Tag: Church

“The world as you know it is passing away. The order that you are accustomed to will keep diminishing until only chaos is evident. It will be the valley of the shadow of death. Fear will prevail in the world and in most of My church. Whatever you have trusted in will fade away and become only dim memories of what once was. Those, who have not heeded My call to intimacy and all My warnings to repent, will find themselves foreigners in their own homes, and without My power and provision to sustain them.

"In that time, however, I will have a people that prosper. Without fear, without worry, they will go about their days reaping My harvest. My miraculous provision will be there for them. My sustaining power will guide their every move as they represent Me. I will have My people. They will be well trained, obedient, immovable, and untouchable—even unto death.”

Isa. 55:11 AMP 

So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth; it shall not return to me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Matt. 9:35-38 AMP

35) And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity.

36) When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd.

37) Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.

38) So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

 

Paul exhorted believers to flee from the small life of fear and selfishness into the spacious life of love, self-denial, and service—no matter what the circumstances around them dictated to the flesh. He said that those who knew their Lord should open up their lives because others were watching. People who did not know the Lord needed to see the light and smell the fragrance of Jesus from those who did know Him.

Comfort, safety, self-preservation, retaliation, revenge, and fear were not even part of his thinking. He loved the souls of those who needed Jesus. His teaching was encouraging those being persecuted to live the kind of life that Jesus did - a life totally dead to themselves and alive to the greatest need or needs of others. Jesus loved deeply and forgave completely. That’s what took Him to the cross and allowed Him to stay there until His work was finished. Now it was their turn to show that same kind of love to those who hated them, just as their Master loved.

I don’t believe that the Bible has changed, do you? When we see and hear of all the changes that are taking place around us, our job is not to “hunker down,” as so many of us tend to do. Our job is to exhibit the love of Jesus. It is to openly flourish before others, so that they can see the real power and freedom of a life submitted to Jesus.

We are to remember what those who have gone before us have already done. This life is not about us. It is about the Lord and His love for the souls of people who will be watching us because the difficult times will have eliminated all the answers they once had. That’s when we will be able to show them the One Who is the answer. That is the only pattern of life that will be free to love during perilous times. Right now, we are in training to be able to be truly prosperous when it’s our turn to show others Jesus. Or should we have been doing that all along?

Needing more of Jesus,

Jim Corbett

“Some people in My church are telling others about a Jesus that they do not personally know. They are telling of one they have only heard about but claim to know intimately. They are doing fleshly works in His Name. They are singing praises in His Name. They are even casting out demons and prophesying in His Name, but they don’t really know Him. They have not spent enough time with Me to get to know Who I am. Do not be part of this. Come to know Me.”

Genesis 1:26 NIV 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…”

John 1:1-4 NIV 

1) In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.

2) He was with God in the beginning.

3) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that had been made.

4) In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

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!’”

 

Many in today’s church are mesmerized by those who look or sound as if they know God, especially if they perform words of knowledge, exhibit signs and wonders, and display what seem like miracles. There is little discernment about what is being said when the one saying it either talks loudly or shakes as if under an anointing. These kinds of spiritual gymnastics fill churches and gather large audiences.

God is found in the prayer room of repentance. He is in the quiet moments alone with His Word. He loves pressing toward the contrite heart.

Soon, the foolishness that opens pocketbooks through manipulation and leads hearts to another gospel of prosperity will be exposed for what it really is. God will not be mocked. He is calling for a holy people, who desire only the heart of Jesus and are willing to pay any price for it. He is with those who desire only Him and want Him to be glorified in truth.

Guide me to truth, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You need to remember that I am making you into the image of Jesus as you requested. Every trial strengthens you. Every need brings you closer to Me. Every heartbreak brings forth My comfort, and allows you to see that your only hope is in Me. I will never fail you. I am trustworthy. I am for you. You must make Me your only source as Jesus did. Then you will be at peace. His heart knew truth. His heart was single-purposed, as I need yours to be. Stay the course. I am with you!”

Amos 5:4b AMP

…Seek Me [inquire for and of Me and require Me as you require food] and you shall live!

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].

John 5:19-20a NIV

19) Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

20a) For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”

 

That “nothing by myself” part is hard for us to understand. It is even harder for us to walk in it daily as Jesus did. We forget that the obedience needs to be formed in us before we can be truly obedient to the Lord’s every command. Absolute trust needs to be “owned” by us before we are even willing to attempt that “nothing” stuff. In fact, all the character traits of Jesus must one-by-one be formed in us before we can walk in them.

We will never “own” trust until we have desperately needed the Lord and found Him faithful. Obedience is formed in us through repentance of the self-will that is so very evident in us daily. I am convinced that until we embrace our lives as the training ground and “Jesus school” that they really are, we will never be at peace.

Open my eyes to Your work in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett