10/17/19 As You Have Been Forgiven

"You walk in unforgiveness and still claim to be My vessel of service. How can that be? Forgiveness is what the cross of Jesus is all about. He died so that you could be forgiven. Forgiveness is what you have received so that We could talk. Forgiveness is what you are counting on when you stand in front of Me on that last day. Would you like to be given the same forgiveness that you have given others, especially those close to you? That is what will happen unless you change your heart. Forgive as Jesus did. Forgive as you have been forgiven. Don't think that I am with you in anything you do until you have forgiven everyone who has harmed you. Come to Me; I will help you!"
Matthew 5:23-24 NIV
23) "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24) leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."
The root sin of unforgiveness is pride.  Because that is rarely recognized, it is never really dealt with as such; and we evade submitting the root sin to the total Lordship of Jesus Christ. Anyone harboring unforgiveness toward another has, in essence, determined to hold that sin (real or imagined) over that person and has chosen to be the "lord" of that incident or grieving situation. The dominance and control exercised by the unforgiving party denies all that was promised to God when he/she committed to the Lordship of Jesus in all areas.  This area, therefore, remains under the dominance of Satan. Pride caused him to be expelled from the presence of God, and he is delighted when we follow his lead in any area of our lives.
If God has forgiven the person who has offended you but you won't, are you not telling Him that your position is loftier than His? In light of the truth, that's not possible, is it? What do you need to do at this point?
God demands that we forgive if we desire to be truly free.  He even shows us, in Luke's account of the crucifixion, that Jesus forgave all those who harmed Him; and also the repentant thief just before he died. We must do the same.
Unforgiveness, although often deeply masked by wounds, scars, and self-pity, is one of the greatest causes of weakness in the body of Christ and it will cripple any attempt to draw close to the Lord if left unconfessed. Once this main stronghold is acknowledged and confessed, a tide of healings and freedoms are able to surface and it can be brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Help me forgive everyone, Lord,

 
Jim Corbett

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10/17/19 Circumstances

Few of us really understand how much circumstances rule our lives. Most of us men react to circumstances in the same way we did before we came to the Lord. We analyze the situation, check on the options, and then make the decision that seems best based on the known criteria. Few of us really understand how far that is from the way the Lord desires us to act.
Our Lord functions in the supernatural. His purposes are far from our way of thinking. As we are making decisions which seem best based on what we know, what if the Lord is using the circumstances to train us or those around us? What if He is not looking for the logical decision because He knows more about the ultimate result than we do? What if He wants you to do the illogical, even foolish, so your faith in Him can grow?
Often I have made a decision that seemed like a step of faith, thinking I was obedient to the Lord's wishes, only to find myself in a boxed canyon with no way out. I had prayed, sought counsel and then moved, thinking that things would work out perfectly. When they didn't, I thought I had missed God. God, on the other hand, had me just where He wanted me. I needed Him because I found myself with no answers. The circumstance had nothing to do with success or failure, but it had to do with my training. It had to do with the need for me to be out of answers and surrendering myself to Him - a much deeper work than I thought was being done.
Men, we are in training to hear God and move only where and when He desires to move. Our bottom line is answers. His bottom line is to make us more like Jesus, doing nothing of ourselves and trusting Him in all things. Will you trust Him wherever He leads?
Let's talk more!
Jim Corbett

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10/16/19 Hidden in Christ

"Since the days of Jesus, My kingdom has come upon the earth. What are you doing to further it? What kind of life are you living to proclaim Jesus and have My Word go forth? As Jesus sent His people forth two by two to that generation, I am sending you. I call you to heal the sick. You are to bring life to those who are dead. Do not worry about your life for it is hidden in Christ. I will provide for you. My hand is upon you. My heart is for you. My Holy Spirit is with you. Fear nothing for you are Mine."
Matthew 11:12 NIV  
"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."

Luke 10:10-11a NIV
10) "But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into the streets and say,
11) 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you.'"
Luke 10:17-20 NIV
17) The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
18) He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
20) However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
When some of those, who had been sent to proclaim that the kingdom of God was manifesting in that generation, came back, they marveled at the power they had been given. Jesus had them refocus on the importance of who they were in Him, rather than on what they were able to do.
Each of us, who belong to Jesus, has the astounding privilege of furthering God's kingdom in our generation. There is no more important task available to all of mankind. What we do for our Lord with a pure heart will testify of our love for Him during our lifetime.
As important as that is, who we have become is far more important than what we do. Have we taken up our cross, His cross? Have we given all that we are willingly, so that He can live His life through us? Have we exchanged our priorities to own His priorities in our hearts? Have we emptied ourselves of our own interests to take on His heart of love in all that we do?
Jesus lived, died, lived again, and then left so that His life, loves, and heart motives could be reproduced over and over again by the power of the Holy Spirit in each of us who call Him our Lord and Master. None of us, however, are called to give away what we do not own in our hearts. Those who are looking for the truth of God's Word will not listen to those who talk of Jesus, yet do not reflect Him in their words and actions.

Make me like You and send me forth, Lord,

 
Jim Corbett

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10/16/19 The Purpose of Challenges

As part of His covenant with us, God has promised to give us every opportunity to become like Jesus. He allows us to go through challenges and devises means for us to come to the end of ourselves.  He guides and directs our responses to those challenges as barometers of our progress toward holiness.
Let's talk facts. Although this life is not about us, this life we live has great importance in God's eyes. His whole plan is the perfecting of those who will be spending eternity with Him. As we focus on Jesus, God is focusing on us to make us into His image. He is orchestrating opportunities for us to make decisions. Those decisions become more and more like the decisions that Jesus, in His holiness, would make as we submit to God's hand. Without opportunities to come to the end of ourselves and turn to God for help, we would never experience our Father's keeping power over us. Our need imparts God's wealth to us as we surrender.
As men after the Savior's heart, we understand that challenges are only spiritual opportunities to grow in Christ. As those who do want to become like Jesus, we have learned to embrace any and all challenges that come our way as acts of love, not as reprimands. In doing so, we release the power of the Holy Spirit to move in concert with God's plan for our lives as we grow closer to Him from challenge to challenge. Will you pay the price?
Let's talk more!
Jim Corbett

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10/15/19 The Image of the Father

Jesus is the image of His Father. Even though He walked on this earth as a man, He was the perfect spiritual imprint of Who His Father is. His Spirit is alive with the wealth of all that His Father is by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As spiritual men, men with the same Holy Spirit dwelling in us that lives in Jesus, you and I are to pattern our lives after His. We are to walk and conduct ourselves in the same way that He walked and conducted Himself. His pattern of doing nothing of Himself and relying totally on the Father should be our course in life. His desire to commune with His Father as the priority of His days should be a craving of our hearts. As we go to God in prayer, a primary petition should be to ask Him to make us like Jesus.
Because your offices of husband and father are spiritual in nature and ordained by God, the spiritual patterns you set are very important. As you imitate the patterns of Jesus' life, you give impressions about His life to those who are watching you. They see who He is when you represent His life properly.
Jesus showed us the Father. Now we are to show others who Jesus and His Father are through our lives. What do They look like to those who are watching you?
Let's talk more!
Jim Corbett

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