I decided to write today. Something took over me and I finally decided to sit down and let it out. We have had the most stressful and hardest 2 months I can remember having since we began working in this ministry. We could see and feel Satan attacking at all angles. There were definitely days that at the end of the day, if we had not known we were exactly where God called us to be, we would have quit. I cannot and do not want to go into the scope of it all but it was physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausting. And last night for the first time I was able to put into words what I knew God had been telling me. When we started this job and for all the years after I very clearly heard God say to me "No where in scripture do I tell you to be comfortable. It is not there and it should not exist for you or any other believer. I did not live my life that way and I do not call my followers to a life of comfort." I became okay with that. That my life did not look like other people's life and that it is hard, but that was okay. But this week I clearly heard "You job is going to be constantly hard." And I have to be okay with that. I always try to clearly think through words. I love words and I try to call God names that I clearly identify with. These past 2 months, the Lord has become my Sustainer. He has given me strength and grace where I just knew I wouldn't make it. He has help me up and walked me through things I wasn't sure I could get through. I say all the time "God is faithful." and once again He has proven himself. It will be one battle after another. I am in a battle and need to be suited up. There won't be lots of down time. There will be good times. I will win battles. But I will lose some. It's okay. HE wins the war. I will survive the hard times and when I get knocked down he will pull me back up. Heck, he will even fight when I cannot. He will battle for me. This month I have clearly been taken back to the book of Daniel, the 10th chapter,
" 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."
I have imagined that all around me the past two months. A deep battle. I have prayed for angels to surround and fight. I have prayed for Satan to be bound. My job has been to continue striving for the understanding and humbling myself before the Lord. He will fight. And when needed, so will I. My Sustainer...for you wordsmiths like myself the word sustain means "to strengthen or support physically or mentally....uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of" ...he will do and has been doing all of those things. He is strengthening me. I know not an ounce of this has been my own doing. He is upholding me. On the days I just want to lay down and quit he holds me up. He is affirming me. I have known all through the midst of it that he loves me and have had peace in the midst that my heavenly Father was proud of me. And he is going to confirm justice. He brings justice. He is the ultimate judge. He has got this under control. My Sustainer.
" 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."
I have imagined that all around me the past two months. A deep battle. I have prayed for angels to surround and fight. I have prayed for Satan to be bound. My job has been to continue striving for the understanding and humbling myself before the Lord. He will fight. And when needed, so will I. My Sustainer...for you wordsmiths like myself the word sustain means "to strengthen or support physically or mentally....uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of" ...he will do and has been doing all of those things. He is strengthening me. I know not an ounce of this has been my own doing. He is upholding me. On the days I just want to lay down and quit he holds me up. He is affirming me. I have known all through the midst of it that he loves me and have had peace in the midst that my heavenly Father was proud of me. And he is going to confirm justice. He brings justice. He is the ultimate judge. He has got this under control. My Sustainer.
Hope this helps---look at the #---Jim
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Does God Call?
A little child over heard his pastor say “ God called me into the ministry when I was a teenager.” At which the child responded, “ I didn’t know they had telephones that long ago.”
“Called”- who is called and why? 1 Peter 2:9 states, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light.” Is that what it means? Sure, every one of us that allowed the regenerating power of God’s spirit to make us new creations have been called by the convicting power of Jesus.
But what about our life ministries? It is certainly true that a person can carry on a ministry and a vocation- but what about these servants that need to be of service 24 hrs. a day? I think that the only way this can be done is by being “given to the ministry”- in 1982 the Lord was opening doors in one area of our lives and closing doors in other areas. Martha and I were content, working in our home church, I was the deacon, bus captain, RA director, pastor of our children’s worship, etc. Martha was teaching, van driver, children’s leader, etc. We both enjoyed a good income from our jobs (Plant worker and Exc. Secretary) we thought all was well! But as I said, doors started to close. My plant, even though it had sells into 2000, shutdown. Martha’s job changed to an on-call 24 hour Nightmare. So we prayed. (Please don’t do this unless you are willing to accept God’s plan). And God answered.
We were contacted out of the blue by a group home in Gardendale. They needed a supply staff (a couple to work several days a month or so). We were scared. We would have to change our entire life-style(mainly our freedom).But we said we would try it for a time or two. Our daughter Heather was only an infant. This really was a different life. After about 18 months of this, more doors started to close. We needed to know what to do. So again we prayed. (I told you about this already). The very next day, not a week or two, Mr. Grigsby called us, to tell us about a cottage of boys and girls opening. And we would be His first choice. This caused even more praying-“ what” were we to do? So unlike Horis Greely- “go west young man”- we went north!
I tell people that we became foreign missionaries- we had never lived so far from home- we worked with strange people (teenagers) with their own languages and customs. We labored harder than ever before.
Many of my friends, that are in service to God, respond to being called by God based on Eph.4:11-12. He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelist, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” Being a house-parent is one of the hardest jobs that Martha and I have ever done and have enjoyed just about every minute of it. I’m glad that Paul wrote,” for the work of service” as part of being called.
From a materialistic point of view, we could tell you of all that we had to give up( eq. Home, friends, jobs, money, etc.). But all of that was satisfied when we saw our first child accept Jesus.
We make less than we ever have: but we have more than we ever had.
We have talked with many couples looking to be a houseparent. We tell them that unless they have been petitioned by God and are totally dedicated to Him- They won’t be here very long.
Churches ask us what we need. I usually answer something like this: We here at Alabama Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries have many needs (eq. Money, more staff, more control over our system, etc.) but the greatest one thing we need is your prayers.
Please pray for us,
Jim Harris
2 Ti. 1:7
<3 <3 <3 !!!
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