Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Yesterday a "revelation" was delivered to me by Holy Spirit as I was answering a letter written to me by a professional man who had lost his job due to actions he attributed to "mean" persons. He had not been able to get a job in his profession for the past 10 months ... (see Blog / 5-11-12)
As I was writing this to this man, I realized man can take something from us and even keep a person from getting a job in his profession.
But no man can keep this man nor us from following after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. I Tim. 6
A person might have physical problems and still follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. I Tim. 6
But if we seek things of this world, desire things of this world that we cannot seem to get ... that is another matter.
I have many wonderful things to enjoy, but I didn't set out to get these things. I didn't pray to get them. I just focused on the word delivered to me by the Holy Spirit day by day and tried to do what I saw to do. (It had nothing to do at all with getting things ... mostly it was recreating the inner man.) And the things were just added to me without my doing anything or even thinking about them.
I think this is what Jesus was speaking of in Mt. 6 ... 24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Mt. 6
Paul said ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Roman 8
Man might be able to separate us from the "seen" but no man can separate us from the "unseen". Therefore we need to follow after the "unseen" ...righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. I Tim. 6
righteousness: doing that which is right in the sight of God. Trying to handle each issue of the day by seeking the will of God in the issue so we can do what is right in the sight of God.
godliness: Read the Bible. Pay special attention to scriptures that seem to "jump out at you", scriptures that you get hung up on and though you try to read past these you mind is still thinking of that previous verse. There is a message from God by HIS Spirit to you in that verse. Focus on it. Make appropriate changes if needed. By doing this we are recreated in the image of God. Pay attention to any scripture brought to your mind as you go through the day. This is a special message to you from God by His Spirit. Again, focus on that scripture, doing that which is defined by that scripture ... being recreated in the image of God.
faith: Building a foundation of faith as you "hear" the word and act in an appropriate way on what you hear. Think on the wonderful things God has already done for you. This builds faith in God.
love: It is God Who teaches us to love.(I Thee. 4:9) It comes from inside us and not by will or our mind. As we are recreated in the image of God, love is one of the elements.
patience: If we focus on things of this world, especially when we desire something and don't have it,we often become impatient. If we deliberately shift our focus to that which is not seen, focusing on that which is eternal, that which is temporal should fade in importance.
meekness: God defined meekness to me as seeking God's will and setting aside our own desires concerning that which is before us. I heard a "pastor" say recently, "MY view for ..." (I stopped reading) I don't care about this pastor's view. My question is, "What is God's view ...?"
No other human can stop us from pursuing the above ...
Review this:
5Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6But godliness with contentment is great gain. (If you have any desire at all for anything of this world, you have not reached contentment. You may have some kind of desire for your children. But the greatest gift you could ever give a child is for you to live a truly godly life second by second. To desire a promotion in a job is certainly a trap of this world and shows a lack of contentment. When you reach a true stage of contentment, you do not desire anything. That is great gain!)
7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I Tim. 6