Tag: Devotional

“It is time to seek truth with all your might so that you walk in it. There is little time to allow perceived truth, personal perspective, and hindering traditions to sway you to hazardous places. Clean up your lives. Be set free from any hindrances that have been part of who you are because of the lies of the enemy, or the clutter that has allowed you to believe something that’s not true. Forgive everyone in your past relationships. Deny access to the familiar lies in your head about who you are, who you are not, or who you can or cannot be.

"Seek My Word. Allow it to tell you who I have called you to be. Take the time to allow My Word to change any part of your thinking that is out of order with eternal truth. I am present in it to proclaim what really is and is not. Search for Me. I can be found if you seek Me with all your heart. I will show you absolute truth. You can stake your life on what My Word says. In fact, you must.”

Amos 5:4b AMP 

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

Mark 4: 24 AMP

And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you – and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

Colossians 1:9-12 NIV

9) For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

10) And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

11) being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully

12) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

 

Most of the world spends more time picking out their wardrobe than they do deeply investigating what happens after they close their eyes for the last time. In the same way, most of the church walks around in half-truths, perceived notions, and flat-out blind traditions. We cling to teachings with little or no biblical foundation, just because it feels right or ministers to some part of our carnal nature; and never give a thought as to whether or not God is pleased with our foolishness.

We need to get serious. This is serious business—this God business. Every one of us should have only God’s desires as the primary focus of our lives. Whatever it takes, we need to get to really know our God, and what His Word actually says. Then we need to live by it.

Teach me Your truth, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Make sure that you remain diligent while you are waiting for Me to move on your behalf. Your time of waiting is also a time of learning to be obedient in other areas of your life. Complete those things that I have told you to do. Clean up all of the relationships that have been neglected. Become a study of Jesus. Learn about My heart. Bring your house to order so that new assignments can be completed when I give them to you.

"Few understand the importance of waiting on Me. I am not only completing patience, diligence, and obedience in you; I am orchestrating many things concerning your life. As soon as everything is in order, you need to be ready to move. There will be work to be done. Prepare while you can. When I call you, I will expect immediate responses. A work of completed patience will bring new faith in Me. Soon you will walk in it.”

Psalm 51:10 AMP

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering and steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 106:12-15a AMP

12) Then [Israel] believed His words [trusting in, relying on them]; they sang His praise.

13) But they hastily forgot His works; they did not [earnestly] wait for His plans [to develop] regarding them.

14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted and tried to restrain God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

15a) And He gave them their request, but sent leanness to their souls…

Isa. 30:18 NIV

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Acts 12:6 NIV

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

 

The picture of Peter shackled to two soldiers and possibly snoring up a storm while waiting for the Lord to move on his behalf is probably one of the most descriptive heart positions of trusting in God ever written. It is a delightful picture of absolute trust in a faithful Father God. It can also, however, portray the wrong picture of what waiting for the Lord to move on our behalf is really all about. Yes, waiting on God most certainly accomplishes quiet, peaceful, steadfast patience in those who are waiting; but much more is also accomplished.

Waiting on God is never a time of sleeping the days away. In fact, it is the opposite of inactivity. Although the primary activity is always seeking the Lord diligently and repenting of revealed sins, especially those of faithlessness and control, many “clean-up” tasks are accomplished during these times.

Waiting is a time of both heart and physical preparation. It is a time of bringing proper order back to your spiritual and physical house. To wait on God is a settling in with the Lord, cleaning your ears so that you can once again hear Him properly, cleaning your house so that you can move when He tells you to move; and sharpening your tools so that you have what is needed for the important tasks ahead. Waiting for the Father to impart what is on His heart for your life imparts His life in the process.

Show me how to wait, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Death and life! You own them both with your life in Jesus. You are called to bring the life you have been given to others. Your words should only be My Words. Your actions should only be His actions. He only gives life!”

Exodus 33:13-16 NIV 

13) “If I have found favor in your eyes, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

14) The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15) Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

16) How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Matt.16:19  AMP

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth, must be whatever is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.

Romans 10:9-10  NIV 

9) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

 

So many people have followed the teaching of speaking positive things so that positive things will happen to them. I believe that the Lord wants us to speak His words, which are absolute truth, rather than the words that come from our fears, misunderstandings, or foolish doctrines.

God is in the absolute truth business. There is nothing that He has ever said that cannot be trusted. He is in the life-giving business. The life we have been given in Jesus is a life that is available to anyone who desires it. When we talk of Him, we bring the opportunity for life to others. When we serve others through Him, others see the difference between the darkness of the world and the brilliance and the wonder of Him. We do have life to give when we give to others in His Name and His power— through His Word and by our words and actions.

Have me give only life to others, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Jesus! The only Name that is higher than every other name. Any attempt to say that Name in some circles will soon cause great harm to come to you. Soon those, who honor the high esteem that the Name of Jesus carries in the heavenlies, will be cursed, hated, and killed because of its separating power. Although the Name is synonymous with limitless love, it will bring forth the deepest hatred of those who will not bow to it. No other name can separate absolute truth from false religion. By the Name of the Most High Jesus, nations will be brought low, children will be lifted up, and false kingdoms will be destroyed.

"Jesus! The only Name that is higher than every other name. Identifying and embracing it with all your heart will bring you untold wisdom and eternal prosperity. Those who throw it in the dirt will experience darkness of the most horrible kind.

"Jesus! The only Name that is higher than every other name. The one Name that will soon bring a conclusion to My eternal plans. It is your plumb line for all eternity. It is the benchmark for your very life.

"Jesus! The only Name that is higher than every other name. Whether whispered in quiet submission or shouted at the top of your voice, it will move all heaven and earth on your behalf because of its Owner and what He has done. Although He is the One honored for all eternity, He has given you His Name for your sole expression of life. Carry it properly. Cherish it with all your heart. You will soon be amazed at its wondrous power. Although the Name of Jesus will be the catalyst for your persecution, it will be your only place of safety.

"Jesus!! The only Name that is higher than every other name.”

Hebrews 1:1-3a AMP 

1) IN MANY separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets,

2) [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].

3a) 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…

 

The bottom line for everything that is unfolding before us is the Name of Jesus and what it stands for. This could mean that those of us who are calling ourselves by His Name may be put to a life and death test in the future. If we honor our commitment to our Lord, we may very well have the honor of living, and possibly dying, in the same way as His first followers did. If we deny Him in any way, the consequences of our foolishness are too horrible to dwell upon.

For a long time, the Lord has been calling those who are His to draw close to Him so that we will be able to stand properly in these coming times. This eternally serious choice is ours to make at this very moment. I am convinced that soon we will have opportunity to deliver to the world the life that we have received from being in His presence, or we will stand open-mouthed and empty-handed with the world, as we attempt to comprehend what has happened in our midst.

Wanting to respond fully to the call to draw near,

Jim Corbett

 

 

 

 

“Make sure that you are where I want you to be, and with whom I have planned for you to be. It is paramount for the work of your ministry. In the coming times, I will require you to move in My direction and My direction alone, not sidetracked by fleshly emotions and fears. Sometimes, there will be little time to hesitate, when specific directions are given. Controversy between you and those that are with you will be costly. Indecision could be life threatening. Before these times come, you need to cultivate friendships that you can trust. Remember “holy alliances.” As I join you with those who are put together for specific tasks, I will tailor a common heart, so that you can move swiftly and decisively when necessary. In those times, My supernatural power and My wisdom for the moment will be instant and clear to those who have learned to listen to My heart.

"Start seeking your companions for reasons other than surface pleasure. Begin to see the nature of others as I see them. Are they looking only for My life to be developed in them? Do they see My kind of integrity as mandatory if they are followers of Jesus? Are they aware of the times and seasons in which they live? Are the priorities for their lives lined up with My Word? Are they trustworthy? These character traits will make the difference between a smooth implementation of My plans, and times of confusion and discord that will waste much needed moments.

"Start to ask Me who your friends should be. Let Me bring proper associations to you. When I do, cultivate all interactions to be in line with My Word. Make it your priority to be obedient to Me and to glorify My Name. I will then be present in all that you do.”

Acts 15:36-40 AMP 

36) And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along.

37) Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative].

38) But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

39) And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

40) But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favor and mercy) of the Lord.

 

So much for unity for the sake of unity. Wimpy, self-serving relationships work for church socials, but when you are about the business of God, the reliability and integrity of those associated with you are very important.

I had the privilege of observing a former gang member scrutinize a fellowship to which I had brought him, while he was making his decision to follow the Lord. I don’t remember his exact words after he met and talked with some of the people, but they were not something I had ever heard before. He inquired as to why he would ever hang around with anyone in that church, stating that none seemed to have enough integrity to be relied upon if he was ever in need.

You see, he had lived with people who had covenanted to be “for” each other in times of need, no matter what the cost. He stated that he knew hundreds of people, some who didn’t even know his name, who - without hesitation - would actually die for him if they were called upon to do so. They were in covenant, one to another, because of their code.

When he observed the church, he could see only surface relationships and empty, hollow greetings of acceptance. (By the way, this man was pointed to Jesus, not people, and serves Him now. He is one of the most trustworthy friends I have ever met. I have observed his life and have learned much from him and one other friend, also a former gang member, who preceded him to the Lord. Few people have the character qualities of these two friends.)

The church knows little about honest relationships with each other and, therefore, few people stand with unquestioned love towards the other in times of need. We shoot our wounded and choose our friends for all the wrong reasons. That will no longer suffice, if we are to move with God in the coming times.

Paul understood the importance of trustworthy relationships in the season that he was called to proclaim God’s Word. To him it was important enough to separate himself from Barnabas, so that he could rely on all his partners in the work that he was called to do. I believe that discernment of God’s kind of character in those with whom we associate will be most critical in times to come. Each of us must pray for the wisdom to choose our friends wisely and separate ourselves from those who serve only themselves and live to fulfill their own needs. The work of the Lord will count on our ability to do so.

Needing the character of Jesus to discern proper character,

Jim Corbett