Faith: Part 2

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

Heb. 11 ... By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 

Several years ago I visited a Sunday school class in a church.  Pastor was teaching above scripture and he asked:  Did Noah condemn the world?   Immediately I replied, "Yes".  The people in the class seemed shocked.  I said:  Noah condemned the world because he believed God and the world didn't.

Anytime we believe God we, by our actions, condemn those who do not believe God.  Grounds are set for the judgment seat of Christ for then God can say Noah believed what I said and he was a person as others yet he believed ME and you did not believe.  Thereby those who believe and act on any scripture by their action condemn those who do not believe. 

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Concerning faith, first God speaks.

God speaks in various ways to us:  thoughts, dreams, scripture

The devil can also bring thoughts and scripture.  We recall that the devil tempted Jesus by speaking scripture to Jesus.  But Jesus knew the voice of God and when the devil tried to misuse scripture Jesus countered each of the devil's presentations.  

Mt: 4 ..  Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written,  He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.  

8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. 

I don't recall any place in Bible where devil sent dreams.  That leads me to believe the devil cannot speak through dreams.

At one point I studied the use of dreams in Bible.  I am persuaded that God uses dreams today as a means of showing us truth about people and what they are doing or what they will do  ... and dreams show us things to come ... and sometimes our ways are changed because of dreams ... sometimes dreams confirm to us the way we are going ... I believe all dreams are from God... although I might not understand the dream at the time the dream comes ...

Thoughts can be from God by HIS Spirit ... thoughts can be from devil.  The devil's thoughts can seem like good idea.  Sometimes the thought is very obviously from God.  Other times we aren't sure.

Before we act by faith, we have to determine if that thought is from God, especially when we have reason to question the direction provoked by the thought.

If we are engaged in any form of strife (or envy) we are in danger of opening doors for devils to bring ideas to us.

James 3 ... Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.  16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.  

17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 

Probably the easiest thing to do when we are in doubt, is to ask God to confirm the thought or the idea, if it is from HIM and to wait on confirmation.

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One of the more common errors concerning faith comes by failing to consider the following:  Is this the will of God for my life?  All that really matters is the will of God.

Unfortunately often that is not even considered.  Church people want something.  They pray to get what they want.  Some are taught to hunt a scripture to "stand on" , to justify what they want.  And to hold fast to that scripture in faith until they get what they want.  This seems like faith, but it can be the wrong direction if we fail to consider "is this the will of God for me" ...

I made that mistake when I was a new Christian.  I wanted to marry.  All my church friends and our prayer group earnestly prayed for me to have an husband.  I found a scripture to "stand on", to justify my getting an husband ... Isa. 34:16 ... Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate ... This scripture was not given me by the Spirit of God rather I searched and found it because that seemed to justify my request to God.

One woman in the prayer group said something about the will of God ... but then she added, "Of course it is God's will for Joan to have an husband."

But my best friend at that time prayed concerning this and she heard the following from the Spirit of God concerning my marrying.  "My grace is sufficient for thee."  After that, Donna stopped asking God to give me husband.  She told me about this but my personal desire for husband was such that I didn't focus on that which Donna heard and I continued for many years searching for husband.  Finally I knew that was not the will of God for me and I would not be marrying as most people do.  Now I believe with all my heart that was ordained by God for me.  I even thank God that I didn't marry, remembering that Paul said those who marry will have trouble "in the flesh" (I Cor. 7) and I have an assignment from God for the church which would not be compatible with marriage for me.

In the late 70's or early 80's, God gave me the following dream:  In this dream, I was traveling with a group of people and our plane landed on an island.  There were pineapple fields and children on that island.  I became aware the group was getting ready to leave and their plan was to leave me behind on that island to take care of those children.  When I understood their plan, I said:  "I won't stay ... I won't ... unless YOU (God) want me to."   God did want me to stay there and care for those children.  It was hot on that island and dirty.  A pastor and his wife were there but they wouldn't come out of their house.

I believe God was showing me I would be left to care of the children of the church of God.  And that is what I have done these 30+ years, considering it to be my assignment from God.

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Basically, before we ask God for something, we need to check with God concerning HIS will in the matter.

So many people are interested in their own will when they pray.  And often their faith is damaged because they pray for something which is not the will of God for them, and then when they fail to get what they want they suffer loss of faith in God, loss of faith in scripture, loss of faith in prayer ... all because they misused everything and failed to consider "what is the will of God in my case."

A church person was trying to get a job and he asked me to pray that he got that job for which he was applying.  I told him I would not pray this for I did not know if it was the will of God for him to get that job.  I told him I would pray for God's will in the matter to be done.  He did not get that job.  The wrong job can damage a person.

We must base our faith on that which God has said to us by HIS Spirit.  For then we know the will of God when the Holy Spirit shows us.  (I Cor. 2)  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

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In each case of faith in the Bible we will see that faith came by the will of God, by God revealing HIS will by HIS Spirit.

Heb. 11 ... By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.  8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

After God spoke to Noah, he moved with fear, doing that which was instructed.  We must not go before God speaks.

After God spoke to Abraham, he departed the land as he was instructed by God to do.

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In 1980, I was asleep in the night and was awakened by a loud trumpet sounding voice speaking three words to me:  Hartford, Seattle, KWJS  (I believe this was the voice of an angel of God speaking to me.)

I jumped out of bed and wrote, on a note pad, the three words spoken.  It was obvious to me the word KWJS was call letters to either radio or TV.  I found it was radio.  I asked God:  "Are you telling me to go on radio?  I wouldn't know how to do that."

The Holy Spirit spoke the following gentle thought to me immediately:  "Call the radio station manager."

I called the radio station manager as soon as the business office opened that morning.  I said to the manager, "God might be telling me to go on radio.  How would you do that?"  He replied:  "Make an audition tape 29 1/2 minutes long and if the content of the tape fits into our broadcasts we will offer you a contract."

I had a cassette recorder in my apartment so I got a tape and sat down immediately and recorded a message and sent it that morning to the radio station manager.

I asked God how HE wanted me to pay for the broadcasts.  In a gentle thought, the Holy Spirit instructed:  "Write a letter to the people you know and tell them what happened."

I knew fewer than 80 people at the time but I did write and tell exactly what happened.  I did not ask for money.  People began sending me money and one man hand carried money to my apartment.  There was more than enough money to pay for the first month's broadcast without my asking for money.  I have found when God authors the assignment the way is also there whereby we can do the assignment.  David said:    25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.  Psa. 37


Within one week, I was on radio broadcasting exhortations to the church.

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Concerning Noah:

Genesis 6 ...And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
 
8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

... Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

... The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
 
13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.  15And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
 
22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he

Here we have the basic pattern of faith.

God chose to speak to Noah and instruct Noah.  Then Noah did everything God told him to do.

As I read the above, I noticed how specific God was in HIS instructions of exactly how to build the ark.  And notice that Noah did exactly what God instructed.  Noah didn't make the ark an inch smaller nor an inch larger.  Noah didn't say to himself "bigger is better".  Noah knew God is perfect.   

So Noah did "according to all that God commanded him."

I thought of how much work Noah had to do in building the ark to specification ... in gathering all those animals and creeping things ... and and in stocking food supplies.  And no doubt people would be watching Noah as he did these things.  It would become a big event for the village as Noah built this ark and as he gathered all these creatures and put them into the structure.

None of us want to be a side show.  None of us want to be mocked by onlookers or family.  And often we know this is going to happen to us when we speak what we hear from God and when we do what God shows us to do.

Consider Joseph.  He had a dream and he told this dream.  And as a result his family mocked him and tormented him.

But by faith, Joseph told the dream.

Gen. 37 ... And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 

9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.


Faith in God causes us to speak that which we have heard from God.  Certainly, in some cases, we know how likely it is that hatred or negative things will happen when we share what we have heard from God.  But we share it, enduring the shame, because we believe we have heard from God.

My favorite aunt was a Church of Christ member all her life.  This church group was one that would not speak of "supernatural" experiences with God.

At one point, I was visiting my aunt and I had the thought (which I believed to be from the Spirit of God) to tell my aunt about my being taken into heaven twice.  Certainly I didn't want to do that!  But because I believed I was directed by the Spirit of God to do it, I told her the following:

Shortly after I was born again, I was asleep in the night and I was "transported" into heaven.  I was in a room with God, and with the Holy Spirit, and with Jesus.  (I didn't see them. No man has seen God.  But I knew they were there with me.)  At that time, I was "merged" into the body of Jesus, made one with The Word of God.  It was wonderful!

The next morning, I was driving to work and I passed a church building and there was a funeral.  A funeral.  Oh how great.  A funeral.  To me this meant someone leaving this earth to go to God.  I'd just been there the night before and nothing on this present earth could equal what I had experienced in heaven.  (Obviously I was changed forever and set on fire for the Word of God. and for things of God.)

Then I told my aunt,  

And a few days after being taken into heaven, the exact same thing happened to me a second time.  I was asleep in the night and was transported into heaven.  I was with God, with the Holy Spirit, and with Jesus.  At that time I was merged into the body of Jesus ... made one with the Word of God.

I was very shocked at the response of my aunt after I told her this.

She had sort of a dreamy look on her face and she said to me ... "Something like that happened to me once ... and it was all golden."

(My aunt had always been very different from everyone else.  Now I knew the reason she was different.)

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Genesis 7 ... And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. 2Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.  3Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.  4For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. 
5And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.

Again, same pattern of faith ... God speaks ... Noah believes and obeys, following the instructions without adding to or taking away from the word.

...And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

...and the LORD shut him in.


...And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
21And all flesh died that moved upon the earth

... Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. (approximately 7 months)

Genesis 8 ... And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; 2The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; 3And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 
4And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. 


6And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: 7And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.  8Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; 9But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.  10And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; 11And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
 
13And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried
 
Although Noah knew the earth was dry, he did not go out of the ark until God spoke and told him to go out of the ark.


15And God spake unto Noah, saying, 16Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 17Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. 18And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him: 19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark. 


Again we see the pattern of faith:  Noah waiting until God spoke.  Then Noah did what God told him to do.

...  and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.   22While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. 

Genesis 9 ... And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Everyone around Noah was blessed by God because of Noah's obedience to God.

We, who belong to God and hear HIM and obey HIM, are blessings every where we go.  If we choose to do business with a company, and that company treats us well, God blesses that company.  But if we are treated poorly, I feel certain that company curses themselves though God repays us for their ill treatment restoring to us that taken from us by that company.

Deut. 28 ... And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.  6Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.  9The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.   12The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 14And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

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:

Is this the same in NT?  I asked God.  And immediately I was reminded of the following NT scripture:  Gal. 6 ... Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)