“I am a Disciple”

The following is one of my all-time favorite declarations. We, as Christians, cannot be lukewarm. Either our passion is present to witness of Him, or we will be spewed out of His mouth according to this scripture:

Revelation 3:16: So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Let’s all make this declaration together today and ask God to stir up our passion for Him.

“I am a Disciple”

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power.
The die has been cast. I’ve stepped over the line

The love of God controls me. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple
of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or back away.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure.

I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning,
smooth and ease, colorless dreams, mundane talking, cheap giving, and
dwarfed roles.

I no longer need prosperity, position, promotion, preeminence, or
popularity.

I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or
rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk in patience, live by
prayer, and labor with power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is the Kingdom of God. My road
is narrow. My way is rough. My companions few. My guide reliable. My
mission clear.

I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back,
deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of
adversaries, negotiate at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I’ve stayed up, stored up, prayed
up, paid up, spoken up, for the cause of Christ.

I must go until He comes, give until I drop, teach until all know, run
until He stops me.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ

This week Lori and I just happened to be in the same town where Bebe and Cece Winans were singing for a corporate meeting (the largest corporation in the world). We ran into a local pastor whose family worked for that corporation and they told us Bebe and Cece were going to be in town the next day. We were able to meet them and what a wonderful visit we had! We recounted the days when they, as teenagers, began their music ministry on our television show. What a joy to be with old friends!

One of the number one things you will need more than anything else in the days to come, the days the Bible calls the “Last Days”, is a good friend, or I should say many good friends. The Church that Jesus said He would build will withstand the gates of Hell! The Church is going to take care of those within its gates. There is a big difference between Church members and the true Body of Christ – those who are truly born again!

Jesus calls us friends and when we are born again into the family of God, we become family. We are not just an earthly family but a family that does not walk away in bad times, but one that never gives up on each other! Here is what the Bible says in Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” That’s the kind of family I want to be a part of, one that does not walk away in bad times. Some earthly families fight all the time. I want to be in that family of God that loves each other at all times!

I always say Lori is my best friend and yet she is my wife and Mother of our children. How can this be family and friend? Jesus calls us friends in John Chapter 15. Read with me verses 12-17: “This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth, I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.”

When I was in prison, Franklin Graham came to visit me often and told me one day he wanted to be my sponsor to help me meet the requirements to get out of prison. I told him he did not need to do that, it might hurt him and the Graham name to be associated with me, a former inmate! He told me “Jim, you were my friend before prison and you are my friend now, and if anyone does not like it I am looking for a fight!”

God is the one who never gives up on you and He will fight your battles for and with you! Hebrews 13:5 says: “God says I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” That is real friendship! Abraham was called the “Friend of God” in James 2:23, and you are God’s friend if you have been born again into the family of God! If you have not been born again, ask Him into your heart today and you will become a Friend of God!

Have you ever tried to compare yourself with women of the Bible? I have, but I never measure up to such “greats” as Ruth, Esther, Sarah or Mary, the mother of Jesus. I identify more with the woman Jesus met at the well, the other Mary, Mary Magdalene, or the woman caught in the act of adultery – yes, all the “scarlet women”.

Thank God for Isaiah 1:18! This scripture is an Old Testament forecast of what happens when Jesus’ blood is applied to our sins. The “scarlet” and “crimson” in this verse refer to the double-dye process used to permanently color fabric in Bible days – to make white wool such a deep red, the color would not fade, no matter how many times it was washed.

This is how I felt. No matter how many showers I took, I could not clean myself up. My sin had become permanent, destroying my life. At the age of 14 I fell into a life of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Longing for love and acceptance I married at 17; but instead of cherishing and nurturing me, my husband physically and emotionally abused me. The woman at the well had five husbands; by the time I was 22, I had had five abortions. My life was more like that of the woman, caught in the “very act” of adultery, whom the scribes and the Pharisees brought to Jesus, than like that of a woman of God. I did not feel worthy to come to Jesus. In no way did I feel like a “woman of destiny”.

On Easter Sunday, 1989, I wandered into a wonderful church and heard the pastor tell me that I could be forgiven and saved by grace; I didn’t have to do it myself. That day my sins, which were permanently double-dyed like scarlet, became white as snow. And for the next ten years, I went through God’s training program, conducted by the people of the church. Little did I know that God was preparing me to speak to millions of women and that I would be an instrument to help heal their scars from abortion, drugs, and sinful living. Nor did I know that He was also preparing me to be the wife of Jim Bakker. But I’m beginning to learn that broken and wounded people make the best healers.

Women of Destiny, Jesus can do the same for you. One of the most awesome Scriptures, and one of my favorites is: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through [Christ’s death on the cross], to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Col. 1:21, 22). Yes, Jesus will heal your sin and make you holy, blameless, and above reproach thorough His blood, not your works. No matter what you have done, when you seek and accept the Lord’s forgiveness, you are clean. You are made whiter than snow! Jesus makes life new! Believe it and receive it!

Albert Einstein once said that “ There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle or you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Either God is there or He is not there! I have always said that it takes more faith to believe that all the universe and you and I are an accident than to believe God created all things including you and me! If there is a God, then His Word must be truth!

If you watch our program on a regular basis, you know that I often say, “The good new is that the bad news tells us that Jesus is coming back and the Bible is true! All the prophetic words in the Bible concerning the return of Jesus must come to pass if the Bible is truth and praise God they are all coming true in this hour we are living! Redemption is coming – do not fear!

Look at Luke 21:25-29: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”. So when all these things we have been sharing from the Word daily come to pass, it should not discourage us, but cause us to rejoice!

The King is coming so rejoice! Jesus tells us to rejoice even when people hate us. Look at Luke 6:22-23: “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.”

Have a blest day and rejoice! The best is yet to come!

Do you believe in destiny? I do. I have often marveled at the fact that God chose you and me to live in this specific time in the history of the world. We could have been born in any century or any millennium, but He chose this amazing time; what we now know is the last of the last days before He returns, for you and me to be alive. It is not happenstance. It is not coincidence. We are here right now because we are destined to be.

How do I know that? Because the God I serve is the Alpha and the Omega – the God who knows the beginning and the end. He knew Adam and Abraham and Moses and David. He knew Eve and Deborah and Ruth and Esther. Each had a time and a purpose for their lives, and so do you and I. He knew you would read this very blog, and He came via Lori today to tell you that you are born with a purpose and a destiny unto Him!

God knew that Lori Graham Bakker would be born in 1957 and He knew that I would answer the call to love and serve Him. Throughout my life, I always knew He was with me and felt His spirit hovering over me, even in the worst of my rebellion. That may sound strange to some of you, but it is ever so true. He never left me; He was never far from me. His hand was on me even in my sin, and His voice was always there too.

I could hear Him gently calling me, “Lori, what are you doing? Turn around. Come home to Me. I love you and I will never leave you or forsake you. You are My delight. I adore you. My love for you is lasting. My love for you is eternal. The world cannot love you like I do. What you are looking for is not in these things. I alone will satisfy the deepest desires of your heart. Come home to me, and I will give you rest, peace and purpose.”

My natural mind couldn’t wrap itself around a God who loved me while I was rebellious and willfully sinning. I couldn’t understand how God could possibly use anything I had to give. Little did I know then that my testimony of those rebellious years would help many others to find their way back to Him.

Today, I know the significance of the Times, and I know He is using every willing vessel to harvest souls.

Sometimes the Lord will speak to you directly, and sometimes He will use others to get through to you. Queen Esther is often used as an example of destiny. The most quoted verse regarding her life in the history of the world refers to her having lived “for such a time as this”. That verse sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? She was called on by God to accomplish a great mission: saving her people from annihilation! Talk about purpose!

Esther had a purpose and a destiny, but she could have said no to it all. In fact, she thought about saying no, but thought again after her uncle, Mordecai gave her a stern warning: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

We have each come to the kingdom for such a time as this and we have a divine destiny. In this day of all the talk about “purpose”, it’s never been more important to understand that we are all here by His choosing to live in this day; the last of the last days, to fulfill a divine purpose. That purpose begins with our answer to His call.

And my answer will be “Yes, Lord, Yes”!

It’s a privilege to serve Him in any century, but it’s amazing when you understand your place in history (His Story).

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, “I’m tired, and it’s getting late. I think I’ll go to bed.”

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day’s lunches, rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes into the dryer, put a load of clothes into the wash, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the newspapers strewn on the floor, picked up the game pieces left on the table and put the telephone book back into the drawer. She watered plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair. She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face, put on moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and trimmed her nails. Hubby called, “I thought you were going to bed.”

“I’m on my way,” she said.

When I was two months old, my parents proudly took me to our family church to be dedicated to God. Before the pastor prayed over me, he uttered words my parents felt were prophetic: “This little girl has been born to be a bulwark against sin and the devil.”

Fourteen years later, my life was anything but a bulwark or defense against evil. By 22, I was a hopeless drug addict. The little girl who carried a baby doll with her at all times by then had experienced five abortions and a complete hysterectomy.

I was angry with God, though I knew it was my own rebellion that took my dreams away. To fill the hurt and void I went deeper into alcohol and drugs, and at 27 ended an abusive marriage through divorce. I felt so sinful and hopeless that God would not hear my prayers.

Do you feel like your prayers hit the ceiling? The enemy of your soul reminds you of your sins and says you are not good enough for God to hear your prayers. Can you identify with David when he cried, “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Ps. 13:1).

God is not playing some high-stakes hiding game with us. In fact, He says in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” My husband showed me the meaning of never in Greek as used in this verse. He suggested the verse should read like this: “I will never, not at all, by no means, in no case, not ever, not at all in any wise leave you, and I will never, not at all, by no means, in no case, not ever, not at all in any wise forsake you.” It is settled in heaven and in the mind of God. He will never leave you!

At 31, my night turned into day when God’s light of salvation came into my life. Perhaps you feel in the dark, in a situation so awful you can’t solve it and God doesn’t see you. I have good news: Jesus has come right now and He’s caused you to read my letter. “The Lord upholds all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down” (Ps. 145:14). When you are down, when heaven feels like brass, and the enemy is whispering in your ear, proclaim Micah 7:8.

What you are going through now may mean God is teaching you, getting you ready for a special work. Hebrews 12:6-8 proclaims: “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening…then you are illegitimate and not sons.” All God’s children must go through times of training. The Word declares that even the trial of our faith is more precious than gold (see 1 Pet. 1:7).

I have been put back together, forgiven of all my sins, delivered from drugs and alcohol, given a wonderful home, husband, and a ministry beyond my wildest dream.

Woman of Destiny, your time has come – you will arise!

Understanding Our Times – Part 2

The Bible in 1 Chronicles 12:32 says the sons of Issachar had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.

“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.” Continue reading →

A profound statement I have often used is “it’s not your ability God is looking for, it’s your availability”.
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

In my testimony, I tell people about how I was delivered from a wasted life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. In the beginning of my Christian walk, I often wondered about my life’s purpose and just how I could be used by God. I knew He had saved me and healed me for a reason. I knew in my heart that my testimony was important to encourage others who were still caught in that kind of life.

But the enemy of my soul (satan) would accuse me and tell me that nobody wanted to hear what I had to say. I used every excuse I could think of to shrink away from the call of God on my life, but it was no use. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God didn’t call Moses because he was a great orator – for Moses stuttered. God didn’t call Esther because she was a heroine – she feared for her life at first. God didn’t call Jonah because he was obedient – he ran the other way! And God didn’t call Lori Graham Bakker because she was a stereotypical preacher!
I learned that my availability is all that He needed. He didn’t ask me to be a great orator. He didn’t ask me to be a heroine. He didn’t ask me to get a degree in theology to add to my credibility with the religious. He was not satisfied with just a little piece of Lori – He asked me for my all.

When I gave Him my all, I didn’t know how He would use it and it wasn’t for me to know. Sometimes God will ask us for our availability and wait to see if we respond. If we give Him our all, He will take it and make something wonderful of it. He made my willingness to tell my story into a great healing ministry. He took my shame of a sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll life and brought glory to His own name through my brokenness.

You see, He saved me with His love. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance, and now I can’t stop telling others of His great love. Love conquers ALL. And now I can only say ‘yes’ when He asks me to be available to tell of His love, His healing, and His restoration.

Remember, God is not looking for your abilities, He is looking for your availability.
Lord, I thank you for your great love towards me. I know in my heart that your love conquered every fear I ever had, healed every wound and empowered me by your Holy Spirit to be bold to tell others of You. I pray now for every person who reads this, that they would be completely overtaken by Your great love; and that they give themselves without reserve to Your purposes for them, that You will be glorified!