“You need to look past what is happening to what I am doing. More importantly, you need to pray past what is evident before you and fully comprehend what I am doing. Once you understand My motives and decide to belong to My plan, you will be able to rejoice, even through the hardest times. Fearlessness does not come from knowledge; it comes from understanding My purposes and embracing them.
I have an overall plan. It has been in motion since the beginning of time. It is a plan to redeem mankind. The unfolding of that plan has been told to you in My Word. How it will end will be no surprise if you come close to Me and My Word. Everything will happen as I have ordained it. I have brought you into this plan for you to play your part in its execution. Your part has never changed. It is to tell as many as you can about the sacrifice that was accomplished for them on the cross, so they have the opportunity to embrace that gift. Everything else in your world is the working out of My desired end. Each action, every association, incident, event, and word that is said brings you closer to the culmination of all that must unfold. If you see and concentrate only on the individual piece, it may become big enough in your eyes to look like the whole for a short time. You will lose your focus and concern yourself with the immediate, instead of what is important.
I want the last soul to have the opportunity to hear about Jesus so that he or she might not perish. I need you to maintain your focus. Remember the important, as I see it. It will always be my love for people and My desire for none to perish. If you understand My love for souls and share that desire with Me, your perspective will rise above the urgent that may be a distraction to you.”
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.”
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 under foot by men.
John 4:34 NIV
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent Me and to finish his work.”
In one form or another, our nation seems to be at war. It can be big, frightening, and daily in the face of each one of us because of the media coverage, coverage that becomes very personal as the reporters actually travel with the troops. Along with the war, there is the constant very real threat of terrorist attacks; which, if escalated, could bring the war to our doorstep. There is also a myriad of other threats that seemingly overnight have become part of everyday living. Every one of them could impact our world and change it immediately and forever.
For many months I have needed to adjust to the changes that have been taking place all around me, have my due diligence in prayer, and seek the Lord for His direction. Because of the perilous nature of the times, I found myself making plans for my safety and survival. My prayers were for the safety of my friends, family, and anyone in harm’s way.
Please don’t get me wrong, every one of us must make sure our head is not in the sand about the days in which we live. We are called to pray for the above mentioned needs. My point is that I found that my prayers and their direction were being dictated by the circumstances that I found myself in, rather than my purpose for being born. I began to think about adjusting the direction for my life based on what I saw ahead of me, rather than on what the Lord told me long ago. I started to react to what I saw, rather than on what I knew to be true. When I did, fear, doubt, and confusion began to get footholds, attempting to destroy my faith and hinder my mission.
Each of us knows what we are called to do. We all have a purpose in life that coincides with our Lord’s overall plan. Difficult (even catastrophic) circumstances should have no bearing on that purpose. In fact, the impossible situations we may face may make room for the miracle-working power of God.
The eternal plan of God is unfolding before our eyes. I am convinced that this generation will see the culmination of all that has been promised in the Word of God. What is taking place before us is the vehicle that our Lord is using to implement that plan. The heart and purpose behind that plan has always been, and always will be, the souls of men and women. Nothing should distract us from that purpose.
Our part in God’s plan is vital to Him. Our specific missions are planned well in advance of the daily circumstances we face. Nothing changes because we face hardships, have difficulties, or find ourselves in peril. They are part of the unfolding, but never important enough to cause us to deviate from our mission and calling. Rising above the immediate and seeing past the imminent, will allow us to freely take part in the wonder of the eternal. The view is beautiful from there because the Lord is the only focus.
Keep my eyes focused on You, Lord,
Jim Corbett
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