Category: From Our Fathers Heart

“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

 

“Who in the land is out to prove Me faithful? Who has made it their goal to glorify My Name? Who is willing to pay any price for the privilege of carrying My Word to a cold church and a dying world?

 “I have many who say that they will; but over and over, when the pressure gets too great and the trials become too intense, they turn away unwilling to pay the required price for My anointing. What most do not know is that they were on the very threshold of breaking through to victory. Most never knew what they could have done with Me if they had only withstood the pressure a moment longer. I would have poured everything that I have and everything that I am into them, just as I did with those who remained faithful in My Word.

“Where would you be if Paul had given up because of the pressure put on him? You, My remnant, need to understand something. My anointing no longer comes cheap. There is a great price to be paid if you want My presence on what you do. Most of those you know will not be willing to pay the price. I know that, so I am eliminating them by bringing fiery trials into their lives, so that their true nature will be revealed.

“Those who overcome will soon move in a power that has been unavailable to My church for some time. Those who fall away because of the pressure will never know what could have been. You need to decide how important My presence is to you.

“Do you wish to remain with those who are remaining in an old anointing, or do you crave to be with Me in what I am doing in these end times? If you choose to move with Me, it will cost you everything. Are you willing to pay the price?

“Before you answer, you had better count the cost. If you choose My better way, I will be your ever-present Lord. The world will know that Jesus dwells in My people because they will see Him once again in you. Does that mean enough to you to submit to whatever it takes to carry His Name in that manner? If it doesn’t, move aside now. Step out of your calling and be put aside during this time.”

Exodus 33:13-16 NIV

13) “If I have found favor in your eyes, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

14) The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15) Then Moses said to him, ”If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

16) How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Acts 21:12-13 NIV

12) “When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

13) Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

 

Can you imagine Jesus stopping short of the cross because it was too difficult? What if Paul had deemed that the cost of his ministry was too high? What if either of them, or the countless others who have been raised up for specific moves of God throughout biblical history, had refused to pay the price to accomplish their calling? Where would we be?

Except in the case of Jesus, I’m sure that the Lord would’ve found someone else to accomplish the task at hand; so what about the ordinary guys like us who refuse to pay the price? Can you imagine facing our Lord, knowing that we refused Him because we thought our challenge was too difficult?

At this moment, our Lord is calling out a remnant of sold-out believers. Because of the task that will soon be before them, He is presenting increasingly difficult trials to them to expose their level of commitment to Him. His anointing will not come cheap to this generation any longer.  These fiery tests will help to develop a rock-solid commitment in those who embrace all challenges presented. Conversely, they will eliminate anyone who feels that the price is too high.

Each person who had an impact on his or her generation was raised up for that specific time. Every one of them was faced with the same decision that we face today - to do what they were called to do or stand on the sidelines while the Lord accomplished His will through someone else. We hear about, read about, and pattern our lives after those who said “Yes.” Those who refused, well…

Let that not happen to me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you know that I like every one of My children? I know that you can possibly comprehend that I could love you as some sort of obligation on My part, but to comprehend that the Lord of the universe likes you is possibly a little much. Well, I do! I not only love you; I like you! I like being with you. I enjoy hearing your every thought, your every need. I really care about the things that you care about. You are the reason that I have done everything that you read about in My Word. You are My hope for future creations.

 “Come and talk with Me. Let Me know what concerns you or makes you happy. I like being with you.”

Ps. 139:1-3 AMP

1) O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.

2) You know my downsitting and my uprising. You understand my thought afar off.

3) You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways.

I Peter 5:7 AMP

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

 

The thought of the Creator of all things liking us does seem a little much, doesn't it? Everywhere in His Word, however, it does point to a glorious God Who is preparing people for a time when they will spend eternity with Him. Maybe we should try to grasp the concept of our Lord liking us. It would sure make prayer time a little more wonderful, wouldn't it?

Thank You for loving and liking me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“The life you live brings credit or discredit to the work of Jesus and the cross. Most people think that when they achieve much or gain much that they are being blessed abundantly. That is not necessarily so. That is not how I judge your credentials. You bring credit or discredit to the work of Jesus by how much you truly look like Jesus.

 “Do you love as He loves? Do you care about My plans as He did? Are you laying down your life for others as He did? In how many ways are you like Him?

 “Even though you may appear to be a successful Christian to others, even though you fellowship regularly, even though you do and say the right things, you will eventually bring discredit to the cross if you are not continually submitting to the power of the cross to change your life. If you do not have My interests as your priority, if your heart is not on its way to becoming like the heart of Jesus, you have missed one of the main reasons He died. That is not good!”

I Sam. 16:7 AMP

But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as a man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

2 Chr. 16:9 NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

Hosea 4:6 AMP

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge…

Matthew 26: 53-54 NIV

53) “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

54) But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

 

At a very crucial time for Jesus, He cared more that the Scriptures were fulfilled than He cared for His own life. How close to that kind of heart are we? Do we even give thought to the Word of God being fulfilled in our lives?

Have we ever really understood that those in the world knowingly and unknowingly scrutinize our lives and determine in their hearts how powerful the work of the cross really is? If we don’t exhibit continual change as we grow in Christ, they walk away and attach little importance to what Jesus did for all of us.

Make my life a credit to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you see how ready you are to shoot your wounded rather than stand with them? Do you see how you judge one another, malign the name of a fellow believer, and condemn him before the world without even a hint of regret? Do you see the jealousy, strife, gossip, and misuse of My Word that prevails within My house?

 “I place an anointing on someone’s life and you grit your teeth against him. You have jealousy toward those who walk closely with Me and hate them for that relationship, rather than doing what it takes to come closer yourselves. When one of your brothers or sisters is accused in front of you, you run and hide behind your religious mask, instead of standing up for him and with him against the accuser. You are willing to believe the worst in your spiritual family rather than finding the truth, so that you stand as a united front against the sin of the world. Instead, you harbor the same sin, and greater sin because you know better; but choose to remain where you are.

 “You lie to one another, hold grudges, and are willing to take each other to court rather than be wronged and bear it for the sake of My Word. I am about to spit you out of My mouth if you do not repent of your foul sin and start acting as Jesus would act towards one another. You are fools and are making a laughingstock of yourselves while the world watches and goads you on, watching you play one against another and harm each other. You carry the stench of the world on your garments. You hold the unholy in your heart. Instead of preparing for a marriage celebration with Jesus, pressing your garments and making sure that they are prepared for the day you will need them - that soon coming day - you gleefully soil them in My presence and think that I don’t notice.

 “Understand this: if you are not prepared for marriage when it is time to be married, you will not be able to eat at the marriage table with those who have been making preparations all along. You will remain outside the chamber. No amount of pounding on the door will open it at that time. You have chosen to dwell with the vile and unholy. I will then use them to cleanse your garments. They will display the same mercy toward you that you are showing at this moment. Repent now and honor My Name and your family as you once said that you would.”

 Matt. 25:1-12 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 their 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!’

7) Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

8) The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9) ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10) But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11) Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12) But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’”

Eph. 4:29 AMP

Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.

 

Before you put on your spiritual boxing gloves and pick up your “doctrinal defense” arsenal, listen to the heart of what is being said. Don’t miss the intent and heart of the message because you believe a certain way about the tribulation, or where the coming of the Lord fits into the timeline of the church. Granted, those are mighty important issues, which have had the attention and caused differences of opinion among scholars for thousands of years. Those differences of opinion, however, would almost not even be worth discussing if every heart was in constant readiness, waiting only for the return of Jesus, no matter when He comes back.

Father God is purifying His church. He is calling each of us to an account of our actions and our true heart motives for all that we do. How we act toward one another clearly indicates how pure our hearts are and who we are actually following.

In the study of the churches in the book of Revelation, there is a mixture of right and wrong in most of them. It shows a people doing some things right in the Lord’s eyes; and at the same time, they are out of line with His heart in other areas. Strong expressions and pretty harsh measures are indicated for those who did not choose to line up with what He considers important. Whether we agree as to who those people are and how those churches fit into the sequence of the life of the church is secondary to the concern each of us should have for the concerns that the Lord has about the purity and holiness of His people.

There is no question that we are living in times very much resembling the times described at the Lord’s return. How ready are we if these are those times? How close do we resemble a waiting bride? How much are our hearts in line with every aspect of the heart of Jesus? Why would we even think that we are close to Him, if we grow closer to the ways of the world each day? We, as a church, need to turn from the path we are on, and head back in the direction of the heart of our Lord.

Turn my heart around, Lord,

Jim Corbett