Category: From Our Fathers Heart

“As your true Father, I observe you with unfailing love. I watch your comings and your goings and monitor your life so that you do not wander too far.

"As I watch you, I am continually blessed to be your Father. You honor Me as you represent Jesus properly. You honor other members of your family when you consider them with the same heart that He does. You bring joy to all of Us, as you are mindful of those who hurt and are in need.

“When your perspectives become clouded, I make sure that you regain your focus. I direct you to the proper path and bring you back to right thinking through many ways. I know that some of them are uncomfortable, but they are necessary.

“You see, I desire that you grow up bright and strong in the knowledge of Who I am, who you are, and who you represent. We are family, Father and children.”

II Sam. 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.”

John 1:10-14 NIV

10) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -

13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14) The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Eph. 3:17-19 AMP

17) May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

18) That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

19) [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!”

 

When we really understand how important the concept of family is to God, it’s no wonder Satan has worked so hard to destroy it. We have become so used to the modern family that the concepts of a loving, available father, and devoted, parent-honoring children; and the incredible power of a unified, selfless effort toward common goals elude us as part of the family unit. We have lost our purpose because we have missed the plan of God concerning His way of letting us know, first, that we belong to something bigger than ourselves; and then, second, why we belong.

Because we are in Christ, we are born into an eternal family under a gracious, loving Father. We belong to a God-ordained unit, flowing in love toward Him and each other. At least that is the way our Father desires it.

Help me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“I want you to think of the hardest heart that you personally know, someone who has harmed you. I want you to devote your day to pray for him or her. Present him or her to Me every time he or she comes to mind.

“Two things will happen. You will find out where your heart is toward that person - whether you are able to care as Jesus cares - and you will be reminded of how much I really care for those who curse Me.”

I 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.”

Matthew 5:13 AMP

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality) how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

Luke 6:41-46 NIV

41) “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

42) How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

43) “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

44) Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.

45) The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

46) “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

 

What an incredible concept: to have the Lord take a whole day of my life to pray for someone who will probably never know nor care that I’ve done it. Even so, think of what the Lord might choose to do in that person’s life and mine if I’m obedient to do what He asked!

Give me Your heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“Be careful not to become complacent. If things seem to be quiet all around you, even for a moment, make sure you remain diligent. Continue in prayer. Continue in the mission to which I have called you. Pray for those involved with you.

 “The enemy never sleeps. His methods are insidious. You are in a battle. Do not allow yourself to be deemed ineffective because you fell asleep when everything seemed to indicate that the battle was over.”

II Cor. 10:3-5 AMP

3) For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.

4) For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds.

5) [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

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.

 

The battle for souls will continue until the last soul that will come has surrendered to Jesus. There is never a time that we are called to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. We are continually in the front lines whether it feels like it or not.

If you do not have a desire for anyone and everyone that you meet to know Jesus, you are not aware of your continuous mission. Maybe it’s time to rekindle the fire that is intended for you. Maybe the Lord needs to change your focus.

Never allow me to become complacent, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“When are you going to take stock in the fact that your world is changing with alarming speed? When will you acknowledge that you are seeing Words that were said long ago being fulfilled in your day, during your lifetime?

 “You are the end-time generation. You are the highly called ones, who have a mandate to gather all the real wisdom of the ages; and present it so that those who have ears to hear can make a proper decision. You are the only generation that is capable of looking back through the corridors of time to actually see how easily everything can come to pass with what is readily at hand.

 “Do not shrug off all that you have the privilege of seeing as inconsequential. You must open your heart to the fact that you are a player in the unfolding of My plan. Stop thinking about worldly cares and begin to think in terms of eternity. You must make changes in your way of thinking, so that you can take the steps necessary to fulfill your part in what I will call you to do.

 “The way of life that you have had for so many years is coming to a close. You must prepare for what is about to happen, using the wisdom that I give you as you seek Me with all your heart. I must be your priority. No other priority will suffice during the coming times.” 

Esther 4:14b AMP

And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Isa. 48:3 NIV

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

Matthew 24:3-8  NIV

3) As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4) Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.

5) For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

6) You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

7) Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

8) All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

 

One of the lines in a movie called “The Horse Whisperer” goes something like this. “Knowing it is the easy part; saying it out loud is the hard part.” It was said to a character in the movie, so that the person might face what was obvious with enough conviction to take decisive action.

For years, many knowledgeable people within the church have been saying that we are living in the end times. I whole-heartedly agree with them. Whether that is true or not, however, should have little to do with how we live our lives. Our lives should be the example of the life of Jesus so that others can see who He is by the life we live, no matter what season we live in. That is the way we are told to live throughout the new covenant.

Because we, as a people, have gravitated so far from the plumb line of the life of Jesus as our model for living, there are some decisions that need to be made if time is as short as it appears to be. Even if the seasons do not proclaim the very end, one must admit that something quite radical is happening all around us, calling for measures to be taken simply to adapt to the tumultuous conditions of our world and present Jesus properly.

The problem, however, is getting what we see as obvious past the thinking stages of our brain and into the action stages. It’s the “saying it out loud” part with which we seem to be having difficulty. We all know that our world is drastically different than it was even a year ago. We all know that even the world at present could change in a moment. Why do we do so little to prepare for what seems to be imminent? I don’t mean that we should stock up on food, clothing, and water so that we can tuck away in a cave for our protection. That would be the typical carnal, selfish response and have little to do with the calling on our lives.

When will we say out loud that we are living in a time that requires us to represent Jesus properly? When will we say it out loud and then be determined to do enough about it to make a difference, honoring God with our lives as we promised Him we would?

Needing to clear my throat, so that I am heard clearly when I say it out loud,

Jim Corbett

“What is your part in My plan? Do you even know? I’m not talking about how much you go to church, or how much is required of you to maintain your lifestyle. I am asking you if you really have spent enough time with Me to know why I have called you into being.

 “What is the purpose for your life? In the seasons ahead, those in the world will have to adapt themselves to the changing times. They will have to modify their direction and rethink their lifestyles to adapt to the dictates of their circumstances. Many of their hearts will fail them because of fear. What they have valued and coveted as their god will have vanished. All the times they worshipped and served that god will have been in vain and absolutely fruitless. There will be no evidence of their life’s work.

“Will you be the same? Will there be a need for what you do in the near future? If there is not, what will you do? How will you respond to the changes that take place? How will you bear up under the pressure? Better still, will you prosper because you flow easily from what is viable at present, directly into what is needed at that time?

“Have you sought out your anointing and are you honing your gifts, so that they are sharp and fruitful when you are called upon to use them? Do you have the souls of people constantly in mind now and are you actively doing something about them? Do you care about the needs of others at present? Do you care about the calling that I have for you, or are you so caught up in your own needs that you can’t even take time to find out what that calling is?

“What if I needed you tomorrow and allowed your world to change overnight? Will you be able to hear my directions, or will you be cowering in fear just as the world will be? You need to be in training and listen even now. Flow in My anointing now, so that you will be ready then.”

Ps. 31:15 AMP

My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me and persecute me.

Isa. 55:6, 8-9, 11 AMP

6) Seek, inquire for, and require the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near.

8) For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.

9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

11) So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Jer. 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.”

Acts 8:1b, 4 NIV

1b) On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

4) Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

 

Have you ever tolerated one of those comedy shows where one of the main characters is placed in a position for which he is not qualified? When called upon to function in that position, he flounders, flubs, and generally goofs everything up, all accompanied by canned hysterical laughter. By the end of the show, however, everything works out. Those who are hurt by his foolishness are nowhere to be found, and all is well. We’re ready to go on to the next plot in next week’s show.

We are Christians. We have taken the Name of our Savior; and, in essence, we have promised our Lord that we would represent Him properly in our world. Someday, possibly someday soon, we are going to be called upon to act as Jesus would act in possibly very dire circumstances. How will we fare? Will we flounder through the situation with the same kind of recklessness as the character in the sit-com, because we haven’t submitted to the required training and have no idea what He would do?

We have a problem if that is a possibility in our lives. The problem is that no one will be laughing when we cower in fear along with those of the world. There will be no happy ending for those who did not hear the gospel of salvation, because we could not tell them how Jesus could be found amidst the hatred and murder in the world. There will be no “show” next week for the person who perishes before seeing Jesus in us and wanting Him, because of the way you and I conduct ourselves. There will be no good way to explain His power to overcome anything, when we don’t experience it in our own lives. Things won’t work out for the best for those who are counting on us to help them, if we can’t give them what is required. His Name is Jesus and we are in training to be like Him - for the good of others, and the glory of God. Maybe it is best that we make it our priority to get on with it.

Needing to submit to the training now, so that others can benefit then,

Jim Corbett