Tag: Devotional

“Are you available to Me? Can I count on you to move when I ask you to move and do what I ask you to do? How rigid is your life? How entrenched are you? So many of My children think that they are available to do what I ask them to do, but they place restrictions on My hand because of their choices and responsibilities. Most are so in debt that they serve all of the other gods that own them. There is no question that I can and will use you where you are, but are you sure that you are where I have asked you to be? I ask you this question. Would you sell everything or give away everything that owns you, if I asked you to do so? Why not?”

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV

19) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 19:21 NIV

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 

Some time ago, Merry, Jubilee, and I went on what turned out to be a five-year mission trip. We were called to go on faith, having just enough to get where we were called to go. Then we waited on the Lord for His next provision. Many judged us for living that kind of life. I’m convinced we were called to live this way so that we could “own” the messages we’ve been given for today’s church.

During our travels, we met and associated with the full spectrum of God’s people - from those who had the very basics to those who had enough for several lifetimes and craved even more. One major lesson that we learned about today’s church is, that even though most say that they are willing to serve God, they are in bondage to what they own; and it actually owns them. Very, very few would be able to go where the Lord might call them to go because of the entanglements in their lives.

We have discovered that many, in fact, have been called at one time or another by the Lord, and have refused the call for a myriad of reasons - all centered around their inability to let go of what they really serve. I believe that there are going to be a lot of very surprised people on the day they face Jesus.

Loosen my grip, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Don’t override My plans with your unbelief. Please don’t hinder My work in you because you cannot fathom that I would have focused attentions toward you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I made you with My own hands for Myself. You fit into everything that I have for you.  More than that, you fit perfectly into My arms. You have a soft place in My heart. I have designed you to rest there. I love you!”

Genesis 1:26a NIV

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

Gen. 1:27 AMP

So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Gen. 1:31a AMP

And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely….

 

To hear that God was pleased with what He had created takes on much more meaning when we think about how hard He has pursued mankind over the years to maintain fellowship with Him. All of the Old Testament rings of passionate favor. It is the testimony of a God Who is deeply in love and patiently enduring the ignorance and rebellion of some, so that He could embrace those who chose to embrace Him.

The incredible covenant, implemented at the cost of Jesus, should confirm His love for us once and for all. He could’ve left us in our separated, fallen state. Instead, as an ultimate act of love, He gave His all. He made us to fit into His existence. He formed us to be part of His plans. He made a way and wooed us to choose His presence over whatever else would garner our attentions. He is truly our God; but more importantly, we are His loved creation. His heart has a place for us.

Choosing to go where I belong and fit perfectly,

Jim Corbett

“Come close! Listen very carefully! The key to everything you need is Jesus! He is the answer to your every question, the hope of your every desire. Study His life. Examine His ways. Emulate His heart motives, see as He sees, love as He loves; and you shall prosper. Become as devoted to being in My will as He is and your days will glow with the kind of life of which the world has no knowledge.

"You have been bought with a price that He gladly paid. He lives in you. Allow His life to flow through you for your good, for My purposes, and for the sake of others.”

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].

Matthew 21:28-31 NIV

28) “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29) “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30) “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ’I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31) “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

 

To live out Christ’s life in the world around us with the same passion and heart commitment that Jesus lived when He walked among His creation is:

• the only fitting response to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• the proper and honorable representation of Jesus to a world that is dying and out of answers.
• the highest form of praise that can be given to the Lord as you emulate Him.
• the proper response to the call of the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart as a waiting bride for the return of Jesus.
• the only way to overcome the perilous times and seasons in which we are living, so that you can fulfill your purpose in life.

Give me Your heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Why do you return to the refuse of your past life? Why do you dwell among the ruins, when I have called you to soar in the high places with Me? You have been recreated because of your commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life. You are now His. Everything about you has been conformed to dwell with Him. Nothing from your old nature is allowed where He is. It is time for you to realize who you really are in Christ, not so that you become proud as some do; but because others need to know the wonders of the cross. How can you tell them if you have a limited understanding yourself? Come to Me now. I will show you who you have become because of Jesus.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 AMP

26) A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27) And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them.

I Cor. 15:50 NIV 

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

II Corinthians 5:17 NIV 

...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Ephesians 1:17-19a NIV 

17) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better.

18) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19a) and his incomparably great power for us who believe…

 

Satan has deceived the world and most of the church of Jesus Christ into participating in a competition of religions, mainly by introducing the concept that all religions are the same and lead to the same conclusion. That is his playing field to try to nullify the power of the cross.

God destroyed all argument and created His own playing field when Jesus overcame death. No religion brings the dead to life. No religion changes the complete nature of its followers. They may take on a spirit, but that is simply an attachment to their old nature. Only Jesus changes everything in people when they surrender to Him. He removed all arguments, defeated all contentions, and set us - His very own - far apart from all others.

If you are truly the Lord’s property, you are not the same as those who are not His. That must not be a source of pride, but it is a fact. It’s time that we walked in the truth we’ve been given and glorify the One who has changed us. He is Jesus. There is no other like Him, for He is the Lord of everything in heaven and on earth. We are now formed to be able to abide in Him and present the same opportunity to others.

Thank You for making me new, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Have you noticed that many more of you are confirming My teachings one to another? That shouldn’t surprise you. As you draw close to Me, My voice becomes clearer; My heart becomes more visible. I am proclaiming My heart to those who have decided to set aside the things of the world and focus on My desires. You will hear what I have to say from several different sources in different ways, but by the same Holy Spirit. It is My way of allowing you to walk in confidence. It is also a way for you to see those who are part of My plan in these days.

"The gap between those members of My body who are preparing for themselves, and those who are preparing for the fulfillment of My plans will be ever-widening as time passes. You must discern who is hearing from Me and who is closing their ears to My heart. You will need to know who is moving with Me, so that you and they can walk together. It is important to love every brother and sister, but it is also important to know who is walking in the same direction as you are.

"Find those of like heart and align yourselves with them. Grow with them. Seek Me with them. Submit yourselves to an accountability that takes the form of service to them. When it is paramount that you trust others for your safety, you will know who they are. You will already be walking with them. Best friends do not violate a trust.”

Ps. 94:11-13a AMP

11) The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (empty and futile—only a breath).

12) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of your law.

13a) That you may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity…

Prov. 16:1-3 AMP

1) THE PLANS of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue.

2) All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart).

3) Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Amos 3:3 NLB

“Can two walk together without agreeing on the direction?”

Acts 15:37-40 NIV

37) Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,

38) but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.

39) They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,

40) but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.

 

In a season when trustworthy friendships were very important for safety; but more importantly when the work required was at stake, Paul found little comfort in unity at the risk of his life or God’s purposes. He saw the fruit of Mark’s heart when the going got rough and made a call that caused sharp disagreement between himself and Barnabas.

In today’s church, there is an underlying fear of calling it like it really is. So many of us have been taught not to judge others, that we have even thrown wisdom and discernment out the door. It may not be a problem when all is peace and safety, but that kind of thinking is foolishness when perilous times require accountability.

We need to face the fact that some members of the body of Christ are in fellowship for their own best interests. They have not responded to the present heralding to draw close and be equipped for what lies ahead. When they will be needed, many will sell out to their fears and emotions, rather than to the quieted and unfamiliar voice of the Lord in their lives. They will not be trustworthy, because they will not be able to hear the Lord clearly. To walk with them will possibly cause harm when true alliances are needed.

God is calling each of us close to Him. He is preparing us for these closing hours of time and equipping those of us who are responding to His call. He will show us others who are responding to that same call and will allow us to see their true heart motives. Violations of our trust are clear indications of improper motives. We should love the person, but recognize the sign and trust God’s reasons for showing us his or her heart.

Many will not understand the decisions that we are being called to make and the choices that we must implement if we are to be obedient to our Lord. When absolute obedience is demanded, they will not know how to respond nor understand our peace and positive direction.

Today is the day to find those of like Spirit, those responding to the call of the Lord. Soon, a floundering, selfish heart will be seen for what it really is. It will be foolish and time consuming to deal with it when much more important work is being required of us.

Make me trustworthy, Lord,

Jim Corbett