Tag: Devotional

“Do you understand why there are seasons of desperation for My true children? Do you know why these times must be part of the lives of those who have covenanted to sell out to Me? It is part of My testing process. I am building a reliable community of believers; those who can be trusted to follow Me, no matter what other voices may say, no matter how difficult it gets. Understand this, in My church there are many kinds of participants. There are those who consider everything that I do to be only for their benefit. They only take from Me, never even considering My purposes for the salvation process. There are those who fluctuate back and forth from flesh to spirit, never seeking My direction for their lives and never willing to pay the price of serving Me with all of their hearts. Then there are those who really understand what My purposes are and what My plan is all about. They are the ones who are being formed into the true image of My Son, Jesus.

"This last group, of which you are a part, holds the attention of My heart. I love everyone, but I focus and monitor more closely those who want more of Me. If you have determined to follow Me closely, sell out to My will, and crave My anointing in all that you do, I will notice you and walk closely with you. I will place My hand of pressure on you to kill your flesh and bring your spirit alive.  Sometimes you will feel as though you can go no further. That is when you will learn to stand fast in My kind of liberty. I am setting you free from the part of your flesh that will not serve Me. You who hold My heart close, I hold you close. I tenderly violate every portion of you that will not bend to My will. It is an act of love. Press on. I am with you every step of the way. I am pleased with you. I have seen you when you have felt like you were dying inside. You were, and I was with you to bury the pieces.”

Isaiah 55:8 NIV

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

II Cor. 1:8-9 AMP 

8) For we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about the affliction and oppressing distress which befell us in [the province of] Asia, how we were so utterly and unbearably weighed down and crushed that we despaired even of life [itself].

9) Indeed, we felt within ourselves that we had received the [very] sentence of death, but that was to keep us from trusting in and depending on ourselves instead of on God Who raises the dead.

I Pe. 4:12-13 AMP

12) Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.

13) But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].

 

If your desire is to sell out to the Lord with all your heart, don’t let anything or anyone stop you. You must understand, however, that the price of God’s anointing and the cost of His presence is very high.  In fact, it will cost you everything.

Your life will consist of times of deep, almost continuous pressure. You will appear to most as a failure. When others have, you will most likely be one of the have-nots. Many will counsel you to not be so radical about your Christianity in one way or another. They will gladly tell you all the things that you are doing wrong and advise you to be more like everyone else and flow with the crowd.

You, however, will know better. Even if at times you feel as if you can go no further, you know that the Lord is directing your steps.  To give up would be a disappointment to Him and that thought alone is enough to press on.  Somewhere in the very depths of your spirit you have tasted the wonders of your precious Lord and nothing but pleasing Him will satisfy. No price is too high, no hardship too great.  You are willing to go to any measure to honor His desires for your life; to do less would be unthinkable.

You will stand on the sidelines when others are able to afford to play the success game. You will willingly go without, do with less; and bless others when you are laughed at, talked about, scorned, and not included in most events.

However, you, my friend, will be held in high esteem by your Lord and used because of your faithfulness. He will be able to place His presence in you, share His anointing with you, and give you His wisdom because He knows that you have gone the route of His Son.  The price may be high, but the thought of pleasing your Lord is the only reason for living. For you, there is no other way.

Needing to stop listening to the enemy when under pressure,

Jim Corbett

“Are you in this life with Me over your head? Does it sometimes seem that you take one step forward and then two steps back when I reveal your sin to you? Do the challenges you face sometimes seem bigger than you can handle? Good! I am stretching you. I have you in training for the times ahead. I am removing your personal abilities and replacing them with My abilities. I am bringing forth real eternal life from the empty well that you once were. Sometimes you place limitations on the term “eternal life.” The single definition of “living forever” is not all that has been accomplished by the cross.

"You need to apply the other definition of “walking in the eternal, overcoming, indestructible, and invincible” to the kind of life that you were given when Jesus became your Lord. That kind of life is available to you now. It is how you will function eternally; but it is available now, so that you can live a limitless life each and every day - if you spend enough time with Me to have Me impart it to you. You will not be able to find that kind of life through study, practice, good works, or even attending church services every time the doors are open. It is found in My presence, as you dwell there humbly and quietly, allowing Me to impart Myself to you.

"Because being with Me is the most important aspect of your life with Me, I will often cause you to need Me desperately for your next move. If you do not come to Me voluntarily, I will drive you to Me by allowing seemingly insurmountable situations for you to face. That may seem cruel to the uninitiated, but it is love in action. Do you have overwhelming need now? Come to Me. I am waiting to impart some “eternal life” characteristics to you.”

2 Samuel 14:14b NIV

“But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.”

Zec. 4:6 NIV 

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

I Ti. 6:12 AMP

Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold of the eternal life to which you were summoned and [for which] you confessed the good confession [of faith] before many witnesses.

 

There is so much more to this walk with our Lord than most of us ever imagined. As we spend the kind of time with Him that allows Him to reveal Himself to us, our life unfolds into the most wondrous adventure. We may not always see it like that, but it is true.

Unfold my relationship with You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Familiar lines and borders are being demolished. Places of safety other than that of being in Christ are disappearing. Your world is rapidly evolving into a world designed by those who care little for the things in which you believe. You are being tolerated at present, but soon truth will no longer be something that is considered valuable. When will you tarry with Me to receive My power for your life? When will you purchase from Me things of eternal value? What will it take for you to realize that as My predicted end-time world unfolds before your eyes, you will need My presence to prosper when others reel in confusion and fear?

"You will not find safety in a world that is concerned with hidden agendas and man-made priorities. My Word is immovable truth. I have shown you what is to come. As you see it unfolding, do not be alarmed. Be confident in what I have told you. Come to Me for My presence and you will fulfill My plan for your life in a time when the plans of man are against you.”

Matthew 10:38-39 AMP

38) And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me.

39) Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life], and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].

Matthew 19:29 AMP  

And anyone and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for My name’s sake will receive many [even a hundred] times more and will inherit eternal life.

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.]

 

Taken from A White Stone by Jim and Merry Corbett

Great upheaval beginning in the heavenlies was played out on the earth with violence. Many laws, lawmakers and complete systems throughout the land turned reprobate in thought and action.  Good and right were at times heralded as evil and restrictive; while pockets of evil seemed to prosper unchecked. In some instances, malicious rulers took advantage of the desperate times and justice became a nebulous concept simply deteriorating into a means to achieve any given agenda for their side of the “law.”

On community and national levels, unparalleled violence erupted throughout the land.  Laws were required to control unwanted elements and provide safety for citizens. Nations were at war internally.  While most Christians began to realize that their lives were not really in order and sought God’s mercy, those who could not or would not submit to what God was doing became unknowing agents for change.

Teach me to hear and see only Your truths, Lord,

Jim Corbett

 

“Because I show you the concerns that I have for My people, do not make the mistake that I love you more than those who have not chosen to serve Me fully. My love is always the same. You need to know that so that you have the freedom to come to Me when you fail. I am always there for you. You also need to know that My love is always available to My children, so that you have a merciful heart for those who need to know Me better. They need to see My mercy. You show it to them; that is why I have given it to you. They need to see My love in action. That is one of the reasons I have shared it with you.

"They need to be free to be humble and bankrupt before Me without fear of Me. That is why I have humbled you. Give to others what I have given you. The best gift you can give to anyone is the understanding of the incredible wealth of needing Me for every action, every breath. I refine you; I orchestrate everything so that you have the necessity of needing Me. Then I impart Myself to you, so that you not only know Me yourself; but so that you can be a testimony of My ways and My compassions to others. My love for your enemies should motivate you to love them also. My love for your brothers and sisters in the Lord should bring you to repentance for your hardened heart toward some of them.”

Matt. 5:43-47a AMP

43) You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy;

44) But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45) To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].

46) For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?

47) And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing?

Ps. 145:8-9 AMP

8) The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness.

9) The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

I John 3:14-16 AMP

14) We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death.

15) Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (persevering) within him.

16) By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him].

Forgive me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

 

“I love your honest praises, but I would rather talk. When was the last time that you let Me in on your most intimate needs, other than those requests that protect your flesh? I want you to discover those things that you need to know. That may sound somewhat foolish, but it is reality. Most of My children have little knowledge of what they have need of. You spend your days on a surface level of life without ever realizing that there is so much more available to you. Your directions and choices are implemented with only partial truths and limited knowledge as your criteria for making them.

"I have so much more available to you. If you would spend the time waiting in My presence before you move in any direction, you would save the time that you need to work your way out of the situations that you find yourself in because of carnal decisions. I say this so often, but you never seem to fully grasp how important it is for you to cultivate a habit of waiting in My presence.

"Would you ever consider taking a full day to spend time with Me? I already know the answer because that is not part of your thinking process or you would have done it. When is it going to be My turn to captivate your interest enough to consider time with Me a priority? I am weary of your false fellowships and your attempts to replace time with Me with offerings, songs, and surface prayers. I am weary of being placed down the list of priorities in your life. It is time for you to make some radical changes.

"Take this day to discover where I really am in your life. If I called you to be with Me for a full day would you come? I know you are busy. I know that you have responsibilities. Why am I not the first priority in your life like you say that I am?”

 Psalm 106:12-15 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.

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

 

Boy! These kinds of words make me fall on my face in helplessness. I fully understand what our Father has on His heart. There is no question about the truth of making Him our priority in life.

How does that play out in the life of the homemaker who has children that demand every ounce of energy? Or the provider who is swallowed up with bringing bread to the table?

Being in full-time outreach for many years, I understand the wonder of our Lord’s ability to redeem, even multiply, any amount of time taken away from daily tasks that is spent with Him. I have also seen people struggle with turning any amount of time over to Him. They may prosper financially but lose so much of what is available to them in God’s economy, especially regarding relationships and the opportunity to share His love with both believers and non-believers in their sphere of influence. It is a struggle that has plagued mankind throughout the centuries.

The conclusions that I have come to are these. Priority must be a heart position. To be at peace with our Lord, each of us must do what is necessary to make our Lord the unchallenged priority in our lives. He must be the reason for everything.

Once that is an absolute, everything else falls in place. We then find that we do not need to try to find time with God; instead, it becomes difficult to remove ourselves from Him to deal with other things. Everything other than time with Him is seen as an interruption of the most important. Continuous communication becomes a natural element of our daily lives.

That may seem elementary, but I have found that most of us have never really functioned in that truth. If questioned, every one of us would swear that Jesus is our everything. The fact is, however, few of us function there. Life in general - daily situations, earthly distractions - are really in control of our time.

We miss so much, because we have not taken that very basic step of establishing the one necessary priority of placing God above everything else. Therefore, we attempt to add our Lord to our already busy lives, instead of flowing through life from His lap.

Needing to often go back and reestablish my single Priority,

Jim Corbett