12/09/19 A Teachable Heart

        "Because of the changes taking place all around you, most of you will soon be out of your comfort zone. You will need to rely upon what you have learned about Me up until that time. You will need to call upon your knowledge of who I am and what I consider to be valuable. That is why you have been in such rigorous training. I have placed you in continuously intensifying situations to train you and make you strong in preparation for the coming time.

        "Most of you have responded favorably. You have learned to turn to Me and Me alone in your need. You have understood My desire that none should perish, and work toward that end as your priority each day. Your own needs and desires have decreasing value as you take on the values of Jesus. You are continually submitting to the finished work of the cross as your only source for life. I am very proud of you. I can trust you with much. I will be able to send you into circumstances with special needs, knowing that you will represent Me properly.

        "Some of you have found it difficult to submit fully to the training in which I have placed you. You are still struggling with the idea that you need to be shaken from the former, foolish, self-serving beliefs that you have held all these years. You are beginning to see, however, that your positive confessions, prosperity demands, and fist clenching aggressions will not hold up under the extreme situations you may soon face. I am grateful for your teachable heart, your desire for truth, and your willingness to leave behind immature beliefs. As you submit to the truth of My Word, I will build the necessary faith in you to trust Me with everything. You will see prosperity as I see it. You will understand the overwhelming power behind a crucified life. Study the life that Jesus lived. Keep your heart open to My Word. You can still be useful to My work if you submit to My truth.

        "Others of you will need to turn your hearts toward Me and My desires before I can trust you to do My will when faced with open aggressions, critical dilemmas, and life-threatening challenges that will come your way. You will need to either submit to My hand of training upon you, or you will be passed by when I need to call upon someone I can trust. I am willing to work with you as long as you have a teachable heart. Do not harden your heart to My training. Come to Me now while there is still time for you to learn of My ways. I am waiting."

Ps. 86:11 AMP

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk and live in Your truth; direct and unite my heart [solely, reverently] to fear and honor Your name.

John 4:34 NIV

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

II Cor. 5:18, 20a AMP

18) But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].

20a) So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us.

 

The true heroes of the Bible had a common characteristic that is little recognized as a warrior's heart and an unbeatable weapon in the face of danger. Their lives were not their own. Sometime before they were called upon to display this Christ-following character - whether they lived during Old or New Testament times - they had an understanding of the heart of God's ways and gave their lives fully to His use and service, no matter what the cost.

The true church of Jesus Christ fully recognizes the work that is being done in open, teachable hearts. It is a work of unquestionable submission to the cross and the kind of life it represents. It is the crucified heart that beats in unison with its Lord as a prepared bride, waiting for the wondrous moment of meeting her Groom.

As always, the enemy counterfeits a move of God to sidetrack its importance - in this case, the heart of full submission and sacrificial giving. He calls upon those who follow his plan to seek physical martyrdom for some sort of eternal gain, denying the eternal gain achieved at the cross. The suicide tactics displayed in today's world show that distorted and misdirected zeal. The enemy's followers lay their lives down sacrificially in order to do harm to others and for their own gain. Jesus laid His life down for the benefit of others.

God is calling His people to return to the heart that led Jesus to the cross. Obviously He in no way condones purposeful, planned, physical death; but He does require the setting aside of our own desires, replacing them with His desires - a death to our fleshly, carnal nature, which is accomplished in the spiritual realm. The degree to which we submit to God's will - at the expense of our own - is the degree to which God will be able to trust and use us.

Wanting to submit fully to the ways of Jesus,

Jim Corbett

Week of December 9th, 2019 Prayer Focus:

- For Families:

Pray for the families who lack the necessities this holiday season. Pray that the church rises up to help them.

- For Each Other:

Pray that we all exhibit the character of Jesus towards others.

- For Our Mission:

Pray that we have favor with zoning and planning commissions for our ministry center.

12/07/19 Be a Servant Leader

There is no greater example of the character of Christ being displayed than one who serves another. In the family dynamic, nothing speaks louder than example, especially examples of service. Even the hardest of hearts notices someone walking the walk of Christ-like behavior instead of simply talking the talk.

Bottom line, Father God is looking for a marriage that is the example of Christ and His church, and children who overcome the world just as Jesus did. As a father, there is no better way to tell them of His ways than by showing them how He lived and what He stood for. Your walk of servanthood leads them to His life.

It might be wise to define servanthood. A servant isn't someone who displays whimsical attitudes and selfish, uncaring actions. A servant holds a heart position of loving someone more than himself and his own desires. It means living for the best interests of those around him. It means having the inner strength to deny self for the good of another. It is overcoming the world in the strength of Jesus by walking in the kingdom of heaven on this earth with Christ as your only guide. A true servant is a powerful leader under the complete control of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was the best servant leader Who ever lived. Will you allow Him to live His life through you?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

12/07/19 Beyond the Present

        "Do you realize that every time you've failed Me is forgotten, if you have confessed it to Me? It is no longer on any register that I own. Why then do you hold on to it, as if Jesus never paid the price for that freedom? You see your failures and look past My desire to have you become all that you can be in Jesus. I am never against you. I will never give up on you. My promises have destroyed your stony heart and replaced it with a heart that is manageable, one that eventually will fully serve Me.

        "Look beyond what you are at present. I see who I have formed you to be and you are moving in that direction, each time you submit who you are not to the Lordship of Jesus. Bathe yourself in My mercy as I complete My work in you. Repent of who you are not. Accept My forgiveness. Let's walk in fellowship. I love you."

Psalm 55:22 AMP

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

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

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

Prov. 28:14 AMP

Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who reverently and worshipfully fears [the Lord] at all times [regardless of the circumstances], but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Eph 4:12-13 AMP

12) His 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.

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!]

 

Because of these messages, Merry and I receive communications from many parts of the U.S. and countries around the world. We hear from many dear children of God who are basking in the love of their Father God and walking in the freedom that has been provided at the cross for them.

At times, however, we receive disheartening correspondence from believers who feel that they have failed God once too often or are convinced that they have never and will never live up to the standards God has set for them. They vigorously point out their failures and the results of their lives that signify to them that God is angry at them or has forsaken them.

Nothing could be further from the truth of His Word. It is because of who we are not that Jesus died. It is because of our failures that God provided forgiveness through the cross of Jesus Christ. It is because of who we can never be in our own strength that we need a Savior and Lord. Jesus is His Name. Because of what He has done, we can walk in the forgiveness of God as often as we need to do so. What a glorious, wonderful Father God - Who loves us enough to have continual mercy on us each and every time we ask for it!

Thank You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

12/06/19 Journaling

I know that journaling may seem like a topic unrelated to raising up a child or restoring a marriage; but in reality, they work hand in hand because journaling only comes from quietly waiting on God. That kind of quiet - far from the din of everything we do as men - is so very important in receiving what is needed to overcome the challenges of marriage and child raising. Journaling those moments and reviewing what the Lord gives you can make an incredible difference over time.

In my research, I have found very few men who journal their quiet time with the Lord. Most say they simply don't have the time, or that they don't spend enough time with Him to require journaling. What an incredible indictment! That attitude is a perfect spawning ground for mediocre marriages and wayward children.

Think of this; sitting quietly with the Lord and allowing Him to minister to your spirit, give you insights into your challenges, and present you with answers and direction for your concerns. Then think about how important it would be for you to jot down all that He gives you. Now think about how important those notes and encouragements would be if you could refer to them weeks, months, or even years later. With journaling, you have unparalleled wealth at your fingertips whenever you need it. Journaling also allows you to remember His faithfulness in times past whenever you encounter a new challenge. It's like treasure hidden away for a later date. Got a pen?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

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