Category: From Our Fathers Heart

        “How are you preparing your house so that it is in order? What kind of training are you participating in to become a leader in the future activities of My design? What are you teaching your neighbors and your children by your style of living? There are three postures that My church has taken in these dangerous times and seasons. Some have chosen to continue in the false hope that everything in their selfish world will remain the same. They have made the decision to not prepare themselves for what is ahead and rely on others to determine their belief system. Foolishly going about their puny lives, they push aside conviction of sin, refuse to address issues in their lives that are out of order; and separate themselves from anyone who is seeking holiness. They are useless to My cause and have been nullified from My plan to save those around them.

        "Others have observed the seasons, have chosen to seek Me because of fear; and are preparing their places of safety. They are oblivious to My heart and will not enter into My chambers to receive instruction for the times ahead. These dry souls will fail Me at the first sign of danger and distract My people because of their own needs. I am sad for their wasted lives.

        "You, My children, have sought My heart and have embraced the training that I have sent your way. You have seen that the only place to be is in My presence to receive what is needed to rise above all that is about to occur. I am teaching your hearts to run to every need with which I am concerned, bathed in My presence and basking in the light of My glory. I am delighted with you. I will use you to bring those who will hear into My kingdom. You will be harvesters in the ripe fields that are all around you. You will prosper as I see prosperity, defending My Word and My Spirit before those who are oblivious to the truth. You are My holy, prepared people. I am with you as you rush, fully equipped, to the needs I present to you.”

Eph. 4:22-24 NIV

22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

Merry and I once had the sad opportunity to observe a couple who chose not to address some sin issues in their lives. More than likely this was not the first time they had the opportunity to be washed from their chosen folly. It was pitiful to watch them tap-dance around the issues presented with well-rehearsed and practiced denial of any wrongdoing when challenged. Instead of embracing the opportunity to repent of their sin, they pointed an accusing finger toward others and wallowed one more time in the same sin with which they were presently being confronted, right before our eyes. It was really slick to watch, but horrible to see as they refused any accountability for their harmful actions.

They had probably refused accountability so often that their hearts were hardened to any kind of counsel, because the Lord had us back off from further discussion of the matter with them. We are afraid that the Lord may have since chosen to turn them over to their sin because of their refusal to respond to His prompting once more. It is frightening to observe and more frightening to understand that they did not fool God. He is relentless against harbored sin in the lives of His children.

Christians are being given the opportunity to make proper life choices each and every day. God is weeding out those who refuse to be washed in the cleansing fire of His love from those who are really His with all of their hearts. He is separating those whom He will be able to trust with His anointing from those who have cast off His convicting presence to embrace worldly folly and familiar sin for a season. Anyone who consistently denies God’s opportunities to repent is truly a fool, and fools will never have the privilege of flowing in the presence and power of God.

Remove all foolishness from my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

        “Have you ever wondered why the battle sometimes takes longer than you would like? From My perspective, battles in any form accomplish much. They define motives, strengthen resolve, and determine alliances. Often, they bring heart issues to the forefront and create platforms for deep-rooted angers to express themselves. In most cases, the hardships that create seemingly endless difficulties in a person’s life are the very steppingstones to holiness. I watch every situation in which you find yourself. I examine all aspects of each encounter and make sure that everything purposed for that situation is accomplished.

        "As you grow in Me, you will realize that I really am in total control of all situations. My will is ultimately accomplished. Once that is fully ingrained in you, your battles become opportunities for you to rest in Me, while the battle rages all around you. While all forces are working to accomplish My will, you and I can rise above the clatter and enjoy each other. I will impart more of Myself to you because of your need of Me and your submission to Me.

        "I would like you to remember some of the “impossible” times in your past. What was the main outcome of each one? It was a deeper commitment on your part, and a closer relationship with Me. If that didn’t happen, you missed an incredible opportunity. You missed the privilege of allowing Me to fight on your behalf. The next time a battle of any sort arises in your life, use it as an opportunity to spend time with Me, rather than engaging in it yourself. You will find that the benefits of the situation far outweigh the hazards, no matter how difficult they might seem. When I become the reward for anything you do, you are greatly increased in more ways than you will ever know. Come to Me in all seasons of your life. I am always there for you.”

Joshua 5:13-15 AMP

13) When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries?

14) And He said, No [neither], but as Prince of the Lord’s host have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant?

15) And the Prince of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, Loose your shoes from off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.”

Psalm 46:1-2a AMP

1) God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

2a) Therefore we will not fear…

 

The above verses in Joshua have taught me as much about our relationship with God as any other verses in the Bible. Joshua was ready to engage in a battle that the Lord had ordained for him. All of a sudden, a mighty warrior was standing before him. The logical question was asked of the warrior, but a “not so logical and quite frightening” answer was given. “Whose side are you on?” made a lot of sense. “Neither” must have made Joshua’s heart skip a few beats until he heard the rest of the statement.

What makes me so excited was the whole scenario that was being played out. It is so simple when observed from a relationship perspective.

Joshua was entering into a battle that the Lord was going to win for him. The Prince of the armies was there to oversee everything. He didn’t take any side but the Lord’s, because the physical armies were only playing out the Lord’s will. All Joshua was really required and invited to do was to understand that the Lord was present, which made the very ground that he stood on holy; and therefore, worship of the victor was in order. The battle was relatively inconsequential; the outcome was predictable. The posture for Joshua was to get out of the way. “Come with Me while the work is being done. It is My battle.”

We all know how the battle was won - not by their power, nor their might, but by the Spirit of the Lord, God Almighty! What fun!!!

Teach me about You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

       “Most of you, My children, are afraid to need Me. You fortify your lives with support systems. You build back-up schemes, devise measures to remain safe, and implement plans to make sure you have the means for tomorrow in case it rains. You do not realize that you are building a house of cards. Nothing you are relying on will remain.

       "Little of what you are building has eternal value. Little of what you spend your time fretting about has My heart in it. In this closing season of time, My presence is in the midst of those who desperately need Me. My power is with you when you are helpless. I will never be only one of your many answers. I am your only answer!”

Psalm 20:6-7 AMP

6) Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

7) Some trust in and boast of chariots and some of horses, but we will trust in and boast of the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 46:1 AMP

God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

Isaiah 31:1 AMP

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek and consult the Lord!

There is only one God. He is the One and Only God. All other gods can never be trusted to take His place, no matter how powerful they may appear to be.

Teach me to trust only in You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

       “Few of you really understand the plans that I have for you. Many of you read My Word in an attempt to pattern yourselves after the heroes of the faith. You examine their lives, dissecting them to find the pieces that you feel comfortable enough to emulate. You will never find proper direction until you realize that difficult times require a hero’s heart. The times in which they lived demanded hard choices and selfless decisions. My warriors were ordinary people just like you, but they were valiant in their approach to the call that I had on their lives. I don’t see that same heart in most of My church today.

       "You are on the brink of major changes in your world. You know that the culmination of My plans is fast approaching. You see the times and seasons in which you live. Still, you have not made the heart decision to become a real player in the unfolding drama. You still consider your life, your finances, and your time to be your own. You have this hope that what you are seeing is not really happening. You are preparing for a time when things will return to normal. Your world will never be as it once was. You must finally accept that and plan your life accordingly.

       "Stop padding your personal portfolio. Draw a line in the sand of your life, and cross over to My side. Ask Me for a hero’s heart. Require of Me what is needed to equip you to represent Me properly. Pursue the kind of faith that allows you to sell out completely to My plans. The time is fast approaching when you will need to walk free from fear and from the entanglements of selfishness. You will be required to hold nothing as your own. Practice that now. Take on My heart motives as your own.

       "Do an about face from your personal plans and begin to walk with My motives for your life. Plan on being My new heroes. Equip others who have begun to move with Me until you can do so yourself. Plan on being a hero to those who will spend eternity with Me because of your representing Jesus to them.”

Hebrews 10:32-36 NIV

32) Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.

33) Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.

34) You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

35) So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

36) You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV

1) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3) Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Being in a ministry that observes the plans of God and encourages others to participate fully in those plans, I have seen many people stop short of the fullness of their calling. It is painful to observe someone on the brink of fully appreciating the reason he was born and the plan for his life; and then watch helplessly as he turns away because the cost is too high. Most people take on a posture of doing many “good” things in an attempt to make up for the emptiness that is in their hearts from knowing what they have done.

At this very moment, the signs are all around us that our world is changing. Who we once were as a great nation is long past. What we are to become is all part of the end-time plan of God.

What amazes me is how few people are really acting as if they have consciously considered the times in which we live. It is almost as if they do not want to acknowledge what is happening. We have become a church with white knuckles from holding on to the treasures that hold our hearts. Most of us will not even attempt to press into the plan for our lives. The price seems to be much too high to go all the way, even when God is calling us to do so.

I am reminded of the horrible scenes in movies taking place during the beginning stages of the Holocaust in Germany. Gallant people, who without knowing it were on their way to the gas chambers, feverishly packed their meager belongings and personal treasures to take with them, hoping to somehow hold on to the things they loved. They had no way of knowing how valueless those things would become in their near future. I can’t begin to understand the fear they must have been going through, so I won’t begin to claim that I would do anything differently.

The point I believe I’m supposed to make is how fast value that is placed on the things of this world can change. What is deemed as most important can become worthless in a matter of moments. Still we, being on the very threshold of possibly the most important time in history, are positioning our hearts for better times coming in the future, hoping that things will soon be back to normal. We are holding on to our treasures, treasures in each of us that Jesus spent His life for, and which are ordained for the work of God in these perilous times. It is as if we are looking and listening to what the Lord is saying, but not seeing and hearing what He is telling us. We do not even consider going to the Lord and asking for a spiritual hero’s heart, a heart like Jesus’, that will guide us properly during the challenges ahead.

Make no mistake. Investments in this world could overnight have little value. Investments in the desires of our Father God, however, will reap untold eternal harvests from the ripe fields around each of us.

Wanting to have the heart of God’s kind of hero,

Jim Corbett

       “If I were to take all hope from you, how would you fare? You would be left in dismal surroundings with nothing to look forward to. You see, I could never do that. It is against My nature as your Father. It is against My Word for you. Sending Jesus alone is hope beyond measure. What He has done in the heavenlies has brought hope to you. What He is continually doing makes a bright future for you.

       Look around. You have much for which to be thankful. You have a hope. You have a wonderful future, no matter what you might be facing at present. Place all that you are and all that you desire in My hands. They are hands of hope.”

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.”

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...”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

11) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

 

There is no one with a brighter future and more hope than a servant of the Lord. Submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ piles on reward after reward to our lives and gives us a destiny that cannot be matched by all the treasures the world has to offer.

Our future is bright. Our destiny is assured. Our life paths can be straight and our eternity is full of hope. We are truly blessed because of what Jesus has done for us and because of the love of our heavenly Father.

As the Father reveals all aspects of His heart, sometimes I reel with the overwhelming challenge that I am called to face. I begin to condemn myself for who I am not, cower at the prospects ahead of me as a Christian in the coming times, stagger at the weight of my responsibility to represent Jesus properly; and become discouraged as I attempt to prepare for His return. It is then that I remember that none of this was my idea in the first place. My Father has ordained my life and has promised to fulfill His plan for it and in it. My job is simply to need Him desperately.

Remind me to keep my eyes on You, Lord,

Jim Corbett