Tag: Prayer

“Are your prayers for others as important to you as the ones for yourself and your own needs? Do you even concern yourself about what others are going through? The heart of Jesus broke to the point of making Him willing to sacrifice His life, so that you could be rescued from an impossible situation. Now you are asked to take on the same heart that He has. As He lives His life through you, others become a priority. You will find yourself caring that others find Jesus. You will pray them through hard times. You will sacrifice your own needs so that the needs of many can be met. It is His way, so it is also your way if you belong to Him.”

Gal. 4:19 NIV

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

Eph. 1:17-19a NIV

17) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.

18) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

19a) and his incomparably great power for us who believe…

Eph 4:12-13 AMP

12) His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church),

13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.

 

It is so much easier to separate ourselves from difficult relationships, judge the actions of others, or condemn those who are not as spiritual as we think we are than it is to labor in prayer for them once, twice, or a hundred times. It is simple to love those who love us back. It is a breeze to be gracious to someone who thinks the world of us and places our spiritual wisdom on a par with the great men and women of faith.

However, the way of Jesus is always the way of the cross. He is seen in the lives of individuals who have the interests of other people, not themselves, as a priority. That kind of life cannot be counterfeited, imitated, or faked for very long.  It can only be lived through the power of the life of Jesus flowing through us. It can only come from His heart pumping through His willing vessel, a heart that cannot serve itself but one that must move on behalf of others in order for it to be satisfied.

Make me a willing vessel, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“If you’re not using the gifts and moving in the anointing that I have given you, you have a problem. You need to turn from whatever is stopping you from reaching out to those who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am concerned about you, but I am also concerned for those who are not benefiting from who I am making you to be. Your selfishness is a great loss to many who are waiting for you to grow up. Because you are so busy tending to your personal whims and pet pains that have been inflicted on you by others, those who need to see the characteristic love of Jesus lived before them are missing out. Because they can’t see Him in you, they may not see Him at all.

“Stop holding on to pet grudges and past wounds. Stop hiding behind them as an excuse for you to remain wounded. They are sin, so confess them for what they are and get on with the life I have called you to live. Enter the incredible life of freedom for which Christ has set you free. Make your life count. I am counting on you.”

Ps. 147:3 AMP

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].

Jer. 30:17 AMP

For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord, because they have called you an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no one seeks after and for whom no one cares!

Gal. 5:1 NIV

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

 

Most of us use past times when we have been taken advantage of as an excuse to stop giving when we get nothing in return. We embark on a life of doing good, but always when we are appreciated for what we do. We give in secret, help the needy, and do many “good” things, all in the Name of Jesus – and all in areas that we can control, none where we are vulnerable. These are safe places to go. They are also perfect places for us to lick our wounds, never growing past childish, religious activity and never entering into the anointing to which God has called us.

Jesus hung on the cross for those who hated, used, and cursed Him. He enthusiastically came to be crushed for those who really needed a Savior, not for those who embraced kind, loving, religious activity. He has asked us to do the same.

Even the world can love those who love them back. If we call ourselves by the name of “Christ follower,” we are commanded to love those who hate us, use us, and care little about how much it costs us to bless them. Shrinking back from that kind of duty is sin. We choose to remain the lord over that area of our lives.  It is a lack of faith in the fact that our Lord will take care of us as we lay our lives down for the benefit of everyone but ourselves, just as He did.

Forgive my sin against You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Shake yourself awake. Do whatever it takes to remove yourself from the lethargy that is infecting My church. Separate yourself from anyone who believes that “business as usual” is at the center of My heart. Those who claim to be in love with Me but deny the need to act with the passions of Jesus will be your stumbling block. They will attempt to douse your holy fire, ridicule your zeal, and downplay the need to sell out completely to Jesus. Shake loose from that kind of thinking. Run from that foolishness. It is another gospel. It is not at the center of My heart.

“Come close to Me. Find out what really concerns Me. Find out how I feel about what they are saying. Find My heart. It is far different from the cold, dead interpretation of My Word that is prevalent among those who call themselves by My Name. It does not resemble the self-centered heart of those who claim to be speaking for Me. I am on fire with love for those who still hate Me and My Word. I am zealous to perform My Word in them. That is the way I want you to be.”

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...”

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.”

Eph. 5:14-17 AMP

14) Therefore He says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light.

15) Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

16) Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

17) Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

 

It seems that most in the church of Jesus Christ have lost their passion for the deep things of God. We have found our personal, somewhat comfortable place and are satisfied to be there.

We have a problem, however. That kind of life is not in God’s economy. We can be assured that our Lord will do whatever it takes to stir up our comfortable nests and remove us from any form of lethargy. If it hasn’t happened to you already, rest assured you will get your chance.

Our Father is looking for a holy people who are passionately in love with Jesus and devoted to carrying out the business with which He left us. He died so that we can live. We are now to lay our lives down, so that others might see Him.

Build Your passion in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett