Friday, November 30, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Proverbs 5:11-12 ... But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. 12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalm 46:10-11 ... Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

1 John 4:4 ... Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Comforted by the Holy Spirit

Pam Padgett ... teacher

When his disciples asked Jesus about the end times, one of the things Jesus said is that we would hear of wars and rumors of wars, and that we shouldn't be troubled because these must come to pass, but that the end was not yet ...

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Recently I heard a small part of a news report about an area of the world (I don't remember where now) with much unrest and where war might break out.  Hearing this, some fear started to rise in me.  But immediately, I was reminded, I believe by the Holy Spirit, of what we're told in Matthew 24:6 ... that we would hear of wars and rumors of war and that we were not to be troubled.  This calmed me as my attention was turned to God and that HE is in control, having even warned us that there would be wars and rumors of wars and that these must happen. 

God helped me in a similar way when the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks happened, with live broadcasts of the planes flying into the World Trade Center in New York City, the towers collapsing, and dust rising and filling the streets.  It was shocking to see these events happen right before our eyes.  But I kept recalling a dream Joan had reported in 1999 which included ... I (Joan) looked toward the skyline of New York City and it was gone.  The only thing I could see was dust rising from the ground.  It was like implosion dust when buildings fall in on themselves.  It was very helpful and stabilizing to me to think about God knowing exactly what was going to happen, giving Joan this dream, and having her report it to us long before it happened. 

Jesus told His disciples of persecutions they would suffer and said He told these things so that when they happened, they would remember He had told of them ...

John 16:1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

It is comforting to us when the Holy Spirit shows us in some way, such as scripture and dreams, what will come to pass and brings these things to our attention when they happen, for our thoughts are turned to God and His power and His care for us ...

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

God is in charge

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

God is in charge.  God has HIS purpose which we might not see in the matter.  We can trust in HIM, in HIS care for us, in Romans 8:28 knowing that all things will work together for good for those who are the called of God.  Trusting in God in all things.

Psa. 75 ... I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: 5Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
6For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.  7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. 8For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them. 9But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 10All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

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Recently I sent the following email ...

I have been wanting Dallas Cowboys to lose all their remaining games so they would fire head coach and have chance to hire Sean Payton as head coach.

A few days ago, Jeremiah 17 was quoted ...

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

When I read this, I thought of Cowboys and how I was trusting in man in this area.

Today I dealt with this issue.

I committed the matter to God, asking HIM to put whom HE will in the position ... knowing the truth of Romans 8:28 ... And I purposed to rest in the Lord's decision in the matter knowing whatever happens would be good for me.

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Follow up report:

I watched the Cowboy game yesterday.  I was totally unemotional.  I just watched it. 

This is the first time I ever remember being like this.

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Sometimes even in secular matters with secular people who are not of God, God has HIS purpose.  Certainly with us God has HIS purpose.

I've been reading in II Chronicles ... this story I read today is so gripping.

II Chronicles ... concerning Jehoram (King of Judah)

And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than thyself: 14Behold, with a great plague will the LORD smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods:  15And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day. 16Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:

17And they came up into Judah, and brake into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king’s house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.  

18And after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease. 19And it came to pass, that in process of time, after the end of two years, his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness: so he died of sore diseases. And his people made no burning for him, like the burning of his fathers. 20Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed without being desired. Howbeit they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings. 
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Have you ever focused on the curses set by God in Deut. 28 ?  Many times we have read the blessings but recently I have focused on the curses.

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Deut. 28  ........ 15But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 18Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

20The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 

21The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 22The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 

23And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 24The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.


25The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 

26And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

27The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.

28The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: 29And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.


30Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.  31Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.  32Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand.

33The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: 34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

35The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

36The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

37And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.


38Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it. 39Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. 40Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.

41Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. 

42All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. 

43The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. 44He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

45Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:


46And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever. 47Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; 48Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

49The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;  50A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:  51And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. 52And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:  54So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave: 55So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates. 56The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, 57And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates. 


58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 59Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

60Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 61Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 

62And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.

63And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.

64And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 66And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 68And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

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God is at work in lives of both the righteous and the unrighteous, to reward the righteous with good and to reward the unrighteous with evil according to their works.

We can tell this by what we read in the Bible, in things such as I have written in this writing.

So we are told:  Fret not ... God is at work.

Accept the truth of Romans 8:28... And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

II Cor. 5 ... Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.  10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Hebrews 4:9-13 ... There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Proverbs 21:31 ... The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

Wisdom of this world is vain before God

Pam Padgett ... teacher

After Jesus spoke the parable of the king who made a marriage for his son, but the invited guests did not come (Matthew 22:1-14), the Pharisees tried to entangle Jesus by sending various people to ask questions of Him.  But none were able to stand against the wisdom and power of what Jesus spoke. 

The Herodians asked Jesus if it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar, and the answer Jesus gave caused them to marvel and they left ...

Matthew 22:16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Sadducees, who don't believe in resurrection from the dead, came asking Jesus about marriage in the resurrection.  Jesus' answer astonished those who heard and silenced the Sadducees ...

Matthew 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

The Pharisees came asking which commandment was the greatest.  Jesus answered, and then asked them questions about their understanding of Christ.  When they were unable to answer, they asked no more questions ...

Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. 43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? 45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? 46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

While considering how all those coming in their own wisdom were silenced by what Jesus said, I was reminded that Paul taught us that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God and vain ...

1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

It is not by the wisdom of man that we come to God, but through faith ...

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.


The wisdom of man cannot stand against the wisdom and power of God. 

Stories to learn by

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

The Old Testament is filled with stories to learn by ...

II Chronicles 17 ...  And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. 2And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. 3And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;  4But sought to the LORD God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 5Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand;

... Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8And with them he sent Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests. 9And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people. 

... And Jehoshaphat waxed great exceedingly;

II Chronicles 18 ...Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab. 2And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.  3And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramothgilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.

Shockingly Jehoshphat bonded himself to Ahab.  Jezebel was the wife of Ahab and she had the prophets killed.  Elijah fought Ahab continually.

Even though Jehoshphat did this, he was still wanting to seek God and he said to Ahab,  Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.

But Jehoshaphat recognized these men were not prophets of the Lord, so Jehoshaphat said,   Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?  

And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla.

Remember in NT how Paul warned Timothy:  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Tim. 4)
 


 And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 

And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla. 

And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.  

And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak. 


And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand. 15And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD? 

Then he said, I did see all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return therefore every man to his house in peace. 

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?  

Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19And the LORD said, Who shall entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one spake saying after this manner, and another saying after that manner. 20Then there came out a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will entice him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? 21And he said, I will go out, and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail: go out, and do even so. 22Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee.

Then Ahab said ... Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. 

And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. 29And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will go to the battle; but put thou on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself; and they went to the battle.

Though Ahab was disguised, he was slain in battle.

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him. 32For it came to pass, that, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back again from pursuing him.  

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel (Ahab) between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.    34And the battle increased that day: howbeit the king of Israel stayed himself up in his chariot against the Syrians until the even: and about the time of the sun going down he died.

II Chronicles 19 ...And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD. 3Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God. 

And Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the LORD God of their fathers. 
5And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, 6And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.  7Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. 8Moreover in Jerusalem did Jehoshaphat set of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the chief of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of the LORD, and for controversies, when they returned to Jerusalem. 9And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.


... ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren:

... Deal courageously, and the LORD shall be with the good. 


II Chronicles 20 ... It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 


And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.  

And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. 

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, 6And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 7Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?  8And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. 10And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 12O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation; 15And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

And then God gave them instruction and they followed the instruction given by the Spirit of the Lord.

To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.   17Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.


And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.



And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.  22And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.    23For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.  24And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.  25And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.



II Chronicles 22 ... So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about.
31And Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah: he was thirty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem.



Old Testament stories such as this are instructional and so faith building for those of us today who try to follow God.  Today God gives HIS Spirit to all who belong to HIM so we do not have to seek the will of God by going to a prophet.  Prophets are still used by God today as HE wills but each of us now have the Spirit of God in us so we can know the will of God as we live on this present earth.

Sacrifice for the word of God

Joseph Meriweather ... member of the body of Christ

Recently the thought came to me that one of the great things a saint of God can do is to sacrifice to do the word and to obey it.

The word sacrifice means - the act of making an offering to a deity; a giving up of something cherished or desired for the word of God.  

Romans 12:I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Proverbs 19:21 ... There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Hebrews 2:1-4 ... Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

God gives us strength

Pam Padgett ... teacher

Psalm 18:32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

While thinking about this verse, I thought of how when we turn to God with each matter we face, and wait to hear from the Holy Spirit what we are to do, we are made strong knowing that it is God leading us in the best way in the matter, and He enables us to do according to His will in the situation.  I was reminded of the following ...  

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

And when we have heard from God what to do, we have a firm foundation for moving forward ... the word of God for us in the matter ... showing the perfect way for us to go, and it will not fail ...

Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Message from Spirit of God on getting out of debt

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

A few days ago, I was sitting at computer and I began asking God if there was any message HE would like me to write and immediately I was reminded of a message on getting out of debt and staying out of debt.

So I wrote that message.  (Published 11-24-12)

There has been considerable interest in that message.

Getting out of debt begins with the individual who is in debt.  It requires a change in path of life.  And it all starts with the individual who is in debt.

To restructure, God showed me to change way of life.  Begin with spending only that which is really necessary and applying the money toward the debt instead of spending the money needlessly.

For example:  When I go out to eat, I see families buying soft drinks and iced tea with their meals.  This may seem like a small things.  But to spend more than $2.00 on a glass of tea is to me an extravagance and although I am out of debt, I will rarely do this.   But I see masses of people doing this "small thing".

To change your way of life concerning debt, you begin with this type of "small thing" for it is your thinking about spending money that is the problem in the first place.  


--------------------

Here is the message from 11-24-12

Get out of debt ... then stay out of debt.

It can be done.

When I was born again in 1975, this is one of the first messages from God to me.

I began immediately to work toward getting out of debt.  It began with small things.  Most of us spend money on things we really do not need.  I just stopped doing this.  I made a very strong effort.

For example:  When I wanted a cup of coffee, I just made it at home.  It cost less than to purchase it.  I did this with everything.  Soon it became a way of life for me.  It starts with it becoming a way of life.  Then I just put everything I could toward paying what I owed at the time.  It wasn't long before I was debt free.  I have remained debt free since that time.

I also learned this after getting out of debt:  I do not buy the item unless I have the money to pay for the item.  And even if I do have the money to pay for the item, I pray for I may not need the item that my flesh is set on fire over.

If we live the way of this world, we suffer with this world.

We cannot be free and be in debt.

Here is the way God shows us to live:

II Tim. 6 ... Perverse 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. 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. 

--------------
Comments by Pam Padgett ... teacher

I've also noticed the way many people live in which they fritter away money, wasting it little by little on unnecessary things.  One example was several years ago one of my sisters told me she always stopped to get a slushy drink at a convenience store when driving to pickup her children from school.  Although this wasn't a big expense (approximately one dollar at the time), it seemed so foolish to do this continually instead of just getting something to drink from home, especially since my sister and her husband had mortgage and car payments.

Another example ... the man I was engaged to marry at one time frequently stopped to buy soft drinks This sounds like a small thing and I didn't say anything to him about this, but it seemed like a constant, unnecessary drain of money when he had a mortgage and payments on at least three vehicles.  Had God not stopped us from marrying, I am sure this difference in our ways of life would have caused a great deal of problems.  (But God stopped the marriage.  When I spoke against this man's son planning to marry a divorced woman, he wanted nothing more to do with me.)

Last year when I told people I worked with that I was retiring, several who are around my age told me how much they wanted to retire and wished they could afford to do so.  When I heard this, I was so grateful for the way God has led me to live most of my adult life ... simply and without debt ... for I don't have financial burdens which most people think to be "normal".  This put me in a position to retire without financial pressures when I believed God led me to do so.  Living simply and without debt wasn't of my own wisdom, but I believe is wisdom from God. 

Debt is a heavy burden, not an easy yoke as Jesus spoke of in the following ...

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 


Trusting in God / Making God your strength

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

Yesterday Pam wrote about trusting in God rather than man and the benefits when we go this way ...

Jeremiah 17 ... Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Last Friday, I went to the car and turned the key and it barely started.  I felt it was a battery problem.  During the weekend I just stayed at home because I didn't want to take a chance that I would get somewhere and the car not start.  I prayed, asking God where I should take the car on Monday to get a new battery.  I thought of Wal-mart and I thought of my mechanic.  I needed to get it done immediately and sometimes it takes several days to get appointment with my mechanic.  But Wal-mart might be more difficult for me physically although I felt they would do the job immediately.  I just kept praying.  First thing Monday morning, I called my mechanic and explained the problem and he told me to bring the car in at 1:30 and he would put battery in and check the car.  I did that and I was back at home before 2:00 with car fixed.  I was so thankful.

When I needed to change eye doctors, a woman asked me how I found the new doctor.  The way I found him is I prayed, asking God what to do.  Then I was reminded of the doctor who changes my lenses and I called and asked him to recommend a doctor on this side of town.

When I needed a dentist a few years ago, I prayed asking God to show me how to find a dentist.  I was reminded of a woman and I asked her about dentist and she recommended a dentist and I have been very happy with him.

I think the above are examples of putting our trust in God rather than putting our trust in man.  In each problem, I turned to God rather than man.  And God led me in that which was the best way for me.

When we belong to God, I suspect more times that not we "automatically" trust in God, asking HIM what to do when confronted with problems of this life.

Before I was born again, I don't recall ever asking God what to do.  But this all changed after I was born again.

Examples for us

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

The writings of the Old Testament are examples for us.  As we read these scriptures, we learn the way of God.

II Chronicles 14 ... And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: 3For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:  4And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.  6And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. 7Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

Then at one point an army of Ethiopia came out against him.  II Chronicles 14 ... And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.  12So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

God then sent a message (a warning) to Asa by Azariah the son of Oded.

II Chronicles 15 ...And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.  3Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 4But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. 5And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. 6And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity.  7Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.
 

8And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.  9And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.

Asa rejoiced in this word for it seemed to approve him.

But this word was actually a warning from God to Asa.

Asa even removed his mother from being queen.

II Chronicles 15:16 ... And also concerning Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen, because she had made an idol in a grove: and Asa cut down her idol, and stamped it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron. 

But remember the warning from God which warned Asa to seek God?

This is what happened next.

I Chronicles 16 ... In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,  3There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me. 4And Benhadad hearkened unto king Asa,

When I read this, I thought, "OH NO ... Asa ignored God's warning and turned to man for help."

After that, God sent a prophet to Asa ...

II Chronicles 15 ... And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the LORD, he delivered them into thine hand.  9For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.  

 10Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

Asa loved it when the message to him was approval from God but when the message was showing that he had done foolishly, he hated the message, he hated and reacted against the prophet who carried the message and he even oppressed some of the people.

I've seen this happen so many times.  A person will write to me wanting to be a part of our group.  He will approve himself and feel approved.  Then he goes on to speak of his works and often there is wrong in his works and I will tell him of the wrong and when that happens he usually will depart from me and go elsewhere. God has shown me when this happens it is a fulfillment of what John spoke in I Jn. 2 ... Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.


When a person is really of God he humbles himself giving up his own way to do the truth of the scriptures by the Spirit of God.  This person is recreated in the image of God, in the image of the Word carried to him.

When the person reacts to the message in silence, he departs in his heart.  He departs from the messenger.  He departs from the message.  But above all, he departs from God.

So the end of Asa is this:

II Chronicles 16 ... And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians. 13And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign. 

Again Asa fails to turn to God with the problem and he turns to the physicians instead.  What we should do with physical problems is turn to God, asking HIM about the problem.  Then if God shows us to go to physican this is what we do.  But we have sought God first.  Asa didn't seek God with the problem.  Asa just took his problem to the physicians.


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Proverbs 16:20 ....He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

James 4:10 ... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

John 15:20-21 ... Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Trust and hope in God rather than man

Pam Padgett ... teacher

King David was established by God to be king over all Israel.  He had power, possessions, armies and servants.  But David didn't consider that he had attained any of this of himself, knowing it was of God.  And, although one could easily place trust in these things, he placed his trust only in God .... 

Psalm 21:1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. 3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. 5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. 6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. 7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

David rejoiced in the strength of God, not his own strength, and in the salvation God provides.  Even the honor David had been given was from God, and he knew it was because of the mercy of God alone that he was established. His exceeding gladness was in God. 

It stood out to me that this is a strong example of trusting and hoping in God, rather than trusting in strength of man.  I was reminded of the following ....

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

That which we must believe

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

This week, the following concept came to me, I believe by the Spirit of God.

"I do not have to believe or act upon anything except the Bible and that which is spoken to me by the Spirit of God."

A few days ago, a woman said to me, "We should only eat fish 3 times a week."  Her doctrine was if we eat fish more than 3 times a week a negative chemical builds up in our body.

But where does it say that in Bible?  Has the Holy Spirit told me that?

To act on that which this woman says is to go into bondage to a doctrine.  Is the doctrine of God or of man?

So the concept given me by the Holy spirit is this:  "I do not have to believe or act upon anything except the Bible and that which is spoken to me by the Spirit of God."

Foundation for faith

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

When we have a fear, a concern, a problem, we who are of God turn to God and commit that issue to God and wait for the word God would give us to show the handling of the problem.  This is laying a foundation for faith in that specific issue.

For example:  I am 75.  If I die who will care for my cat.  So I began praying about this asking God to take care of my cat if HE removes me from earth.  Several times I committed this to HIM in prayer.  It was of concern to me.

Several days or weeks passed.  Then Pam wrote a writing where she spoke of the rainbow and what that means.

Gen. 9 ... And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

When I read this, I saw verse 10 ... God made this covenant with every living creature ... so God was making this covenant not just with man but with the animals as well.  And all of a sudden, I knew God would take care of my cat.  This laid the foundation for faith in this issueAnd the foundation was not laid by the flesh of man in hunting a scripture "to stand on".  But the foundation was laid by the Spirit of God who opened my eyes as God willed so I could have HIS foundation in the matter at hand.  Everything must be done by the Spirit of God.  Our flesh profits nothing.

A few days later, the thought came as to what would happen to my cat ... and I returned to the fact that God will care for my cat.  The foundation of faith in this specific issue was already laid.  There was no need to lay another foundation in the matter.

Heb. 6:1 ... Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,  

This speaks of this foundation of faith and how we do not need to lay it over and over.  I believe this is what it means.  When we have a problem and have prayed and God gives us the answer we have the foundation for faith in that specific area so when we have troubling thoughts in that area we can simply rest on the foundation given us by God.


Monday, November 26, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Matthew 18:2-4 ...  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 20:6 ... Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Proverbs 29:20 ... Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Word of God fulfilled in John the Baptist

Pam Padgett ... teacher

After Jesus was transfigured and spoke with Moses and Elias, the disciples asked Jesus about the scribes teaching of Elias coming.  Jesus answered that Elias would first come and restore all things, and indeed had already come, although he was not recognized.  The disciples understood this was John the Baptist. 

Matthew 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

I was reminded of the angel telling Zacharias about the son Elizabeth would conceive.  This son was John the Baptist.  The angel said that John would come in the spirit and power of Elias, preparing and turning the children of Israel to God ...

Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

The things spoken by the angel about John the Baptist fulfilled the word of God given to Malachi concerning Elijah (Elias) ...

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

We are told of John the Baptist turning the children of Israel to God, restoring them to God, as he preached to repent of sin and bring forth fruits in line with their repentance ...

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

The work John the Baptist did fulfilled the word of God spoken by Isaiah ...

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Although John the Baptist was not recognized by the people of his time, his coming and the work he did fulfilled the word of God spoken by His prophets and an angel and was confirmed by Jesus.  The word of God will come to pass.   

A warning: proper handling of Word of God

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

A warning ...

Be very careful in approach to word of God and to handling of word of God.

Often when I sit to read our writings on Internet I will feel pressure and hurried and come across a familiar scripture and think, "I know that", and tend to rush on.

Then I stop myself.  This is not proper handling of the word of God.


The word of God brings blessing when we handle it properly ... but it also can bring destruction to us when we handle it improperly.

I Cor. 11 ... For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.  30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

The Lord's supper is not eating of crackers nor drinking of grape juice as many churches do today with natural eyes.  There is no power in crackers & grape juice.  We cannot examine ourselves by crackers & grape juice.  We cannot judge ourselves by crackers & grape juice.  These points should show us crackers & grape juice are not the Lord's supper.

The Lord's supper is the eating of the Word of God.

Whether reading the Bible or reading the blog on Internet, we must do it properly.

By the exhortation we can examine ourselves.  We can build faith when we take time to ponder what is written.

But if we rush through the blog or the Bible, we will fail to draw the food we need.

So stop when you are doing this, and really see what God is saying as you read.  Then apply these things to your life daily.





Sunday, November 25, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Matthew 22:37-40 ... Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Isaiah 2:5 ... O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. 

Psalm 20:7-8 ... Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

Seek gifts and rewards of God not man

Pam Padgett ... teacher

In a vision God gave to Isaiah regarding Judah and Jerusalem, He spoke of how they had once been faithful, full of judgment and righteousness.  But they had turned from God and His ways ....

Isaiah 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. 22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: 23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves:
every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

It stood out to me that one of the ways they had corrupted themselves was by every one of them loving gifts and following after rewards.  When we love and follow after gifts and rewards from other people, we can be easily corrupted, turning from God and going in the way man desires in order to gain these. 

While thinking about this, I was reminded that, although our flesh desires things of this world, these things are of no real worth.  For good and perfect gifts come only from God ...

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

If we endure temptation, refusing to go in the way of fleshly lusts because we love God, we will receive the reward of the crown of life promised by God.  

Paul told us that he sought an incorruptible crown as he served God on this earth, purposefully doing according to the will of God, fighting to keep the faith, and not allowing lusts of the flesh to pull him away from the way set before him by God ...

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

And when Paul neared the end of his life on this earth, he spoke of the crown of righteousness that was laid up for him and for all who love God, having kept the faith and finished the work given for them to do ...

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Strongly desiring and following after gifts and rewards from man turns us to man, and away from God. 

But gifts and rewards from God are found in the way God has set before us, loving Him above all and doing according to His will.  These rewards are incorruptible and last for eternity. 

Looking to God

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

Psalm 34 ... I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.  6This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

PRAYER ... When we are afraid we turn to God ... we pray ... we ask God to show us what to do ...

And we are "lightened" ... made lighter in weight, pressure, or severity ... burden is changed, reduced


Saturday, November 24, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Jeremiah 17:5-8 ... Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Psalm 18:32 ... It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 

1 Corinthians 1:18 ... For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Those not offended by the word of God are blessed

Pam Padgett ... teacher

When scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus accusing His disciples for not following the tradition of the elders regarding washing their hands, Jesus called them hypocrites because they held their own traditions over the commandments of God ...

Matthew 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

The Pharisees were offended by the answer Jesus gave ...

Matthew 15:12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

But when a woman of Canaan came, asking Jesus to help her daughter who was terribly vexed with a devil, Jesus at first didn't answer, then responded that it wasn't appropriate to take bread from children and cast it to dogs. 

Matthew 15:22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

This woman was not offended by this response, but rather agreed with Jesus and pointed out that even dogs get crumbs from their master's table.  Because of her faith shown by this, Jesus granted what she asked ... 

Matthew 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

The Canaanite woman had been given faith in Jesus, worshiping Jesus as her Lord (verse 25).  And, as her Lord, she was not offended by His first response and humbled herself by agreeing with Him.  The Pharisees did not have faith in Jesus and were offended by the truth He spoke to them. 

I was reminded that Jesus said that those who are not offended in Him are blessed ...

Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Sometimes the word brought to us by the Holy Spirit requires us to go a way other than the way we desire to go, or shows us that we need to correct ourselves in someway.  When we humble ourselves and are not offended by what God speaks to us, it shows that He is our Lord.  We are blessed that God has called us and opened our hearts to receive Him as our Lord, and we are also blessed by the many ways He cares for, helps, and corrects us.   

Debt: Get out of debt / Stay out of debt

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

Get out of debt ... then stay out of debt.

It can be done.

When I was born again in 1975, this is one of the first messages from God to me.

I began immediately to work toward getting out of debt.  It began with small things.  Most of us spend money on things we really do not need.  I just stopped doing this.  I made a very strong effort.

For example:  When I wanted a cup of coffee, I just made it at home.  It cost less than to purchase it.  I did this with everything.  Soon it became a way of life for me.  It starts with it becoming a way of life.  Then I just put everything I could toward paying what I owed at the time.  It wasn't long before I was debt free.  I have remained debt free since that time.

I also learned this after getting out of debt:  I do not buy the item unless I have the money to pay for the item.  And even if I do have the money to pay for the item, I pray for I may not need the item that my flesh is set on fire over.

If we live the way of this world, we suffer with this world.

We cannot be free and be in debt.

Here is the way God shows us to live:

II Tim. 6 ... Perverse 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. 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.

Faith building information from God

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

Recently Pam shared a teaching with us (11-2-12) and when I read it, I saw something I have never before seen and as a result of seeing this, my faith in God in a specific issue of my life changed and I had the basis for foundation in faith in this issue.

Faith is always build on a word from God.

Pam shared the following:

Genesis 9:8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. 11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. 12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.  

I had not noticed the part where this covenant was established by God with "every living creature".

I rejoiced when I saw this.  And it laid a foundation for a prayer I have often prayed.

I have a cat.  I have asked God to take care of my cat and provide for her if HE removes me from the earth.

In Genesis 9, I saw the love of God toward the animals and by this I knew God would take care of my cat.

Faith always comes by seeing God ... by seeing the heart of God in the issue ... by the word of God.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Scripture: Shared by body of Christ

Matthew 25:1-13 ... Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mark 8:34-38 ... And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

God is our portion

Pam Padgett ... teacher

Psalm 17:7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them. 8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings, 9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about. .... 13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: 14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. 15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

While considering what we're told here I was reminded that our portion is not of this world.  Rather, we treasure that God has chosen us to be His children and cares for us, delivering us from our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, giving us His Spirit to lead and guide us according to the word of God as we live on this earth, and conforming us to His image.

Unlike those whose portion is of this world, God is our portion now and forever.  

Psalm 16:5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

As those who went before us in the faith, we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth, believing by faith that this earth is only a temporary dwelling place for us and that God has prepared a better place for us after this life.  Our hope is not in things of this world, but in that which is to come ...

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

2 Peter 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Revelations from God

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

The apostle Paul said concerning the church, How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. I Cor. 14:26

Here are some examples of "revelations".

Mt. 16 ... When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist:  some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

One day I was reading this scripture and all of a sudden I saw what the "rock" is ... The "rock" that the gates of hell cannot stand against is that word that is revealed to us by God concerning the specific issue at hand.


Jesus explains ... flesh and blood has not revealed to Peter the truth he spoke.  God revealed the truth on the matter at hand to Peter.  And that truth revealed by God is the rock upon which the church is built.  And the gates of hell cannot prevail against that truth that is revealed by God.

And so it is with each of us.  We have a problem or fear and we turn to God in prayer.  When God shows us something about the issue at hand, our faith is built on that which God has spoken to us by His Spirit.  This is the "rock" upon which the church is built.  The gates of hell will not prevail against that specific word spoken by God.

..............

Another revealed word from God ... 

Mt. 14 ... And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.


This looks like Jesus is saying men will come saying they are Christ.  One day, my eyes were opened.  Jesus is saying in the last days men will come saying HE, Jesus is Christ ... "Jesus is Lord" ... and because they say Jesus is Lord they will be in a position to deceive many.

The church would not listen to a man saying he is Christ.  But they will often listen to a man who says "Jesus is Lord."

I met a young man recently who identified himself as a Christian.  But as I spoke with him, I saw he couldn't understand what I was saying.  Though this young man came saying, "Jesus is Lord", I knew he didn't belong to God because he couldn't recognize what I was sharing with him.

Several years ago, God gave me a dream:  In this dream there was a war going on.  The problem was it was difficult to tell which were in our army since we were all dressed alike.  So we were given a password.  When we spoke that password, those in our army recognized us and we recognized them when they spoke.

When we speak the "password", which is the revelation God has given us, and they fail to understand then we know that person is not of God though he comes saying he is a Christian.

Jesus said, Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  45And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Jn. 8