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8/15/23 I Appreciate You!

When was the last time you looked your wife in the eyes and said, “I appreciate you”? For that matter, when have you ever simply spent some time with your children and expressed the appreciation you have for them? If that is not part of your MO, why have you been so fooled? Only the enemy of your soul would desire expressions of love and affirmation to be absent from your relationships, especially family relationships.

Most of us men had to earn any kind of affirmation from our fathers. Then, as we grew older, we earned our respect by what we did, not for who we became. All our lives we’ve been attempting to prove our worth by what we do, whether we know it or not. Visible success determines worth in today’s society.

Well, that’s not how God sees things! For some unknown reason, God has placed value on each of us, certainly not because we have earned it; but simply because he chooses to do so. He has in essence said, I consider them valuable enough to spend eternity with them. I appreciate who they are!

Men, the next time you withhold any expression of appreciation toward your wife or your children because you feel they haven’t earned your appreciation, remember how God has dealt with you. Then consider the horror of Him choosing to withhold His favor until you’ve earned it. If that really registers with you, you just might begin to express a waterfall of appreciation to those you love. Just watch as their lives change in the same way that a desert would if water began to flow into its parched land. They’re waiting for you!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

8/14/23 What Don’t You Understand?

“Where are My representatives? Where are the sold-out members of My family who care about the souls of others before their own interests? To those of you who have given your lives completely to Me and are in My service with your whole hearts, keep up the good work. I am with you. To those of you who still are not hearing, you need to listen with your spiritual ears. I remove your money to get your attention; and you work harder, taking even less time for Our relationship. I place you in situations that are impossible for you to solve; and you struggle until you are exhausted, instead of surrendering to Me. I bring relationships into your life that challenge you to show them Jesus and you run for cover the first time they offend you.

"What is it that you do not understand about your life in Christ? What do you not comprehend about a refiner’s fire? Please grow up so that those who need Jesus might see Him in you. Submit to My hand of training. Embrace the ways of Jesus. You are needed in these end times.”

Gal. 2:20 AMP

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

James 1:2-4 NIV

2) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

3) because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

A friend and I were talking about a person whose life ended in tragedy. We discussed all the “if only’s” regarding the life mentioned. If only his mother had known the Lord. If only his wife had told him about Jesus. If only friends, teachers, or peers had been there, he probably would have turned out differently. His life could have been a benefit to others instead of an astounding tragedy. I wonder how many people we could influence if we would really get our eyes off ourselves and get serious about the Lord’s business?

I also think about the astounding number of people who have heard God’s “Good News” and have been changed. Those of us who know the truth fully understand that the difference between an eternally valuable life and one that ends in tragedy is Jesus. Knowing that truth, you would think that we would submit with all of our hearts to the desire of the Lord that none should perish. Help us, Lord!

Help me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

8/14/23 Follow Me as I Follow Christ

These incredible words are one of the most powerful directions a man can give to his family. Just think of it, a man who chooses to follow Christ could assure his family that no matter what happens, he has Christ as a guide for himself and them. How comforting this would be for a wife and family who are serving the Lord.

With that kind of commitment in place, the man would have a corresponding commitment to do everything to protect his family, just as Christ did for the church. He would willingly lay his life down for the ones he loves.

Can you imagine the peace a family would have in knowing that their husband and father would lay his life down for them? Do you see the impact that kind of atmosphere would create? A wife would be free to trust motives and decisions made in doing things that affect the family. The children would bask in an arena of absolute, unquestioned love. The family unit would be impenetrable. The outside forces against the family would never gain a foothold.

What a glorious picture - all members moving in unison, guided and directed by a father who is guided and directed by God alone. What an astounding plan! Maybe that’s the way our Father in heaven wants it. What do you think?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

8/12/23 Getting Your House in Order

“Prepare to begin to implement what you have learned from spending time with Me. I am about to move through those who have responded to My call to intimacy. I am about to have you walk in your chosen calling. What you have been through until now has been the preparation of your heart and the discovery of your life’s direction. Now I will bring My presence to the work of your hands. You have submitted to My training. You have repented of your carnal religion. You have responded to My call to get your house in order. You have repented of following anything but My wishes. You have become Mine with your whole heart.

"Now I can trust you to listen only to My voice. Now I can send you where you are needed. Dress for war. Dress for peace. Be ready to heal the broken. Be alert for the needy. Be prepared to be My hands and My voice in every season. I will send you forth from My lap with My love for those who are ready to hear. Take My heart to them. Show them Jesus!”

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.

Proverbs 16:9 AMP

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

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.

Our loving Father has an incredible way of moving us from our comfort zones and into action on His behalf. In these days, He is allowing those He has in training to experience challenges that strengthen their faith, remove their personal will; and equip them for service done with the heart of Jesus. He is cleaning the house and the heart of those He is calling to service in these end days.

Recently, the Lord spoke to my heart. He asked Merry and me to seek Him for direction. That may be a simple request, but it sent us on a journey of discovery akin to little we have known before. His direction has caused us to clean our house. We have found and chosen to put aside those things that redirect and distract us from focusing on the tasks He has called us to do. We have discovered areas in our lives that have been a part of us for so long that we failed to realize that we were doing them out of habit, when the Lord was trying to get us to ask why we were doing them at all. He has told us to lay aside those things that are cumbersome and nothing more than extra weight to carry. In essence, He is streamlining our lives, putting His order to them so that He can bless the work of our hands and make us truly fit for service in these special days.

I submit to Your hand of training, Lord,

Jim Corbett

8/12/23 An Incredible Heart

I wish I could give proper credit to the players in this story, but I don’t remember who they were or when the story took place. I just remember how much it impacted me.

The story goes that a father set some rules for his children to obey, so that there would be harmony in the home and Jesus would be glorified. If a violation of any one of the rules took place, the violator had to spend the night in the barn - not only for punishment, but to have that person think about how good it was to not be separated from the rest of the family. At the time, belonging to a family unit was a very important thing, so being an outcast (even for a short time) hurt.

After one of the children was sent to the barn for a violation that had occurred during the day, he heard - amid the strange groans and creaks encountered in a loft late at night - a particularly clear presence of someone else in the barn. As he cowered in fear, awaiting the intruder to make himself known, his father’s face appeared at the ladder. As he entered the loft with a pillow and blanket in hand, he said something like this. “I had to follow through with giving you the consequences you earned, so I couldn’t let you in the house; but that doesn’t stop me from coming out here to spend the night with you so you won’t be afraid.”

As a father, have you ever given of yourself even when strong discipline is deserved by one of your children? Has there ever been a big dose of love accompanying it? As it says in the Word, our Father disciplines us for our own good. Do you do the same?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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