Tag: Bible

“When you love deeply, you commit a violent act against the powers of darkness. When you choose the ways of Jesus over the ways of the world, you destroy strongholds set up to minimize your life. The ways of God are violent against spiritual darkness. They aggressively advance truth.

"Good has won over evil with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Good still wins over evil when you live as Jesus lived, love as He loves, and lay down your life for others as He did. It is a violent way to live, for the enemy has no power over a crucified life. The life of Jesus lived through you wins every battle, destroys every evil scheme, and aggressively advances My kingdom. His kind of love is unstoppable warfare.”

Matthew 11:12 NIV 

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

Matthew 11:12 KJV

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

John 15:12-14 NIV

12) “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

13) Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14) You are my friends if you do what I command.”

 

Jesus was brought into a world so perilous that children were killed at the whimsical edict of an evil king, crucifixions were as commonplace as morning walks, and people were held in slavery to ignorant teachers and foolish guides, yet He was absolutely fearless. His passionate love, His intimacy with His Father, and His zeal for imparting truth made Him “Teflon” in a world seething with infectious evil and eternal danger. His presence in any society was a gift of love from His Father God. We are in training to be the same kind of gift to those around us wherever our Father sends us.

Jesus could be fearless because He loved perfectly. He cared only for others and desired nothing for Himself. Even though He had all power, He was under full submission to the will of His Father. In His heart, He had given away everything, so He had no fear of someone robbing Him, even of His life. He held Himself in lower esteem than everyone, even the lowly leper, so no one could destroy His reputation. Jesus’ love was so pure that He was absolutely free from any peril that the world would attempt to place on Him.

Teach me to love as You love, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“What is your real commitment level to Me? How far will you go before you say, “Enough”? When will you set aside My requests to you and turn to disobedience? How long before the price I ask you to pay to be in My perfect will is considered too high?

"I prosper you and you pad your comfort areas. I challenge you to step out in faith and you walk in fear. I bring people to you and you turn them away. What will it take to turn your heart around? Remember the price that Jesus paid for you? I ask you to give to Me with the same kind of heart. Will you do it, or will you say that the price is too high and remain on the sidelines of My will for your life?”

Matthew 5:13 AMP 

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality) how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV 

19) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

We observe three separate heart positions functioning in the church body today, all called “Christianity.” There is the infant heart, the growing heart, and the mature heart - one that symbolizes the bridal heart, or more simply, the kind of heart that Jesus has. You will need to know and understand these three distinctive heart positions, so that you can function properly with the Lord’s help as you encounter them – either in yourself or others…

The mature heart is a wonder to behold. This is the passionate heart of Jesus. It is also the bridal heart, prepared and waiting for Christ, the one that will overcome and even prosper during the perilous times ahead. As Jesus is one with the Father, the mature or bridal heart beats in unison with Them both.

This heart sees only the Father’s will as important, only the Father’s plans as worth addressing throughout life. The world, the cold church, and all else in the physical realm hold no audience with this heart. There is no purpose but God’s purpose, no plan but God’s plan, no future but God’s future. This heart is untouchable in its alliance with God. It is in total freedom in its chosen “slavery” to only the Father’s will.

This heart has put aside most of its elementary sins against God, those choices of the flesh that have carried over into the Christian walk, the choices of doing good things vs. going deeper and deeper with the Lord. It has set aside fleshly temptations and ponders over the things that concern Jesus. Improper spiritual choices, such as moving ahead on anything without waiting for everything to develop properly in the spiritual realm, cause this heart to understand its dishonor of God and bring it to repentance for its disobedience.

Phil. 3:10b-11 AMP

10b) …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].

Because this dedicated heart is growing in the character of Christ as a priority, functioning in the world holds no promise for it. Its only desire is to be in fellowship with its source for beating - Father God, its “Abba.”

No price is too high to pay to remain in intimate fellowship. Even moving on assigned and directed missions is done only because it pleases the Father. As soon as the task is completed, this heart only wants to move back to the posture of intimacy.

Any outward expression of this heart to the world comes directly from the throne room. It does nothing of itself, but only the Father’s will. It is the heart that will come out of the refiner’s fire and beat steadily in unison with the heart of Jesus as the bride of Christ. This kind of heart should be your goal.

Make Your heart my goal, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I grieve when We are separated for any reason. If you have sinned, I long to extend mercy to you. If you are too busy, I wait for your return. If you decide that Our relationship is not as important as other events in your life, I initiate ways for you to change your heart. Whenever you repent of any sin, I run to you.

"It is true that I hold the stars in place. The winds obey My command. All the functions of your world would cease to exist if I desired that they end. I am God and there is no other. With all that I am, I still hold you at the center of My heart. You need not understand why. Just believe it with your heart.”

Matthew 10:29-31 NIV

29) “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

30) And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31) So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Luke 15:19-20 AMP 

19) I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.

20) So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently].

 

A spirit of compassionate insight (mourning) is the spirit that “drove” Jesus from His kingly station in the heavens down to earth to take on the form of one of His own created beings. He placed Himself “in the shoes” of each one of us both in this life and for eternity.

Feeling our present and future pain of separation from the Father, there was nothing that He could do but spend His life for us. His focus was on our loss. He cared about what would happen to us if He didn’t intervene on our behalf.

Having no separation between His heart and the heart of His Father, He also took as His own the loss that the Father had because of the sin of mankind, which caused separation. Father longed for all those He loved to cherish His glory for their well-being. Because the Father felt that way, so did Jesus - not in an elementary form of human caring, but with all of the compassions of the Father. When He moved in compassion, our needs and pains were taken on by Him as His own.

Thank You for never giving up on me, Lord,

Jim Corbett