Tag: From Our Father’s Heart

“I have begun in earnest to refine My church and define My remnant. To the church, I am exposing hardened hearts and the hidden motives that you have harbored for a long time. I am doing this so that you can repent. It is a final call for you to enter into the move of My Spirit in these closing hours of time. If you do not repent of your sins of self-consumption and your self-serving attitudes, you will be left out of the wonder of what I am about to do in this world.

“To the remnant believer - those of you who have surrendered everything to Me long ago - a deeper work in you is still ahead. I understand the pressures that you are under. Be at peace, however. I have hemmed you in these recent days. I am the One who has dried up all of your reserves, so that I might prove Myself strong to you.

“Press into My refining, defining fire. You are being taught patience and trust. It is My hand doing this deep work in your life. Those who now scorn you and your humble lifestyle with lofty, judgmental hearts will soon crave what you have earned through these challenges. You will soon flow in My anointing with My presence. You will be restored to early church, Christ-like heart and function. Be willing to pay the price you are now paying. It will be worth it. I love you!”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

11) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

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].

Amos 5:4b AMP

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

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.”

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].

 

These are critical days and crucial moments in time. God is answering the prayers of those who have seen firsthand the prophesied deterioration and falling away of those who are called by His Name. His answer to this coldness is to restore first-love qualities in those He will be able to use in these closing times.

There is no question that the world is changing. There are new needs that cannot be accomplished with an old anointing. Fresh manna is required to nourish those who are working on behalf of the Lord. That manna only comes from Him and will not be given to those who will consume it upon themselves.

Examine your hearts. Are your concerns centered on your comfort and safety? Is the fear of the loss of what you have consuming your days? If so, repent of your selfishness and self- serving attitude before you are set aside and cannot flow in what the Lord is about to do in these last days.

If you are craving more of Jesus, if your only desire is to honor Him with your life, press in to the trial at hand. You are being refined into gold. You are being made worthy of carrying His Word to a dying world with a heavy anointing and His strong presence.

Help me press in, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Are you ready? Are you ready to expand your tent pegs? Soon your world will change. You will be required to modify your lifestyle to accommodate those challenges that will face you. For some of you, life will never be the same. External changes will not necessarily be the catalyst for your change; I will. I am about to fulfill My promises to those of you who have been crying out for holiness. I am about to equip those of you who have been faithful to My call to draw close. You will thrive during the coming difficult times. My presence will be with you. Prepare to receive My fullness.

“Prepare to become leaders to a leaderless people. As I set aside those who have not heeded My calls and have continued doing “business as usual,” you will need to step in and respond to the multitude of questions and needs. You will need to have ready answers. You will need to represent Jesus by your fearless approach to the times and seasons.

“Remember where your source of life is. It will still come from your devotion to Our relationship and spending time with Me. When the relative quietness of your world is shattered by the many requirements of your time, remember to set aside even more time with Me. Time with Me will be your resource. To be distracted from Our fellowship will dim your witness and minimize your effectiveness. Prepare now. Come to Me now. Come to Me more often then.”

Romans 15:1-7 AMP

1) We who are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ought to bear with the failings and the frailties and the tender scruples of the weak; [we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others] and not to please ourselves.

2) Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually].

3) For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me.

4) For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.

5) Now may the God Who gives the power of patient endurance (steadfastness) and Who supplies encouragement, grant you to live in such mutual harmony and such full sympathy with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,

6) That together you may [unanimously] with united hearts and one voice, praise and glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

7) Welcome and receive [to your hearts] one another, then, even as Christ has welcomed and received you, for the glory of God.

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.

 

Few of us really comprehend the value of being with our Lord. We squeeze in time with Him between our work and our daily commitments. How foolish. He should be our priority, not our minimum daily requirement.

I remember using a pressure sprayer to clean the patios, sidewalks, and driveway of a place in which we lived awhile back. (Actually I cleaned almost everything that didn’t move.) It was amazing to see the incredible difference it made. Simple hose water became a powerful force when sent through the machine. It was actually so much fun, I found myself doing more than I intended to do.

The system reminded me of our life with the Lord. We are very much like the normal hose, giving refreshment to those who need it, flowing moderately and as required.

I see continuous fellowship with our Lord as the power sprayer. Hooked up to Him, everything changes. Not only do we have the possibility of affecting others in the same way as before; but when His mighty force propels our flow, our impact is vastly different and much more powerful. We can do things far beyond anything we ever thought possible.

Keep me hooked up, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When all your handles cease to exist, what will you hang on to so that you survive? What will you do when those things that define you are no longer available to you? You must begin to establish your identity in Jesus. Only then will you remain strong when all the world’s treasures become known for what they really are. Only Jesus will be your source for everything you will ever need. When He is all you have, He will be all you need!”

Phil. 3:8 AMP

Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs) in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One).

 

Would the loss of everything you call your own be the end of you? If Jesus was all that you had, and you had no hope to ever gain anything else, would that be enough for you?

I boastfully announced with most others around me during my younger Christian years that if He was all I had, He would be enough. When everything was taken away from me, I had to come to repentance. I was a hypocrite. I was not satisfied with only Jesus. I wanted security, reputation, a home, and the hope of things getting better. I found that Jesus, plus these things and more, made me who I was. It was a startling revelation; one that changed my life.

What makes you who you are in your own heart? If everything was taken away, would you be the same person that you are now? Really think about it and be careful with your answer.

Create in me a clean heart, Lord,

 Jim Corbett

“To those of you who have been in My refiner’s fire, remain steadfast just a while longer. I am moving you to another season soon. In the time you are to remain under My hand of vigorous training, learn the deep lessons I am teaching you.

“Rest in My presence. I will show you My heart as We spend quality time together. When this season is over, you will understand why you needed the skills I have given you. Others will benefit from your learned obedience. I will be glorified in your life as I send you forth. Be patient! I am with you. I will soon be able to trust you.”

Deut. 1:6 NIV

The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.”

2 Chr. 16:9 NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

James 1:2-4 NIV

2) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3) because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Rev. 2:2-5 NIV

2) “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.  I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

3) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have not grown weary.

4) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

5) Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

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].

 

In the book of Amos, it talks of two not being able to walk together unless they are agreed. How can we expect Jesus to overlook the filth of the world’s attitudes that are still in us, when He died so that they might be eliminated?   We are, in fact, saying that His suffering and death are of no consequence, if we refuse to allow lofty attitudes to be removed from our lives.

It is time that we all acknowledge our need of God’s mercy.  It is also time that we understand that He is showing us our need; so that we, in turn, will function in His mercy towards everyone, as He has. He is being merciful at this very moment as we see who we are not.

To withhold mercy would, once again, show a wrong heart motive - one of consuming God’s mercy while showing none. It is one of the most selfish of acts, most unlike the One whom we say we represent and for whom we are waiting, so that He might take us with Him because we are supposedly like Him.

The merciless heart is very much like that of the foolish virgins in Matthew 25. They came, not for the good of the master who was to arrive, but for their own good. They are also the ones pounding on the door after it had been closed and locked.  Quite a sobering thought!

Eliminate whatever You are after in me, Lord,

 Jim Corbett

“Be careful that you don’t become complacent during times of ease and comfort. It is important that you seize these times to refocus and readjust, making sure that you have not moved from My calling during the times of pressure. Come close to Me. I will refresh your heart. I will comfort your spirit and give you strength to continue on. I will adjust your perspective and clear your vision.

“When you are involved in a battle, it is easy to place emphasis on winning the battle, rather than seeing the larger picture of My overall plan. It is easy to limit Me when there is peril. It is in times of rest that you will be reminded of My motives and My reasons for your life.

“You are of great value to Me. Never even entertain the idea that I have forgotten you or have not noticed your situation. I am always with you. Whether you stand in the midst of great peril, or rest by a quiet stream, I am with you. That is My way.”

Pr. 3:5-6 AMP

5) Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

6) In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Isa. 30:15, 18 AMP

15) For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. But you would not,

18) And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

Isa. 40:31 AMP

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

Matt. 10:29-31 AMP

29) Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice.

30) But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31) Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Heb. 13:5b AMP

… for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

 

Once we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, every moment of every day is His. We have been purchased. Our lives are owned by another. No longer our own, our lives are to be in full submission to our Lord.

The plan of God is that no one should perish. Through us, He continually brings the knowledge of Christ to everyone we meet, so that they might see and embrace Him.  We represent Him whether in difficult times or in times of ease and comfort.

When we go through difficult times, it is easy to focus on removing ourselves from the pressures that accompany them. We can become self-focused, attempting to be delivered. The best interests of God and others can be placed on a shelf, far behind our own needs during these times. We all have a tendency to forget that this life is not all about us, but about God and His plans.

In times of rest, our Father can bring us back to His perspectives, if we allow Him to do so. He can again show us the reality of why we have been bought and what our purpose on this earth is, while reminding us of the wonder of what is in store for us because of what Jesus has done. Our life in Christ becomes clear again.

Draw me to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett