Tag: Devotional

“Do you know what My anointing is? It is when I take your small offering and empower it through My Holy Spirit. My presence and My power do all of the work to make an optimum impact in all that I call you to do. Understand that you have little to offer Me other than your full surrender to My power. Your skills are limited. I know that. It’s how I planned it. Mine are boundless, eternal, and accompanied by sovereign insights. Allow Me to amplify your offering of love into the eternal realm. Allow Me to do everything My way through you. You will marvel at how free you will be to enjoy what I call you to do, as you see how much is accomplished when you wait for Me to do it My way.”

Esther 6:1-3 AMP

1) On that night the king could not sleep; and he ordered that the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, be brought, and they were read before the king.

2) And it was found written there how Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s attendants who guarded the door, who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.

3) And the king said, What honor or distinction has been given Mordecai for this? Then the king’s servants who ministered to him said, Nothing has been done for him.

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 into their souls…

 

The verses above minister mightily to me. The verses in Esther tell of a time when a king, unbeknownst to him, was awakened so that he could be used to further the mission of the Lord. God was working behind the scenes in His power. Mordecai was probably fretting and sleeplessly wondering how he was ever going to accomplish what was necessary, when all the while God was in the process of doing what Mordecai could never have done. God gave him favor in the heart of the king.

The verses in Psalm 106 smack of a people who insisted on their own way, not caring past their own needs. God answered their hard-hearted whining, giving them what they wanted; but also limited them to only what their carnal requests could produce. They missed the abundance God had for them, because they chose not to wait for God’s ways to unfold.

Let me not miss Your plans and Your ways, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“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 bench mark 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

“In this season, I am raising you up to be a victorious people, who are looking only to Jesus as your model for living. It is a training to be a warrior, a preparation to be a bride. You, My special warriors, are being called, appointed, cleansed, and prepared to represent Him to a world that is completely out of answers. You will give those who will listen the only answer - Jesus. You will also present to those who will not hear, the One who will seal their doom; that is also Jesus. Jesus will be seen to either be accepted or rejected. The preparation for your presentation is taking place in you this very moment. As this training for My kind of presentation is being accomplished in you, another wonder is also happening. You are being prepared for a wedding feast. You will notice a shift in your motives as this second phase transpires. You will be well aware of the war that is at hand, but you will be looking only to Jesus while it takes place. That may seem simplistic, but it is paramount to your place with Me. The ability to see the need to be at war is an elementary stage of preparation. Almost anyone who observes daily happenings can do so.

"Implementation can take many forms, some of which are not My kind of warfare. True preparation, however, involves becoming like Jesus. In doing so, you also become ready to meet Him because you will be like Him. Your progress is marked by how little you focus on the war at hand, knowing that I will handle that; and how much you long to be with Him, while you engage in the battles all around you in His power. That heart position separates those who have fully submitted to My kind of training, and those who have stopped short. You, My fully equipped warrior bride, will soon long only to be with Jesus; but you’ll also be willing to remain at war for His sake and His glory. The battles that rage all around you will simply be catalysts used to cleanse your garments, rather than to strengthen your resolve to win. I love who you are becoming!”

II Cor. 2:14-16a AMP 

14) But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victories] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.

15) For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which] exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:

16a) To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh].

I John 4:4 AMP

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

 

In this world, there are players who determine how most of the world runs. Players are continually positioning themselves to be seen, heralded, and brought to the forefront in everything they do. They are usually strong, popular, visible, and appear to be in control of every aspect of their lives. They look and smell successful.

The training to become a player in life is rigorous and all-consuming. To really enter the game, one must consider the game as all important. To win the game, family, friends, and fellow players must be secondary to whatever it takes to succeed. There can be no compromise; second place is not an option. After the game is over, most players find themselves in need of attempting to pick up the pieces of their lives and mend the relationships that were destroyed during the game.

The training to become a real “player” in the kingdom of God is the antithesis of what is called “winning at life.” The goal of the true servant of Jesus Christ is to decrease and have Him increase. His priority is not so much what he can accomplish, but his ability to submit and have Jesus’ life accomplished in him.

All training for “players” in the kingdom of God is designed to crush the life out of the player, so that the life of the King can replace it. Submission must replace strength, independence must give way to obedience; and self motives fall to the honor of seeing Jesus glorified everywhere and in everything. True success in the kingdom of God happens when the person in training disappears completely and the Son of God is all that is seen in his life. Quietly, without fanfare, a “player” in the kingdom will go about the business of his appointed role, lovingly observed by God; but ignored and scorned by the world.

Wanting to see no good in the world’s ways anymore,

Jim Corbett

“Come away with Me. I encourage you to seek fresh manna each day and also find the hidden manna that will satisfy the hunger of your soul. Both will be needed in the coming times. The defining line has been drawn. It is a line that determines who will prosper and accomplish My will and who will simply survive, making it from day to day without direction or purpose. For many seasons, I have called you to an intimacy with Me. I have called you to make the time We spend together your priority. Those of you who have heard My call are accustomed to receiving the needed spiritual manna for each day. You are familiar with the strong meats that I have given you to eat - meats such as faith in adversity, absolute trust, and the ability to allow Me to be your defender. You have received spiritual tools too numerous to mention. You have received the nourishment to overcome the difficult places designed to eliminate your flesh and either expose your sin or testify of your faithfulness.

"Now you are able to receive My hidden manna, nourishment that comes only through intimacy and unattainable to the irresponsible. I can trust you to move with Me and be immovable by circumstances and pressures. I will now give you the power of My Word because you can be trusted with it. Those of you who have not heeded My desire to come close will be tossed around by your changing world. You will be looking for ways to maintain your comfort rather than walking with Me. You will have no ability to gather the proper manna to overcome. You will be blind guides, all because you wouldn’t come when I called.”

 Zechariah 7:13 NIV

“When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen...”

Hebrews 13:10 NIV

We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

 

When the Lord gave these verses to me as an amplification of the word above, I had to really seek His heart. They seemed marginally in context to me, but at the same time did amplify the heart of what He wanted to show me.

I know that because of the cross, our God always answers when we call. He will never leave us or forsake us. That is an unbreakable promise. I also know that when we identify with Jesus, He is always there to hear our call.

I finally understood the image that the Lord was attempting to show me. It is a degree of association, not one of acceptance. Every one of us is equally accepted in the eyes of our Lord. We all have been saved by the blood and can have confidence in its redeeming power on that day.

What the Lord was bringing home to me was the issue of being capable and steadfast in difficult times because of our choice and habit of being infused with His power, rather than functioning in our own wisdom, strength, and old spiritual food. It is that continual call to intimacy, a time when He gives us Himself rather than things, that so has the heart of God for His people.

Recently, I was perusing some old teachings. While I was reading them, I remembered when I had used them in a college and career class that I held. It amazed me when I remembered the issues that captured our thoughts then, compared to the issues we face today. Our world has changed so much that the wisdom and strength that was needed to make it through those days is completely inadequate for today’s needs. It is a comparison of elementary school to college.

We are on the threshold of even greater changes to our world. I am convinced that is why the Lord continually brings up the issue of intimacy. He knows that we need to fully receive who He is in us in order to rise above what is about to occur, and not just muddle through it ineffectively.

It fascinates me how much time He has to spend calling and wooing us to a place we should readily want to go, especially as we see what is on the near horizon. We are so hard of heart that we don’t even want to pray except when we are in trouble. The thought of true intimacy, fresh manna, and especially the hidden manna of His heart eludes most of us. What a pitiful shame.

Please do not stop wooing me, Lord,

Jim Corbett