“How Do I Win in This Thing Called Life?”

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE …

“How Do I Win in This Thing Called Life?” 

Pastor Brice is continuing his on-going series on I’m Winning This Thing. During our Sunday morning worship service he made the statement, “We must keep our composure through the chaos and pain.” Yes, this sounds about right, but this is one of those statements that are easier said than done. Why?

“Pain and suffering take us out of character.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

When we are going through, pain, suffering, hard times, we tend to try for a quick fix because we just want it to stop. So, what do we do? We listen to the wrong voice. When we hear a little voice tell us to do a certain thing, we must put it through the test.  Is what I’m being told to do of God? Is it something that Jesus would do?

“My problems made me pray more.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

Yes, pray. We need help. We can’t navigate through life without the help of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Pray and let it go. We often hear our elders say, Let go and let God. This is the best advice you could ever receive. Pray and get out of the way and let God work for you. Get under the Will of God.

“Then you will be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants.”                                   – 1 Pete 4:2 (MSG).

Remember the song from the musical, The Wizard of Oz, follow – follow – follow – follow the yellow brick road? Well, when life brings trouble – hurt – pain, follow – follow – follow – follow the Will of God. Following the Will of God is the road to win – win – win – winning in life.

“Stay wide awake in prayer.” – 1 Peter 4:7b (MSG).

Live – Pray – Follow – Win!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

 

“Are You Subscribing?”

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Are You Subscribing?”

During our Tuesday night bible class, All I Am Is an Asset, Pastor Brice posed the following question: Are you subscribing to the ministry? Take a moment, don’t answer right away, think about your individual contribution to our church ministry. As disciples of Solomon Temple Ministries International we have all taken the first step, attendance. However, our discipleship does not stop there.

“The anchor, strength, and health of our church is tied to Word, and prayer. This is also the vision of this House.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice.

With that said, lets go to step two, subscribing to the vision of the House. Word and prayer. Let’s start with Word. We get the Word on Sunday and on Tuesday night. On Wednesday night, life transformation classes based on Word. Prayer. Prayer is available to us each day, 06:00am to 06:15am, and on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 12:00 noon to 12:15pm.

“You’re either an asset or a liability to our church.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice.

You’re an asset when you subscribe to the vision of the House. To subscribe means to agree. When you agree with the vison or purpose of the House, you will become a useful, supportive, contributor. You become a liability when you don’t subscribe to the vision.

“We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.”                                              – Romans 15:2 (NLT)

The above Scripture lays the foundation for you to be an asset rather than a liability to STMI. Before you even think of the word, can’t, let me show you how you can.

Be in regular attendance for Sunday morning worship service. Be in regular attendance for Tuesday bible study and Wednesday life transformation class. Be on the prayer line every morning. And last, but not least, pray for yourselves as well as others.

This is you, doing what is right and you helping others do what is right. This is you building your relationship with the Lord and you helping others build their relationship with the Lord. By being disciples, we make disciples.

Yes, I’m an asset, I’m subscribing, I’m contributing to the vision of the church. Word and prayer.

Stay Connected,

Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

 

“Friend or Adversary?”

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE … 

“Friend or Adversary?” 

When you hear these phrases: friend or adversary; with me or against me; win or lose; what one word comes to mind?  Competition. Ok, so you can name a few more, but let’s talk about competition. Why? Because we live in a very competitive and challenging world.

Competitive world: workforce – music – entertainment (stage, film, writers, producers, directors, actors, etc.) – education – sports – politics – judicial and legislative. We have an election this year. Competition. Who do you vote for? Can you trust the candidate to be truthful?

Challenging world. People of the world are carnal minded. Pastor Brice has reminded us that the carnal minded goes against everything that God is about.

“The carnal minded can’t please God.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice.

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6 (NIV).

We, as a people, tend to want and cater to things that look good, smell good, taste good, and even sound good.  This is called operating in the flesh. You may have a pretty or handsome spouse –the table you’re sitting at has delicious smelling food (so you automatically think it will taste good) – you may be listening to get up and dance music. However, all that looks, smells, tastes, and sounds good is not good.

“To be carnal minded is to be influenced by your flesh. It is a dangerous position to be in.”                                  –   Pastor Victor S. Brice.

Your pretty or handsome spouse is a cheater – that delicious smelling food tastes like wood (ok, I borrowed this from a song) – the music you’re listening to has cuss words. The moral to this story: the Devil knows how to disguise himself.

God is your friend – the Devil is your adversary.

Stay connected to God (tap in and win). Connected to the Devil (you snooze and lose).

Stay connected!

Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

 

“What’s Your Source?”

GREETIINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“What’s Your Source?”

Pastor Brice is continuing his series of teachings on winning. We all know that winning is the opposite of losing. You either win or you lose, there is no in-between. A loser may look at his loss and say, we only lost by one point. Ok, fine, but did you get the prize…the money…the trophy…the ring? No, no, no, and no! You don’t get a reward for almost winning!

“God moves us from a loser to a winner.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

God designs our win – Jesus delivers our win – the Holy Spirit directs our win.

There is no win without The Trinity! God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is why we don’t just barely win, we’re massive winners – dominant winners – big-time winners – perpetual winners – we win every time.

Don’t wait til’ the battle is over, shout now!

The enemy will try to charge you (make you think what happened is your fault) – the enemy will try to condemn you (make you feel guilty) – the enemy will try to confine you (separate you from God). Don’t buy into any of these things. You’re covered by the Blood of Jesus.

Yes, all the above was gleaned from our Pastor’s teachings on winning.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”                           –   Romans 8:37 (NIV). 

More than conquerors. That’s us! Our win is designed – delivered – directed by God. Our opponents may as well concede. There is no way they will win against our Almighty God.

Therefore, you must stay connected to God. Stay connected to the Win! Jesus died for you and me! You’re a conqueror because of God. God is your Source!

Stay Connected!

Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

“Your Assignment”

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Your Assignment”

During our second Sunday sermon, January 14, 2024, Pastor Brice gave us an assignment: For the next 30 days read Romans chapter 8 in its entirety. You’ll get a closeup look at the passion and plan God has over our lives. Be intentional. Pray every time before you read it. God will give you revelation.

Yes, I’ve been diligently reading Romans chapter 8. The chapter is literately divided into three sections: Life Through the Spirit, Romans 8:1-17; Present Suffering and Future Glory, Romans 8:18-30; and More Than Conquerors. Romans 8:31-39.

I’ve found that by praying, reading, meditating, seeking discernment over one of the three sections every day, God is blessing me. He is giving me clarity concerning Romans chapter 8.

“We share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” – Romans 8:17.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to walk among the people so that He could show the people how to live. However, not everyone had love in their heart for Jesus.

“And they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him.” – Matthew 26:4 (NIV).

Although Jesus suffered at Calvary, He also won because God raised Him. We must suffer also, but our sufferings will never be equivalent to the suffering Jesus had to endure to save us.

We will suffer and we will also win. We will be stronger, wiser, better, so much better. Just like in the Marvin Sapp song: Never Would Have Made It.  God will be there for you. He will see you through your storm – calamity – difficulty.

“The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”                                        – Romans 8:27 (NIV).

 As you pray, ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to let the will of God prevail in your request. (And you already know – you’ve won.)

“We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” – Romans 8:37 (NIV).

Thank you, Pastor Brice, for giving us this assignment. To consistently pray, read, meditate, and seek, is providing revelations that may have taken much longer had I not taken on this assignment.

Stay Connected!

 Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

 

“Are You A Winner?”

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE …

“Are You a Winner?”

We all like to win. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. Sometimes we’re not even in competition with each other.  However, when there is competition, you try even harder to succeed. When you succeed, you feel some kind of way. Like, wow! I did that!

Hold on a second!  Did you really do that?   No!  Nope!  Naw!

Pastor Brice has been taking us through a series of teachings on I’m Winning This Thing!  We win when the Lord is with us.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV).

We triumph because the Lord is with us. We triumph because the Lord is directing our paths. He is our Source – our Power – our Strength! He will be there with you. He will stand by you – He will strengthen you. Surrender to Him.  Ask Him to walk with you.

“At the end of the day, the Lord is walking with me.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice.

We must share with others how He has stood by us – how He has strengthened us. We must share with others how special He is to us. These are not my words. This is all Biblical.

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” – Psalm 105:1 (NIV).

As we share with others the goodness and mercy God has shown us, we are making disciples. And we all know that this is one of the commands that the Lord has given us. Pastor Brice has also told us to participate more in evangelism this year.

“Share the Message – get in the prayer room – get in the Word room – get in the transformation room.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice.

Once we habitually do all the above, we’ll be well on our way to doing more in 2024. The key is to keep God in it, to win it!

Stay Connected!

 

Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

“Our Good Intent”

“Our Good Intent”

As this year, 2023, is closing, most of us will start thinking about making a resolution for the fast-approaching 2024. Why do we make resolutions that seem to fizzle right after the start of the new year?  Is this out of habit or good intent?

How many people do you know have succeeded in their New Year’s resolution? On a personal level, I don’t know anyone that has been successful for the full 365 days. In fact, the success rate for resolutions is limited and very low. Why? Because we tend to lean on our own understanding – we take charge and leave God out of it.

To win it – you must keep God in it!  

Pastor Brice has been teaching a series on I’m Winning This Thing!  He reminded us that: “The battle isn’t ours – it’s God’s!”  

I recently read an article that had the four “d’s” of success: desire – dedication – determination – discipline. Desire is your hunger for success. Dedication is your unwavering focus on your plan or dream. Determination is your resolve to stay the course. Discipline is your ability to avoid distraction. So far, all the d’s sound like a plan that can be implemented.

However, there is another “d” that always rears its ugly head. Devil. No matter what you are doing – especially when you are succeeding, the Devil will always show up. This is when the battle begins. This is when you strive. To strive means to seek something that is higher than oneself. Time to seek God. Time to get God involved in your plans.

“God is with you. He goes with you always.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

 Let go!    Get out of God’s way and let Him win the battle for you.

We’re ending 2023 winning – we’re beginning 2024 winning.

It is our good intent to make 2024 our winning season

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

“Time to Celebrate!’

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Time to Celebrate!” 

This is the season to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. This is also our winning season so keep on celebrating. Our pastor has been teaching a series on, I’m Winning This Thing. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you become God’s people.

“God’s people don’t work or war to win because they have already won.”  Pastor Victor S. Brice

Repeat: “I have already won!” – “I have already won!”

Now, you can shout: “Glory!”

Keep this winning mindset as you pursue your goals. It doesn’t matter what you are pursuing when God is involved in your pursuit. Keep on pushing towards the mark (your goals). Don’t be discouraged when you encounter trouble along the way. Trouble is a part of life – trouble is expected.

“For I am the Lord your God. the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” – Isaiah 43:3 (NIV).

Jesus encountered trouble and won over suffering and death. Therefore, expect to suffer or encounter trouble while working towards your mark. Remember, your main goal is to be like Jesus. Be like Jesus and receive the real prize of eternity. You win in eternity.

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”                               – 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV).

“Winning is the Will of God.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice.

Now you know what to pray when you’re in battle. Pray for God to let His Will be done.  Remain steadfast in prayer. You’ve got the victory!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

“O’ Give Thanks!”

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“O’ Give Thanks!”

Thanksgiving Day is approaching fast along with memories of our past Thanksgivings. For some of us, our memories will put us in a melancholy state. We will be yearning for the good food and the happy times spent with our family of loved ones who we sometimes didn’t get to see except for once a year at Thanksgiving.

Some of our loved ones have gone on to glory. Knowing that they are with our Father, in Heaven, does not lessen our melancholy state though. Therefore, recall those memories – share those memories with other family members. You’ll find that recalling certain memories will have you laughing, instead of crying. Thank God for the memories you have to share.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”                              – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV).

It is ok to yearn for times of yesterday. It is ok to remember, to reflect, to wish you could relive those times. Go ahead and smile – go ahead and shed a tear or two, it’s ok. This is what love looks like. Remember, God is Love. God’s Love gave His only Son over to crucifixion and resurrection so that we may live. We have the victory! Give thanks!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”                                     – 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV). 

“Your relationship with Jesus Christ makes you a winner.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

Rejoice! Reflect! Remember! This is your winning season. How often do you hear this statement?  Often? Why? Because when you are connected to God it will always be your winning season. As you reflect on times past, go deeper in prayer – deeper in His Word – deeper in praise. Let your witness be the highest praise!

“We give you thanks and praise your holy name.” – 1 Chronicles 29:13 (NIV).

Yes, praise is what we believers do.

Praise is what I do – I owe it all to You. I vow to praise Him – for the good and the bad. Praise Him – whether happy or sad. Cause praise is what I do. And I owe it all to You!

Enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan

 

“God Made Me”

“God Made Me”

God made me who I am. God made me a winner! Pastor Brice is taking us through a series of teachings on; I’m Winning This Thing! While sitting under his teachings, the song that keeps playing over and over in my head is: God Made Me. Yes, God made me a winner through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Excerpt from Song:

God made me – God made me who I am.                                                                                                               I’m a conqueror – I’m victorious – I won’t be stopped.                                                                                             I’m a believer – I’m an achiever – I won’t be blocked.                                                                                                     (And you know why!)                                                                                                                                              God made me – God made me who I am.

We are here by the grace of God.  Do not take this lightly. Praise Him – seek Him – include Him in everything! Be diligent in your praise and in your prayers. Be steadfast in His Word. Stand firm in God’s Truth! Yes, Truth will set you free! Truth will make you a winner. However, you must be connected to God.

Wake up with the Truth (God’s Word). Keep the Truth with you all day – noon time – evening time – nighttime. Go to bed with the Truth. While you are connected, praise Him! Everything God does for you deserves a praise. Doesn’t matter if He is taking you through your trials and troubles. Praise Him! It won’t last. He is teaching you. Be strong in His Word. He is making you a better person. He is drawing you closer to Him.

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” – James 4:8 (KJV).

We all must go through something to really appreciate His Goodness. He will see you through. You will win, but again, you must be connected to God. Why? God and God alone has the authority over Satan. Let go, and let God fight your battles. Put on the full armor of God: the belt of Truth – the breastplate of Righteousness – the Gospel of Peace – the shield of Faith – the helmet of Salvation – the sword of the Spirit – and pray in the Spirit on all occasions.  (Read and keep Ephesians chapter 6 in your spirit.)

“For everyone born of God overcomes the world.” – 1 John 5:4 (NIV).

Stay Connected!

Solomon Temple Ministries International ~ Blogger ~ Othella Hill-Jordan