1/16/20 The Dog and Pony Show

For many years, the errant, undiscerning church has embraced various ways that they interpret as the presence of God being with them. False prophets, so-called evangelists whose agenda is to build a following, and even just plain, honest people needing to hear from God have manipulated the Word, tapped into the wrong source of supernatural power, and even flat out lied in their claims of supernatural intervention - some trying to convince their audience that God is real, others to make themselves look credible and important. The world has watched this dog and pony show for so long, that they've cast aside any need for this kind of foolishness in their lives.

Make no mistake. God is real, and He is about to separate make-believe religion from the cross-won relationship given to us by Jesus. I believe that He is about to clearly define Himself to the true church and to the world. In fact, He has already been proving Himself strong in other parts of the world, and beginning to do the same here in America.

As a husband and father, you need to become very discerning in the days ahead. Business-as-usual policies will not be an answer to the needs and challenges on the horizon. Only a real relationship with Jesus and a determination to walk in the world as He did will allow you to overcome as He did.

It's time to stay away from the dog and pony shows and seek out honest believers, who are only concerned with the souls of men and women, the truth of the Word going forth, and glorifying the Lord. Hang with them and you will walk right into an atmosphere ripe and prepared for the overwhelming, wonderful presence of our majestic God and Father. It's a good place to be.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

1/16/20 Eternal Truth

        "Everything that you see happening is about lies and truth. It is the continuing battle that will bring forth the culmination of My plan, just as I promised it would. As the elements of the plan unfold and the players come and go, you will see blatant deceptions and half truths. You will see right-sounding agendas and seemingly pure motives-designed to move the battle lines one way or another-achieving small, temporary victories that will fade with the next encounter.

        "Little by little, every nation will be affected and involved as the battles escalate, until a cry for peace rings throughout your world. There will then be what looks like an answer, but there will still not be truth. I am the only Truth. I always was. I always will be. Your temporary battles are an infinitesimal portion of the absolute truth that governs the heavenlies and is, at present, overcoming the father of lies for all eternity. My truth will continue on for eternities upon eternities.

        "In the times ahead, when the battles rage, you will be asked to pick sides. You will be asked to choose between one agenda or another. You would be wise to see through the smoke and the fire and look to My Word. Choose My plan and overcome the battle lines. I am asking you to bring others to Truth. That is My plan for you. He is Jesus."

John 4:34 NIV

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

Joshua 5:13-14 NIV

13) Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

14) "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come."

 

An overview of all of recorded history shows nations rising and falling, wars in diverse places, men coming to power, only to fall to the next person more powerful; and generations of people raised up only to cease to exist. From His heavenly post, Father God - although concerned about each and every hair on every head that ever existed - moves and directs, guides and leads every person and every nation, all for the eventual outcome of His completed plan. Our days are in His hands and for His use. The final generation will see a world leader emerge out of the revived, old Roman Empire. This leader will be the predicted antichrist, who is determined to establish himself as God. He will lose one final battle with the Lord.

History, however, is also about people - people just like you and me - with very real lives, who are living in our apportioned time in God's timeline to accomplish our portion of God's overall plan. Once we are born, all the mechanisms of God track and direct our lives, giving us every opportunity to make the choice of committing our way to God or rejecting Him for all eternity. In more recent generations, once we choose God through Jesus Christ, the only access provided, we have the privilege of seeking the heart of Father God and obtaining our individual part in His overall plan. We have the opportunity to become players, moving with God to implement His wishes; or non-players, going along for the ride and clueless to what is really happening.

As players, we have the honor of setting aside all that hinders His will to be accomplished in us, eagerly flowing with His unfolding plan. Our concerns are not earthly, our war is not with people, our hearts are not on the material. Our eyes focus on the spiritual and see God's truth unfolding above every earthly situation.

As non-players, everything we see is carnal. Our deepest concerns are for the immediate, our time is spent in providing protection for our little area in life; and our hearts are for safety and comfort for ourselves. When our small world is threatened, we have little wisdom to embrace the overall plan of God. Unable to see God's truth, we hope that we will win over any threat to our lives. Success is attained only if, after any conflict is resolved, we emerge unscathed, and continue our selfish little lives of pursuing personal safety and comfort. We cannot envision God's truth as harming our small perspective of life in any way. We are short-sighted fools, living fruitless lives.

Our generation of believers is at a crucial juncture. Each of us must set aside our own desires for protection and safety, and focus our attentions toward God's truth. What is He doing? Why are the things happening around us happening? What are the daily headlines all about?

If we don't focus all of our attentions toward finding God's perspective in every situation, our prayers will be selfish and self-serving, our actions will be carnal, and our witness will be nullified. We may even be fighting against the overall plans of God without knowing it. What a horrible prospect!

Show me Your truth, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/15/20 All Smoke and Mirrors

Have you ever heard someone say that magic tricks are all smoke and mirrors? The magician deceives us by using tactics that distract us from reality and turn us to the false reality he wants us to accept. His illusions and deceptions appear genuine in our minds, unless we uncover his secrets - his use of false images and just plain trickery.

Believe it or not, the devil does the same kind of trickery every day in each of our lives. He continually goads us to believe that what the world presents is reality. He flashes false wisdom, creates seemingly insurmountable scenarios, tries to plant his own thoughts in our minds, and attempts to deceive us into thinking that he holds the keys to our days.

Well, as real as his plan seems, it's all smoke and mirrors. The Word says that we're to look past what we see with our earthly perceptions, and focus on the eternal, the truth of what's really happening. We're to allow the Lord to retrain our thinking. We're to look past what seems normal, and see what the Lord has done and is doing in every situation. We're to believe more in God's kingdom principles than the principles we've been taught by the world all our lives.

There is no smoke and there are no mirrors with God. His Word is always true. His promises are always reliable. What Jesus has done for us will always be real, no matter how much it is distorted by the world and its ways. You can rely on the fact that God is far more powerful than any situation you face. God said it; therefore, it is clear, honorable, smokeless truth. Do you believe it?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

1/15/20 Not in Your Own Strength

        "Do you know that your job is simply to trust Me to do whatever is necessary in your life? When you have a need, turn to Me. When I show you who you are not, submit to Me and surrender to Jesus that He might live His life through you.

        Why do you try to live this life in your own strength? Turn to Me for your every need. Turn to Me for the changes that are needed in you. Trust Me to do what is necessary to make you who you are to be in Me. All this is My idea. Allowing Jesus to live through you is My plan. Trust Me to perform what I have promised. I am faithful."

Gal.3:3 NIV

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Gal. 5:22-23a AMP

22) But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,

23) Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence)...

 

Most of us really love to play the Holy Spirit in our own lives. We love to participate in our own getting better before God, when God has always said that our place is to die. We are to die to our own strengths, our own abilities; and most of all, our own attempts to be like Jesus. This is all God's work, not ours. The sooner we believe this fact and choose to walk in it, the sooner we will have freedom to overcome our doubts and needs and rest in the Jesus Who loves us.

Teach me to rest in You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/14/20 Mind Wars

Does this sound familiar? You're finally able to clear your busy schedule and find those few quiet moments you've been looking for to spend time with God, only you're unable to focus on Him. The Bible study part comes relatively easy because you can focus on the words on the page; but to sit quietly and simply wait on Him for intimate communication is an incredible task. Your thoughts go to incidental stuff that needs to be done, old sins, the work load that's waiting, etc., etc. Finally, you give up and walk away, feeling that your time was wasted or even that you've failed God one more time.

Most of us don't realize the real war we face. The enemy has relatively little trouble with us going to church, attending men's breakfast meetings, feeding the poor, or participating in any other spiritual in nature activity. However, if he can keep us from building an intimate relationship with our Lord, he wins. His deadly fear is that believers - especially men who are stewards of others - will develop an intimacy of love, power, and spiritual wealth with their Father in the throne room. The enemy is already defeated through the cross, but he loses all battles in every area of our lives if we get our strategies directly from God.

Therein lies the battle. We, as believers, need supernatural wisdom to overcome the world. The only place we can get this kind of wisdom is in quiet intimacy with our Father God. Since the enemy knows this, he will do anything to keep us from that kind of interaction. He will use extreme challenges, distractions, business, remembrances of past fishing trips, anything to keep us from developing that relationship.

Understanding the war and knowing the primary battle is the first step to winning. The battle plan is to keep going to God and pressing in through His power. Cast down the imaginations placed in your way. Give them over to the Lord. Seek God for His power to keep your mind focused. Press in, press in, and press in some more until the only desire you have in your heart is to be with your Father. Delight yourself in the Lord, and all the heart desires and needs you have will become part of the full, mature, loving relationship for which you've been born.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

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