Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
We can certainly be
discouraged by seeing what people do to the word of God which we deliver
to them. If we focus on what they do, we can be affected by their
careless handling of the word. We must not allow ourselves to focus on
the disobedient. Instead, we must make ourselves think on the
following.
I Cor. 15 ... 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Some people are created to be destroyed, like Pharaoh.
That word we give to those appointed for destruction will not save that person but nevertheless it will be used by God for HIS purpose which, in that case, is destruction.
But it will accomplish that which God pleased ...for to some it is destruction.
We must not allow ourselves to be swept away when they are disobedient.
But we must continue in the work given us by God, like Paul, who said, "knowing of WHOM I have believed" I continue ... who it was that gave me this word and this assignment.
II Timothy 1 ...
Paul says ... 9 (God) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to HIS own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is
now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel:
11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle,
and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For the which cause I also suffer
these things:nevertheless I am not ashamed:for I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that HE is able to keep that which I have
committed unto HIM against that day.
13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
I cannot afford to think what I have said has "failed" just because a person fails to do the word of God.
Isaiah 55:11 (God says) So shall MY word be that goeth forth out of MY mouth: it shall not return unto ME void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Moses
was sent to Pharaoh. Moses carried the word from God to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh did not turn according to the word. God hardened Pharaoh's
heart because Pharaoh was appointed by God for destruction. Romans 9
The word carried by Moses "prospered in the thing whereto God sent it" ... It was not void ... God intended Pharaoh to be destroyed.
Some
will turn and be saved as a result of the Word we deliver. Others will
go on in their own destruction and be destroyed and fail to heed the
Word we carry.
But either way, the Word succeeds.
We must always abound in the assignment given us by God.
In my case, that assignment is to care for the children of God.
In a dream, I
was traveling with a small group. We landed on an island. There were
children on that island. It was hot, dirty ... sort of like a pineapple
field. I realized it was their plan to leave me on that island to take
care of those children. I said, "I won't stay ...I won't ..." (then I thought maybe it was God's will that I stay there and care for those
children) so I said, "Unless YOU want me to stay." God
did want me to stay. They left me on that island to care for those
children. There was a pastor and his wife on the island, but they
wouldn't come out of their house.
In another dream, a woman was singing. I said, "It is a nice little voice."
It was a "little" voice, but it was a nice little voice. Then in the
dream I realized it was the blog on Internet which allowed us to have a
"little" voice, but a "nice little voice" to the church ... all over the
world.
So I know I am assigned by God to exhort the children of God ... Exhort means: urge earnestly by advise, warning ...
I know God has given me a spiritual gift of exhortation for the church.
I
Cor. 12 ... 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5
And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And
there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which
worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to
every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given
by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by
the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the
gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of
miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will.
Romans
12 ... 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have
not the same office:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and
every one members one of another. 6 Having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us
prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry (serving),
let us wait on our ministering:or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation:he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
And concerning exhortation, I am continually sustained by the following instruction:
Heb. 3 ... 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily,
while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold
the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Heb. 10 ... 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;
(for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works:25 Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
I
cannot allow the disobedience of a person to cause me to pull back from
the work God has assigned to me for that labor in the Lord will not be
in vain ... it is not useless as many works are useless ... it will
prosper in that which God intended, some will be saved and others
destroyed by the same word, nevertheless it is the word that
accomplishes that which God pleases and I am only a carrier and must not
be affected in wrong way by that which the people do with that word.
My job is to faithfully deliver that word and do the work to which God has assigned me.
And
I keep doing the work by keeping my faith built up concerning the work
assigned to me by focusing on such things as those dreams given to me
and by focusing on scripture which tells me to continue in the work.
You
must hold fast to your own assignment, not allowing yourself to be
discouraged by the disobedient, not turned away from that assignment.
We
turn to God in prayer when we are tempted to be discouraged and God
will give us something to help us through that temptation. We just make ourselves focus on that which is given us by God. God will sustain us by that word HE gives us in the temptation.