Tag: Devotional

“There is a very real reason for My allowing you to go through difficult times. There are also times that I discipline you. You are in My school of refinement and training. It is called bridal preparation. Those of you who are wise volunteer for My hand of discipline to be heavy upon you from the beginning of your walk with Me. Those who are foolish have little desire to pay the price of true fellowship and intimacy. They have chosen to consume what is not theirs and hold on to what they no longer own. They are so busy providing for themselves that they have missed one of the real purposes for Our relationship.

“Jesus is returning for those who have the same heart as His. I am developing that heart in those who press in and request it. I am allowing those who do not desire absolute submission to go their way. In the times ahead, those who have chosen the route of limited submission will be brought to full submission through very difficult times. You will be at peace. They will learn what you have known all along.”

I Sam. 16:7b AMP 

For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Proverbs 29:21 AMP 

He who pampers his servant from childhood will have him expecting the rights of a son afterward.

Phil. 3:14-15 AMP  

14) I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

15) So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.

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].

I believe that there are going to be some very surprised people when the standard that is required by God is revealed. Just a simple perusal of the churches of Revelation indicates that He is exposing attitudes that don’t live up to His ideals. There is a price for spiritual complacency within the body of Christ.

Most of the popular church today examines the pages of the Bible to find the provisions for good health, the right to great wealth, and the guarantee of safety for eternity. That is a mindset that is diametrically opposed to the mind of Christ. It is the posture of a self-serving, self-oriented carnal mind, not the mind of Christ.

Jesus set a standard when He left unimaginable wealth, position, and power to walk on this earth as an impoverished servant to all, anxious to die for those who hated Him. His standard is the benchmark for all who come after Him as they press forward. It is the high calling of Jesus Christ, which we all talk about, but few really seek.

When the call to join Jesus in the marriage supper is heralded, it is hard to imagine that it would include those who have never wanted to be there except to feast and fill themselves.  I see the standard that Jesus set scoffed at and replaced so often by another kind of Gospel; and I am fearful for those who promote it. There are too many places in the Word that goad all of us to “be as He is.” I believe that He will come for those who are looking and preparing their hearts for His return as their only purpose in this life, functioning as He did while they wait.

Turn my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“In your world, you are supposed to be a light that draws people to Jesus. I am doing a great work in you. It is so that others can be set free. First, however, you must be free. Submit everything in you that does not represent Jesus properly. I will take your wounds and heal you. I will take your sin and remove it as far as the east is from the west. I will take your fears and replace them with absolute confidence in My faithfulness. Once you fully understand the access to Me that Jesus provided when the veil was torn, you will never lack for anything again. I am your provider. I will equip you for service. I will protect you. Come to Me now. I am waiting to form you for My service.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Luke 23:44-45 NIV

44) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45) for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Romans 12:1 NIV

Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…

I Peter 2:24 AMP

He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.

 

Access to the inner chambers of God has been provided for us by the work of Jesus on the cross. His death and subsequent resurrection opened the door of communication for us. We now have unlimited audience with God whenever we have any kind of need, question, or just a desire to spend time with Him. It is one of the covenant commitments God made with Jesus for us. In God’s eyes, we have exchanged our old carnal life for a new spiritual life that is accepted by Him forever. The covenant cannot be broken.

In prayer, there is a connection between what God does and what you are to do. Prayer (communication with God) is the vehicle that Father God has established for us to navigate from the physical realm to the spiritual realm and back again to accomplish His will from heaven to earth through us.

Through this communication and because of the work of Jesus, God brings Himself, His plans, and His very being into His established tabernacles – us. Within the communication, we present our requests for all that is necessary for us to become who we need to be. Our Father also communicates His will to us. It is true communication between the Creator and His creation, with Father God all the while fine tuning our encounters with Him through the Holy Spirit.

Make my time with You the most important time of my day, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I hover over the reputation of Jesus. I am about to restore you to how I think of Him. For too many years, those of you who call yourselves by His Name have been allowed to show others He is something that He is not. He is not weak, nor is He a hypocrite. He is not jealous and given to infighting. He does not covet riches. He does not take what is not His. There is no pride or fear in Him. Jesus always flows in perfect love. He never thinks of Himself before others and although He is God, He never esteems Himself higher than the lowest of creation.

“Worthy of all praise, surrounded by glory, adored by all of the heavenly host, Jesus is King of all Kings. He is the Lord over everything, praised through all eternity, and honored with the highest honors for all time. He is Jesus. There is no name in heaven or on earth that is higher than that Name. He is Lord, and delights in being your true Advocate Friend. What kind of representation have you given Him? He has given you His Name to carry in your world. Have you lifted it up so it is held in the esteem that it is due, or have you brought it down to the level of every other name? It is time for you to be an advocate for your Advocate.”

Hebrews 1:3 AMP

He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power.  When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, …

 

You and I represent Jesus! Have you ever given that enough thought to have it become truth in your spirit? You and I bring either honor or discredit to His Name by the way we act, speak, and live. We carry His Name.

The Bible tells us to raise up a child in the bent in which he or she functions. When she was younger, our daughter, Jubilee, understood and functioned in the concept of compensation for works; so Merry and I established an honor point system for her. In other words, Jubilee was given our own form of compensation for the proper representation of Jesus and our family. This, of course, was over and above the normal praise for who she is and how valuable she is to us, which we bestow upon her lavishly. She is an honorable girl with a wonderful heart.

Points were given when we observed or were told of some “above the normal,” high function. Someone else had to initiate it on her behalf. Points were removed if she brought discredit in any way. When she reached a certain number of points, she received some specific object or privilege that delighted her heart. The delightful thing was that she did not go around trying to be a good representation in order to win points, but her becoming aware of proper behavior through this reinforcement of points helped her to flow naturally in what God desires for all of us.

Our “system” was a mechanical way of making Jubilee aware of the fact that she is a representation of Jesus and our family values everywhere she goes and to everyone she meets. People know something about Jesus and us when they meet her. We have been told by others over the years that they see the character of Jesus being formed in her as she grows in Him.  Jubilee always delights our hearts, but when we see her prospering in the joy of the fact that she understands how she really belongs somewhere and is part of something as important as representing two very valuable families, we praise God for that wealthy concept in her.

People know Jesus by how each of us acts. We may not receive tangible honor points or get a reward because of the way people see Him through our actions; but one day, we will see if we truly have brought glory to His Name. Jesus is the Name above all names. Father God is forming us to wear it well.

Teach me how, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When Adam fell, any possibility of you having a relationship with Me was destroyed until Jesus bought that right back for you. He destroyed anything that stood in the way of Our being together. You now have free access to Me for any need you might have because of the blood covenant that was made in your honor. Why, then, do you not come to spend time with Me? You come with your lists, your needs, and your desires. You come when you are afraid or need to be cleansed; and when you have run out of answers. You, however, rarely come simply to spend the kind of time together that was lost in the garden and gained back at the cross. Our relationship is why you were created in the first place. It is time for you to rethink your idea of what Our relationship is all about. From My side, it’s all about love. Why do you think Jesus spent His blood?”

Genesis 3:8 NIV

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Luke 23:44-45 NIV

44) It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,

45) for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

Ephesians 5:1-2 AMP

1) THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].

2) And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

Col. 1:20 AMP

And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him  [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.

 

How many times have you opened your heart up to someone only to have that person use you, abuse you, and then throw you away after he or she is done with you? Just think of the price that was paid for you to have access to the Creator of the world. How have you honored that privilege?

Forgive me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Treasure every moment I give you. I have created them with My own hand. I have made them especially for you until We are joined forever. Seek Me as to what you are to do. Seek Me, so that you can know your purpose for living. I will show you what I plan to accomplish through you. There is purpose in it all. Waste no moments. They are Mine. Use them as I have designed you to use them.”

Matt.7:13-14 NIV

13) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

14) But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Col. 4:5-6  AMP

5) Behave yourselves wisely [living prudently and with discretion] in your relations with those of the outside world (the non-Christians), making the very most of the time and seizing (buying up) the opportunity.

6) Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].

 

Those who are aware of the times and seasons in which we live are divided into two groups. One group is preparing with moderate zeal because they understand how wonderful it would be to be part of what might soon take place. They are flowing in their usual “this is gonna be good for me” attitude and believe that it will be adequate for whatever happens, whenever it happens.

The other group, those of you who have chosen to live as Jesus lived, have heard the same call, only you have learned from intimate times with the Father that compromise is not part of the character of Jesus. You know that the kind of heart that finds satisfaction in anything other than the Father’s will is in no way similar to Jesus’ heart.

You have learned that it is important to the Father that Jesus recognize Himself in those who are waiting and/or working for Him. You know that responding to the present call to intimacy is important to God and are willing to do so for no other reason than to glorify the Father and please Jesus.  You know that falling in love with Jesus, a vital and often missing part in the fulfillment of God’s plan, is necessary and you desire to do what it takes to go there.

Make my days count, Lord,

Jim Corbett