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Discipline Of God…

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 Throughout the Word of God we learn of the discipline that follows disobedience. This takes place from individuals to nations and unfortunately we often miss the hand slaps which then lead to knock outs. As any parent with their child, discipline is there for correction and when the child refuses to repent of their actions then they should not be surprised when the discipline intensifies.

 Learning to listen to that small still voice of God and obey His word is the only Way to be secure in this land. For things are only going to heat up and storms are only going to get worse because America has brought this upon itself. There is Hope though in spite of all storms when we learn to repent and turn from our ways to serve the will God instead of the selfish desires of man…Amen 

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Balancing Our Life…

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 Have you ever considered the necessity of self discipline in order to maintain what God has given? As a child of God we often fail when we do not know how to apply the Word of God to our lives and allow God to direct our steps. Have you ever experienced something in your life that sounded good at first but turned out to be a burden later or have you ever felt pulled in so many different directions that you lost your way?

 Learning to balance our lives requires self discipline without being driven by our emotions. Before we can even begin to balance we first must know how to stand and understand the principles of balance while keeping our eyes focused on where we are going. Don’t ever allow Satan to bring confusion in your life about dicounting the importance of balance because balance does not mean we are to sit still but we are to insure the steps that we take.

 There is a time to run. A time to walk. A time to skip and a time to rest. As there is a time to work. A time to play. A time to stop. A time to plan and a time to move again. Learning to balance our lives was taught through the life of Jesus by teaching us to have no fears of a fall and the importance of walking the line. If we don’t know how to stand then how will we ever learn to walk and if we don’t know how to walk then how does this show up in our talk? For there is a line to follow but if we don’t have self control then how can we ever expect to reach the other side?

 “And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, a plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel.” Amos 7:8

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Discipline Is To Bring Us Back To God…

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 God will often use people to offer a verbal rebuke through prophecy or admonishment before disciplining us. Instead of letting our pride get offended, we should be willing to accept and give such rebukes within the body of Christ so that we can avoid sterner discipline of the rod. The Lord uses discipline as a last resort. If all God needed to justify mankind to himself was a bigger cattle-prod, then Christ died for nothing!

 No, God’s plan for the earth is love first, discipline last. To get us to listen and repent, he will use deep conviction, the rebuke of friends, coincident sermons, the quickening of Scripture, and every other means before disciplining us. But if we resist God’s Spirit of light and mercy, we are promised the rod of correction. When God disciplines, the punishment fits the crime. Time and again, we realize that we cannot get away with unrepentant sin. God is sculpting us into holy vessels, and the process can be painful.

 Hebrews 12: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

 May God bless you this morning and renew your strength with His purpose and not your own. For there great joy when we learn from our past to improve something in the future. Here is an awesome song and 9/11 Tribute sung by Casting Crowns that I pray touches you as it will always touch me And Now My Life Song Sings (9/11 Tribute) 

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Listen To Our Father’s Voice…

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 A few years ago I heard a true story from a friend who had a young son that would not listen. He shared with me about an experience and a lesson that took place with his son and how the grandfather got to witness the consequences of his grandsons wrong actions as well. They were all standing outside in the yard talking while the young son kept stomping on a shovel kicking the handle up in the air.

 The father kept telling his son to stop it because if he kept on he could get hurt. As the two elders continued their conversation the young child that would not listen continued to disobey and stomp on the shovel throwing the handle in the air. The father warned him once again but with a stronger voice in hoping his son would take heed but sure enough the son still chose to not listen. 

 With the fathers voice getting more sturn and the child becoming more defiant the father chose to sit back in order for a lesson to be learned. It wasn’t long after that when the child stomped on the shovel that it came up so quickly that it nailed him right between his eyes. The child then ran to his father with tears of pain and the father did not scold him but comforted him in love.

  See this lesson of a father allowing his son to get hurt due to his disobedience did not mean that he did not love the child. The father knew that if his son would not listen that the best lesson learned is a lesson from the consequences of his actions. Can you see how this lesson relates with us today through our Father in Heaven above? Why is it that we choose to not listen and that we have to be hit between the eyes to see?

 When we choose to not listen is when we simply have to learn things the hard way….

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Discipline With Love And Justice

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 There are two principles that make up the very foundation of God’s character and they are love and justice. These principles are not easy to keep in balance but they are essential to maintain who we are as a child of God. Some people are loving to the point that they excuse wrong doing while other people are just the opposite in forgetting how to love .

 Love without justice leaves people in their sins because it is not aiming them to higher standards. On the other hand justice without love drives people away from God because it has no heart. To specialize in one and forget the other causes a distortion in our witness while leaving a negative impact on someone else.  

When you are called to discipline someone else like your children, students, employees or other church members do not be rigid. Vary your approach according to the goals you are seeking to accomplish and in each case ask yourself this question before your act, “Does this person need guidance or do they need to be nurtured?” 

 God is patient with us and we should be patient with others…

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

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…

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