Tag: From Our Father’s Heart

“Do you know that I have faith in you? I have faith that you will become all that you are supposed to be in Christ. It’s true. Faith in Me, and what I have done for you through Jesus, is the cornerstone of your life. But too often you forget that I have faith in you. I have supreme confidence that everything that needs to be accomplished in you, to complete My plan for your life, will be accomplished. You can count on it.

“First of all, I know that My love is so strong that you will never leave Me. Because you will stay, I will always continue My work in you. Next, I will never give up on you. No matter how many times you fail, I will always bring you back to Me. My holding power will cause you to turn from your sin every time you fail and eventually renounce it for good. Finally, I know the beginning from the end of your life. I have formed you in the womb, I have birthed your new spirit; and I have orchestrated your completion process.

“If that is not enough for you to rejoice, I also choose to bless you. I have placed My blessing on your life. Think of it. You have been called. You are being formed into completion, which means that you are going to eventually represent My Son properly. Plus, you are blessed in your comings and your goings because you are Mine.

“From this day, I ask you to stop worrying, and start living your new life in Me. Have faith in My faith. I have My hand on you, I love you. My faith will sustain you. Receive My blessing and live My life in you out loud.”

Hebrews 13:5b AMP

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

Isaiah 51:1-2 NIV

1) Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;

2) look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many.

 

I often think about the heroes of the Bible. I think of Abraham, Sarah, Noah, Deborah, the Prophets, the Apostles, Paul, those who died in the arena; and so many more, too numerous to count in fact. Often, I focus on what they did and lift them in high esteem, probably much higher than they would desire. When I lift them up, I am forgetting one very important thing. They didn’t do what was done. God did it in them. He called them for that specific time, completed His plan in them; and then blessed their lives. His faith, working and dwelling in them, allowed all things to happen.

In their day, among their friends, I’m sure that few, if any, ever thought that we would be modeling our lives after theirs. Their daily failings, their very human doubts, and their questioning attitudes more than likely clouded their ability to believe that they would ever really amount to anything. What most of them - like most of us - probably forgot to enter into the equation of their lives was the promise of God to empower them. Without it, we would never have heard of these heroes of the faith.

God has not changed. He is still in the business of making ordinary people into extraordinary followers of Christ. Should the Lord tarry, someone will be observing the lives of Jenny, Joe, Bob, Alice, Doug, Sue, Joanne, Ted, and so on and so on. They will see the necessity of following Jesus because they will see Him in them and you. Father will have done it once again!

Submitting to His hand, so that Jim can be in there someplace,

Jim Corbett

“Few of you fully understand the posture of waiting on Me. I don’t mean waiting for Me, although that is part of it. I mean waiting on Me. It is an attitude of the heart that, if cultivated, will change your life forever. Once fully implemented, nothing will be able to hinder the freedom and joy that will be part of every moment of your life.

“Waiting on Me is the life posture of allowing all things to be completed in the heavenly realms before you act in the physical. It is the confident expectation that I will accomplish every need on your behalf. It is the full assurance that what I have said will come to pass. It allows intimate fellowship between you and Me without the hindrances of fear, impatience, or questioning of My motives in anything that We are doing together. It is the intimate heart interaction that Jesus showed all the while He was with you. It is a true union of Spirit between you and Me. It is available to you for a great price. It will cost you your independence, but you will gain your freedom.”

Matthew 26: 53-54 NIV

53) “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

54) But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

John 4:34 NIV

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Matt.16:19 AMP

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful ) on earth must be whatever is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.

John 5:19-20 NIV

19) Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

20) For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does...”

 

At times, many of us consider a time of waiting to be unproductive, so we tend to move in anticipation of the answer for which we are waiting. In this walk with the Lord, that is called “doing it in our own strength.”

The will of God for each of our lives was set in motion long before any of us were even born. If we were to consider our fellowship with Him our priority, we could be basking in His love while He orchestrates our next move; then moving in His power to accomplish it, confident that the outcome will be His will.

Set me free by keeping me close, Lord,

Jim Corbett

 

“Never lose sight of the fact that I have chosen you. First of all, I have chosen you to spend eternity with Me. I have decided that you are to represent Jesus where I have placed you in your world. I have directed your friends, your family, and all those you will spend your days with to you. If that seems strange to you, think of all those you read about in My Word. They made their decisions, but I ordained their steps.

“I do the same with you. Events, people, situations, and all timeframes do My bidding. Everything is in order so that My Word is fulfilled. You still have choices; but I am continuously changing your heart, so that you make wiser moves. Delight in My ways. I will make your steps sure.”

Proverbs 16:9 AMP

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.

Proverbs 20:24 AMP

Man’s steps are ordered by the Lord….

Jeremiah 10:23 AMP

Oh, Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps.

 

Our Father in heaven guides us, directs us, blesses us, draws us, protects us, loves us, helps us, and directs our steps. Wow!

Thank You, Lord,

Jim Corbett

“You need to resolve with whom you spend your time. Find out who is really seeking My heart. Who is implementing My work with the heart of Jesus? Who is hearing the call to holiness? Who is serving others? Run away from those who choose to remain in dead, religious activity. You need to fellowship with those who are seeking My heart with all of their hearts. My heart is to spend all that you possess for the good of others that I send to you. It is what I do. It is what Jesus does. He spent His life for those who hated Him and used Him, knowing that one day some of them would realize their need of Him. Why would you think that any other posture for your life pleases Me?”

Exodus 17:12 AMP

But Moses’ hands were heavy and grew weary. So [the other men] took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

Esther 4:13-14 AMP

13) Then Mordecai told them to return this answer to Esther. Do not flatter yourself that you shall escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.

14) For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?

Matthew 19:21 NIV

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

Matthew 26:53-54 NIV

53) “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

54) But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Mark 1:40-41 NIV

40) A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

41) Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.

 

An investment in people is really a foreign concept in this world of throw-away relationships. It is, however, the foundation for all of our belief. Since the garden of Eden, Father God has invested in His people. He loves, guides, protects, and nourishes anyone who comes to Him with an open heart.

The words “Jesus spent His life for those who hated Him and used Him, knowing that one day some of them would realize their need of Him” should be foundational for our lives. How foolish we are to think that our Father does not notice that we have violated the very principles that He holds dear to His heart and uses as examples of how we are to live our lives properly.

In our foolishness, we go about our religious business thinking that we are pleasing God by throwing scraps of love, time, or resources at others - when and if we are moved to do so. How He must grieve when we take so much from Him for ourselves and give so little of it to those He loves, especially when He intends for us to focus what He’s given on those around us. We assume that His gifts to us – no matter what form - are ours to keep, instead of asking what portion of them we are allowed to apply to ourselves so that the rest can be used to build His kingdom in the Name of Jesus.

I am convinced that when we begin to serve others before ourselves, our Lord will trust us to be in association with others whom He also trusts. As these reliable associations are made, it stands to reason that He will be free to place higher responsibility with us, using us together to accomplish much in His Name.

Show me how to live for the best interests of others, Lord,

Jim Corbett

 

 

“How trustworthy are you? At what price do you feel that you would deny Me? When would you deny My Word? Never, you say! You are doing it every day! Each time you place your own interests above Mine, you are opposing My Word. Stop and think of that truth. I have called you to be like Jesus in your world. He lived a life of sacrifice and service, owning nothing for Himself, and caring only for others. He gave up everything, so that you could be at peace eternally. Caring nothing about His own well-being, He hung on a cross so that you could be forgiven. Even though He was part of your creation process, He gave up total control of His life, so that you could learn obedience.

“That is the kind of attitude that I desire to be in you. You daily deny Me simply by attempting to be in control of your life in any way. It is the opposite of the character of Jesus. Why would your remaining in control of any area of your life not be a denial of My Word? I know that you don’t see it that way, but it is one of the main reasons that I can’t trust you. It is the very basis for all My dealings with sin. It is called rebellion.

“You need to turn from the ownership of your life and surrender fully to the understanding that you have been purchased at a very great price. You no longer own your life and anything that is associated with it. You need to consider obedience to My will to be your only reason for living. Surrender fully to Me now. Repent of your rebellion. Submit totally to My will. Become trustworthy, so that We can walk closely together. I desire to tell you the intimacies of My heart. I am waiting!”

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.

1 Cor. 6:19b-20a NIV  

19b) …You are not your own;

20) you were bought at a price…

 

Surrendering fully to the Lord is Christianity 101. Those of us who have walked with the Lord for many years sometimes feel that we have this walk pretty well figured out. In reality, most of us haven’t even left the starting gate.

Let’s say that we finally allow the Lord to work in our lives to the point that we learn obedience. Carrying that thought even further, let’s graduate to total obedience, understanding that our obedience is required if we are to be in line with God’s Word. Pretty cool, huh!

In reality, if we are obedient only because it is required, we are not even close to the heart of Jesus. Our obedience is still implemented so that things will go well with us. We will benefit from our obedience.

Jesus was obedient so that His Father would be glorified; and so that others would benefit, even at a great loss to Himself. He had given the ownership of His passions, desires, and every element of His life so completely, that even the remotest possibility of being disobedient was a horrible, unthinkable prospect.  To do so would have harmed His Father and each of us. He would rather have died than have that happen. Oh, yeah! He did die instead of being disobedient, didn’t He?

Needing to drop my pride and go back to square one,

Jim Corbett