Tag: Devotional

“When you live fully in the truth, you become untouchable. Those of you who are deep students of the life of Jesus realize that there is a place that is available to you that cannot be invaded by the world and its distractions. It is a place that is unavailable to the surface follower, and misunderstood by those who see little value in drawing deeper with Me. Most of the church has never experienced the kind of freedom that comes with a total death of fleshly power and full surrender to My Holy Spirit power. It is not a place that serves the flesh in any way, so few choose to enter in when I am removing everything that cannot be brought with them. It is the same price that was paid by Jesus at the cross. Most give up because the price is too high.

"For many years now, and for many seasons in times past, I have called my zealous children to an intimacy unknown by those around them. To the others, the invitation of intimacy appeared as the opposite of what it really was. My wooing was not one of offering power, fame, and success. It was a call of sacrifice and presented a path strewn with trials, crushing pressures, and a complete loss of any reputation and appearance of worth to the world and the church. While others prospered, those of you who were functioning in this call on your life appeared as if you could do nothing right. Often, I would lead you to places, knowing your desire to be obedient, only to have you appear as if you had missed My direction altogether. I would then have it appear as if I had left you completely. This was the consuming fire of My love.

"Now, however, that you understand that when there is nothing else, Jesus is all that you need, nothing can touch you. When everything is hopeless, He is hope. When there is no way out, He is the door of peace. Nobody can touch you because of the life that I have given you. The world and most of the church have considered you dead, but I am about to show them My kind of life through you. Because you have submitted to My heavy hand of refining on your life, I will now be able to trust you. When I am all that there is, all that is worthwhile in your life, the temptations of the world fall away. You are free to be used by Me.”

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.

 Romans 4:18-21 NIV 

18) Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

19) Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.

20) Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

21) being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Romans 5:1-5 NIV

1) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2) through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

3) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

4) perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

 

There is a place that is available in the Lord that most of you who are receiving these messages know of.  It is a place of unexplainable anguish and absolute poverty, a place absent of any answers. When there, your mind wonders how you could possibly have gotten there in the first place. Retracing your steps, you find nothing that should have gotten you in such a desperate place.

While there, there is nothing that you can do to help yourself. In fact, anything that you try to do to relieve the pressure of the situation only deepens the trial.

Usually, you look like a fool to everyone else. More often than not, most of those who had once been by your side are nowhere to be found, having joined the ranks of those who are filled with advice, but little compassion and understanding.

If you react as I often have, the first several times the Lord takes you there, you panic, struggle, and invent any and all ways to remove yourself. You attempt to remain strong and do what is necessary to look like everyone else.

Soon, however, you realize that your precious Lord has purposely placed you in His kind of helplessness, so that He becomes your only trusted helper. Eventually, this place becomes a comfortable friend, because you understand that it is the Father Himself Who is dealing with your flesh and invigorating your spirit by His Holy Spirit. You delight in the training, even rest in His presence, while enduring the pain of the trial.

As some of you know, an amazing thing happens each time you emerge from this special place with our Father. You find that fewer of the fears and pressures of the world have access to you. In fact, after several of these training sessions, those temptations that once controlled you no longer have access to you. Carnal desires and the things that the world calls important have little value; in fact, they become worthless in your eyes. You are free, more trustworthy, and have a clearer vision of your Father’s plan.

If you are in this kind of trial at present, take heart, Your Lord is with you. You will make it. You will be stronger, more devoted to your Lord, and eventually become untouchable by the world. It is worth every pain. Be encouraged; the Lord loves you and is removing anything that He will not allow in His presence.

Thank You for Your kind of love, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Few of you realize how important it is to walk as Jesus walked. Few of you understand how necessary it is to interpret My Word accurately. The only Jesus that the world will see is you. The only Gospel that they hear is the one that you live. Selfish, lazy lives show Me how little you really care about My heart and My desires that none should perish.”

Amos 8:11-12 AMP

11) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but [a famine] for hearing the words of the Lord.

12) And [the people] shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord [inquiring for and requiring it as one requires food], but shall not find it.

Matthew 5:13 AMP

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality) how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

 

Few people recognize Who Jesus is because we have never shown Him to them. Most of us have for so long felt that this life in Christ is about us, that we live few of our days caring about whether or not we carry out the Lord’s wishes and plans.

He planned that those who know Jesus should bring others to Him by living His kind of life in their midst. He cares for others. Most of the time, we only care for ourselves.

Isn’t it amazing that we will even place the wishes of God low on our priority list, so that we can consume His Gospel upon ourselves? We don’t even stop to think that our selfish, lazy lives hinder His plans and show Him how little we really love Him, no matter how many songs we sing to Him, promises we make, or words we utter in praise.

Change my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Many in My church are blinded by their woundedness. They cannot see through the unforgiveness and go on to a fruitful life. In many cases, the history of past hurts, real or manufactured, allows them to excuse themselves from stepping out again. It is a wall that they hide behind. They think that they are fooling Me. I cannot move through those who will not receive My healing and choose to stay in a place of self-pity. If they only knew how much they hinder the work that I have planned for them. If they only knew that I am about to bypass them and give their portion to someone I can trust.

"The time for playing church is over. I am pouring out My Spirit to heal, rebuild, and equip those who desire to walk with Me during these closing moments of time. Anyone who does not choose to accept My healing provision will see My plans unfold from the sidelines. Turn now from your selfish pride. Forgive everyone who has hurt you or wrongfully used you. Forgive as you have been forgiven, and bless those who curse you, or you will miss what I have planned for you.”

Amos 5:14 NIV

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

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.”

 

To a Lord Who suffered horribly and died an incredibly painful death so that we could be forgiven, some of our excuses for not serving Him with all of our hearts must seem awfully foolish to Him, or more than likely, painful. We hold unforgiveness in our hearts for years over an unconscious word said by a former friend. We will throw away years of walking with someone because of something he or she may have done to hurt us. We will separate from others who are designated to walk with us, rather than work out our relationship so that it again glorifies God. If we are misused, we choose to continually lick our wounds, pointing to them for others to see as if in some sort of pity parade, which makes us ineffective in fulfilling our part in God’s plan.

We set limits on how far we will go to help someone in need. Stewardship has become a word that allows us to consume what is God’s upon our rotting flesh. We shoot our wounded, cast aside those who don’t see as we do, and violate the trust of a loved one at almost every opportunity. We judge others by their actions and judge ourselves by our intent. Then we ask God to bless us. Pretty scary, huh?

 Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Because things seem relatively quiet and there are no visible signs of the war near you, do not begin to believe that the enemy is at rest. Do not be lulled into complacency. Make sure that you use any time of quiet as opportunities to fortify your defenses. Help others do the same. Do what is necessary to bring fellow warriors to a place of intimacy with Me. Encourage the discouraged and help them strengthen their resolve. Above all, seek Me with all of your heart. I am holding back warring fronts so that you can receive what is necessary to overcome the next wave of attack.

"Use this time wisely. I am the source for your strength. I am the One holding the instructions and the wisdom to guide you around any obstacles that will be in your coming battles. I will refresh you while We talk. Remember that Jesus has already destroyed any hope of victory for the evil one. You, however, have been called to show that victory to those who cannot see because of the darkness initiated by that defeated foe. You must bring My light to the darkness. Rebuild now. Renew your strength. Prepare wisely in times of quiet. Prepare from a place on My lap and at My table. Soon it will all be over. For now, much needs to be done.”

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].

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.

 

Many in the church of Jesus Christ have little understanding of their purpose for living or God’s plan for the lives of those who have come to Him through Jesus. Their focus is so directed towards the golden streets, that everything else is nothing more than a fuzzy blur in their peripheral vision on their journey home.

Those, who understand that truth only comes from seeking truth from the Source of truth, know better than to eliminate the current obligations and replace them with future promises. God is in the process of concluding His plan for our generation. He has shown us that every member of every previous generation had a part in His plan. Everyone had and has a purpose for being born.

Imagine one moment in time when simple fishermen had their lives totally changed by responding to a voice from the shore heralding them to drop their nets and follow. Once they took that first step out of the boat, there was no turning back. Every moment from that specific response on was used to define, understand, and walk through a plan other than their own plans. They were on God’s road, not their own.

So it is with us. We have been heralded by that same voice to walk on a road that is strewn with challenges, obstacles, and enemy strategies. That road is not one that we have chosen, but one that has been chosen for us.

To navigate that road properly, it makes sense that we need to seek the One Who has the only accurate map, One Who has an understanding of how to navigate that road and triumph over anything that would hinder our progress. To do anything else would be foolishness.

Show me Your way, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Even though you are aware of the times and seasons and see that end-time prophecy has the potential to be fulfilled in your generation, you must be diligent in your study, steadfast in your growth, and trustworthy with My Word; so that future generations will benefit from you having walked the land. No lives that have been ordained by Me have the right to live only for themselves. I require that you become all that you can be, so that Jesus is glorified, and others will benefit from your diligent study and positive application of My Word and Our association as you go about your days serving Me.

"My Word applied never loses its power over time. Your experiences in Me need to become testimony for others to be encouraged in their walk. Your failures need to be noted so that others do not fall. Although Our relationship is designed to be very personal, stop limiting Our experiences together by thinking that they are for you alone. They are wealthy material for others to study and follow. Make your life really count.  Think of the welfare of those who follow you, just as you have benefited from following the experiences of others. Expand your worth by leaving a roadmap to My heart.”

Romans 15:1-7 NIV 

1) We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

2) Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

3) For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”

4) For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

5) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

6) so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

I Cor. 15:58 NIV

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

II Tim. 2:15 AMP

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

Hebrews 12:12-13 NLB 

12) So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.

13) Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.

 

Too often we forget that our own little world is not all that matters. If all the saints who have gone before us had been concerned only for themselves, we would have little testimony and few patterns to encourage us. We would have little to see that the life lived by Jesus can be lived by ordinary people just like us.

How many people in future generations will be able to grow in their relationship with the Lord because of the legacy that you leave? What roadmap to the heart of God will have your fingerprints on it when others read it? Who will be able to say that they were able to see how a life in Christ was supposed to be lived because they observed your life or mine?

Our everyday, very ordinary lives are leaving their marks whether we know it or not. Will that mark be a benchmark for others to emulate, or a mark in the sand that can hardly be seen?

Make my life count, Lord,

Jim Corbett