Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Psalm 34:9
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him.
What is the fear of the Lord?
First, the Lord is "the WORD".
Fearing "the Lord" is fearing the "word" ... Knowing that the word of the Lord rules above all and clinging to the word spoken by the Spirit of God is the "fear of the LORD".
When we are born again, we are given the Spirit of God to dwell in us. It is by the Spirit of God that we know the will of God for our lives. It is the Spirit of God who reveals the thinking of God on the issue at hand. (I Cor. 2)
So after we are born again and have the Spirit of God, we have to cling to that word revealed by the Spirit of God and this is the "fear of the Lord".
But it is not as simple as it may sound. Of course we would say we will cling to the word God gives us. That is very reasonable.
But let's look at some real examples of being confronted with doing the word revealed by God through HIS Spirit.
In 1982, I was on radio from coast to coast in USA. I went into each of the cities where I had radio broadcasts and had meetings for the radio audiences. In early 1982, I had a dream showing me great danger ahead and I heard the following words: "Don't go until you see Exodus 15." Immediately I cancelled all meetings scheduled for 1982. Then a woman who worked with me in ministry said, "Joan, you can't do that. You must have those meetings. For if you don't go out, they will stop giving money."
We hear the word from God and then someone brings an opposite word to show us why we must do something other than what we have heard to do.
It may seem simple to do the word of God but when you are confronted with some form of loss, you will often find a struggle. "Was it really God who told you that?" This is often the first obstacle. We also see this in Genesis 3. That is what the devil said to Eve. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
(Now the devil begins to reason with Eve.) 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Gen. 3
I cancelled all meetings for 1982 and I haven't been out since that time ... 30 years!
This is the "fear of the Lord".
Has there been any "want" in my life during these years? No there hasn't. (Psa. 34:9)
Another example: One of the cities I was on radio was Seattle. God had shown me corruption in various ministries and when I couldn't get the message to the minister involved, I just spoke that message on radio. I was having a meeting in Seattle and waiting for me at the entrance to the meeting room was the manager of the radio station. George said: "Joan, if you keep speaking these judgment messages I don't know what is going to happen to you. You have many other good messages. Just speak those. If you keep speaking what you are now speaking we may have to put you off the air." The following came out of my mouth immediately ... "George, if I don't speak the message I believe to be from God then I don't have a message and I may as well be off the air."
A fear of the Lord is knowing that all that really matters in life is what God tells you. It is similar to the following parable.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Mt. 13
It has been my experience that after you hear a word from God by the Spirit of God, someone will come presenting reasons you should not do that or your own mind (assisted by the devil) may try to reason the word away.
Another example: I owned a business in Dallas at the time I was born again in 1975. I was involved in a lawsuit at my business. The bills from my lawyer were consuming the profits to my business so I decided to dismiss attorney and go to court without any human legal counsel. Then the lawyer offered to continue my case without charge but when I prayed, asking God what HE wanted me to do, I was reminded of the following. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Gen. 14 By this, I felt God was saying not to take the "free" legal service. When I declined the service, my lawyer said, "Joan, you don't know how evil these courts are. You can't do this." But when I prayed this is exactly what I continued to feel God was telling me to do. I declined the legal service. Six days before the trial, the man dropped all charges. (It can be a very scary thing to do what you think God wants you to do. But to do anything else would be very foolish.)
The fear of the Lord is doing what you believe God has shown you to do. This is the beginning of wisdom. Though it often looks like you are going to be destroyed by doing that.
At this point in time, I have "no want". There is nothing I lack. There is not one thing I want. God has provided everything for me. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him. Psa. 34:9