Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
When you think God is leading you to do something, it is so important to "try the spirit" to see if the spirit that brought that idea to you is from God. (I Jn. 4:1 ... Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:)
Satan comes with thoughts like "an angel of light" ... II Cor. 11
It can seem like God speaking ... and we can get excited that we heard something from God ... But we must confirm that which we heard, trying the spirit that carried that idea which seems like a good work.
I try the spirit by prayer, asking God for confirmation. And I wait until I am persuaded whether the idea is God telling me to do something or whether it is from another spirit.
If the idea would cause me to go into debt, I know it is not God but is a trap. Sometimes the idea will cause us to spend money the wrong way. For example: I receive many invitations from pastors around the world. They invite me to come speak to their church groups. Often they invite me to speak at minister conferences or to help young ministers. But is this God's way for me? So I settle it through prayer and by waiting for God to confirm HIS way. Recently I had a dream which showed me if I went out it would be a needless waste of money and it would trap me out there and it would be difficult for me to get back to where I am now. Where am I now? I am doing these writings which go all over the world and cost us nothing except for the advertising which helps the writings to be more visible on Internet. And is it really important for them to see me in the flesh? What is important is the message I carry. And I carry that message daily on Internet for all in the world to be able to see. I know God doesn't want me to travel. And if I did travel, it would use the money and my energy in another way. As it is now, we use the money to buy more advertising so we can be visible to all in the world in a greater way. And all my energy is devoted to hearing from God and sharing that all over this present world by Internet.
And what is visible is the message of exhortation, not our own flesh. So you see how going out in the flesh would stop much of the real work of God. The devil would like me to travel, stopping the work while seeming to do the work. But God wants me to do the work which HE has shown me to do which is the Internet writing which God gave me a dream which showed me to write on Internet. So I stay home and write, using our money to advertise so more can see the writings around the world.
Faith has to be based on hearing what God wants you to do in the issue at hand.
Abraham went out by faith. But the important thing is this. God told Abraham to go out. Then Abraham went after hearing from God. (At one time God told me not to go out, so I stayed home.) Faith is always based on hearing first from God. Noah heard from God telling him to build an arc. There are people today who try to make provision for future without hearing from God. Paul heard from Jesus on road to Damascus.
So many ministers who contact me tell me of their works but they do not tell me of the Spirit of God speaking to them to do these works. And mostly the works are great burdens to themselves and their families. And usually they end up asking me for money to help them to do the work. I always know in these cases their work is not of God and they are following another spirit. For when God is leading us there is "no want". Psalm 23:1 ... HIS yoke is easy and HIS burden is light. Mt. 11 ... There is "no need" when God is leading. Phil. 4:19