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10/04/23 How Far Would You Go?

I once saw a movie where a father’s daughter was kidnapped. Instead of following the rules set by the kidnappers, he used his very capable skills to find her, rescue her, and destroy the kidnappers. The movie was a story of his relentless pursuit of someone he loved even more than his own life.

As I look around at the families in the church today, I am amazed at how many are so fractured that they don’t resemble the family that God has in mind. After getting past all the rhetoric about how powerful and influential society and its dictates are, the bottom line is that the rescue of a man’s family is normally not a priority on his list.

I believe that most men have been sold a bill of goods, told that they are too weak or incapable of doing something about whatever worms have crept in to destroy their family. I am convinced that they have been lied to by the enemy, who is out to not only destroy the family, but bent on minimizing the limitless power of the office that the father has to reclaim and help restore the children God has given him.

The guidelines for God’s family are pretty clear. The husband is a spiritual covering, continually seeking the Lord on behalf of those he stewards. The wife is an equal in supporting and undergirding his mission of providing a safe spiritual place for their children to prosper in Christ. They are to nurture their children in the deep things of God, so that they become honorable legacies who are capable of passing on spiritual wealth to their own offspring.

If anything disrupts the flow of God’s love and power in that family, everything else is to take second place until Christ-like harmony is restored. Nothing or no one should get in the way of the war that the father and mother engage in to rescue any one of their children in harm’s way. They are to be relentless in seeking the Lord for wisdom and guidance, and then for doing whatever is necessary to bring His real life back to the ones they love. They are to persevere until the job is completed and the enemy is destroyed. Do you agree? If not, why not?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

PS A good example of this kind of warfare is in the first chapter of our book, The Father Factor.

10/03/23 Every Moment

“When was the last time that you did something simply to bless someone? When did you give someone a gift that was wildly beyond the norm, and did it anonymously? When have you covenanted to pray with another until their need was met, and really did it faithfully? Let’s go deeper. How about blessing someone who has harmed you in the past, really blessing them? Or forgiving so completely that you have their best interests at heart every time you think of them. Do you know that the kind of life mentioned above should be the way you function every moment? It is the way that Jesus thought and acted. It is the way you should, too, if you say that you follow Him.”

Romans 12:9-21 NIV

9) Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

10) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

11) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

12) Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

13) Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

15) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

16) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with

people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17) Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

18) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

19) Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

20) On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 John 2:6 AMP

Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.

The world understands hatred, hitting back, and demanding payment for wrong that has been done to them. Just look in the Yellow Pages under “lawyers.” What the world is desperately trying to understand is the kind of love that Jesus showed when He walked on this earth. His love made the hardened soldier, who had seen daily crucifixions, say of Jesus, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

I believe that centurion had observed Jesus before and was saying, “He must be who He has been saying He was. He lived and died what He preached.”

Our heritage is to live an honorable life with higher standards than even the most honorable person in the world. Jesus did; so must we.

Show me how, Lord,

Jim Corbett

10/03/23 Motivated by Love

Everything that God does for mankind is motivated by love. His creation process brought companionship. His patience with fallen man, the redemption process, and His plans for our future have an astounding, unbelievable love as their foundation.

As a father, everything we do is to be done because of the love we have for Jesus and the privilege of overseeing those He loves. Above everything else, we are to love others as He first loved us. The idea that our stewardship is an obligation or something to dread is foolish worldly thinking. We have the privilege of loving.

The next time the cares of the world seem a little overwhelming, it might be good to go back to the understanding that your Father in heaven is hovering over you with His boundless love. He is pleased as He sees your submission to His plans.

Think of how you feel as a father when you see your son or daughter do well in any given situation, then multiply that feeling to an unlimited degree. That’s how your Father sees you as you go about your days. Bask in that thought and then pass it on to those who need it.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

10/02/23 Lamp Oil

“Watch the times and seasons and see how they are straining to fall in line with My Word. See how everything is lining up with what I have said would come to pass. Everything is in order. What should that tell you about your life? How should you be acting? You should be focusing on preparing your heart to see Me. You should be preparing as a bride. You should have oil in your lamp. Now is not the time to have a wandering heart. Now is the time to cleanse your garments. Become watchful. Set aside everything that distracts. Pay attention to My Word and My heart. Regain proper priorities.”

Matt. 25:6-13 NIV

6) “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7) “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

8) The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9) “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for us and you. Instead, go to those who sell and buy some for yourselves.’

10) “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11) “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir! they said. ‘Open the door for us!’

12) “But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

13) “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Luke 17:26-30 AMP

26) And [just] as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of Man.

27) [People] ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all

28) So also [it was the same] as it was in the days of Lot. [People] ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

29) But on the [very] day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all.

30) That is the way it will be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

2 Pet. 3:9-12a NIV

9) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

11) Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

12a) as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”

If something is said often enough by enough people, it becomes truth in the heart of the hearers. If that same something takes the form of a warning, and the fulfillment is long in coming, people stop hearing the urgency of the message because they have heard it so often. That is the danger that I believe is occurring today. We, as believers, have been told to prepare, look at the times and seasons, watch what is happening to Israel, Jesus is coming soon. We have been told it so often, that we almost ignore the continued warnings. We overlook God’s long=suffering and patience, and become weary in waiting. That is a grave mistake, which has an eternal impact.

Keep me focused, Lord,

Jim Corbett

10/02/23 Power for Service

I was reading about David’s mighty men the other day and one thing struck me as never before. The “mighty” part of these men was used for service. I know that sounds a little obvious, but when you think about it, what else should a powerful ability to do anything be used for? It would only justify itself if it were used to help someone less powerful, or even helpless. On the other hand, power misused is so very detrimental to those on whom it’s applied.

Let’s talk about the power we, as men of God, have been given. Holding the highest offices of husband and father - offices dear to our Father’s heart, we, in the clearest sense of the word, have God’s ear. He is for us. His power is available to us. His compassion bears witness to our needs in supplying whatever is useful for the proper stewardship of our families. That’s some pretty powerful stuff!

Men, the next time your marriage hits a bump in the road, think about how important its restoration is to God and then move as He directs to heal it. The next time you see that one of your children could use some help in making decisions, or help out of a harmful place they’ve gotten into, what better assistance could they have than a father on his face before God - the One who cares more for the child than even the father does. Think about the power available to overcome these situations. Then think about the way you may have ignored, misused, or simply not applied it to help those you love. If you are convinced of its availability, how are you going to use that power now?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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