Prayer | TFRC | The Faith Resource Community

2/22/22 Violation of a Trust

A violation of a trust is hazardous to any relationship, especially a marriage covenant relationship. Recently, we talked about sealing your marriage. If you don’t do so, it opens the door to violations of your wife’s trust on countless occasions, leaving a shell of a true marriage relationship as God sees it. These violations can continue to grow until the communication gap between spouses is so wide that there is little or no meaningful dialog except for addressing practical daily needs. When there is a lack of trust and communication breaks down, the true, intimate feelings, fears, and needs of either spouse can easily become fodder for the other spouse with his or her friends or a counselor of some sort. When this happens, it is more than likely that both of them will retreat even more to protect themselves from further wounds.

Men, your office demands that you guide your wife and family to true intimacy with the Lord, so that they can be prepared to glorify His name and do His work. That ability only comes from intimacy with Him yourself. If you find intimacy difficult to attain, there is a good possibility that the violations of trust in your past have been carried into your marriage and will not allow you to trust anyone, even God. If that is the case, only the Lord can show you how deep the scars are. Only He can heal you so that you have the ability to really trust again and be trustworthy yourself.

While you’re dealing with the Lord about your own brokenness, a good place to start is to stop violating your wife’s trust at this very moment. Stop every negative thought about her. Stop jesting to others about even her smallest quirk. Stop communicating her failures with your buddies. Never again minimize her with your mouth or in your mind. Don’t criticize her so you can feel better about yourself. Determine that every communication that comes out of your mouth about her will be positive and uplifting. Learn to speak of her value to others as the Lord shows you how He sees her. Make it your project in life to be trustworthy of her slightest wound or deepest fear, so she can learn to whole-heartedly trust you. Although it’s only a beginning of the kind of covenant God has established for the two of you, it’s a start. Watch the life that springs from the change in your perspective by the grace of God. Are you encouraged to try?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

2/21/22 That Determined Moment

“Do you remember when we were alone and quiet and you gave your life to Jesus? I don’t necessarily mean when you made an emotional commitment, but the day you understood His Lordship. I mean that determined moment when everything you were became Mine through Him. I also want you to remember the subsequent times when you confirmed your decision to have Jesus be the Lord over every fiber of your being. You sold out completely for My reasons, rather than remain in the feel-good religion of those around you.

"At those confirming moments, you came out of the cold, dead church; and set yourself on a bridal course with Me. Although I am no respecter of persons, I do honor the heart commitment of My true church and deal differently with those who are completely Mine. I take you at your word and your heart purpose, beginning the course to remove everything that is of the flesh in you. That is My determined purpose.

"You must understand that your life will never resemble the lives of those in My church who have never gone beyond selfish reasons for knowing Me. Remember, you have decided to respond to the call to be set apart over and over again. When you became serious from the depths of your being, I could begin the deeper work in you individually. In this late season, I am doing that increased work en masse.

"Look around to see how many of My people are going through trials to refine them. Be not surprised as more enter into My refinement and the trials increase. Some of My remnant will fall away even now because of the pressure. You remain steadfast. Regain your first love. We will make it through together if you rely on Me. Who will embrace the bridal heart? Let it be you.”

Phil 3:10-11 AMP

10) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

11) That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

Rev. 3:19 AMP

Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].

Far from an “elitism” mentality, there is a separation that is happening within the body of Christ. As usual, the enemy counterfeits any move of God, attempting to draw the unsuspecting believer into a trap of uniqueness or polarization. This end-time separation cannot be counterfeited, however, because it is not one of raising ourselves up, but one of lowering ourselves to a posture of complete surrender to the will of God in every area of our lives—esteeming ourselves as nothing so that Jesus can become everything in us.

This move to bridal preparedness is not the road that many will take because it is a road willingly taken to destroy every ounce of our carnal heart behavior. It is a crucified life, implemented by the Lord in those who continually surrender themselves to Him. It is a road of complete elimination of the flesh so that the Spirit of God is all that remains. It is the dedicated study of Jesus, embracing and accepting His very nature, so that when He comes, we will be like Him.

Waiting,

Jim Corbett

2/21/22 Seal Your Marriage

How many of your friends know some of your wife’s faults? How many times have the words from your mouth been less than high praise for the partner God has given you? How many of your “prayer needs” to others are nothing more than spiritual gossip and an opportunity to minimize her and show your spirituality?

Well, men, if any of those questions or something like them pertains to you, you have some repenting to do. You have completely missed the concept and astounding, powerful impact that sealing your marriage has.

God has ordained a marriage to allow two people to grow and prosper in Christ through His power. He has joined two very imperfect people together so that they can provide a safe place for each other to fail over and over again, and then be healed over and over again. In His eyes, they have covenanted to live their lives for the best interests of the other.

People today think nothing of violating the trust of their husband or wife at the drop of a hat, missing the fact that each violation minimizes the ability of the spouse to safely share his or her personal details. Each instance of gossip, “counsel” with a friend, or even a small verbal jab shows the spouse that communication with his or her mate is a potential danger of the exposure of his or her deepest needs. That danger closes the door to any form of deep healing.

God’s way is to have those He has joined together go to each other for their healing. He intends that every marriage should be sealed and off limits to everyone else unless both partners agree to have some form of counsel, and then only to a point they both agree on. Other than that, they are to go to God for the needs of the other. Once trust is established again, true God-impacted healing can take place. Maybe it’s time to rethink things.

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

2/19/22 Face to Face

“Have you forgotten that one day you will stand before Me? You really need to remember that I will judge what you have done in My Name and how you have used what I have given you. You seem to have lost the significance of that event and how important it is to Me that you have an abundance to give to Jesus. You also don’t realize how your actions now reflect on and impact your eternity with Me.

"If you choose not to develop intimacy with Me now, how will your life compare to those who have? Will you expect Me to overlook your lack of desire to be with Me? Similarly, if you can’t be trusted with what I give to you to help My Word go forth, why would I entrust you with things of value for eternity? Why should I believe that you care about the things that Jesus really cares about when you ignore them as the priority of your days on earth?

"Some of you are in for a very large surprise. You think that you have need of nothing, but you are far from why I have brought you to Me. You have misunderstood My grace. You have listened to false prophets and wealth-driven preachers. You need to repent of your ways and turn to My ways before it is too late. Go back to My Word. Study My heart. Allow Me to change yours!”

Matthew 16:24-25 AMP

24)Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].

25) For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].

Matthew 25:23 NIV

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!”

Luke 12:19-21 NIV

19) And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20) “But God said to him, ’You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21) “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

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.

Rev. 3:15-18 NIV

15) “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

16) So, because you are lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

17) You say, ’I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

18) I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

I wonder how many of us have convinced ourselves that the above verses are meant for all those other people who are in deep sin and not really for those of us who simply have a heart that has hardened just a little bit; you know, those of us who deserve God’s mercy just because we spent our lives overlooking only some of His Word in order to be comfortable?

Change is good, Lord. I say yes!

Jim Corbett

2/19/22 Your Privilege

Men, do you remember those cute little things that you loved when you first met your wife that now drive you nuts? Remember when you were so much in love that she could do nothing wrong? Remember when all your conversations about her were glittering with accolades and glowing with wondrous praises? Has anything changed?

If things have become complacent in your marriage, you now quietly put up with those quirks, and you have few glorious praises about your wife before others because the glow of her wealth has worn off, she is not wrong - you are. If you minimize her in any way because she has flaws in your eyes, you don’t understand your office as a husband.

Here is your privilege, men! You are the only one in this world chosen by God to observe the imperfections of your wife. You are the only one in this world whom He trusts to prayerfully hold those imperfections before Him, so that she might become more like Jesus. He trusts you to never share them with others. God observes your wife as righteous and on her way to holiness. He observes her through the blood of Jesus. He is focused more on who she will become rather than on what she is not.

Satan loves it when married couples pick each other apart by bringing up each other’s flaws. Unwise couples fall for his plan, and minimize the impact their marriage could have in the world. Wise men and women understand that the limitations they have the privilege of seeing in their spouse are wonderful opportunities to hold that person before the Lord for his or her best interest. It is one of the highest privileges given in marriage. How are you doing with that?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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