Greater Refuge Temple Church Of God In Christ - COGIC

Greater Refuge Temple Church Of God In Christ - COGIC Our purpose is to bring people to God, by bringing God to people. Our mission is to glorify God by making disciples that reach up, reach in, and reach out.

Our vision is a Christ centered church dedicated to making disciples that will transform our culture and world.

06/03/2026

Word of the Day (Jun 3, 26)

"God is Our Strength"

Text: Psalms 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

God is so many things. He's our Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Friend. He's the One who wakes us in the morning and watches over us at night. God protects us when we're not conscious of His protection. God is so many things that the song writer described Him using two simple words, “God is".

When we look at all of God’s attributes, three that stand out are His strength, power or might. Without Him being almighty, it would be impossible for Him to be so many other things to us. For example, when David wrote, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v.1), God's ability to be our shelter and a very present help is linked directly to His great power and strength.

Beloved, God is our strength. He's more powerful than Superman and all the super heroes combined. For unlike them, He has no weaknesses or limitations. So whatever hardships that we face, we don't have to give up because God is our strength.

Love,

Pastor Penn

06/02/2026

Word of the Day (Sep 19, 23)

"Don’t Be Afraid of the Enemy; God is With Us"

Text: Deuteronomy 20:1, "When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."

All of us have enemies. They include the devil, sickness, death, pain, afflictions, and hardships. When we face them, the devil does not want us to focus on God, he wants us to concentrate on the enemies’ strength, size, and advantages.

The devil's plan is to create fear, and panic, so that he can cripple and take the fight out of us. Fear is a powerful weapon that he uses effectively against us. Moses knew this, so when they faced the battle, he told Israel don’t be afraid of the enemy’s horses, chariots, and size because the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt was with them. This reference to the LORD that delivered them out of Egypt reminded them of how powerful God was and is.

Beloved, don’t be afraid of the enemy, God is with us. The same God that delivered Israel out of Egypt will deliver us from whatever situation that we’re facing.

Love,

Pastor Penn

06/01/2026

Word of the Day (Jun 1, 26)

“When You Trust God, He Will Help You”

Text: 2 Chronicles 14:11-12, “And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.”

Each of us is dealing with something. Sometimes, it seems like you’re dealing with several things simultaneously. Think about it, everything that you’re dealing with, the emotional and physical pain, the spiritual struggles, and all the other things you’re juggling, you don’t have to deal with them alone. You might feel that you don’t have any help, but the truth is, God is your help.

King Asa, Judah’s king, and 560,000 of his soldiers had an enormous challenge when they faced a large Ethiopian innumerable army with 300 chariots. Faced with overwhelming odds, King Asa wholeheartedly trusted God, and asked God to help them. As a result, God enabled them to defeat defeated the Ethiopians, who tried to escape, but King Asa and Judah chased them, destroyed their cities, and plundered a large amount of their stuff.

Beloved, no matter what enemies you may face, or problems you may encounter, you can be confident that when you trust God, He will help you.

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/31/2026

Word of the Day (May 30, 26)

“God is Still Able”

Text: Daniel 6:20, “And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”

Often, when we’re tested, it’s about God’s ability to deliver us. This was Daniel’s dilemma, when he was tossed into a den of hungry lions, because he refused to compromise his faith in the one true God. No doubt, Daniel was challenged, but he continued to trust God.

Daniel’s faith in God was very strong. So much so, that Darius, the pagan king that was tricked into giving him a death sentence, also believed that God was able. Notice his actions and what he said in v.20, after he sentenced Daniel. V.20 states, “And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”

Fortunately for Daniel and us, our God is able. God miraculously delivered Daniel out of the lion’s den, and when we trust Him, He will also deliver us.

God is able my friends!

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/30/2026

Word of the Day (May 30, 26)

“Rely Upon God”

Text: 2 Chronicles 13:18, “Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the LORD God of their fathers.”

Do you feel anxious and overwhelmed because you’re outnumbered, and the deck is stacked against you? If yes, don’t worry, but rely upon God. When we rely upon Him, we can be confident that regardless of what we face, God will bring us out.

Ancient Judah, the Southern Kingdom with 400,000 soldiers, faced ancient Israel, the Northern Kingdom with 800,000 soldiers. Mathematically speaking, they were outnumbered 2-1, but since they relied upon God, they were victorious and slew over 500,000 of Israel’s soldiers.

Beloved, the deck may be stacked against us, it may appear that we will be defeated, but make no mistake, when we rely upon God, we will be victorious.

Rely upon God, my friends,

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/29/2026

Word of the Day (May 29, 26)

“God is Turning It Around”

Text: Job 42:10, “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

The story of Job is one of the oldest stories in the Bible. It is filled with sorrow, and joy, disappointments and relief, destruction and restoration. In a sense, Job’s story is our story because it suggests that good people will suffer, we will not understand the reasons for it, and that God in His own time will come to our rescue.

I don’t know about you but I’ve had my share of sufferings, sadness, and disappointments. Like Job, I’ve had moments when I didn’t understand what God was doing, nor did I appreciate the process, but I’m grateful to God, that in His own time, He turned things around.

Beloved, you may not understand or appreciate the trials that you are going through, but make no mistake, just like God turned it around for Job He’ll turn it around for you.

Be encouraged my friends, God is turning it around.

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/27/2026

Word of the Day (May 27, 26)

"Let God’s Peace Rule in Your Heart”

Text: Colossians 3:15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."

God promised us His peace that transcends human understanding. However, it's sometimes difficult to receive His peace because we allow worry to rob us of it. Having God's peace does not exempt us from trouble, but it does insulate us so that trouble will not consume us. Paul reiterated this when he said, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (v.15).

The Greek word Paul used for rule in the Greek is equivalent to our English word, umpire. In essence, just like an umpire decides or determines whether the pitch is a ball or a strike, we are to allow God’s peace to determine our response, regardless of life’s circumstances. We have a choice when trouble comes, so let peace rule in your hearts.

Beloved, God wants us to experience His peace but it's up to us to allow it to reign in our hearts. For only then can we experience the true meaning of God's inner peace, that we so desperately need, during life's difficult experiences.

Let God’s peace rule in your hearts, my friends,

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/26/2026

Word of the Day (May 26, 26)

“There’s Hope for Tomorrow”

Text: Lamentations 3:21-23, “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

As bad as things are, there’s still a reason to hope. Gas prices are ridiculous, so much so there’s a joke on Facebook about a person being robbed, and the culprit being Pump #7. Food costs are way too high, medical cost is astronomical, and the future financial outlook for many are bleak.

Coupled with this, wars and potential wars, political uncertainties, and our own individual pressures and hardships might cause us to lose hope. This was certainly the case with Jeremiah and ancient Judah after the Babylonian invasion and their subsequent 70-year Babylonian captivity. Fortunately for them and us, Jeremiah remembered that because of God’s mercies, they were not destroyed.

Beloved, there’s hope for tomorrow because we serve a merciful God, and His mercies are renewed daily. Therefore, as bad as things are, we still have hope.

Be encouraged my friends, there’s hope for tomorrow.

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/25/2026

Word of the Day (May 25, 26)

"If You Want God to Bless Us”

Text: 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Does it seem like God is not answering your prayers? Have life troubles worn you down to the point where you are frustrated, tired, and feel like giving up? If yes, may I suggest that you adhere to the advice of God’s Word, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (v.14).

Think about it, if you want God to answer your prayers, you must humble yourself, seek His face and turn from your wicked ways. Only then will He forgive your sins and heal your land. It is clear from the unusual amount of earthquakes, wildfires, high level hurricanes, viruses, and other issues, that our land is polluted. It is clear from the unusual amount of earthquakes, wildfires, high level hurricanes, viruses, and other issues, that our land is polluted. It’s polluted because, we refuse to obey God’s Laws and have created our own that promotes fulfilling our own selfish and sinful desires. God is not pleased and He wants us to humble ourselves, turn from our wicked ways, and seek Him wholeheartedly. When we do, He promised to hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and restore our blessings.

Beloved, if you want God to bless you, you must be willing to humble yourself, follow His commands, turn from your wicked ways, and seek His face.

Love,

Pastor Penn

05/24/2026

Word of the Day (May 24, 26)

“When Hope is Delayed”

Text: Romans 8:24-25-NIV, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

There’s a delicate balance between hope and faith. Faith is described as the substance of things hope for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith speaks in the now. Hope speaks in the future. Faith says we have hope or what we’re expecting from God now. However, it is still in the spiritual realm. The place between the promises of God and their fulfillment. On the other hand, hope says, “don’t lose faith”. We must continue to wait; expect God to keep His word, and wait until He does.

So what do we do while we’re waiting? We patiently wait in faith. Why? Because, we’re not alone in our dilemma. Paul also said, “That while we’re waiting, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (vv.26-27-NIV).

Continue to hope in God my friends. Hope may at times be delayed, but it is never denied. God may not come when we want Him, but whenever He comes, He’s on time. For, He is indeed an on time God.

Love,

Pastor Penn

Address

408 William Hardin Road
Columbia, SC
29223

Telephone

+18034191703

Website

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