Tag: Devotional

“Beware! A spirit of deception has been loosed upon your land. It will come in many forms and from many arenas. Many false prophets and false teachers will proclaim in loud voices things that are not true. They will proclaim misinterpretations of My Word to hinder you from laying your lives down completely during these times and seasons.

"You also need to be aware of the plans of the enemy of your soul, so that you do not fall for his tactics to separate you from one another and waylay you from your appointed tasks. This spirit will have a twofold front. It will inhabit those who spread the deceptions, and it will be waiting to invade the hearts of those who are ripe to receive the lies.

"Those who will participate in spreading words that are not My Words have been walking in deception for a long time. They will simply become more prevalent. Each of you, however, must be on guard to protect yourselves from receiving the deceptions pointed in your direction. Do not think that you cannot fall. Do not allow your pride to set you up for failure. Guard your heart. The enemy will attempt to plant seeds of discord, doubt, unbelief, contention, and fear in your hearts, wanting you to entertain them long enough to eventually have you fully embrace them. He is attempting to destroy any unity and cooperation within the body so that My work will go unfulfilled.

"You must be on guard at every moment. Be advocates one for another. Do not listen to gossip. Forgive easily and often. Reconcile fast. Communicate openly. Live a life of repentance. Trust your alliances fully. Trust Me with all your heart. Trust My Word. Spend many moments of time with Me and I will give you the proper discernment to prosper. You are safe with Me. I will keep you in truth.”

Ezekiel 13:7-8 AMP 

7) Have you not seen a false vision and have you not spoken a lying divination when you say, The Lord says, although I have not spoken?

8) Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken empty, false, and delusive words and have seen lies, therefore behold, I am against you, says the Lord God.

James 1:21-22 AMP 

21) So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.

22) But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

I Peter 5:5b-7 AMP

5b) …Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)-[and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble.

6) Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.

7) Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

 

Several decades ago, Merry and I ran an AM radio station. We focused on praying over everything, including the words we spoke, each and every song we played, and everyone we hired. We had many challenges; but all in all, we often marveled at the freedom the Holy Spirit had in our midst. There were many sold–out believers involved, who wanted only the Lord’s will for their lives and in the station. There was a unity of spirit that was rare for any working environment. Most of the time, everyone really worked for the benefit of the other. It was truly fun being in that atmosphere.

Once, however, almost overnight, strife and division became very evident. People began talking about other people, accusations of minor consequence were ballooned into rivalries; and friends sided against friends. It seemed as if our camp was split right down the middle. This went on for several days. Nothing could be accomplished because there seemed to be no reason for all of the discord.

To get to the bottom of things, after much prayer, I interviewed everyone who worked there one at a time in my office. It wasn’t long before a pattern emerged. The name of one of my air staff kept popping up. I would be talking to a person and he or she would say, “Sue (that’s not her real name) said this,” or “Sue said that,” or “Sue told me that you said…” and so on. By the time everything was resolved, almost half of my staff had to leave because they were so deceived by Sue that they would not repent of their actions toward the others and me. They believed the lie and could not see the deception. It was incredible. The tragic thing was that all of the nonsense was totally unfounded.

It took many years - and only after the same thing happened with Sue and another group of people - for some of the deceived to find the truth. They then came back to us and were reconciled. True deception is blinding to even the most spiritual people. It sneaks up on the unwary and destroys the best of plans. Our little company almost didn’t survive.

The seasons in which we live are very important. Much is at stake. Each of us must be acutely aware of our need for God and also the tactics of the enemy. Each of us can be vulnerable to attack if we do not make our relationship with our Lord the priority of our life.

Needing Him more than ever,

Jim Corbett

“Do you know that every time I call you to account for who you are not, it is an act of deep, deep love on My part? Do you also know that My bringing you to this awareness means that I am holding you very close at the time and want only the best for you?  It’s true. I have promised in My covenant with you that I would form you into the image of My Son, Jesus. One of the reasons that I must do so is so that you and I can have an optimum relationship. I desire that and it is most worthwhile for you.

"However, you need to remember this. Do not take on the changes that I require of you in your own strength. If you do, we would be back to the time of the law, back into the old covenant. It would again be impossible for you to fulfill My call to holiness and it would cause you to cry out in your failure. When I show you something that is in need of correction, I never mean for you to do the correcting. All I desire for you to do is acknowledge that the correction is needed. I then cover every need with what was done on the cross for you and My Word in you.

"I do the correcting deep within your inner being. Jesus really made it that simple and that wonderful for you. You acknowledge your need to change, and I will gladly take on the process of changing you until you are complete. If you ever pass the point of conviction for your sins and head toward condemnation, you have really missed the power of the work He did for you on the cross. You have slipped back into a system of works and religious activity. In that place there is only bondage. Satan then has free reign to keep you powerless to overcome anything.

"If you finally realize, however, that I must continue to show you the way to holiness, and then also realize that I promise to accomplish it in you when you repent; you will gleefully embrace My correction for what it is - an act of love. Throw down your own strength now. I am not asking you to become stronger. I am asking you to acknowledge your weakness and your inability to change. That allows Me to be your strength. When you do this, it allows Me to be your Father God, your Friend, and your Protector.”

Prov. 3:12 AMP 

For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Rom. 8:1-2 NIV

1) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

2) because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Phil. 2:12-13 AMP

12) Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

13) [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

 

Have you ever seen a prize fighter who has already lost the fight and simply staggers around the ring on rubber legs, accepting blow after blow until the referee has to stop the fight? It would have been wise of him to have fallen down thirty punches ago in order to save some of the few brain cells he had left.  Actually, wisdom would be to have never gotten into the ring in the first place. That is the whole point in God’s giving His Son for us.

I have encountered so many people in the church who never attempt to go deep with the Lord because of the seemingly impossible task of achieving death to their flesh. Whenever they hear the Lord telling them to go deeper, that request, along with all the other challenges that they are facing, is more than they can bear, so they become discouraged or give up completely.

Few understand that all the combined challenges and trials are being used to bring each of us to the end of ourselves. The Lord wants us to finally admit our inability to accomplish anything spiritual in our own strength. Like the punch-drunk fighter in the paragraph above, we take blow after blow while attempting to remain strong enough to take the next hit. Why is it that we can’t understand that the Lord is asking us to stop fighting, and rest in His ability to fight the fight?

Needing to take my gloves off one more time,

Jim Corbett

“I have begun in earnest to refine My church and define My remnant. To the church, I am exposing hardened hearts and the hidden motives that you have harbored for a long time. I am doing this so that you can repent. It is a final call for you to enter into the move of My Spirit in these closing hours of time. If you do not repent of your sins of self-consumption and your self-serving attitudes, you will be left out of the wonder of what I am about to do in this world.

"To the remnant believer - those of you who have surrendered everything to Me long ago - a deeper work in you is still ahead. I understand the pressures that you are under. Be at peace, however. I have hemmed you in these recent days. I am the One who has dried up all of your reserves, so that I might prove Myself strong to you.

"Press into My refining, defining fire. You are being taught patience and trust. It is My hand doing this deep work in your life. Those who now scorn you and your humble lifestyle with lofty, judgmental hearts will soon crave what you have earned through these challenges. You will soon flow in My anointing with My presence. You will be restored to early church, Christ-like heart and function. Be willing to pay the price you are now paying. It will be worth it. I love you!”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV 

11) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Joshua 7:13 AMP 

Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel. You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction].

Amos 5:4b AMP

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

Matt. 5:11-12 NIV 

11) “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

12) Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

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].

 

These are critical days and crucial moments in time. God is answering the prayers of those who have seen firsthand the prophesied deterioration and falling away of those who are called by His Name. His answer to this coldness is to restore first-love qualities in those He will be able to use in these closing times.

There is no question that the world is changing. There are new needs that cannot be accomplished with an old anointing. Fresh manna is required to nourish those who are working on behalf of the Lord. That manna only comes from Him and will not be given to those who will consume it upon themselves.

Examine your hearts. Are your concerns centered on your comfort and safety? Is the fear of the loss of what you have consuming your days? If so, repent of your selfishness and self- serving attitude before you are set aside and cannot flow in what the Lord is about to do in these last days.

If you are craving more of Jesus, if your only desire is to honor Him with your life, press in to the trial at hand. You are being refined into gold. You are being made worthy of carrying His Word to a dying world with a heavy anointing and His strong presence.

Help me press in, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Are you ready? Are you ready to expand your tent pegs? Soon your world will change. You will be required to modify your lifestyle to accommodate those challenges that will face you. For some of you, life will never be the same. External changes will not necessarily be the catalyst for your change; I will. I am about to fulfill My promises to those of you who have been crying out for holiness. I am about to equip those of you who have been faithful to My call to draw close. You will thrive during the coming difficult times. My presence will be with you. Prepare to receive My fullness.

"Prepare to become leaders to a leaderless people. As I set aside those who have not heeded My calls and have continued doing “business as usual,” you will need to step in and respond to the multitude of questions and needs. You will need to have ready answers. You will need to represent Jesus by your fearless approach to the times and seasons.

"Remember where your source of life is. It will still come from your devotion to Our relationship and spending time with Me. When the relative quietness of your world is shattered by the many requirements of your time, remember to set aside even more time with Me. Time with Me will be your resource. To be distracted from Our fellowship will dim your witness and minimize your effectiveness. Prepare now. Come to Me now. Come to Me more often then.”

Romans 15:1-7 AMP 

1) We who are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ought to bear with the failings and the frailties and the tender scruples of the weak; [we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others] and not to please ourselves.

2) Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually].

3) For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me.

4) For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.

5) Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

6) That together you may [unanimously] with united hearts and one voice, praise and glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

7) Welcome and receive [to your hearts] one another, then, even as Christ has welcomed and received you, for the glory of God.

Mark 6:30-32 NIV

30) The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

31) Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32) So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

 

Few of us really comprehend the value of being with our Lord. We squeeze in time with Him between our work and our daily commitments. How foolish. He should be our priority, not our minimum daily requirement.

I remember using a pressure sprayer to clean the patios, sidewalks, and driveway of a place in which we lived awhile back. (Actually I cleaned almost everything that didn’t move.) It was amazing to see the incredible difference it made. Simple hose water became a powerful force when sent through the machine. It was actually so much fun, I found myself doing more than I intended to do.

The system reminded me of our life with the Lord. We are very much like the normal hose, giving refreshment to those who need it, flowing moderately and as required.

I see continuous fellowship with our Lord as the power sprayer. Hooked up to Him, everything changes. Not only do we have the possibility of affecting others in the same way as before; but when His mighty force propels our flow, our impact is vastly different and much more powerful. We can do things far beyond anything we ever thought possible.

Keep me hooked up, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When all your handles cease to exist, what will you hang on to so that you survive? What will you do when those things that define you are no longer available to you? You must begin to establish your identity in Jesus. Only then will you remain strong when all the world’s treasures become known for what they really are. Only Jesus will be your source for everything you will ever need. When He is all you have, He will be all you need!”

Phil. 3:8 AMP

Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs) in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One).

 

Would the loss of everything you call your own be the end of you? If Jesus was all that you had, and you had no hope to ever gain anything else, would that be enough for you?

I boastfully announced with most others around me during my younger Christian years that if He was all I had, He would be enough. When everything was taken away from me, I had to come to repentance. I was a hypocrite. I was not satisfied with only Jesus. I wanted security, reputation, a home, and the hope of things getting better. I found that Jesus, plus these things and more, made me who I was. It was a startling revelation; one that changed my life.

What makes you who you are in your own heart? If everything was taken away, would you be the same person that you are now? Really think about it and be careful with your answer.

Create in me a clean heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett