Monday, July 8, 2019

Choosing to follow our flesh or deciding to follow the Spirit.

(Chapter 4:  Book, Spiritual Warfare, coming July or August, 2019, on Amazon)

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

In 1975, God spoke to me by HIS Spirit, saying to me:

"Joan ... you know all these mistakes you've been making all these years?  Those weren't mistakes.  Those were sins."

Sins!  I gasped!

Instantly I was changed by God, born again by HIS Spirit!

I thought I was a Christian at that time but I was not.  I had gone forth at Church of Christ group which my aunt attended and was baptized in water.  

(My parents did not go to any church group so I was not raised in a church group but I would go to church with my aunt when we visited the town where she lived.)

There is a very big difference between being baptized in water and being born again.

When I was baptized in water in approximately 1953, my life didn't change at all.

When I was born again in 1975, I was changed instantly!

(After being born again by God by HIS Spirit, during the remainder of our lives on this earth we are "recreated" in the image of God as we conform to scripture, applying the scripture in an appropriate way to our lives, doing that scripture given us by the Spirit  ... but the initial change, when we are born again, is instant as the Holy Spirit is given to us to live in us and guide us in the ways of God from that time onward.)

Ephesians 1:13-14    In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of HIS glory.

***

Although we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us after we are born again, I find most church people do not know the work the Holy Spirit does in the believer.

Jesus tells us of this work of the Holy Spirit in the following scriptures:

John 14:26    But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13    Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit brings to our minds truth from God to show us the way of God as we live on this present earth.  Often the Spirit of God will remind us of a scripture and by that we know what to do in the issue at hand.  Sometimes we will have a concept brought to our mind to show us what to do.  Other times, we will have memory of a dream called to our attention by the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit, which we have been given when we believe God, is The Spirit of Truth.

I Corinthians 2:14   But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

***

We, who believe, learn to follow the Holy Spirit as we continue on this earth.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

There is a big difference between following after the flesh and following the directions given us by the Spirit as HE brings thoughts to our minds.

Galatians 5:19-21    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft (superstitions), hatred, variance (to vary/debate/argue), emulations (to try to outdo the other person), wrath (to seek vengeance), strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

It is natural to do the works of our flesh.  

To do the works of the Spirit is against that nature with which we are born.  But after we are born again, we have another spirit inside us, the Spirit of God, and by this Spirit we can go in a way opposite to the nature of the flesh with which we were born.  The Spirit that is now in us gives us an opportunity to love that person that our flesh wants to hate.  Therefore we have a choice:  to follow our fleshly desires or to follow the Spirit of God who whispers the way of God to our minds.

Galatians 5:22-23    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  

(For to walk in the Spirit fulfills the law.  The Spirit will do no evil against man.  Therefore when we follow the Spirit, we will do no harm against our neighbor. The flesh would lead us to adultery and fornication by its sensations, but the Spirit would never lead us to do these things for to do such would harm ourselves and the other person.)

The choice now before the believer is whether to walk in the flesh or to walk in the Spirit.

Romans 8:5-9    For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
 

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  

Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of HIS. 

13-14    For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

***

Our flesh wants to strike out at other people ... to set them "straight" ... to let them have it!

Often I have controlled my flesh by praying:  "God ... please don't let me say that!  Please stop me from doing that!"

Each time I have prayed such, God has stopped me from doing or saying that which my flesh wants to do or say!

***

Often our battles are with our own flesh.

As we choose to follow our flesh, devil will be pleased to move in and help us to fight against God and HIS Spirit.

And if we continue to follow our flesh, God might turn us over to a reprobate mind, a mind without the judgment of God.

Romans 1:28-32     And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 


***

There was a woman in our little church group who started out by the Spirit of God ... but along the way she turned dark, following her flesh and devils.

I even had a dream about this many years before it came to pass.

Three of us were working on writings exhorting the church on our blog, Jesus Ministries Exhortations.  (began publishing March, 2012)

In a dream, God showed me a perfectly balanced necklace with three pendants holding large stones.  One stone turned black.

I witnessed the change in this woman.  She began following another spirit.  I would speak to her concerning the way of the Spirit and she would say, "I thought of that ."  But she did not choose to go that way.

Finally she just went too far, too many times.

I tried through many years to turn her to ways of God.  But she saw the corrections as "rocks" which she thought were being thrown at her by me.  Eventually she struck out against me, accusing me of wrong doing toward her, when what I was trying to do through the years was to "provoke her to love and good works."

Hebrews 10:24-31   And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
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. 

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  

For we know HIM that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto ME, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge HIS people. 

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

***

Make no mistake.  This turning away from God can happen to those persons who once had the Spirit of God.

I have seen pastors start out in the Spirit and turn toward greatness and achieve that desired greatness in the sight of other humans, only to fall mightily.

Choices ... the flesh and the devil tempt us but we are the ones who choose the one we will follow.

Matthew 4:8-10    Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then 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.

*  When you follow after wealth and riches, you can deceive yourself into thinking you are doing such for the church, as you plan to give more money to pay for works of that church.  Often you sit in a corrupt church and delight in promoting the corrupt doctrine that is professed by that church and you and that church are blinded in various religious pursuits.

*   Ministers often pursue greatness, more radio/TV/crusades, thinking they will have more opportunity to "get the Word out" in their own greatness.  Often they end up with the Word taken from them and a shallow doctrine, pleasing other men left behind.

***

In 1981-82, God said to me:

The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.

And God showed me sins that were being committed by some of the big-time radio/TV preachers.

Of course, it was then my responsibility to deliver those messages to these preachers.  But when I tried to do this, I was blocked by their office workers who had been hired to keep disturbing messages from these preachers.

At that time, I was on radio from coast to coast in USA.  So I gave the message on my radio broadcasts, naming the minister by name on radio and addressing the sin I had been shown that was connected with each minister.  Then the message reached these preachers.  (Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth Copeland)

During that time, I was in Seattle.  The radio station manager approached me before my meeting and said, 

"Joan ... you have many 'good' messages.  Just speak those messages.  If you continue speaking these judgment messages, I don't know what will happen to you.  We might have to put you off the air."

The Holy Spirit rose up in me and showed me what to say.  I replied:

"George ... if I don't speak the message I believe to be from God, then I don't have a message and I may as well be off the air."

***

There are many messages we can speak.

(I am continually praying:  "God show me what to write.  Please show me how to begin the message.  Please don't let me say anything except what YOU want me to say.")

The important thing is to speak the message that God wants you to speak.

***

In June, 2019, a woman in our little church group wrote an exhortation concerning controlling her tongue with her husband.

Another woman in our group praised the message this woman wrote.

I was grieved by the message she wrote for I perceived the message she wrote was not the right message though it was a 'good' message.

Those messages we write and speak must be the message that God wants spoken.

Paul said:
Galatians 1:9-10   As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

("gospel" is God's story.  We must speak the story God gives us to speak at that moment.  Substitute messages often make us look good to other people but those messages do not serve God and eventually they will appear for what they really are.)

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

***

The church woman who wrote the 'good' message showing how she managed to control her tongue with her husband, railed out in a vehemently, bitter way against me approximately 3 days after she wrote about controlling her tongue.

One thing she was so upset about with me is I said to her she loved her own family but not the church.

Her loose railing out at me proved my statement.  

She controlled her tongue with her husband whom she loved, but let her tongue loose on me, whom she showed hatred!

***

All this concerns following the right Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Romans 13:10    Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

The thing we need to understand is we must follow the right Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

The flesh and devils are trying to get us to follow them.  But they are evil and work together against God and the Holy Spirit.

The flesh will always try to rise up to do its own works.

The flesh is not good but evil. 

Galatians 5:19-23    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft (following superstitions), hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  (There is no law where the Spirit is concerned, for the Spirit fulfills the law.)


We can never improve the flesh as the world thinks they can do.  The flesh does the works of the flesh which are so evil the apostle Paul says:  they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

God has given us HIS Spirit to follow.  The Holy Spirit is good.  By the Holy Spirit we know the way to go in the issues pertaining to this life.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  The Holy Spirit is a comforter when we are wrongly attacked.  The Holy Spirit convinces of us sin.  By the Holy Spirit we are saved from our own flesh and the devil to go in the way of God.

I Corinthians 2:6-14    Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For 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.

Now 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.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

***

I John 4:1    Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:

We try the spirits through prayer.  We ask God to show us what HE wants us to say or to do.

And we must continually keep in us a good heart.  For if our heart turns evil how do we think we can know which spirit is of God?  We may just be satisfying the evil in our own heart by following our own preferences, the desire of our own flesh.

In such cases, Jesus says:

Matthew 12:33-37  Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.


A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.


For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.


***

James 3:14-18    But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

But 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. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.



*****