Balanced Life Ministry

Home of the "Special Delivery" Book by James A. Harrison

You are here: Home / Archives for The Church Voice

Giving Without Expecting…

by Leave a Comment

 I write to you today with a large burden that has been placed on my heart. Why is it that here in America when we claim to be a country that was built on God’s foundation and we continue to build more extravegant homes and churches that exceed our needs when we have people in the congregation that can’t even afford to feed their own family? Why is it that we  continue to expand our material things but we continue to leave those that are truly in need out in the cold without food or shelter?  Why is it that we continue to build more assisted living homes for the elderly instead of following God’s Word and taking care of those that once took care of us? Why is that our children are so focused on the things of the world instead of being involved with the family? Why is it that when someone is a recognized sinner that we still hold back the true love and forgiveness which God instructs us to give?

 We call ourselves a Christian nation and people want to claim that they care but in the same breath they walk by people everyday because they feel their load is too much to bear. Why should someone care if we don’t show that we care? Why should someone want to attend the church when they see the lack of true following?  God gives each of us everything we have not to build up ourselves but to help uplift others!!! Many Christians today have fallen to Satan as Cain once did when he was called to present his offering to the Lord. Cain fell short to the blessings which he could have received from God because he kept the best for himself instead of understanding who gives and takes away.

 The Lord teaches us that when we serve others then we are serving God.  Many people today have forgotten how to trust the Lord instead of trusting in man. A true gift is not expecting something in return.  It is when it comes from the heart because that is where it all starts. So many times in life when we feel the nudge of God telling us to do something nice for someone we allow Satan to rob us of the blessings which we can receive. We do this by contemplating what God has placed on our heart and by allowing others to persuade our decisions in life.

 Giving is not something to boast about! For the Lord tells us to give with one hand and not even allow the other to know. But so many people here in America have fallen to giving for notoriety, and sadly for what they can receive in return. How would you feel at Christmas if someone said to you, ” I am not going to buy you a gift unless you give me some recognition and give me a receipt so I can be sure to write this off of my taxes?” Could you imagine what Jesus would have said if someone would have come to Him to give but asked for the receipt? Does anyone recall what He told the rich man who wanted to receive the true gift of salvation?

 America has been blessed beyond what we deserve and many people have forgotten how to truly trust in God because of the men that mislead the people. It breaks my heart to see how shepherds have misguided their flocks and kept the best for themselves instead of properly serving the people. Psalm 118:8 says, ” It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man,“ and many people have forgotten how to trust God today because they have fallen to what they see. Life is not about what we see! It is about having faith in God while teaching others the proper Way to believe!   

 If America does not Wake Up and begin to work together with a common direction of rebuilding what God has given us then it is only a matter of time before it is taken away! Tell me, how do you honestly expect to build a home without direction? And then once you build the home what good is it if we don’t know how to maintain the foundation? It is my sincere prayer that Americans and Christians Wake Up and start serving each other instead of ourselves by learning to trust in God and not leaning on man. God works through all of us in different ways and He gives each of us different talents to serve His will and not our own! What the Lord gives us is not for us to hold on to but to help build something that will serve others and give direction for our children’s future…amen

 James Harrison / Servant

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com 

Christianity In America…

by 4 Comments

 When you study the demographics of different religions in The United States of America you will find that the United States has more Christians than any other country in the world. Based on a previous Wikipedia poll completed in 2007 it showed that America consist of 76% Christian and the remaining percents are claimed by others who follow other beliefs or no beliefs at all.

 Based on this fact of America being 76% Christian why is that we have so much deception, dishonesty, greed, lust, unforgiveness, and lack of true love within the body of the church? Why is it that so many Christians have so much lack of code and honor in their way of life? Do we think just because we call ourselves Christians that we are excused from judgement and can live as we choose until we are called home? It is sad to see how so many Christians here in America have allowed the world into the church and fallen weak in faith to not stand up for what is right by God in our homes to keep this country intact.

 When you study the different religions you will find that a majority of other beliefs can stand together to accomplish a mission but when it comes to today’s Christians many just argue and dispute the Way that has already been given by God through Jesus Christ. Why is that Muslims can stand united with other Muslims but the Christians can’t even agree on which denomination properly sets them free? If there was anyone in this fallen world that has held true by majority and seeked peace in everything they do it is the Amish and the Mennonites that have clearly understood how to live in this world but not of this world. This is sad but true how so many in the Christian body have lost their unity and forgotten how to work together in serving God instead of serving themselves.

 Are Christians so blind and deaf here in America that they have forgotten how to recognize the Word of  God and forgotten how to respect each person for the roll that God has given?  This hurts my heart for what I hear and see not only as a Christian but as an American that understands how God gave us this country to be set free. Now with my new understanding in life through Jesus Christ I see how America has fallen to Satan in chasing their fleshly desires instead of trusting in God and allowing Him to supply us with our needs. Satan is very clever and has fooled many Americans as he once fooled Eve in the Garden of Eden. 

 It is in our human nature to want something before we are ready and to seek the easy route to achieve our goals but as we can now obviously see this is not the proper way to believe! Jesus plainly taught us when tempted by Satan to look past our immediate desires to understand the possible outcome before we make our decisions in life. He also taught us what would happen to our riches when we began to fill our own barns instead of helping others to build theirs to help feed others along the Way. America might look good from the outside but what good is it if we have nothing left on the inside? We all know what happens to the barn that has no inner strength to hold itself up, and it is my sincere prayer that every Christian here in America learns to put aside our differences for the sake of our children’s future.

 Our barn might be financially empty here in The United States of America but the pillars that still stand are the Christians that help hold this country together. For without Godly principles, discipline and order through the love of Jesus Christ this country would be no different than the others that have always wanted what we have. What we have is what God has given and anyone that tries to take it away is not working for God but working for Satan.

 Life is not about what we have on the outside but who we are on the inside. There is no competition in the body for every part learns to respect each part for the roll they carry while learning to serve each other along the Way. There is no excuse for sin as God told Adam in the Garden of Eden and there is no placing blame for what we know in our hearts to be true. So, I challenge each of you that may read this post to step up to the plate and begin to seek God’s will in your life and not your own  If you have something in your life and you know it is not right then fix it before it destroys you! God is real and knows your heart and soul so the real question is, ” Do you know who you are or have you lost sight of your purpose in life?”

 All it takes is that first step, and then every other step will gain momentum with strength once we commit to serving God instead of ourselves…amen

James Harrison / Servant

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

God Can Use Our Pains…

by 5 Comments

 In life it is very easy to harbor our hurts and cover up our pains on the outside but when we do this then we are only allowing Satan to rob us of the freedom that we can have through Jesus Christ. If we are not careful in our hurts sometimes our pains can turn into bitterness when we don’t properly understand the Word of God and this infection will often spread to others until we learn how to overcome our trials in life. Not only can our pains cause us to be bitter but they can also cause us to settle for something less when we can do even more.This is how Satan works in our lives by never wanting us to be who God set us out to be. 

 When we allow bitterness to grow in our lives without learning to forgive those that may have hurt us then we are allowing Satan to control our lives to the point that we often can’t see what God is trying to teach us. For in every life there is a lesson and until we learn how to search for the answers and do the work it takes to overcome our issues then we are only going to face the same cycle of events over and over. 

  It is imperative to know that bitterness is of Satan and God uses our hurts to develop us into who we are set out to be. Until we learn how to truly forgive and turn our issues over to the Lord then we are only carrying around a time bomb that can explode at any given moment. Sometimes in life we have to look at the pain to establish the root of the problem and if we avoid the pain then there is no gain.

 When God reveals something to us we are to look within ourselves and apply it to our lives to help us take another step in life. But so many times we want to lash out at one another instead of praying for God to reveal the lesson to our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord plainly teaches us that vengeance is His and the righteous always rejoice when the truth wins out, but so many times we take matters into our own hands instead of trusting in God to work it all out.

 I challenge you this week and every other week to turn your bitterness over to the Lord through the blood of Jesus and allow God to use your hurts to help others along the Way. Until we can openly talk about where we have been then how can we honestly even think about where we are going? Our hurts take time to overcome when we carry them for many years but when we learn to shake them from the point of beginning then they are less likely to set up the wrong roots that can rob us of the life that we can have through the love of Jesus Christ…amen

James Harrison / Servant

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com 

Dignified Christians In America

by 2 Comments

 Over the last 40 years many Christians have raised themselves up on a platform in thinking that they are better than someone else while many others feel that they are too good to be seen with a sinner. This time era of the church parallels the time with Jesus speaking to the Pharisees who claimed to be above those that did not fit into their standard of living and put more emphasis on their knowledge or looks instead of understanding the true love of Jesus Christ. At what point in the life of Jesus did He separate himself from those that needed help or from those that lived a life of sin? At what point in the Holy Bible did God say His love is only for a select few?  

 These wrong actions of many so called Christians have caused many children of God to feel as if they are not good enough for God’s mercy and grace. This wrong Christian behavior has caused many people to become suppressed by Satan and allowed their angers to build towards the Christian body because of people claiming one thing but acting something totally different. Since when did the church become a place that did not accept sinners? Why should someone feel rejected from a church because of their past?  It is real easy in life to play a part or act the roll but until we learn how to be REAL in our faith then we are only causing more hurt within the body of Christ and fooling ourselves of the judgement that is going to come. 

 Being a genuine Christian means to understand that we are all guilty and undeserving of God’s love. We are to never separate ourselves and think that we are better than someone else nor are we to ever falsely think that someone is beyond help. It is our place to encourage those that fall weak in faith and to share our testimonies with one another while striving to walk in the light of Jesus Christ. For if we are not willing to get dirty or do the work it takes to get the job done then honestly how do you expect something to repair or heal what could be broken?

 The Lord plainly tells us in 1 Peter 5, “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” The beautiful part of this life is how God keeps us in tune with His spirit by never knowing where the next message could be coming from. For just as soon as we think we are in tune someone else comes along or something takes place that we never expect to remind us of who we really are and encourage us to fine tune our lives even a step further. It is when we forget how far God has brought us and separate ourselves from the people that it is only a matter of time that we will eventually stumble and fall.  

 I challenge each one of you today and every other day to be REAL in your words and actions. Don’t allow Satan to rob you of the life in Jesus Christ and cause you to (not) be that good samaritan that you are supposed to be. Satan wants us to feel that we don’t have time or we are too good to help someone when we really can and all it takes is us just doing our part while trusting in God to bring it all together…amen

James Harrison / Servant

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com  

God Is Our Provider & Jesus Is Our Shepherd…

by Leave a Comment

Here is a riddle the Lord placed on my heart and I pray that you study the depth of what was given to insure whom or what you are working for;

 Do you work for what you physically see or do you work for what you don’t see? If you work then for what you see then do you know whom you are working for?

 It is easy in life to only go through the motions in our relationships, in our homes, in our jobs, and even in the church but when we just do what it takes to get by then would you say we are being good stewards over what we have been given? God gives us our life, our children, our jobs, our homes, our friends, our spouse, our church and even this country here in America and when we neglect what God has given then it is only a matter of time before it could be taken away.

 When we begin to work for the future results instead of focusing on the immediate return then our jobs and our relationships will grow stronger with direction for our children’s future. I challenge you today to take ownership in what you have been given and to not take what you have been entrusted with lightly! Learn to focus on what you can do to make a positive difference instead of trying to put off what you can do on someone else…amen  

James Harrison / Servant

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Spiritual Revelations

Don’t be like Eli in 1st Samuel and miss something that has been given by God. If you recall with Eli he did not listen because the Word of God was rare in those days and he did not recognize what was taking place until he saw the persistence of Samuel…

Read More ▸

Be Inspired!

Voice Your Opinion!

Connect with Us!

FacebookButton