1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works,
there is none that doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy:
there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and call not upon the Lord.
5 There were they in great fear:
for God is in the generation of the righteous.
6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor,
because the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!
when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people,
Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
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Comments by Joan Boney
There are people who "eat up" the people of God and they themselves do not call on God.
I have relatives like that.
And men who call themselves pastors frequently try to eat me up wanting money from me. Some want prayer from me when they do not have faith to pray themselves. They would devour me if possible.
Recently I received email from a man who said he was pastor. He used scripture to try to shame me into giving money to him. But I know this is extortion and Paul said to do the following when a man who is called a brother is an extortioner:
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.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Many men who call themselves "pastors" are extortioners ... trying to wring money out of other people ... using scripture incorrectly to do so.
We should put such men out of our company as Paul said to do.
That is exactly what I do when they come to me. I do not answer their emails. I do not send money. I talk with God about their extortion. And I put their name on "spam" on my computer so any future emails sent from them will be blocked.
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Then there are relatives who drain us needlessly ... if we allow it, they take us captive to themselves, telling us their many problems because their faith is not in God. Such is very harmful and can keep us in turmoil and grief. It can also block us from doing that which God would have us do in reading Bible for we become so troubled we cannot focus on the Word of God. We try to read but all we can think of is that relative. No good comes from this needless destruction.
An example: I have a cousin who is very difficult to deal with. She becomes
offended easily and everyone has always said how "sensitive" she is and
how you have to be very careful around her.
About 2
years ago, I felt I was to just leave her alone. She lives in another
city. She didn't try to call me in that period of time and I didn't try
to call her. Everything moved along smoothly.
Yesterday
I returned home and saw there was a missed phone call on my telephone.
I checked and it was from this cousin's husband. There was a recorded
message. I was expecting a message telling me that my cousin had died.
But the message was from my cousin telling me her husband died. (She was calling on her husband's cell phone so it looked as if he were calling.) Of
course I was very sorry for my cousin. They had been married 65 years.
This morning, I realized what a blessing it was to me to have missed the year of cancer that killed her husband. Had
I know about him, I would have gone though all the pain and trouble and
it would not have helped anyone. It would have drawn me away from my
assignment from God. Because I had let her alone, I didn't know and was
spared.
She has a way of drawing you into a net however and making you feel guilty for not calling her. But she, too, has telephone and she didn't show any interest in speaking with me.
Then she told me of her husband's funeral. I told her I do not drive out of town and would not be attending. She became very silent in apparent disapproval.
She is very skillful in making me feel guilty without cause.
I did tell her I would be in touch more in the future (a trap).
I
even thought maybe I should put her on my calendar so I wouldn't forget
to call her in a week or so after everyone leaves after the funeral.
But
this morning I was reminded of the following scripture which tells us
to free ourselves if we have foolishly gotten ourselves into a trap by
our words.
Prov. 6 ... 1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend;
go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Then I thought maybe I should send her some writings to try to help her. But I realized this, too, is a trap ... a hook that would attach me to her and drain me through the attachment.
My
goal is to do what is right in the sight of God. The wrong spirit can
cause me to reach out and do something, send writings, make phone calls,
drain myself so I can't do the work assigned me by God.
It is critical to try the spirit when the ideas come to call her. The wrong spirit can be authoring these ideas.
The
important thing is to keep myself by the Holy Spirit that dwells in me
and to continue this work assigned me by God. If I am needlessly upset, I can't read Bible and do this work.
Depending
on God, as always is the key. Keeping my flesh under control and
remembering to turn to God in prayer when the idea comes to do something
where this cousin is concerned is critical. And that is to be done
each time she is called to my mind.