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5/05/25 Be Holy

If the picture you have in your mind of someone who is holy includes a halo, a Caspar Milquetoast demeanor, and a mentality that flees at the onset of any conflict, you are way off. A holy man of God is a mighty warrior for the kingdom of God, his marriage, and his family.

To be holy means to be totally separated from the world, its siren songs, and its attachments. It means to be unashamedly dedicated to the Lord, focusing solely on living out the life of Jesus in daily life. A holy man is, therefore, untouchable by the world, unavailable to any fearful distractions, and unreachable when called upon to violate any portion of the heart of God.

If you desire to walk in Holy Spirit power as a husband and father, seek holiness. Seek an intimate, loving relationship with your Father in heaven. Be determined to know the heart of Jesus and live it out on behalf of those you steward. Allow nothing to stop you from walking and conducting yourself as Jesus did. Live a holy, separated life above the world and all its ways. It is your heritage. It is your calling. It is your covenant promise if you seek it with all your heart.

Man of God, be holy as He is holy!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

5/03/25 Three Postures

“How are you preparing your house so that it is in order? What kind of training are you participating in to become a leader in the future activities of My design? What are you teaching your neighbors and your children by your style of living? There are three postures that My church has taken in these dangerous times and seasons. Some have chosen to continue in the false hope that everything in their selfish world will remain the same. They have made the decision to not prepare themselves for what is ahead and rely on others to determine their belief system. Foolishly going about their puny lives, they push aside conviction of sin, refuse to address issues in their lives that are out of order; and separate themselves from anyone who is seeking holiness. They are useless to My cause and have been nullified from My plan to save those around them.

“Others have observed the seasons, have chosen to seek Me because of fear; and are preparing their places of safety. They are oblivious to My heart and will not enter into My chambers to receive instruction for the times ahead. These dry souls will fail Me at the first sign of danger and distract My people because of their own needs. I am sad for their wasted lives.

“You, My children, have sought My heart and have embraced the training that I have sent your way. You have seen that the only place to be is in My presence to receive what is needed to rise above all that is about to occur. I am teaching your hearts to run to every need with which I am concerned, bathed in My presence and basking in the light of My glory. I am delighted with you. I will use you to bring those who will hear into My kingdom. You will be harvesters in the ripe fields that are all around you. You will prosper as I see prosperity, defending My Word and My Spirit before those who are oblivious to the truth. You are My holy, prepared people. I am with you as you rush, fully equipped, to the needs I present to you.”

Eph. 4:22-24 NIV

22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Merry and I once had the sad opportunity to observe a couple who chose not to address some sin issues in their lives. More than likely this was not the first time they had the opportunity to be washed from their chosen folly. It was pitiful to watch them tap-dance around the issues presented with well-rehearsed and practiced denial of any wrongdoing when challenged. Instead of embracing the opportunity to repent of their sin, they pointed an accusing finger toward others and wallowed one more time in the same sin with which they were presently being confronted, right before our eyes. It was really slick to watch, but horrible to see as they refused any accountability for their harmful actions.

They had probably refused accountability so often that their hearts were hardened to any kind of counsel, because the Lord had us back off from further discussion of the matter with them. We are afraid that the Lord may have since chosen to turn them over to their sin because of their refusal to respond to His prompting once more. It is frightening to observe and more frightening to understand that they did not fool God. He is relentless against harbored sin in the lives of His children.

Christians are being given the opportunity to make proper life choices each and every day. God is weeding out those who refuse to be washed in the cleansing fire of His love from those who are really His with all of their hearts. He is separating those whom He will be able to trust with His anointing from those who have cast off His convicting presence to embrace worldly folly and familiar sin for a season. Anyone who consistently denies God’s opportunities to repent is truly a fool, and fools will never have the privilege of flowing in the presence and power of God.

Remove all foolishness from my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

5/03/25 Old Habits

“Sarah, that’s my daughter,” Barry responded. “Well, Sarah was on a road to some pretty dark places. Somehow she had changed. When she was young, she was an incredibly bright, beautiful girl, full of smiles, love, laughter, just a good kid.”

Barry shifted his position and leaned back on the bleacher above the one on which he was sitting.

“But then things went bad. When she started seventh grade, she went behind some kind of cloud. She isolated herself, kept secrets from us, and hung around with some unsavory friends. They weren’t real bottom dwellers, but they just had a bad influence on her. We even found small items missing from our house after they came over and money began to disappear from Connie’s purse.” Barry sat up, tracing his index finger over his racket strings as he chose his next words.

“Over a period of time, things kept getting worse. I’ll spare you the details, but she started lying to us about everything and would get angry whenever we asked any kind of question regarding her life. Connie and I knew we were losing her. There was no talking to her about her friends. She wouldn’t hear it. All she wanted to do was listen to her music - man, I hated those ear-buds, and be on the phone with her friends. There was so much more. Making a long story short, she was in deep trouble and something had to be done.”

“What did you do?” Nick asked, sitting up straight as he looked piercingly at Barry.

“Well, we prayed long and hard, asking the Lord how we could get Sarah to change.” A small chuckle escaped his lips. “We were pretty surprised at the answer He gave us.”

Nick couldn’t wait for the next words to come out of Barry’s mouth.

“The Lord showed me that one day I would answer to Him for her life, because He placed Sarah under my care. I would be asked if I had done all that I could to provide a fertile place for Sarah to grow in Him.” Barry looked down and twirled his racket a few times.

“That shook me up pretty good,” he recalled. “I mean, I knew that God had given Sarah to Connie and me, but I guess I never thought that God was actually holding me accountable for her.” Barry looked purposefully into Nick’s eyes. The two men briefly stared at each other before Barry continued.

“I thought that my job was to provide a good home, keep food on the table, and give my kids what they needed to stay on top of everything. I thought that by having a big house in a great neighborhood I was doing my job. Connie was working. I had a thriving business. We had everything we needed. I thought we had made it, ya know? The Lord showed me that while I was busy working and playing so hard, I lost my daughter in the process.”

Nick waited for a few seconds before he asked the question that burned in his heart.

“What did you do?”

“Well, that’s why we’re here,” Barry answered. “God showed me that Connie and I were the ones who needed to make some changes so we could rescue Sarah. He showed me that she wasn’t capable of making proper decisions at that time, and that we needed to help by creating a place of safety for her. She needed a protected place where she could rest from the things that were harming her while she was being healed. It was really important to God that we did what was necessary to bring her around, so that she could grow up strong and straight, spiritually sound in Him.”

Nick became really interested now, and moved onto the bench, seating himself next to Barry.

Barry continued. “Connie and I prayed together quite a bit, but I knew that because I functioned in the offices of husband and father – something very important God gives to men - I was responsible to Him. I would answer to Him for Sarah’s life. He showed me that I was incapable of helping Him to reproduce the life of Jesus in Sarah, because I had been distracted by my own needs and wants. I wanted the successful business. I wanted the big house, the new car, money. I never even gave much thought to the fact that Sarah was on her way to throwing her life away and then burning in hell for eternity because I was too busy with my own life to stop her. That really scared me. It scared Connie, too, when I told her.”

“So, what did God tell you to do?” Nick asked with great anticipation.

“Well, things became pretty clear after a while. The stuff that we treasured for so long became pretty useless to us once we surrendered everything to Him, especially in light of Sarah’s need. We looked around, and then looked at Sarah and her pain, and the path was pretty well laid out for us since we were going to answer to God for her life.”

Barry got up to stretch, then sat down again. Nick didn’t move. He couldn’t wait to hear what steps Barry and Connie took.

“Within a matter of a few months, I sold my business, Connie quit her job, we sold our house, and moved here. I took a job which allowed me to spend time with my family. We bought a much smaller house, traded in our cars for really good used ones; and now Connie home schools Sarah.”

Nick was dumbfounded. His mouth dropped open and he just stared at Barry. “You must be kidding,” was all he could muster as his mind reeled.

“No, we got Sarah back,” Barry said with a smile. “She hated us for a little while. We had to build some pretty strong “love fences” around her in the beginning —move her away from bad influences, take away her headset so she’d start to communicate, monitor her computer and phone time, you know, stuff like that, all the time praying real hard for her. It was pretty much touch and go at first, but we got her back. Now we live in a family fortress of love and compassion designed by God—one that the world can’t touch. We laugh, love, communicate, and have a great relationship. She’s in tune with the Lord and wants to reach out to kids her own age. She’s really happy again and our times together as a family are special no matter what we do.”

(Taken from the book, The Father Factor, by Jim and Merry Corbett)

Rarely do we consider the daily routines of our lifestyles as a series of habits and demands that hinder the power of the Lord to move freely in our lives. What are you willing to do to have God move on behalf of someone you love?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

5/02/25 God’s in Total Control

“Have you ever wondered why the battle sometimes takes longer than you would like? From My perspective, battles in any form accomplish much. They define motives, strengthen resolve, and determine alliances. Often, they bring heart issues to the forefront and create platforms for deep-rooted angers to express themselves. In most cases, the hardships that create seemingly endless difficulties in a person’s life are the very steppingstones to holiness. I watch every situation in which you find yourself. I examine all aspects of each encounter and make sure that everything purposed for that situation is accomplished.

“As you grow in Me, you will realize that I really am in total control of all situations. My will is ultimately accomplished. Once that is fully ingrained in you, your battles become opportunities for you to rest in Me, while the battle rages all around you. While all forces are working to accomplish My will, you and I can rise above the clatter and enjoy each other. I will impart more of Myself to you because of your need of Me and your submission to Me.

“I would like you to remember some of the “impossible” times in your past. What was the main outcome of each one? It was a deeper commitment on your part, and a closer relationship with Me. If that didn’t happen, you missed an incredible opportunity. You missed the privilege of allowing Me to fight on your behalf. The next time a battle of any sort arises in your life, use it as an opportunity to spend time with Me, rather than engaging in it yourself. You will find that the benefits of the situation far outweigh the hazards, no matter how difficult they might seem. When I become the reward for anything you do, you are greatly increased in more ways than you will ever know. Come to Me in all seasons of your life. I am always there for you.”

Joshua 5:13-15 AMP

13) When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries?

14) And He said, No [neither], but as Prince of the Lord’s host have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant?

15) And the Prince of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, Loose your shoes from off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.”

Psalm 46:1-2a AMP

1) God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.

2a) Therefore we will not fear…

The above verses in Joshua have taught me as much about our relationship with God as any other verses in the Bible. Joshua was ready to engage in a battle that the Lord had ordained for him. All of a sudden, a mighty warrior was standing before him. The logical question was asked of the warrior, but a “not so logical and quite frightening” answer was given. “Whose side are you on?” made a lot of sense. “Neither” must have made Joshua’s heart skip a few beats until he heard the rest of the statement.

What makes me so excited was the whole scenario that was being played out. It is so simple when observed from a relationship perspective.

Joshua was entering into a battle that the Lord was going to win for him. The Prince of the armies was there to oversee everything. He didn’t take any side but the Lord’s, because the physical armies were only playing out the Lord’s will. All Joshua was really required and invited to do was to understand that the Lord was present, which made the very ground that he stood on holy; and therefore, worship of the victor was in order. The battle was relatively inconsequential; the outcome was predictable. The posture for Joshua was to get out of the way. “Come with Me while the work is being done. It is My battle.”

We all know how the battle was won - not by their power, nor their might, but by the Spirit of the Lord, God Almighty! What fun!!!

Teach me about You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

5/02/25 Why Prepare?

I once wrote a story about a foolish trainee who attended school for jungle warfare. In his ignorance, this unwise person slept through tactical training courses, joked his way through hand-to-hand combat rehearsals, thought nothing of the importance of parachute packing; and dismissed survival school as something needed for a later date since things were relatively calm at present.

The day came when he was up in the air with other trainees on their way to a jungle jump zone. Remorse for his foolish behavior helped little as the door of the plane opened up and he was next in line to jump. After surviving the jump and because of his rank, he found himself in charge of other recruits because their leader had been critically injured. With no skills and little understanding of what was needed to overcome the extreme hardship at hand, this man put himself and those in his charge in incredible danger due to his foolishness during training.

And so it is with you as the leader and spiritual covering of your family. Any thinking person can see that extreme times of incredible hardship are on the horizon. Spiritual wisdom, Christ-like confidence, fearless action, and intimate submission to the Lord may not be found when the battle rages. These unbeatable skills are learned over time at the feet of Father God in His throne room. The ability to hear His directions clearly when the battles are raging will only be available to the person well practiced in knowing His still small voice.

Figuratively, the plane warming up on the runway is just about ready for take-off. As a husband and father, others are relying on you to have what is needed when called upon for any situation ahead. How do you think you will fare when all the handles you’ve been used to during this relatively calm time disappear? When spiritual business as usual is as ineffective as a cup of water against a raging forest fire, how will you lead others then if you choose not to be equipped now?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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