7/28/15

“Why do you not use what I have placed in your hand until I move in the direction for which you have been praying? You are waiting for Me to give you clear direction; that is good. That is what I have formed you to do. In the mean time, there is much you can do to proclaim My Word, minister to people; and simply love those who need to see the love of Jesus. I have called you to occupy. You miss so much by not imparting the life that I have given you. Tarry with Me for your specific instructions; but while you wait, walk through the smaller doors that I provide for you. Meet the needs of those around you. Others need to see who you are in Me.”

John 4:34 NIV

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

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.

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

---

So often we misunderstand the way the Lord wants us to occupy. We confuse waiting for specific directions on a certain matter with the commands we have been given that will never change. We have been commanded to love. We are told to proclaim the Gospel. Every day, we are to live to meet the needs of others with the means we have so far been given. These are part of our life in Christ.

Often, the Lord uses these general instructions to lead us to the specific task for which we have been created. While you are waiting for the Lord to unfold His plan or provide the resources needed to accomplish your specific ministry, you are called to do two things - spend time with Him and present Jesus to others with your actions. These are always the same.

Show me the difference between waiting for You and occupying, Lord,

Jim Corbett

7/27/15

“My mercy is always with you. Never think that I am against you. I have paid a great price to have you with Me for eternity. What Jesus gave will never go to waste just because you do not have the strength to overcome. In fact, it is because of your weakness and helplessness that He spent His life. At present, you have little ability to be what you need to become. Keep pressing in. Repent of your sin. Cry out for My mercy. It will always be there for you when you do.”

Hebrews 13:5b AMP

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

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.

---

There are several forces always at work as we learn to follow Jesus. Although we are new creatures in Christ, our old sin nature continually raises its ugly head. We fall, get up, need to cry out for mercy, take strides forward; and then fall again. This cycle repeats itself with less frequency the longer we are with the Lord, but it is part of our growing up.

At the same time as this cycle is very present in our lives, we are often called upon to represent Jesus to a world needing to see His nature through us. Our command is to occupy until He comes for us. We are His only ambassadors, given the stewardship of His Word.

I am convinced that both are at play to form us into the nature of Jesus. As we fail, we need to cry out for mercy. As we cry out for mercy, we begin to understand the kindness of the Lord. We learn of His forgiveness. We also learn to submit to His Lordship and are taught obedience.

Eventually, as we allow the nature of Christ to flow through us more and more because of the work accomplished in us through our crying out to the Lord for our failures, we begin to understand the wonder of His plan. We understand that His abundant mercy teaches Who He is. Our need for His mercy teaches us of our need for Him and the wonder of what Jesus has done.

Thank You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

7/25/15

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

Gal. 4:19 NIV

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

Eph. 1:17-19a NIV

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

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

^19aand his incomparably great power for us who believe…

Eph 4:12-13 AMP

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

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

---

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

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

Make me a willing vessel, Lord,

Jim Corbett

7/24/15

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

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

Ps. 147:3 AMP

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

Jer. 30:17 AMP

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

Gal. 5:1 NIV

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

---

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

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

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

Forgive my sin against You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

7/23/15

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

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

2 Chr. 16:9 NIV

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

Matthew 11:12 NIV

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.”

Eph. 5:14-17 AMP

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

Build Your passion in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

7/22/15

“The foolish heart demands its own way and seeks its own will. It submits to nothing or no one, not even God. It is continually in the process of demanding that God perform in a fashion that is reasonable and understandable. It can never be satisfied because it is always attempting to satisfy self. It serves no one, but demands of everyone. It can see everything only from a carnal perspective. It says that there is no God over it. Far from the heart of God, it remains unusable in spiritual matters until it is changed by the power of the Holy Spirit and submits to the complete Lordship of Jesus.”

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...”

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Isa. 58:11 NIV

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

---

The mature heart is a wonder to behold. This is the passionate heart of Jesus. It is also the bridal heart, prepared and waiting for Christ, the one that will overcome and even prosper during the perilous times ahead. As Jesus is one with the Father, the mature or bridal heart beats in unison with Them both.

This heart sees only the Father’s will as important, only the Father’s plans as worth addressing throughout life. The world, the cold church, and all else in the physical realm hold no audience with this heart. There is no purpose but God’s purpose, no plan but God’s plan, no future but God’s future. This heart is untouchable in its alliance with God. It is in total freedom in its chosen “slavery” to only the Father’s will.

This heart has put aside most of its elementary sins against God, those choices of the flesh that have carried over into the Christian walk, the choices of doing good things vs. going deeper and deeper with the Lord. It has set aside fleshly temptations and ponders over the things that concern Jesus. Improper spiritual choices, such as moving ahead on anything without waiting for everything to develop properly in the spiritual realm, cause this heart to understand its dishonor of God and bring it to repentance for its disobedience…

I want the heart of Jesus to be formed in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

7/21/15

“Sometimes I allow you to know what I am doing; other times I require blind obedience. Either way, it is very important that you move when I tell you to move. Do not miss My will for you because of your lack of faith. Do not plan your days by what you see and hear and reason with your mind. You will miss what I am doing in your midst. You will be on the sidelines of My plans rather than being part of their impact. Move with Me. Listen for My heart. I will not be silent if you seek Me as your priority. Keep your eyes on Me as My plans unfold. Others may wander blindly; you will have sure steps.”

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.”

Esther 4:13-14 AMP

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

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

Psalm 25:12-14 NIV

¹²Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

¹³He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

¹⁴The Lord confides in those who fear Him; he makes his covenant known to them.

Proverbs 16:9 AMP

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

---

I am convinced that there is a God-ordained plan for each of our lives. If that really is true, would it not make sense to find out what that plan is? We may not see a pillar of fire or smoke to lead us in the direction that the Lord desires for us, but we do have access to God because of Jesus. We do have His Word, and the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Why would we choose to wander aimlessly, ending up with nothing to show for all our wasted days, when rich fruit could be harvested from our lives because we sought the Lord’s ways and followed them? Could it be that we would rather feel in control by planning our own steps and predicting the outcome with our skill and knowledge, rather than please God? Yikes!

Make me desire Your way, Lord,

Jim Corbett