship: What God Expects of Every Believer

We live in a day where “self-help” gurus have become more popular than seeing a nativity scene in someone’s front yard at Christmas. Today, more than ever, Christians are being exposed to an inordinate amount of humanistic thought and philosophy. As a result Christians, like the society in which we live, are becoming more “self-centered” than “Christ-centered” and more “self-conscious” than “God-conscious”. If we are not careful, a believer’s desire to please and gratify their own selfish needs will become greater than their desire to please God.

But, I’m so thankful that Jesus Christ set a wonderful example for us all when He came to earth. According to the words of Peter, Jesus is our example in all things (I Peter 2:21). Jesus Christ, as a Son, set the prime example for all believers as He lived out His life here on earth to please the Father and to accomplish the Father’s Will above His own. After all, isn’t this what sons do? Even earthly sons set out to please their daddy in all that they do.

I believe it’s time for us all to reflect upon God’s original purpose and intent in sending His Son to give His life for us. I submit to you that it was not just to save us from our sin so that we might go to heaven. But, according to scripture, Jesus Christ came and was crucified, buried, and resurrected, to make us all sons of God. God’s Holy Word speaks to this very clearly in the gospel of John 1:12: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name….” God, the Father, desires sons, not just Christians. I believe there is a difference. Christians are saved from their sins, but sons of God live to please the Father and not only themselves. Sons of God are not just heirs of great power and authority, but are also obedient, responsible, and accountable for the assignments they have been given. By faith, they have access to all that is the Fathers, but they realize it is to be used for His purposes, not for self-gratification alone. A son of God’s number one priority is to please the Father. I believe that until we begin to focus our attention on what it is that God really desires us to be, we will be self-consumed and blinded from our true purpose in the earth. That true purpose is to be about our Father’s business – building and expanding His Kingdom as we live our lives to make an eternal difference.

I encourage you to evaluate whether you are more consumed with accomplishing God’s Will or fulfilling your own desires. We all need to accept a call to sonship and it’s a journey, not a destination. We are to “become” sons of God. I invite you to take the journey with me. Allow yourself to be conformed into the image of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). Once your will has been submitted under God’s Will, you will begin to experience a life conformed to love like God loves, speak what He speaks, give how He gives, do what He does and go where He goes! God’s Holy Word declares according to Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” I have decided to live the rest of my life to please God. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Sons of God, arise!

Make Your Marriage Like Heaven in 2011

The benefits of a happy, healthy marriage are worth more than rubies and gold. A good marriage makes everything better. On the other hand, a rocky marriage is detrimental on every level – physically, mentally, and financially. As a divorced friend once said, “There’s nothing on earth worse than a bad marriage.”

If your marriage is good, congratulations! We’ve been married for 16 years (with 6 kids) and we know good marriages don’t just happen. You and your spouse are working diligently to meet the other’s needs and bring out the best in each other. You’ve made huge investments into one another hand are reaping the results. This is what we have done. We are grateful to be in our reaping years and are having a blast growing together…finally. We hope to leave a legacy of love and commitment to our children, and to be a guiding light to other couples.

If your marriage is struggling right now, we can identify, too. Don’t give up hope. Your marriage is worth fighting for. All you need is a humble heart and a willingness to do something different than you’ve done. You need to step into a different kind of atmosphere filled with love, peace, joy, romance and the possibilities of what your marriage can be…again.

We invite you to join us for a weekend of romance, love, and laughter…Valentine’s Weekend…February 11-12th, 2011. Think dinner, dancing, entertainment, fashion,honeymoon romance, and enlightenment. Get all the details at www.knowhowunlimited.com. Seating is limited. We hope you can register today.

Blessings,
Dexter and Genette Howard
Know How Unlimited

What is True Faith?

What is “True Faith”? I believe this is the One Million Dollar question everyone needs answered. Whether you are a Christian or not, we all have a need to know what “True Faith” or “Real Faith” looks like. Everyone today is in search of “Real/True Faith”. People spend thousands of dollars on seminars/workshops/conferences. They try to find “Real/True Faith” in a book, on an audio book or CD. Unfortunately, the truth about Faith cannot be found in any of these things in and of themselves. If you are in search of the Truth on any subject, you must search for it in the TRUTH itself.(The Bible/The WORD of GOD)

Let’s see what the TRUTH has to say about what True/Real Faith looks like. Well, if we were to define Faith according to the TRUTH of THE WORD of GOD, we would have to start with its definition in Hebrews 11:1-NLT(“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.”) So, Faith, simply, “BELIEVES” God or His WORD! Faith is having confidence in God or His WORD. Faith is also evidence! I believe the whole world’s search for “Authentic”, “Real”, “True” Faith starts here. People are, simply, in search for some evidence that what & who we say we have faith in is real. People are creatures of habit. And, most human-beings innately need to see, feel, touch or experience things around them, even, God.

Well, I would like to submit to you that God is to be experienced through things & people. God’s desire is and has always been since the beginning of time to reveal Himself through YOU(us). This is why He chooses men and gives them an assignment to help and bless others. This is the evidence I believe. It is our helping and being a blessing to those who cannot help themselves. To be a “voice” for the voice-less and to be a servant to the “under-served”. The Bible says that this is “….TRUE and undefiled religion or FAITH if you will according to James 1:27. Our challenge is that Faith has been defined for so long as being related to material/tangible things. But, True Faith cannot and should not be defined as being related material things like cars, houses, etc… True Faith cannot be limited to tangible things. True/Real Faith brings with it, both, assurance and security. Material things, simply, do not guarantee us security or assurance. True Faith, though, will result in tangible acts. Faith is not a thing. Faith is an Act! Faith is DOING!!! So, according to the Word of God(TRUTH), Faith is synonymous to True Religion. My religion, if you will, should point to my Faith.

Now, that we’ve talked about what True/Real Faith is NOT, let’s talk about what it IS. According to James 1:27 through James 2:26(Please READ), True/Real Faith looks like evidence: providing for the orphans, visiting the widows, and refusing to be corrupted by the world.(stay like Christ) When in search of True/Real Faith, we should always follow Jesus Christ’s example. What greater example is there to follow on earth? (Read Ephesians 5:1-2) The Word of God(The TRUTH) instructs us that we should follow God’s example to love as seen through Christ’s sacrificial act in Him giving Himself for us. Love and True/Real Faith are inseparable. True/Real Faith is based on the Love of God. There can be no True/Real Faith where the Love of God is not present. Faith works by love! I place emphasis on the fact that Faith “works”. Faith is always doing something. Faith is about performing acts of God’s love towards those who are in no position to repay. To summarize James chapter 2, Faith must have works or “ACTS”! Where there are no ACTS, there is no Faith. “Faith without works is dead, being alone.”Have you got GOOD RELIGION? Is your Faith True/Real/Genuine/Authentic? The Apostle James said, “Show me your Faith and I’ll show you my works.” Spreading the love of God through constant random ACTS of Love, kindness and generosity, this is what True/Real Faith is all about.

Selah(Think about it…..)
Faithfully,
Pastor Dexter

My Name Is Victory! – Healing For Your “Father Wounds”

It is every girl’s desire to be a princess, especially in the eyes of the most important man in her life — her father. Unfortunately, many of those princesses end up living out a story similar to that of the fairytale story of Cinderella — the little girl who experienced the pain of abandonment by her father and left to the care of a hateful step-mother. Most “would-be” princesses’ fairytale lives end up shattered and compromised because of a “father-wound”. Father wounds happen as a result of “father hunger”. Father Hunger can be described as an insatiable desire to attract and appease the love of a father, the most important man in any woman’s life. A woman will go to great lengths to please her father, even if the father is negligent in his responsibilities towards her.

Please allow me to bring you into the biblical scene of Tamar in 2 Samuel 2:13. Tamar was a real-life princess, the daughter of King David. Tamar was a victim of Father Hunger. Tamar’s insatiable desire to please her father, King David, led her into a life spiraled out of control and full of regret and bitterness. King David’s negligence in his responsibility to protect his daughter allowed Tamar to be placed in harm’s way. Tamar’s half-brother, Amnon, lusted after Tamar and tricked his father into sending Tamar to care for Amnon because Amnon feigned sick. Being a good princess, she went and cared for Amnon by taking him some cakes she had prepared to feed him in hopes of making him feel better. I have one wife and six daughters and a mother, and it is amazing how a girl will go to great lengths to care for everyone else, even when it is hurting her. I have figured what women really want is to be loved and accepted through their serving. Tamar only wanted to please her father by going to Amnon. The type of cakes that Tamar prepared for Amnon can be translated as “things from the heart”, which were designated for occasions to make people feel better. Ladies, isn’t it interesting how you give your ‘heart’ to make things and people, both, better and or feel better, even to your own demise. Amnon tricked his half-sister into his bed-chamber, only to rape her and throw her out like a cheap street prostitute. Tamar was wearing a long-sleeved robe(of many colors) that are reserved for only princesses, a King’s virgin daughter. Amnon abused Tamar and threw her out and Tamar threw dirt upon her head in shameful disgust and tore her robe as a sign of her defeat.

I want to speak to the heart and encourage every Tamar tattered and torn by the bitter circumstances of life. You may feel as though you have been defeated by life’s circumstances. Your insatiable desire to attract the love your heart so longed for caused you to experience pain – even pain that may seem irreparable. But don’t forget who you really are! You see, Tamar means “palm tree” which also means “victory” & “triumph”. There was victory and triumph in Tamar the whole time.

Father wounds are a dangerous thing. But, there is victory in every wound you have or ever will experience. The victory is in you. “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even, our faith.” I encourage you to place your faith in an awesome “father” who will never let you down or abandon you. Your faith in God will give you the victory you need to overcome your circumstances every time! Tamar’s hope was crushed and she was willing to spend the rest of her life living like a servant and not a Princess. Your future can be different. Because the Word of God says, “Jesus Christ is our hope….” If your hope has been lost and you have torn your princess robe or are about to tear it, stop and run to your Father — Abba, our God, our Lord and Creator. In His arms are healing balm for every wound and broken place of your life! Run right into your Father God’s arms and find healing for your soul.

I love you all and I salute all of the Precious Princesses out there.

Blessings,
Pastor Dexter

Keep the faith! Our God can not Fail!

Good morning. Just sitting here in my office having my morning devotional and contemplating God’s faithfulness towards me and my family. Let me just say, “God is good!” I was reading in Isaiah 8, verses 11-15. And, as I was reflecting on the power of this scripture to people of faith, I really began to highlight the instructions of this scripture to people of faith. In a nutshell, this scripture admonishes people of God not to give much credence to the fear that has been created in our society through threats of terrorism, swine flu, war, uncertainty of health-care reform and, of course, the recession that still looms large over this nation and the rest of the world. How can we not be moved by these things? Well, for one, we can stop allowing our ears and thoughts to be influenced by national and international media. But, say as David, in Psalm 56:11, “In God will I put my trust!” We, as people of faith, should only regard and place our confidence in the promises of God to those who place their trust and belief in Him. To those who do so,He will according to Isaiah 8:14(AMP.), “be a sanctuary[a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]….” Simply put, as you listen to the news and the pundits, keep your faith and trust in God and His promises. Reverence Him and rest in Him. Our God cannot fail.