Author: Jim Corbett

      "Remember the tenderness of your first love with Me? Remember when being with Jesus was all that mattered to you?

      "I remember how sweet your spirit was. I remember the softness with which you even mentioned His Name. You need to go back to that place in your heart. The years, the worries, the warfare, and the disappointments have taken their toll.

      "You have become weary in your well-doing. The enemy of your soul has gained a foothold, causing you to concern yourself with momentary needs and longings for relief from My refining fires. My gift of discernment in you has caused you to become disappointed with those who cannot or will not see what you have been allowed to see.

      "You feel used, abused, and cast aside by those who can only take from you, giving nothing in return. At times, you even feel as if I have left you. I understand, but I cannot allow you to go there. You must shake loose from that destructive spirit. It is not of Me. Run back to Jesus as if your life depended on it. It does."

Romans 8:38 NIV

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dear remnant believer, hold fast. You are not alone. God has not forgotten you. As the cold, dead church seems to be oblivious to anything but their own needs, you cannot fall into the trap of envying their seemingly easy road. The refining fire has been turned up. The separation that must come has begun in earnest. There is no more "business as usual" for those who are part of this holy preparation.

You need to know that Jesus is waiting for you with the refreshing comfort of His love. He is the only source that will soon satisfy. Go there now! You must, once again, focus only on Him for comfort. You are being trained so that He is your only source for all your needs. Allow Him to rekindle your first love; then allow that love to have its complete work in you, maturing into an end-time bridal love. The Holy Spirit will carry you into His presence if you become too
weak and weary to get there.

Take me back to my first love with You, Lord Jesus,

Jim Corbett

"Where did you get the foolish notion that you would be ready for Jesus when He comes, if you have spent your lifetime pursuing other loves? How will He recognize those who are His, if they do not have the same heart motives and desires that He does - those who look and act just like Him?

"It would be wise to decide to have Jesus as your only love. Your life should be spent in preparation for His return, not in pursuit of worldly comforts. Stop listening to useless arguments about when He is coming and live your days as if it were today.

"This is your time of preparation. It is My time of making sure that all is complete. When all is in order, He will appear for those who are His, those who have given their hearts completely to Him. Will you have made yourself ready?"

James 4:4-10 AMP

4) You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

5) Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?

6) But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).

7) So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

8) Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

9) [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].

10) Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

Those who are aware of the times and seasons in which we live are divided into two groups. One group is preparing with moderate zeal because they understand how wonderful it would be to be part of what might soon take place. They are flowing in their usual "this is gonna be good for me" attitude and believe that it will be adequate for whatever happens, whenever it happens.

The other group, those of you who have chosen to live as Jesus lived, have heard the same call, only you have learned from intimate times with the Father that compromise is not part of the character of Jesus. You know that the kind of heart that finds satisfaction in anything other than the Father's will is in no way similar to Jesus' heart.

You have learned that it is important to the Father that Jesus recognize Himself in those who are waiting and/or working for Him. You know that responding to the present call to intimacy is important to God and are willing to do so for no other reason than to glorify the Father and please Jesus. You know that falling in love with Jesus, a vital and often missing part in the fulfillment of God's plan, is necessary and you desire to do what it takes to go there.

Make me ready, Lord,

Jim Corbett