Tag: Jesus

“If you seek after anything but a deeper relationship with Me, you will travel down many trails that lead to dead ends, and experience only a portion of My Word. You will need to turn from them and eventually come to a place of making Me your priority. Remember this, miracles do happen; but if you only seek them, you will find only part of Who I am.

"It is the same with all the gifts that I provide. The immature run after spiritual experiences and supernatural power. The mature run hard after Jesus and a deeper relationship with Me. I want you to crave intimacy. Because of that intimacy, I will be able to send you to where I am performing miracles and allow you to flow in My power.”

Matt. 7:21-23 NIV

21) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22) Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord,’ did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23) Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Matt. 14:22-23 NIV

22) Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

23) After he had dismissed them, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

 

It amazes me to see how often Jesus went away to be with His Father. He was telling us that one can minister only from a place of communion and direction.

In contrast, most of us crave the spiritual power, the miracle-working glory, and the wisdom to accomplish work here on earth. We have no idea that such power without intimacy and maturity is like putting a revolver in the hands of a child. He can make it work but has little ability to understand - prior to it going off - the impact of what havoc it can reap.

Draw me close, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“These days you must be very careful to whom you are listening. There are many voices attempting to have their way with you. You need to remember that every one of them has one goal in mind. They all want to minimize Our time together, either personally or through the Word. When they do that, you begin to listen to what they have to say. You become weak and vulnerable to fear and susceptible to lies that minimize the importance of those things that are important to Me.

"Shake yourself loose from whatever is distracting you from Our time together, even good-sounding things. Fight to overcome the sirens that distract you from Me, your only safety in the coming times. You really serve the one to whom you listen. Who you listen to is very important.”

John 10:27 AMP

The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.

Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT

14) When I think of the wisdom and scope of God’s plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,

15) the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

16) I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.

17) And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.

18) And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

19) May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Eph. 6:10 AMP 

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

Phil. 4:8-9 NIV

8) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

9) Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 

Sometimes it is so much easier to listen to those things that are in our faces, especially when we become weary. Few of us realize that there is a direct correlation between how much quality time we spend with our Lord, and how well we discern what is important in every area of our lives.

One of the major reasons for the cross is so that we can have access to Father God. Jesus spent His life so that we could go to Him and be with Him. How foolish we are if we don’t go there as often as we can.

Make coming to You my priority, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“It is time to find those whom you can really trust and covenant with them. It is important for you to love every brother and sister, but some who call themselves by My Name have not heeded My warnings and My call to intimacy and holiness. They will hinder you when My presence is needed to overcome. They will not know how to dwell in My presence; and, therefore, will be unable to move with Me for real wisdom. It will be dangerous to count on them. It will not be safe to rely upon them for anything, because they will be reacting in the flesh rather than in My Spirit. That is the road to certain calamity.

"True friends are those who have determined to heed the season and seek holiness as their only reason to live. When the time for “back-to-back” warfare is needed, they will serve as Jesus served. They can be trusted. Think on this. When you need life or death counsel, power for healing, or silent guardianship, who would you rather have in your corner - someone who is playing church games or someone who has sold out to Me? It is not wrong to make qualified, prayerful assessments, even on those in leadership roles - especially on those in leadership roles. They will do much harm to young believers if they have not chosen the crucified life of My Son.

"Love everyone but find like-minded remnant people to trust. You must also make sure that you are trustworthy. If you don’t, I will require an accountability for those I send you. You know better. Trust in Me. Trust those who are trustworthy. Become worthy of someone’s trust. Become worthy of My trust!”

Ps. 91:1 AMP 

HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].

Prov. 17:17 AMP 

A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity.

Matt. 7:6 AMP

Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.

Eph. 4:29 NIV 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

 

Few Christians realize the harm that is caused by the violation of a trust. The Word places lies on the same level of sin as murder. They are both horrible sins because of the death that they cause. Trust violations come in many forms and destroy at many levels.

In the situation of a marriage, loose words about partners destroy more intimacy than any other violation. They indicate a heart that is not trustworthy. Since a Christian marriage is a closed institution, one where no one has the right to be privy to anything unless the other spouse agrees, revealing the partner’s sins and failures in any form - even in jest, even “in confidence” to friends, even “for prayer” - puts a death seal on true intimacy. It also eliminates any hope of spiritual healing that is part of the marriage privilege.

In the Christian walk, few understand that trusting one another is paramount to growth, safety, and spiritual warfare. Therefore, few Christians realize the importance of being trustworthy. Violations occur so often that it has become commonplace, almost expected, that unbreakable trust is no longer part of our mandate one to another. (It must be understood that there is a gigantic difference between forgiving someone and being able to trust him or her again. We must always forgive but trusting again only happens when the violator has grown to become trustworthy once more. That sometimes never happens. Forgive, and walk in the freedom of that forgiveness; but don’t be foolish enough to share your intimacies with someone who does not hold them in the highest esteem. That’s not godly wisdom.)

In the times ahead, trustworthy friends must be found. When you need prayer cover because of your stand for Christ, trustworthy friends are those who actually pray fervently when they say they will. They never betray your confidences. Although they may tell you hard truth from the heart of God for your growth, they never side against you, no matter how many failures you have displayed. They may not agree with you, but are always “for” you, rather than “against” you at the first sign of trouble, etc. They are those who fear the Lord and His Word, and put it into action, always. That only comes from being with Him.

Needing to grow up as a Christian,

Jim Corbett

“You need to stop watching what others, especially the high-profile people, are doing. Find out what I am doing. Then you do that. I am not in the din of noisy emotionalism. I am not in the loud voices. I am not in the pre-digested food of others’ words. I am in the quiet places. I speak when We are alone. I am made known to the quiet, seeking heart. Quiet your heart. Rest your spirit, so that you can hear My still small voice. Refresh yourself in Me!”

I Ki 19:11-13 NIV 

11) The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

12) After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

13) When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Isaiah 2:22 AMP 

Cease to trust in [weak, frail, and dying] man, whose breath is in his nostrils [for so short a time]; in what sense can he be counted as having intrinsic worth?

Isaiah 30:15a AMP 

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.

Isaiah 30:21 NIV 

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Col. 3:1-3 AMP  

1) IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2) And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

3) For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.

 

Yep!!!!!

Teach me Your ways by Your hand and from Your Word, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“If I were to stop your heart in the next five minutes, would your house be in order? Would you be in right standing with everyone around you? Would you know for sure that everything between Us has been taken care of? Make sure that you focus on the issue of Lordship. Who really is the Lord over everything in your life? Is there a part of who you are, or what you have, that has not been completely surrendered to Jesus? What about your relationship with others? Do you judge, hate, hold grudges, or harbor unforgiveness? Do you hold on to any part of your life, or have you turned everything into My hands? Examine your life. I do!”

Romans 10:9-10  NIV 

9) That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Acts 24:15-16 NIV 

15) …and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

16) So I strive always to keep my conscious clear before God and man.

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].

 

So often “life” gets in the way of those things that are really important. At the same time, God is using our life experiences to expose our hearts and show us who we really are; all so that we can come to Him for cleansing.

Because this life is so “in our faces,” most of us forget that it is only a wisp of time compared to our eternal future. These days are very important, but not for the reasons that we often think. These days establish all of our eternal days.

The world focuses on this life span as the only time of importance. Most spend more effort deciding which car to buy or house to own, than they give to deciding what is “absolute truth” after they close their eyes for the last time.  It seems that sometimes the body of Christ has fallen into the same pattern. We have accepted our favorite teachings to make sure that we are “covered” with God, and then rest in them, giving the balance of our thoughts to how we can live comfortably.

We are supposed to know better. We are in this world, but not of it.  Why would we agree with any portion of what the world holds dear, especially something as important to God as this?

Allow me to understand my freedom, Lord; but never allow me to become complacent or dull of hearing,

Jim Corbett