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1/08/22 Are You a Spiritual Wimp?

As a husband and father, are you teaching your family to be spiritual wimps? If you are, you probably believe that if everything is going your way you are in the will of God. Conversely, if you are under pressure of any kind - especially if the pressure is tremendous or if you don't seem to have what you need to remain in your comfort zone - you feel that you have somehow missed God, or He has missed you.

In general, United States Christians work from their comfort zones. With a few exceptions, they give away only what they no longer need. They pour into God's work only after they have done what is necessary to fill their personal containers.

To take a day off from work simply to be with God is almost unheard of. To actually trust God for everything is looked upon as foolish and even lazy. Prayer is considered less productive than whatever can be accomplished on their own. Only when they run out of their own abilities do they pray, and then only to remove them from their hurt. Whether these examples are extreme or not, any one of them is not a blueprint for others to follow.

If you are a spiritual wimp, you are going to be surprised as the world heads for the conclusions that the Lord has planned from the beginning. You will experience many before unheard of challenges. You will be further surprised when God does not respond to your needs in the way you expect. If you have created a god that serves you and your needs, you will find out that your false god does not exist.

Those who have trusted in their own abilities - what they have earned, what securities they have established for their safety - will not know what to do. When all the normal handles of security have disappeared and there are no familiar places to hang on to, only those who have made intimacy with God their priority will understand His purposes during difficult times - which do not necessarily include their safety or their seeming best interest.

Men, God is sovereign. God's plan is eternal and has eternal consequences. Although greatly loved, we are to be His servants and implementers of His plans, no matter what it costs us, just as Jesus did. All challenges that come our way are designed to make us function like Jesus did, overcoming the world in each of us. As husbands and fathers, we are to listen to our Father from our place of intimacy on His lap, and then do whatever we are called to do for the good of His plan, all to His glory.

Extreme challenges make us weak and out of answers. Trusting in God to overcome those challenges brings us in line with our Father's plan for mankind. Jesus trusted Him for every need as our example. For every challenge, every soul, every situation, He did the unquestioned will of His Father no matter what it cost Him. We are to do the same in front of our families.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

1/07/22 The Power of the Cross

“With the work that I am doing in your heart comes a corresponding responsibility. I expect you to function in the lessons that I am teaching you. I expect you to understand ownership. As I place ownership of My Word and My precepts in your heart, I am removing the ownership of the things that you have held as your own for so long. You are beginning to understand that you are not your own but have been bought with a price. Many of you have heard that often and have set it aside as yesterday’s news. Now I will aggressively teach you what that really means and the wonder that it really is. Establish obedience in your heart this day. Ask Me to establish My desires in you.

"To those who realize the importance of your relationship with Me through Jesus: Begin now to move in the wealth of the training I have taken you through. Move as My voice, My hands, and My heart to your world. Flow with Me as I flow through you to others. I have given you eyes to see; now open them so you will begin to walk where I show you to go. I am showing you truth; open your mouth and speak it without compromise to those who need to hear it.”

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.”

Matthew 26:53-54 NIV

53) “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

54) But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

As a body of believers, we have been so ineffective by the Lord’s standards that we function with spiritual atrophy. Most of us have never entered into the spiritual power that has been provided for us at the cross. I’m not at all talking about the foolish displays of make-believe authority that allows one to consume the things of God upon himself. I’m talking about the power of the cross that effortlessly eliminates the things of the world and advances the authority of God.

True authority encompasses all the characteristics of Christ and none of the world. It is authority under full submission. Someone, who has learned to remain under the absolute authority of God, will function only as Jesus did. Someone who has been in deep communion with Him desires only to be like Him.

For years, possibly generations, many elements of the church of Jesus Christ have displayed a powerless mixture of worthless religion and make-believe, self-serving relationships to a world that needs to see the risen Christ. I believe that the Lord will soon call forth His own— those who have embraced the refining fires for the sake of their Lord. Free of the dross of the world, they will move as their Master moves, speak only when He gives them authority to do so; and live only for His glory.

At present, this remnant is a laughingstock to the world and ignored by the cold church. They are as invisible as Jesus was to those who couldn’t see. When the Lord calls them forth, their lives will be so bright with His presence that no one will be able to ignore them any more than the work of the cross could be kept quiet.

Those of you who understand know who you really are. So does your Lord. Consider the “cross” training that you are experiencing as valuable as your Lord considers it. Embrace the fires of refinement for the sake of Jesus. Soon you will be called to move in what you have learned.

Become everything in me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/07/22 Godly Decision Making Between Spouses

As a man reclaims his office of husband and father, there are godly principles that he and his wife should use to determine the will of God for their family. They are to approach all decision making in family circumstances with the attitude of what is best for God, each other, and the children. Each decision will then produce safety and harmony within the family and fertile soil in which the parents and children can prosper and become everything they are designed to be. If the children are of reasonable age and reasonable in their walk in Christ, they should be provided an opportunity to present their opinions that will be considered by the parents.

As a husband and wife come together for the best interests of each other and the children, they pray, consider all the options, and make a determination. Should they have an impasse and are unable to agree, even after much prayer and submission to each other, the husband should go to prayer and make the decision he feels has been given to him - one that is best for his wife and his children, not for himself.

While seeking to find that decision, his posture must be the same kind of sacrifice that Jesus made. He is to lay down his rights, opinions, and personal gain to be able to hear clearly. Knowing this, the wife submits herself to prayer and then submits to the decision that is presented. Any decisions that involve the children are then presented to them by both parents, who are in agreement. What an incredibly joyous way to glorify God! Try it!

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

1/06/22 On His Terms

“The way to the throne is always by way of the cross. The resurrection life can only come from the grave. Most of My people short-circuit the plans that I have for them, because they attempt to bypass My way of doing things. They attempt to find a relationship with Me on their terms, rather than in the way that I have established through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Why would you believe that I would acknowledge any other pattern for your life than the life that He exhibited before the world? He came to show you the way.

"You want My favor, but you are unwilling to embrace the understanding that the cross is what I recognize—not your positive confessions and your faith in your faith. Give yourself completely to Me now. Humble yourself before the cross. I will lift you up and make your life significant.”

1 Cor. 11:1 NIV

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

2 Cor. 1:8-10 NIV

8) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

9) Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

10) He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us…

Jam. 4:7-10 NIV

7) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8) Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Our significance is in God, not in whatever we place our significance. We live in a day of pride—pride as a nation, pride in our accomplishments, pride in the things we own, even pride in the sports teams for which we root.

The great things of the Lord spring from humbleness and personal insignificance. We will never have God’s kind of worth until we see things from God’s perspective. He is not looking for us to get better at anything, even serving Him. He is looking for us to understand and function in our need of Him in everything. That goes against everything that we hold dear. As soon as we understand and embrace His ways, we will be free.

Teach me Your ways, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/06/22 Building Your Family Fortress

Have you ever thought of your family as a fortress? God does! He has designed you as a husband and father to be a covering from all of the treachery offered by the world to devour your wife and children. A man, who is properly submitted to God, is equipped to lead those he is steward of to places of safety in all they do, and make the home an environment that nurtures, supports, and equips them to venture into the world again. The atmosphere he creates is an impenetrable fortress - a place of spiritual direction, safety, warmth, and love - for his family.

As a covering, part of your journey is to discover and repair any breaches in your family fortress, either those created by you or the attacks of the world. Once you realize that the enemy is relentless in the pursuit of your family - wanting them to conform to his ways, wanting your fortress to be compromised in any way possible - you will see your job description in a different light. You will understand how important it is to create a fortress for them, and look to God for help, wisdom, and strength. It's your job.

What is so exciting is that He is waiting for you to turn everything over to Him for His guidance. As you are the covering for your family, He is the covering for you. He delights in making sure that you have all you need to fortify your family against any attack they may experience, as you seek and submit to Him and His power. He is not only worthy of your submission, He is an unbeatable covenant partner, allied with you against any attempt by the enemy to breach what He has put together.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

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