Category: From Our Fathers Heart

        “Few of you understand how much you harm yourself by reentering places and rejoining people from whom I have delivered you. Sometimes you even return for the sake of fleshly unity. Why would you decide on your own what is best for you, and then complain to Me when things become troublesome? I deliver you for reasons that you may not understand completely, but you must begin to trust that I know what I am doing.

        "I place you in refiner’s fires and then I remove you when you begin to look to Me for all of your needs. I deliver you, change your circumstances; and set your feet on solid ground, so that you can be part of My plan. I desire to use you. When you allow your own refiner’s fires back into your life, they destroy you rather than teach you My ways. You become ineffective.

        "You really need to take a good look at your life. Are you where I have placed you with those with whom I have placed you, or are you where you thought you should be without seeking My counsel? One is life; the other is death.”

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.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

8) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

9) “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Jeremiah 29:11-14a 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.

14a) I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

Acts 15:36-40 AMP

36) And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along.

37) Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative].

38) But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

39) And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

40) But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favor and mercy) of the Lord.

 

Because of these e-mail messages, I have come to know many, many people from all across the land, even in some remote parts of the world. Because of the strong, direct content of these messages, only those who choose to really go deeper with God, and have learned to wait on His counsel, continue to receive them for any length of time. Others ask to be removed from our mailings soon after their flesh is made uncomfortable by what is said.

What I have learned from many of those who are digging in with the Lord is how important it is to be exactly where He places us, exactly with whom He places us, for precisely as long as He desires us to be there, whether it is a wonderful experience or an intense challenge. On the other hand, I have learned that to remain there, wherever it is and with whomever it is, for one millisecond longer than the Lord desires for us is foolishness at a minimum and downright dangerous in most cases.

So many times I hear of people wondering where God is, when they are the ones who have moved far from where He wants them to be because of their own decisions and desires. He cannot bless them where they are, when they are out of His will. Only repentance and obedience will rectify an unhealthy, dangerous situation.

Take my hand and lead me on the right path, Lord,

Jim Corbett

        “I have created you from My heart. I have given My time to you because of My love. All the work of the cross, every stripe that Jesus took, every weight that He bore were because of His love for you. You are surrounded in compassions that initiate from My throne room. Nothing can separate Us, because nothing is powerful enough to interfere with that. I am your God and you are Mine. Our relationship is sealed. Our eternity is planned. Walk in the confidence of My love for you.”

Gen. 1:31 AMP

And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely…

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!]

II Cor. 1:21-22 NIV

21) Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,

22) set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

 

What a comfort to know of the life-giving love of our Father. How important it is to press into that love. Going even days without proper communication, proper investment in His Word, and proper acceptance of that love causes our inner being to long for Him. Without knowing it, we are starving to death on the inside. Jesus is life in the truest sense of the word. Without Him, we die in so many ways.

Thank You for Your life, Lord,

Jim Corbett

        “Join Me in destroying those things in you that separate Us or limit Our intimacy. You must not tolerate them in you if you desire to be completely Mine. You know what they are. I have been pointing them out over and over again. I use My Word. I use those I bring to you. Now it’s time that you listen and submit to My hand upon you.

        "As you fortify yourself against My intervention, you become opposed to Who I am. When you resist My removal of your sin and build your little support places to be able to remain where you are, instead of where I want you to be, you are no longer an ally to Me and My Word. That is not a good place to be! I am relentless in My covenant promise to make you into the image of Jesus.

        "You have some choices to make. Make the right ones and your joy will return because We are walking together again. It is always good for you to side with Me. I win!”

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.”

Romans 2:4 NIV

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

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 12:10-11 AMP

10) For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastened us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.

11) For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness – in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].

 

Forgetting God’s promise to be relentless against our sin is not a wise thing to do. It can be great cause for confusion as we deal with the reminders He places before us, if we think that they are attacks; or, worse yet, harbor thoughts that He has turned away from us. His great love is what motivates Him to eliminate those things that harm us and our relationship with Him. We need to join with Him against those things, rather than fight the process.

Help me to learn to work with You, not against You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

        “Have you ever considered that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus took place in a remote corner of a vast empire? If I hadn’t willed it to be noticed, it would have remained an obscure event. Even His crucifixion was one of many that took place week after week in that day. Because I chose to place My hand upon this event, that day on the cross was, among many things, the dividing day between the old and the new.

        "To this day, you determine your place in time as before or after this event. No other day in history is given so much importance, even by those who do not know that they are doing it. They function by My calendar whether they want to or not.

        "Have you ever considered that Paul’s letters were similar to many such pieces of correspondence written to loved ones from prisons? Because I had My hand on him, his writings have transcended time and history. He was simply being responsible for the ministry that was on his heart. I had greater plans. I chose that countless numbers of people would read them, so that is what happened.

        "In the same way, I choose that your life be significant. If you will simply follow My desires one day at a time, nothing will stop that from happening. I promise. You have My Word on it!”

Eph. 5:1-2 AMP

1) THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].

2) And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.

Col. 3:1-4 AMP

1) IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

2) And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

3) For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.

4) When Christ, Who is our life, appears, you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.

Ja 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].

 

A life that is significant is one upon which the Lord places His hand. Events and acts of obedience- such as the cross and the letters written by Paul - have great significance for obvious reasons. The cross of Jesus Christ is the single most significant event in all of history. Without it, nothing in this life really matters.

In God’s economy since the cross, however, your comings and goings are of great importance to God, especially if they are in obedience to His desires. The hugs that you give, the meals you provide, the smiles that you share are significant to our Lord. They, in their own way, could carry the weight of Paul’s letters, should the Lord choose to place His presence on them. You may never even know it until you are with the Lord.

I know a lady who at one time felt that she would never be used by God. She simply went about her days attempting to follow her Lord as best she could. She was diligent in caring for her ailing husband, and now has taken the call to pass on some of the works of a small ministry. I’m sure that there are times when the enemy loudly proclaims to her the insignificance of her life.

In God’s economy, however, the heavenlies proclaim the wonder and importance of her every day on earth. She is being used by God in ways that only a life in eternity will expose. God has His hand on her and her heart is His. That makes her of unlimited significance. It is the same with you as you follow the Lord, one day, one step at a time.

Wanting to move only with my Lord,

Jim Corbett

        “I cherish you. You are the delight of My heart. I cause all things to work together for your good. You have an inheritance that cannot be tarnished. You have a covenant with Me that cannot be revoked. I will take care of you. I love you!”

Ps. 149:4 NIV

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

John 3:16 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

 

Many of us forget that all Jesus did and all that He continues to do is a love letter to us from Father God. We are truly blessed to have a God who backs up His Word with action that is eternally effective through Jesus.

Wanting to honor You, my Lord,

Jim Corbett