October 2023 | TFRC | The Faith Resource Community

10/25/23 Full Surrender

“Freedom comes only after you have fully surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus. Most people attempt to be free without that full commitment. They find themselves attempting to find things and participate in events to fill the emptiness that ensues because of their rebellion. Now is the time to give yourself completely away. Stop dealing in half measures. Freedom will begin as soon as you start functioning in the truth you will find under absolute Lordship. Do it today!”

Matthew 24:35 NIV

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

1Cor 6:19b-20 NIV

19b) You are not your own;

20) you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

2 Cor 5:14-15 AMP

14) For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died;

15) And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.

Because of past experiences, wounds, and fears, most of us have difficulty surrendering fully to anyone, even Jesus. If we do, we no longer have control of our circumstances. That frightens us.

We have a problem. There are no halfway commitments with Jesus. Either He is the Lord over all areas of our lives or He is not. If we are not fully surrendered, our Father is finding ways to make our surrender complete. We wonder what is wrong, why nothing is working for us. Most of the time, it is simply a call for us to do what we said we would do when we gave our lives to Him in the first place - give Him everything. Once that is done, the rest falls in place.

Search my heart and show me what is not completely Yours, Lord,

Jim Corbett

10/25/23 The Trojan Horse

We’re all familiar with the mythological story of the giant wooden horse that was left outside the walls of Troy and mistakenly identified by its citizens as a gift. Totally undiscerning, they brought it inside the city walls, making themselves completely vulnerable to attack. The Greek warriors inside the horse waited for the opportune moment, and then made a beeline for the city gates and opened them to let in the rest of the troops. End result: Troy is overrun and destroyed.

One of the most insidious measures used by the enemy in his attempt to destroy our marriages, wreak havoc in our families, and even weaken our walk with the Lord is busyness. It is a Trojan horse that incessantly tries to creep into our lives, sometimes without notice. It takes diligence and a watchful mentality to catch it before it is able to kill, steal, or destroy.

Urgency, other people’s agendas, job deadlines, church responsibilities, good causes, free time, etc. constantly surround us. All these things can be worthy of our attention, but not at the expense of neglecting our time with the Lord. When we become wrapped up in busyness, we lose our perspective on what really counts the most, and the enemy usually has little trouble defeating us in crucial areas of our lives.

Long ago, a very wise person shared with me that our lives are a series of decisions between the urgent and the important. The urgent looks very much like the important, but may have nothing to do with God’s plan for our lives. The important things are those things God desires us to address. They further the kingdom of God, glorify Jesus, reinforce family values, and undergird children who on their way to living significant lives.

Isn’t it time to become aware of any Trojan horses that have been sent your way to kill, steal, and destroy? Isn’t it time to practice discerning the difference between those things that are important and those things that are simply urgent? Better yet, isn’t it best to spend time with the Lord to know which things He’s asked you to participate in on His behalf?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

10/24/23 Growing in the Moment

“I know how imperfect your love is. I understand that you can’t really keep most of your promises, even to Me. That’s why I tell you not to promise anything. That is also why the Holy Spirit keeps them for you. As imperfect as you are, and as futile as all of your attempts to change may be, I still love you. Walk with a heart that understands your need for Jesus. Give away what I have given you. Show others My love and the life that is theirs if they want it. Hold them for Me until they can stand themselves. I will do the rest. I will make you into who you really want to be without you even knowing it. I will make you like Jesus.”

John 21:15-17 AMP

15) When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Feed My lambs.

16) Again He said to him the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father]? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. He said to him, Shepherd (tend) My sheep.

17) He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, instinctive, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]? Peter was grieved (took it ill and was hurt) that He should ask him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [that I have a deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend]. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.

James 5:12 AMP

But above all [things], my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be [a simple] yes, and your no be [a simple] no, so that you may not sin and fall under condemnation.

Pompous, arrogant Peter, (Boy! Can I identify with him!) - the “I’ll never deny You” guy, humbled and now humble, responding in truth. “Will you love Me like I want you to love Me?” Jesus asks.

Peter responds in honesty, understanding his weakness. “I can only love You this much, Lord.” The third time the Lord asks if he would love Him as best he can, knowing full well how weak he was. Peter, ashamed at his own weakness, responds that he will. It was almost as if he was asking the Lord not to expect too much.

Here is the good part. Jesus is saying, “I know that you now know who you really are after what happened and how empty your promises are, but I love you and I know that you’ll make it. Take care of My friends, OK?” What compassion and forgiveness! What kindness! That’s when Peter was given the love that is better than silver or gold deep within his inner being- a place where it remains for eternity. He was given the stuff that would never deny the Lord again, plus the stuff that could make the lame walk.

If you’re in a refining fire, a humbling circumstance, or a wearisome trial, you need to understand that what is needed for you to represent Jesus - the Peter kind of stuff - is being formed in you. Don’t give up. Don’t sell out for some morsel of temporary relief. Don’t bail out. Your Father loves you and knows that you will make it. Just keep getting up every morning and do what you know to do that day, leaning on Jesus with all of your might. Pretty soon you will have the eternal stuff that’s more important than silver or gold, just like Peter. Just like Jesus!

I want Your stuff, Lord,

Jim Corbett

10/24/23 Home Church

Men, is your home a place that proclaims the Gospel, worships the Lord, and praises His Name continually? If it isn’t, it should be. In fact, it must be if you and your family are going to survive the coming onslaught against believers, or even make it day to day glorifying the Lord.

This country has fallen into the misconception that the church is some building you and your family visit on Sunday morning. It’s also considered a place where you send your children to learn about Jesus, expecting the children’s pastor or the youth director to teach them about a life in Christ, and give them the skills they need to relate with their peers.

This scenario leads to the taking in of predigested food, thinking that it is enough, and letting others go to the Lord for you, instead of cultivating an intimate relationship yourself and establishing the family altar. It produces weak, malnourished followers of Jesus, insignificant legacies, and few leaders capable of helping spread the Gospel without a program sponsored by other people in that church building.

God has ordained your home and the life created there by the Holy Spirit to be the real church of Jesus Christ. He has given you and your family a safe place to grow and be nurtured in Him. It’s up to you, as a father, to create the spiritual atmosphere where those you cover are free to go as deep as they please with Christ. What kind of atmosphere have you set in your family church?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

10/23/23 Tell Them Now

“Soon, the world will awaken to the fact that I am Who I say that I am and that I mean what I have said. They will finally understand that they have based their lives and their eternal well-being on lies. They will attempt to justify their folly, but it will be too late. My Word will be the plumb line for truth. Whether they embraced Jesus as their Lord or not will be the only criteria for My accepting them into My kingdom. Reliance upon any other name will fall far short of My requirements. In that day, you will rejoice because of My grace.

"In that day, however, they will stagger under the weight of My decree for their eternity. You tell them now, so that they may come. You turn from being proud of who you are and empty yourselves for the good of those who need to know. On that day, I will embrace you. I will also rejoice for those who may come with you because of you. I will grieve for those who did not hear. Tell them! Tell them often. Spend your life for them.”

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.”

Zechariah 7:13 NIV

“When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen.”

1 Cor. 11:1 NIV Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

There are two purposes for every person who has ever been born to fulfill. The first is to accept the provision that God has set forth as the single eternal provision for salvation - the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ as absolute truth, submitting to His Lordship. The second is to exhaust our days telling others of God’s plan, so that they might also embrace Jesus as Lord. Everything else that garners our attention away from those realities in any way is a distraction.

Our world is so cluttered with the things that side track us from the simple reality of God’s purpose, that each of us have missed its importance to Him and to others. It is, however, the central reason each of us has been born and the single reason for each of us to live out our days. All that God has shown in His Word leads to the conclusion that He wishes that none should perish. If He has spent our recorded centuries focusing on that heart motivation, wouldn’t you think that each of us might consider it to be important? Even more important than what we care about?

Turn my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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