Tag: Jesus

“As I promised, I am going to make you into the likeness of My Son, Jesus. The challenges before you will be death to your flesh. Sometimes they will cause you to despair if you don’t understand that I am truly rebuilding you. While We are working together and you are being prepared, I have some suggestions to help you along the way. As you go, I will convict your heart and help you with other thoughts for your journey.

"Start here. Let’s delight in the journey together. Love passionately. Have more fun, knowing that you are in My hands. Sell or give away at least one third of all you own. Eliminate everything in your life that “owns” you. (Get rid of your TV and video games - they own you.) Do not walk closely with fools who talk of foolish ideas that are not in My Word. Eat right. Take long walks alone or with a friend. Decide to love people through My Son. Determine to see others as Jesus sees them. Smile a lot. Smile some more. Become a study of your mate’s needs.

"Love your mate passionately. Go on dates with your mate. Pray with your mate. (If you don’t have a mate, focus your love on Me.) Study your children as the gifts that they are. Love your children passionately with holy love. Spend time with your children or help someone with theirs. Find some way to honestly compliment everyone. Take more time to do everything; slow down. Be at peace with your relationship with Jesus. Sing more. Rest more. Sit and talk with Me anytime you can. Come to Me more often, simply to be together. Cultivate biblical reasons to be hopeful.

"Get your eyes off yourself and your own needs. Learn to devote yourselves to the needs of others. Tell others that they are valuable. Forgive. Forgive. Forgive some more. Seek to make new friends. Remember that this life is not a trial run; it is the real thing. Remember why you are living this life. Live it as Jesus would live it. He, in fact, desires to live His life through you. Be blessed in your comings and goings. I love you!”

2 Cor. 2:14-16a AMP

14) But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere.

15) For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:

16a) To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh].

 

Jesus endured the cross because of the joy of what it was accomplishing.  So many of us walk around prune-faced because God is doing some carving of our flesh. During those times, most people would not desire to serve the Lord because of us, no matter what we said. Our countenance would drive them away.

Why wouldn’t we approach this incredible walk with God - not only from a spiritual aspect, but from the physical also - so that we can be a proper witness all the time? We prepare for everything else we do. Why wouldn’t we take some logical steps to ensure that things that hinder us from accomplishing our journey are eliminated? Why wouldn’t we add anything to our lives that would help us be a better witness?

Things that have no bearing on a proper relationship with our Lord get in the way. They are like rocks in our backpack. Why would we give notice to them, much less carry them?

This relationship that we have entered into because of Jesus is the most astounding life that anyone could live. Our future is bright. We need to do what it takes to eliminate anything that clouds our perspective of the inner joy we should be having in the journey, even in rough times.

Show me the rocks, Lord. Let me get rid of them now!!

Jim Corbett

“There is far too much compromise for the sake of peace and unity. Too many of My children remain in their sin because you, My mouthpieces, are afraid to tell them truth unto repentance. I am talking to those of you who have grown past selfish agendas, mindless doctrines, and the need for personal gain from others. Make sure it is My heart that you are expressing, not your pride, for I will call you to account for your words. If you have, however, taken up your cross for Me, seared your heart, and desire only the heart of Jesus, you must send out My wake-up call.

"Most of My church is asleep as if in a drunken stupor. Most of My people are not hearing the call to holiness. Who will tell them of their danger if you don’t? Who will herald My heart of urgency? You must! Love them enough to tell them truth. After and only after you have laid down your life in prayer for those to whom you are sent, tell them of their need to repent. You must do it for their good only. Some may still listen. Most will separate themselves from you, calling you names. That’s O.K. You be obedient when I send you. Time is too short for you to walk in fear and compromise. You must function in love. I call you to speak My truth, but only after you weep for those to whom you go!”

Isaiah 8:11-13 AMP 

11) For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand [upon me], and warned and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,

12) Do not call conspiracy [or hard, or holy] all that this people will call conspiracy [or hard, or holy]; neither be in fear of what they fear, nor [make others afraid and] in dread.

13) The Lord of hosts – regard Him as holy and honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him].

Jeremiah 2:13 NIV

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

Hosea 4:6 AMP 

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge…

2 Cor 12:15a AMP 

But I will most gladly spend [myself] and be utterly spent for your souls...

Gal. 4:19 NIV

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…

 

Paul spent most of his Christian life exhorting, challenging, and exposing the hearts of those in the church. He could be his Father’s mouthpiece only after he had ached for others as he knew His Father ached; and only after he had their best interests at heart. His words were never condescending, never for his own gain, and never from anyplace other than the throne of God. They could be focused, strong, and reprimanding because he spoke as one who cared more for his listeners than he cared for his own life. He was a mouthpiece to a generation who would establish a pattern for everyone else to follow. Their lives needed to be in order and the Lord called him to show the way.

In these end times, God is once again calling for surrendered vessels who will proclaim His heart to a needy church. Patterns and faulty practices, which some people follow in the Name of Jesus, need to be exposed for what they are and brought back in line with the Word of God. People who proclaim them or practice them are in danger. Someone who loves them must tell them before it’s too late.

Break my heart for others, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“There is nothing you could ever do to stop Me from loving you. It’s true. My love is beyond your comprehension. You look at the actions of all those who are in your world and determine if they deserve your love. I desire that you see past that childish way of thinking. Love is not supposed to be diminished when people fail you. It is supposed to be intensified because when someone fails to love, you can see and discern a need in that person. Look at Jesus! He loved those who hated Him. He had joy at the prospect of vile, hating people being made clean and new. You were once unlovable by the standards to which you hold others. Aren’t you glad that those are not My standards?”

Matt. 7:2 AMP 

For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

I Cor. 13:5b-7 AMP

5b) …Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

6) It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

7) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

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 in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

 

I sure am glad that the ways of my Father are far above my ways. I hate to think what would happen if He used my standards for loving, and forgiving, and mercy, and …

Forgive me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Have you engaged in the battle for souls? Are you sure? Most of those who believe that they are engaged with Me have deceived themselves. They believe they are doing all that they must do to walk with Me into the front lines when they are really only on the sidelines of the war. If they ever did enter in, they would be instant casualties. They have not really submitted to the training necessary to be effective.

"Where do you stand? Have you submitted to My training? Are you fully engaged? Do you even know that there is a battle for souls raging at this moment? Those who are not with Me are really against Me.”

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 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 4:19 AMP

And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples—letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!

 

Have you ever met someone who is delusional about his own importance? I once sat across the table from a person who firmly believed that he had his life in order. He was even convinced that the life he lived was not only important to everyone around him, but that those around him were able to succeed only because of his valuable input. He was truly deceived. To magnify his delusion, he listened to no one about his ignorance. He was truly a blind guide, clueless as to his degree of deception.

From God’s perspective, how involved are you in His battle plan? He has a plan to use you and me in whatever way He chooses, so that everyone who decides to embrace Jesus can see Him in us before all things come to an end. He desires that none should perish.

How useful is your heart and your life in His plan? Are you deceived? Have you really submitted to His training and have you entered the war with every fiber of your being? Or have you deluded yourself into thinking that you are doing all that you can when you are really on the sidelines, not of much use to Him because of your worldly concerns and distractions.

Remove my delusions, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Do you have any idea how much you take for granted? Has it occurred to you that what you have makes up the majority of who you are in your own mind? Picture the concept of losing everything. I don’t mean having a little chink in your routine, I mean losing everything that you use to remain in a position of strength and peace.

"What if tomorrow you lost your health, all your money, had no place to live, no hope to help yourself or your family in any way; and all those who claimed to be your friends walked in other directions. What if, instead of being able to use your resources to gain everything back, they all were gone and there was absolutely nothing you could do to help yourself – ever. Who would you be?”

Exodus 33:3-5 NIV

3) “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

4) When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.

5) For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’”

Psalm 51:10 AMP 

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering and steadfast spirit within me.

Matthew 16:23 NIV 

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.”

Luke 9:23-25 AMP

23) And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].

24) For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death].

25) For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and ruins or forfeits (loses) himself?

 

An extended season the Lord once had Merry, Jubilee, and me in was one of bringing us almost to the point indicated in the Father’s Heart message above. We had to go without almost everything, received food from others; and lost any semblance of a reputation in the eyes of some. We were judged, condemned, told that we must be in deep sin; and rejected by those who had not heard the same thing that we had.

Even though many people were nourished by what the Lord chose to share through us during that time, we - at times - cared little about the fulfillment of the needs of others; we wanted our portion. Many times, “What’s in it for us?” was a thought that had to be cast aside as our needs became gigantic before us, and our “self-worth” diminished accordingly.

Often we found that our flesh was alive and well and following us wherever we went. Once the mask of exterior coverings had been removed, we squirmed, became fearful, despaired; and, at times, held anger in our hearts toward others – even God - as He walked us through our circumstances. We sometimes reacted like little children holding our breath during a trial, or wept at our loss of any honorable position; and even spent time attempting to prove to others that we still had value. Much repentance went on as these sins were exposed in us.

Over time, the incredible mercy of our Lord has allowed us to see past our false security in things, as He continues to make Himself our only hope - not due to any spiritual wealth on our part; but simply because all other options are disappearing. At the beginning of the realization of what our world was becoming because of where He has called us to go with Him, Jesus was Lord to us because there was nothing else that we could hang on to. Over time, He is becoming absolute Lord to us because He alone is worthy of our allegiance and trust. To have Him as our only source for anything, while we do what we have been told to do, has become more comfortable than hanging on to the fleeting things that gave hope in the past.

Our portion in the Lord now is teaching us that who we are is not found in what we have, what others think of us; and how we can use our own resources to maintain some sort of position, power, or safety. We are beginning to get the idea that who we really are is in Him alone.

Absolute Lordship means that we have no source or worth except in the Lord. We have begun to see that the real definition of Christianity is the thorough understanding of our desperate need of a Savior every day of our lives in Whom we are to place all of our trust.  I am sure that is where He wants all of us.

I don’t think I want to move from here until You are finished with me, Lord,

Jim Corbett