Recently I was seeking the Lord in prayer and asking, “Why is it that I see so many traveling to foreign places to assist others when their own homes and communities have such needs?”  This is what I heard in return;

“The reason that many travel to other places to serve is simply due to not wanting to face the real issues in their own home. Facing the needs in our own home often requires more than one to two weeks of service and it often has a price that many do not want to pay. So instead, many people often do things in foreign places to often avoid the real issues that they have in their own home.”

In other words what the Lord was teaching is about our human nature and how easy it can be to lose our balance when we neglect or overlook our own responsibilities at home. For when we neglect this principle of balance within our homes then this can open the door for Satan to weaken and oppress the body. We can easily see this over the last forty years here in America as I can witness this same lesson within my own life as well. Think about it! How long can a soldier in foreign missions stay focused when their own home is struggling to survive? How long can we expect foreign aid to continue when we can’t balance the input with the output?

This teaching explains to me why so many communities, missions and relationships become oppressed. Simply due to neglecting the basic principles of gardening and the importance of maintaining the roots of our foundation. By seeking to live a balanced life through the love of Jesus Christ we learn to plant ourselves upon the Rock of our foundation while staying in tune with the needs of the garden. It is also wise to understand that God calls some to plant while he calls others to assist with the harvest.

For God plants each one of us in different places and in different positions in order to serve His purpose and not our own. Unfortunately many fail to understand this so they allow their seeds to be blown in the wind rather than learning how to plant and work within garden. Think about it! Our home can be related to a garden just as our individual lives. What we give and receive plays a major roll within the productivity of the garden. The home garden is supposed to help serve the community as the community garden helps to serve the city to the state. For when we begin to take care of our own home garden then this leads to a productive harvest that can help feed foreign missions and help maintain the strength within our homes for future generations.

There is a great need within our own communities and our country for men and women that are willing to commit to the work that is needed in every community across America. This need is to simply do what God has called each of us to do and that is, to work within the gardens we have been given and to leave something behind for someone else. Without these men and women that are willing to grab hold of the plow and apply the Instruction of God to their local gardens we might as well prepare for an unproductive harvest and for the locust to continue to devour the crop. Many of you reading this may be thinking it is too late but I strongly disagree! For nothing is over until God say’s it is over!!!

How bad would it be to go home and hear one of these questions, “Why did you quit? Why did you not get up off the pughs to help your neighbors? Do you honestly think you were doing your job when you neglected your own home to take care of someone else’s? Why did you not stand up and vote for Godly leadership rather than give in to the popularity contest?  Did the numbers that came against you give you fear? Did you honestly think your voice or vote would not matter? Have you forgotten the very One who gives you Victory? Why did you simply fail to be a doer instead of just a hearer? There were blessings right at your feet but you simply lost your perspective. All you had to do was get up off the porch and put your hand to the plow to receive the blessings of God! But instead you allowed your fears, weak faith and laziness to infect the garden. This infection has not only affected you but other plants as well.

It is my sincere prayer for a spiritual Awakening here in America. I pray that Americans will recognize the season at hand and the need for true repentance on a national level. Lord help us clean up our own homes and communities so we can continue to spread your love and feed the hungry. Please give us strength and the wisdom to make the right decisions within our own home in order to refresh the garden and continue to supply the needs in foreign missions. Lord I know that nothing is over until You say that it is over, so please Lord forgive us on a national level of the innocent blood that has been shed from the Native Americans to the African Americans and for simply losing our balance with you…I love you Father and I thank you for the pits that you have picked me up from and I thank you for giving me a new life with purpose and with direction and may others find the same…For all glory is yours…amen

“A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’’ 

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us in our human nature to become complacent, feel stuck or simply give up? There are times in life that we either want to quit due to the climb or we become discouraged due to the obstacles in our path. Many times this occurs due to witnessing the lack of faith in others or for simply listening to the discouragement in someone else. But when we learn to change our focus from the world and then place our eyes & ears upon the Promises of God then He will ignite the fire that carries us forward as we learn to trust & obey.

The object is knowing that we are on the path that He leads and recognizing that this life is not a bed of roses. There is a reason and a purpose for the wilderness in life to teach and help prepare us for the destination ahead. May you be encouraged today to go the extra mile and to stay focused on the Promises of God!!!

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

In order to experience the power of love it is necessary to open up our hearts as a surgeon requires for open heart surgery. Unfortunately many never experience the fullness of love nor the amazing power due to holding back from distrust or from simply caring more for themselves than they do for others.

It is when we open up our hearts to reveal who we really are without allowing our fears to hold us back that we can begin to experience the amazing power of selfless love. For selfless love is a love that keeps on giving and it never stops the blood circulation within the body. There are blood clots from time to time but the object is to defeat them before the defeat us.

For a heart without restrictions is a body that is full of life and this can only be fully achieved through the blood of Jesus Christ. If there is something in your life that is causing a restriction in the flow may God give you the strength today to make that needed step in order for your heart to begin to glow.

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

The devil works in many ways to break the relationships of God because he knows there is a mighty power as we come together in the body of Christ. For example: The first stage of spiritual warfare is to do everything possible to prevent something of God from joining together as one. This occurs through distractions and distrust in order to wear down the opponent. The second stage after the formation is to pick apart the opposition in order to weaken the unity within the body. The third stage of spiritual warfare occurs by picking apart the team leaders in order to cause loss of direction in the mission and to disperse a spirit of doubt or disbelief within the body.

This principle of spiritual warfare occurs in our homes, our churches, our businesses and our nation. For our homes are only as strong as our relationships and without a relationship we have no home. For our refuge is in the Lord and everything can be worked out at the foot of the cross with those that seek the will of our Father instead of the will of man…

May I challenge you today to strengthen your relationships through communication and to cast out anything of the devil that may be hindering you from experiencing the true love of Jesus within the family of God…

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

There are several ingredients that make up affective prayer.  Think about it! Have you ever tried to bake a cake without mixing the batter? Have you ever tried to substitute something artificial in place of something real? Or, have you ever left something out due to thinking it was not needed? In order for our prayers to be affective it is wise to examine the sincerity of our hearts along with understanding of our motives. Sometimes we ask God to do things when He is simply waiting on us to take that step in faith.

Faith can not be activated without a step as we learn this very lesson with the servant of Abraham as he prayed to the Lord of his master prior to meeting the wife of Isaac. After he prayed he then got up and went to her which then activated the outcome of his prayer. He knew what he had prayed and did not go to her while flaunting this in her face but he allowed God to guide the steps as he displayed obedience to the Lord of his master.

There are times when we are to simply pray for those that we can not reach but when God has us in a place that we can be affective in our obedience then we are to take those directed steps in faith. The object is to recognize the balanced skills required of when to step and when not to step. This is how we recognize the doors that open and the doors that shut. For why would we ever expect to receive if we are not willing to knock?

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

This morning as I walked out on our screened porch for morning prayer I noticed a sparrow that had slipped in through one little hole within the screen. This happens from time to time due to not addressing the hole within the screen. In order to repair the hole correctly it is going to involve the alot of work that requires time and if we were to patch the screen this would only bring further work due to not being done correctly.

As far as the little sparrow he was not flying wildly within the porch but would just hop from place to place along the floor. The sparrow did not see the door when it was opened due to the screen blending in with nature. So I did what I have done in the past by propping the door open and then walking in behind the bird for him to move on his own toward the freedom from the screened in porch. In the past I have done this and rather enjoyed watching the birds (which I now recall have always been sparrows) being set free to observe their next actions in flight. Some fly out and simply sit on the outside rail. Some fly just a little ways and perch on the branch of a tree but this morning there was something different about this little sparrow.

He paused for a moment once he found the door but then he took off flying through the woods and into the valley behind our home. I could here him chirping and and calling out to other birds in his excitement of being set free. The chirps echoed through the valley as he flew through the trees. As I listened to the call of the sparrow that had been set free I then heard this message that relates to you and me.

Recognize the significance of not addressing  the hole and what happens when we try to patch our problems. Another point the Lord was teaching me was how the screen blended in with the world. This is a very important point to recognize. The screen was almost invisible and made by man but was there holding back the bird from flight and it took the help of another to step behind rather than in front to assist the sparrow along the Way.

The part that touched me the most was the chirping of the sparrow that had been set free. As I stood there on the porch listening to the bird that had been released from the bondage of something made by man it was then that God gave me this spiritual message that relates to His overall plan. The Lord then opened my eyes of futher freedom that can related to the formation of America in which we stand. For in our freedom it should ring from the hill tops and echo through the valleys for all to hear. Because there is nothing like the freedom in knowing that God is near.

Enjoy this song Let Freedom Ring as I pray that you will stand with me in the freedom that God has given us through His only Son that got behind each of us for our freedom today. The spiritual door is open and all we have to do is walk on through as Jesus has taught us the Way. I pray that we can learn from our past in order to stand in the love of Jesus for our future…Amen 

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Yesterday we looked upon the lesson of Paul being bitten by the snake and this morning lets take this lesson a little bit further based on the needed lesson. The bible says in Acts 28 vs 6 that the people waited a long time to see what happened to Paul and after they saw that he never swelled up or suddenly dropped dead that they finally recognized his relationship with the Lord.

How does this relate with us today you may ask? Think about it! Don’t we all tend to sit back and watch the reaction of others once they get thrown into the fire or when they face trials and tribulations? It is in our human nature to allow sin to often rise up in us and look for someone to fall rather than encourageing them to stand. May I encourage you this morning to shake any snake that comes your way and to trust in God for those that have been bitten…For greater is He that is in us than He that is in this world…

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

If you were to compare the different churches within the body of Christ to the instruments within a band you would find many different sounds but all should be on one accord. For the instruments within a band do not play against one another but they learn to play together through the instruction of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. Not every listener enjoys the same type of music or the projection of every band but the object is to love each instrument for who they are while discovering the peace of God in where we stand.

There are times when the bands join together to form a symphony or an orchestra and it is within these times of unity that we can witness the sound of God’s music like we have never heard. For these sounds that only come in unity can bring down the walls that separate us from the blessings of God and carry us to places we have never seen but only dreamed. Each part of the body has different functions just as the different instruments within a band and as we balance our selves on God’s Word this helps us to better understand.

Jesus plainly said,”Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

Within the ministry of God it is unfortunate but true that many wounds are often inflicted on others. Some are direct darts from Satan and many others are simply due to the lack of maturity in the Word of God. When we look upon maturity in Christ it helps to compare this to the fruit on a tree. For not all fruit ripens at the same time for the harvest and it is very wise to recognize the stages of the fruit around us in order to insure their maturity. Another part of wisdom is to be honest in the maturing stage that we are in without acting like something that we are not. For whats wrong with saying,”This is where I am with God and here are my current growing pains?”

Like a child they often think they are ready for something before their time and it is when they receive it that they often discover it was more than they could handle. Within this lesson there are multiple lessons to those with the eyes to see and the ears to hear. Think about it! We learn this lesson through John Mark and Paul among many other parallels throughout the Word of God. For John Mark was commissioned by the Holy Spirit to assist Paul in His first mission but rather than sticking to the mission he left them to go on his own way due to his own lack of understanding and trust in God. In time they were brought back together as Paul instructed Timothy to bring John Mark in a future mission and it was this time apart that the love of Jesus helped to heal the wounds.

One of the vital parts of maturity and understanding is recognizing and acknowledging the lessons that are gained in our trials. These test that are often before us are there to help us mature but far too often we miss the true healing due to not sharing the lessons we learn and wanting to place blame on someone else. It is when we learn to stand on God’s Word and take our trials to the Lord that He will show us the proper Way to reach the other side. So with all this being said this morning may I encourage you to not allow your feelings or your own lack of understanding to move you from where you are. Seek God with a humbled heart and be willing to do as He instructs to witness the healing that can take place in the hand of God…

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” James 1:2

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com

As we all can see here in America there is a great need for a movement of God to reignite the coals within our souls in order to prepare and strengthen us for the days ahead. We can all hear others sitting around and talking about what this country needs but what this country needs are men and women that are willing to stand up with the willingness to simply do their part.

Real change first starts within each of us and then it spreads throughout our homes to communities and then to our nation but if we are not willing to make initiative ourselves then all we are doing is giving the enemy victory by robbing us of the life that we can have through the love of Jesus Christ. There is something you can do today to make a positive difference and I challenge you not to give Satan victory in falsely thinking you just dont have the time when you really do. In fact if you dont feel that uyou have the time then I challenge you to examine all the things you do to recognize in whom you are serving. For if your actions are not for the better of mankind then you are not properly serving God…

James A. Harrison

http://balancedlifeministry.org

http://specialdeliverybook.com