Tag: Christianity

“In the world, your inheritance is divided by all the members of your family. That is because there is only so much to be divided. No matter how large the estate might be, it is limited. With Me, each of you has an inheritance that is yours alone. That treasure is not something that is to be shared with anyone. It is yours alone, specifically designed for you. My resources are unlimited, My estate is eternal. You came into this inheritance with the death and resurrection of Jesus and your acceptance of His Lordship. Now you are family.

"In My economy, you can add to your treasure. The additions, however, are not for your consumption. They are eternal additions of presentations to Jesus for His glory. They are something that you give away. This means that you need to purify your motives and practice the life of My Son to make them yours. Some of you have seen fit to work little for treasures that will be given away, even to Him. Since you do not benefit from them directly, you feel it is not necessary to involve yourself. How selfish your attitude is. What you don’t understand is that your lack of desire to bless Him indicates the hardness of your heart. It reveals an opportunistic heart and is the cause of much of your dilemma at present, and your empty-handedness in the eternal future.

"Hidden deep within the shadows of your heart, all of My plan is still all about you, for your benefit. I am after that scar. Those of you seeking the heart of a purified bride will submit this seed of selfishness to Me so that I might destroy it. When it is completely destroyed, you will begin to understand full and absolute surrender. You will have begun the process of cleansing your garments. I will then make them spotless, so that you will be prepared for the wondrous time that is soon to come.”

 Rev. 19:7-8 AMP 

7) Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come and His bride has prepared herself.

8) She has been permitted to dress in fine (radiant) linen, dazzling and white – for the fine linen is (signifies, represents) the righteous (the upright, just, and Godly living, deeds and conduct, and right standing with God) of the saints (God’s holy people).

 

Any seed of selfishness destroys the purity of our walk with the Lord. When we look out for our own advantage in any situation, our lives no longer resemble the life of Jesus. He held nothing for Himself. He even gave His last breath for us.

Have you ever noticed Christian marriages? By all standards and elementary observances, most marriages seem to be in order. Deep investigation in many cases, however, reveals deeply disguised self–centeredness somewhere, especially with those less happy partners.

When marriages are not working well, there is generally a craving on the part of one or both spouses to gain some comfort for themselves from the marriage, whether it be security, communication, time, or whatever else makes the person feel wanted, needed, or loved. That seed of discontent colors all other aspects of the marriage and hinders it from being the example of Christ and the church. Joy has usually left long ago and demands, spoken or silent, replace selfless service to the other.

What is not understood by married couples is the fact that the very elements of discontent in their marriage are the motives that the Lord is correcting in their own hearts. That seed of discontent is what must be destroyed before they can be ready to meet their eternal Bridegroom.

The bride of Christ will have the same heart that Jesus has. She will be totally dead to any need to be satisfied. Her only desire will be to satisfy her Lord. As He died for her, she will have died to everything in her that has self–motive as its source.

Create in me a clean heart, Lord, and renew right motives in me,

Jim Corbett

“The road to holiness has no options. There are no easy ways to achieve the character of Jesus Christ. The cost is everything that you are and all that you have.”

Galatians 2:20 AMP

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

I give up, Lord; live through me,

Jim Corbett

“When you are challenged in any way, who or what do you really turn to? Do you turn to your personal abilities, your own wisdom, or your financial strength? Do you vitalize your connections, automatically call in your resources, and resolve the need within your circle of contacts? Or do you immediately turn to Me? I desire to be your first contact in everything you do. I desire that you understand fully that I am your only source for everything. It is important that your immediate reaction, your first thought whenever you have need of any kind, is to turn to Me.

"From there, I will provide the proper directions and the proper contacts. All will be accomplished in the proper timing. Your first submission to Me indicates how aware you are of My Lordship. It indicates a heart submission that is mandatory for all of My children. Most of My church has forgotten this simple equation for their lives. I have prospered them and given them resources. Soon they make the tragic mistake of becoming independent of Me and then wonder why their lives are out of order, why there is strife in their household. It is because they are using their own resources first, without thinking, rather than submitting to My Lordship as an immediate response. It is a subtle lie, but a very destructive heart position. Don’t make the same mistake.

"Place your priorities in proper order. Even if I have given you all of the abilities, all of the resources, and all of the answers for anything that comes your way, practice first submitting to My Lordship in all that you do. Give your first thoughts and your immediate reactions to Me before you do anything else, placing even the smallest challenge under My Lordship. It will bring your life back in order and give you true prosperity.”

Hosea 13:6 NIV

“When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.”

 

True lordship has no independence from the lord that is served. In the world, when in service of sin, everything is controlled by the sin. It is what has been submitted to.

The epitome of that lordship (and may I say, Satan’s counterfeit of godly Lordship) would be someone who is a dope addict. Each waking moment serves the lord of dope and addiction. There are no thoughts except those of being high or getting the next fix. People under that horrible taskmaster will do anything to serve that lord over their lives. Most of the time, the thought of breaking free never enters their minds. They are committed heart and soul to the demon lord that they serve.

Much more subtle is the service of self, especially after we say that we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. Most of us cry out to Jesus for our salvation, seek the Lord on a regular basis, and never really understand that we are holding our sacred independence of Him in most of what we do. We take what He gives us and run with it, until we come to some sort of roadblock. Then we return to seek Him for that need, only to run again, until the next need occurs.

True biblical Lordship is a loving heart position of full and complete commitment to the Lord of all. It is a longing to be under absolute submission to Jesus in everything, standing with Him against any form of independence that might occur in our lives, rather than craving, in any way, to be set free from His total and complete mastery. Even the smallest thought is under His Lordship. Complete, unquestioned, loving commitment and absolute obedience captivate the heart. It is the heart of a joyously surrendered, fully prepared, adoring end-time bride. From that wealthy place, everything else falls in order.

Make me completely Yours, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Things are becoming more intense in the spiritual realm. Darkness is being unleashed by the enemy for his end-time showdown. It is only the beginning. When will you wake up, My people!? When will you repent of your lives and submit to My ways? This life is not about you! It is not about your comfort. How will you overcome and rise above when real darkness, black hell unleashed by darkness himself, consumes your world? You will not make it if you remain as spiritually empty as you are now. You have little inner power. You are thin-skinned and will not receive correction, even from Me.

"Soon it will be too late. You need to submit to My hand, or you will perish in your weakness while you hold on to those things you thought would protect you. They are false gods and have no power. How foolish you are to continue to trust in them, when you can walk with Me high above the darkness of the world if you repent. Instead of cowering in fear with others, you could be where I am pouring out My Spirit while we bring in those who will hear.”

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. 7:21-23 NIV

21) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22) Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23) Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Rev. 3:15-18 NIV

15) “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

16) So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

17) You say, ’I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

18)  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

Rev. 3:19 AMP

Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].

 

Our sovereign God has presented a way for us to live if we say that we are followers of Jesus. It is to live as He lived, love as He loved; and die as He died for others and to the things of this world. That way is immovable, no matter how many ways we attempt to modify it to suit our needs. It is the standard by which our lives will be judged even if we wish it were not so. This is real stuff with real consequences or rewards for our actions and heart positions.

Help me repent, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I have always given My best to you. Never have you received less than the finest that all of heaven could offer you. My love for you is more powerful than any wealth in heaven or on earth, so I hold nothing back. When it came time to redeem all of mankind from the nature that everyone legally inherited, the very best was sent to do what was necessary. His Name is Jesus.”

John 3:16 NIV 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 10:17a, 18a AMP

17a) For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life…

18a) No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily.

 

Have you ever seen the movie “Dances with Wolves?” There is one statement in it that has touched me deeply. When Lieutenant Dunbar was getting married, the tribe was generous in supplying him with “payment” for his bride. They would give gifts that he could, in turn, give to “purchase” her. His statement, “The more valued the gift, the more easily it was given,” reminds me of the heart of our Father God. God’s love for us was so strong that only the most valued gift would suffice when He sent a Savior. The perfect sacrifice would not have been complete with anything less. Perfection in its truest form would have been watered down if a lesser gift had been sent.

Jesus, in turn, did the same. He gave His life. There was, again, no greater gift that He, as God, could give for fallen, depraved man. Just consider the astounding imbalance. The life of God was traded for the uncaring, undeserving, rebellious heart of man.

The saga continues to unfold as we continually violate every principle established for us. God gave His best. We, when we are called upon, give what we no longer need or what we have left over. Rarely do you see the newest car given to someone in need rather than the “junker,” or the best furniture instead of whatever was replaced because it was no longer wanted. We even give second best to God, holding back parts of our lives when we have promised Him everything. Somehow, we then have the audacity to demand God’s best for us. Yikes!

Help me, Lord,

Jim Corbett