Jn. 10 ... Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I (the Word) am the door of the sheep. 8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9I (the Word) am the door: by me (the Word) if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (the Word) am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Jesus is THE WORD. All else are thieves and robbers in the churches.
Several years ago there was a man who went to some kind of Christian retreat. He came back telling us how wonderful this retreat was. I asked him what was so wonderful. He said they had a big cross covered with flowers. (thief & robber) This man was obviously not one of the sheep for he was following something other than Jesus, The Word.
Other thieves and robbers in religious settings: lighting of candles ... calling crackers and grape juice "the Lord's supper" (See writing: What is the Lord's supper)... anything apart from THE WORD is a thief and robber in the church.
=================
Jesus warned us about the end times in the following scripture:
Mt. 24 ... 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.
Many are going to come saying "Jesus is Lord" ... and they will come saying they are pastors and other ministers ... and they will deceive many.
Do not be deceived, said Jesus.
We, who have the Holy spirit, will know. But many in church groups will be deceived by them.
God gave me a very important view of this subject.
If there is a man who has a past of abusing little children, you as a parent do not say, "We must forgive him," and then send your small child out with this child abusing man to get ice cream. You wouldn't think of doing such a thing.
These evil pastors abuse the children of God in the congregation When we see such we warn the congregation. They abuse the scriptures and misuse scriptures and even cause some to blaspheme scriptures and they extort money from the congregation.
These pastors are like the man who abuses a little child.
We warn the church when we see this.
===========================
You cannot follow a scripture unless God has given you that scripture by His Spirit.
I know many pastors today who try to follow the following scripture and end up begging others for money because they don't have money to do this scripture.
Mk. 16:15 ... Jesus said ... Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
If you back up to verse 14, you will see Jesus was speaking this instruction to his 11 apostles ...
Mk. 16 ... Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
This scripture might be used as instruction today if the Holy Spirit speaks it to an individual.
But I know many pastors today who have tried to use this scripture to justify their many works. But they do not have money to pay for their works and they begin to beg for the church to pay for them and they use this same scripture to extort money from the church. In such cases as this, they were not sent by God. If they were sent by God, HE would go before them and provide for them in that work. If the Lord is our shepherd (if we are following HIM by HIS Spirit) we shall not want. We see the Lord is not their shepherd for they depend on humans to give them money to pay for their works and they extort money by trying to force humans through misuse of such scripture.
So you cannot blindly follow scripture.
When the Holy Spirit gives us that scripture then we set about to do that scripture.
To try to do a scripture without it being authored by the Holy Spirit is like the flesh trying to make New Year's Resolutions. It won't work.
===========
It is a terrible thing but I receive so many emails from people identifying themselves as pastors and asking me to send money ... and asking me to send Bibles.
Recent email asking for Bibles, I felt strongly led to rebuke this "minister" as follows:
"You do not realize it but when you ask another person to provide your "needs" you sin against God for it is God who provides our needs and not another human.
What you have done here is evil.
I hope God will open your eyes to see this is evil.
You must learn to depend on God for all things, even Bibles."
Joan Boney
============
When we are Christian and have a need or a problem, we turn to God in prayer, asking HIM for help. Then we wait on God. If we turn to flesh and blood humans asking those humans to provide our need or if we tell humans of our needs hoping they will give to us, we negate faith in God and turn from God and put our faith in those humans.
This is a terrible sin against God. We depart from the faith to depend upon humans.
Whether you are a "minister" or an individual, your faith must be in God at all time and not in flesh and blood humans. And you present that need to God in prayer. And you wait upon God. And should your perceived "need" not be settled then you might not have a real need. For God will supply all our need. Phil. 4:19
Phil. 4:19 ... Paul says ... But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
==================
Man drowning in his own works:
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
June 9, 2013, a pastor sent me an email. Here is a portion of his email.
Our ministry is involved in doing many things with very limited resources. Some of our missionary and missions involvements are;
1. Missions and missionary work
2. Church planting
3. Discipleship and Prayer programmes
4. Teaching ministries and Church leadership training
5. Kingdom business enterprises income generating initiatives.
6. Widows/orphans/disabled or physically challenged/destitute support/care programmes and projects
7. Community development projects/programs as evangelistic tools/Relief services for example veterinary programmes, health provision services, clean drinking water provision, farming and food security, environment conservation programmes, H.I.V Patients and the affected programmes, etc.
8. Children/youth/women and family ministries
9. Church/christian networking and partnerships.
3. Discipleship and Prayer programmes
4. Teaching ministries and Church leadership training
5. Kingdom business enterprises income generating initiatives.
6. Widows/orphans/disabled or physically challenged/destitute support/care programmes and projects
7. Community development projects/programs as evangelistic tools/Relief services for example veterinary programmes, health provision services, clean drinking water provision, farming and food security, environment conservation programmes, H.I.V Patients and the affected programmes, etc.
8. Children/youth/women and family ministries
9. Church/christian networking and partnerships.
Currently I need the funds US$15,000 for Church planting programmes in unreached areas of India,
I am struggling with all those programs and many of them are not doingwell because of the poor African environments where I work.
My response to this man:
You are like a man standing outside the ark in the days of Noah.
You are drowning in your own works.
Joan Boney
===========
On the front of our Internet home page, my email address was given so people around the world can have opportunity to share words given them by the Spirit of God. It was even stated as the purpose of this email address above the address.
But many evil men who say they are ministers of God ignored this and used the address for their own evil fund raising purposes all in the name of Jesus. They are like the money-changers in the temple who turned the house of God into something for their own profit. This is a terrible thing and they will bring judgment upon themselves in the end. In the meantime, they bring a very serious penalty upon themselves on this present earth as they beg for money. (I finally removed the email address from the writings.)
Here is a response to these men:
If the Lord was your shepherd, you would have no want.
You are turning to flesh and blood humans for your needs.
My response:
"These words are for you and your dear wife as you work together to glorify the Lord"
I, Joan Boney, am a 75 year old woman. I do not have a "dear wife".
Joan Boney
============
Ministers who use 100-fold return to extort money
Many ministers use a scripture promising 100-fold return to extort money from the body of Christ.
However they misuse this scripture for this promise has nothing to do with money you would give in an offering.
Mk. 10 ... Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
This scripture pertains to those who have the call of God on their lives and leave all in order to fulfill that call of God. Also this scripture pertains to members of the body of Christ, called by God and set into the church by God. For each of us follow God by His Spirit. And often we have to leave certain people who would cause us to go a wrong way. Certainly 100-fold return applies in this case. We hear from God by His Spirit and we give up people and things to obey what God says to us. The 100-fold return applies to us in these cases. But 100-fold return has nothing at all to do with tithes and offerings.
When a minister uses this scripture in trying to get people to give money, promising them 100-fold return on their "offering", that minister is an extortioner.
Paul says we are to put such an one out of the church ... don't even eat with such a person, says Paul.
I Cor. 5 ... But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Or if you have no power to get rid of the pastor who is extortioner, you just depart from him and stop going to that church group.
Today, many ministers are extortioners.
Email from man asking me to pray ... (Joan Boney)
Recently I received the most amazing email from the founder of an International Prayer Ministry.
This man said he is sick and asked me to pray for him!
He doesn't have faith to pray nor does he have faith in his own International Prayer Ministry which he founded!
I laughed when I read this. It struck me as funny and very revealing.
It sort of reminded me of a church group in Irving, Texas that built a prayer tower and the prayer tower leaked when it rained. Sort of told it all about that church group.
Amazing.
I did not pray. If this man doesn't have faith to pray, I'm not going to pray. Jesus prayed for those who belong to God but not for the world. Jn. 17
It reminded me of Elijah dealing with the prophets of Baal ...
I Kings 18 ... And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
Also all this reminds me of what God said in Proverbs 1 ...
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
They go out and set up worthless works and cause people to trust in themselves by trying to get people to turn to them for prayer and they can't even pray for themselves in faith when trouble hits them.
==============
Man who has me mixed up with God:
Recently I received an email where a man told me all his troubles. I didn't read all his email but the last line said something like, "What am I going to do?"
I did not reply to his email.
He has me mixed up with God.
===========
On the front of our Internet home page, my email address was given so people around the world can have opportunity to share words given them by the Spirit of God. It was even stated as the purpose of this email address above the address.
But many evil men who say they are ministers of God ignored this and used the address for their own evil fund raising purposes all in the name of Jesus. They are like the money-changers in the temple who turned the house of God into something for their own profit. This is a terrible thing and they will bring judgment upon themselves in the end. In the meantime, they bring a very serious penalty upon themselves on this present earth as they beg for money. (I finally removed the email address from the writings.)
Here is a response to these men:
If the Lord was your shepherd, you would have no want.
Therefore the Lord is not your shepherd.
You are turning to flesh and blood humans for your needs.
You will always suffer want this way.
Joan Boney
============
End times: Many ministers are thieves
Mt. 24 ... 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 (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.
They come to me by email, and they say they are "pastors" or one of the other ministry offices.
Their letters begin with flattery ... telling me how wonderful I am.
Then they give a list of their works, often a very long list of their works.
Then they ask for money to support their works.
By their own words they show the Lord is not their shepherd for if the Lord was their shepherd there would be no want.
Here is another proof showing they are not of God and Jesus is not their Lord. And this shows they do not have the Spirit of God in them.
I have received hundreds of such letters since I went on internet in March, 2012. I have brought correction to them. Not one of them has repented. Not one of them has shown any sorrow or shame over that which they are doing. This shows they do not have the Holy Spirit in them for if they had the Holy Spirit they would repent and ask us to forgive them.
They are ministers of Satan although they say "Jesus is Lord".
II Cor. 11 ... For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
They condemn themselves by their own works. Their works testify against them. They care for orphans and old people and this appears to be a good work. But they themselves do not repent when confronted with their various sins against the church. The non-repentance is the work that shows they are not of God and this is the work that will rise up to condemn them in the day of judgment.
Those who support them become a part of their evil works and enter into a form of condemnation.
II Jn. ... Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
They turn the house of God into a den of thieves in their attempt to get money. They come in deceit and all crookedness. They say Jesus is Lord but they do not repent when godly correction is brought to them. The Holy Spirit is not in them to convict them of sin.
===============
Destruction of ministers: Jim & Tammy Bakker
In the early 1980's there was a husband/wife TV team called Jim and Tammy Bakker. They were very popular on TV in USA.
I was shocked when I was vising in Detroit where I was on radio and saw a glimpse of their TV program at the home where I was staying. I thought them abominable.
Later God gave me a message for them. The message concerned adultery. I delivered the message by mail and identified myself as an apostle/prophet of Jesus Christ with a warning from Holy Spirit.
The letter head on which I wrote had the name of our ministry group: JESUS MINISTRIES
A few days later, I received a form type response from Jim & Tammy Bakker. It said: "Dear Jesus ... Thank you for your wonderful message... Jesus, I want you to know Tammy and I prayed for you today ..."
This really tells it all!
A few months later, a huge public scandal was shown about the Bakkers on network television in USA. Their "ministry" disappeared. They divorced. Tammy remarried very soon. Then she got cancer and died. Jim Bakker was tried in federal court, found guilty of mail fraud and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison.
This is just one of many examples of ministers who turn the house of God into a den of thieves.
I Tim. 5:24 ... Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
The Bakker's and Jimmy Swaggart are examples of "ministers" whose sins are open beforehand ... shown to all ... There are other "ministers" whose sins are hidden until the day of judgment and their sins "follow after" them and will be revealed to all then.
Destruction of Ministers: Robert Tilton
In approximately 1979, I went with a friend to a church in the Dallas metroplex. This church met in an old warehouse. Approximately 200 people attended that group at the time I first went there. The pastors were Bob and Marty Tilton.
Before long, Bob was excited to go on radio. He made the statement that he planned to be bigger than Kenneth Copeland. Bob began adding radio stations all over USA.
Then Bob contracted to go on TV. (He was really excited about TV broadcasting.) He began adding TV. And Bob began getting stranger and stranger from the pulpit ... fund raising became a main focal point and he used a scripture concerning 100-fold return to "extort" money from greedy people in congregations.
Bob was becoming very big in ministry circles.
There was a woman at his church who was said to be a prophet. Her name was Ava. Her best friend was Marty Tilton, Bob's wife.
Bob invited Ava to be on his TV show. Just before they went on camera, Bob said to Ava ... "Oh, just one thing ... don't mention anything about being a prophet for that is not popular." Ava told me about this. She was devastated. I was horrified.
God gave me a judgment against Bob Tilton which was a scripture at the end of Mt. 23 ... Because Bob did this, he "killed" a prophet. Here was the judgment against Bob.
Mt. 23:38 ... Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
I recorded this judgment and sent it to Bob. I received report from Ava that Bob and Marty and some of the office staff did listen to the recording. Then they sort of danced around the tape and quoted various scriptures over the tape disclaiming the judgment against him and took scissors and cut the tape in little pieces, thinking they destroyed the message on the tape.
I was reminded of the king in the OT who tore up the parchment from a judgment message sent by a prophet and threw the pieces into the fire and burned the writing. But this did not destroy the message it only destroyed the paper. And God had that prophet write another judgment against the king with even more words on the second message.
Concerning Bob Tilton ... it wasn't too many years before he and Marty divorced. Then ABC aired an expose against Tilton and the extortion being used to gain money from people. Then some of the church people sued Tilton. Then Tilton remarried. They divorced and she sued him. The expose is printed on Internet on Wikipedia (Internet encyclopedia) for all to see.
Bob's house was left to him desolate. He lost his wife, his children, his church.
At one point Bob tore down the old warehouse where we had been meeting and he built an 8000 seat building.
Today that building has been torn down and a bowling alley sits on the spot with no evidence that a church ever gathered there.
The last I heard Bob had drifted off into churches in Florida (USA) and he was still trying to be big time with big money ... but the report is instead of $70 million a year money decreased to $2 million a year. (That is still a lot of money.)
This is another message showing the following scripture:
I Tim. 5:24 ... Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
... examples of "ministers" whose sins are open beforehand ... shown to all ... There are other "ministers" whose sins are hidden until the day of judgment and their sins "follow after" them and will be revealed to all then.
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Destruction of Ministers: Jimmy Swaggart
In the early 1980's, Jimmy Swaggart's advertising agent told me the following story about Swaggart.
Swaggart came to them to hire them to represent him and to get larger numbers of people to come to his meetings. He was "tired" of having 400-500 people at meetings and wanted to increase this number significantly, according to the ad agent who represented him at that time. Swaggart and the advertising agency decided to increase the music performed at the meeting to attract people.
I was horrified at this. I tried to deliver the following message to Swaggart. "Stop using music to attract people and go back to preaching the word of God."
When I couldn't get the message to Swaggart because of his body-guards and his filtering system which kept Swaggart from seeing mail, I spoke the message on my radio broadcasts which were from coast to coast in USA. (Two of my radio stations were owned by Swaggart at the time.)
A few years after this, the story broke that Swaggart was caught with a prostitute. He made a tearful repentance on TV that he had sinned. The position of the Assembly of God church at the time was they needed to forgive "brother Swaggart" and pray for him. I heard this preached in Clovis, NM, USA from Assembly of God pulpit.
My reaction: They don't need to pray for him. They need to put him out of the church. This is what Paul said to do about such sins in the church.
Paul said ... I Cor. 5 ... But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
We are not supposed to judge the world in such matters. We are supposed to judge the church if any man doing such sins in called a "brother". And Paul says to put such a "wicked person" away from the church. Do not eat with such a person ... do not eat the Word of God with such a person ... certainly we would not eat natural food with him nor "keep company" with him.
After the first prostitute story, and after the tearful "repentance" on TV, Swaggart was caught with another prostitute. This story may be read on Wikipedia, the Internet Enclyclopedia ... The second time Swaggart replied, "The Lord has told me this is flat none of your business."
This is another example of the following scripture:
I Tim. 5:24 ... Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
... examples of "ministers" whose sins are open beforehand ... shown to all ... There are other "ministers" whose sins are hidden until the day of judgment and their sins "follow after" them and will be revealed to all then.
Kenneth Copeland and Marilyn Hickey:
Kenneth Copeland:
At his own meetings, Copeland told how he got into ministry. He was a pilot (as I recall story) and was flying plane for preacher Kenneth Hagin. Copeland decided he wanted to be a preacher. So he shut himself up in his garage and memorized the teaching of Kenneth Hagin from Hagan tapes and started preaching.
In the early 80's, Vinita Copeland (Kenneth's mother) was a friend of mine. I often went to her home and she often came to my meetings.
By the mid-80's, after God began teaching me about corruption in ministries I realized the evil in the way Copeland went about becoming a minister. I did not believe Copeland had the Holy Spirit. I told his mother this.
Also Copeland's followers took up an offering to give him a trip to Hawaii as a birthday present. I warned them about doing this for I was sure IRS would not consider such "offerings" to be tax deductible.
I spoke about this at a meeting I had in Ft. Worth, Texas where the Copelands lived. The audience was largely composed of Copeland followers. The message got to Copeland. I tried to get this message to Copeland but he surrounds himself with body guards to keep people from reaching him (at least he did this at that time) and written warning I sent were thrown away and kept from him according to the report I had. So I spoke it on radio and at the Ft. Worth meeting and the message reached Copeland.
Nevertheless, I do not believe this man has the Spirit of God.
Marilyn Hickey:
Marilyn used to tell this story at her meetings. When she began speaking at churches, her best friend came to her and said, "Marilyn, you are the most boring speaker I have ever heard." So Marilyn hired an acting coach to make her more interesting.
When the Spirit of God is speaking through us, it is interesting. We do not need to work on our delivery of messages if the message is from the Spirit of God. No matter how crude our speech it is powerful. Paul said this about himself. II Cor. 10 ... For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. 11Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.
We do not use fleshly ways to speak the word of God. The power is the word of God when God leads us to speak.
Marilyn traveled with large numbers of boxes of books and tapes which she sold at meetings. She told me this story. She said she had learned how to get the airlines to ship these for her without paying them very much money. She got several $1 bills and rolled them into a large roll and drove up the the curb check in and when the sky cap came to the car she showed him the large roll of bills and he put her books through with her luggage without extra charge. She proudly told me she had taught her daughter to do this and now Sarah could do this too.
This is dishonest. This is cheating the airlines.
This story is from the early 80's. With all the restrictions on air travel today I don't even know if they have curb check-in any longer. Marilyn said you always go to curb to do this.
I heard Marilyn several times. There is only one thing she told at her meetings that I can remember. Her husband was a pastor and they had a covered dish dinner at her church. She brought an eggplant casserole. She tried to sneak it in so no one would know she brought it. A man walked up and filled his plate with various thing, one of which was her eggplant casserole. He took one bite and grimaced and turned to Marilyn and said, "Marilyn, did you bring this?"
==============
Both these "ministers" became very famous and have very large followings. But they did it in worldly ways.
Paul said ... I Cor. 1 ... And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
This is what God taught me to do, like Paul. Don't speak with clever stories to entice the flesh of other humans. Rather speak with the wisdom given by God where there is power of God.
Mt. 24 ... concerning the signs of the end times ... 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.
Jude ... But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers (Imitators) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Ministers who do not have the Spirit of God:
There are countless numbers of ministers today all over the world who come in the name of Jesus but do not have the Spirit of God.
These are men and women who have a very religious type of personality and really want to do good but they do not have the Spirit of God and the call of God is not on their lives.
This is described in Jude ... But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers (imitators) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
They attend seminaries and Bible schools to learn to do the work of the ministry. They are equipped with all manner of religious adornment without the Spirit of God. We see it in all forms of church groups, protestant and catholic ... Countless numbers ... They set out to feed the poor with natural food ... They give clothing to the poor ... They work to help orphans ... They set up works to help elderly people ... They do all manner of fleshly charities ... But they do not have the Spirit of God.
Of course they cannot be real ministers of God without having the Spirit of God and the call of God.
They attract fleshly people by fleshly ways.
They are like the Pharisees and Sadducees Jesus dealt with.
They are everywhere.
And it fits what Jesus told us would happen in the last days ...
Mt. 24 ... 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 (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Many will come this way and they will deceive many.
This warning was given by Jesus and is repeated by me right now: Beware of them ... Let no man deceive you.
Some come speaking in tongues in the church but they still do not have the Spirit. So don't let this fool you.
The Spirit of God in us does following: (Jn. 14:26 & Jn. 16:13)
- guides us into all truth
- reminds us of everything Jesus has said
- teaches us all things
- shows us things to come
These ministers who do not have the Spirit will try to copy, imitate, ministers who have the Spirit.
Recently I received email from a minister asking me to help him to understand what I say. I told him I could not do that. Only God can give us understanding. I suspect he was one of the well-meaning, self appointed ministers who does not have the Spirit of God and neither is such called by God. He just wants to do religious works. There are a great many like that today.
==============
For several years in the 1970's, I operated a business in American Indian Arts. One of the magnificent American Indian potters was Margaret Tafoya. I was with Margaret after I was born again and she told me the following amazing story.
She took her 7 children out of the Catholic school that was on the reservation and sent them to McCurdy Mission School. The priest told her she could not do that. He said she must remove them and bring them back to the Catholic school. She replied that she wanted them to go to the McCurdy Mission School so they could study the Bible. The priest replied, "People like you do not need to study the Bible. We will tell you what you need to know." Margaret said, "No, I want them to study the Bible."
Then Margaret said the priest got so mad at her and he said, "If you do this, we will put you out of the church and you will never be able to confess your sins again." (Margaret was obviously very religious, often confessing her sins.)
Margaret said to me, "I don't know what came over me. I said to the priest, I don't have to confess my sins to a man like you. I will confess them to the Lord." And the priest was so angry and put her out of the Catholic church. But she continued to send her children to the mission school to study the Bible.
With great shame, Margaret told this story to me. I explained that no man can remove us from the real church. God adds us to the church and only God can remove one from the church. And I tried to explain what she did in saying this to the priest was not evil but was from the Holy Spirit.
I rejoiced greatly in this story. The power of God to deliver us is enormous.
===========
A very evil email:
In June, 2013, I received a very evil email.
The person said "God" told him to write me. He said if I gave money to him God would bless me, implying that if I did not send him money God would somehow hurt me. (This is similar to chain letters that used to come occasionally saying to pass this letter on to 5 friends and you would be blessed but if you did not pass it on harm would come on you.)
I did not answer this email. I just deleted it.
As I thought about it, I remembered pastors who used scripture this way when they took up an offering. They would quote a scripture and imply if we wanted to be blessed by God we would need to give to them.
I know this is not true. This is extortion in the church. Paul told us to put extortioners out of the church and not to eat with them. (I Cor. 5:11-13) Many pastors need to be put away from us either by removing them from the church or by our leaving those church groups where these extortioner pastors rule.
I belong to God and curses such as the above will not happen to me. And the above examples are curses. But they have no power. They have no more power than crossing yourself or lighting candles in religious ways.
=================
Amazing email from man who identifies himself as a pastor:
(This man continued with a great many more words that meant nothing.)
Joan Boney
============
End times: Many ministers are thieves
Mt. 24 ... 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 (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.
They come to me by email, and they say they are "pastors" or one of the other ministry offices.
Their letters begin with flattery ... telling me how wonderful I am.
Then they give a list of their works, often a very long list of their works.
Then they ask for money to support their works.
By their own words they show the Lord is not their shepherd for if the Lord was their shepherd there would be no want.
Here is another proof showing they are not of God and Jesus is not their Lord. And this shows they do not have the Spirit of God in them.
I have received hundreds of such letters since I went on internet in March, 2012. I have brought correction to them. Not one of them has repented. Not one of them has shown any sorrow or shame over that which they are doing. This shows they do not have the Holy Spirit in them for if they had the Holy Spirit they would repent and ask us to forgive them.
They are ministers of Satan although they say "Jesus is Lord".
II Cor. 11 ... For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
They condemn themselves by their own works. Their works testify against them. They care for orphans and old people and this appears to be a good work. But they themselves do not repent when confronted with their various sins against the church. The non-repentance is the work that shows they are not of God and this is the work that will rise up to condemn them in the day of judgment.
Those who support them become a part of their evil works and enter into a form of condemnation.
II Jn. ... Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
They turn the house of God into a den of thieves in their attempt to get money. They come in deceit and all crookedness. They say Jesus is Lord but they do not repent when godly correction is brought to them. The Holy Spirit is not in them to convict them of sin.
===============
Destruction of ministers: Jim & Tammy Bakker
In the early 1980's there was a husband/wife TV team called Jim and Tammy Bakker. They were very popular on TV in USA.
I was shocked when I was vising in Detroit where I was on radio and saw a glimpse of their TV program at the home where I was staying. I thought them abominable.
Later God gave me a message for them. The message concerned adultery. I delivered the message by mail and identified myself as an apostle/prophet of Jesus Christ with a warning from Holy Spirit.
The letter head on which I wrote had the name of our ministry group: JESUS MINISTRIES
A few days later, I received a form type response from Jim & Tammy Bakker. It said: "Dear Jesus ... Thank you for your wonderful message... Jesus, I want you to know Tammy and I prayed for you today ..."
This really tells it all!
A few months later, a huge public scandal was shown about the Bakkers on network television in USA. Their "ministry" disappeared. They divorced. Tammy remarried very soon. Then she got cancer and died. Jim Bakker was tried in federal court, found guilty of mail fraud and sentenced to 45 years in federal prison.
This is just one of many examples of ministers who turn the house of God into a den of thieves.
I Tim. 5:24 ... Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
The Bakker's and Jimmy Swaggart are examples of "ministers" whose sins are open beforehand ... shown to all ... There are other "ministers" whose sins are hidden until the day of judgment and their sins "follow after" them and will be revealed to all then.
Destruction of Ministers: Robert Tilton
In approximately 1979, I went with a friend to a church in the Dallas metroplex. This church met in an old warehouse. Approximately 200 people attended that group at the time I first went there. The pastors were Bob and Marty Tilton.
Before long, Bob was excited to go on radio. He made the statement that he planned to be bigger than Kenneth Copeland. Bob began adding radio stations all over USA.
Then Bob contracted to go on TV. (He was really excited about TV broadcasting.) He began adding TV. And Bob began getting stranger and stranger from the pulpit ... fund raising became a main focal point and he used a scripture concerning 100-fold return to "extort" money from greedy people in congregations.
Bob was becoming very big in ministry circles.
There was a woman at his church who was said to be a prophet. Her name was Ava. Her best friend was Marty Tilton, Bob's wife.
Bob invited Ava to be on his TV show. Just before they went on camera, Bob said to Ava ... "Oh, just one thing ... don't mention anything about being a prophet for that is not popular." Ava told me about this. She was devastated. I was horrified.
God gave me a judgment against Bob Tilton which was a scripture at the end of Mt. 23 ... Because Bob did this, he "killed" a prophet. Here was the judgment against Bob.
Mt. 23:38 ... Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
I recorded this judgment and sent it to Bob. I received report from Ava that Bob and Marty and some of the office staff did listen to the recording. Then they sort of danced around the tape and quoted various scriptures over the tape disclaiming the judgment against him and took scissors and cut the tape in little pieces, thinking they destroyed the message on the tape.
I was reminded of the king in the OT who tore up the parchment from a judgment message sent by a prophet and threw the pieces into the fire and burned the writing. But this did not destroy the message it only destroyed the paper. And God had that prophet write another judgment against the king with even more words on the second message.
Concerning Bob Tilton ... it wasn't too many years before he and Marty divorced. Then ABC aired an expose against Tilton and the extortion being used to gain money from people. Then some of the church people sued Tilton. Then Tilton remarried. They divorced and she sued him. The expose is printed on Internet on Wikipedia (Internet encyclopedia) for all to see.
Bob's house was left to him desolate. He lost his wife, his children, his church.
At one point Bob tore down the old warehouse where we had been meeting and he built an 8000 seat building.
Today that building has been torn down and a bowling alley sits on the spot with no evidence that a church ever gathered there.
The last I heard Bob had drifted off into churches in Florida (USA) and he was still trying to be big time with big money ... but the report is instead of $70 million a year money decreased to $2 million a year. (That is still a lot of money.)
This is another message showing the following scripture:
I Tim. 5:24 ... Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
... examples of "ministers" whose sins are open beforehand ... shown to all ... There are other "ministers" whose sins are hidden until the day of judgment and their sins "follow after" them and will be revealed to all then.
==========
Destruction of Ministers: Jimmy Swaggart
In the early 1980's, Jimmy Swaggart's advertising agent told me the following story about Swaggart.
Swaggart came to them to hire them to represent him and to get larger numbers of people to come to his meetings. He was "tired" of having 400-500 people at meetings and wanted to increase this number significantly, according to the ad agent who represented him at that time. Swaggart and the advertising agency decided to increase the music performed at the meeting to attract people.
I was horrified at this. I tried to deliver the following message to Swaggart. "Stop using music to attract people and go back to preaching the word of God."
When I couldn't get the message to Swaggart because of his body-guards and his filtering system which kept Swaggart from seeing mail, I spoke the message on my radio broadcasts which were from coast to coast in USA. (Two of my radio stations were owned by Swaggart at the time.)
A few years after this, the story broke that Swaggart was caught with a prostitute. He made a tearful repentance on TV that he had sinned. The position of the Assembly of God church at the time was they needed to forgive "brother Swaggart" and pray for him. I heard this preached in Clovis, NM, USA from Assembly of God pulpit.
My reaction: They don't need to pray for him. They need to put him out of the church. This is what Paul said to do about such sins in the church.
Paul said ... I Cor. 5 ... But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
We are not supposed to judge the world in such matters. We are supposed to judge the church if any man doing such sins in called a "brother". And Paul says to put such a "wicked person" away from the church. Do not eat with such a person ... do not eat the Word of God with such a person ... certainly we would not eat natural food with him nor "keep company" with him.
After the first prostitute story, and after the tearful "repentance" on TV, Swaggart was caught with another prostitute. This story may be read on Wikipedia, the Internet Enclyclopedia ... The second time Swaggart replied, "The Lord has told me this is flat none of your business."
This is another example of the following scripture:
I Tim. 5:24 ... Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
... examples of "ministers" whose sins are open beforehand ... shown to all ... There are other "ministers" whose sins are hidden until the day of judgment and their sins "follow after" them and will be revealed to all then.
Kenneth Copeland and Marilyn Hickey:
Kenneth Copeland:
At his own meetings, Copeland told how he got into ministry. He was a pilot (as I recall story) and was flying plane for preacher Kenneth Hagin. Copeland decided he wanted to be a preacher. So he shut himself up in his garage and memorized the teaching of Kenneth Hagin from Hagan tapes and started preaching.
In the early 80's, Vinita Copeland (Kenneth's mother) was a friend of mine. I often went to her home and she often came to my meetings.
By the mid-80's, after God began teaching me about corruption in ministries I realized the evil in the way Copeland went about becoming a minister. I did not believe Copeland had the Holy Spirit. I told his mother this.
Also Copeland's followers took up an offering to give him a trip to Hawaii as a birthday present. I warned them about doing this for I was sure IRS would not consider such "offerings" to be tax deductible.
I spoke about this at a meeting I had in Ft. Worth, Texas where the Copelands lived. The audience was largely composed of Copeland followers. The message got to Copeland. I tried to get this message to Copeland but he surrounds himself with body guards to keep people from reaching him (at least he did this at that time) and written warning I sent were thrown away and kept from him according to the report I had. So I spoke it on radio and at the Ft. Worth meeting and the message reached Copeland.
Nevertheless, I do not believe this man has the Spirit of God.
Marilyn Hickey:
Marilyn used to tell this story at her meetings. When she began speaking at churches, her best friend came to her and said, "Marilyn, you are the most boring speaker I have ever heard." So Marilyn hired an acting coach to make her more interesting.
When the Spirit of God is speaking through us, it is interesting. We do not need to work on our delivery of messages if the message is from the Spirit of God. No matter how crude our speech it is powerful. Paul said this about himself. II Cor. 10 ... For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. 11Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.
We do not use fleshly ways to speak the word of God. The power is the word of God when God leads us to speak.
Marilyn traveled with large numbers of boxes of books and tapes which she sold at meetings. She told me this story. She said she had learned how to get the airlines to ship these for her without paying them very much money. She got several $1 bills and rolled them into a large roll and drove up the the curb check in and when the sky cap came to the car she showed him the large roll of bills and he put her books through with her luggage without extra charge. She proudly told me she had taught her daughter to do this and now Sarah could do this too.
This is dishonest. This is cheating the airlines.
This story is from the early 80's. With all the restrictions on air travel today I don't even know if they have curb check-in any longer. Marilyn said you always go to curb to do this.
I heard Marilyn several times. There is only one thing she told at her meetings that I can remember. Her husband was a pastor and they had a covered dish dinner at her church. She brought an eggplant casserole. She tried to sneak it in so no one would know she brought it. A man walked up and filled his plate with various thing, one of which was her eggplant casserole. He took one bite and grimaced and turned to Marilyn and said, "Marilyn, did you bring this?"
==============
Both these "ministers" became very famous and have very large followings. But they did it in worldly ways.
Paul said ... I Cor. 1 ... And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
This is what God taught me to do, like Paul. Don't speak with clever stories to entice the flesh of other humans. Rather speak with the wisdom given by God where there is power of God.
Mt. 24 ... concerning the signs of the end times ... 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.
Jude ... But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers (Imitators) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Ministers who do not have the Spirit of God:
There are countless numbers of ministers today all over the world who come in the name of Jesus but do not have the Spirit of God.
These are men and women who have a very religious type of personality and really want to do good but they do not have the Spirit of God and the call of God is not on their lives.
This is described in Jude ... But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers (imitators) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
They attend seminaries and Bible schools to learn to do the work of the ministry. They are equipped with all manner of religious adornment without the Spirit of God. We see it in all forms of church groups, protestant and catholic ... Countless numbers ... They set out to feed the poor with natural food ... They give clothing to the poor ... They work to help orphans ... They set up works to help elderly people ... They do all manner of fleshly charities ... But they do not have the Spirit of God.
Of course they cannot be real ministers of God without having the Spirit of God and the call of God.
They attract fleshly people by fleshly ways.
They are like the Pharisees and Sadducees Jesus dealt with.
They are everywhere.
And it fits what Jesus told us would happen in the last days ...
Mt. 24 ... 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 (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Many will come this way and they will deceive many.
This warning was given by Jesus and is repeated by me right now: Beware of them ... Let no man deceive you.
Some come speaking in tongues in the church but they still do not have the Spirit. So don't let this fool you.
The Spirit of God in us does following: (Jn. 14:26 & Jn. 16:13)
- guides us into all truth
- reminds us of everything Jesus has said
- teaches us all things
- shows us things to come
These ministers who do not have the Spirit will try to copy, imitate, ministers who have the Spirit.
Recently I received email from a minister asking me to help him to understand what I say. I told him I could not do that. Only God can give us understanding. I suspect he was one of the well-meaning, self appointed ministers who does not have the Spirit of God and neither is such called by God. He just wants to do religious works. There are a great many like that today.
==============
For several years in the 1970's, I operated a business in American Indian Arts. One of the magnificent American Indian potters was Margaret Tafoya. I was with Margaret after I was born again and she told me the following amazing story.
She took her 7 children out of the Catholic school that was on the reservation and sent them to McCurdy Mission School. The priest told her she could not do that. He said she must remove them and bring them back to the Catholic school. She replied that she wanted them to go to the McCurdy Mission School so they could study the Bible. The priest replied, "People like you do not need to study the Bible. We will tell you what you need to know." Margaret said, "No, I want them to study the Bible."
Then Margaret said the priest got so mad at her and he said, "If you do this, we will put you out of the church and you will never be able to confess your sins again." (Margaret was obviously very religious, often confessing her sins.)
Margaret said to me, "I don't know what came over me. I said to the priest, I don't have to confess my sins to a man like you. I will confess them to the Lord." And the priest was so angry and put her out of the Catholic church. But she continued to send her children to the mission school to study the Bible.
With great shame, Margaret told this story to me. I explained that no man can remove us from the real church. God adds us to the church and only God can remove one from the church. And I tried to explain what she did in saying this to the priest was not evil but was from the Holy Spirit.
I rejoiced greatly in this story. The power of God to deliver us is enormous.
===========
A very evil email:
In June, 2013, I received a very evil email.
The person said "God" told him to write me. He said if I gave money to him God would bless me, implying that if I did not send him money God would somehow hurt me. (This is similar to chain letters that used to come occasionally saying to pass this letter on to 5 friends and you would be blessed but if you did not pass it on harm would come on you.)
I did not answer this email. I just deleted it.
As I thought about it, I remembered pastors who used scripture this way when they took up an offering. They would quote a scripture and imply if we wanted to be blessed by God we would need to give to them.
I know this is not true. This is extortion in the church. Paul told us to put extortioners out of the church and not to eat with them. (I Cor. 5:11-13) Many pastors need to be put away from us either by removing them from the church or by our leaving those church groups where these extortioner pastors rule.
I belong to God and curses such as the above will not happen to me. And the above examples are curses. But they have no power. They have no more power than crossing yourself or lighting candles in religious ways.
=================
Amazing email from man who identifies himself as a pastor:
"These words are for you and your dear wife as you work together to
glorify the Lord. It is my privilege to pray for you today. I pray that
God's grace will energize you for the task before you and encourage your
heart through every valley and mountain experience."
(This man continued with a great many more words that meant nothing.)
My response:
I need to call your attention to the second email you sent me where you said to me:
"These words are for you and your dear wife as you work together to glorify the Lord"
I, Joan Boney, am a 75 year old woman. I do not have a "dear wife".
Joan Boney
============
Ministers who use 100-fold return to extort money
Many ministers use a scripture promising 100-fold return to extort money from the body of Christ.
However they misuse this scripture for this promise has nothing to do with money you would give in an offering.
Mk. 10 ... Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
This scripture pertains to those who have the call of God on their lives and leave all in order to fulfill that call of God. Also this scripture pertains to members of the body of Christ, called by God and set into the church by God. For each of us follow God by His Spirit. And often we have to leave certain people who would cause us to go a wrong way. Certainly 100-fold return applies in this case. We hear from God by His Spirit and we give up people and things to obey what God says to us. The 100-fold return applies to us in these cases. But 100-fold return has nothing at all to do with tithes and offerings.
When a minister uses this scripture in trying to get people to give money, promising them 100-fold return on their "offering", that minister is an extortioner.
Paul says we are to put such an one out of the church ... don't even eat with such a person, says Paul.
I Cor. 5 ... But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Or if you have no power to get rid of the pastor who is extortioner, you just depart from him and stop going to that church group.
Today, many ministers are extortioners.
===========
Email from man asking me to pray ... (Joan Boney)
Recently I received the most amazing email from the founder of an International Prayer Ministry.
This man said he is sick and asked me to pray for him!
He doesn't have faith to pray nor does he have faith in his own International Prayer Ministry which he founded!
I laughed when I read this. It struck me as funny and very revealing.
It sort of reminded me of a church group in Irving, Texas that built a prayer tower and the prayer tower leaked when it rained. Sort of told it all about that church group.
Amazing.
I did not pray. If this man doesn't have faith to pray, I'm not going to pray. Jesus prayed for those who belong to God but not for the world. Jn. 17
It reminded me of Elijah dealing with the prophets of Baal ...
I Kings 18 ... And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. 22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: 24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. 25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. 26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. 27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. 28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. 29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
Also all this reminds me of what God said in Proverbs 1 ...
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
They go out and set up worthless works and cause people to trust in themselves by trying to get people to turn to them for prayer and they can't even pray for themselves in faith when trouble hits them.
==============
Man who has me mixed up with God:
Recently I received an email where a man told me all his troubles. I didn't read all his email but the last line said something like, "What am I going to do?"
I did not reply to his email.
He has me mixed up with God.