1989 – Rochester Prison
Soon a guard checked to see that my cellmates and I were still there, all prisoners present and accounted for. The heavy cell door made a whoosh! Sound as the guard closed it behind him. I hated that sound. It was as though all the air was being sucked out of the closet-sized room.
The closed door had become a symbol of my life. As I lay there that night, I felt as though all the life had been drained out of me. I didn’t know if God cared about me anymore; I could not feel His presence in my life. I wondered if He has written me off, if He had simply said good-bye to me. At my lowest times, I even doubted that God existed.
Oh, sure, somewhere deep within the recesses of my heart and mind, I knew that God was still alive and well. But wherever He was, I could not find Him. Whatever He was saying, if anything at all, I could not hear His voice. I honestly did not know where God was.
I began to think, Maybe one of the things that have been said about me are true. Maybe the well-known preacher was right when he had proclaimed, “Jim Bakker is through. He will never preach again.”
In the semidarkness of the room – which seemed bright when compared to the complete darkness of my soul – I fumbled with the dial to my transistorized radio. I put on the headset and began turning the dial back and forth, scanning the frequencies. The little radio was emitting nothing but static. I began to wonder if perhaps the radio was defective when suddenly the static cleared and I heard a familiar tune.
In stunned silence, I lay on my prison bunk bed and listened…
You may face some of life’s toughest trials.
You may walk some long, lonely miles,
But trav’lin’ with you, you will find a friend,
And there won’t be a battle you and God can’t win.
If there’s someone who has crushed your dreams,
The things you want may never seem to happen, it seems.
Every single doubt your Father will dispel.
You’re His child, there’s no way He’ll let you fail.
You can make it. You can make it.
This trial you’re going through,
God’s gonna show ya just what to do.
You can make it. You can make it.
I don’t care what’s going wrong.
God won’t let it last too long.
You’re not in this thing alone;
You can make it!
To some people, this event might seem to have been mere coincidence. To me it was a miracle. It was one of many miracles that God gave me during the trials of my faith.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience of loneliness with us. I am so pleased that you are still carrying HIS banner by inspiring us with your encounter of loneliness and with your ministerial work in his vineyard. Your life has been a testimony to us all. I have also been sourjournying in the valley of loneliness for the past two years. My husband and I currently live seperate lives, he was a strong minister of God but backslided five years ago since he ventured into the business of real estate.He is hardly at home he leaves home at 8.00am and returns at 8.00pm, he has neglected myself and our three children. He no longer prays and does not read the bible, but he still attends church on Sundays. Friends and family have stayed away from me, I have financial difficulties and currently does not have a stable job. All these problems erupted since I made a decision to get closer to God and had refused to compromise my faith. Since I’d began a new walk with God I have been encountering greater challenges. I have my good days and bad days where I cry out to the lord, and sometimes I just dont have the urge and the strength to pray. Presently I feel God has strayed from me and that he no longer sees me.
However, I have made up my mind not to give up, because I know he exist, he is real and he is still a loving father. I believe God is our helper in times of trouble, but I dont know why he has not come to my aid. Even though I believe every thing is working together for my good, but it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel…
I will never forget it, I was standing in the bank when I heard your sentence announced, I started to cry, how unfair, I thought, then the Lord spoke to me as clear as day, He said “I will restore back to Jim Bakker all the devil has stolen 100 times over.” Wow I thought, thank you Jesus and a peace enveloped me.
The strange thing is that I never remember the news ever being broadcast in our bank before or since. We were PTL partners for years and I had prayed and prayed when this all was happening my heart was breaking for all of you.
I still get teary eyed when you talk of your time in prison and I thank the Lord over and over for having given that word to me and His peace.
The Trial of Your Faith (Pt. 3)
Dear Sir,
The trial of your faith was passed with flying colours Sir as you spent time in that cell. You found Jesus through all of that darkness and grief and pain. This is what I believe.
I like the ‘foot prints in the sand’ story. I like to picture a maze that I am stuck in, where I’m confused and there is no way out. Everything starts getting darker and colder, so I look down to the floor as I pray for Jesus’ help, and see footprints in the sand. I follow the footprints and find my way out of the maze, only to see Jesus, carrying a lost soul who prayed also and was to weak to walk.
Kind regards,
Stephen
Stoke-on-Trent
UK.
The only thing that comes to my mind, is I was in prison and you didn’t visit me. When friends and family and church people forsake, God never, ever does. May God Bless you
Blessings to you Jim and your dear wife Lorie. a thought on ,The trial of your faith “,it remines me of the story of Jacob and his 12 son’s ,how Joseph was sold into slavery and that slavery, THAT could be any bondage in our lives to trip us up and than clean us up . JUST LOOK AT THE OUTCOME OF JOSEPH AND HOW PARAELL IT IS TO YOUR LIFE .A MIGHTY GOD’S WORK OF MERCY ,DELIVERENCE ,AND LOVE FOR HIS SON JIM BAKER.
I LOVE YOUR YOUR MINISTRY PROGRAM .KEEP BLOWING THE TRUMP OF GOD AND TEACHING ON THE “HARBINGER ” IT’S NOT IF BUT WHEN . THE LORD PROTECT YOU AND CONTINUE TO BLESS YOUR WORK FOR HIS KINGDOM . LOVE TO YOU AND LORI ,JOAN GAVIN
Pastor Jim,
I thank God for you. It proves that no matter what, God never leaves us or forsakes us. Even when we get tripped up, He is so loving and faithful. Thank you for your heart of love Pastor Jim. Thank you for not giving up on God. We sure do love you and we sure need folks like you!
God Bless you Brenda for that wonderful word of encouragement. Yes I totally agree with everything you said.
Is anything too hard for our Lord?
When he speaks can anyone reverse it?
NO! No one can stop our Lord.
We are in exciting times…We wait on him with Great Expectation!
Bless you dear sister in the LORD.
Please pray for my son, he is standing strong for Jesus in prison,
even had a hit put out on his life because he would not join one of the notorious gangs.
But he said,
“Lord Jesus I don’t want to play prison politics in here, if you don’t protect me then I am ready to die.”
He has found the Lord to be faithful and is now helping others to come out of the gangs.
Soldiers are paid, but warriors are chosen.
He is a chosen warrior for the Lord Jesus Christ,
And we rejoice!
Bless you dear sister in the Lord!
Hi Cynthia Carney. I read your testimony, and I thank God for you, and your son. Within two years, the anointing that is going to spark the final move of God that leads up to Jesus’ coming, will have been poured out. I have no doubt that your son will be miraculously delivered from his unjust prison sentence. Jesus never told us it was supposed to be easy. To the contrary, we have been asked to take up our cross and follow Him. But with what God is about to send upon this earth, we are going to know we are loved and supported, no matter what we are asked to go through. And God will supply all our needs according to HIS riches (not ours), in glory. Our deliverance draws near. May God keep and continue to bless you both as you walk with Him.
God did miracles for me through PTL thanks to you Jim Bakker! The greatest was I rededicated my life to God at that time! God used you THEN and he IS using you NOW and your darling wife Lori. KEEP PREACHING EVERYTHING you have been and DON’T STOP!!!!! I AM PRAYING FOR YOU, LORI, AND THE FAMILY!!!!
Jim,
I was not born-again during the days of PTL—
You see, I grew up in church, but I had only heard of the Baptist Jesus, not the full-gospel Jesus.
I had never heard of the Jesus who took my place of punishment so that I could go free. I had never heard of the finished work of the cross.
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” John 1:29
You see, five days short of my 18th bday, I had an abortion. I spent those years running from an angry God.
Then in 1987—Jesus through a series of events showed me just how much he loved me and had forgiven me 2000 years ago, all I had to do was receive it, and I did!
That day I became born-again, and my life was never the same. Ic an’t say that it got any easier, but slowly by slowly, God gave me courage and strength.
My youngest son did three torus in Iraq(USMC) He came home with war PtSD, and even though he did not hurt anyone–He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The very country he was willing to die for, threw him away without a blink of the eye.
But for God!
About a year into the country jail, Jesus appeared to him through a dream a vision, and his life has not been the same.
My heart goes out to you being in prison—I watch it weekly with my son but one thing I know is that for what my son has gained in Christ, neither one of us would trade a thing if this is what it took to know him.
God has told us that my son will be miraculously released in two years. And no one will be able to stop it.
God will send him back into the prison with the GRACE message, and will also use him with the soldiers coming back with War PTSD.
Jesus is the only HOPE for our nation.
I believe your journey in prison prepared you to be an end-time leader for our nation.
Like Joseph–You have been chosen—for the saving of many lives.
I’m sure prison was an awful experience, my heart broke for you then and when I think of it now. But the important thing is that you have proved that God is NOT through with you yet! Just look at Morningside and Lori’s House if you doubt it! God Bless You!
The Spirit was so present and evident while we visited PTL in 1986. When you lost it, I knew in my spirit that you would be back. I didn’t know when, but I just knew it was not over for your ministry, even though you were in prison. My husband, Harvey, worked for the local sheriff’s department. My heart went out to the female prisoners, whom I visited many times. The Holy Spirit is felt each time we have visited at the Cafe and at Morningside. Keep up the great work of the Lord.
There’s no way this was a coincidence. When the sin occurred in your life, and you were made to pay more of a price than your fellows who were even more deserving of correction, I never doubted your salvation, but held you up to God. God was faithful and just to assist you through the trial of your faith, and He will be faithful and just to give you more than you thought possible in the anointing that is coming.
Jim I also talk to GOD he told me to write things down. GOD said the hammer is going down. THere will also be a earthquake GOD said write all these things down that I come & tell you.. I’m glad your back on tv.. Those that dont believe what is coming is really going to be surprised……