Tag: Christianity

“Many in My church are blinded by their woundedness. They cannot see through the unforgiveness and go on to a fruitful life. In many cases, the history of past hurts, real or manufactured, allows them to excuse themselves from stepping out again. It is a wall that they hide behind. They think that they are fooling Me. I cannot move through those who will not receive My healing and choose to stay in a place of self-pity. If they only knew how much they hinder the work that I have planned for them. If they only knew that I am about to bypass them and give their portion to someone I can trust.

"The time for playing church is over. I am pouring out My Spirit to heal, rebuild, and equip those who desire to walk with Me during these closing moments of time. Anyone who does not choose to accept My healing provision will see My plans unfold from the sidelines. Turn now from your selfish pride. Forgive everyone who has hurt you or wrongfully used you. Forgive as you have been forgiven, and bless those who curse you, or you will miss what I have planned for you.”

Amos 5:14 NIV 

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Matt. 5:11-12 NIV

11) “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

To a Lord Who suffered horribly and died an incredibly painful death so that we could be forgiven, some of our excuses for not serving Him with all of our hearts must seem awfully foolish to Him, or more than likely, painful. We hold unforgiveness in our hearts for years over an unconscious word said by a former friend. We will throw away years of walking with someone because of something he or she may have done to hurt us. We will separate from others who are designated to walk with us, rather than work out our relationship so that it again glorifies God. If we are misused, we choose to continually lick our wounds, pointing to them for others to see as if in some sort of pity parade, which makes us ineffective in fulfilling our part in God’s plan.

We set limits on how far we will go to help someone in need. Stewardship has become a word that allows us to consume what is God’s upon our rotting flesh. We shoot our wounded, cast aside those who don’t see as we do, and violate the trust of a loved one at almost every opportunity. We judge others by their actions and judge ourselves by our intent. Then we ask God to bless us. Pretty scary, huh?

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Because things seem relatively quiet and there are no visible signs of the war near you, do not begin to believe that the enemy is at rest. Do not be lulled into complacency. Make sure that you use any time of quiet as opportunities to fortify your defenses. Help others do the same. Do what is necessary to bring fellow warriors to a place of intimacy with Me. Encourage the discouraged and help them strengthen their resolve. Above all, seek Me with all of your heart. I am holding back warring fronts so that you can receive what is necessary to overcome the next wave of attack.

"Use this time wisely. I am the source for your strength. I am the One holding the instructions and the wisdom to guide you around any obstacles that will be in your coming battles. I will refresh you while We talk. Remember that Jesus has already destroyed any hope of victory for the evil one. You, however, have been called to show that victory to those who cannot see because of the darkness initiated by that defeated foe. You must bring My light to the darkness. Rebuild now. Renew your strength. Prepare wisely in times of quiet. Prepare from a place on My lap and at My table. Soon it will all be over. For now, much needs to be done.”

 Joshua 7:13 AMP

Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel; There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel, you can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction].

Mark 6:30-32 NIV

30) The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

31) Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32) So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

 

Many in the church of Jesus Christ have little understanding of their purpose for living or God’s plan for the lives of those who have come to Him through Jesus. Their focus is so directed towards the golden streets, that everything else is nothing more than a fuzzy blur in their peripheral vision on their journey home.

Those, who understand that truth only comes from seeking truth from the Source of truth, know better than to eliminate the current obligations and replace them with future promises. God is in the process of concluding His plan for our generation. He has shown us that every member of every previous generation had a part in His plan. Everyone had and has a purpose for being born.

Imagine one moment in time when simple fishermen had their lives totally changed by responding to a voice from the shore heralding them to drop their nets and follow. Once they took that first step out of the boat, there was no turning back. Every moment from that specific response on was used to define, understand, and walk through a plan other than their own plans. They were on God’s road, not their own.

So it is with us. We have been heralded by that same voice to walk on a road that is strewn with challenges, obstacles, and enemy strategies. That road is not one that we have chosen, but one that has been chosen for us.

To navigate that road properly, it makes sense that we need to seek the One Who has the only accurate map, One Who has an understanding of how to navigate that road and triumph over anything that would hinder our progress. To do anything else would be foolishness.

Show me Your way, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Even though you are aware of the times and seasons and see that end-time prophecy has the potential to be fulfilled in your generation, you must be diligent in your study, steadfast in your growth, and trustworthy with My Word; so that future generations will benefit from you having walked the land. No lives that have been ordained by Me have the right to live only for themselves. I require that you become all that you can be, so that Jesus is glorified, and others will benefit from your diligent study and positive application of My Word and Our association as you go about your days serving Me.

"My Word applied never loses its power over time. Your experiences in Me need to become testimony for others to be encouraged in their walk. Your failures need to be noted so that others do not fall. Although Our relationship is designed to be very personal, stop limiting Our experiences together by thinking that they are for you alone. They are wealthy material for others to study and follow. Make your life really count.  Think of the welfare of those who follow you, just as you have benefited from following the experiences of others. Expand your worth by leaving a roadmap to My heart.”

Romans 15:1-7 NIV 

1) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

2) Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

3) For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

4) For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

5) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

6) so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

I Cor. 15:58 NIV

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

II Tim. 2:15 AMP

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

Hebrews 12:12-13 NLB

12) So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.

13) Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.

 

Too often we forget that our own little world is not all that matters. If all the saints who have gone before us had been concerned only for themselves, we would have little testimony and few patterns to encourage us. We would have little to see that the life lived by Jesus can be lived by ordinary people just like us.

How many people in future generations will be able to grow in their relationship with the Lord because of the legacy that you leave? What roadmap to the heart of God will have your fingerprints on it when others read it? Who will be able to say that they were able to see how a life in Christ was supposed to be lived because they observed your life or mine?

Our everyday, very ordinary lives are leaving their marks whether we know it or not. Will that mark be a benchmark for others to emulate, or a mark in the sand that can hardly be seen?

Make my life count, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Holiness is not something that you set your mind on. It is a step-by-step positioning of your heart for Me to do a mighty work in you. You can never attain holiness in your own strength and determination. It must be accomplished in you by repentance and surrender; otherwise you can claim some part in it. That would be pride. You need to come to Me often. We will talk about the areas of your life of which you need to repent. We will talk of obedience to My Word. We will examine your areas of unforgiveness and anger. I will lead you to repentance. You will suffer the loss of control over your life. It will be painful to your flesh. Each step, however, is a very important step on the road to My accomplishing holiness in you.”

 Hebrews 5:8-9 AMP

8) Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered

9) And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him.

Rom. 6:16 AMP 

Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)?)

Rom. 6:19 AMP

I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and faculties] as servants to impurity and ever-increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification.

Rom. 6:22 AMP 

But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.

 

Taken from The Overcoming Life by Jim and Merry Corbett

Jesus Even Learned Through Suffering

 Often, the message conveyed in Heb.5:8 drops to the ground before it impacts our lives.  The plan of Satan is to see that we never really receive the truth that this Scripture imparts. If he can stop us from receiving, he can nullify our effectiveness, or completely destroy our relationship with the Lord because of our misunderstanding of His ways. Here’s a real key:

Through suffering (denial,) obedience is learned (Heb.5:8.) Obedience leads to righteousness (Rom.6:16,) and righteousness leads to holiness (Rom 6:19,) which results in eternal life (Rom. 6:22.)

Most of us spend our lives avoiding suffering of any kind. Our comfort is of primary importance to us. Most of us also wonder why we have little power to obey God. The role that suffering plays never enters our rose-colored picture unless we allow the Holy Spirit to break through the fog that hinders our understanding. How can we progress, if we do not recognize the first step to holiness?

Jesus is holy. His coming from heaven, His life, and the heart position in the way He died show the character of One Who is holy. He asks us to be holy and says that He is holy, giving us the example to follow. Our hope is to become like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Complete Your work in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When was the last time you were so caught up in worship that time had no meaning? How often do you rejoice in My presence? When has honest praise enveloped your entire being to the point that nothing else mattered? Have you ever been so aware of our intimacy that you were dropped to your knees by My power? These postures are your heritage and should be your daily experience! You are designed to be enveloped in My presence. You have been reborn to become intimate with Me.

"To enter into the kind of wealth that is yours will cost you, however. The price is a readjustment of your priorities. I must be first, last, and everything in between in your life. I must never be your second place. You have no idea how much you miss by having other loves. You have no idea how much you will gain by practicing a life of having Me as your first love. Study My Word and see what Jesus has done for you. Ask Me to show you what I have provided for your life. It is foolish to settle for less.”

 Psalm 37:4 NIV

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 150:1-6 AMP 

1) Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power!

2) Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness!

3) Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!

4) Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments or flutes!

5) Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!

6) Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

 

It amazes me how we are willing to settle for scraps in the street when we have been invited to a daily banquet of the presence of our Lord. To know the heart of God, understand our portion in His kingdom, have astounding peace for any and every situation, dwell in our rightful place of intimacy with the Almighty, and be able to pour the wealth of our Lord into anyone and everyone who needs it, only come from one place. They are only available after we make the unalterable decision to give God His rightful place of being truly first in every moment of our lives.

Prioritize my life, Lord,

Jim Corbett