Pastor Kim Davis: "Your History Doesn't Change Your Destiny!"
http://www.facebook.com/people/Pastor-Kim-Davis/1646940589
Written by Nichelle Early, Chief Executive Editor
As those sentiments, and many others may come to your mind, the reality is that many people don't think about the goodness of Jesus or even consider coming to Him for that matter, because they feel they do not have a right to do so. They suppose that their past, bad mistakes, and unfortunate circumstances disqualify them from coming to the Lord. Some people have even postured themselves to believe the lie that they are undeserving of God's love and promises because of all of the "bad" things they have done or experienced in their past. However today, we want to disperse that illusion once and for all.
If you are not familiar with the dynamic ministry of Pastor Kim you are in for an awesome encounter. A native of
Pastor Kim is also the founder of the Daughters of Judah Ministries. Through this evangelistic ministry calling, based upon Isaiah 61:1-3 as its founding scripture, she has literally spoken life into the lives of people, particularly women, all over the world establishing the premise that they do not have to be poor in spirit, broken hearted, or held captive by their personal affairs or as a prisoner in the den of sin; but, they can live a life full of beauty and joy, experiencing the favor of God, while adorned in the garment of praise while standing as oaks of God's righteousness.
PreachingWoman.com's founder, Rev. Nichelle Early (NE), garnered the spectacular opportunity to speak one on one with Pastor Kim (KD). Together they enjoyed an awesome time of fellowship and fun as they conversed together over the word of God arriving at the conclusion that "your history does not change your destiny!"
NE: Pastor Kim, I am so honored to be able to share this time with you today. Thank you so very much for accepting this interview!
KD: You are so welcome! I am honored to speak with you as well and I thank you for the opportunity!
NE: Well, Pastor Kim, please tell us about the mission and mandate of your ministry, particularly the Daughters of Judah Ministries.
KD: Well, the ministry God is given me is based upon Isaiah 61:1-3 (KJV):
1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (KJV)
In 1993, the Lord spoke this scripture to me. I had never heard this scripture quite like God had spoken it to me at this time. So, I began to mediate on it. A while later, as I was walking down the steps at the church a lady came up to me and she said, "The Lord told me to give you a scripture...," and it was again Isaiah 61:1-3. That was my confirmation. As I continued to study that scripture, the Lord confirmed to me that each piece of that scripture was my assignment... After the day that the scripture was poured into my spirit, I had an opportunity to minister at a medium security facility for women. As I stood in that facility, I looked around and I saw women that were pretty much just like me. I saw some that were young, some that were old; however, the difference was that when I left that day, the prison doors slammed behind me and I was on outside and they were on the inside...And while we were leaving, I heard this scripture from the Lord:
Psalm 48:11ยช- Let
And from that point forward, I told my team that we would be the Daughters of
NE: Amen! Now, you and I have something in common as the founding scripture for my personal ministry is Isaiah 61:1-3...Can we talk through this scripture because I really would like for you to share with our audience what this scripture means to you and how it serves as the basis of your ministry. Let's just break the scripture down piece by piece...{laughs}
"The Spirit of the Lord God is Upon Me..." Let's start right there!
KD: There is nothing comparable to the Spirit of the Living God being upon you. Because when He is upon you, He anoints you. The word anointing is symbolic of smearing with oil. And we know that the anointing destroys the yoke. That's what God did in my life.
I was a teenage mother, I didn't go to college, and I didn't, at the beginning of my ministry, have all of the credentials and training that others had...But, when the Spirit of the Lord is upon you and when He anoints you, especially as it pertains to ministry, you can do anything in His name. Therefore, He has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; so with that being said, I can encourage people by letting them know it doesn't matter about your history, God enables you with His ability and with his anointing!
NE: I know that's right! So Pastor Kim, what do you say to those women who are concerned with their history or their past, or those that feel like they are disqualified because of their past circumstances? What three words of encouragement can you offer them?
KD: "YES YOU CAN!" - Those would be my three words of encouragement! The Bible says in Philippians 4:13 (KJV), "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." So, Yes, You, Can!
NE: Wow, that is powerful, because when you look at it, it's actually one phrase with three separate messages of encouragement...It's YES-because God has already said YES; It's YOU-because God loves and has called YOU to do what He said do; and it's CAN-because the word "can" speaks to your ability to do exactly what He says!
KD: Amen! That is exactly right and that's why, the next portion of the verse in Isaiah 61:1-3 means so much to me because, "He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted..." You don't have to live broken hearted. I'm a witness of this in my own life. Like I said earlier, I was a teenage mother, I got married the first time at the age of 17, and I was divorced from that marriage at the age of 19. To be honest, I pretty much began my life brokenhearted...but I tell you what, when the Spirit of the Lord God came upon me, He anointed me...And God's anointing upon my own life bounded up my broken heart. Therefore, my encouraging word is this: don't let broken heartedness fester in your life...On the account that I have experienced broken heartedness; it allows me to minister healing to others because of those experiences.
NE: To God be the glory! Now, what about "proclaiming liberty to the captives...?"
KD: One thing I've learned is that so many people are in bondage. However, there is liberty in having the Spirit of the Lord God upon you and being anointed. Jesus died for us to live and to live a life of freedom, and that's why I proclaim liberty to people...one of the ways I stay humble and am able to minister about this is because I laugh a lot. I laugh at everything around me, because I know the favor of God is upon me.
You see Nichelle, captives are usually carried away by somebody else, but prisoners are usually guilty and are held because of their own actions. The good news however, is that there is still release for them both...You see, sometimes we put our own selves in prison, but Jesus releases us by offering salvation to us!
NE: Wow, now that's an awesome word...So "to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord's favor" says what to us?
KD: It says that God has brought us out and released us, so we are no longer guilty, and we have the right to proclaim or rejoice because favor is available to us by God's authority. You see it's not because of what we've done, but it is because of who God is!
NE: I know that's right! ...So what do you say to the part of Isaiah 61:2 which says, "To proclaim the day of vengeance of our God...?"
KD: Well, often times, we try to get revenge for situations in our lives where people have wronged us. However, God wants to handle that for us. He said in Psalm 68:1 (KJV) "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered..." Vengeance is not ours, it's the Lords. You don't have to fight, you don't have to act out, all you have to do is rest in the Lord. He's going to take care of your enemies and release His favor in your life!
NE: Hallelujah! This is so awesome...let's continue breaking down this scripture. Please talk to us about "comforting all who mourn..."
KD: Yes, I think that one of course is self explanatory. However, it very important that we understand that we have a right to comfort and [a right] to be comforted, especially when the Spirit of the Lord is upon us. He said His peace He has left with us, which is the Spirit of the Lord. So it's important to draw on that comfort in your time of need.
NE: Amen...So, we're at verse 3 of Isaiah 61. Let us have it! {Laughs}
KD: Well, verse three really is key for me! That's pretty much where my ministry flows out of... "To give beauty for ashes," as the Daughters of Judah, which of course Judah means praise...so as daughters of praise, our assignment is to let them know the Lord makes a "trade off" available. He gives us beauty in exchange for our ashes, the oil of joy for our mourning spirit, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Where I am right now in my life, I've traded my sorrows to live with the Spirit of the Lord upon me, because there are so many benefits for doing so. I live in a place of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness.
NE: Absolutely! I'm in agreement...and as we come to the close of this scripture, let's talk about being "called trees [oaks] of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."
KD: Yes! The NIV version of the Bible says, "oaks." The one thing we know about oaks is that they are strong, lofty, magnificent, distinguished, stable trees. And, that is what happens when the spirit of the Lord is upon you, you become like the oak. You are settled with deep strong roots in Jesus Christ; and, because of His anointing, you are able to speak into the lives of others so that they too can become oaks of His righteousness.
When I look at my life and all of the things that have taken place in it, I am so glad that God has made me a tree of righteousness in Him...I am so glad that my history did not change my destiny...only a good God could do what has been done in my life, that only He might be glorified! And if He can do it for me, He can do it for others. Your history doesn't change your destiny as far as God is concerned.
NE: Wow, I feel the presence of God!
KD: Me too!
---Just as Pastor Kim displays her passion and love for God and in his people through ministry, she is just as passionate about her life outside of the pulpit. She often says that her life and career experience prepared her for her ministry assignment. In January 1999, Pastor Kim was awarded a degree of Honorary Doctor of Divinity by Jacksonville Theological Seminary. She is a management retiree of Ameritech (formerly Michigan Bell), where she served for 18 years, and has been a licensed cosmetologist for 33 years. She was employed for 5 years by the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship under the leadership of Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr. as Executive Assistant to the Office of Field Operations and Administrative Assistant to General Overseer Debra B. Morton, supporting the Full Gospel Daughters of the Promise for 10 years.
NE: Let's talk about your professional life for a moment, how exactly did or does it still play a role in who you are in ministry?
KD: Well, earlier, we talked about trading "beauty for ashes." Even in the natural I am very much into seeing women of God displaying beauty on the inside as well as on the outside. And being a licensed cosmetologist, I always kept my scissors with me and my make up bag. So sometimes, I would see a woman and I would fix her hair and help with her make-up and show how to take care and feel good about herself...and God allowed me to have that gift, and it translated into a career. However, it is now ministry for me, because I still do it; the only difference is that I do it in the spirit for people through the Word and Spirit of the Lord being upon me.
NE: Wow! So, I know many people would like to know how you're enjoying the responsibility of being the pastor of two churches?
KD: Nichelle, I am having a ball as a pastor. Now, I will admit, it is not as easy as it seems, but when you are called, God equips you to do it and get through it! So, He's blessed me to serve as pastor of two churches, Ebenezer Full Gospel Baptist Church in Downingtown, PA, since 2006 and Pastor of the River of Life Church in Wilmington, DE, which I just took on in January of this year! I often refer to this as two churches, two states, one family!
NE: Excellent! So Pastor Kim, how are you doing it? I'm sure you have a great support system in place?...
KD: Yes, my oldest son, Pastor Derek Tyson, helps me pastor in Pennsylvania and I also travel back and forth between the two locations; howeve, between my son, along with the host of other wonderful elders and staff that God has given towards His Kingdom work, it truly helps keeps everything running smooth...As we were talking earlier about how my secular career prepared me for ministry, when I was working at Ameritech, they went through a consolidation; and, out of that consolidation, I was responsible for running 8 offices called CAG (Controlled Administration Group), in different locations and at that time, with only a fax machine, telephone and a computer. So, I learned how to manage operations that were at a distance from me. So, I do employ a lot of the skills that I learned from that time to do what I do now for the Lord!
NE: That's amazing...Well, I often ask this question of women we feature, so I'm going to ask you..."What do you believe that God is saying in this hour?
KD: I believe God is setting things in order. I believe I'm assigned to assist in setting the government of His church in order so that we can occupy our rightful place in the Kingdom. In the last 5 years, there has been so much transition, in the church world as well as government and other areas, and I believe God is positioning everything so that His ultimate will is done.
NE: Amen...so how does your ministry fit into this positioning?
KD: Well, God has given me the spirit of an apostle...now, don't get me wrong, I'm not changing my title or anything, but what I'm saying is that God has given me an anointing to lay the foundation of order within the Body of Christ for what's to come.
NE: Pastor Kim, please share a little bit about your family!
KD: Oh, Nichelle. My family is everything to me. I've learned over the years how to balance and keep them first. Here's the deal, you cannot abandon your family because you are in ministry. I've been a mother since the age of 17; I've had children pretty much all my life; my parents are no longer with me, so I really cherish my family. When I'm home, I'm Mom, Grannie, or whoever I need to be to them.
NE: Amen! Well, Pastor Kim...thank you so much for accepting this interview, we honor you, love you and celebrate you on PreachingWoman.com!
KD: Nichelle, thank you so very much!
Pastor Kim is a force to be reckoned with as it pertains to advancing the Kingdom of God. Coupled with her ministry, she just launched a magazine called, "The Stone of Help," which is a quarterly publication covering a diversity of topics to include spirituality, finance, and more. The publication can be purchased online as well as by subscription.
While closing the interview, Rev. Nichelle managed to sneak one last question in on Pastor Kim, and the question was simply, "What is a little known fact about you that most people don't know?" She simply said, "I am very shy!"
For more information on Pastor Kim, please visit www.ebenezerfgbc.org
