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5/03/24 Fruitless Imaginations

As a father and husband, who directs your plans? 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us that every thought that does not conform to the work that Jesus did is to be cast aside. Jesus also did nothing of Himself, but only what He and His Father agreed upon to do. How then do any of us believe that our own thoughts or ideas, based on need or circumstances and derived from our own imaginations, are good enough to direct our wives and families to safe, prosperous paths in life?

As a steward of those around you, there will come a time when you stand before Almighty God and give account of those He has entrusted to your care. You will be asked if you provided a safe and clear path for your wife and family to follow, a place where they had every opportunity to become all they could be in Christ. How’s that working for you?

Have you done or are you doing everything that you can for their best interests? Have you determined in your heart that their stewardship is more important than your job or the things that keep you comfortable? If you haven’t, now might be a good time to reassess whether or not the plans you follow are yours or the Lord’s.

Following His plans and ideas in all things leads to a prosperous life in His eyes. He sees that following your plans is nothing more than flowing in fruitless imaginations. We are told to cast them down as useless, because they have no basis for truth and deny God’s way for you. Whose plans do you choose?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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5/02/24 Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

“Don’t override My plans with your unbelief. Please don’t hinder My work in you because you cannot fathom that I would have focused attentions toward you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. I made you with My own hands for Myself. You fit into everything that I have for you.  More than that, you fit perfectly into My arms. You have a soft place in My heart. I have designed you to rest there. I love you!”

Genesis 1:26a NIV 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness”…

Gen. 1:27 AMP 

So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Gen. 1:31a AMP

And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely….

 

To hear that God was pleased with what He had created takes on much more meaning when we think about how hard He has pursued mankind over the years to maintain fellowship with Him. All of the Old Testament rings of passionate favor. It is the testimony of a God Who is deeply in love and patiently enduring the ignorance and rebellion of some, so that He could embrace those who chose to embrace Him.

The incredible covenant, implemented at the cost of Jesus, should confirm His love for us once and for all. He could’ve left us in our separated, fallen state. Instead, as an ultimate act of love, He gave His all. He made us to fit into His existence. He formed us to be part of His plans. He made a way and wooed us to choose His presence over whatever else would garner our attentions. He is truly our God; but more importantly, we are His loved creation. His heart has a place for us.

Choosing to go where I belong and fit perfectly,

Jim Corbett

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5/02/24 Serving Others with Brothers We Trust

One of the most outstanding aspects of David’s life is the caliber of men God gave him. Knowing the battles he was about to encounter, God gave David mighty men of valor, well-trained in their respective roles and trustworthy unto death. As you read the accounts of their feats, there is no question about their prowess. As David’s life unfolds, what also becomes strikingly clear is that these mighty men were devoted to him and he was devoted to them. Combined with the presence of the Lord that was upon them, this arrangement was unbeatable. It was a three-way covenant relationship.

Today, that kind of brotherhood seems non-existent, except in motorcycle or street gangs. It is glaringly absent in the church. In a time when having your back covered could make the difference between the life or death of you and your family, I challenge any of you to find that kind of camaraderie - someone you know who’s there for you, even unto death. If you can find him, (other than Jesus Himself, of course,) you are truly blessed.

In the Word, Jesus uses the term “brother” or “brethren” as a premier example of a close bond. These terms were used at a time when family and covenant bond really meant something, unlike today’s fractured world. I am convinced that God is raising up holy alliances of men, joined in the brotherhood of Christ and designed to accomplish mighty feats for the Lord just as in David’s time. These men - washed in the blood of Jesus, refined by the fires of adversity, broken under the weight of extreme challenges, and rebuilt by the Holy Spirit until they are trustworthy before God and trustworthy toward others - are on the threshold of joining with one another to accomplish God-given tasks.

Together they will tear down spiritual strongholds and overcome insurmountable challenges through the power of the Holy Spirit. Available only to God and committed to one another, they will walk together above the spirit of the world as an unbeatable force of holy, mighty men on a mission for our Lord.

Are you submitting to God’s training to be a brother of consequence?  If you are not, you will be set on the sidelines as others participate in some of the most exciting adventures the Lord has ever had available in the darkest of times, times when He needs those He can trust.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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5/01/24 The Key

“Come close! Listen very carefully! The key to everything you need is Jesus! He is the answer to your every question, the hope of your every desire. Study His life. Examine His ways. Emulate His heart motives, see as He sees, love as He loves; and you shall prosper. Become as devoted to being in My will as He is and your days will glow with the kind of life of which the world has no knowledge.

"You have been bought with a price that He gladly paid. He lives in you. Allow His life to flow through you for your good, for My purposes, and for the sake of others.”

Matthew 16:24-25 AMP

24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

25) For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

Matthew 21:28-31 NIV

28)  “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29) “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30) “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ’I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31) “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

 

To live out Christ’s life in the world around us with the same passion and heart commitment that Jesus lived when He walked among His creation is:

  • the only fitting response to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
  • the proper and honorable representation of Jesus to a world that is dying and out of answers.
  • the highest form of praise that can be given to the Lord as you emulate Him.
  • the proper response to the call of the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart as a waiting bride for the return of Jesus.
  • the only way to overcome the perilous times and seasons in which we are living, so that you can fulfill your purpose in life.

Give me Your heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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5/01/24 This Life

What if this life is about nothing more than to prepare those who are going to spend eternity with God and those who aren't? What if God had no other plan but whatever is needed for the eternities, and was simply using this time we call our lives as a qualification process for what we are going to do then? What if mankind added all of the other stuff and made it important when God never intended for us to focus one moment on the things we hold dear?

Let's say that God placed mankind on this planet to first of all, know Him, and then to divide those who decide to serve Him from those who choose not to. Let's say that's all there is to it, nothing more. If that were the case, then everything else – everything - is made important by the will of man, not by God.

Entertainment would not have taken the place of complete happiness in the presence of God. Striving to work to provide for our needs would not be necessary because God, in His rightful place, would be our all provider. There would be no fears even from those who choose not to serve Him, because our reliance would be on His protection. Even if we were harmed, He would be our healer, or we would die and simply be with Him - our life's goal. His plan for us would be complete and our trust in that plan would bring total joy to those around us as we represent Jesus.

Fathers and husbands, how are you preparing those who are watching your life so that they know how to function? Whose plan for real life are you representing? What are you doing to be able to bring clear direction for your family? If you are a blind guide, an ability to see clearly is found in Jesus and His ways. He is waiting for you to come to Him for new life to give to others. Are your eyes and heart open?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

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