Tag: Christianity

“How grateful are you for those whom I place in your life as refiner’s fires? What gives you the right to turn your back on them, when they are a gift from Me? Do you really understand that every challenge that enters your life is really a gift to you as I see it? They are agents of refinement and change. I promised that I would war against your flesh and build your spirit. You are on your way to becoming like Jesus.

"Make note of this. Everything that you face is working for Me to bring you closer to My desire for you. If you would embrace the people, situations, and challenges that you encounter, instead of becoming angry or discouraged, you would find real peace as We walk together. Look around. Find those things that are making you grow. Begin to be thankful for them and see how your life changes.”

Lam. 3:27-28 AMP

27) It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke [of divine disciplinary dealings] in his youth.

28) Let him sit alone uncomplaining and keeping silent [in hope], because [God] has laid [the yoke] upon him [for his benefit].

2 Cor. 3:18 AMP 

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

 

We don’t get it. God is in the business of doing everything necessary to destroy any trace of our old man, and we seem to be in the business of ignoring or never understanding the ways He is doing it. For some reason, it never seems to occur to us that almost every person, place, or thing that enters our lives is an opportunity to either show us how much we have grown or how stagnant we really are by the way we deal with it.  Our representation of Jesus is not defined by how spiritual we think or say we are. It is defined by how we act, especially to those who boil our potatoes.

You mean they were part of my blessing, Lord?

Jim Corbett

 

“Most of you understand how important it is to prepare for the season ahead. Others have become desensitized and lulled to sleep. While they rest in comfort, much is being organized against everything for which they stand. You, however, must heed My exhortations to minimize the importance of things that matter little in My economy. You must fix your heart on eternal wealth.

"For those of you who are seeing the times and seasons and have turned your hearts toward the heart of Jesus, I delight in your wisdom. You please Me. I will be able to use you during perilous times because you have the kind of power needed to overcome any ploy of the enemy. You will exhibit My love when others hate. You will be free when others flee in terror. You will freely give away whatever does not own you.”

Gen. 25:29-33 NIV 

29) Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.

30) He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32) “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33) But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

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 wakened 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.

Isaiah 48:3  NIV  

“I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.”

 

Have we, as followers of the Lord, lost our wide-eyed enthusiasm for the end of things as we know them? Have we become so attached to this world, holding it so close, that we fear the loss of our comfort more than relish the wonder of the Lord’s plans being fulfilled? I believe that some of us have.

I know that most of you who read these messages have ceased to play games with God and are serious students of His Word. I know you see the times and seasons and understand the need for preparation. From the correspondence that Merry and I receive from you, your hearts are longing for truth.

As I write this, I believe that the Lord is asking me to ask you to quietly check to see if some attachment has robbed you of perfect zeal and absolute devotion. The sense that I feel as I pray is that the Lord is calling His people - the ones who have heard His heart - to make sure that no wrong footholds have been embraced because of the pressures and distractions of recent months, possibly years. Your weariness and the length of your situation are beginning to change your focus and you need to address whatever it is. It is almost like a call for an equipment check before engaging in battle. It is a call of love from a devoted Father.

Thank You for being so close, Lord,

 Jim Corbett

“Are you sure that where you place your trust is reliable? When peril comes, will what you have believed in still be strong? Will it withstand the test of relentless pressure from the enemy? Will you be able to help others from your place of safety? If anything other than Jesus is the foundation for your life, you are foolish to believe that it will survive the coming times.

"Look around! What is safe in these days? Where is there any security? In some instances, the most reliable has fallen. The immovable has moved. The unbeatable has lost. Choose today where you stand. Choose today where you place your trust. His Name is Jesus!”

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.”

Psalm 18:1-2 NIV 

1) I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2) The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, He is my shield…

Psalm 46:1 AMP

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

 

The world is experiencing remarkable weather patterns. Places that have been dry for as long as anyone can remember are flooded and uninhabitable. In some cases, buildings have not only disappeared, but the ground that they stood on no longer exists. There are reports of entire communities relocating their downtown areas to higher ground to flee the potential of losing everything again sometime in the future.

What is so remarkable is that the higher ground that they seek is indicative of anyone who places their trust in tangible safety. Steel and mortar, concrete and stone have failed in less than a week of relentless pressure. Still, most of us believe that it provides security for us. We still believe that banks are safe places, that governments will protect us, that we will be able to rely on our job or our education when all else fails.

I am convinced that God is, at this very moment, telling His people to awaken from their slumber. We are being shown that there is no security away from Him and the work of the cross. Our only place of safety is in Jesus. Nothing else will remain when the proper amount of pressure at the proper moment is applied to what we think is safe. If the ground that you are standing on could disappear in a matter of moments or the organization that you believe in ceases to exist, how will you fare?

Help me to trust only in You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You need to guard your heart. You must be cautious about what you allow in your spirit. You need to make sure that you are functioning in truth, not in perceived notions that sound like truth, which are actually inroads designed to lead you astray. My Word is truth. The roads on which it takes you lead you to absolute truth. Make sure that you invest enough time to know what it says, so that no one can confuse you. Spend time absorbing the life of My Word, so that the death of the world cannot touch you.”

Mark 4:24 AMP 

And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you – and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

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].

 

The enemy of our soul loves to distort the truth. He loves to mix reality with just enough conjecture to plant a seed of confusion that eventually distorts all that we do. He loves to play with our minds, so that we cannot accept truth when it presents itself. That keeps us fearful and confused. It nullifies our effectiveness in doing the work of the Lord and functioning as Jesus would function in front of others. Jesus is Truth. There is no lie in Him. He is the embodiment of the Word of God. He can be trusted.

I am often asked by people, who have been deeply wounded or led astray for a season, how to recover from whatever hurt them. There is a formula for recovery that never fails: find truth in everything you do. Start with Jesus. Study His life. Study His heart. Get to know Who He is intimately. He is the solid foundation for everything. Ask Him to show you small steps of truth that apply to everyday living.

Is what you function in absolute truth, or are you basing your thought patterns and your life on piercing words, false perceptions, wounds from others, innuendos, or flat out lies? One by one, eliminate every thought or action that is not based on absolute truth. Present everything to the Lord for His discernment before you move on it, even the smallest thoughts.  Consider them nailed to the cross. Allow the Lord to replace them with thoughts and perceptions that have no falsehood in them. Apply His Word to everything. Build a foundation of truth as God sees truth.

Teach me to function in truth, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you live a life of truth? I’m not asking if your life makes sense to those who haven’t heard what you and I have discussed and judge you with their own ideas of what following Me means. I am asking you, are you listening to what I am saying to your heart and following Me in obedience? You see, I’m not really concerned if My cold church understands your life. Most of them have forgotten how to follow Me long ago. I am concerned though that you, those of you who are responding to My training, remain faithful.

"Are you doing what I ask you to do, no matter how it appears to others who cannot see? If you are, understand that you will make those who judge your life very uncomfortable. In fact, that is why I have placed you in their midst. They don’t know it yet, but I am exposing their lives through your life. I am using you to bring light to their sinful hearts and traditional beliefs that deny My sovereignty.

"Keep following Me. There will come a time when I will vindicate your life. I will move on your behalf and others will be amazed. Some will even come to repentance for judging you. I will forgive them. Others will go about the business of judging and condemning with their hearts. They will eventually get to a point where I cannot reach them. Pity them, but move on with Me.”

1 Cor. 4:2 AMP 

Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

I Peter 1:14-15 AMP

14) [Live] as children of obedience [to God]; do not conform yourselves to the evil desires [that governed you] in your former ignorance [when you did not know the requirements of the Gospel].

15) But as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct and manner of living.

 

The Lord is shaking up His present-day church. He is separating those who will truly follow Him from those who will stop short of His will when it becomes uncomfortable for them.

If you have a heart to glorify God with your life and spend enough time with Him to hear His true heart, you will, at times, appear to be a fool to those around you. You will stand when others sit, move when others are hamstrung with fear; and turn left when others can only follow a call to go right in their carnal logic. You will often be alone. People will give up on you. People will judge you according to their entrenched standards. Be at peace; you are in good company.

Few understood Paul’s life at the time He was called to live it. His actions defied the logical thinking of the day. He was considered foolish to those who had raised themselves up as leaders. Only when the Lord chose to have people understand the logic of His ways did Paul’s life make sense.

In this present time, God is calling His trusted servants to an intimacy with Him. If you have responded to that call, you will hear His heart for your life. Sometimes what you are asked to do will make little sense at the time you are told to do it. Make sure that you have heard your instructions clearly, and that they line up with His Word; then move with your Lord. Do not fear those who are standing in judgment. Follow God.

Teach me to follow only You, Lord,

Jim Corbett