Tag: Bible

“If you have not already done so, from now on you must cultivate a time with Me to listen very carefully to My heart. It will be very important for you to do so, for your sake and for the sake of those around you. Most of you have known for some time now that you have been called to a sincere walk with Me. While most of the church seemed to be able to conduct “business as usual,” you have heard the wooing to deeper prayer and focused commitment, which caused you to discern the times and seasons that are at hand.

"Because of Our communion, you are now well aware of the fact that some very intense times are coming throughout the land, times similar to those of My early church. I will be using those of you, who have cultivated ears to hear My voice, to guide and give solace to those who have been too busy to prepare. They will be wide-eyed and drooling at the mouth because of fear. You must keep your eyes on Me, so that I have a people who are able to function properly and carry out My will.

"I am calling you to live a crucified life, dead to yourselves and alive to My perfect will. You have been in training for that kind of life for some time now. Those who have not followed Jesus’ example of living and dying will have no idea how to function when it is the only way to survive. Their “success-oriented” lives will be of no benefit to My kingdom. They will reel with the prospects of pain and loss. Unable to have any success from their formulas, hyper faith teachings, and “positive” doctrines, they will flounder foolishly with the rest of the world, instead of being My example for others to see.

"You must be there for them, holding them close, until they recover from the shock of seeing that I meant what I said all along. You remember the power of My might. You lead the way. Serve others as Jesus did.  Listen only to Me. I will be there for you.”

Isaiah 42:9 NIV

“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

Hebrews 12:12 TLB

So take a new grip with your tired hands, stand firm on your shaky legs, and mark out a straight, smooth path for your feet so that those who follow you, though weak and lame, will not fall and hurt themselves, but become strong.

Ephesians 1:17 NIV 

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

 

I am reminded of the time when Mt. Saint Helens (the volcano in the state of Washington) blew up. For some time before it erupted, warnings went forth to everyone near. They were told to evacuate their homes by increasingly intense warnings, as the expected time grew closer.

I remember hearing of some foolish people who did not heed the warnings, trusting in their own fortifications, or simply believing that they would be able to weather the blast. They had no concept of the devastating power that was soon to be unleashed in their direction. Because of their ignorance, they perished.

For many years, our gracious Lord has been calling for His people to prepare for times and seasons that will be extremely difficult. He has been calling us to fortify ourselves with His Word and cultivate a relationship with Him that is focused and trustworthy. The posture for which we have been in training is not one of survival; it is one of service and implementation of His will.

Very much like those who perished when the volcano erupted, most of the church has not heeded the warnings that the Lord has presented. Having never before experienced the impact of what is about to happen, they have based their decisions on their own interpretation of what is about to occur. The magnitude of the impending devastation eludes them.

I don’t believe that most of us realize how much of our “American dream” has already eroded. Our safety can no longer be promised because of our supposed might as a nation. We are in a different kind of time with a different set of rules that eludes those who do not know Jesus intimately. Proper preparations for these times are not those that are designed to protect personal safety. Physical fortifications will fall. The only safety will be in Jesus. There, nothing can touch us.

Needing to learn how to “tuck in” now,

Jim Corbett

“Do not fear for I am with you. Do not be afraid for I am your Friend. As a matter of fact, I am your best Friend and your God. I watch over you. I cover your sin. I bring forth the new morning after your night of darkness. Look only to Me when you are in peril. Look only to Me when the darkness of your life is looming large in your face. I can be found when you have great need. I can be found when answers seem to be far off.

"Come to Me now in the midst of your dark time. Come to Me after I have delivered you from that time. Come to Me before the next trial. Come to Me at all times for all reasons, especially on behalf of others. I am always the answer.”

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...”

Psalm 18:1- 2 NIV 

1) I love you, O Lord my strength.

2) The Lord is my rock, my fortress and deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, He is my shield…

Psalm 20:6-7 AMP

6) Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

7) Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.

2 Cor. 12:15 AMP

But I will most gladly spend [myself] and be utterly spent for your souls...

Gal. 4:19 NIV  My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.

 

It is so very easy to flip some light and weightless prayers to the Lord when things are going well or on behalf of someone else’s need. It is a much different matter when things in our personal lives seem so overwhelming that we can hardly move. We seek the Lord fervently and without ceasing.

God is after each of us to always seek Him when we have need. He also desires that we seek Him on behalf of others and the things He cares about with the same fervency we have when our world is being challenged. Paul understood that. Jesus certainly understood that. He even gave His life for our need. We are called to do the same for others. When we are able to care for others more than we care for ourselves, we enter into a freedom that is given only to those who really know Who Jesus is and why He did what He did. I don’t know about you; but I am light years away from who I’m supposed to be if I call myself a follower of Jesus.

Help me die to me and live as You lived, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Some of you have become so focused on your relationship with Me that you have forgotten something. Your search for My heart for your self-interest and well-being has caused you to miss a big portion of My interests. Please don’t misunderstand! I am delighted with your renewed vigor and your refreshing desire to seek Me with all of your hearts. I am delighted with your desire to eliminate every hint of the world from your lives. You bless Me as you embrace the character of My Son and become a study of His ways so that you might emulate them. You, My remnant seekers, delight My heart as you draw close and eagerly respond to My will. I am pleased with your progress.

"I, however, have this one area to mention to you. You have set aside your first-love desire to bring souls into My kingdom. In your quest for all of Me, you have not heard the portion of My heart that longs that none should perish. Please understand, I am urging most of My church to stop their flurry of activities and foolish programs so that they might come to a place where most of you dwell daily - with Me. Don’t move from that place. In fact, keep pressing in; I have much more for you.

"As you come closer to My heart, however, remember why I have set My plan in motion. It is to bring everyone who will hear to embrace the work of the cross before the window of opportunity closes forever. You are My instruments to tell them about My message of reconciliation. You are the ones who can represent My Son most accurately as you set aside the traditions that bog down most of My people and flow in My love. You are beginning to proclaim My Word to the world by your lives, as well as your words.

"Do not change your focus of the pursuit of holiness. That pleases Me very much. It is My heartbeat for you. However, add a place in your heart for those who have not surrendered to the work of Jesus. They are very much on My heart; I also want them to be on yours. Time is short. Pursue My presence and then take it to others.”

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:1 AMP

5:20) So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ’s personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God.

5:21) For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in, and through Him, we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

6:1) Laboring together [as God’s fellow workers] with Him then, we beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain [that merciful kindness by which God exerts His holy influence on souls and turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them – do not receive it to no purpose].

 

It is easy to forget one of the reasons why each of us is being formed to display the character of Christ. The only Jesus people may ever see is us.

It’s interesting, isn’t it, how we change the longer we are saved? When I first came to Christ, I was a “no holds barred” evangelist. I would tell anyone and anything that moved about the wonderful gift I had received. My mom would even hide upstairs in her room when I drove in the driveway, I was that vocal.

After a while, I “matured” to the point that I saw how important it was for me to study the Word and learn more about Jesus. I would go to every church that had a door open long enough for me to squeeze through. My growth became most important to me and, although I didn’t see it, my focus on myself dampened my zeal for souls.

We are to love being with our Lord. It should be our priority. We should grow to care little about the world, other than to observe it and understand how soon the coming of the Lord is. The danger, however, lies in the fact that being with the Lord is so fulfilling, we must guard our hearts continually so we don’t make everything all about us again and lose sight of the fact that others need that relationship with Him, too.  When our focus shifts in the wrong direction, the Lord will be gracious to help us straighten out our priorities to line up with His.

My prayer is to have a continuous first love zeal for souls, something that is paramount in the heart of God. It is selfish when I relish my relationship with the Lord and neglect His desire for me to bring others to Him in the process. I am still not to the point where my time with Him continually propels me to seek the lost or those who know Him who may need what I have to offer; but I’ve asked Him to take me there. How grateful we can be that He will complete the good work He started in us!

Needing to move from His lap long enough to bring others back with me,

Jim Corbett