Tag: Christianity

“When all your handles cease to exist, what will you hang on to so that you survive? What will you do when those things that define you are no longer available to you? You must begin to establish your identity in Jesus. Only then will you remain strong when all the world’s treasures become known for what they really are. Only Jesus will be your source for everything you will ever need. When He is all you have, He will be all you need!”

Phil. 3:8 AMP

Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs) in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One).

 

Would the loss of everything you call your own be the end of you? If Jesus was all that you had, and you had no hope to ever gain anything else, would that be enough for you?

I boastfully announced with most others around me during my younger Christian years that if He was all I had, He would be enough. When everything was taken away from me, I had to come to repentance. I was a hypocrite. I was not satisfied with only Jesus. I wanted security, reputation, a home, and the hope of things getting better. I found that Jesus, plus these things and more, made me who I was. It was a startling revelation; one that changed my life.

What makes you who you are in your own heart? If everything was taken away, would you be the same person that you are now? Really think about it and be careful with your answer.

Create in me a clean heart, Lord,

 Jim Corbett

“To those of you who have been in My refiner’s fire, remain steadfast just a while longer. I am moving you to another season soon. In the time you are to remain under My hand of vigorous training, learn the deep lessons I am teaching you.

“Rest in My presence. I will show you My heart as We spend quality time together. When this season is over, you will understand why you needed the skills I have given you. Others will benefit from your learned obedience. I will be glorified in your life as I send you forth. Be patient! I am with you. I will soon be able to trust you.”

Deut. 1:6 NIV

The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.”

2 Chr. 16:9 NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

James 1:2-4 NIV

2) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3) because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Rev. 2:2-5 NIV

2) “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.  I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

3) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.

4) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

5) Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

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].

 

In the book of Amos, it talks of two not being able to walk together unless they are agreed. How can we expect Jesus to overlook the filth of the world’s attitudes that are still in us, when He died so that they might be eliminated?   We are, in fact, saying that His suffering and death are of no consequence, if we refuse to allow lofty attitudes to be removed from our lives.

It is time that we all acknowledge our need of God’s mercy.  It is also time that we understand that He is showing us our need; so that we, in turn, will function in His mercy towards everyone, as He has. He is being merciful at this very moment as we see who we are not.

To withhold mercy would, once again, show a wrong heart motive - one of consuming God’s mercy while showing none. It is one of the most selfish of acts, most unlike the One whom we say we represent and for whom we are waiting, so that He might take us with Him because we are supposedly like Him.

The merciless heart is very much like that of the foolish virgins in Matthew 25. They came, not for the good of the master who was to arrive, but for their own good. They are also the ones pounding on the door after it had been closed and locked.  Quite a sobering thought!

Eliminate whatever You are after in me, Lord,

 Jim Corbett

“Be careful that you don’t become complacent during times of ease and comfort. It is important that you seize these times to refocus and readjust, making sure that you have not moved from My calling during the times of pressure. Come close to Me. I will refresh your heart. I will comfort your spirit and give you strength to continue on. I will adjust your perspective and clear your vision.

“When you are involved in a battle, it is easy to place emphasis on winning the battle, rather than seeing the larger picture of My overall plan. It is easy to limit Me when there is peril. It is in times of rest that you will be reminded of My motives and My reasons for your life.

“You are of great value to Me. Never even entertain the idea that I have forgotten you or have not noticed your situation. I am always with you. Whether you stand in the midst of great peril, or rest by a quiet stream, I am with you. That is My way.”

Pr. 3:5-6 AMP

5) Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

6) In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Isa. 30:15, 18 AMP

15) For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,

18) And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

Isa. 40:31 AMP

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Matt. 10:29-31 AMP

29) Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice.

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

31) Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Heb. 13:5b AMP

… for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

 

Once we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, every moment of every day is His. We have been purchased. Our lives are owned by another. No longer our own, our lives are to be in full submission to our Lord.

The plan of God is that no one should perish. Through us, He continually brings the knowledge of Christ to everyone we meet, so that they might see and embrace Him.  We represent Him whether in difficult times or in times of ease and comfort.

When we go through difficult times, it is easy to focus on removing ourselves from the pressures that accompany them. We can become self-focused, attempting to be delivered. The best interests of God and others can be placed on a shelf, far behind our own needs during these times. We all have a tendency to forget that this life is not all about us, but about God and His plans.

In times of rest, our Father can bring us back to His perspectives, if we allow Him to do so. He can again show us the reality of why we have been bought and what our purpose on this earth is, while reminding us of the wonder of what is in store for us because of what Jesus has done. Our life in Christ becomes clear again.

Draw me to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

 

“What is most important to you? What consumes your thought patterns? How close are your thoughts to My Word? If you are wondering why you have no peace or confidence in Me, why don’t you examine your motives for doing what you do? If you are full of unforgiveness, anger, self-serving agendas, or self focused direction, how can I be there with you?

“You are not listening to the heart of My Word. I cannot go where you choose to live with your heart. I will never go anywhere that denies My Word. Why do you stay there and wonder why I am not fulfilling your requests? Get your heart in line with My Word. Repent of any area of your life that is out of line. Move to Me. I am where I always am, watching over My Word to perform it.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

2 Chr. 7:14 NIV

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin…”

2 Chr. 16:9 NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

James 4:10 AMP

Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

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].

 

If we attempt to hold on to our lives, striving to maintain any semblance of control over them, we will lose their real value. If we voluntarily lose our lives, willingly taking the posture of Jesus by giving everything away to God, we gain more than we could ever believe possible. When we choose to make these fleeting moments in time that we call our lifetime all about the glory of the Lord, He shows us that He has far more for us than if we had been concerned only for ourselves.

It works like this: If we really do give everything away, He draws so close to us that our nature is superseded by His nature; and consequently, we care less and less about our own needs the more we come to Him. (Supersede – to force out of use as inferior, to take the place, room, or position of.) Our surrender causes the Lord to develop in us the character of Christ - a nature that is deeply in love with the Father and wanting only His desires - in place of our selfish, carnal character. The freedom achieved through our submission is the really good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God lovingly brings us out of the horrors of our fleshly nature. He places His life in us when we come to Jesus; then He adds and adds Himself each time we surrender.

Take my life and conform it to Your Word, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“If you turn your back on Me and do not listen to My Words, what can you expect your life to be? If you do not act as Jesus would act to others, how do you think your relationships will fare? When you choose to live like the world, how can I bless you? I have shown you how to live. I have given you a pattern of life to follow. His Name is Jesus.

“Living any other way is choosing to live as the world lives. I have separated you from the world. You have been told to live in the midst of others, so they can see Jesus. You are to forgive them as I have forgiven you. You are showing them a religious, powerless person who has little resemblance to who He is. It is time for you to change. Repent now! Begin to walk as He does.”

Matthew 18:21-35 NIV

21) Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22) Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23) "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

24) As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

25) Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26) "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'

27) The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28) "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29) "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30) "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

31) When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32) "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

33) Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'

34) In anger his master turned him over to the jailers until he should pay back all he owed.

35) "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

 

So many of us ask our Lord to give us mercy, but we won’t give mercy to others. We are ready to hold up the sins of others to scrutiny, yet we ask Him to cover our own. People who are spiritually blind can only see the sins of another. Even if they get to a point where they can see their own sin, they are more than willing to walk in little or no forgiveness.

God is calling His people to treat others in the same way that Jesus treated those with whom He came in contact. Most of all, He loved them. In the end, He gave up His life for them. We may not be able to physically go to the cross; but we can lay down our own imagined right to judge others, which is actually picking up our own cross and following Jesus.

Teach me to not worry about the slivers, Lord,

Jim Corbett