Tag: Church

“Although things appear to be relatively calm in your world and the horrors that are going on in other places seem not to affect you, do not fall asleep. Much is going on in the spiritual world. The enemy of My cross is organizing as never before. They are making plans to destroy all that I stand for and all that Jesus has done. In their blindness, they even believe that they are working for Me.

"Little do they know that I have been raising up a standard against their plans. That standard is you. You will be a bold witness for My cause. You will live as Jesus lived and possibly die as Jesus died. Are you preparing for that day? Will you have enough of My life to be able to represent Jesus properly when that time comes? I have called you to prepare for some time now. I am now calling you in earnest. Prepare! Difficult times are on the horizon. You must be ready.”

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.”

Isaiah 59:19 AMP

…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight…

Hosea 13:6 NIV

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

 

Most of us have become satisfied with the way things are, thinking they may never change. Throughout history God has warned and warned His people to prepare for a future event. Suddenly the event comes and only those who have heeded His warnings prosper and glorify God while it is unfolding.

“The Infant Heart”

The infant heart beats only for itself. All of the things that God does center around their needs in some way. The salvation process was for them alone. It was put in effect by God specifically for them, to make them safe after they die.

The Bible is simply a book of promises that they can call upon to relieve their hurts in time of need. God is perceived as this wonderful benefactor, who is waiting for their next need to occur, so that He can help them through it; and prayer is solely a channel by which they can make their needs known...

Very much like infants in diapers who are not capable of understanding that the world around them is not about them, these spiritual infants cry when they have need, demand when these needs are not met; and are only truly satisfied when they are comfortable in all areas, without giving the slightest thought to the importance of anything going on around them.

Grow me up, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“So many of you are walking in fear, but you are in fear of those things that matter little in the light of eternity. You fear the loss of your possessions, your freedoms, and your rights. These fears and others like them consume your time and your energy. They place your focus on the temporal, not the eternal. The enemy of your soul loves to keep you occupied with such things. When you do so, you have little time to focus on those things that really matter, such as Our relationship, Our time together considering your mission, and Our desire for those who need to hear about Jesus.

"Once you understand that all fears disappear when you know Me and My power, you will never focus on things that are passing away again. We can concentrate on important matters. Devour My Word. Listen to My heart. Walk in My love for you. Spend time with Me. Fear is a very foolish waste of time. It is for those who do not really know Me and My Word.”

Ps. 56:1-4 AMP

1) BE MERCIFUL and gracious to me, O God, for man would trample me or devour me; all the day long the adversary oppresses me.

2) They that lie in wait for me would swallow me up or trample me all day long, for they are many who fight against me, O Most High!

3) What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.

4) By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?

Proverbs 18:10 NIV 

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

Phil. 4:8-9 NIV 

8) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

9) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Phil. 4:6-7 AMP 

6) Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

 

I remember when I was a kid that the big kid down the block wanted to hurt me... what was his name? I remember when that project at work had this incredible deadline… that was how long ago? I remember how I worried about this one situation…what was that about anyway?

Our Father God holds every moment of every day in His mighty hands. He calls us out from under the weight of our needs and brings us into the realm of His glory. He reigns over everything. He has also invited us to come to Him and promises to cover all our needs. He also has some mighty exciting plans to share with us and our part in them. Maybe it’s time to refocus our attentions on those things that are important and stop fearing things that pass away only to become dim memories.

I’m sorry, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When are you, My children, going to wake up? When will you finally decide to shake off the spiritual lethargy and sell out to Me? Don’t you see the signs that your world is changing at a rapid pace? Soon, the freedoms that you have to proclaim My Word will no longer exist. At present, you have no power to resist. You have no endurance to withstand the coming onslaught against My ways. What is worse, you have no desire to be My standard unless it is comfortable for you. I call you to intimacy with Me, because I know that the time We are together will show you My heart; but you do not come.

"My Word tells you that the ability to love as I love is vital to your representation of Who I am. After all this time, you are still thin-skinned and angry when I place you in training or when someone offends you. You are no different than the world. You are not ready for what is about to take place. If you don’t make Me your priority, you will not overcome when times change. Look at what is happening in your world. It is out of control. Wake up! Draw close to Me for My instructions. Draw close to Me, so that I can show you My heart. I am waiting now.”

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.”

Jeremiah 12:5 AMP

[But the Lord rebukes Jeremiah’s impatience, saying] If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? And if [you take flight] in a land of peace where you feel secure, then what will you do [when you tread the tangled maze of jungle haunted by lions] in the swelling and flooding of the Jordan?

Matthew 11:12 KJV

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.”

2:Cor.10:3-5 NIV 

3) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

4) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Loving as Jesus loved is unspeakable violence in the dark world of sin. Taking thoughts captive, so that they align with the heart of God, destroys one of the enemy’s most effective strongholds against God’s children. Intimacy with Father God violently destroys the enemy’s weapons that hold our hearts captive.

The Lord Jesus Functioned in a Spirit of Purity – So Must We

To Jesus, everyone and all things were pure. As He walked through this world and saw everything through His Father’s eyes, even the vilest action or the filthiest motive could not cause Him to remove Himself from His Father’s plan - the salvation of souls.

The Oneness that He and His Father shared left no room for worldly ways to interfere with His purpose for being on earth in the first place. Because we do not determine to see everything from God’s eternal perspective, our hearts will remain impure and our lives will remain unusable for the purposes of God.  Only as we become a study of His motives and commit to trust Him at all times will He be able to fully use us.

 Wake me from my slumber, Lord,

Jim Corbett