“Do you realize the power of your prayers? When you pray, make sure you are ready to deal with all of the results of your desires. I take your requests to Me very seriously. I’m the One Who allowed the cross and all of its physical consequences to Jesus, so that you might spend eternity with Me. I move on your behalf every time you present something or someone to Me. I will move heaven and earth on your behalf when your prayers are in line with My will.
“The results of your prayers, however, do not always look like you may have wanted them to look, especially if you want people to turn from their rebellion and embrace Me. In those cases, you need to totally release them to Me, trusting that I know what is best to bring their hearts home. I care far less about the comfort of the flesh than I do about the salvation of the spirit. Often, My destruction of a rebellious heart has the appearance of harm taking place in the life of the person for whom you pray. It may seem as though things are getting worse as you pray. It may sometimes appear that way, but the opposite is more often true.
“One of the biggest mistakes you make is when you start to become emotionally fearful while I am destroying the flesh in others and change your prayers by praying for their safety or asking Me to protect them. I need to then go to work on your heart, making you realize how damaging your prayers have become to their salvation. Again, it is vital that you release those in need totally to Me and trust that I know what I am doing. Let go and allow Me to be God in their lives. It is My desire that they spend eternity with Me. I will do all that is necessary to make that happen.”
Proverbs 15:29 NIV
The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Matthew 11:12 NIV
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”
Galatians 4:19 NIV
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...
So often, we forget that this whole life experience is about one thing—the plan of God. We also forget that the work of the cross and all that it accomplished is pivotal in that plan. This means, of course, that Father God is deeply concerned that everyone should have the opportunity to embrace its outcome and come to Him.
Those of us, who have been saved from our flesh, are the main instruments used to destroy the flesh of others who need Jesus. We are called to labor on their behalf and rely on the Holy Spirit to orchestrate their world, bringing them to their knees. Sometimes that is not a pretty sight. In my case, it cost me everything—my business, my family, and my reputation—before I surrendered.
After I did embrace my Lord, I found out that there were several people who loved me enough to pray for me through all of my idiocy and rebellion. If they had stopped praying for my salvation, and prayed for worldly comfort of any kind while I was being made very uncomfortable by God (even to the point of considering suicide,) it might have taken much longer for me to come to the Lord. If the weight of my sin was eased, even a little, I may not have felt the need for God to help me as soon as I did. Looking back, I am very grateful that my Lord cared little about my comfort and cared a lot about my salvation.
Needing to be thankful every day,
Jim Corbett
