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4/29/21 The Real War

For us guys who need the bottom line, it’s time to talk straight about the real war that we are in. Our lives have been spent in skirmishes involving mortgages, jobs, bills to pay, where to send our kids to college, and a myriad of other things. All of them fall pale against the real war that we face as husbands and fathers in these times.

The real war – and if we lose it, our lives and the lives of our families are in grave danger - is the war against spending quiet time with the Lord. If lost, it is a war that will leave us with spiritual atrophy, insightful weakness, and false paths to follow, all in the midst of a season that requires clearer thinking than any time in history. Whether you know it or not, if you are like many other men, you are well on the path to losing that war at this very moment.

Most men spend little or no time waiting on God to find direction for their lives as Jesus did. Most men usually spend about an hour reading the word and praying about some laundry list or special need. Then they say a closing prayer and think they are equipped for the day’s challenges. The idea of spending hours each day simply waiting on God is incomprehensible to the ordinary Christian man. The idea of making prayer closet attendance the priority of each day is unthinkable. Sitting quietly in adoration before the Lord in His throne room for hours under His anointing is an experience rarely, if ever, pursued by the Christian man of today.

Men, the real war you are involved in - whether you like it or not - is the war against your time with God to hear His heart, and to know His plans and your part in them. Every emergency and priority in your life is screaming for your attention. Every task, job, bill, soccer game, theater ticket, or house repair is out to enslave you and nullify your real effectiveness in leading your family and yourself to spiritual safety when the world walks around in chaos, confusion, and fear. Who is winning the war you’re involved in today?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

4/28/21 One Hundred Percent

“Will what you have planned for today matter in eternity? What about the plans you’ve made for the rest of the year? For that matter, how much of the resources of time, talent, and money do you use for yourself, compared to what you have dedicated to the work of the Lord? That’s not meant to be a guilt trip; it is an assessment challenge.

"Your works will be judged. You will answer for your stewardship of whatever I’ve given you. Don’t fall for the ten percent trap. You said that Jesus was Lord over everything. Isn’t it time that you started to do what you have promised to Him? Do you think that He cares more about how many have come to the Lord or about your excuses? This issue is very much on His heart. It should be on yours.”

Prov. 19:21 AMP

Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.

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.”

Luke 12:48b AMP

…For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more.

Heb. 12:1 AMP

THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.

It amazes me how easily the church gets offended when challenged about our stewardship of time, gifts, and especially our money. It seems that we would rather defend selfishness that offends God than face it, do something about it, and please Him. We forget that one day, we will be held accountable by the Lord Who accepted our songs and our promises that everything we have is His. That day is not the day to say oops!

Guide my steps, Lord,

Jim Corbett

4/28/21 Are You Spiritually Prepared?

As I’m sure you’re aware, the world is changing at an alarming rate. Times and seasons are moving in the direction of prophecies being fulfilled time after time with biblical accuracy. As a wise husband and father, it’s becoming increasingly important to have clear direction for the safety and preparedness of you and those the Lord has entrusted to you.

The seasons at hand will require more than simple economic or business savvy. They will require spiritual insight and a working relationship with the Lord so that you have His wisdom to lead your family through the challenging times ahead. The question is two-fold. Are you prepared to navigate the unique times on the horizon with proper spiritual insight, and have you also helped to spiritually prepare those you are a steward of? As things change, it will become increasingly clear that Sunday school classes will not be able to replace intimate family times of seeking the Lord for guidance and direction.

As the Lord’s plan unfolds, only those who have an alive and vibrant relationship with Him - those who are familiar with waiting on Him for each step they take - will be able to overcome the challenges posed in the coming months and years. Those who wait on the Lord will have insights far more important than any abilities gained in the past. Only they will know the proper directions to take and the dangers to avoid.

Now is the time for all of us to take an appraisal of our directions and motives. Are you putting aside those things that have little value, and trading them for those things the Lord considers of worth? Are you preparing yourself to be able to hear the Lord’s words as He says, “This is the way; walk in it”? Are you also preparing your family to be able to hear His clear voice in a time when many voices will be clamoring for their attention? If not, what are you going to do when you are out of answers and they are looking to you for direction?

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

4/27/21 Whatever Stands in the Way

“If you fall, I will pick you up. If you wander, I will come and find you. I will show you the way home. You must understand that My love for you is much stronger than anything in you that will not serve Me. I have created you to have fellowship with you. Jesus has made the way to do just that. Whatever stands in the way of that fellowship, I will overcome for you. You can count on it. I love you.”

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!]”

Rom. 2:4b AMP

Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)?

Most of us forget that our heavenly Father is continuously at work bringing us to fullness in Him. Our life was His idea. He ordained the idea of mankind and He initiated the salvation process, all motivated by love.

We need to settle in our hearts once and for all that God loves us. We also need to understand that His love is not a wimpy, tickly-feely kind of love that fluctuates with every whim. Godly love is a committed, full-of-promises kind of love that will never allow us to remain who we once were. It is the kind of love that sees prosperity as the total elimination of the hindrances to which the world and our old life restrict us. It is the kind of love that exists in the heavenlies with Him.

I receive it, Lord,

Jim Corbett

4/27/21 I Appreciate You!

When was the last time you looked your wife in the eyes and said “I appreciate you”? For that matter, when have you ever simply spent some time with your children and expressed the appreciation you have for them? If that is not part of your MO, why have you been so fooled? Only the enemy of your soul would desire expressions of love and affirmation to be absent from your relationships, especially family relationships.

Most of us men had to earn any kind of affirmation from our fathers. Then, as we grew older, we earned our respect by what we did, not for who we became. All our lives we’ve been attempting to prove our worth by what we do, whether we know it or not. Visible success determines worth in today’s society.

Well, that’s not how God sees things! For some unknown reason, God has placed value on each of us, certainly not because we have earned it; but simply because he chooses to do so. He has in essence said, I consider them valuable enough to spend eternity with them. I appreciate who they are!

Men, the next time you withhold any expression of appreciation toward your wife or your children because you feel they haven’t earned your appreciation, remember how God has dealt with you. Then consider the horror of Him choosing to withhold His favor until you’ve earned it. If that really registers with you, you just might begin to express a waterfall of appreciation to those you love. Just watch as their lives change in the same way that a desert would if water began to flow into its parched land. They’re waiting for you!

Let’s talk more!

Jim Corbett

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