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3/17/22 Hamstrung by Perceptions

“You do not understand the war that you are in. If I were to show you the vast array of weapons that your adversary has, allow you to see in the spiritual realm the might of the forces that have been sent against you, and show you how incapably you have engaged in the war that is yours, you would cease to exist. Your presence on the earth would be a dim memory. You need to remember something. You are engaged in a war. It is not an option for you. You either join with Me to do battle My way, or you do battle your way and lose, just as you have been doing for so long.

"Your battle is spiritual, and it must be fought with spiritual weapons to have any effect. Most of you have never even done so much as examine closely My intended use for the weapons that I have provided for you. You have only observed the flailing gymnastics that have been purported to be My power at work. Those foolish gyrations have done little to stem the darkness. In fact, because of their ineffectiveness, many of My people have walked away from the battlefront in disgust. They have been nullified because of the false power portrayed by so-called leaders.

"You, My people, have become numb to the real focus of your lives and hamstrung by your perceptions of what that life is all about. Now, if I were to show you My power in comparison to that of the enemy, you would never be the same. If you will spend the kind of time with Me that I desire, I will show you the real war and the overwhelming power that I possess. I would also show you how to succeed My way.”

 2 Kings 6:15-17 NIV

15) When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.

16) “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17) And Elisha prayed, “Oh Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Hosea 4:6 AMP 

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge…

 

The verses in 2 Kings are self-explanatory. They portray the provision for the people of God, if only they would open their eyes.

Hosea 4:6 is not so self-explanatory and has been misquoted and misused for centuries. Satan has blinded the church for many years with his interpretation of the intent of the verse.

The common use for the verse is the part, “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” It has been used for everything from gaining more wisdom, to seeking the Lord more, to making sure that you spend more time in the Word. All of these have their place.

However, God intended the verse to have a different impact. He was chastising His people for their rejection of knowledge, which caused helpless, unknowing people to perish. His heart was breaking for those who had no knowledge because His people - who were supposed to teach them - could share nothing with them because they had nothing to give. They had rejected real knowledge.

It is the same today.  You and I are being trained to reign as priests and kings. We are supposed to be utilizing our privilege of coming before our Lord’s throne of grace to receive the grace needed for everything. We are called to learn absolute truth from Him. Instead, we learn from those who spend little time with God, traditions, and mythical stories. People are perishing in the church and in the world because we, the priestly nation, have the real source of knowledge but never really go to the well to drink.

May Your thoughts and Your ways be ours, O God,

Jim Corbett

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3/17/22 Our Privilege

Being a husband and father is a God-given privilege. It is pretty incredible to think that He trusts us enough to place the lives of other people in our hands - people He loves as much as He loves us. Because of this tremendous responsibility, He also gives us Himself and all that He has so that we can succeed as husbands and fathers. He is always available and ready to supply whatever we need to fulfill our offices.

Our Father has promoted us, then pledges to equip us, and allows us to observe the wonder of the work He accomplishes in us and in those we’ve invested in.  Yes, the offices of husband and father include an enormous responsibility, but what immeasurable joy and satisfaction there is to experience in the process when fully submitted to Him. What an extraordinary privilege! I encourage you to make the most of it!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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3/16/22 God Notices

“Few will understand the anointing that I have placed on your life. Why would they think any differently? To the world, you look like a fool. To most of My church, you are a fanatic because of your burning zeal. Some have attempted to quench your fire. Others have discarded you. Most cannot see past your human flaws, so they minimize what I do through you.

"You need to come and rest in Me. I will show you what to do and where to do it. Soon your life will be a litany of My deeds in which you have participated. Those who can see will marvel at My power. They may never even notice nor care whom I used to accomplish such mighty works, so you will get no credit for what has been done. That’s OK. I have noticed.”

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV 

19) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matt. 13:54-58 AMP

54) And coming to His own country [Capernaum], He taught in their synagogue so that they were amazed with bewildered wonder, and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

55) Is not this the carpenter’s Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

56) And do not all His sisters live here among us? Where then did this Man get all this?

57) And they took offense at Him [that is, they were repelled and hindered from acknowledging His authority, and caused to stumble]. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.

58) And He did not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus).

 

As best as I can understand, the Lord is raising up some very ordinary people to do extraordinary stuff. At present, they are the people who get little notice other than judgment and scorn by some who don’t understand. Those in training have little of the world’s resources. They can give no explanation as to why they are in the humbling situation in which they find themselves, and they seem to care less and less about the world and its ways. But wait.

Wait until the Lord gives His command to those who have been trained to respond only to Him. Many will see Jesus through the lives of those who serve Him and Him alone—those who are willing to not be noticed when He moves through them. I believe that Father God will soon call forth a peculiar people who are deeply in love with Jesus, and ready and willing to impact their world with His kind of love.

Looking only to You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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3/16/22 Heavy Stuff

As men, most of us get great satisfaction in achievements. If we are successful, we feel that we’ve done something of great worth and enjoy the results. In doing a great job, we have the additional satisfaction of having others note that we can be trusted with a better position, so we get promoted and are given more responsibility. That is all good stuff, and it motivates us to continually do better.

As a husband and father, we’ve been given the highest offices available to any human being.  In essence, we have been promoted before we’ve achieved anything worthwhile to earn that high position.  Most of us have few skills to succeed at our high office.

With our promotion - whether we like it or not - comes great responsibility.  Success or failure in fulfilling our offices properly brings eternal consequences. It includes the possibility that our wives or offspring could be separated from God for eternity, in part, because of how we function in our offices. In addition to that horrible prospect is the reality of standing before the Most High God and being required to give answers for our actions concerning the stewardship of our families.

At a minimum, failure at our position could place our sons in the unenviable position of not having the skills they will need for their own high position of overseeing their families, and possibly standing before God themselves with little success if we couldn’t equip them properly with the tools we passed on to them, and they never found another way to acquire the proper tools. Our daughters could be ill-equipped to face life’s challenges because of our lack of proper investment in them. Our wives may not become all they can be in Christ because we don’t or can’t provide the proper atmosphere for them to prosper spiritually. These are some pretty heavy thoughts to ponder for any thinking human being. What are you going to do about them?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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3/15/22 Real Power

Given that God has ordained the offices of husband and father as His highest offices, the most powerful position a man can take is on his knees for his family. I believe that no other position is dearer to the heart of God or garners more favor, because the family produces and fosters pastors, prayer warriors, and every conceivable worker for the Lord. God’s heart responds to a man praying for his own. (In case you think I’m overlooking something – yes, He also has a fervent spot in His heart as people pray for souls to come to know Jesus Christ!)

I think of David’s mighty men. His men understood warfare. His men were tried in battle and came out unbeaten, far more proficient than greater numbers of other warriors. They knew how to fight. They knew what it would take to win the battles for their king.

Most men today have no idea how important their position is. Most men give little thought to the probability that they’ve lost the most important battles of their lives as they see their families fall apart or, at the very least, become unproductive in the Lord’s work. Few men even consider that their wives or children are literally supposed to walk as Jesus walked, and that they are supposed to provide the atmosphere for them to do so.

Men, God intended you to be just like David’s mighty men in the war for your families. He is more than willing to respond with power to your requests for their ability to overcome the world. You are a man of power when you call upon His power on behalf of those you steward. Why are you not laboring for them as your priority work in this life? Paul said that he was in birth pangs until Christ - the character of Christ - was formed in others. Is that not supposed to be your heart for those you love?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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