Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Phil. 4:8 ... Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
I took each person in our little church group and one at a time I thought of something lovely & of good report concerning that person. I thought of examples of how that person obeyed and instruction from God. I thought of examples of God giving information to that person. I thought of examples of the Holy Spirit operating in the life of that person.
Then I took even the worst people I know personally in the world and I could even think of something good about that person.
This is very freeing.
In Bible I thought of Caleb who brought back a good report when they went in to spy out the land.
Numbers 13:30 ... And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome.
Numbers 14 ... And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
Good reports
And another delightful report is from Pam Padgett ... I love hearing this story. Every time I think of this good report I smile.
My older sister had been at college two
years when I started attending the same school. She dated a man who
was a member of a fraternity, and she had become a member of the
fraternity's "women's auxiliary", assisting with fraternity social
functions. She was very excited for me to join the social circles she
was in, and especially wanted me to meet members of the fraternity.
The first week of school my sister invited me to go to a student bar
where many of the fraternity guys gathered on Thursday nights. I went,
but found what was going on there to be so bad (lewdness, drunkenness,
etc.) that I was unable to stay and I walked back to the dormitory.
A week or so later my sister asked if I'd go to an outdoor luau with
one of the freshmen "pledges" at the fraternity. The luau site was
about 20 miles away near a river, and there would be a campfire. The
setting was very appealing to me, plus I was excited about having a
date, and I agreed to go.
Then, a few days before the luau, my sister told me that arrangements
had been made for one of the other fraternity guys to take me to the
luau because my date would be spending the day at the luau site
building a hut for us ... a young man I had never even met was building
a hut "for us"!
Suddenly the reality of this luau became very clear to me. This was
not going to be people sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows.
The lewdness and drunkenness I had seen at the student bar was
probably mild compared to what would be going on at this luau ... and I
wouldn't be able to walk home.
I told my sister that I couldn't go along with this and did not want to
go, but she kept insisting that it was too late for me to back out,
that it was too late for this guy to find another date.
I turned very strongly to God, asking Him to somehow get me out of this situation. There seemed no way out.
At one point I asked God to let me have appendicitis, preferring to be
in a hospital having surgery than to go to this luau.
The morning of the luau I woke up and checked to see if I might have
any pain that would indicate appendicitis, and was disappointed that I
felt fine. I kept praying for God to somehow work this out. Time was
really running out! When I looked outside, it was raining a little,
but not much. However, the rain became heavier and heavier as the day
went on.
Around 2 pm I received a call from the fraternity guy who planned to
take me to the luau site. He told me how sorry he was to have to tell
me this, but the luau had to be cancelled. The luau site had been totally flooded, washing away all the huts that had been built, which would include the hut my date had built for us. He told me how long the luau had been held at this same site (many years) and,
although there had been rain at times in the past, nothing like this
had ever happened before, flooding and causing the luau to be cancelled.
I rejoiced, knowing that God had delivered me.
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Paul said to think on these things ... Phil. 4:8 ... We can control our mind concerning that which we think on ... We can refuse to think of harmful things ... We can direct our minds to think on those things that are true, honest, pure, lovely, of good report, just, virtuous, full of praise.
And when we think on these things, we will see God's work for God is in them. And we will rejoice.
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Another good report concerning focusing on things that are "lovely" ...
Last night, I sat down to watch TV and the crime show I was watching was so depressing and I began thinking, "Why am I watching this?"
I looked on the list of things I have recorded and found a dog trial competition and turned to that and loved seeing the agility exercises and all the dogs ...
I'm being helped greatly by trying to do Phil. 4:8 ... Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.