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5/25/21 Your Job

While functioning in the offices of husband and father, have you ever thought about the reason why your Father God chose to give you breath?  I know that is pretty much a leading question; but none-the-less, it’s a question most men don’t really know how to answer. Let me answer it for you before you go on the typical rabbit trails of providing for them or making sure they’re safe in this world.

God has placed you in the most important position He ever created so that you can provide a fertile atmosphere for your wife and children to overcome the world. That’s it! All the money you make, the kind of house you own, the cars, vacations, the college educations mean nothing if those you are steward of have not learned how to function in a life separate from the world and its tentacles. As a husband and father, you will answer for that when you stand before God. Whether you like it or not, it’s what your offices require of you.

Most men don’t have a clue on how to create this atmosphere, because they haven’t chosen to function in that atmosphere themselves. Most men don’t grasp the impact of what Jesus was telling them when He said that those who overcome the world, as He did, will sit beside Him on His throne just as He overcame and sat down beside His Father on His throne.

Men, what is your plan to get in line with God and His desires for the offices He has given you?  How do you plan to turn your life and the lives of your family around so you can all prosper in a dying world and overcome it through the power of the Holy Spirit? The answer to those leading questions is for you to make your priority intimacy with God. You need to change your address to God’s Throne Room to receive all that is needed to lead others where you have been. Once you determine in your heart to live there yourself, you will be able to lead others there, too.  God has called you to live that life with Him so that you can give away what you own! Will you do it?

Let’s talk!

Jim Corbett

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5/24/21 Promises to Fulfill

“You must watch your heart so that you never, never turn your back on My people, Israel. In the times and seasons that are fast approaching, there will be many confusing issues about borders and alliances and other things concerning Israel. It is all part of My end-time scenario being played out in your midst. You must guard your heart and never come against My people or side with anyone who does. Too often you, My children, forget that you are grafted into the vine by My Son. You are there only because of My grace toward you. You had as much to do with the crucifixion of My Son as those at whom you point fingers. This may be hard for you to accept in your pride, but I am using you at present to bring those I also love deeply close to Me.

"For you to forget your isolated heritage, raise yourself above, and believe that you have a corner on My love is foolish thinking and destined for failure. It will only lead to confusion and unwise actions, leading you to heart separation from Me. I will never change My Word. I have promises in My Word that I will fulfill. If you decide to follow prejudices that are derived from a fleshly heart, you will find yourself directly opposed to My heart. You do not want to go there. I am not there and you will be standing all alone with only your “wisdom” to protect you. Not a good place to be!”

 Rom. 11:24-26 AMP

24) For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and against nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier will it be to graft these natural [branches] back on [the original parent stock of] their own olive tree.

25) Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in.

26) And so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, The Deliverer will come to Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.

 

In a telephone conversation years ago, I was attempting to explain the attitudes of people driving on the road in the South Florida area. Included among several categories to explain the selfish attitudes, the words “rich Jew” came from my mouth as one example. I meant to describe a kind of person who went about his business with little care about anyone else. I don’t believe that I had ever thought in those terms before, and I am quite sure that they had never been said out loud. I certainly didn’t mean to say them, but I did. I didn’t know that any root of prejudice was in my heart, but it must have been there because it came out of my mouth.

Immediately, my Lord took issue with my astounding ignorance. He said to my heart very intently: “Watch your mouth and guard your heart. You do not know the spirit that you have sided with. It is part of the anti-Christ spirit that is in the world and will become more prevalent as the end times unfold.”

I understood very clearly that He meant business and was not pleased at how I would hold to such sin against His people - even though I didn’t know it, nor would I willingly ever want any harm to come to them, nor would I ever want to come against them. I thought that I had only love in my heart until then.

Over the next week, it was impossible for me to shake a feeling of emptiness, knowing that I had offended my Lord. I tried to repent over and over again, telling Him how sorry I was for the choice of words I had used, and the attitude that I unknowingly had. Only after I repented of my arrogance and pride, and acknowledged my “grafted in” status, did I see forgiveness. It was a much deeper issue with Him than a simple bad choice of words. It was a spirit that was sent by the enemy long ago to destroy the unity of the family of God, all of His family, which I had unknowingly accepted. (No wonder there has been such focus and such horrors done to the Jewish people over the centuries.  It is a sent spirit!)

In my time of repentance, the Lord brought to my remembrance a meeting that I had with a Jewish contractor long ago. He had heard that I’d given my life to Jesus. This was a man that I’d greatly respected even before I came to the Lord, so we had enough of a relationship to be able to talk freely. In the course of our conversation, he made a remarkable statement to me. It didn’t impact me then as much as it does now.

He said: “I suppose you will come against my people now, just like all the others have.”  He went on to tell of all the horrific examples of so-called Christians and their foolish actions, some right to his face. I saw the hurt and deep sorrow in his eyes while I was promising to never be part of that ignorance. After this week, I understand his hurt and our ignorance as Christians more fully.

Wanting to never, never hurt the heart of my Father in that way again,

Jim Corbett

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5/24/21 Train Up a Child

The Bible states that we should train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. How that works day to day has a rhythm of spiritual wonder and potential. We are to make our lives a study of our children, observing those things they are interested in and have a bent for. After observing those traits, we are to build a pattern for their lives, directing them into those gifts and re-enforcing their interest in them.

When our daughter Jubilee was young, there were many things she had an innate ability to do with ease, and also those things that only came to pass through intense struggle on her part. The final outcome of the two processes were a night and day difference. It became increasingly obvious that emphasizing and endorsing her natural abilities was a success pattern for her life.

With that in mind, we set a course of continually studying her, tailoring her schooling, recreational activities, social interaction, and personal tastes to develop her God-given abilities. The results have been quite wonderful. There is a quiet peace in her direction for life. (There are also life skills she acquired that came from having to meet the challenges associated with those things she achieved through great struggle.) It’s almost as if the Lord gave her new abilities because she had such freedom to flow in her natural tendencies.

Men, begin to make it your life’s work to study your children. Participate with your wife in planning their lives around their natural abilities. Watch them meet the challenges with an anointing that is God-given as they prosper in Him. You will be amazed at the freedom they have to succeed. Sounds worth pursuing, doesn’t it?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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5/22/21 Few Regrets

“Look closely at those whom I have placed in your life. Pray to see why they are there. Some are there to expose who you really are. Others are there to represent who I am. Still others are there simply to bless you with what I have done in them. Nothing is by chance when you are part of My life. Make sure you begin to honor each moment that you have breath. Time is passing and you will miss much that I have for you if you only concentrate on your needs. Cherish everything. Enjoy the days that are yours. Make sure that when your time is complete, you have few regrets because of wasted moments, inordinate fears or broken relationships. You can never recoup what was planned through them once they have passed. Stop looking only for results. Enjoy Our trip together and with others that I give you. I designed it especially for you.”

 Eccl. 3:1 AMP

to everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:

Ps. 90:12 AMP

So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom.

Romans 15:1-7 NIV

1) “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

2) Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

3) For even Christ did not please himself, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me”

4) For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

5) May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

6) so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

 

I have the great honor of being an observer and sometimes, it seems, almost a participant in the lives of certain people who are experiencing a Christ-like, God-ordained life modification. They are going through challenges that are forming them into the image of Jesus. It is incredibly exciting to witness astounding growth, as they submit to heavy trials, joyful times, and everything in between.

What is most interesting, as I observe their lives, is how real it all is. They are the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the work of the cross, and the power of the resurrection from the tomb being worked out and fulfilled right before my eyes. As they are being formed, I am seeing how truthful the Word and its promises really are. How horrible it would be to have missed the opportunity by deciding not to get involved.

Thank You for every Christ–life experience,

Jim Corbett

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5/22/21 Generation Gap

Did you know that in God’s eyes there is no such thing as a generation gap? That whole concept is nothing more than spiritually ignorant, psycho-babble hogwash. Spiritually alive parents who have chosen to invest in their children, considering them more important than themselves and spiritually alive children, who have chosen to invest in the family by the power of the Holy Spirit, have no time to buy into that ridiculousness.

The generation gap concept was created by spiritually impotent people, who attempted to incorporate their impotence into guiding and directing their offspring. It is nothing more than a way to excuse their inability to lead their children as they continue to walk in their own ways and thinking. What they really need to do is submit to God through Jesus Christ so that the life of Christ can flow in them through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s wisdom, strength, love, etc. that we need – not ours. Ours will not truly get the job done. Of course, each generation has its own tastes and preferences; but communication, understanding, mutual love and respect, discernment, and prayer overcome any differences and allow generations to flow together with peace and harmony.

Raising godly children requires a lifetime of investing in them, most of the time in ways that violate our personal comfort zones. It is going to take a lot of surrender of our own ways to the Lord, a lot of prayer, a lot of selfless choices, placing their well-being above our comfort; and a lot of heart work. Yes, heart work. However, the eventual satisfaction and rewards of seeing a child being formed by God and the character of Jesus going forth through our children more than compensates for whatever price we may have to pay.

Godly children, who eventually become godly adults, are the goal and heart desire of Father God for both marriage and family. His standards are higher than the world’s standards and most of the standards in the typical church of today. He is after the heart of our children, not their compliance. His methods raise the bar in comparison with “normal” child rearing.

[While education is vitally important and must be part of any child’s growth process, which child lives a more significant life – one who has all of the degrees in the world, a successful business, and a mediocre life in Christ; or one who has the priorities of God as his priority, dedicating himself to bringing others to significance while having few of the successes of the world?]

Investing in our children God’s way creates generations of strong, healthy children, who are full of integrity and inner wealth and capable of not only overcoming any of the challenges that come their way, but actually prospering because of them. Raising children God’s way brings proper credit to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and a testimony of His eternal work.

Knowing this, each of us has a choice to make at some point in our lives. This moment may be that time for you. You can approach child rearing with an attitude that your children are the ones who need to conform to His ways on their own, or you can settle it in your heart, once and for all time, that who you are and who you become in Christ is a major factor in determining who they will become.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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