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1/12/22 Refuse to Be Afraid

As a man, I am often surprised at what we as men are generally afraid of. Even admitting that we have fears is contrary to everything that we have been told since we were little guys wandering through our growing up days. In Christ I can finally say that my early life scared the tricycle out of me.

Throughout high school, locker room bravado, with all of the cocky athletes and their macho stuff, set a standard of who we were supposed to be, and what determined our manhood. We were supposed to be tough, good in bed, and able to make everyone believe we had answers, no matter what we had to do to prove it. I don't know about you, but my high school days were days of lying to myself and to all of my buddies, mostly to just be accepted.

Now, as a Christian man, I know how foolish and downright wrong all of the world-inspired locker room training was. God is continually showing me how to shake off all of the standards set in those days and accept the boldness to act as Jesus acted. He refused to be afraid to act right in a world that was wrong.

As husbands and fathers, isn't it long overdue for us to refuse to be afraid to be the men that Jesus calls us to be? Isn't it time to not be afraid to love our wives and children as He loved His church? Are we not supposed to lay down our fears of being considered less than macho if we serve them as one of our priorities?

If we refuse to live under the world-inspired dictates, we are free. If we can be small enough to admit to being wrong and in need of going to God for answers in front of our wives, we are showing her that she is under the protection of God who is far stronger than we are. If we are free to have no answers for our children, they will see that it is important to drop to our knees for answers; something they will need to do in their lives.

Men, it's time to refuse to be anything less than Jesus calls us to be. What do you say that we live lives that inspire others to be set apart from the world by refusing to be afraid of anything it offers? Jesus did and He has given us the power to do the same. Do you want to be fearless?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

1/11/22 Reflecting

“Prepare! Prepare your heart as a bride would prepare for that special day. Adorn yourself with the righteousness that is in Jesus. Submit to holiness. Become the mirror of the One Who died to attain your love.”

Hebrews 10:14 NIV

…because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV

15) But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;

16) for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Rev. 19:7 KJV

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

So many of us will regret the many wasted moments we’ve squandered in our lifetime, moments that we could’ve spent getting to know our Lord, rather than presenting foolish, self-serving petitions. The Revelation verse above indicates the responsibility of the wife of the Lamb to prepare herself, to make herself ready. It seems to me that the time has come for those who understand the times and seasons—who observe the signs and understand their implications—to awaken from the slumber of selfishness and prepare to please the Lord as their only priority.

Wake up my heart, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/11/22 Pass It On

I wonder how many of us have had the privilege of simple quiet times with our fathers. I don't mean times when we had nothing to say to them because of heart separation; I am talking of intimate moments where nothing need be said, and it was OK.

As husbands and fathers, how are we expected to pass on what we haven't experienced ourselves? I think that there is a way. I think that maybe one of the reasons our Father in heaven calls us to Himself is to show us how to endear our wives and children to us. I know that may sound a little simplistic, but what if one of the reasons He calls us to Himself is that He intends for us to experience the wondrous peace found in just being with Him? What if, because of those experiences, we begin to find ways to create those same kinds of experiences with those we love?

What comes to mind as I observe wives who have looked to other things for satisfaction, or children that have turned to their peers and the world for acceptance, is that they are screaming out loud by their actions for someone to tell them of their value. Lifetimes are spent looking for someone, anyone, to somehow tell them of their worth. If you look at the phenomenon of cell phones, they are a point of contact that is desperately needed to fill some gap.

Dads, what if you determined to first of all learn how to rest in the quiet acceptance of your heavenly Father, and then passed that kind of privilege on to those who need you to tell them of their worth? What if restoring your family relationships could begin with the simple action of making sure that you are always available to those who need you to show them that they are worth being with? If you've never experienced that kind of acceptance, go get it from your Father, and pass it on by teaching them to go to Him because of being familiar with coming to you. Those who need Him are waiting for you to show them who He is by your actions. Are you willing and ready to go there?

Let's talk more!

Jim Corbett

1/10/22 Called to Account

“You need a clear understanding of accountability. I am the only one Who can really call you to account. Because of My grace and My mercy, that prospect is good for you. Because I am a Righteous Judge, some of you will be very surprised. I will honor My Word. I will judge your stewardship according to It. I will expose your real motives, not your actions.

"Some of you feel secure in your stewardship of My money, time, and My Word because you have been deceived. You have fallen for the lies of the uninformed and have managed everything from a place that allows you to remain comfortable, when others are hungry, physically and spiritually. That never was My way. It is your responsibility if you call yourself by Jesus’ Name.

"One day you will be exposed to absolute truth. Some of your gifts will not be gifts at all, because you gave them with a wrong heart. Some of your usage of My Word will be exposed for the horror that it is. Many of you have not redeemed your time by placing value on My moments for the sake of others. Turn your hearts while there is still enough time to do so. Come to Me and receive My perspective of your actions. You are accountable for what you know. It is best for you to know My truth.”

Psalm 106:12-15a AMP

12) Then [Israel] believed His words [trusting in, relying on them]; they sang His praise.

13) But they hastily forgot His works; they did not [earnestly] wait for His plans [to develop] regarding them,

14) But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted and tried to restrain God [with their insistent desires] in the desert.

15) And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their souls…

Isaiah 2:22 AMP

Cease to trust in [weak, frail, and dying] man, whose breath is in his nostrils [for so short a time]; in what sense can he be counted as having intrinsic worth?

Hosea 4:6 AMP

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge…

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV

19) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

21) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22) Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

23) Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

Just after Jesus left, being called a Christian or a follower of Jesus was something that truly set you apart. At first, there was an awe; people wanted to lift common followers up as gods. Others wanted to stone God’s messengers because of their uncompromising truth. Wherever they went, there was no mistaking that the presence of God had made an impact through those who bore the Name of the Crucified One, because they acted like the One they followed.

Today, we willingly deny God’s absolute truth in our actions if someone so much as threatens us from a distance. We compromise His ways and form them to our advantage, so that they fit into our puny worlds. We walk past the needs of others, even God’s workers; and side with other hypocrites to maintain our comfort. The Word has not changed! Jesus certainly has not changed. How can we really believe that our actions will not be judged by a Righteous Judge? Have we become so arrogant, so pompous, as to compromise His Word without so much as a check in our spirits?

Forgive me and change me, Lord,

Jim Corbett

1/10/22 Who Controls Your Family?

As the world grows darker, and men and women seek out answers for their lives that are out of whack, I am amazed at how many of them are reeling from fathers who had little or no ability to parent. The world is looking to its own wisdom as to why we have horrific things done by youth, or why marriages are thrown away at a whim, or why our cities are festering with hate and crime. For them there are no answers.

In God's economy, however, the answer is very simple. Satan understands the incredible detriment a strong family, headed by a man who seeks the Lord, is to his kingdom. He does everything in his power to destroy it. Generations upon generations have been blinded to the importance and power of a God-honoring father and a Christ-centered family. This erosion has brought our world to the point that the family, God's most important institution, is guided and controlled by peer groups, experts trained in the ways of the world, and governments who make life decisions for us instead of Him.

How is your family doing? As a husband and father, are you leading those God has given you to a place of spiritual power, the kind of power that is overcoming the world and its pressures? Do you have a strong relationship with your heavenly Father, and does your guidance come from Him? Have you determined in your heart that as a steward of your wife and children, you will do what is necessary by the power of the Holy Spirit to see that they have real answers for their lives and are equipped to represent Christ to a world that is out of answers? If not, what do you plan to say to the Lord when you stand before Him and have to give an account for those He has given you?

Let's talk more! (if you still want to)

Jim Corbett

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