8/04/20 Violation of a Trust

A violation of a trust is hazardous to any relationship, especially a marriage covenant relationship. Recently, we talked about sealing your marriage. If you don’t do so, it opens the door to violations of your wife’s trust on countless occasions, leaving a shell of a true marriage relationship as God sees it. These violations can continue to grow until the communication gap between spouses is so wide that there is little or no meaningful dialog except for addressing practical daily needs. When there is a lack of trust and communication breaks down, the true, intimate feelings, fears, and needs of either spouse can easily become fodder for the other spouse with his or her friends or a counselor of some sort. When this happens, it is more than likely that both of them will retreat even more to protect themselves from further wounds.

Men, your office demands that you guide your wife and family to true intimacy with the Lord, so that they can be prepared to glorify His name and do His work. That ability only comes from intimacy with Him yourself. If you find intimacy difficult to attain, there is a good possibility that the violations of trust in your past have been carried into your marriage and will not allow you to trust anyone, even God. If that is the case, only the Lord can show you how deep the scars are. Only He can heal you so that you have the ability to really trust again and be trustworthy yourself.

While you’re dealing with the Lord about your own brokenness, a good place to start is to stop violating your wife’s trust at this very moment. Stop every negative thought about her. Stop jesting to others about even her smallest quirk. Stop communicating her failures with your buddies. Never again minimize her with your mouth or in your mind. Don’t criticize her so you can feel better about yourself. Determine that every communication that comes out of your mouth about her will be positive and uplifting. Learn to speak of her value to others as the Lord shows you how He sees her. Make it your project in life to be trustworthy of her slightest wound or deepest fear, so she can learn to whole-heartedly trust you. Although it’s only a beginning of the kind of covenant God has established for the two of you, it’s a start. Watch the life that springs from the change in your perspective by the grace of God. Are you encouraged to try?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

Open post

8/04/20 Self-focused

“In your quest to be like Jesus, make sure that you do not remain self-focused. It is not His way. Even though you are concentrating on His character and comparing yours to His so that you can repent for change to take place, keep your heart toward others. Be aware of those around you who have need. Long for souls. Listen to My directives. While the work is being done in you, there is much to be accomplished through you. Jesus always cared for others while I was working through Him. You do the same.”

Genesis 1:27-28a AMP

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

28) And 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]…

Psalm 106:12-15 AMP

12) Then [Israel] believed His words [trusting in, relying on them]; they sang His praise.

13) But they hastily forgot His works; they did not [earnestly] wait for His plans [to develop] regarding them.

14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted and tried to restrain God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

15) And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls…

John 5:19-20 NIV

19) Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

20) For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”

 

The character of Christ will never be complete in us until we care for others the way He did. He gave His life so that you and I could be spared eternal separation from God. That kind of love is not something that would simply be good to have; it is paramount if we say that we follow Him. If it is not in us, every one of us should make it our priority to attain it. We can’t grunt it into existence. We can’t make believe that we have it by doing good things. The only way it will ever be achieved in us is if we go to the Father in repentance for our lack of desire for Jesus to live through us.

Father, I repent of not wanting to be completely eliminated so that Jesus can freely live through me,

Jim Corbett

Open post

What Fun!

In these days of needing to go someplace or buy something or find a way to have fun, it's so refreshing to be a child of God. In fact, if you choose to walk through this life with spiritual eyes—looking past the challenges all around you and focusing on what God is doing—just being His is fun.

His plan for this world includes us. That's fun! His heart is always for us. That's even more fun! His promises tell us He will never leave us or forsake us. That should take our hearts way past fun into the arena of amazing joy!

8/03/20 Seal Your Marriage

How many of your friends know some of your wife’s faults? How many times have the words from your mouth been less than high praise for the partner God has given you? How many of your “prayer needs” to others are nothing more than spiritual gossip and an opportunity to minimize her and show your spirituality?

Well, men, if any of those questions or something like them pertains to you, you have some repenting to do. You have completely missed the concept and astounding, powerful impact that sealing your marriage has.

God has ordained a marriage to allow two people to grow and prosper in Christ through His power. He has joined two very imperfect people together so that they can provide a safe place for each other to fail over and over again, and then be healed over and over again. In His eyes, they have covenanted to live their lives for the best interests of the other.

People today think nothing of violating the trust of their husband or wife at the drop of a hat, missing the fact that each violation minimizes the ability of the spouse to safely share his or her personal details. Each instance of gossip, “counsel” with a friend, or even a small verbal jab shows the spouse that communication with his or her mate is a potential danger of the exposure of his or her deepest needs. That danger closes the door to any form of deep healing.

God’s way is to have those He has joined together go to each other for their healing. He intends that every marriage should be sealed and off limits to everyone else unless both partners agree to have some form of counsel, and then only to a point they both agree on. Other than that, they are to go to God for the needs of the other. Once trust is established again, true God-impacted healing can take place. Maybe it’s time to rethink things.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

Open post

8/03/20 Have You Done What God Asked of You?

“If I were to call you home today, would your life give a testimony of your obedience? Would it show that you have listened to My direction and moved in My heart towards those around you through Jesus? Have you done what I asked you to do? More importantly, have you chosen time with Me over time with the world and its ways? Your life and how you spend it really counts, you know!”

I Sam. 15:22 NIV

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

Jer. 10:23 AMP

O Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps.

Luke 12:48b AMP

For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more.

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.

11) This 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.

12) In 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).

 

You and I have been born with a purpose and for a purpose. We are the Lord’s tools - designed, then redesigned and continually perfected to represent His heart and desire to our specific corner of the world, even to the angelic creation. Maybe we had better get on with it.

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.

Give me Your passions, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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