Category: From Our Fathers Heart

“What are you doing about the extremely difficult times that are on the crest of your horizon? Why have you not heeded My warnings and prepared properly? You act as if your world could never change. You pray that it won’t because you desire to remain comfortable and fear losing those things that are safety handles for you. Your security remains in the things you have and the walls you have built to fortify your lifestyle. They all could be gone in a heartbeat. What will you do then?

“In times past, those who did not heed My warnings joined the plight of the uninformed and fearful. They suffered the fate of those who only knew of Me rather than those who had intimacy with Me. That is not what I desire for you. I need you to know Me intimately so that you can point others to Jesus when their world falls apart, instead of falling apart with them. That doesn’t seem to matter enough to you to do whatever it takes to walk in wisdom now instead of remaining asleep. I need for you to wake up. You can respond to My call voluntarily, or I will change your heart through hardship for your benefit.”

2 Samuel 14:14b NIV

“But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.”

Proverbs. 29:1 AMP

HE WHO, being often reproved, hardens his neck shall suddenly be destroyed—–and that without remedy.

Isaiah 48:3 NIV

“I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.”

Jeremiah 12:5 AMP

[But the Lord rebukes Jeremiah’s impatience, saying] If you have raced with men on foot and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? And if [you take to flight] in a land of peace where you feel secure, then what will you do [when you tread the tangled maze of jungle haunted by lions] in the swelling and flooding of the Jordan?

John 19:11 NIV

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above…”

Phil. 3:10-11 AMP

10) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

11) That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

 

Most of us get angry at God when He shakes up our little world, or we blame the devil for difficult times when they enter our lives and remain long enough for us to think that God has forgotten us. Few of us take the time in our panic to deliver ourselves from whatever has disturbed us to consider that our plight may be the hand of God conforming us into someone He can use to bring others to Christ. We would rather fight against a perceived enemy than submit to His desired change in us.

Even minimal observation of the world around us points to loud voices – connected to evil hearts that desire their own way with no consideration of those they hurt - becoming more prevalent. Good is now interpreted as evil and evil is heralded as good. Reason falls way behind anger. Lust has replaced honest love. Might, when powerful enough, impacts the lives of everyone involved.

God will always have a people who will not be caught unaware. His people will be prepared for anything and stronger than everything that stands in His way, because they have made their God the only priority in their lives. With eyes and hearts that look only to Him, no power on earth or in the heavens will defeat children of God who are intimate with their Father God, any more than it could defeat Jesus. Read the above verses in Philippians 3 to see the formula for overcoming.

I choose You as my priority, Lord.

Jim Corbett

“You need to destroy all the idols that remain in your life, tear down every altar used to worship other gods; and walk away from every temptation that allows you to harbor sin. Once this is finished, I will be able to move mightily through you. Until it is accomplished, you will have little strength to stand, and little desire to overcome those things that stand in the way of Our fellowship.

 “The idols that you have overlooked have forced you to squander precious moments of the life that I have given you. They stand in the way of My allowing you to receive hidden manna. They hinder you from seeing My Word clearly. You need to be finished with them. Look away from them. Turn toward Me in everything you do. I will show you where they are. I will give you the strength to destroy them. I will hold you until you are strong enough to stand without them in your life. Together We will rejoice as they are nullified. You will be free. I will be able to use you.”

Joshua 7:13 AMP

Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel. You can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction].

Isaiah 30:21 NIV

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

 

Does it not make sense that the weaknesses in our land are due in part to the weaknesses in the church? Since each of us joined together comprise the church, I believe it is fair to say that we each contribute to the weakness that is in our land through our own weaknesses.

I realize that we are to do everything by the power of our Lord and not in our own strength. I also realize that when I harbor any sin in my life, I am incapable of coming close to the Lord until it is removed. Our Father is asking each of us to look for those strongholds that we may still be holding close, the ones that have become so familiar that we do not even recognize them as strongholds anymore. He wants them out of our lives, so that we can take that next step to holiness.

There is a move of the Lord at hand. He is planting the desire for holiness in His people. That desire stirs up the willingness to join with our Lord against anything that would hinder our relationship with Him. The maturity of aggressively joining Him in the search is vastly different than when we were young in Him. Then we were tight fisted with our sin until He did what was necessary to pry open our hands to release that sin. Now we are to join Him in finding it.

Help me find them fast, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“There is no limit to My love for you. There is no price too high for your companionship. I have already proven that. Soon, you will see how important your life has been. Soon, you will understand fully why I chose to do things in the way I did. Remove the limits of your love. Open your heart completely to My ways. I have given you My all. Now you do the same for a little while longer. You will be amazed at how much impact you can still have.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

6) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7) Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 38:17 NIV

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 46:9-10 AMP

9) [Earnestly] remember the former things [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God and there is none like Me.

10) Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all My pleasure and purpose.

 

Yep! It’s about a whole bunch of stuff - much, much bigger than our cravings and infinitesimal desires. Plans far beyond our comprehension are being implemented every moment of time. All we are asked to do is our part and that, only by the power of God.

For some unknown reason, you and I have been included in the magnificent plans of the Creator of all things. To Him, our lives mean something. Our days are important. His investment in us is way beyond our comprehension. We really need to take our eyes off our small, daily world and get involved in what Jesus is doing around us. Just because!

Change my focus, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Remember when I told you that you can’t give away what you do not own? The opposite is true also. You cannot own what has not been given to you. Ownership is such an incredible concept in My kingdom. Jesus owned nothing because He chose to give away all that He had, so that you could have everything. You are now asked to give everything away if you desire to possess all the treasures of heaven. When your heart is empty of any desire, other than to possess whatever cannot be yours unless it is given to you by Me, I will fill it with Myself. When that happens, all that I am and all that I possess become yours. It becomes yours to give away.

“This is not a game; it is a wonderful principle that is beyond carnal understanding. Enjoy it with Me. Ownership in your earthly world causes you nothing but bondage. First, you strive to gain whatever it is that you desire to own. Then you walk in bondage because you fear losing whatever holds your heart. Ownership in My kingdom is exactly the opposite. The single possession of My Spirit is everything that you will ever need. When it is yours, however, your only purpose is to make sure that others receive it.

“By your new nature, you must give it away. It is the nature that Jesus possesses. Seek to rid yourself of all desires that have value in your world. Receive My heart so that you have riches enough to share with everyone you meet. I will then give them the heart of Jesus. They will then have everything, so that they are free to own nothing.”

I John 4:16-18 AMP

16) And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

17) In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completeness and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.

18) There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

 

While I was writing the above message, I felt a joyous, almost playful spirit. It seemed that the Lord was having fun presenting what at first glance seemed like the “foolishness” (in the eyes of the world) of His ways in comparison to the foolish ways of the world. In reality, however, the wealth of the concept of godly ownership versus earthly ownership is astounding. It is the epitome of love. Someone who walks in God’s kind of perfect love owns nothing for himself. It is the heart of Jesus as He endured the cross, so that each of us could be separated from our sin, which separated us from God. Owning everything, He willingly gave everything away in heaven and then on earth in order for that to happen.

If we would examine our lives, we would discover that whenever we have a fear of any kind, it has to do with the prospect of losing something that we own; or more accurately, something that owns us. We fear losing our possessions, our health, our freedoms, and even our lives.

Jesus functioned in such perfect love that He willingly gave all of His life away. The leaders and the rulers of that time couldn’t take His life because He had already given it away long before they even met Him. All of their power had no power over Him, because He functioned in a realm where true power was exhibited - not through ownership, but through love. No one can kill a person who is already dead.

In these times, the world understands fear, and people use it against each other to maintain control. What is not understood is true love - not the foolish interpretation of love that suggests weakness, but the overcoming power of God’s kind of love. We, as Christians, are not only free from the wrong kind of fear of God, but we can also be free from all the fears of the world if we choose to function in that love. Sometimes it will look like we have lost because of the way we love; but in reality we have won, just like Jesus did.

Needing to function in God’s kind of love,

Jim Corbett

“Do you fully understand the changes that are happening all around you? If you look past your fears and the lies of the world, you will see that they are My hand of promise and My refining fires of change.

“For some time I have been calling My people to prepare for a time when they will need to really know Me. That time is just on the horizon. For some of you it is already at your door. Do not think that the answers that the world is searching for are the answers I will allow you to partake in. You need to look only to Me.  My Holy Spirit will point you to Jesus and His ways. The more you become like Him, the less the world and its fears will be able to touch you.

“I need a people who will do more than just survive in the coming times. I need valiant warriors for the cause of Jesus, people who love as He does and are willing to live as He did in your midst. I want you to be used. Submit to Him this day. Overcome what is happening now and prosper in the times ahead.”

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 9:23-25 AMP

23)And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].

24) For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death].

25) For what does it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and ruins or forfeits (loses) himself?

Acts 4:29-31 NIV

29) “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

30) Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

31) After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

 

We are in the habit of protecting our comfort zones. We spend our lives building and maintaining. When what we have begins to slip through our fingers, we cry and call out for help from our Lord. “Please keep me safe from harm,” we say.

All the safety handles of life are being shown for the fleeting, false security that they always have been. The only real safety is in Jesus. Once we know that, and own it in our hearts, we can be used to do the will of our Father in heaven. He desires that we care nothing for our lives, what we own and what owns us, and really care for His desire that none should perish.

From the looks of things, things are well on their way to being exposed for what they are. Darkness is now being called light, and the real light is laughed at and criticized for being darkness. Those who are walking in the light of Jesus are being called blind and foolish.

At the same time, there is a panic in the hearts of those who have counted on the world and its ways to give them a sense of security and worth. All is falling away. All is becoming hopeless. They need to be given the real answer. His Name is Jesus.

Jesus is now asking you and me if we choose to cower in the darkness with those who cannot see, or desire to bring His light into those places. Are we going to really step into our calling as children of a powerful God and take His answers to those who need Him, or are we going to hide in hovels that have no safety?

Make my light brighter, Lord,

Jim Corbett