Tag: Devotional

“You have been given an allotment of days. What are you doing with them? These specific days have challenges that you will face. How are you going to handle them? You have been designed to overcome any and every challenge as We walk together. You have been given power to rise above whatever attempts to destroy your peace if you trust in Jesus. Allow Him to live His life through you to overcome. Allow Him to be your Victor. His plans are My plans. His directions are My directions. You cannot fail if you trust Him.”

Amos 5:4b AMP

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

John 16:33 AMP

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

2 Cor. 1:8-10 NIV

8) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

9) Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

10) He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…

 

Jesus was brought into a world so perilous that children were killed at the whimsical edict of an evil king, crucifixions were as commonplace as morning walks, and people were held in slavery to ignorant teachers and foolish guides, yet He was absolutely fearless. His passionate love, His intimacy with His Father, and His zeal for imparting truth made Him “Teflon” in a world seething with infectious evil and eternal danger. His presence in any society was a gift of love from His Father God. We are in training to be the same kind of gift to those around us wherever our Father sends us.

To have the wonder of the living Christ residing in us is one of life’s profound miracles. To have Him desire to share our time on this earth and then for eternity is an astounding privilege. To not take full advantage of this wondrous gift is foolishness.

Remove my foolish heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you know how the words “I will have a people who serve Me with all of their hearts” will impact your life?  It means that your personal world will never be the same. At present, you have little desire to serve Me with all of your heart. There are many distractions that vie for your allegiance, and you submit to most of them. Many of them rob Me of My time with you. Many of them rob you of your desire to spend time with Me. That is not a positive combination. Would you think it cruel of Me if I removed everything from your life that hindered you from becoming like My Son? Would you curse Me if you were brought to a place of absolute dependence upon Me for your next morsel of food, a moment of safety from the surrounding terrors, your very life?

"I am deeply concerned for you. No matter how many times I call you to intimacy, no matter how often I warn you of the coming terrors, you have little knowledge of what it is like to have Me and Me alone for your sustenance. You don’t even seem to care. So many other gods occupy your world that you have little determination to learn of My Son, even though He is the key to your safety when your world falls apart. When will you stop the foolishness? Look around. How can you miss the abundance of signs that proclaim imminent changes in your world? How can you not respond to My calling to become holy so that you can overcome what lies ahead?

"Look to those who see with My eyes. Listen to My prophets - not the street-corner variety - but those whose strong words make you uncomfortable. Listen to what I am saying and determine in your heart to move with Me in the soon coming times. I will have a people who will serve Me with all of their hearts.  There, I’ve said it. Now what will you do in response?”

Phil 3:10-11 AMP

10) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

11) That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

 

According to the Bible verses above, Paul had a determined purpose that drove his life. He was hungry for God. His whole being embraced his calling and he knew that he needed everything that the Lord had for him to be able to make it. Since he did make it, it would be good if we embraced his formula.

His unswayable (Is that a word?) determination was his first direction for us to follow. We need to get serious.

He wanted to truly know Jesus. Not a bad choice for a mentor.

He wanted to know what was provided for him at the cross and the resurrection. What were his tools? How much of God did he have at his every call for help? Where was true power to overcome and how could he tap into it?

Now he tells us. If we die to our every desire and take up His cross, we will rise above every worldly god and function in concert with the only real God even while in the body.

He got it, and it proved powerful to the end. Study these wealthy verses until they are deep in your heart. Feed on them and determine to get determined.

Determined to become determined,

Jim Corbett

“It is once again time to watch and pray! You must shake yourself from the lethargy and slumber that is prevalent in My people. Now is the time to work while there is still light enough to do My will. I call you to holiness. I call you to Myself, so that I can show you how I would have you live in the perilous times ahead for your world. Nothing you hold on to will soon mean anything. Make time with Me your priority. Buy gold refined in the fire. I have salve for your eyes, so that you will be able to see clearly. Time is so very short. Wake up! Awaken others! Find those who see clearly and invest what you have in My work. Seek Me together. I will show you what to do. I will show you how to see as Jesus saw. I will show you how to live as Jesus lived.”

Matthew 16:22-23 NIV

22) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23) Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Out of my sight, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

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 26:43-46 NIV

43) When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.

44) So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

45) Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46) Rise, let us go!...”

Rev. 3:18 NIV 

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

 

In the garden, Jesus looked past His own needs and saw the imminent darkness that was fast approaching. He urged those around Him to push past their immediate needs to watch and pray with Him. They needed the Father to be the goal and purpose of their lives. He characterized their lack of awareness to the peril as slumber.

Once again, a spirit of slumber has overtaken most of the church. Once again, immediate and personal needs have overshadowed the fast-approaching darkness. Most are unaware that twilight is upon us. Most cannot see that we are living in the closing hours before deep shadows lurk at every corner. Many will soon cower in fear. Many will find any kind of light that will give them some semblance of safety. Safety will not be found in any source except a solid, loving relationship with Jesus and our Father God.

Are you working with the heart of Father God while there is still light enough to do it with freedom? You must! Shake yourself awake to the peril that is once again fast approaching. Jesus is asking each of us to slumber no more. He sees what we cannot see. He calls us to His Father’s side, so that we can prosper throughout what is about to take place.

What are you hanging on to that is more important than doing your Father’s will?  How are you investing your resources and your energies? Do you know for sure what He desires of you? Is your personal form of slumber stopping you from going to Him now? What part of your life are you hanging on to that is not yours to keep?

Awaken me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When you flow in My anointing, there will be many different kinds of reactions from those around you. In your immediate circles, you will be able to do minimal work for Me. People who know your past have much difficulty seeing your future. They will always attempt to apply who you used to be to whatever I am calling you to become. Do not be discouraged. I will use their ignorance to build a steadfast heart in you. If necessary, I will move you where you will be welcomed for who you have become. As an invited guest, you will be able to flow as I direct, and many will be able to see Me through you. If I can trust you enough to send you to a specific place to accomplish a specific task, understand the warfare that you will encounter. You may be accepted because of Who I am in you.

"For some you will need to gain respect. It will be accomplished by the love that you live before them, and what I do through you over time. Flow with those who are not threatened by your gifts and anointing. Undergird their work and respect My call on their lives. Together you will work as one for My common good. For others you will be a threat to their little kingdoms. Jealousy will rise up in their hardened hearts.

"Understand that it is not you that they are resisting. It is Me that they really do not want in their midst. Love those who cannot understand who you are and what I am calling you to do. Be on guard, however, for those who see you as a threat to their strongholds. They will not see you as an answer to prayers and will want to discredit and destroy you.”

 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.”

Matt. 13:54-58 AMP

54) And coming to His own country [Capernaum], He taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed with bewildered wonder, and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

55) Is not this the carpenter’s Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

56) And do not all His sisters live here among us? Where then did this Man get all this?

57) And they took offense at Him [that is, they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.

58) And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus).

John 1:45-46 AMP

45) Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him, We have found (discovered) the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about – Jesus from Nazareth, the [legal] son of Joseph!

46) Nathanael answered him, [Nazareth!] Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!

 

I believe that the Lord is once again showing His church how serious He is about the present call to become who we have been saying we are all this time. The Christian games have had minimal effect in reaching the world. Father God is raising up His trusted believers, who are armed with the “dunamis” Word permeating their lives to “explode” strongholds of religious activity.

When dusty sandals carried the Word of God into a society, that society was never the same. Everyone who made contact with Jesus knowingly or unknowingly encountered the Sword of the Spirit. Once encountered, that Word began to do its work in their hearts, exposing the truth of God. Some willingly embraced Him. Others were skeptical until they could see Him for Who He really was. Others hated Him because the spirit in them understood that His mission was to destroy their ill-fated, death-grip religion, personal gain, and righteous-sounding activities.

God will always have a people, who are filled with the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had, whom He can trust. Whether sending them two-by-two unannounced, or bringing them into the midst of people who have been praying for revival, He brings His Spirit to minister His required changes through willing vessels, assisting those with valid missions there.

If you are being raised up to bring truth to wherever you are at present, or are sent to unfamiliar places, understand that you must be dead to anything that resembles pride and need for acceptance. You must walk in truth, have no hidden motives, listen only to the Lord; and be willing to go to the cross for the good of those to whom you are sent. If the Holy Spirit is really with you, you will be loved by those with open hearts and hated by those who will not move with God. Your anointing will cause people to reevaluate who they are in Christ; that is part of revival. While that is happening, peace may not be the order of the day. Stand strong; the Lord is with you.

Give boldness to Your servants, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Would you do what I asked you to do, if nobody thought it was worthwhile? Would you be satisfied if no one recognized your work for Me? How would you fare if everything you were called to do was never heralded, seemed to have no effect, and fell on deaf ears? Would you continue to do it simply because I asked you to do so? I need you to answer “yes” to these questions. If you can answer “yes,” I can use you. I need you to be a willing heart devoted to Me. I will determine what is truly successful. You simply be obedient.”

 I Sam. 15:22 NIV

But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Rom. 9:21 NIV

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

1 Cor. 4:2 AMP

Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

Col. 3:23 AMP

Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,

 

In our world of logical, reasonable, and approved by the masses, there is little importance placed on simple obedience. In the time I have known the Lord, He has often asked me to take steps that seemed illogical to me. Often, I have not had enough faith or courage to be obedient.  I’m sure that I have missed out on some pretty incredible things because of my fears.

Sometimes, I have done what I am sure He told me to do, and from all appearances, the steps I took seemed like dismal failures. Other times, I looked like a fool in the beginning, but eventually became part of a miracle that He had planned all along. Most of the time, there has been little fanfare because of my obedience. Usually, it’s mighty quiet when I do what I am asked to do, almost as if obedience on my part was expected. Hmmmm!

Could it be possible that the Lord’s ways are higher than mine? Could He know the beginning from the end and does not need to share that part of His wealth with me? Maybe He wants me to trust Him, no matter what the outcome is concerning what He calls me to do. Ya think?

Thank You for being faithful, Lord,

Jim Corbett