Tag: Bible

“Do you know that you are different? Really different? First of all, in My eyes, there is no resemblance between you and anyone who has not chosen the Lord as his Master. Since I see in the spiritual realm, I can easily distinguish those who have chosen Me as their Father, and those who still belong to the father of lies. Both of you are designed to live for eternity with your fathers and are custom-designed to be there. You adapt easily to your new homes when it is time.

"Of course, these homes are as different as you, their inhabitants, are. Yours is more magnificent than you can now imagine. Theirs is horrible beyond belief. Because you have been designed to live among others like you, I desire you to be with each other now.

"Do you know that by interacting with each other as My children, it is making your inner being strong? You need to draw upon My Spirit whenever your interactions with those like you bring challenges your way. Each of you has the seed of My Spirit within you, so as you choose to act like My Son toward each other, you will grow. When you don’t choose to act like Him, there are setbacks in your spiritual wealth.

"To you, these setbacks seem inconsequential. I, however, observe the great harm that is done to My plan. You also further the kingdom of darkness by remaining far from My light. It is time to realize how different you really are and then walk in that wonderful difference with Me. Start now. Let My Word and its promises inhabit you. I will then inhabit the praises that rise from you who are Mine as you help each other grow toward Me.”

 2 Cor. 5:17  NIV 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…

James 3:13-18 NIV

13) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.

14) But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

15) Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.

16) For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

18) Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

 

Whenever we study marriage, the covenant, or the church, a basic understanding of what God uses to change us is essential. Among the many things He has in place to make us more like Jesus are two institutions. One is marriage, and the other is fellowshipping with other believers. In fact, the institutions of marriage and the church are directly established by God.

When we enter marriage and the church properly, one reason they exist is to function as refiner’s fires for each participant. God placed restrictions on both to encourage the participants to “dig in and work things out,” instead of fleeing when challenges come. People refine one another and make us seek the Lord for answers. Each time we choose His answers instead of the answers that make our flesh comfortable, we become more like Jesus.

The most miserable people I’ve seen are those who submit to no one. Listening to only their own answers and opinions, they eventually find themselves bankrupt of any spiritual wisdom that can be found through the honest consideration of other believers.

If you find yourself becoming bitter toward the body of Christ or have separated yourself from continuous fellowshipping with other believers, you are on the road to destruction. That is not God’s way. He uses the physical interaction with others to develop the spiritual maturity that’s needed to represent Jesus properly.

We are spiritual people in a physical world. We are designed to be trained and prepared God’s way, not ours - and certainly not the world’s way. The world follows their father, who loves to entangle, fight, and eventually separate hearts one from another. Our Father goads us to forgive, serve, and develop Christ-like character through challenges caused by others.

Needing to understand that my opinion means infinitely less to God than my submission,

Jim Corbett

“So many of you are seeking after answers that have no real purpose. So many foolish hearts are turning to find reason for your lives in areas that allow you to remain in charge. If only you would listen to the truth. If only you would understand that My Word is the answer for you.

"There is a heavy price for rebellion. The time for preparation will soon be over. I will implement My Word and create hard choices, life and death kinds of choices. Pride, arrogance, and deceit will abound to stumble those who have chosen to go the route of selfishness. At that time, many can still turn from such foolishness, but that turning will soon cost you everything.”

Ja. 4:7-10 AMP

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].

 

When I was in the service, there was one guy - a member of our squad in basic training – who thought he was above the system. In his foolishness, he believed that he could fly through the process and not have to go through the rigors that were part of that training. He decided to fake a bad back, and boldly told some of his friends about his plan, even pointing to them as fools if they did not do something similar.

I remember one particularly hot day, while our squad was doing some of the countless push-ups that were our plight; he came up to the fence with a grin on his face, basically to gloat over his freedom. He had been made a courier. His job was to deliver messages all over the base. When he wasn’t doing that, he sat in an air-conditioned office waiting for his next assignment. To those of us who would have given anything to get out of the hot Texas sun, it looked like we were the fools; and even though his life was a ploy, it looked pretty plush compared to ours.

Upon graduation from basic training, while we were getting ready for the ceremony - donning our dress Blues and feeling quite complete because of the training that we had endured - we heard that the courier had been told that his basic training would start in six weeks. Obviously, he was not the first to pull that “bad back” stunt. Because of his foolishness, he now had to wait six weeks after we graduated to begin his eight week training course. I remember standing in rank, ready to move on and seeing him walk by our squad with a message for someone. He had lost his bravado. In fact, he was down-right sullen.

Our training in Christ is very important to God. He wants each of us to be able to represent Him properly, so that the world can see the love of Jesus and embrace that love. We are to be the example of God’s standard and Christ’s freedom to everyone.

Sometimes, when we are in the throes of rigorous training, others look like they really have it made. Therein lies the deception. Satan would love for us to envy those who look like they are prospering, especially when our toil seems fruitless to us. We need to flee from those thoughts and dig in with the Lord. We know what is right to do. To do anything other than submit to our Lord is foolishness, no matter how hard the training to be like Jesus is. He submitted to the ultimate sacrifice for us. We have the privilege of sacrificing our lives for the good of others.

Time to quit faking the “bad back” in any area in which the Lord wants me to be trained,

Jim Corbett

“Live the life that I have given you out loud. Take the highest road that you can in full view of others. You can be sure that they are watching you as soon as you call yourself by My Name. Observe the life of Jesus. His life was broadcast to every corner of His world. Everywhere He went, people had to make choices. They had to examine their own lives and then decide who they were going to follow.

"You are ordained to do the same in your world. That does not mean that you call attention to yourself or become visible. It may mean that your strong voice may resonate from your secret prayer closet. Make the most of the call I have on your life. Become bold about Who you believe in. Rejoice that you have been given a real purpose for living.”

1 Cor. 11:1 NIV 

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Eph. 5:8-11 AMP

8) For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].

9) For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life.

10) And try to learn [in your experience] what is pleasing to the Lord [let your lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to Him].

11) Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead [let your lives be so in contrast as to] expose and reprove and convict them.

 

I once knew a person who continually testified of himself. Most of his conversation heralded his humility, proclaimed his faith, and testified of his spiritual wealth. As loudly as he could, he proclaimed how spiritual he was to anyone and everyone who would hear. What was so amazing was that nobody ever listened. In fact, because of the bankruptcy he exhibited, no one listened to anything else that he said.

I once knew a person who spent countless hours in the Word and in fellowship with her Lord. At any gathering, she would position herself in a quiet corner of the room, interacting lovingly with all that were present. She radiated the love and presence of the One who was most important in her life - Jesus Christ. Holding no formal position, having little worldly education, pastors and prominent leaders would wait their turn to spend moments with her to receive quiet words carried for them from the lap of the Lord. Churches, major corporations, and countless lives were changed and enhanced from the quiet interaction that heralded the presence of Jesus with an astounding spiritual volume through this humble saint.

Help me to choose Your way, Lord,

Jim Corbett