9/30/14

“How much have you heeded My warnings to you? How much have you modified your lifestyle, realigned your priorities, and eliminated your excesses in response to the warnings given to prepare for the perilous times ahead? I am not asking you if you have made material provisions to “hunker down.” I am not asking if you have fortified your positions of comfort. Before you answer Me, I already know.

Most of you have done little or nothing to prepare yourselves in a way that pleases Me in order for My purposes to be accomplished. Your world tells you to “go on as usual.” It tells you to not be afraid. It has no foundation for those boasts. It has never listened to Me and has no idea what I will be doing during the times ahead. I tell you to prepare for many changes. I am requiring significant modifications to your life if you want to flow with Me in the times ahead. Today, much has already happened in the heavenlies. It is only the beginning of a massive tide that will require uninterrupted communication between Us if you are to be prosperous during these seasons.

You need to be able to hear only My directions. You will need to discard everything that stands in the way of Our fellowship. You must turn your priorities to My work, My plan, My purpose for your life. Invest radically in those who are being called out now to accomplish significant areas of duty. Invest radically in your time with Me. I have been calling you. You have not come. You have not changed even a small portion of your world to get in line with My call to you.

All the time, everything is changing around you. You are like an ostrich with its head in the sand. Stop being foolish. Time is running out. Prepare My way. Use My provisions My way. Seek Me My way. It is the only way.”

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.”

Isaiah 48:3 NIV

“I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.”

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Have you ever attempted to communicate with someone who had no desire to hear what you had to say? No matter what you said, no matter how much you waved your hands or explained in detail what you meant, he stood - stone-brained – and just looked at you? After you walked away, did you feel that nothing you said or did had any effect on his actions or even his thinking in the slightest bit? I might as well have talked to a tree, you said.

I believe that is how most of us must appear to Father God at present. He has warned us of special times on the horizon. He has told us to prepare ourselves for the good of others and the implementation of His work. He has called us to an intimacy with Him, so that we are equipped to prosper in the times ahead. We have stood with glazed eyes and wandering minds, while He has expressed the importance of His words. Most of us have done little or nothing to heed His words. In fact, few have even acknowledged that He was speaking.

In the time of need, Jesus always did what was best for others. His life was spent for those who hated Him. If any of us have heard even a portion of what the Lord has been saying in these past years about preparation, we have taken His words and chosen to prepare only for ourselves, without even thinking of those Jesus cares about.

We need to respond to some difficult questions, like: What is your priority today? If the Lord called you to pray all day, this very day, and the next, and the next, would you do what is necessary to respond? Or isn’t that as important as your job?

Where is your treasure invested? How many workers are doing without because you are hoarding His wealth?

How will you respond to the fast-approaching tragedies? Of whom will you think during a catastrophe - the one next to you, or only yourself? What would Jesus do?

Look around at today’s church. We haven’t heard! We haven’t moved! We haven’t responded to the many calls of our Lord! We do not know of what spirit we are!

Move this fool, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/29/14

“Mention My Name wherever you go. Tell everyone to Whom you belong because of Jesus! Shout the wonder of His glory from the rooftops. Whisper His Name with the reverence that is due Him. Walk in the wonder of My Holy Spirit. Do powerful acts of love and mercy because of the freedom you have in Him. Proclaim all of the wonders that are part of your heritage by living rightly in front of others. It is your legacy. It is your duty. It is your privilege.”

Luke 6:45-46 AMP

⁴⁵The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not [practice] what I tell you?

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How much or how little you focus on the things of God are pretty good benchmarks as to how much you really love Him and are willing to serve Him. Whatever you truly treasure in your heart is what exudes from your lips and from your life.

Have you ever experienced those who are in their first love experience with Jesus? Even for many Christians, their overwhelming enthusiasm is sometimes too much. Their wide-eyed drooling over the Lord and His Word can almost be embarrassing in some circles.

Has it ever occurred to you that they are not the foolish ones? Could it be that your love has been dampened by the things of the world and the pressures of life? Could your complacency be a delight to Satan and a disappointment to Jesus? Maybe it’s time to begin to stir up the gift you have been given! Maybe it’s time to rekindle what has become dull.

Stir up my dying embers and rekindle Your love in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/27/14

“I wish that none should perish. That is the priority of My heart for your creation. It is the reason that I have set everything in motion since the fall of Adam and Eve. Their fall was no surprise. The need for redemption was no surprise. Every action by every individual born of woman was no surprise. All that has happened, is happening, and will happen is right on My timetable. There are no surprises when it comes to those who are to spend eternity with Me.

Where each of you spends that eternity is My heart behind My Word. It is the central focus of all that I have created thus far. Consider this. Pause quietly and think on what I am about to say. Before any of My other creation processes will unfold, the redemption of your generation must be completed. That is how important each and every day of your existence is.

With that in mind, I would have you consider your reasons for everything that you do compared to My reasons for your life. What is the purpose for your every action? I have a specific plan for your birth. Have you taken the time to really find out what it is and function in it with the same importance that I place on your days? Look at the life of Jesus. He is your example. For everything that He was, for all that has been said about Him, most people have not applied His zeal for the fulfillment of My plan to their lives. His every breath was dedicated to My desire that none should perish. That is the way I want you to live.

Your specific task is part of the overall fulfillment of My plan. If you get in line with My heart from now on, everywhere you go and whatever you do will have that purpose in mind. Turn now from every other distraction. I need you. So does everyone around you.”

Genesis 1:27-28a AMP

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

^28aAnd 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]…

2 Samuel 14:14b NIV

“But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.”

John 4:34 NIV

”My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

John 5:19 AMP

So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn].

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Did you ever stop to think that everything from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 deals with the plan of God for you and me? He tells us of a single, former creation that He focused on before us and now uses for His greater plan. He also shows us that there is much more that will be happening after He is finished with our processing.

Now, some of you may have fully understood that long ago, but it has taken awhile for me to become acutely aware of it. Think this through with me. Could it be that you and I have become so involved with the day-to-day circumstances of our lives, that we really haven’t heard the very point that our God was making when He had His authors write down His Words? Could we be so busy discerning every jot and tittle of what they said that we have overlooked the essence of the heart of our Father?

A whole universe was set in motion and the planet that we call earth was created so that our feet would have a place to rest. A whole new world will be created after we have no more need for this one. That’s some pretty heavy information we have been given. To have set that all in motion tells me that our Father in heaven is pretty much involved with us.

For many years, the prominent phrase traveling through the church was, “It’s all about Jesus,” meaning that our life is not about us; but about Him and what is important to Him. What I hadn’t understood fully was the fact that God’s life has been focused on each one of us for this time in His history because His heart is that none should perish. The problem arises when we take the fact of God’s love for man and consume it upon ourselves, but don’t carry it further by allowing that love to flow to those around us and bring others to Him. In other words, it’s wonderful that He may be all about us – please keep that in the context of this message - but we can’t be all about us. If we really understood the fact that our God truly has our best interests in mind, it should generate a vibrant love within each of us that’s just waiting to be unleashed at every opportunity.

If it is true that God’s life has been centered around our best interests as part of this creation, and if some of our Lord’s incredibly precious time – the Lord of everything who left everything and came to earth to die for our benefit - was taken so that we might have a way to be delivered from the horrible prospect of being separated from God, then wouldn’t you think that each of us should place a little more importance on that purpose also? How do we do that? Once again, intimacy with the Lord is the key. If we truly know Him, how can we not burst forth with an eagerness to share Him with others, so that they might know Him, too!

Is it not time for us to get in line with God’s desires? Shouldn’t we care about what He cares about? Let’s truly get to know Him so that we can’t help but share Him, giving others the opportunity to come into His fullness as well! If it’s important to God, it should be important to us!

Turn me back to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/26/14

“The fashion of this day for My true ambassadors is the completed character of Christ radiating through My provided armor. Although your armor has been tested and tried through the fiery trials presented to you, it has protected you and given you time to submit fully to Jesus. Now I ask you to prepare one more time. Stir up the gift that has been given you. Prepare your heart through communion with Me. Then stand and wait for Me to send you forth. There is work to do.

Many in My church need to see how I have prepared you for proper representation of Me. Many in the world need to see Who Jesus is through you. When you have done all that I have asked of you, stand. I will soon call you forth to show them the proper attire of a bridal heart prepared by My hand.”

Proverbs 20:24 AMP

Man’s steps are ordered by the Lord….

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.”

Romans 5:3-5 AMP

³Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance.

⁴And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation.

⁵Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

2 Cor. 1:8-10 NIV

⁸We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

⁹Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

¹⁰He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…

2 Cor. 5:20a NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

2:Cor. 10:3-5 NIV

³For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Rev 19:7 AMP

Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself.

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Many of us forget that our godly armor is proper attire until the day of our wedding. Up until the very moment we see Jesus face to face, we are at war against principalities in heavenly places that stand against the desires of God. As we mature in Christ, we take on battles on behalf of those too weak or too ignorant to win against the devil and His schemes; and our armor is always the full dress uniform of the children of God.

We are never to let down our guard or fall asleep at our post until the last heart is rescued from perishing. That is the heart of our Father God. That is the heart of Jesus. That is the heart of the waiting bride as led by the Holy Spirit.

Teach me how to wear Your attire properly, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/25/14

“Beware of the distractions that are formed to hinder a work I have called you to do. They will come from many directions with many seemingly urgent needs. You need to discern what is important for you to do. You need to understand who is being used by the enemy to consume your time. Turn them over to me until they repent. Separate the urgent from the truly important or you will never accomplish what I have called you to do.

Anything that robs you of your time with Me is not of Me. Anything that attacks you when you are weary is not My doing. I will always send you to a refreshing time with Me, so that you can continue with those things I call important. Always make Our time together your priority. From My presence, move with power.”

Matt. 14:22-23a NIV

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

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

Mark 6:30-32 NIV

³⁰The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

³¹Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

³²So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

John 7:6-8 NIV

⁶Therefore Jesus told them, “The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.

⁷The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.

⁸You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.”

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Have you ever noticed that those who choose not to submit themselves fully to the Lord are often used to distract you with their needs when you are involved with doing what God has called you to do? Sometimes the urgency of their request makes it seem as if everything should be dropped to do whatever is necessary to physically meet their need. However, sometimes the answer is to stand back and pray for them and continue on with what you’re doing, letting God Himself intervene in their lives.

Christians in leadership must learn to separate the seemingly urgent from what is really important. There are many pastors who have been burned out by the all consuming needs of their flock. It would not be very surprising to learn that the ones who were used to weary the pastor went on to do the same thing at another time and place, if they did not repent and turn to God.

Teach me to discern between the urgent and what is important to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/24/14

“I want you to wait expectantly. I know of your need. I have you close to My heart and I am involved in your situation. When everything is in order, I will move on your behalf. I will not be a moment late. My timing is perfect. You can be assured that I am with you.

While you are waiting, let’s talk. Submit your heart position to Me, so that I can adjust things if something is out of order. Commit your heart fully to Me. Surrender your will to My will. Allow Me to modify whatever needs to change around you and in those near you. Wait expectantly. I care very much about what you are going through.”

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...”

Psalm 3:1-6 AMP

¹Lord, How they are increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.

²Many are saying of me, There is no help for him in God. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!

³But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

⁴With my voice I cry to the Lord and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause and calmly think of that]!

⁵I lay down and slept; I awakened again, for the Lord sustains me.

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.

Psalm 46:1 AMP

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Psalm 51:10 AMP

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

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God is always with us and He is always for us. However, He is not always going to give us what we want. He is going to give us what is necessary for us to grow up and to grow in Him. Most of us think that He is going to give us the desires of our hearts. What we are really asking Him to do is give us the lusts of our flesh. That will never happen unless He uses them to bring us to the end of ourselves.

In reality, He often needs to change our hearts to desire the things that He desires. He can then fulfill our requests as we ask for things that are His best for us. That usually takes time. He needs to break through our hardened hearts and overcome our stiff necks.

If you have been waiting for some request to be answered and it seems long in coming, examine your heart and your motives. If they are out of line, repent and submit yourself to God’s plan. If they are in line with His plan for you, wait expectantly. You will not be disappointed.

Create in me a clean heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/23/14

“Have you ever carried the weight of other people’s sins? Have you ever labored for them so intensely that you thought you would break under pressure? Have you ever longed that they get right with Me for their good, for My reasons? Did the loss of their fellowship make you mourn and desire to do something, anything, to restore it? Was the feeling of emptiness so intense that you were consumed with finding ways to bring yourself together with them once again?

If you see broken relationships with Me and with each other - which are caused by sin - as the horror that they really are, you are beginning to understand relationships as I see them and the reasons for which I have established them. When someone sins against you, your heart should break, not necessarily for the offense, but for the broken relationships - the relationship with Me and with you. You must intercede that the relationships be restored, that he or she makes things right, for his or her good and for My glory.

If you have sinned against another brother or sister, you must drop everything and run to repentance. I will not allow you to rest until that is done. If you have hardened your heart and do not crave restoration, I will begin My process of breaking your rebellion until you do. You will eventually wonder why your praise is empty, your eyes are dry, your prayers are cold, and your life is out of order. Nothing you do will satisfy you until you move in the direction of healing. It is because your inner being knows that something is out of order. It is My doing so that you desire restoration.

Don’t think that I do not notice violated relationships; they are key to My will going forth on your land. They are important to Me. I would not allow the broken relationship with My creation to remain; why would I not require the same from you? If you see that things are out of order in someone’s life, pray for that person. If you have been offended, take the steps necessary to reestablish communion. If you have offended, don’t rest until the offense is gone. I will wait.”

2 Samuel 14:14b NIV

“But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.”

Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

Galatians 4:19 NIV

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

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Christ being formed in someone is far more than the initial salvation process. It is a continual working out of forsaking our old nature and walking in His new nature, which we received upon establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:18 AMP) Paul labored hard for that. Christ died for that.

Our interaction with fellow believers is a command of God. He said that we should not forsake the fellowshipping with others. We take that lightly, but God sees the pressure of refinement through those relationships as very important for our growth.

True fellowship requires something from everyone - tolerance, compassion, time, forgiveness, and continual monitoring. It is not easy; so many interactions fall by the wayside. What is usually never noticed is the broken heart of God when they perish.

Relationships and friendships are no accident. God brings people together for His reasons. He requires us to maintain them for His good and for our growth.

It is easy to throw someone away because of an offense. Children who do not know any better do that all the time. It requires maturity to pursue through offenses, and go the distance to restoration. Most people are not willing to pay the price and therefore never really grow to God’s kind of maturity.

I firmly believe that most of us in the church are not trusted to function in many of the gifts of the Spirit because we cannot be trusted with the relationships that God brings our way. Few of us are willing to humble ourselves enough to do what it takes to love others as Jesus loved us. Most of us get off the cross when the going gets tough. We are grateful for the persistence of Jesus, but not humble enough to honor His heart.

Change my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/22/14

“Some of My people have tired of the way that I do things. They have become hardened to the crucified life and have decided to live most of their lives for themselves rather than for others. That means that they have stopped living only for Me. They have redefined My true Gospel. In their folly, they no longer take correction from their peers. They have become thinned-skinned one to another.

Everyone feels that they hear from Me. Few are really hearing what I am saying. They make up their own gospel that allows them to remain deceived about their cold love for Me. Soon they will harden their hearts to even the strongest Word when I call to them. They will tire of all correction and seek only comforting words, words that make them useless to My desire that none should perish. That is a very great falling away.

I weep as I see even some of My most loyal children succumbing to weariness and dullness of hearing, rather than turning and running into My presence. Soon they will feel that they have need of nothing and deserve everything. They will feel that they are fine in their form of religion. All passion for My ways will be gone. It is a very dangerous place to be.

This day I ask you to check your heart. How far are you living from the way that Jesus lived? Any path that leads away from that standard is a path away from Me. Turn from it now before you become poor, blind, and naked!”

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.”

Jeremiah 9:6-7 AMP

⁶Your habitation is in the midst of deceit [oppression upon oppression and deceit upon deceit]; through deceit they refuse to know and understand Me, says the Lord.

⁷Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will melt them [by the process of affliction to remove the dross] and test them, for how else should I deal with the daughter of My people?

Jeremiah 15:19 AMP

Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece...

Rev. 3:15-18 NIV

¹⁵“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

¹⁷You say, ’I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

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If we are on a path to destruction, we tire of hearing correction. It is a matter of heart. A full hardening of our hearts does not mean that we visibly turn from God; it means we stop heeding His warnings. We even feel little need to repent of the differences between our lives and the life of Jesus.

Take this day’s message. If you do not go to God with fear and trembling to have Him search your heart, if you feel that you could never succumb to a falling away, if you feel that the message is for others and not for you, you are on dangerous ground.

Soft hearts toward God heed every opportunity to check themselves for any hint of offense against God. They check their lives against the plumb line of God’s Word and Jesus’ heart. To not do so continually, at every opportunity, is the path to needing nothing - first from others who care and eventually even from God. That’s a really big oops!

Soften my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/20/14

“The holy life of Jesus that has been designed for you in My presence and bought for you at Calvary is not for the faint of heart. It is not for the self-serving, the materialistic, or the controlling. If you truly want to live out the life that has been planned for you, it will cost you everything. It cost Jesus everything to win it for you; now it’s your turn.

I want all of you. I will take all of you, if you will respond to Me with all of your heart. Submit to My Word. Submit to My ways. Submit to My heart. Submit to My hand of training. I will reproduce the character of Christ in you, so that I can touch others through you.

You must come to Me completely willing to do My will, whatever the cost to you, just as Jesus did. I will then take who you are and who you are not and eliminate them, replacing them with who you are designed to be. The death of your old ways will bring forth His ways, which are My ways, by the power of My Holy Spirit.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

²⁶“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

²⁷And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

John 1:10-14 NIV

¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

¹²Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -

¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:30 AMP

He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.]

John 6:57 AMP

Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.

Hebrews 10:14 NIV

…because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

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The pursuit of Jesus usually begins for our good and pleasure. He meets our needs, brings us to salvation, and makes us feel good every time we go to Him. That’s good for us. There comes a time, however, that we understand the Father’s plan more clearly.

He shows us that this relationship is not only about us and our needs. He brings us to an increasing level of maturity. As we begin to understand His character better, we understand and move with His heart more often. As this action, response, action, response relationship continues, we gain more of His heart, and love more and more as He loves. We also begin to identify with His heart so closely that it becomes our heart.

The closer we get, we actually fall in love with His ways and move from admiration of Him to a love for Him. Getting to know Him and His ways leads to increasing love for Him, because we are changed more and more from being in His presence. Once we know Him, we act in a way that pleases Him because of the love for Him that has been placed in our hearts.

Destroy everything that is of me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/19/14

“When Jesus paid for you with His blood, He bought everything. He owns your memories, your present days, and your future plans. He owns your past sins and your eternal future. There is nothing that is not under His blood.

Some of you walk in the sins of others that have harmed you long ago. Why do you do that, when they have been made powerless by the work of the cross? You now have the right, the command, and the power to forgive anyone and everyone who has done you harm.

Choose to forgive and I will heal you. Walk in forgiveness and I will set you free. Choose to love as Jesus loves and no one can ever harm you again. Allow Jesus to love through you and you will have an eternal impact on others - even those who hate you - just as He did.”

2 Chr. 7:14 NIV

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

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.”

John 13:33-34 NIV

³³“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

³⁴All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

I Cor. 7:23 AMP

You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.

Gal. 5:13 AMP

For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for selfishness], but through love you should serve one another.

I Pe 4:8 AMP

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others].

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How can we say that we follow Jesus, the One Who gave His life so that each of us can be forgiven, and not forgive those who have harmed us? The root sin of unforgiveness is pride. Because that is rarely recognized, it is never really dealt with as such; and we evade submitting the root sin to the total Lordship of Jesus Christ.

I Will Remain in Charge – the Antithesis of Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ

Anyone harboring unforgiveness toward another has, in essence, determined to hold that sin (real or imagined) over that person and has chosen to be the “lord” of that incident or grieving situation. The dominance and control exercised by the unforgiving party denies all that was promised to God when he/she committed to the Lordship of Jesus in all areas. This area, therefore, remains under the dominance of Satan. Pride caused him to be expelled from the presence of God, and he is delighted when we follow his lead in any area of our lives.

If God has forgiven the person who has offended you but you won’t, are you not telling Him that your position is loftier than His? In light of the truth, that’s not possible, is it? What do you need to do at this point? God demands that we forgive if we desire to be truly free. He even shows us, in Luke’s account of the crucifixion, that Jesus forgave all those who harmed Him; and also the repentant thief just before he died. We must do the same.

Unforgiveness, although often deeply masked by wounds, scars, and self-pity, is one of the greatest causes of weakness in the body of Christ and it will cripple any attempt to draw close to the Lord if left unconfessed. Once this main stronghold is acknowledged and confessed, a tide of healings and freedoms are able to surface and it can be brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help me to forgive as I have been forgiven, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/18/14

“I want you to function beyond your personal abilities. When you have done all that you know to do, just stand and wait for Me to show Myself strong. I will be found when you are in need. I will be strong when you are at your weakest or when you have no answers. I am the answer to your every need.

Never be afraid to walk in areas to which I call you. I will always be in those places with you. It is the way I intended your life to be. It is the way of the cross. It is the way of real life.”

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 30:21 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.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

¹¹“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

¹²Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

---

Seeking God with all of our heart usually happens when we are out of answers. Only when we have exhausted our own resources do we finally give in to the reality that we need God. We have it backwards.

Needing God should be our priority in life. It should be the most important function of our everyday living. Learning to need God should be the goal of every thought or action.

When we function in need of God, we have the presence of God with us. What more could we ask for? Where could there be a better place to function? Where could there be a better place to rest from our own frailties and be free to see the power of God? Where else could we be aligned with the heart of Jesus, Who did nothing of Himself but said and did only what His Father wanted?

Teach me to need You every moment, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/17/14

“Why do you hang on to things that are not yours? Each day I observe your comings and goings. I see what you are striving for and what you are setting aside. You are still making a futile attempt to hold those things close that I want to pry from your hands. They are like idols to you; you must throw them aside as the rubbish that they are.

Look how you hold to your reputation. I want you to seek true humility; you long to be recognized. Your days are spent in the quest for riches–only to hoard them or use them to pad your comfort areas. Can you not see that those things that hold you captive only hinder you from being free to have My interests as your priorities? Come to Me with a desire to seek out My kind of true wealth. Come to Me to learn of a freedom that you have never enjoyed. Come and learn of My heart. You will never regret holding close those riches that I impart to you. You will never achieve the kind of joy that is your heritage unless My desires become your desires.

I love you. I want to use you to accomplish My plan in your midst. Come now; let’s readjust your priorities together.”

So many Bible verses come to mind as I ponder the above word. Listen to these for starters.

Acts 8:1 and 4 NIV

¹On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Let’s see. I get kicked out of my home. I have no place to live. I’ve lost everything. What a great time to proclaim victory in Christ. I believe that my priority should be preaching the Gospel to those who hate me. THAT WOULD BE MY ATTITUDE - YEAH, RIGHT!!!

II Cor. 9:6-8 NIV

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

⁷Each man should also give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

OK, OK, I’ll give 10% of what I earn. Is that 10% of the net or the gross? I guess it doesn’t matter; I just want to know. I have to be a good steward, ya know.

Colossians 3:1-4 AMP

¹If 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.

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

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

⁴When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.

Only ten more years until I retire. Then watch me do this Christian thing. I think I’ll get a horse and put “Jesus loves you” on the saddlebags and go across country. What a witness that will be!

---

I am really beginning to smell my own rotting flesh when I compare my motives to those who have gone before me. How about you? I really appreciate the patience of the Lord. Whew!!

I need Your heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/16/14

“There are many ways that I bless My people. Some of them look and feel as if I have abandoned them, but the opposite is actually what is happening. Few people in the church see prosperity as I see it. It is because their flesh dominates their thinking. They are unable to really see My ways, because they haven’t died to the world’s way of thinking.

Prosperity, in My economy, is how much your heart and life are in line with the heart and life of Jesus. Few really press in long enough to gain His heart, turning away when I begin to separate them from the norm. You are truly prospering when I place you in My refiner’s fire. These times are misunderstood and frowned upon by most of the church, because you look as if you are out of control; and most of the time appear as if you have failed miserably, sometimes for long periods of time.

The road to intimacy with Me, which creates in you the heart of Jesus, is never a comfortable road to the flesh. I take you there because I have plans for your life. Some of you have wondered why you are even on that road. Your life is continually in upheaval, your plans are dashed on the pavement; and you feel as if you are abandoned more often than you feel secure. Be at peace. No matter how much your flesh resists, I know who you are in your inner being, the real you. I have called you to a place you have never been; a place you may never have thought of going with Me.

Soon, even though you could never imagine it now, you will be more comfortable when you are being refined, than you are when you’re at rest, being refreshed. You will even be anxious to get back on the path to Jesus. Your heart will delight in each trial and test, knowing that you are pleasing Me by your submission to My hand. The “inner man” in you will cherish spiritual growth more than material gain, understanding that it is far more important in My eyes.

While others attempt to protect their lives from any kind of discomfort, you will embrace the challenges that I present to you as the love gifts that they are. While others remain close to the world with their cold religion and empty lives, you will crave only intimacy, and press into every trial with fervor. They will appear to be the ones who are being blessed. You and I know better.”

Isaiah 30:18 The Living Bible

Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him, so he can show you his love; he will conquer you to bless you, just as he said. For the Lord is faithful to his promises...

Isaiah 30:20 The Living Bible

Though he give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet he will be with you to teach you – with your own eyes you will see your Teacher.

Isaiah 55:8-9 AMP

⁸For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.

⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Phil. 3:10-11 AMP

¹⁰AMP [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

¹¹That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

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].

---

The times soon to come will require honest followers of Jesus Christ, not cold, confused zealots. God is refining a people to not only represent Jesus properly in this world; but also, to be fully prepared and waiting eagerly to meet Him when He comes. Unfortunately, many in the church do not see themselves as both.

Jesus will not be joined in marriage with anyone who has a whorish heart, a heart that is not like His in every way. This presents a problem for many of the doctrines present in the church today, because most of the church has a heart that craves many things other than His heart for satisfaction. We “sell” our emotions and desires to areas of comfort, rather than refinement. We look for His return only because it will allow us to escape this world.

Should the return of Jesus be soon, two things must happen. Either He will take only a very few - those who have a mirror of His heart - with Him, or an intense refining fire is coming to the church to create His true heart in us before He comes, one that desires and loves only what He desires and loves. Anything other than that denies the work and intent of the cross and the holiness of Jesus.

I believe it is vital for all of us to set aside all conjecture, debate, and contention about pre, mid, post, or “even if” and seek God’s presence with all of our hearts. Finding out what pleases God should be our only pursuit. This life in Christ requires the absolute death of all our fleshly ways. It is the intent of the cross and the only way to intimacy and Christ-likeness.

It’s time that we got on with it. Each of us needs to request that the Lord do what it takes to take us where He wants us to go. What is His intent for our relationship with Him? How are we intended to represent Jesus? How do we become like Him?

Wanting to really press in,

Jim Corbett

9/15/14

“If I allowed your life to be crushed, would you glorify My Name? I don’t mean if some tragedies befell you, or if you encountered some great challenges. I’m saying, would you enthusiastically praise Me with all of your being if you became similar to one who had leprosy, as in the Bible? What if I asked you to give away everything you own, even your ability to make money? All of your savings, stocks, furniture, everything –except the clothes on your back –would no longer be owned by you. On top of that, because you gave everything away, all of your friends left you since you couldn’t function in the same way as before. You no longer had what it takes to hang around with them.

If you lost your reputation, scorned by everyone, would you look to Me with praise in your heart, questioning nothing that was happening to you? If I allowed your land to be consumed by hoards of ruthless people bent on destroying you, your family, and friends, how would you tell others about My love for you? I would like to tell you something. None of the above should affect how you proclaim My glory. I have observed those of you who feel full of faith in your safe world. You praise Me because I have allowed you to be blessed. You believe that you could have enough faith to overcome when times are rough. You believe that you would gleefully praise Me when peril is all around you. You are confident fools and you have missed it.

Those who will be strong in peril are those who are displaying weakness and repenting of it now. In their hardship, I am training them to trust. In their frailty, I am showing them My strength. Great peril is coming and I will have a powerful people, who will acknowledge their weakness and therefore receive My strength.

To you who are suffering at present, be encouraged. Be submissive and embrace the trial. I am your strong tower and I am imparting My strength to you. I have not forgotten you. In fact, you are the most prosperous of all My children. You have an acute awareness of your need of Me. That is true prosperity. Never forget that nothing I do or allow to happen affects Who I am. You are functioning in My plan, and I will accomplish it in My way. You praise Me, and trust what I’m doing. That is your part. I will be a trustworthy God. That is My part.”

1 Cor. 4:9-13 NIV

⁹For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.

¹⁰We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!

¹¹To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.

¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

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].

---

I used to simply tolerate the “super faith” people, who felt that it was a lack of faith in God to display any form of weakness when in the midst of a trial. Now I feel sorry for them. Anyone who is always “high” either has not submitted to the hand of God for training or he’s a liar.

In the above verse, God is calling those who are going through the rigors of training and chastening to be enthusiastic. So many immature believers feel that to have real faith, one must always carry a presence of sweetness and joy, never expressing the reality of the hurt that accompanies growth. In our walk, the Lord over and over brings us to the limit of our ability to tolerate the pressure. At that time, inner joy of God’s love may be present; but outwardly, if we were honest, we would have the freedom to say “ouch.”

There is a great difference between a self-serving attitude of whining and complaining, and a warlike countenance when our flesh is being destroyed. Under His hand during the time of pressure, we may squirm, squeal, and hurt. The trial shows our weakness; but by our submission, we gain His strength, ready for the next limit of our endurance. The next trial always has higher limits because we have grown.

The enthusiasm that is spoken of in Rev. 3:19 should not be interpreted as enjoying the pain. We are enthusiastic because we have a loving God who cares enough for us to continually take on the responsibility of eliminating our weakness. Jesus Himself endured, tolerated, and hurt on the cross for a future joy. He wasn’t smiling in the garden or on the cross. Only at the resurrection was His joy complete. Before that He was real and hurting, but in His pain He was still full of faith and supremely confident in what His Father was doing.

Willing to say “ouch,” but remembering the love,

Jim Corbett

9/13/14

“Do you understand the heaviness you feel when you labor for others in prayer? Multiply that times every person who ever was or will be born, and you will begin to understand what Jesus went through at the cross. He carried your sin and the sins of all others. All the horrors of darkness were placed upon Him.

To bring you to Me, I had to look away from Him, for darkness can have no association with light. Our grief won your freedom.”

Luke 9:23-25 AMP

²³And 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].

²⁴For 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].

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

2 Cor. 5:21 AMP

For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Galatians 2:20 AMP

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]: it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Ephesians 3:10-12 AMP

¹⁰[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

¹¹This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹²In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

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The cross! The cross! The cross! The central theme throughout all of creation! Eternity past looked forward to it. Eternity future will look back upon it as pivotal. Angelic creations learn and marvel at its work. Mankind benefits beyond measure. It is why we can even see the need to come to God and have the right to do so.

The cross! Without it there is no hope. Because of it, life can go on as planned by God. It is a place of death that brought us life, an altar of sacrifice that won our freedom, a moment in history that all of history remembers.

The cross! It is where the Innocent was put to death for the guilty by the guilty, who claimed innocence. It is the only accepted ticket to the marriage supper and the key to preparation for it. We must never forget its worth, minimize its importance, or side with those who do. We must take up our cross because Jesus took up His.

Teach me and change me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/12/14

“Be careful where you place your allegiances. Make sure you know the agendas of those you decide to support. Be on guard for those who sound as if they are hearing from the Lord, but have their own programs for you to follow. There is little time to be sidetracked. There is no time for you to be sidelined because of confusion.

I am calling for a crucified life. I am calling for a bridal heart, one looking only for Jesus. I am allowing refiners’ fires to refine My true believers. I am not calling you to live in prosperity and comfort as the world sees those things. How could I call you to pad your comfort areas, when there is so much to be done? How can I call you to sit on the sidelines, when a war is raging against the souls that love dearly?

Don’t be fooled by the loud voices and exuberant preaching. They are working up an emotion, not flowing in My Spirit as they would have you believe.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

Psalm 25:12 NIV

Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

John 5:19 AMP

So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn].

Gal. 2:20 AMP

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me./p>

Rev. 3:18-19 AMP

¹⁸Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.

¹⁹Those 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].

---

I wonder when a true anointing was traded for screaming and jumping and emotionalism? How can Jesus be pleased, when we use Him for our own comfort? How can we say that we are following Him, when our lifestyle has little resemblance to His?

Help all of us to see truth, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/11/14

“I am moved when you love deeply. It is the heart of Jesus in action. Your caring for others with reckless abandon is the way He loved. He had no fear of the consequences of His love. In fact, His love for you drove Him to the cross. It delights Me when you do the same.

Love those who hate you. Love those who do not know how to love you back. More than likely it will cost you. When it does, you come to Me. I will heal you and equip you to love again. It is My way. It is the way of the cross. It is the way to My heart. It is the way to freedom for you. It is the way to real life!”

II Ch. 16:9 NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

Matthew 5:43-45 NIV

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

II Cor. 5:20a AMP

So we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us.

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When was the last time you became passionate about the Lord’s plans? For that matter, when was the last time the Lord’s plans for your life took priority over the other demands you face each day?

God is clearly requiring each of us to make Him our priority. Still, most of us agonize over the demands of simply living out each day - paying the rent, providing for food, etc. To stop, even for a day, and spend it entirely with the Lord should He ask us to do so would be beyond comprehension for some of us. We are convinced that the answer is heart commitment.

Merry and I believe that each and every one of us, who call ourselves Christians, must make a choice to live Christ’s life passionately throughout our very ordinary days. We are to approach the tasks and the people placed before us with His kind of zeal and unquestioning love, presenting every one of them as an offering to the Lord for His glory. We are convinced that this life is not so much about what we do as it is about the One for whom we are doing it.

If everything that we become involved in is truly offered to the Lord and placed under His Lordship, the fluff will fall away and the eternal purposes of God will become priorities to us. Living Christ’s passionate life unto the Lord will change us and those around us who are looking for answers. Take our stuff and replace it with Your stuff, Lord.

Give me Your heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/10/14

“Risk everything! Invest all that you have in My work. Do not limit Me by your limited faith. The only reason you have been given breath is to complete My plan for your life. Everything you have is Mine. I bought it with the blood of My Son, Jesus. Ask Me how you are allowed to use it. I will show you if you open your hands and your heart to My work.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

2 Chr. 16:9a NIV

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...”

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.”

Matthew 21:28-31 NIV

²⁸“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

²⁹“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ’I will sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

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So many of us rob from God because we feel that what He has given us is also owned by us. Little do we know that we are classified as stewards of everything and owners of nothing. That includes our very life.

Father God is looking for faithful stewards, not selfish owners. Which are you?

Teach me to own nothing but Your love, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/09/14

“Have you ever considered each moment I give you to be a treasure? I do! You will be called to account for them. None of them can ever be redeemed. Jesus died for your right to spend them with Me. Do you now see how valuable they are? Spend them wisely. Dedicate each moment of your day to Me. Use them for My work. They are limited. When your allotted time is used up and I call you home, will I be able to say “Well done”?

Repent now of all the time you have wasted. Begin to cherish your every breath. I have called them into being. I own each one of them. Use them wisely!”

Psalm 127:1 AMP

Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; except the Lord keeps a city, the watchman wakes but in vain.

Proverbs 20:24a AMP

Man’s steps are ordered by the Lord….

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?

Hebrews 12:12-13 NLB

¹²So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs.

¹³Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.

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Because of our daily struggles and pursuits, we forget that every breath we take is important to God. Daily life often overshadows the importance of God’s plans for us. We forget that He has given us limited time to do His work and that we will be called to account for the time we have been given on this earth.

How do you plan your days? Is every moment dedicated to God? Does He have complete charge of your every breath, or do you go about your business as if there will be no accounting of your time? You have been bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus. Isn’t it time to make each moment of your life count

I give them all to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/08/14

“Rejoice in the fact that you are My child. Rejoice in the times that We share. Give thought to who you have become. Be encouraged by who you are becoming. Your life with Me is far better than the life of someone who chooses not to serve Me, no matter how hard your training might be or how successful he or she may look.

You have hope and a future. You have real purpose for your breathing. Whenever you begin to think that your road is too difficult, as I carve away at your old life and replace it with the life of Jesus, I challenge you to think of the alternative. Think of your future with Me. Remember your past without Me. Would you really have it any other way?

Dig in! Confirm your commitment! No matter what the cost, renew your submission to Jesus and His ways. There is no better life. There is no stronger hope.”

Psalm 46:1 AMP

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Isaiah 38:17 NIV

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Matthew 16:24-25 AMP

²⁴Then 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].

²⁵For 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].

---

I recently had the opportunity to meet with some people that I hadn’t seen for close to thirty years. It was really good to see them again. Many years ago, we had somewhat parallel lives in regard to our dreams and future plans, even though we traveled in different circles.

Around the time that we had parted ways, I was well on my way to the destruction of everything around me because of the sin in my life. My life was in a downward spiral; they went on to achieve great worldly success. In all ways, they seem to have everything good that the world has to offer: a loving family environment, an abundance of toys, and probably the ability to purchase anything their hearts may desire. Being in ministry for many years, the Lord has provided for my family and me directly from His hand. We really have need of little, but we are light years from the kind of physical wealth that they have.

Since I saw them, I have grieved for them in their abundance. A new kind of love for them has been placed in my heart and I have committed to pray for them until they find the Lord. If He chooses to use me for that end, I am willing to do whatever it takes.

With everything that they have gained, as nice as they are, they have nothing of real value. Unless they somehow turn to Jesus, their future is hopeless because they seem to have no thought of Him, nor any idea of surrendering their lives to Him at this point. If they never do, according to the Bible, they will stand before Him one day and be judged for remaining in rebellion, rather than submitting to His work on the cross. If that happens, their eternal future is extremely dark and without any hope.

Jesus, in my desperation, at my darkest moment, You reached out and accepted me. I deserve nothing and should be cast from You forever. Somehow You saw things differently. I was dead; I was hopeless and You gave me Your life.

I will thank You forever, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/06/14

“I love honest, full relationships. Jesus spent His life, so that you could be restored and with Me forever. I designed marriage, so that your life could be full, so that you could have a companion, someone who notices your life and cherishes it. Make this relationship your priority on earth.

I also build holy alliances with fellow believers. These alliances are formed by Me, so there is someone to walk with you in seasons of your life. They are ordained in heaven and built by My Holy Spirit. Observe who they are in your life.

Cherish those I bring to you. Find those who are trustworthy. Invest in them. Pour into their lives as Jesus poured into yours. When I add My presence to any relationship, it thrives and flows with the integrity of My love. It honors Me.”

Eph. 5:21 AMP

Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Phil. 2:1-5 NIV

¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,

²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

⁴Each of you should not look only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

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A person walking in a spirit of compassion takes on the needs of others as if they were his own. There is no separation between a person’s needs and his desires for those needs to be met in someone else’s life. It is the spirit of God giving His kind of compassion for another.

Teach me to love those I am given by You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/05/14

“Do you know that I hold you in the highest regard? You are My ministers of the eternal covenant that I have established for the good of all mankind. I hold you very dear to My heart. For many reasons, I must train and refine you. Never do I enjoy seeing you go through challenges to your faith and your commitment, but they are necessary. You have a great responsibility. You are a steward of the most important event in the history of mankind.

My covenant with you is what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is all about. Now you have the privilege of demonstrating it to the world and to the angelic beings. With that privilege comes the corresponding responsibility of presenting it properly. That is what My training is all about.

Submit to My hand. Embrace My love. As you grow, you will discover more wonders than you could ever imagine. The more I can trust you, the more I can reveal to you. I delight in you.”

Ephesians 3:10-12 AMP

¹⁰[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

¹¹This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹²In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

1 Cor. 4:2 AMP

Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

2 Cor. 5:20a NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

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Those of us, who are in training, focus most of the time on who we are not rather than on how our Father sees us. We see ourselves as mistake-making, sin-committing people who wonder if we will ever get this life we’ve been given in proper order. He sees us as His representatives, His deeply loved children, His reason for the cross. We, as mankind, are the only ones He has chosen to represent Jesus. There is no higher honor anywhere!

Thank You, Father,

Jim Corbett

9/04/14

“Learn to meet Me in the hard places. Learn to trust Me when there seems as if there is nowhere to go. I will always be there for you. I will never leave you without answers. You may need to wait until all things are in order before you see your direction, but I will be there. I am never late. You can count on My perfect timing if you stand and just know that I am God, because I Am.”

Psalm 46:10 NIV

“Be still, and know that I am God...”

Isaiah 46:9 AMP

[Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me.

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.”

Isaiah 66:9 AMP

Shall I bring to the [moment of] birth and not cause to bring forth? says the Lord. Shall I Who causes to bring forth shut the womb? says your God.

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The solving situations part is easy; the hard part is being still and knowing that He is the God of any situation we encounter. It is amazing how many solutions to our challenges we can devise. We can usually have even the most difficult circumstances figured out if given enough time. Then we even suggest the solutions to God and have the audacity to suggest when He should implement them. When the answers do come, if we have His strength to wait for them, they are rarely even close to what we had in mind.

This amazing relationship with God always points back to truly trusting Him and learning to never again trust our own hearts and our own strengths. That lesson is easy to say, but it usually takes a lifetime to learn.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/03/14

“Do you hear the rustling in the heavenlies? Something is transpiring that will soon be felt in your world. I am orchestrating events that will mean unparalleled changes to that with which you have become familiar. Things as you know them will be modified to the point that you will eventually not recognize them as they once were. What is wonderful about all that is happening is that you will also be changed. You, My children, are on the threshold of your finest hour in Me.

There is a plumb line that will run through My church. To those who are listening to what My Spirit is saying, you will be prepared for what is going to transpire. In fact, you will prosper, because you will have full knowledge of what I am doing and flow with Me as I do it. Our union will be a symphony to behold. You are a privileged people. You have the benefit of observing all of the wonders of My Word being performed in the lives of those who have gone before you. You have the delight in seeing prophecy fulfilled in your generation.

Technology has caught up with what I foretold long ago. Most of all, I am drawing close to you, so that My heart and yours beat in unison. I have designed you so that you will be able to walk with Me intimately, as the fullness of your restoration comes to pass. Eternal history is in the making and you are a vital part in its impact. As you walk with Me, you will be able to rise above the din of what is happening, and move in the splendor of My love. You will be a spiritual light to the increasing darkness.

Prepare now to receive all that I have for you. I am about to allow you to represent Me in the manner that I have planned from the beginning. Spend your priority time with Me. Draw close to My Word. It is about to be fulfilled in your life.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 AMP

³Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴[Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

Isaiah 42:9 NIV

“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

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I remember when I was in school. (Wow! Can it really be so many years ago?) I would be sitting in class, clueless to whatever the teacher was saying, dreaming about what I was going to do on the weekend; and the teacher would announce that a test was scheduled for the next week. “Next week! Man! I have a whole six days before I even need to begin thinking about that.”

“Next weeks” had an uncanny ability to sneak up on me every seven really quick days or so. The morning of the test, I would usually find myself cramming in all the information that I could, so that I wouldn’t fail too badly. I didn’t really care to learn. I just wanted to get the test over with and go on to whatever was important to me at the time.

I believe that this kind of scenario is played out regularly in today’s church. Our Father graciously proclaims to us that specific times and seasons are approaching in the near future. We seem to filter that information through our “priority meter” and decide that we will have enough time to prepare another day. Other things are more important to us.

I don’t believe any of us will have the luxury of “cramming” for God’s near seasons. I believe that it’s important to heed every call from the moment it is heard. God’s timing is perfect with both the seasons and our lives. He knows what it will take for each of us to be ready. He calls us in the proper time for our specific need. If we respond, we will be ready and on time for whatever He has planned.

Don’t want to “cram” for this one, Lord,

Jim Corbett

9/02/14

“Do you know that your lives are designed to give flavor and seasoning to a tasteless world? Have you noticed what or who the world calls important, or beautiful, or successful? Do you see how shallow and tasteless it has become as it seeks to find value in its vain idols? No one will ever be able to substitute anything for My way of doing things and remain fulfilled. Notice how those who refuse to serve Me scurry from place to place, thrill to thrill, seeking satisfaction of some sort. Notice how there never seems to be enough for them. That is the way it has always been and will always be.

Ask those who claim to be independent of My will in their lives. They will tell you that they are free spirits, and bow to no one. In their folly, they will even find ways to prove that I don’t exist. How pitiful they are as they attempt to fill the void that is meant for Me in their lives. They manufacture their own form of beauty, but real beauty is not to be found. They attempt to serve important things; but their treasures are of no importance, and will be exposed for the sham that they are.

I hold beauty in the palm of My hands. Importance is what I deem important. Real value is not elusive when it is based on My ways. You have been given eyes to see what is really beautiful, important, and of real value. The scales have been taken from your eyes. You have seen that your moments with Me are far more fulfilling than all of your former attempts to find pleasure in the world combined. You must season the world with your new life. Show others how flavorful a life can be. Live bountifully in Me, no matter what you may be going through. As you do, your life will spread My life in all directions, giving others taste buds for those things that have true worth.

You become the seasoning that I have called you to be in your world. I will give anyone who comes to Me full meals of real value and eternal worth. I will show them splendor and beauty beyond their wildest imaginations. I will show them Jesus as they observe you and your life.”

Ezekiel 44:23 AMP

The priests shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the common or profane, and cause them to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.

Habakkuk 2:18-20 NIV

¹⁸Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

¹⁹Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.

²⁰But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Matthew 5:13 AMP

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.

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I remember one girl in high school who stood out among the rest. The only way that I can explain how she looked to me was that she was always “clean.” Whenever I would picture her, she would be sitting on a rock near an ocean, the wind doing wonderful things to her hair, her face shining in the sun. (Those are some pretty weird thoughts for a pimply-faced, gas-pumping motorhead, who spent most of his days wondering things like where the ocean was, if there really was one.) She had an untouchable beauty that set her apart, so much so that I needed to find out what made her so beautiful.

After dating briefly, (I remember that she knit little covers for every knob and handle in my car,) I saw no value in anything for which she stood. We had no common interests, so I joined the rest of my friends who called her “too weird to date.” I even had to pick her up from church a couple of times. How weird is that!

As I look back, however, her quiet life stood out as a light would invade darkness. She frightened me with her unspoken purity and her continuous joy. My filthy mouth was silenced in her presence, even though she never told me not to swear. She was the most beautiful, friendliest, most loving, courteous person I had ever met. I wanted to be different than what I was when I was with her, but had no clue how to change. She scared me with her integrity and unquestioned acceptance.

In my insecurity and life of purposeless floundering, her kind of quiet peace was unattainable as far as I was concerned. She never had a harsh word for anyone, always served everyone, and expressed words of love that I could not understand. Her life was so bright that I had to flee from it, so that I could function in the way that I wanted.

She died in an automobile accident in our senior year of high school. I had to leave the funeral early because I had nowhere to place the joy that everyone had through their tears. I could only cry, something that I rarely did. How could they be smiling?

Some twenty years later, after I had embraced the love of Jesus, I finally understood how brightly her light was shining in my dark, little world. She was a rare diamond in a world that honored only costume jewelry, all because of her love for a Jesus that I did not know then.

Let my life glow with Your love, Lord. Needing Your mercy and forgiveness more than ever, Lord. Please change my heart and how I perceive others, so that You can use me,

Jim Corbett

9/01/14

“Do you know that I am aggressively at work, changing your perception of others? That is one of My main focuses on your path to becoming like Jesus. When I get you to see other people as He did, you will be well on your way to being a useable tool to accomplish My will on the earth. Before you have His heart toward others, all of your actions are tainted by your faulty perceptions and opinions. They are worthless to accomplish My will.

Jesus saw everyone from My perspective from the beginning of creation. His coming to earth was not just “happenstance;” it was an outward expression of Our unity. Long before the sin in mankind was expressed outwardly, even for the very first time, all was prepared to accomplish the work on the cross. We saw your need! Have you ever thought of My Words to you and those actions toward you through the centuries - those written and those expressed in the life of Jesus - as the epitome of love?

Everything that has been done was done for your benefit from a heart of love. I am bringing your heart to that same place of love. I need you to love others as I do. I want no one to perish, not even your most aggressive enemy. Set a gauge as to how close you are to being in accord with My heart.

How much do you love others? I would venture to say that if you were really honest with yourself and with Me, you would find that you have little love toward those in My family, much less toward those who hate you. You mutter, judge, and set your face against anyone who does not see as you do. How does that compare to the words of forgiveness that Jesus said from the cross? It is where you must go. It is where I’m taking you, before you are completely usable in My work.”

Luke 23:33-34 NIV

³³When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals -one on his right, the other on his left.

³⁴Jesus said,” Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.

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More than likely the soldier who drove the nails in the hands and feet of Jesus still had the hammer in his hand. It’s possible that the men who vented their demonic aggression toward Him earlier with their whips, followed him to the place of the cross for the satanic thrill of final victory. Some scholars say that some in the jeering crowd, even some of those who only days before called Him the Son of God, spit at Him and gnashed their teeth against Him. In their grief, they hated Him for dying and disappointing their hopes. The religious leaders probably stood off to the side with smirks of prideful power, some possibly already plotting their next juicy bit of learned wisdom to give to their inquiring students.

For everyone there, and for everyone in the future who would laugh at His life, at all that He was, and at His gruesome death, Jesus asked His Father to forgive them. TO FORGIVE THEM! Of all the words that the Son of God could have said, of all the power He could have invoked against those who had murder, rebellion, ridicule, and every other base emotion toward Him in their hearts, He only spoke words of compassionate forgiveness and astounding love. His heart broke for those who killed Him. Even then, in the midst of unimaginable pain and horrifying death, He could only see their desperate need as they wallowed in their sin.

After many years of basking in that same kind of love toward me from my Lord, I probably still would want to call down legions of angels to get those ungrateful, pompous bigots if I had been Him; maybe even jump off that cross and shown everyone who’s really in charge.

Why, I would…

Jim Corbett