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8/12/23 An Incredible Heart

I wish I could give proper credit to the players in this story, but I don’t remember who they were or when the story took place. I just remember how much it impacted me.

The story goes that a father set some rules for his children to obey, so that there would be harmony in the home and Jesus would be glorified. If a violation of any one of the rules took place, the violator had to spend the night in the barn - not only for punishment, but to have that person think about how good it was to not be separated from the rest of the family. At the time, belonging to a family unit was a very important thing, so being an outcast (even for a short time) hurt.

After one of the children was sent to the barn for a violation that had occurred during the day, he heard - amid the strange groans and creaks encountered in a loft late at night - a particularly clear presence of someone else in the barn. As he cowered in fear, awaiting the intruder to make himself known, his father’s face appeared at the ladder. As he entered the loft with a pillow and blanket in hand, he said something like this. “I had to follow through with giving you the consequences you earned, so I couldn’t let you in the house; but that doesn’t stop me from coming out here to spend the night with you so you won’t be afraid.”

As a father, have you ever given of yourself even when strong discipline is deserved by one of your children? Has there ever been a big dose of love accompanying it? As it says in the Word, our Father disciplines us for our own good. Do you do the same?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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8/11/23 Receive from the Throne Room

“When evil men plan their evil schemes, I am still in charge. Throughout history there have been those who have attempted to take My timetable into their own hands. They have erroneously thought that they were in control of the times and seasons. Not only have they been foolish, but they have been dead wrong; and it has cost them dearly. Conversely, many of My people have misunderstood the seasons that are being played out before them. They have chosen to blind their eyes to what I am doing for the sake of their own agendas, leaving those that rely upon them in peril. That is just as foolish.

"My people, you who know better, I am calling for valiant stewardship of all My resources. I am heralding a call to My leaders to rise up and be strong in the power of My might. You who have been given resources to hold for Me, it is time to use them as I have planned, so that My Word goes forth to those who need to hear it. Hold on to only what I allow you to keep for yourself. Any more than that will be burned, wasted, and removed forcefully from you by My hand. You who have been given a stewardship of My Word, cast down the imaginations that have held you for so long and begin to preach only what has been given to you from My throne room.

"To do that, you must come to My throne room to receive truth. So many of you have never been here. Now is the time to come. I have much to say to you. I have strong food to give you to nourish My children who have been trained to digest it. To My true church, separate yourselves from any foolish traditions and teachings. Receive what you need from Me and Me alone. Cast aside anything that is not from Me, no matter who is saying it. Learn now to discern the difference. Devour My Word. It will feed you.”

Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV 

11) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

12) to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13) until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining  to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

If you had a job to do and were given a choice of equipment to use for that job, how would you go about selecting which piece to use? I would assume that you would select the tool that would perform the best for you. If you were given choices of the same kind of tool, but they were of different quality, more than likely you would select the best quality tool, knowing that it will help you do a better job. The reason it will work better is the fact that each part of that tool is functioning at its optimum performance with no tolerance for failure.

Our Father is once again refining His church. He is, so to speak, adjusting the tolerances to His requirements for the seasons ahead. Because of the task at hand, there is no room for sloppy operation of any part of His end-time machine.

Obviously, the comparison of God’s holy church to a machine leaves much to be desired, but the point is clear. The only church that is fit for the Master’s use is a people who function with optimum characteristics - those of Jesus Christ. For too long, we have felt that inferior performance in areas of our calling would suffice. Often it has appeared that we have gotten away with sloppy attitudes and workmanship because the horrendous damage that was done was not readily evident. In the times ahead, however, badly functioning parts will be exposed for what they are – immediately - when their function does not suffice for the task at hand.

In less critical times, bad, unanointed preaching and teaching would be tolerated because the havoc it caused could be covered by someone else over time. That is no longer the case when shepherds have flocks hungry for only absolute truth to take with them for immediate life and death situations. Bad money stewardship will manifest itself quickly when there is silence from those who require it to function for the Lord. The lack of personal fellowship with God and His Word will be quickly evident because of foolish actions and empty words that fall short of the need.

The Lord will soon be able to use only those who have submitted to His refining processes in their lives and in their areas of service. Others will soon be set aside, unable to function properly for His very important, rapidly approaching tasks.

Needing to submit everything to His hand,

Jim Corbett

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8/11/23 A Great Lesson

I remember the time my dad came to me at 2:00 AM with a spare tire in his hand, because I had burned the rubber off my own tires after about two months. I had a flat about a mile from home, and I woke him up to take me back where I left my car. I was sure that I was really in for it this time. He had commented on me driving foolishly for a long time, so I knew this was incredible fuel for a fatherly “I told you so” kind of lesson.

What surprised me, though, was the fact that he said nothing that night, or even after that I can recall. He didn’t have to. I knew how wrong I had been. Now, I’m not going to say that I changed my ways immediately since I went through many sets of tires before I finally wised up; but that instance had a great impact on me none-the-less.

My dad’s quiet assistance at that time said more than any lecture he could have given me. He simply served because he was my dad. In his own way, he said out loud that he loved me without saying a word in a situation where I deserved many words.

As a father, it might be good to take a thorough look at the way you are directing your children into wholeness. Are you continually correcting them, or are you giving them some space to learn some valuable lessons in ways that allow God to work on their hearts? Sometimes the most is said when no words are involved. It gives you time to pray for their best interests, too.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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8/10/23 Pieces of What Could Be

“I miss My time with you. To you, Our time together is expendable. You seem to come to Me only when you have need. That’s alright for now. As you understand how important it is to seek Me for your every need and praise Me for all that transpires in your life, you will come to Me more often. Seeking Me builds integrity and shows your understanding of Lordship. That resounds throughout the heavens and glorifies what Jesus has done on the cross. Praising Me builds truth and wealth in your inner being. You are now spiritual beings living temporarily in physical bodies. Praise builds your inner man who has been born to live with Me. That inner man thrives on praises.

"As it pours forth, I respond with My presence. That is health and wealth to you. To Me, however, your staying away is hazardous. You have been formed to “fit’ into My presence. To not do so means that a part of My heart is missing when you are away. I love you, and long to be with you every moment. It is hazardous to you also. You have no real idea of how much would change for you if your priority in life was to be with Me. Your focus and direction would be so different because of Our fellowship that nothing would be the same as it is now. Now you have only pieces of what your life could be You are only a shadow of who you would be for Me. Turn your life around now. Become complete. Let’s spend more time quietly together. I have much to share with you.”

Ps. 31:19-24 AMP

19) Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear, revere, and worship You, goodness which You have wrought for those who trust and take refuge in You before the sons of men!

20) In the secret place of Your presence You hide them from the plots of men; You keep them secretly in Your pavilion from the strife of tongues.

21) Blessed be the Lord! For he has shown me His marvelous loving favor when I was beset as in a besieged city.

22) As for me, I said in my haste and alarm, I am cut off from before Your eyes. But You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You for aid.

23) O love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, and plentifully pays back him who deals haughtily.

24) Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord!

II Co 4:16 AMP 

Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.

Eph 3:16 AMP 

May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

 

Over and over, I hear our Father in heaven calling us to spend more time with Him. Do you think He knows something? Maybe He wants to help us make it through what is on the horizon. Maybe He just wants to bless us. Ya think?

All kidding aside, it makes sense to me that fellowship with us is important to Him. He originally designed us to be with Him. He sent Jesus so that could happen again once sin was destroyed. It is obviously His priority.

Can you give one good reason why being with our Father in heaven is not a priority in our lives? I can’t. Sure, there are all the well-worn excuses, but every one of them is easily set aside when crisis occurs or need arises. It almost seems as if we are using Him. Has He become the “great vending machine” in the sky? You know, drop a prayer in the slot and out comes the answer? Can you imagine the pain it must give the Father when we take the sacrifice of Jesus so lightly? He was scoffed at, beaten, nailed to a cross, all so we could have access once again to Father God. God did it for fellowship, out of love. We do it for convenience, out of selfishness. What an astounding indictment!

Bring truth back in my life, Lord,

Jim Corbett

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8/10/23 Your Weakness, His Strength

So many of us guys have been taught that failure in any area of our lives is a horrible thing! Most of us were taught that not having all the answers means weakness, and weakness is a bad thing. If you really study the Bible, you will find that only in our weakness is God able to prove Himself strong to us.

On my tombstone, I would like the words, “Here lies a man who understood his desperate need of God.” I want everyone to know that I understood that without a moment by moment need of my Father in heaven I could do nothing.

The most important, most powerful man in history was Jesus. Far from being weak, He said that His every move was ordained by His Father. He did nothing of Himself. That’s a full understanding of where the power to walk in the kingdom of heaven on this earth came from. His submission brought heavenly power down to this earth.

I know this may sound wrong to some of you fathers, but sometimes it’s good to need to seek help in a situation in front of your kids. To do so shows them how to do the same, especially when you seek help from Jesus. Their learning how to go to Jesus is the best lesson you could ever teach. Would you be willing to be in need so you could be used by the Lord to teach them that lesson?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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