Tag: Prayer

“Are you willing to carry the weight of the needs of others? Do you really care about your friends to the point that you are willing to do without so that they might prosper? What about those who offend or actually hate you? Will you pour out your life in some way that they might spend time with Me for eternity? Jesus did!”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

8) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

9) “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Matthew 11:12 KJV

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Matthew 16:22-23 NIV

22) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23) Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Matthew 16:24-25 AMP

24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

25) For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

 

The above verses seem to be unlikely candidates to use when talking about blessing someone. They are, however, very appropriate when you consider where our real battles lie. In the spiritual realm, the most violent spiritual actions take place in the dark kingdoms whenever someone lives out the character of Jesus.

Jesus destroyed the death grip of selfishness, independence, and the rebellion against God’s ways by giving up everything He owned, even His own life. The Christ-like character traits of obedience, servanthood, selflessness, submission, and a love for others greater than a love for ourselves are in opposition to the rebellious nature that separated us from God in the Garden of Eden. Abiding in Christ means walking with the same heart motives He has. As you walk in His kind of love, you are violently and aggressively opposing the dark realms of the spirit and continually advancing the work of the cross through the power of Jesus.

Your ways are extraordinary, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I want to be your only confidence in times of trouble. You need to work with Me towards that end. Do you have any comprehension of how much I love to intervene in your life when you are in peril? I train your heart if you are willing, prepare your spirit, and strengthen your resolve long before there is any sign of trouble, so that you are ready when it comes. Then I am readily available to you to see you through it.

"Most of My children come to Me when trouble comes their way. For some it is the only time I can get their attention. They come, however, to have Me deliver them, not to help them walk through the circumstance. They miss so much when this happens. They miss all the work that I am doing in them, work deep within their inner being, to strengthen them for future perilous times. They miss the joy of seeing My plan unfold, because they are focusing on the circumstances and are blinded to My hand of power on their behalf.

"You, however, have been in training to know better. Walk in what you know at present and receive more of Me as trials come. Begin to rejoice in My deliverance, enjoy each step, and take pleasure as you see My way of bringing you through. Give Me time to work. Give My plan time to unfold. Watch as I eliminate the persons who persecute you. Marvel at how events come into play that fulfill My desired outcome. I have brought you through battles so many times already that by now you should almost enjoy the challenges presented, just so you can observe how I am going to prosper you this time.

"Rest in Me. Take comfort in My promises. Relax in My love for you. As the battle rages, you come with Me to a high place. I will show you the wonders of the places in which I dwell. I will give you rich nourishment, even while those who hate you flounder in their folly against you. Come with Me. I will show you My hand in action. I love you.”

Psalm 20:6-8 NIV

6) Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.

7) Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the Name of the Lord our God.

8) They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

 

It is amazing to see the hand of our Father at work as He frustrates the plans of those who come against us. It’s interesting to see the silly gyrations, controlling manipulations, and empty threats if you have found that place of safety in Him. All that happens holds only empty threats that become evident when observed from the lap of the Father.

In the many years that I have had the privilege of walking with my Lord, I have had countless opportunities of seeing His delivering hand.  After having been in so many battles, one would think that an image of strength similar to the “Rambo” character would emerge. Those who battle in their own strength take great pride in that kind of image. It only shows their ignorance of the Word and need for self-glorification.

True children of the Lord are very familiar with the path to the lap of Father God. They understand the power of His weapons and the wisdom of His plans. They have found that it is much more productive to allow the Lord to wage any war that might come against them, rather than attempt to quench the onslaught themselves, frantically calling for help while feverishly at work. The track record of the Lord immediately comes to the mind of those who have learned this lesson.

The view of any battle observed from our Father’s presence is a wonder to behold. The counsel of His heart overshadows every threat, the sound of His voice rings above the din, and the freedom of His love annihilates any foe. It is the only place for a child of Father God to rest as the battle rages.

Take my hand, Father,

Jim Corbett

“Everything that I bring to life has an order to it. There is always a beginning, an intermediate time of development and the institution of My plan; and then there is an ending. It is My pattern for physical life. What is never fully appreciated is that My spiritual plan never ceases.

"Your development time in the physical has paramount impact on your spiritual life. The choices you make have eternal impact, not only on your life, but on everyone you encounter. Your interaction with others is My way of refining you and helping them to make proper choices. That is why I put you in training to be like Jesus to your world. Your life is no small thing. Each of your representations to others really influences them for eternity. What you do each and every day has meaning. Make your days count. They have eternal impact on someone.”

Gen. 1:27-28a AMP 

27) So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28) And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]…

Esther 4:13-14 AMP 

13) Then Mordecai told them to return this answer to Esther, Do not flatter yourself that you shall escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.

14) For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Phil. 2:12b-13 AMP

12b) …work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

 

Interaction with others is God’s way of refining us and those around us. He has placed us in a world that is actually out to kill us, so to speak. As Christians, we are oil floating on top of water and if we are true to our calling, we’ll never mix in because the spirit and flesh cannot function together. God has also called us to overcome that world. Our time spent with others and our responses to them allow us to seek the Father so that we can be changed in order to reflect Christ properly.

Once we have given Jesus Lordship over our lives, it is the Father’s intent to refine, mold, and develop that salvation in us to the fullest extent. If we are going to tell others about Jesus, we will have to be changed so that we can represent Him properly. Our words alone will usually not be enough for others to see their need of Jesus. In fact, if our lives do not mirror Him, our words will more than likely be cast aside.

Your grace is sufficient,

Jim Corbett