2/17/20 Corrections of Love

As God continues to reveal your shortcomings, be of good cheer! God is doing the wonderful work in you that He promised so you can fulfill your roles as husband and father. A while back, you didn't even know those things were part of you, did you?

I used to see everything I wasn't as a totally negative experience - probably my pride as much as anything else. Now, as the Lord gives me continual reminders of just exactly who I am and how far I have to go to be like Jesus, I am more able to give myself over to Him, knowing only He can change me and that He wholeheartedly desires to do so. My appreciation of Him has increased as He also builds the faith in me to believe that He really is Who He says He is.

What chance would my family have if I chose not to respond to the changes the Holy Spirit is always ready to do in me? Where would we be if God never exposed me for who I really am? Probably sitting comfortably in some church pew with no clue as to the rude awakening in store for me down the road. Have you seen any shortcomings lately?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

2/17/20 Motives Count

       "What is most important to you? What consumes your thought patterns? How close are your thoughts to My Word? If you are wondering why you have no peace or confidence in Me, why don't you examine your motives for doing what you do? If you are full of unforgiveness, anger, self-serving agendas, or self focused direction, how can I be there with you?
 
       "You are not listening to the heart of My Word. I cannot go where you choose to live with your heart. I will never go anywhere that denies My Word. Why do you stay there and wonder why I am not fulfilling your requests? Get your heart in line with My Word. Repent of any area of your life that is out of line. Move to Me. I am where I always am, watching over My Word to perform it."
 
Joshua 24:15 NIV
 
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
 
2 Chr. 7:14 NIV
 
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin..."
 
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..."
 
James 4:10 AMP
 
Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].
 
Rev. 3:19 AMP
 
Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].
 
 
If we attempt to hold on to our lives, striving to maintain any semblance of control over them, we will lose their real value. If we voluntarily lose our lives, willingly taking the posture of Jesus by giving everything away to God, we gain more than we could ever believe possible. When we choose to make these fleeting moments in time that we call our lifetime all about the glory of the Lord, He shows us that He has far more for us than if we had been concerned only for ourselves.
 
It works like this: If we really do give everything away, He draws so close to us that our nature is superseded by His nature; and consequently, we care less and less about our own needs the more we come to Him. (Supersede - to force out of use as inferior, to take the place, room, or position of.) Our surrender causes the Lord to develop in us the character of Christ - a nature that is deeply in love with the Father and wanting only His desires - in place of our selfish, carnal character. The freedom achieved through our submission is the really good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God lovingly brings us out of the horrors of our fleshly nature. He places His life in us when we come to Jesus; then He adds and adds Himself each time we surrender.
 
Take my life and conform it to Your Word, Lord,
 
Jim Corbett

Week of February 17th, 2020 Prayer Focus:

- For Families:

Pray that families understand the value they have in each other.

- For Each Other:

Pray that each of us attempts to see others as Father God sees them.

- For Our Mission:

Pray that we will not deviate from the calling our Lord has given us as we wait for His plans to unfold.

2/15/20 Action Reaction

Men, in general, function on an action-reaction basis. If you hit a nail with a hammer - action, the nail will be driven into the wood - reaction. Sometimes it's hard for us to understand God's action-reaction principles. Let's take prayer for instance.

If we take the time to pray - especially about something specific - we wonder why we don't immediately see the results of our prayers. We forget that the simple act of praying - turning our need over to God instead of just handling it ourselves - glorifies God. That act in itself is the right thing to do, especially when we put aside something we deem important to do it. We honor God by praying and recognizing that He is the source of our answer. (In His great love, He even provides answers throughout our lives for things that aren't even on our radar screen, just because He chooses to bless us.)

Those seeming delays to our prayer requests accomplish far more than we can imagine. Only God can see the whole picture. While we're waiting, He's refining heart motives, orchestrating circumstances, clearing a path, developing patience ... and maybe even preparing our hearts to receive the answer to our prayers. This may take some time. In terms of action-reaction time, it could become days, months, even years! As husbands and fathers, we need to put aside the concept of immediate answers and trust in the principles of the kingdom of God.

If you are seeking God for a specific need, don't give up if He hasn't chosen to work on your timetable. He started swinging the hammer at the time of your prayer, maybe even before. The nail will be impacted in God's proper timing.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

2/15/20 Following the Perfect Example

        "When was the last time you were an advocate for Me? Have you defended Who I am recently? Have you upheld My Word when it was maligned by someone? Have you represented the life of Jesus when others were saying that the life of the world is the way to live? You are My representative. You are living where I have placed you with very specific people, for very specific reasons. Begin to represent Me properly in every situation. Defend My honor! Defend My plan for others! Defend the cross! Defend My heart!"

Matt.16:19 AMP

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth, must be whatever is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:24-25 AMP

24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

25) For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

 

So often we forget that one of the main reasons we are here on this earth is to represent God in all of our actions through Jesus. His plan is that others see Jesus in the way we live so that none will perish.

Jesus had a passion to empty Himself and live a life devoted to others. He would never lift Himself up or hold Himself in higher esteem than anyone else - even the lowliest leper. Even though He was God, He held everyone in His heart as more important than Himself; especially those who laughed at, tortured, and crucified Him. He could not be wounded by their sin; He could only see their desperate need.

In the true spirit of advocacy, Jesus also desires to see His Father put first and is constantly looking to have Him glorified. His delight is in having Father God as the object of esteem in the hearts of those He loves. All of His mortal life, and now all of His kingly life, undergirds and points to the Father. There is no "one-sidedness," however, as all of the Godhead - in unity of spirit, being one - point to each other's wealth.

As the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus, who functions as our advocate, delights to see us accepted and perfected. He would gladly go to the cross again and again, if He had to, so that we could prosper and be complete in His Father's love; and so that His Father would continually have the pleasure of our company. (Praise God that everything was finished once and for all at Calvary!)

With Jesus as our example, and with the Father's love flowing through us, we are to walk as advocates for our Lord, each other as believers, and then on behalf of those who have need. Our adoption into the family of God, our sonship, gives each of us the heritage and ability to do so through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Fix me, so that others see You in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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