Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
I Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
***
We keep our body and our tongue under control as we live on this earth.
James 1:26 If
any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue,
but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
A very effective way of controlling my tongue is this.
When I recognize I have a desire to say something that would not be edifying to another person, I begin praying: "God ... don't let me say that."
God always honors my prayer and keeps me from speaking!
I came across this several years ago.
I had been meditating in the following scripture "day and night", keeping that scripture before me "for a season" until it could effectively go into my heart, doing that instruction to develop a root system.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
It was the season of the presidential elections in USA. I was visiting with my neighbors and I had an overwhelming desire to say, "And what do you think about the elections?" (I really wasn't interested in their opinions, I just wanted to give my own opinions.)
But above all: "Will this edify my neighbors? Will this build them up in things of God? Will this "minister grace", causing them to be thankful to God? Or will this just stir up controversy and things of the devil?
I knew the answer ... but the temptation to speak was so strong ... and I'm not even a political type person.
So I kept praying as I sat with them: "God please don't let me say that."
After prayer, the desire to speak got even stronger. But God did not allow me to speak!
Finally I just got up and went home ... but I did not speak to them about election.
We can control our tongue through prayer and certainly by heeding scripture.
Paul says: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)
Through Christ, THE WORD.
Often
the Holy Spirit will bring a scripture to my mind as I speak to
another person. Usually I share that scripture. Sometimes I use that
scripture to control myself!
***
The problems come from those things we allow into our heart.
When
evil, and incorrect things which are not of the Spirit of God come into
our hearts and grow, evil will come from our mouths at some point in
time, bearing evil fruit from that evil seed that lived in our hearts.
If we live this way, we will end up hurting others.
So we continually pray,
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
***
We must go forth in peace, with joy and gladness!
We cannot be troubled by another person and live in peace.
Our
desire to see another person saved can destroy us. We can continually
fret ourselves by their deeds or by their silence toward us. Either way
we allow ourselves to be pulled down.
I once told my mother: "You can go down, but I'm not going down with you."
She straightened up.
***
To fret ourselves is basically to fail to have faith in God.
We can't get one inch taller by thinking about it. (Matthew 6:27)
***
My aunt once said to me, "I always knew you'd never do anything wrong."
She must have been seeing me by faith for I was doing everything wrong. At that time I wasn't even born again.
***
I Peter 5:6-9 Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that HE may exalt
you in due time: Casting all your care upon HIM; for HE careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith...
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith...
***
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
***
I
wrote something about following God and the minute I walked out of my
room, the devil darted into my mind bringing a contrary thought.
I said, "What was that?" It was so subtle and fast (in and out of my mind) that I almost missed it.
But this time, I caught it, and took it to God in prayer and asked God, "What about that?" And God settled it in my thinking.
***
It all happens so fast.
But we have the Spirit of Truth in us to settle matters.
I Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
We prove all things through prayer and the word of God, holding fast to that shown us by the Holy Spirit of God.
***
A few days ago, I had the thought that it doesn't do any good to read the list of scripture that we publish daily on the blog: Jesus Ministries Exhortations
After hearing this, I decided to read those scriptures.
As
I read, God called my attention to one of the verses and when I looked
closely, the Spirit of God began edifying me by that scripture.
This was God's way that day of answering that contrary spirit.
***
The devil is speaking to each of us, bringing his thoughts to us. The question is, "What are we doing with those thoughts?"
Often
those thoughts from devil are fearful and filled with doubt, attacking
what God has said or even attacking the people of God. Such thoughts
come to each of us.
Several
times, I've had the thought, authored by devil or my own flesh,
uprooted by rereading the scripture in question. Sometimes God will
call to my mind by HIS Spirit another scripture and when I look into
that scripture, God shows me the truth about the troubling thought.
We
must not try to ignore such thoughts ... nor can we sweep them under
the rug to cover them up ... It will not work to reason the destructive
thought away by our own thinking.
We have to deal with each thought head on, through prayer, allowing God to establish HIS truth in us.
We have to deal with each thought head on, through prayer, allowing God to establish HIS truth in us.
***
John 10:10 Jesus says: The
thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am
come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.
Troubling thoughts are often over the following:
- money
- what will happen in the future
- the opposite to that which we felt God was saying to us
***
Everything is settled by doing the following:
Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
* My 96-year-old cousin said she did well during the day, but in the evening she became lonely because Charles was not there. (her dead husband)
I told her if she would turn to God the minute the feeling of loneliness came, and ask God to help her, God would help her.
Often I begin each day asking God to fill my day and HE does!
Our help is in God!
***
* An older woman who has lost her hearing was going to a family reunion which she said she dreaded attending. She said mostly when they all sat there together, she just read a book since she couldn't hear.
Often when we dread something we need to examine the scheduled plan carefully, praying, asking God if we should cancel the appearance or if there is another plan for us to enact.
But through her past acts, this woman has shown me she doesn't act prayerfully though she has attended church since she was a baby and calls herself a Christian. She just complains to others and is very fearful, acting like those people of this world instead of overcoming through God.
I write this for us to examine ourselves in the way we are approaching those things if dread is involved.
Prayer is the first thing we should do. And we should be willing to change our plans.
Long ago God showed me this by calling my attention to Herod when he beheaded John the Baptist.
Matthew 14:1-11 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
***
* An older woman who has lost her hearing was going to a family reunion which she said she dreaded attending. She said mostly when they all sat there together, she just read a book since she couldn't hear.
Often when we dread something we need to examine the scheduled plan carefully, praying, asking God if we should cancel the appearance or if there is another plan for us to enact.
But through her past acts, this woman has shown me she doesn't act prayerfully though she has attended church since she was a baby and calls herself a Christian. She just complains to others and is very fearful, acting like those people of this world instead of overcoming through God.
I write this for us to examine ourselves in the way we are approaching those things if dread is involved.
Prayer is the first thing we should do. And we should be willing to change our plans.
Long ago God showed me this by calling my attention to Herod when he beheaded John the Baptist.
Matthew 14:1-11 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
It
would have been far better for Herod to deny his own word in front of
his friends than to go forward with the plan which he was sorry to have
to do.
Therefore,
when I dread something that I have planned to do, I know to stop and
pray, allowing God to reestablish my direction ... and if needed to
cancel that dreaded appointment!
***
* After praying fervently to God over a problem that had surfaced, I heard: "God won't answer that prayer."
I took this thought to God immediately, telling God what I'd just heard.
I took this thought to God immediately, telling God what I'd just heard.
The very next day, my prayer I had prayed was answered as I had requested.
The apostle Paul said to us: "Let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6) And that is exactly what I had done in that prayer.
***
* If something we request is the will of God, it will be done for us.
I John 5:14-15
And this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that, if we ask any
thing according to HIS will, HE heareth us: And if we know that HE hear
us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we
desired of HIM.
***
* Psalm 84:11-12 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will HE withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee.
God is a sun to show us the way to go. God is a shield to keep us from getting that which would hurt us. God knows that which is good for us and God knows that which will hurt us. God keeps us from the evil and gives us the good.
What could be better than that?
***
* Due to an accident, for almost 8 months, I had been unable to brush my teeth. Both my left hand and my right forearm were broken at the same time. I had trouble remembering to ask the nurses aids to brush my teeth and they didn't do this unless you asked them.
Why didn't I remember to pray to ask them? Devil says.
Answer: I was under constant drugs at that time and I rarely remembered to pray over anything!
Devil often accuses us and others through us if we will let him.
When I finally got to dentist, x-rays showed trouble. Dentist recommended starting with deep cleaning of my teeth, one section of teeth at a time.
I agreed to this treatment.
I prayed that it not hurt.
The dental assistant rubbed some type of ointment on my gums which deadened my gums. I felt no pain at all during the deep cleaning process. Even after the deadening wore off, there was no pain.
That night, Pam Padgett read on Internet about deep cleaning and one of the complaints was the pain level. The person who wrote on Internet said this process was very painful.
***
* May 2019 ... A registered letter came in USA mail. Tax accessor in Lubbock, Texas, notified us that house in Lubbock, Texas, had been changed to full tax status from non-profit organization status. They were going to charge the ministry almost $10,000 per year beginning with 2019!
We filed the papers they requested showing tax status of non-profit with USA government which cited us non-taxable. For the previous 19-years, even their own local office had declared us tax free on that property.
The change in 2019 really made no sense.
Then someone at the tax office asked us to send more information, without stating what information we should supply.
I was furious!
Fortunately we were too late in the day to contact the tax office and we would have to wait until the next day.
Overnight, God settled me down and I awoke the next morning knowing exactly what to send to the tax office. I wrote it that same morning and Pam sent it that day by email.
I didn't accuse anyone at the tax office as I had wanted to do when I was so angry the previous day.
I just sent what God showed me to send telling of my accident which caused me to have to be away from the property from December 6, 2018 to that current month in 2019. And I sent a two page outline showing ministry activities since 1979 when we were declared tax-exempt by USA government ... and I prayed fervently that God would stop this matter.
The next time we heard from the tax person in July 2019, she said when their attorney returns from vacation she would ask what method she should use to return this property to tax-exempt status.
I rejoiced!
But after that thoughts began coming to me to stir me up again.
- Who changed our status in the first place, causing all this trouble?
- Why were they harassing us?
- What right did they, a local government, have to try to make us prove our ministry to them when the USA government had declared us tax-exempt.
God grounded me and kept me on the right path: The only important thing is restoring us to tax-exempt status on that property. The person who caused us all the trouble didn't matter. Nor did the trouble matter. All that mattered was correcting the problem and restoring us to tax-exempt status.
***
* As I was proof reading Chapter 5, of this book, the thought came: "You're talking too much about yourself. You're giving too many personal examples."
We are to bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:5
- We give our testimony of those things God has done with us and the things God has said to us. By such we show the way of God to the people. We exhort the church, edify the church, build faith in God by telling that which God has done with us. That is the role each Christian has in the church.
- Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Hebrews 10:23-37 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for HE is faithful that promised;)
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.
God is a sun to show us the way to go. God is a shield to keep us from getting that which would hurt us. God knows that which is good for us and God knows that which will hurt us. God keeps us from the evil and gives us the good.
What could be better than that?
***
* Due to an accident, for almost 8 months, I had been unable to brush my teeth. Both my left hand and my right forearm were broken at the same time. I had trouble remembering to ask the nurses aids to brush my teeth and they didn't do this unless you asked them.
Why didn't I remember to pray to ask them? Devil says.
Answer: I was under constant drugs at that time and I rarely remembered to pray over anything!
Devil often accuses us and others through us if we will let him.
When I finally got to dentist, x-rays showed trouble. Dentist recommended starting with deep cleaning of my teeth, one section of teeth at a time.
I agreed to this treatment.
I prayed that it not hurt.
The dental assistant rubbed some type of ointment on my gums which deadened my gums. I felt no pain at all during the deep cleaning process. Even after the deadening wore off, there was no pain.
That night, Pam Padgett read on Internet about deep cleaning and one of the complaints was the pain level. The person who wrote on Internet said this process was very painful.
***
* May 2019 ... A registered letter came in USA mail. Tax accessor in Lubbock, Texas, notified us that house in Lubbock, Texas, had been changed to full tax status from non-profit organization status. They were going to charge the ministry almost $10,000 per year beginning with 2019!
We filed the papers they requested showing tax status of non-profit with USA government which cited us non-taxable. For the previous 19-years, even their own local office had declared us tax free on that property.
The change in 2019 really made no sense.
Then someone at the tax office asked us to send more information, without stating what information we should supply.
I was furious!
Fortunately we were too late in the day to contact the tax office and we would have to wait until the next day.
Overnight, God settled me down and I awoke the next morning knowing exactly what to send to the tax office. I wrote it that same morning and Pam sent it that day by email.
I didn't accuse anyone at the tax office as I had wanted to do when I was so angry the previous day.
I just sent what God showed me to send telling of my accident which caused me to have to be away from the property from December 6, 2018 to that current month in 2019. And I sent a two page outline showing ministry activities since 1979 when we were declared tax-exempt by USA government ... and I prayed fervently that God would stop this matter.
The next time we heard from the tax person in July 2019, she said when their attorney returns from vacation she would ask what method she should use to return this property to tax-exempt status.
I rejoiced!
But after that thoughts began coming to me to stir me up again.
- Who changed our status in the first place, causing all this trouble?
- Why were they harassing us?
- What right did they, a local government, have to try to make us prove our ministry to them when the USA government had declared us tax-exempt.
God grounded me and kept me on the right path: The only important thing is restoring us to tax-exempt status on that property. The person who caused us all the trouble didn't matter. Nor did the trouble matter. All that mattered was correcting the problem and restoring us to tax-exempt status.
***
* As I was proof reading Chapter 5, of this book, the thought came: "You're talking too much about yourself. You're giving too many personal examples."
We are to bring every thought into the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:5
- We give our testimony of those things God has done with us and the things God has said to us. By such we show the way of God to the people. We exhort the church, edify the church, build faith in God by telling that which God has done with us. That is the role each Christian has in the church.
- Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Hebrews 10:23-37 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for HE is faithful that promised;)
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.
Of
course we give our own testimonies of the working of God in our lives.
That is where the power of God is. I can tell your story but you can
tell it more powerfully for it happened to you. Each of us should tell
our own story, building the faith in Christ in others by that which God
has done for us. We give our witness of Christ in our lives.
And we lay down our lives for the church each time we share that which Jesus has done in our lives.
Of
course the devil would like us to pull back and to get us to stop
speaking about those things God has done for us and how God has shown
HIMSELF to us, for therein lies the power of God to salvation.
As
we look deeply into the destructive thought sent by devil, we
strengthen our faith in God by truth of God such as is given in this
example.
This is the way we take thoughts captive to bring every thought into the obedience of Christ.
***
Overcoming through God in all things is the important issue concerning that which we go through in this present life.
According to the Bible this world is very evil and it gets worse and worse as we draw closer to the return of Jesus and the end of this world.
I John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
II Timothy 3:1, 13 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come ... But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14-17 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing OF WHOM thou hast learned them; (we learned these things from God by HIS Spirit)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Overcoming through God in all things is the important issue concerning that which we go through in this present life.
According to the Bible this world is very evil and it gets worse and worse as we draw closer to the return of Jesus and the end of this world.
I John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
II Timothy 3:1, 13 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come ... But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14-17 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing OF WHOM thou hast learned them; (we learned these things from God by HIS Spirit)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
But even as bad as it is, God has a way of escape for us and makes a way of escape for us.
And though it seems to be more than we can bear, it is not. God will not allow us to be tempted more than we are able to deal with.
I Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
*****
Hymn: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
(Click forward arrow > to play music:)
1. Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock
Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
A rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat,
And the burden of the day.
2. Oh, safe and happy shelter!
Oh, refuge tried and sweet!
Oh, trysting place where heaven’s love
And heaven’s justice meet *.
As to the holy patriarch
That wondrous dream was given,
So is my Savior by the cross
A ladder up to heaven.
3. There lies beneath its shadow,
But on the farther side,
The darkness of an awful grave
That gapes both deep and wide;
And there between us stands the cross,
Two arms outstretched to save,
Like a watchman set to guard the way
From that eternal grave.
4. Upon that cross of Jesus
Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One,
Who suffered there for me;
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
Two wonders I confess,
The wonders of His glorious love,
And my own worthlessness.
5. I take, O cross, thy shadow
For my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
The sunshine of His WORD;
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self my only shame,
My glory all the cross.
(Click pause symbol, " ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)
***
* where heaven’s love And heaven’s justice meet : heaven's love is shown by God sacrifice of His Son, and Jesus' willingness to die for us. Heaven's justice requires payment for our sins for it to be just. The only payment sufficient to justify our sins is the blood of Jesus.
***
Scriptures pertaining to this hymn:
Hebrews 9:22 ... and without shedding of blood is no remission.
***
v. 1 Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
Jesus is "The Word" ... it is by The Word, Bible and words given us by God, by the Spirit of God, in the matter at hand, that we take "our stand". Because we believe that word, and we believe that word was given to us by God, whether Bible or Word sent directly to our mind, we can safely stand upon that word when it is given by God.
A home within the wilderness,
We choose the Bible, the Word of God, to be our "home" as we live in that Word, doing that Word.
A rest upon the way,
We rest in that Word given us by the Spirit of God.
From the burning of the noontide heat,
***
v. 1 Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock
Within a weary land;
Within a weary land;
Jesus is "The Word" ... it is by The Word, Bible and words given us by God, by the Spirit of God, in the matter at hand, that we take "our stand". Because we believe that word, and we believe that word was given to us by God, whether Bible or Word sent directly to our mind, we can safely stand upon that word when it is given by God.
A home within the wilderness,
We choose the Bible, the Word of God, to be our "home" as we live in that Word, doing that Word.
A rest upon the way,
We rest in that Word given us by the Spirit of God.
From the burning of the noontide heat,
And the burden of the day.
*****