The Lord recently led me from my daily writings at BLM, to living it out in faith, at a little place on the edge of the TN River called The Outpost located in Pickwick, TN.
An Inner Drive Of God…
Throughout the Holy Bible we learn how to recognize the drive of God in the persistence of men and women who made a difference for the good of the people even when they faced all odds. It did not matter what they faced or whether they stood all alone because they knew the drive and direction that was given by God that strengthened their faith to serve the people.
Noah did not quit his task when the people mocked him for building a boat when they had never experienced rain. Abraham did not disobey God when the Lord gave him instructions nor did he give up on pleading with God to spare the righteous in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah before it was destroyed. Joseph did not give up just because others gave up on him or because of his circumstances in life. Moses never asked for his job nor did he even think that he was qualified. Ruth remained strong in character and true to God even when the society around her was collapsing. Samuel did not go back to sleep when Eli told him to just lay back down! David was the least of all his brothers but had the heart of a lion when someone spoke against our living God. Esther risked her life for the life of others when she went against the traditions that were followed by the people. Job did not give in to Satan when he suffered so greatly even when those around him made false accusations. Daniel never gave in to man for what he knew was right in his heart by God! Nehemiah did not give in just because the task was so large and the people that he had to face!
John The Baptist did not detour from God’s calling because the way people looked at him for how he appeared on the outside because he knew who was directing him on the inside! Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour did not detour from God’s message when He taught us how to love and forgive those which do not understand God’s eternal plan in this fallen land. The four men that believed in the Lord did not let their friend fade away just because they had to carry him and lower him through the roof to be healed! Nor did Paul allow his previous life to detour him from the message that he was to deliver when he saw the light in Jesus Christ!
Martin Luther did not give in to the Pope nor to the Roman Catholics when he took a stand in 1517 strongly disputing the church and following God. Our American ancestors did not allow Britain to rob them of their freedom in religion nor did they allow their fears to stop them from moving across the seas in the 1700′s. Benjamin Franklin did not allow his age to stop him at 70 years old when he wanted to help his country win the American Revolution. James Armistead, a brave African American, did not subdue because of his color! Thomas Jefferson did not stand for someone to think that they were above another when he helped write the Declaration of Independence! Benjamin Banneker, an African American, did not allow his fears to stop him from writing our leaders about ending slavery here in America. Martin Luther King, Jr. did not give in when he saw something that was not right! Nor did Billy Graham waver from his commitment in serving God.
Throughout history many men and women have persevered and overcome tough situations because they put their trust in God rather than allowing the world to hold them back. No matter who we are or where we have been it is vital to recognize how God is the one who picks us up and lays us down to serve His purpose and not our own! The Lord gives us our inner confidence and the loving drive that will not sway in this world and it our place to do the best we can in everyday that we have been given. By living our lives as an example under Christ it teaches our children to never lose hope no matter what they have to face. Because with God “All Things Are Possible” even when the world seems to be falling apart!
It is in the persistance of men and women that never give up when we can see God at work that will make a positive difference for our children’s future! I challenge you today and every other day to strengthen yourself in the Lord and allow the love of Jesus to shine in your life like never before! It is when we know that Greater Is He that Is In Us Than He That Is In This World that we will find strength to overcome our obstacles in life! Never lose Hope no matter what you face or for what you have been through because it is when we let go of ourselves that God will take over and carry us to new levels in the Lord’ s mercy and grace!!!
James A Harrison
Ricky Gervais’ Spiritual Misguidance
Recently on the Golden Globe awards Ricky Gervais made a statement at closing in thanking God for making him an Atheist. This statement has brought him further national attention which has allowed his own lack of understanding to misguide the American public. One of the first things I found interesting in his original statement was that he thanked God which tells me that he recognizes there is a God. Is this not a contradicting statement within a single sentence? I was under the impression that an Atheist did not believe in God but I guess Ricky has now shown me that there are different religions within atheist as there are under Christianity. Actually, this closing statement of Ricky’s only confirms the message of God further. For we learn in Acts 19 that the spiritual darkness of Satan recognizes those that are filled with the light of Jesus Christ.
This statement of Ricky’s thanking God on the Golden Globes has led him into a recent interview with Piers Morgan on CNN that aired on January 20, 2011. I found this interview very interesting for several different reasons due to pointing out the monopoly within the church and his further acknowledgement of the spirit of God. Sadly, Ricky Gervais was correct in his mentioning of the control or monopoly within the church that has taken place over the years due to the lack of true love being displayed within the overall Christian body and the lack of proper teaching in the Word of God. This has allowed the modern day Pharisees to rise again because they simply fail to recognize how we will naturally obey God’s commands in our love for thy Father in Heaven. For why would we want to hurt thy Father if we truly love thy Father?
Ricky mentioned that he loved people and this claimed the second most important commandment in the Word of God, loving thy neighbor as thyself. This is where many Christians have gone wrong in trying to force their ways upon others and condemning those that do not believe in the eternal Way through the blood of Jesus Christ. In Luke 6 and in Romans 12 we are taught in the Word of God to love thy enemy and this is displayed throughout the Old Testament as well through men and women of God who learned that the Lord is the one who is in control. For love is not directed but it is received in our freewill.
Due to the wrong examples being displayed within a majority of the Christian body many individuals have failed to understand how to love the sinner but hate the sin. This lack of proper witness has allowed a spirit of judgment into the body and a spirit of disbelief in the Power of God that can change individuals from who they once were into someone completely new. Due to the disobedience within many Christians and the lack of understanding of how to love as Jesus teaches this has caused many individuals like Ricky Gervais and many others to drift even further away from the Truth in the Word of God.
In the interview with Piers Morgan Ricky mentioned that he was not offended when someone mentioned God and I respect him as a creation under God for making this statement. Neither atheist nor Christians should be offended when someone shares their belief in a respectful way without trying to force their belief upon another. This relates to Muslims as well, for why does someone become offended unless something is simply not right within them self? Now, here is the question that should have been asked by Piers to Ricky verses his acknowledgement of God, “Does it offend you if someone thanks Jesus or bother you to speak His name?”
Have you ever noticed how individuals can speak of God but they cringe when they speak or hear the name of Jesus the Son of God? Shouldn’t we as Christians receive the same respect back in return if someone can say they are an Atheist or a Muslim then can’t we mention our faith in Jesus Christ? Why is it that every other belief can mention their gods’ but we as Christians can not mention ours? What is wrong with this picture in equal rights and freedom of religion here in the United States of America? I believe Martin Luther King Jr. would say this is discrimination just as it was in telling others where to sit on the bus.
Many Christians have fallen weak in this area because they have found that mentioning God brings less persecution than mentioning the name of Jesus. In Matthew 10 Jesus tells us, “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Throughout history man has believed in higher powers and in many different false gods’. As a true Christian we believe that there is one living God that sent His only begotten Son to teach us how to live and to break the spiritual chains that can hold us back from the eternal Kingdom of God.
Another interesting segment of Ricky’s interview with Piers Morgan was his recognition of the spirit within him when he looked upon the mountains and visited with family and friends. He did not go into detail with what he felt nor did Ricky have words to explain this sense of love and awe when looking upon God’s creation. In Ephesians 6 of the Holy Bible we learn that this life is far beyond what we see in the physical and throughout God’s Word He plainly teaches us how to discern between the spirits of good and evil. In fact this statement of Ricky’s stating the sense of awe within his spirit when looking upon the mountains this reminds me of what God’s Word say’s when He looked upon His creation in Genesis 1,”And He saw that His creation was good.”
It is amazing to me how individuals can look from the Heavens to the earth and state that they do not believe in God and think that this all just happened with no explanation nor purpose. To this day with all the education man still cannot explain the human brain or much less the miracles in life. Everything in God’s creation works with such unity and harmony except for the human race that disrupts the natural course of events due to our sinful nature and false thinking that we are the ones in control. Unfortunately, over the years in our drift away from the Word of God within our homes and within our nation this has opened the door spiritually to Satan to deceive many children that are lost and cause others to lose hope because they have fallen weak in faith.
Let’s pray that God will raise up a new generation in the love of Jesus Christ that will seek the Truth and learn to stand on the principles of God to maintain what He has given for our countries future. Dear Lord I pray for a spiritual awakening that will open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the def with a spirit of power that will ignite a fire within the believers that will shine throughout this dark world. May leaders learn to stand in faith proclaiming your name Lord Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords while acting in your love to show others the Way back to your Kingdom. For this life is only a training ground to see which direction we will go and I thank you Father in Heaven for sending your only Son in your mercy and grace to prepare our eternal place in Heaven above. Forgive us Father for all the national sin and I pray that you will bless us once again. Lord if it be in your will, we pray as your children in Christ that you will open Ricky’s eyes to your truth and spare his soul from the eternal damnation….Amen
1 Corinthians 13 teaches us that “True Love is patient and kind; True Love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. True Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. True Love never ends!!!”
James A.Harrison
Be A Leader, Not A Rebel
It is not hard to recognize the divisions and rebellion that is taking place here in America due to the lack of leadership in our country. When you really break all of this down we find that this revolt in authority actually began in our homes as we failed to properly teach the Word of God through the love of Jesus Christ. No where in the Holy Bible does God teach us to rebel nor does He teach us to not respect our authority. Instead He teaches us to pray for our leaders whether we agree with them or not and to recognize the lesson that we encounter when we allow our homes to drift away from the Will of God.
This country was built on the foundation of God for the people and it is our leaderships responsibility to stand up for what is right by God to maintain the order within our homes. This is no different than the roll of every father that is to lead their home with the integrity and self discipline that is taught in the Word of God for the security within the family. Without individuals that are willing to stand up for what is simply right and wrong by God in our homes and in our nation this country is destined to lose its way without the direction of God.
There are groups being formed like the Black Robe Regiment, the TEA Party and others that consist of Americans that are simply tired of the road that is being traveled here in America. The world likes to call them radicals and many others like to place them is some sort of criteria to hurt their image but what these groups consist of is your day to day Americans and Christians that are deeply concerned with the direction that this country is headed. Some of the media has labeled these groups as rebels but what person that stands up for the rights of the people , like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, are not categorized as some sort of rebel?
When we really break this down even further in someone being called a rebel how do you think that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was categorized before His persecution? God did not send His Son here to cause rebellion among the believers but to give us the assurance in the love of God that teaches us that their is much more to this life than what we see.
In every home and in every business there comes a point that someone must stand up and learn how to communicate in love to break the spiritual chains that are not only holding us back but to maintain the integrity within the body for our childrens future. What many people are not recognizing is the spiritual battle that is taking place here on earth because of their focus being too fixed on the world and forgetting our Creator in Heaven above. The only way for us to combat the strongholds of Satan is in the name of Jesus while being obedient to the Word of God for Him to bring down the walls instead of us trying to do it on our own. This is where the emotional state is very dangerous in activist because they stand up for something that is right by God but they don’t know how to get the job done in the love of Jesus Christ and allow their emotions to to guide their actions.
America would be amazed at what can take place when we insert Jesus into the picture to bring down the walls that are holding us back. The Lord teaches us to have unity in the body with God in front and then the Lord will give us the direction which we need to overcome anything that we have before us. I challenge you today speak the name of Jesus and to learn the wisdom that is taught in the Word of God that teaches us to place our trust in Him instead of in man…amen
Without God there would be no more American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first– the most basic–expression of Americanism. Thus, the Founding Father’s of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be. President Dwight Eisenhower / 1955
James Harrison
America Is Lost Without God
Throughout the Word of God in the Holy Bible we learn the different characteristics of our human nature and we learn the weaknesses in our flesh when we begin to drift away from God by placing our eyes upon man rather than staying focused on the Lord. In the book of 1 Samuel God teaches us one of the most important lessons in life right out of the gate when the people rejected God and began to desire the leadership of man.
The people were tired of leaders that abused their positions by placing heavy burdens upon the people due to serving themselves rather than properly serving the will of God. During this period of time with Samuel and the passing of the chain of command to Saul God taught us a vital lesson of how not to look at the outward appearance of man nor his family statue but to look at the heart of a man to recognize who they follow.
Our Father in Heaven taught us this lesson for a specific reason in order to help us make wise decisions in our future when we select our leaders because He knows how we tend to rely on what we see rather than trusting in God in whom we believe. In this lesson with Saul becoming our first King or President, God teaches us the importance of our leaders seeking God for council prior to making decisions which could have a negative impact on the people.
The problem that we have today is that many of our leaders are not seeking God for proper council and taking matters into their own hands as Saul did back in this period of time. Many of our leaders are allowing worldly advice to influence their decisions and allowing selfish motives to guide their actions. This same lesson was taught with Moses when he allowed the pressures of the people to guide his actions as a leader instead of following the instruction of God to maintain the position that he had been given.
Due to our society continuing to drift away from the Word of God and looking for answers in the world this has allowed a majority of our population to become vulnerable and confused. In this vulnerable state of America from the suppression of the minority to the suppression of the poor many of our leaders have learned how to use these spiritual oppressions of the people to achieve their positions of power in order to serve themselves rather than properly following the instruction of God.
No one should seek a position of leadership without being led by God to serve the people and when we elect our leaders it is vital that we listen to God rather than to man. As Martin Luther King Jr. was called we learn that our leaders that are driven by God are to help us to move forward by walking with us to overcome our struggles rather than trying to hold us down in order to maintain their own positions.
It is easy to talk about change and prey upon the emotions of the people to influence their decisions but when we make decisions based on our emotions without truly evaluating the motives behind the individuals then we are only setting ourselves up for harder times in the future. This is why we are in the state of economic crisis that we are in here in America due to the world preying upon our emotions in our spontaneous decisions. The same principle applies to children out of wed lock and the high divorce rate here in America because we have allowed our emotions to guide our actions rather than understanding the self discipline that is required to maintain the freedom in the love that God has given.
Real change first starts within ourselves and then spreads to our homes then to our communities. The world likes to think that money is the answer and that our leaders are the ones that can make a difference and this is where the world is wrong! For real change starts at the foundation or the bottom and then works its’ way back up to the top while never forgetting the importance of maintaining the foundation from which we stand in order for God to continue to bless our land.
It is in our human nature to want someone else to do the work but we must recall that it is our individual responsibility under God to maintain the integrity of our homes and of our nation in order to maintain something for our children’s future…amen
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man… Psalm 118:8
James Harrison
Balanced Life Ministry
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