Othella Hill-Jordan                                                                                             April 16, 2020

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Now Faith”

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”   – Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

I’ve read this Scripture throughout my Christian life, I’ve even memorized It. However, I must share with you that I have never, I mean never, gotten the real meaning of this Scripture until last night during our, Word on the Web, Bible class. You’re probably saying to yourself, “What? Even I know that!” Ok, let me explain where my thinking was before last night.

i.e. I’ve been reading the Scripture like this: “Then (Now) faith is being sure…” I had been reading the Scripture with the first word of the Scripture “Now” as in (then) and not as an adverb that modifies the word and puts The Word in action. “Now” is an adverb that modifies – puts action – into a noun, which in this case is the word (faith). Ok, English lesson over.

When in all actuality, I should’ve been reading the Scripture as: “Now Faith” – which describes the type of faith and at the same time, puts action in The Word. “Now Faith”.

“Faith is taking God at His Word and acting on it right now.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

This confirms my epiphany that the writer is talking about “now faith.” Therefore, we must act on faith right away. If for some reason you fail to act on faith or fail to step-out on faith right away, then you must question yourself: “Do I really have “now faith?”

“Faith is an action – not talk, but a walk. Faith must be demonstrated.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” – Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

So, there you have it. Please God by showing Him you trust and believe in Him. Let your faith dictate your actions. Let your faith speak for you. Let your faith guide you in your walk. Others should also be able to see by your walk that you are a believer in Christ Jesus.

God’s Word is Truth and His Word comes with responsibility. It is our responsibility to read –heed – then proceed. We must read the Word – obey God’s Commands – then proceed to share His Word with others – make disciples – bring new members to Christ. To diligently seek Him and remain steadfast in His Word is to grow our relationship with Him.

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Othella Hill-Jordan                                                                                                     April 14, 2020

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Get Out the Way!”

Get out the way! Sounds rude doesn’t it? Perhaps. I’m talking to me, well, maybe you too. Reality, we sometimes must get out of our own way in order to let God do His Work. To say this in more colloquial words we must: “Get out of God’s Business!”

Take a step back. Let God do His Work in you and for you. Quit trying to help Him. He doesn’t need your/our help. “Let go, let God!” – “God’s got it!” – “Wait on the Lord!” When we get in God’s way, we block Him. He can’t help us when we block Him. Once we block God, we open ourselves up to worldliness – to darkness. We’re a hinderance to God. Time to take another step, into the Light. “Walk in the Light – beautiful Light!” “Jesus, The Light of the world.”

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” – Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

Do you see anywhere in this Scripture anything that says once we pray, ask God, we must guide Him or direct Him? What we must do is read – study – live – obey – and share the Scriptures. You can read your Bible from cover to cover and nowhere in the pages of Scripture does it tell you it’s ok to deviate from It. That it’s ok to do things your way. This Scripture is telling us to pursue God, by asking – seeking – and knocking. It’s not telling us to pursue God and take the wheel – take control. God is in control – follow His lead, don’t change things to suit yourself. Don’t change things to suit your ambitions.

“We must align ourselves with the Scriptures – we’ll be covered if we stay under the Will of God.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

We should always get out of God’s way, but never out of The Way (God). During this shelter-in-place, stay under the teachings of our Pastor, Rev. Victor S. Brice. Let him lead you via the latest media: Livestream – Teleconference – Facebook. During this crisis it is critical that we remain steadfast in His Word. For God has said:

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” – John 15:4 (NIV)

Let God do the driving – Let God take Control – Get out the way and get in The Way!

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Othella Hill-Jordan                                                                                         April 11, 2020

BLESSINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Rise!”

This four letter word, r-i-s-e, can have a multitude of meanings depending on how you use it in a sentence. To rise means movement – raise – ascend – arise – appear – increase – get up. Court room: “All rise!” – the judge is entering the room. Community: “Rise up!” – a gathering or movement. Cooking: dough – breads – cakes – will “rise”. Church: acknowledging God. “Raise your hands in praise – honor – homage” – “He has risen!” – “He got up!” There have been many songs, both secular and gospel written and centered around the word, or a derivative of the word “rise”.

“Rise Up” by Andra Day: “And I’ll rise up – I’ll rise like the day – I’ll rise up – I’ll rise up unafraid – I’ll rise up – And I’ll do it a thousand times again.”    Also: “He Got Up” by Edwin Hawkins: “Death, where is your sting – Sting, where is your grave – Grave, where is your victory. He got up – God raised Him up – He got up – All power in His Hand.”

Stop the sorrow, worry, and anxiety. Stop being afraid! Stop depending on man! God is controlling this pandemic. God has brought the world (us) to our knees, but He has not forsaken us. God is waiting on us to tap into His Power – to tap into His strength. He is waiting on us to acknowledge Who He is and to do what He has commanded.

“Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.” – James 4:8

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial.” – James 1:12

“Love one another as I have loved you.” – John 13:34

How do we deal with this pandemic?

“We deal with it by being in Christ. God will help us with this crisis.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

What does it mean to be in Christ? Ok, I’ll give you a clue: Resurrection Sunday!

“We get in Christ by accepting what God has done.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

God is waiting on us. Raise your hands in praise –in honor. Tell God you’re sorry! Yes, we have all done something that we need to apologize for. Repent! Stay strong in the Lord – stay strong in His Word. In due time, God will bring this pandemic to an end. He will bring this world (us) to our feet. We’ll rise!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

Othella Hill-Jordan                                                                                                   April 6, 2020

HELLO FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Are You Feeling Low?” 

Are you feeling down – depressed – unmotivated? This pandemic (coronavirus) has a lot of us feeling low. Sheltering-in-place, we’re stuck at home – glued to the TV – listening to the news of the many verified COVID-19 cases and the many deaths as a result of it. This news is making us self-focused, worrying – afraid – anxious. It’s time to redirect our focus. Time to re-direct our focus to God.

“Have you had a conversation with the Lord while sheltering-in-place?” – “This is a good opportunity to do that.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

Have you, as I have, forgotten to include God in your plans? Yes, this sheltering-in-place should include Him. Everything you and I do should include God. Therefore, time to get back on the road to righteousness. Time to do the right thing, and include God in everything you do.

“For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.” – Psalm 37:28 (NIV)

“Shelter-in-place with the Savior. Plead the Blood of Jesus over your house while you’re sheltering-in-place.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

Are you still not getting it? Are you still feeling depressed due to this gloomy weather, and the expectation of not having a happy Easter due to this pandemic keeping you from your routine spring shopping for that special outfit to wear on Easter? Or the special decorations you use during this spring holiday?

Stop it!    Stop with all this man-made hype over Easter!

He is Risen! Yes, shout it out! Resurrection Sunday! He is Risen! This is a time for shouting – not reminiscing about prior Easter times. Push, come-to shove, you weren’t celebrating the true meaning of Easter anyway. Jesus died, under the authority of God, but three days later, He came back to save us. Resurrection Sunday! Our Salvation! We believers shout about this! Not the worldly celebration of Easter with new outfits, bonnets, hats, and pretty decorations.

“I dare you to shout! He comes to save – heal – and deliver!” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

Jesus will deliver us from this pandemic. Just keep the faith – keep believing. Keep praying! Keep shouting! Just, as Pastor Brice has said: “He comes to save, heal, and deliver!”   Shout!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

Othella Hill-Jordan                                                                                         March 28, 2020

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Wash Your Hands!”

How often as a child, prior to eating or coming in from outdoors, did your mother say to you: “Wash your hands!” or “Did you wash your hands?” During my childhood my mother said this quite often. During this coronavirus pandemic we’re hearing this often. Yes, we need to practice cleanliness during this pandemic because cleanliness is key to eradicating this virus outbreak.

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.” – James 4:8 (KJV)

The above Scripture is a model for this next Scripture:

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instructions, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”     – Romans 15:4 (ESV)

Hope – trust – believe – cleanse! Cleanse (wash your hands) – get rid of the ungodly things that you say or do. Purify your hearts, minds, and souls with God’s Word. Most of all, remember His command to love one another and care for one another. We’ve, somewhere along the line, stopped following His command. Why? Life? Has life gotten in the way? We’ve somehow lost our hope (belief). No, let’s not go there. Let’s just say that we’ve gotten so into ourselves that we’ve forgotten where our sustenance comes from. Being happy, successful, his led us to think that we’re the cause. We’re taking credit for what God has done and is doing in our lives.

Redirection! God has gotten our attention with this coronavirus. He is showing us Who is in Control – in Charge. Time for us to redirect! Time to immerse ourselves in His Word. Time to pray – praise – worship – share – love – care for one another – as His Word instructs us.

Wash your hands! This phrase during this coronavirus pandemic has double meaning. Yes, we must practice cleanliness, but we must also wash our hands of the sin in our lives. After you wash your hands the next step is to eat. Partake of God’s Word. Remain steadfast: worship – pray – praise – wisdom. Follow God’s Commands – stay in His Word – share His Word.

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”                          – James 1:12 (ESV)

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE …

“Make A Fist!”

How do you make a fist? Start by opening your hand so that the fingers are fully extended – roll your fingers towards the middle of the palm of your hand – then place your thumb across your fingers to lock them in place. By bringing your fingers together and locking them in place with your thumb, you’ve made a fist and created a weapon. Take a moment – give this action some thought. The key word: weapon.

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we enter into a spiritual realm with God. We have the gift of Salvation, along with the gift of His Power, which is our strength – His Provisions, when we’re in need – His Peace, during our storms. When we pray, we activate the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be in our midst. Praying alone or together activates a Weapon. There is no greater weapon than God.

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

When we come together in His Name, we are inviting Him to enter into our midst – opening our hands so that He can lock our fingers in place with His Presence – thus making a Fist.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV)

We are in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic – worldwide. How do we survive this pandemic? Come together – make a Fist!

How do you do this when we’ve been told to physically isolate ourselves from each other?

Technology. Today’s technology allows us to come together without being side by side. STMI uses technology to bring us together by: Live-streaming worship services – teleconferencing Bible study calls – teleconferencing prayer calls. God is in our midst through the use of latest technology which has allowed us to come together and make a Fist.

Continue to pray – praise Him – get locked in – make a Fist! Remain steadfast in the Word!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE …

“What’s Going On?”

Good morning family and friends of The Temple (STMI) – What’s going on? Is everybody all right? Coronavirus (COVID-19). Yes, we’re in the middle of a worldwide epidemic – pandemic – crisis. Ok, let’s stop sugar-coating what we’re going through and call it what it really is – a plague. Yes, a plague. God sent plagues to the Egyptians during Moses’ day because they were being disobedient, not following Gods commands, and worshiping idols. This is where we are today. Thoughts: “I’m not being disobedient!” “I’m not worshiping idols!” “What’s an idol?”

Idol defined: anything that you put more credence on than God. It can be an object of worship – adoration – it can be a person, place, or thing.

We must learn from our Biblical history so that we won’t repeat it. However, when we find ourselves repeating our history, we must fix it. How can we fix this? What’s the solution?

“Put your hand over your mouth when you cough, that’ll help the solution.” – Mavis Staples

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” – Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

Are you steadfast in your prayer life?

When the problem is bigger than you, turn to God in prayer. Turn to the only One who can fix what’s going on. Our God is a patient God, but we must stop being disobedient and follow God’s commands. Love one another and look out for each other just as God has commanded us.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – John 13:34 (NIV)

Help the neighbor who is in need. Stop berating each other with unkind words and actions. Don’t you get tired of turning on the TV or going to social media and seeing where one neighbor or a person of authority has killed another – physically or verbally? Where is the love? Love is caring – love is sharing. When you love (care about) someone, you don’t hurt them.

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 2:4-5(NIV)

I encourage you to go to God in prayer – Remain steadfast in the Word – Share the Word – Be obedient!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Raise Your Hands!”

Raise your hands if you’ve had enough of these Coronavirus impactful situations. (My hands are raised.) Our medical professionals – facilities – workers and their associates have all tried to alleviate the current hysteria by giving sound and practical advice as to how to avoid and detect the Coronavirus (COVID-19). How many of us agree that this is a good thing? Raise your hands!

On another note: Employers, businesses, schools, churches, sports venues, entertainment venues; including those on television, are closing their doors, shutting down. How many agree that although social media – including radio and television – has been giving us sound and practical advice on how to detect and avoid contamination, you’re getting over-whelmed by seeing and anticipating more people succumbing to this virus?  Raise your hands!

“Coronavirus has gripped the whole world. I believe God is trying to get our attention.”                – Pastor Victor S. Brice

“God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”    – 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

Yes, there is a pandemic going on but, stop buying into the hype. Use your gift of power, love, and self-discipline that the Lord has given you. Somewhere along our Christian journey we’ve drifted away from loving, caring and praying for each other. We’re not seeking Him first and relying on Him. We’re not stepping out on faith.

Time to go to the Word. A good place to start is in the book of Exodus. Read about the plagues of Egypt. Understand that during the time of Moses, God sent plagues to His people as a consequence of their disobedience and idolatry. (Can we not relate to our Biblical ancestors?)

“There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” – Luke 21:11 (NIV)

If you haven’t already, it’s time to show your love, understanding, and compassion towards each other. Humble yourselves. Pray. Be a blessing to others – and be blessed. Remain steadfast in the Word. No weapon (Coronavirus) used against you will prosper. But it did get your attention!

“Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’” – Isaiah 35:4 (NIV)

Raise your hands!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

HELLO FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“It’s Lent Season”

Perhaps you’ve already heard the announcement from your local news station that it’s Lent season. Yesterday, Ash Wednesday, marked the beginning of Lent season. Lent started: Wednesday, February 26^th – Ends: Saturday, April 11^th. Ok, time for Q&A (question and answer time for me and others – who aren’t sure what Lent season entails).

Your questions might go something like this: “What is Lent season?” or “How does this affect me?”  If you know a little about Lent season from observing your friends, you might even say: “But, I’m not Catholic!”

Ok, teachable moment time. Everyone who already celebrate Lent season, or know what Lent season is about, please bear with me and others like me.

What is Lent season?

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” – Philippians 3:10 (NIV)

Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. Lent is a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper into the Word – to go deeper into your relationship with God. It’s a time for personal reflections which will prepare your hearts and minds for Good Friday and for Easter.

How does this affect me?

Lent season represents one’s repentance from sin as well as Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death to set followers free from sin and death. The purpose of Lent is to draw your focus to prayer, repentance, and renewal of your faith.

“Lent represents a time when I take a close look at myself.” – Pastor Victor S. Brice

But, I’m not Catholic!

Many Christian groups take part in the Lent season, including Catholics and Protestants. Yes, this includes you (members of STMI). Therefore, since this is Lent season – time to repent – reflect – renew!  Give up something – fast and pray during Lent season. Get ready for Resurrection Sunday!

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan

Othella Hill-Jordan                                                                                         February 20, 2020

GREETINGS FROM THE TEMPLE ….

“Think Faith”

Our church assignment this week was to work on affirming our faith. Pastor Brice gave us 7 affirmations of faith. We were to start and end each day meditating on the following Scriptures:

• Day 1: Think faith. Philippians 2:5
• Day 2: Hear faith. John 5:24
• Day 3: See faith. Hebrews 12:2
• Day 4: Talk faith. Psalm 105:2
• Day 5: Work faith. James 2:18
• Day 6: Walk faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7
• Day 7: Remain in faith. Revelation 2:10

I was good with all of them, but for some reason, I kept coming back to Day 1: Think faith. How am I supposed to affirm my faith by just thinking about it? Ok, so our pastor, Rev. Victor S. Brice, just like Our Savior, won’t give you any task without giving you the means to complete that task.

Think faith. Philippians 2:5. Ok, time to go to the Scripture – time to open my Bible.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:5 (NLT)

Wow! I must have the same attitude as Jesus! This one verse encouraged me to go back and read the entire chapter. Philippians Chapter 2.

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3 (NLT)

“No one is perfect in their faith except Jesus. Look to Jesus, He is the supreme answer.”                             – Pastor Victor S. Brice

I can do this – I can change my mind-set. I can put aside my selfishness and work towards considering the interests of others above my own. We must remember that Christ was a true example of humility. Like Christ, we must have a servant’s attitude and serve out of love for God and others. Think on that! Think faith!

Although, Pastor Brice gave us these affirmations for a week, lets keep going with them throughout 2020. Since this is a new decade, let’s just fill this decade with affirmations of faith.

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Solomon Temple Ministries International – Blogger – Othella Hill-Jordan