Tag: Christianity

“If you follow hard after Me, you will be perceived as a fool by those who cannot understand. At times, you will look as if you have no answers. Other times, you will look as if you have lost a war, or even lost everything. Many of My loving children have been laughed at, scorned, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed. They have willingly placed themselves in the league of fools as far as the world is concerned.

"As far as I am concerned, however, they have placed themselves near and dear to My heart. Jesus looked as if He had failed. His friends looked as if they had lost. Countless marvelous hearts since then have been placed in the league of fools with them by actual fools. You come near to My heart. Follow the ways of Jesus. Have no concern over what others think of you. What I think of you is what really matters.”

 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.”

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 16:24-25 AMP

24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

25) For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].”

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...

 

Sensitivity toward the heart of God is the inward desire of the compassionate heart. This heart cannot be satisfied until God’s heart is satisfied upon the completion of all things. It drives a person to whatever end will satisfy Father God’s heart and allow others to see Him. Those with a compassionate spirit unconditionally surrender all control of their lives to the Lordship of Jesus and joyfully embrace a life of self-denial.

I choose to be close to Your heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You need to walk in the forgiveness that has been provided for you at the cross. If you have repented of your sins, turned from all that you once were, and surrendered fully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, I have forgotten your offenses. They no longer exist as far as I am concerned. Now you must walk in freedom. Do not allow the enemy of your soul to rob you of the joy of what Jesus has done for you. Forgive others as you have been forgiven. Love as you are loved. Jesus has set you free. Tell others of the gift you have been given, so that they can also be free.”

Psalm 103:10-12 NIV 

10) He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

11) For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

12) as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

John 8:36 NIV

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Gal. 5:1 NIV 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

 

A while ago, I was tormented by the sins that I committed before I came to the Lord for His forgiveness. My life was dark for many years.  Even though I knew that it was an attack of the enemy to place me in bondage and fear, my thoughts could have become real enough to subject me once again to all the bondages from which I’ve been freed had I continued to dwell there. I believe that a spirit of fear was attempting to hinder me from remembering the mercy my Lord has given me.

I needed to go to His Word and remember what Jesus has done and why He did it. His Word allowed me to walk out from under the weight of sins that would condemn me - those sins committed before I knew of and surrendered to His saving grace and those sins I have confessed since then. The truth of God’s Word allowed me to remember that it is for freedom that Christ has set me free.

Help me remember Your Word and walk in Your freedom, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I am your Buckler and Defender. I am your Strong Tower and your Hiding Place. I am your Safety in time of need and your Warrior in times of peril. I am your Counsel. I am your Advocate. I am always for you. I am your Friend. I am your Provider. I am your Wealth in your world. I am your Hope for your future. I call you Mine forever. I am much more than anything else in your life, for I Am your life. There is no one like Me.”

II Chron. 20:17a AMP 

You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you…

Psalm 62:5-6 AMP 

5) My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.

6) He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.

Proverbs 18:10 NIV

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Isa. 46:9-10 AMP 

9) [Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me.

10) Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose.

 

Because we are His, He is ours. The truth and wonder that there is a God, and that He is mindful of us, is astounding. That belief and trust in God appears foolish to the skeptic, and yet, only a fool says in his heart that there is no God. The longer we study the wonders of Who He really is, the more wonderful He becomes. We are truly blessed.

Remind me over and over again, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you know that you are building up a case against yourself when there is evidence of Christ’s love in your life? The world hates Who He is. When they see Him in you, they will hate you. Soon those who love Him will pay a price for that love. It may require all that you have. It may require your life. If there is any evidence that Jesus is in your life, you will be the enemy of those who hate Him. Are you ready for that kind of sacrifice? Are you ready to show them Who He really is by loving them with His kind of love when they have only murder in their hearts for you? Now is the time to prepare for those times. They are coming soon!”

Psalm 3:1-6 AMP

1) Lord, How they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.

2) Many are saying of me, there is no help for him in God. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!

3) But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

4) With my voice I cry to the Lord and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!

5) I lay down and slept, I awakened again, for the Lord sustains me.

6) I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.

Psalm 46:1 AMP

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

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.”

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.

 

Most of us go to God for the “desperate” needs in our lives, like paying bills or that person at work that is not being nice to us. We forget about the saints who live under dire circumstances, such as prisons or persecutions, all over the world. We choose to forget that this life in Christ is distasteful to those who love evil.

As this season comes to an end, it would be good to understand that we are in a time of training for evil times ahead. To claim that we are immune to peril because we love Jesus is foolishness. Any reasonable, thinking human being can see that darkness is becoming more prevalent and great darkness is soon to come. Now is the time for spiritual preparation. It will be very important to know our God intimately and to gain the heart of Jesus for when great evil invades our lives.

Prepare my heart now, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You must become devoted to Me and My Word. In fact, I want your whole life to be considered a devoted thing, something having no life of its own, but existing only through and for Jesus. Build up a resistance to criticism as you sell out. Harden your heart to the sirens of the world. Soften it to every beat of His heart. Walk only where you are invited to walk with Me. Avoid anything that resembles the world.

"As you distance yourself from those things that desire to sway you away from a devoted life, you will find the true peace and happiness that comes from an honest, upright relationship with Me. You will experience unparalleled joy that is not contingent upon your circumstances and situations. You will have overcome the world and its ways. You will finally have peace, the kind of peace that I have always intended for you to have.”

 Gal. 2:20a NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

Gal. 5:24 AMP

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

Gal. 6:14 NIV

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Phil 3:10-11 AMP

10) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], 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].

 

Paul’s devotion to the Gospel is heartwarming. As you study the verses in Philippians 3 above, try to see through the words and into the heart of this devoted man of God. There was no compromise for him. He was completely sold out to the desire of knowing his Master and Savior.  He wanted to know his Lord intimately. He wanted to understand exactly what had occurred at the cross and the resurrection.  He wanted to benefit from the power of the risen Christ, not for his own good; but for the sake of being changed into the image of his Lord. He wanted it all for the sake of the Gospel.

This relationship with Jesus is much more than going to church, giving to missions, praying, and talking about the things of God. It is a road trip to the complete death of our flesh. It is also an incredible journey to knowing our Lord and Savior intimately, if we choose to sell out completely to Him.

I believe that most of the church functions on the perimeter of the kind of relationship that Father God intends for us. Most of us do only as much as it takes to know that we are “safe” and on our way to heaven, when there is so much more available if we would only sell out completely. The thought of compromise never entered into Paul’s heart and mind when it came to His relationship with Jesus.  It shouldn’t enter into ours either.

Remove compromise from my life, Lord,

Jim Corbett