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3/21/23 Corrections of Love

As God continues to reveal your shortcomings, be of good cheer!  God is doing the wonderful work in you that He promised so you can fulfill your roles as husband and father.  A while back, you didn't even know those things were part of you, did you?

I used to see everything I wasn't as a totally negative experience - probably my pride as much as anything else.  Now, as the Lord gives me continual reminders of just exactly who I am and how far I have to go to be like Jesus, I am more able to give myself over to Him, knowing only He can change me and that He wholeheartedly desires to do so.  My appreciation of Him has increased as He also builds the faith in me to believe that He really is Who He says He is.

What chance would my family have if I chose not to respond to the changes the Holy Spirit is always ready to do in me? Where would we be if God never exposed me for who I really am?  Probably sitting comfortably in some church pew with no clue as to the rude awakening in store for me down the road.  Have you seen any shortcomings lately?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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3/20/23 Soon Coming Changes

“You need to guard your heart in the coming times. There are many ways in which the enemy has access to you. He will use any means to rob you of your relationship with Me. I know that you have learned to place yourself in My hands and use My Word to protect yourself from the deceits with which you are familiar, but many unfamiliar forms of treachery are on the horizon. They are designed to destroy the uninitiated. Make sure that you are aware of them, so that you will not fall. If you were to walk into familiar surroundings, you would know how to function there. If, however, your everyday surroundings become so unfamiliar that they are unrecognizable, you will be faced with challenges never seen before.

"Be prepared for ever-increasing changes that are soon to come. New challenges will require an ever-increasing depth to Our fellowship, so that you will function above the presented situations. Fear will be the predominant spirit that you will need to overcome. Replace it with trust in Me. Continually be renewed by My Word, so that you have a benchmark to work from when all is turned upside down. Anger and hatred will follow closely behind astonishment at what you are observing. Do not allow them a foothold in your heart, or you will not be able to hear Me clearly when I need you to know truth.

"You must remember that these are the times for which you have been created. I have been preparing you for this very moment in time. I am training and equipping you with My right hand. You will not fail, because I am with you.”

Ps. 10:17-18 AMP 

17) O Lord, You have heard the desire and the longing of the humble and oppressed; You will prepare and strengthen and direct their hearts, You will cause Your ear to hear,

18) To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man, who is of the earth, may not terrify them any more.

I Cor.3:18-20 NIV 

18) Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.

19) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”

20) and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

II Cor. 4:16-18 AMP

16) 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.

17) For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],

18) Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.

I Pe. 5:7-10 AMP 

7) Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

8) Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

9) Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

10) And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.

 

I usually seek out news items that come from sources other than mainstream television or radio reports. As I was updating myself the other day, I drew back for a moment to really make myself aware of what I was reading. As little as two or three years ago, some of the items that are news today would bring such fear and disgust, that they would be unbearable. Now, they are so common that we have become desensitized to their horror. We accept them as part of daily living.

There is no question that our world is changing at a rapid rate. Truth is, it will never be the same as it was, even as recently as ten years ago. Back then, there seemed to be familiar standards and reasonable responses to most situations. Now, receiving the news - whether on TV or other sources - is chilling because of illogical, almost inhuman actions, some almost unbelievably sadistic, which are presented as everyday occurrences.

Over the years, godlessness has taken its toll in our land to the point that we’ve become a people who would be unrecognizable as human, in many instances, if someone would observe us with even mid-twentieth-century eyes. We have changed drastically in our actions, in our responses to challenges, and even in how we resolve our conflicts. I am convinced that we, as the human race, are seeing the results of our sin in this land. I would almost go so far as to say that we have been turned over to our sin. If that is so, we haven’t seen anything compared to what is ahead.

We, those of us who have been in training to represent Jesus - the only antidote for what is occurring - must stop playing the “Christian” game; and accept the position intended for us while there is still time. Souls are in desperate need of a Savior.  The world is screaming for answers. How we represent that Answer is up to us. Will we heed the wooing of the Lord and function as we were intended to function in the world in which we live, prodding ourselves to truly hear our directives; or will we continue to play “ostrich” and openly display our self-serving, disobedient hearts to the hopeless world?

Needing to start implementing what I have been taught,

Jim Corbett

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3/20/23 Action Reaction

Men, in general, function on an action-reaction basis. If you hit a nail with a hammer - action, the nail will be driven into the wood - reaction. Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand God’s action-reaction principles. Let’s take prayer for instance.

If we take the time to pray - especially about something specific - we wonder why we don’t immediately see the results of our prayers. We forget that the simple act of praying - turning our need over to God instead of just handling it ourselves - glorifies God. That act in itself is the right thing to do, especially when we put aside something we deem important to do it. We honor God by praying and recognizing that He is the source of our answer. (In His great love, He even provides answers throughout our lives for things that aren’t even on our radar screen, just because He chooses to bless us.)

Those seeming delays to our prayer requests accomplish far more than we can imagine. Only God can see the whole picture. While we’re waiting, He’s refining heart motives, orchestrating circumstances, clearing a path, developing patience … and maybe even preparing our hearts to receive the answer to our prayers. This may take some time. In terms of action-reaction time, it could become days, months, even years! As husbands and fathers, we need to put aside the concept of immediate answers and trust in the principles of the kingdom of God.

If you are seeking God for a specific need, don’t give up if He hasn’t chosen to work on your timetable. He started swinging the hammer at the time of your prayer, maybe even before. The nail will be impacted in God’s proper timing.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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3/18/23 Turn Completely

“I am calling you back to first love. That means a one and only love. That means a priority love. It also means that you love only what I love, just as Jesus does. There can be no other loves ahead of your love for Me and My Word, if you say that you are a follower of Jesus. If you are Mine through Him, you have His heart. You have His priorities. You should be caring only about the things He cares about and what I care about.

"Why do you serve so many loves? Who has deceived you into thinking that you can love anything of the world and still be in line with My desires for your life? You are like an unfaithful bride, looking to find other more fulfilling partners just before your wedding day. Repent now! Turn completely to Me. I will share My best only with those who desire all of Me, those who have surrendered themselves fully to Me.”

Isaiah 43:21 NIV

the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Zechariah 7:13 NIV

“‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Joshua 7:13 AMP 

Up, sanctify (set apart for a holy purpose) the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel; There are accursed things in the midst of you, O Israel, you can not stand before your enemies until you take away from among you the things devoted [to destruction].

Amos 5:4b AMP

…Seek Me [inquire for and of Me and require Me as you require food] and you shall live!

James 4: 8-10 AMP 

8) Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].

9) [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].

10) Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

Rev 2:2-5 NIV

2) “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

3) You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

5) Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

 

The person who is pure in heart sees God in every encounter and every situation because he has a pure heart for God. He also continually sees others as God sees them. The pure heart knows that God does everything out of love and understands that anything done in the flesh is opposed to God and embraces God’s desire to remove it.

The pure heart willingly trades his legal rights for the higher calling of submission, repentance, and forgiveness; and will do whatever God asks, no matter what the cost, simply because God is pleased. The pure in heart no longer listens to any dictates of the flesh, so God is able to use him in any way that He chooses. He is subject to God’s higher laws and obeys only what God has determined to be true. He sees God’s truths. Pleasing God is the highest calling to the pure in heart.

 I choose to love only You, Lord. Create first love for You in me,

Jim Corbett

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3/18/23 Credentials

The two reasons you or I would never have access to dinner with the Queen of England are: first, we haven’t been invited; and second, we don’t have the credentials. Only those who have fulfilled the requirements it takes to qualify will ever partake of a meal with the Queen.

Our flesh will never be able to gain an audience with God. Flesh simply doesn’t have the credentials to do so. Adam and Eve were removed from His presence as soon as their fleshly nature controlled their decisions. Their reasoning ability separated them from the purpose for human creation - to be in a position where God is our God, and we are His devoted, dependent people.

Men, pride is the most distinguishable cause of why we don’t want to submit to God’s requirements, although ignorance and a myriad of other reasons also stop us from going there. Fact is, we simply want to be in control of our lives and are unwilling to give that up, even if it means that we may never have the answers we need to become the husband and father our Lord intends; or worse yet, will never enjoy the true presence of our Creator God. How foolish!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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