The words "thank you" are mighty easy to say when someone has done something wonderful for you. They also roll off the tongue pretty fast when we have been given a gift of any kind.
Have you ever said "thank you" to the Lord for placing you in difficult situations, even if they are for your own good? What if you were called to go through extreme—maybe even painful— circumstances to help you become more like Jesus? Would you say "thank you?" Have you ever said it to Him in the past?
Few of us really understand how much circumstances rule our lives. Most of us men react to circumstances in the same way we did before we came to the Lord. We analyze the situation, check on the options, and then make the decision that seems best based on the known criteria. Few of us really understand how far that is from the way the Lord desires us to act.
Our Lord functions in the supernatural. His purposes are far from our way of thinking. As we are making decisions which seem best based on what we know, what if the Lord is using the circumstances to train us or those around us? What if He is not looking for the logical decision because He knows more about the ultimate result than we do? What if He wants you to do the illogical, even foolish, so your faith in Him can grow?
Often I have made a decision that seemed like a step of faith, thinking I was obedient to the Lord’s wishes, only to find myself in a boxed canyon with no way out. I had prayed, sought counsel and then moved, thinking that things would work out perfectly. When they didn’t, I thought I had missed God. God, on the other hand, had me just where He wanted me. I needed Him because I found myself with no answers. The circumstance had nothing to do with success or failure, but it had to do with my training. It had to do with the need for me to be out of answers and surrendering myself to Him - a much deeper work than I thought was being done.
Men, we are in training to hear God and move only where and when He desires to move. Our bottom line is answers. His bottom line is to make us more like Jesus, doing nothing of ourselves and trusting Him in all things. Will you trust Him wherever He leads?
Let’s talk more!
Jim Corbett
“The explosion at the grave did much more than bring the most important person Who ever lived back to life. It modified the creation model forever, furthering My plan and providing a pathway for mankind to interact with Me eternally through the blood of Jesus. It established new boundaries for My interaction with you for this season of your existence. It set in motion a new eternity and at the same time began the countdown to the end of life as you know it.
"Soon I will usher in a new heaven and a new earth. It will complete the era in which you live and begin another phase of the expression of Who I am. How involved do you want to be in My future plans? Although access to Me is provided for you through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, your commitment level to Him in this season shows Me much. It shows your sincerity and devotion to Me and whatever I have in mind for the future.
"Understand that I am, at this moment in time, building a generation to interact with Me for eternity. Your life commitment in Jesus is being scrutinized and recorded. How you choose to implement the new life I have given you, and how you take advantage of the unlimited access that you have to Me, greatly impacts how I will use you in My eternal future.”
Eph. 4:12-13 AMP
12) His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),
13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and the completeness found in Him.
Phil. 3:10-11 AMP
10) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
11) That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].
Rev. 2:26 NIV
“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.”
Most of us are so short-sighted that we apply what we have been given through Jesus only to our waking moments on this earth. God always interacts from an eternal perspective. We act and react from our limited perspective of what is best for us this very moment.
Until we determine in our hearts to get in line with God’s heart for His reasons, we are missing out on more than we could ever imagine. We are also failing to realize how important our days are. We may think that we are benefiting from consuming all that the Lord has provided on ourselves. We fail to realize the eternal impact of our selfishness.
Open my eyes, Lord,
Jim Corbett
As part of His covenant with us, God has promised to give us every opportunity to become like Jesus. He allows us to go through challenges and devises means for us to come to the end of ourselves. He guides and directs our responses to those challenges as barometers of our progress toward holiness.
Let’s talk facts. Although this life is not about us, this life we live has great importance in God’s eyes. His whole plan is the perfecting of those who will be spending eternity with Him. As we focus on Jesus, God is focusing on us to make us into His image. He is orchestrating opportunities for us to make decisions. Those decisions become more and more like the decisions that Jesus, in His holiness, would make as we submit to God’s hand. Without opportunities to come to the end of ourselves and turn to God for help, we would never experience our Father’s keeping power over us. Our need imparts God’s wealth to us as we surrender.
As men after the Savior’s heart, we understand that challenges are only spiritual opportunities to grow in Christ. As those who do want to become like Jesus, we have learned to embrace any and all challenges that come our way as acts of love, not as reprimands. In doing so, we release the power of the Holy Spirit to move in concert with God’s plan for our lives as we grow closer to Him from challenge to challenge. Will you pay the price?
Let’s talk more!
Jim Corbett
“It’s time to get back to the basics of My Word. It’s time to set aside the foolish teachings of men and return to My kind of life for you. That is one of absolute obedience and submission to My will. Many of you have found comfortable teachings about the use of your time, money, resources, and giftings that keep you from living the submissive, crucified life. Because you have chosen the easy, self-serving road, I am unable to share the deeper things of My heart with you. I know that you will consume them upon yourself in the same way that you have consumed My other resources. In short, I can’t trust you with My heart for this season.
"If you, however, repent of your selfish ways, I will once again trust you with My Word. Repent now. I desire to share fresh manna with you, manna to give to those who are hungry for real food. If you continue on your selected path and do not repent, you will be one of the drooling masses, who are consumed with the fear of losing those things they are holding close when difficult times unfold. I desire for you to be able to feed others; you, however, will require food from those who have chosen My way, all because you would not hear Me and turn from your selfish ways.”
Joshua 7:13 AMP
Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel; There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel. You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction].
Mark 4:24 AMP
And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you – and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
I am convinced that the Lord is tearing away the false teachings that have permeated the church, teachings that have hindered the work of God going forth. Because of the complacency that has set in, the general body leaves the preaching to the preachers, the evangelizing to those “called” to do so, the support limited to “tithes,” and the witnessing to those who are “better at it than we are.” Neighbors waiting for someone to share the Gospel with them go to hell, and we wonder why God never sent the right person, instead of repenting for not going ourselves.
You and I are the ones God desires to use for His work. Each of us has been given gifts and talents that are needed right in our own circles. The Lord is asking every one of us to give away what we have been given. Instead, we stand around with clenched fists, looking for others to share what they have.
Open my hands and allow me to pour out Your gifts, Lord,
Jim Corbett
