“Do you have any idea how much you take for granted? Has it occurred to you that what you have makes up the majority of who you are in your own mind? Picture the concept of losing everything. I don’t mean having a little chink in your routine, I mean losing everything that you use to remain in a position of strength and peace.
"What if tomorrow you lost your health, all your money, had no place to live, no hope to help yourself or your family in any way; and all those who claimed to be your friends walked in other directions. What if, instead of being able to use your resources to gain everything back, they all were gone and there was absolutely nothing you could do to help yourself – ever. Who would you be?”
Exodus 33:3-5 NIV
3) “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4) When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.
5) For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’”
Psalm 51:10 AMP
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering and steadfast spirit within me.
Matthew 16:23 NIV
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Out of my sight Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Luke 9:23-25 AMP
23) And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].
24) For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death].
25) For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and ruins or forfeits (loses) himself?
An extended season the Lord once had Merry, Jubilee, and me in was one of bringing us almost to the point indicated in the Father’s Heart message above. We had to go without almost everything, received food from others; and lost any semblance of a reputation in the eyes of some. We were judged, condemned, told that we must be in deep sin; and rejected by those who had not heard the same thing that we had.
Even though many people were nourished by what the Lord chose to share through us during that time, we - at times - cared little about the fulfillment of the needs of others; we wanted our portion. Many times, “What’s in it for us?” was a thought that had to be cast aside as our needs became gigantic before us, and our “self-worth” diminished accordingly.
Often we found that our flesh was alive and well and following us wherever we went. Once the mask of exterior coverings had been removed, we squirmed, became fearful, despaired; and, at times, held anger in our hearts toward others – even God - as He walked us through our circumstances. We sometimes reacted like little children holding our breath during a trial, or wept at our loss of any honorable position; and even spent time attempting to prove to others that we still had value. Much repentance went on as these sins were exposed in us.
Over time, the incredible mercy of our Lord has allowed us to see past our false security in things, as He continues to make Himself our only hope - not due to any spiritual wealth on our part; but simply because all other options are disappearing. At the beginning of the realization of what our world was becoming because of where He has called us to go with Him, Jesus was Lord to us because there was nothing else that we could hang on to. Over time, He is becoming absolute Lord to us because He alone is worthy of our allegiance and trust. To have Him as our only source for anything, while we do what we have been told to do, has become more comfortable than hanging on to the fleeting things that gave hope in the past.
Our portion in the Lord now is teaching us that who we are is not found in what we have, what others think of us; and how we can use our own resources to maintain some sort of position, power, or safety. We are beginning to get the idea that who we really are is in Him alone.
Absolute Lordship means that we have no source or worth except in the Lord. We have begun to see that the real definition of Christianity is the thorough understanding of our desperate need of a Savior every day of our lives in Whom we are to place all of our trust. I am sure that is where He wants all of us.
I don’t think I want to move from here until You are finished with me, Lord,
Jim Corbett
