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1/17/25 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

1/16/25 Highly Regarded Representatives

“Do you know that I hold you in the highest regard? You are My ministers of the eternal covenant that I have established for the good of all mankind. I hold you very dear to My heart. For many reasons, I must train and refine you. Never do I enjoy seeing you go through challenges to your faith and your commitment, but they are necessary. You have a great responsibility. You are a steward of the most important event in the history of mankind.

“My covenant with you is what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is all about. Now you have the privilege of demonstrating it to the world and to the angelic beings. With that privilege comes the corresponding responsibility of presenting it properly. That is what My training is all about.

“Submit to My hand. Embrace My love. As you grow, you will discover more wonders than you could ever imagine. The more I can trust you, the more I can reveal to you. I delight in you.”

Ephesians 3:10-12 AMP

10) [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

11) This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord.

12) In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

1 Cor. 4:2 AMP

Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

2 Cor. 5:20a NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

Those of us, who are in training, focus most of the time on who we are not rather than on how our Father sees us. We see ourselves as mistake-making, sin-committing people who wonder if we will ever get this life we’ve been given in proper order. He sees us as His representatives, His deeply loved children, His reason for the cross. We, as mankind, are the only ones He has chosen to represent Jesus. There is no higher honor anywhere!

Thank You, Father,

Jim Corbett

1/16/25 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

1/14/25 Prepare Now or Cram Unsuccessfully Later

“Do you hear the rustling in the heavenlies? Something is transpiring that will soon be felt in your world. I am orchestrating events that will mean unparalleled changes to that with which you have become familiar. Things as you know them will be modified to the point that you will eventually not recognize them as they once were. What is wonderful about all that is happening is that you will also be changed. You, My children, are on the threshold of your finest hour in Me.

“There is a plumb line that will run through My church. To those who are listening to what My Spirit is saying, you will be prepared for what is going to transpire. In fact, you will prosper, because you will have full knowledge of what I am doing and flow with Me as I do it. Our union will be a symphony to behold. You are a privileged people. You have the benefit of observing all of the wonders of My Word being performed in the lives of those who have gone before you. You have the delight in seeing prophecy fulfilled in your generation.

“Technology has caught up with what I foretold long ago. Most of all, I am drawing close to you, so that My heart and yours beat in unison. I have designed you so that you will be able to walk with Me intimately, as the fullness of your restoration comes to pass. Eternal history is in the making, and you are a vital part in its impact. As you walk with Me, you will be able to rise above the din of what is happening and move in the splendor of My love. You will be a spiritual light to the increasing darkness.

“Prepare now to receive all that I have for you. I am about to allow you to represent Me in the manner that I have planned from the beginning. Spend your priority time with Me. Draw close to My Word. It is about to be fulfilled in your life.”

1 Peter 1:3-5 AMP

3) Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4) [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

5) Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

Isaiah 42:9 NIV

“See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

I remember when I was in school. (Wow! Can it really be so many years ago?) I would be sitting in class, clueless to whatever the teacher was saying, dreaming about what I was going to do on the weekend; and the teacher would announce that a test was scheduled for the next week. “Next week! Man! I have a whole six days before I even need to begin thinking about that.”

“Next weeks” had an uncanny ability to sneak up on me every seven really quick days or so. The morning of the test, I would usually find myself cramming in all the information that I could, so that I wouldn’t fail too badly. I didn’t really care to learn. I just wanted to get the test over with and go on to whatever was important to me at the time.

I believe that this kind of scenario is played out regularly in today’s church. Our Father graciously proclaims to us that specific times and seasons are approaching in the near future. We seem to filter that information through our “priority meter” and decide that we will have enough time to prepare another day. Other things are more important to us.

I don’t believe any of us will have the luxury of “cramming” for God’s near seasons. I believe that it’s important to heed every call from the moment it is heard. God’s timing is perfect with both the seasons and our lives. He knows what it will take for each of us to be ready. He calls us in the proper time for our specific need. If we respond, we will be ready and on time for whatever He has planned.

Don’t want to “cram” for this one, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/14/25 Why Should I Help Her?

“Why should I help her – I don’t even like her!” Those poisonous words were said by one remarkably unaware parent to the other parent in front of a three or four-year-old child, while the child was having difficulty emptying her tray into the container as they were leaving the restaurant. It was very apparent that the two parents were at odds, and cared little who was observing their behavior, even their child. It was almost as if I could see a sword penetrating deep into the spirit of that little girl.

My food became less appealing as I pondered the plight of that little girl. It appeared as if this kind of comment was nothing new to all of them, so those kind of hurtful words and actions will probably continue for the next twelve or thirteen years. As the girl becomes stronger, more wounded, and more frustrated, her responses will become stronger, so separation upon separation will ensue until her rebellion and anger will cause her to leave. She will go about the business of inflicting the things she has been taught on others.

After much prayer and thought about the situation, I had to set aside my anger toward the parents to see what the Lord was telling my heart. This allowed my focus to change. He showed me that the parents were only doing what they had been taught to do by their parents, who learned from theirs, and so on. There are probably generations of wounded, unaware people dripping from the wounds they have received and have inflicted on each other in that family tree. This little girl's life will eventually be a breeding ground for the same kind of careless words and actions that she is receiving, unless the Lord intervenes in the lives of her or her parents.

If you are a parent, guard your words and your actions toward your children. Make it your life's purpose to protect their little spirits so that they can prosper in Christ. You and I have the opportunity to either provide a smooth path for their lives in Christ or have them reeling from our ignorance.

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

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