Month: December 2022

“Some surprises are wonderful; others are not good if you are not prepared for them. Are you sure that you’re ready for the surprise that will change the world as you know it? Most of My church is not ready. Please don’t follow their example. You make yourself ready by drawing close to Me during this time of preparation.

"If you notice, the distractions are becoming more prevalent. There are many more noises to sway your attention from Jesus. That is because the time is drawing near. Push aside everything that clouds your vision and quiets your hearing of My Word. Do not be lulled to sleep as many have been. Wake up. Shake yourself awake. You do not want to be surprised and left behind.”

 Matt. 25:1-6 NIV

1) “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

2) Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

3) The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

4) The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

5) The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6) At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him!’”

1 Th. 5:4-6 NIV 

4) But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise     you like a thief.

5) You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

6) So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

 

Whenever there is talk about the rapture, controversy breaks out about doctrine and personal beliefs. Theories abound as to whether or not there is a time of calling away those who are looking for Jesus. Some believe that there is no such thing as the rapture. Others believe that there is one and everyone who accepts Jesus is taken away. Still others believe that only those who are truly waiting for Jesus and have enough oil, (sincere, sold-out hearts and proper reasons for waiting,) are taken to the marriage supper.

I am convinced that there is a time when our Lord will call for those who are thinking, acting, and loving as He would. I also believe that the time is very near.

Whether you share my beliefs matters far less than how prepared you and I are because we love Jesus.  Are we ready and prepared to meet Him if He should come at any minute? If we are ready for whatever, whenever - I mean really ready for His reasons - He will be glorified no matter what happens or when it happens.

Make me ready so that You are blessed, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Look back on those people who have been instrumental in your life. I want you to bless them. Bring them to Me in prayer. Pray that I might prosper them in all they do, and that they become all they can be in My eyes. Pray that they serve Jesus with all their hearts. Pray this for everyone that I bring to your mind, even those who have hurt you or despitefully used you. Ask for My mercy to come to those who have intentionally harmed you. Wait in My presence until you can be grateful for every person that you have encountered. Take your time. There is no hurry. Over time, as I heal your every wound, I will show you how all of them have a portion in who you are in Me. I will set you free.”

Esther 6:1-3 AMP

1) On that night the king could not sleep; and he ordered that the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, be brought, and they were read before the king.

2) And it was found written there how Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the attendants who guarded the door, who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

3) And the king said, What honor or distinction has been given Mordecai for this? Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Nothing has been done for him.

Phil 4:13 AMP

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

 

It’s easy to bless those who have blessed us, but every one of us has had people intentionally or unintentionally bring harm to us through their words or actions. When you live in society, it is unavoidable. How we handle those offenses is what counts. In the world, most reactions to offenses fall into the categories of retaliation, holding unforgiveness of some sort; and leaving hurtful wounds and insurmountable obstacles in the way of healthy relationships. In Christ, however, every offense, past or present, brings opportunity for our growth and healing by His power.

As I was writing this comment, and partly because of a recent conversation with some friends, I was thinking of some short phrases that have helped me place offenses in proper perspective over the years. I wish I could take credit for them, but they have all come from other people, those much wiser than I.

“Lord, flood them with the same mercy you have given me.” This has often brought things into perspective as I think of how much mercy I have asked for because of my own sin towards God and towards others. It has allowed me to remember that we are all in need of the Lord and brings home the thought that we judge others by their actions; we judge ourselves by our intentions, (another borrowed phrase.)

“Forgiveness is the ardent desire to bear the consequences of another person’s sin.” This one is a definition of the heart of Jesus.  He saw our future healing and bore the weight of our sins and the sins of others because of our need. Only by His power can we understand that every sin against us gives us the opportunity to see that person’s desperate need for Jesus. By the infused sufficiency of Christ in us, we can understand that it is our privilege to hold that person up before the Lord so he or she might be healed. The act of forgiving then becomes a warfare tool against the real enemy, and an agent for healing in both the offending party and the offended.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Too often my children will not believe My Word because the circumstances around them deny its truth. Too often they would rather believe lies that are mere foolishness than what I have proven to be true over and over again. When I remove the ordinary and allow the supernatural to be predominant, My truth will be the only source of comfort and logic. Lies will be so prevalent that only those founded in the unmovable and eternal truth as I see it will not be taken in. When everything that is familiar falls away, only one thing will remain - My truth.”

John 8:31b-32 AMP

31b) …If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.

32) And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

John 17:17 AMP

Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by Truth; Your Word is Truth.

I Th. 2:13 NIV 

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

II Tim. 2:15 AMP 

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

Ja 1:21 NIV

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Jude 24-25 AMP

24) Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]—

25) To the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity). Amen (so be it).

 

The Word of God is absolutely true. There is no falsehood in it. Everything that is accurately said about God, the way He functions, and who He really is can be found there. You can build your eternal existence on the foundation of God’s Word. The Bible is the only book that is absolutely trustworthy. In fact, if we base any decision, choice, or determination of any kind on anything that is outside the Word of God, we are in danger. The world is passing away, but the Word of God will remain.

As things come to a close, the Bible says that lies will prevail in the world. In fact, there will be so many lies, that it will almost be impossible to know what truth is unless you have become so familiar with God’s truth that the lies are evident.

If we look around, even now, truth has become relative. Most areas in life are no longer black and white; they have melted into some kind of dull gray. In many cases, people base their life decisions on a mixture of half-truths, conjecture, traditions, and flat-out lies. It’s only going to get worse.

If we, as Christians, don’t determine in our hearts to start believing what is said in the Word of God - about Him, His promises, and His plans - as absolute, unfailing truth, we will soon find ourselves not only deceived by what is only supposedly true; but we will be incapable of leading others to the truth.

Weld Your Word in my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett