Tag: Christian

“I love your honest praises, but I would rather talk. When was the last time that you let Me in on your most intimate needs, other than those requests that protect your flesh? I want you to discover those things that you need to know. That may sound somewhat foolish, but it is reality. Most of My children have little knowledge of what they have need of. You spend your days on a surface level of life without ever realizing that there is so much more available to you. Your directions and choices are implemented with only partial truths and limited knowledge as your criteria for making them.

"I have so much more available to you. If you would spend the time waiting in My presence before you move in any direction, you would save the time that you need to work your way out of the situations that you find yourself in because of carnal decisions. I say this so often, but you never seem to fully grasp how important it is for you to cultivate a habit of waiting in My presence.

"Would you ever consider taking a full day to spend time with Me? I already know the answer because that is not part of your thinking process or you would have done it. When is it going to be My turn to captivate your interest enough to consider time with Me a priority? I am weary of your false fellowships and your attempts to replace time with Me with offerings, songs, and surface prayers. I am weary of being placed down the list of priorities in your life. It is time for you to make some radical changes.

"Take this day to discover where I really am in your life. If I called you to be with Me for a full day would you come? I know you are busy. I know that you have responsibilities. Why am I not the first priority in your life like you say that I am?”

 Psalm 106:12-15 AMP

12) Then [Israel] believed His words [trusting in, relying on them]: they sang His praise.

13) But they hastily forgot His works; they did not [earnestly] wait for His plans [to develop] regarding them.

14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted and tried to restrain God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

15) And he gave them their request, but sent leanness to their souls…

 

Boy! These kinds of words make me fall on my face in helplessness. I fully understand what our Father has on His heart. There is no question about the truth of making Him our priority in life.

How does that play out in the life of the homemaker who has children that demand every ounce of energy? Or the provider who is swallowed up with bringing bread to the table?

Being in full-time outreach for many years, I understand the wonder of our Lord’s ability to redeem, even multiply, any amount of time taken away from daily tasks that is spent with Him. I have also seen people struggle with turning any amount of time over to Him. They may prosper financially but lose so much of what is available to them in God’s economy, especially regarding relationships and the opportunity to share His love with both believers and non-believers in their sphere of influence. It is a struggle that has plagued mankind throughout the centuries.

The conclusions that I have come to are these. Priority must be a heart position. To be at peace with our Lord, each of us must do what is necessary to make our Lord the unchallenged priority in our lives. He must be the reason for everything.

Once that is an absolute, everything else falls in place. We then find that we do not need to try to find time with God; instead, it becomes difficult to remove ourselves from Him to deal with other things. Everything other than time with Him is seen as an interruption of the most important. Continuous communication becomes a natural element of our daily lives.

That may seem elementary, but I have found that most of us have never really functioned in that truth. If questioned, every one of us would swear that Jesus is our everything. The fact is, however, few of us function there. Life in general - daily situations, earthly distractions - are really in control of our time.

We miss so much, because we have not taken that very basic step of establishing the one necessary priority of placing God above everything else. Therefore, we attempt to add our Lord to our already busy lives, instead of flowing through life from His lap.

Needing to often go back and reestablish my single Priority,

Jim Corbett

 

“When I call you to a specific task, I equip you. When a particularly difficult challenge comes your way, you need to know that corresponding heavenly power is available to you to complete the task at hand. All that you have been given because you are in Jesus is more than enough to overcome any onslaught of the enemy. Nothing can harm you. You, however, have a problem. Most of you are fighting battles that are not yours or have different ideas about what I am attempting to accomplish through you in a specific challenge. Because your immediate response is self-preservation and personal safety when difficulties come your way, you miss My purpose for the event taking place.

"You fight those I bring to you with anger. You separate yourself from those who offend you. You flee to a place that looks safe for you when you are afraid, instead of allowing Me to overcome the challenge right where you are. You need to stop seeing things around you with carnal eyes. You need to find out what I want done in every situation that comes your way. Look past what you see and allow Me to show you what is really transpiring. You will be amazed at how your life becomes a life of wonder and peace even in the midst of what appears as difficult times. Come to where I am. It is where you are born to be.”

Luke 10:19 KJV

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

John 4:34 NIV

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

John 10:11-13  AMP

11) I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.

12) But the hired servant (he who merely serves for wages) who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away.  And the wolf chases and snatches them and scatters [the flock].

13) Now the hireling flees because he merely serves for wages and is not himself concerned about the sheep [cares nothing for them].

Acts 4:29-30 NIV

29) “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

30) Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

 

When I was in basic training, one of the main reasons for everything that was done was to remove individuality and replace it with team effort. Even if only one person chose to be out-of-line with the program, everyone else paid the price for his rebellion.

In the spiritual realm, a high price has been paid for each of us to be enrolled in our Father’s troops. We have enlisted with Him so that His plans can be accomplished, not ours, whether we know it or not. Many people around us are paying a high price for our rebellion and ignorant behavior. More importantly, the desires of God are greatly hindered, because even though we are the vessels He chooses to use in any specific challenge, we choose to not get with His program and struggle to maintain ours.

Show me Your ways and forgive me for mine, Lord,

Jim Corbett