Ephesians 1:12-14 That we should be to the praise of HIS glory, who first trusted in Christ.
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.
*****
God brings to us HIS Word ... after we believe, we take appropriate action based on that instruction given to us by HIS Word... and we find these to be "turning points" in our lives which we often look back on in amazement.
Here are some testimonies:
Cathy Varner: Member of the body of Christ
* Back when I was still going to an organized church, Joe (husband) had a dream which led me to believe we should leave that church group. This was around the time Joan Boney was giving the message that God was calling people out of the corrupt churches. I couldn't imagine God not wanting us to go to church and I searched for another church group to attend. I went to several different ones, but I always saw something wrong. Finally, I saw that what Joan Boney was teaching was right and there really were no churches I could attend.
* There was a time when I was very dissatisfied with my house, all the things that were wrong and unfinished. I thought the answer was to move to a new house and I would be looking at for sale signs all the time. But finally I realized that God was not showing me to move, this was just my own desire. So I quit and became content where I was, wanting to move only when and where God would lead.
Cathy Varner: Member of the body of Christ
* Back when I was still going to an organized church, Joe (husband) had a dream which led me to believe we should leave that church group. This was around the time Joan Boney was giving the message that God was calling people out of the corrupt churches. I couldn't imagine God not wanting us to go to church and I searched for another church group to attend. I went to several different ones, but I always saw something wrong. Finally, I saw that what Joan Boney was teaching was right and there really were no churches I could attend.
* There was a time when I was very dissatisfied with my house, all the things that were wrong and unfinished. I thought the answer was to move to a new house and I would be looking at for sale signs all the time. But finally I realized that God was not showing me to move, this was just my own desire. So I quit and became content where I was, wanting to move only when and where God would lead.
II Timothy 3:6-8
godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into
this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food
and raiment let us be therewith content.
Acts 17:26 (God) hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
... The NIV Original transalation says: God has determined the exact places we should live and the places we should live in. (paraphrased)
II Peter 2:10-14 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in
the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that
are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these
things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all
holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming
of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent
that ye may be found of HIM in peace, without spot, and blameless.
* I used to be very into garage sales. But at some point I began to feel God was showing me not to go to these. I can't remember exactly how, maybe there were some dreams, but I really believed He was telling me to quit. It was kind of hard at first, but gradually got easier and now I rarely have even the slightest desire to go.
* Several years ago, I began having
dreams where I would be offered some type of sweet and would decline it. (JB...could pertain to such things as soap operas & garage sales which seem "sweet.) Also some dreams that I was having my blood sugar checked. Because of
these, I did go have my blood sugar checked. It turned out to be in
normal range, but I felt I was being warned about eating sweets. I quit
eating desserts, any type of sweet. God helped me to be able to still
bake for my family and not to take any for myself. I now eat something
sweet once in a while, but I believe I was spared from getting something
like diabetes.
***
Sandy Kerns ... Member of the body of Christ
When my children were small and I was home all day with them I started watching soap opera's. One day the still small voice said to me to stop watching and I never watched them again.
When my kids were a little bit bigger something happened with the neighbor that Cliff (husband) and I were not sure how to handle it. While Cliff was at work one day I was praying about this and received the scripture in 2 Corinthians 12:9 MY grace is sufficient for thee: for MY strength is made perfect in weakness. When Cliff came home from work I told him about this and he had received the same scripture while at work. That was the answer that helped us with this matter.
Years ago when we were still attending a church that we were not satisfied with, but after hearing the teaching from Joan about getting out of the corrupt organized church, we left as soon as we heard this. I think we visited one or two churches and quickly found out there were no good teachings for us there. We have never been back to church.
Several years ago my cousin's son was going to marry a divorced woman. When we received the invitation I send back the reply that we wouldn't be coming because he was marrying a divorced woman. A couple of years later my other cousin's son was getting married but was not marrying a divorced woman but she was mad at us for not going to the other wedding and we didn't get an invitation.
***
Sandy Kerns ... Member of the body of Christ
When my children were small and I was home all day with them I started watching soap opera's. One day the still small voice said to me to stop watching and I never watched them again.
When my kids were a little bit bigger something happened with the neighbor that Cliff (husband) and I were not sure how to handle it. While Cliff was at work one day I was praying about this and received the scripture in 2 Corinthians 12:9 MY grace is sufficient for thee: for MY strength is made perfect in weakness. When Cliff came home from work I told him about this and he had received the same scripture while at work. That was the answer that helped us with this matter.
Years ago when we were still attending a church that we were not satisfied with, but after hearing the teaching from Joan about getting out of the corrupt organized church, we left as soon as we heard this. I think we visited one or two churches and quickly found out there were no good teachings for us there. We have never been back to church.
Several years ago my cousin's son was going to marry a divorced woman. When we received the invitation I send back the reply that we wouldn't be coming because he was marrying a divorced woman. A couple of years later my other cousin's son was getting married but was not marrying a divorced woman but she was mad at us for not going to the other wedding and we didn't get an invitation.
Matthew 5:32 Jesus said: whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
One day my cat needed to see our vet. When I called they were full for the day but thought she should be seen by another vet that day. So they suggested I try another vet in town, I sat and prayed about when to call this place and was impressed to call right away. When the woman picked up the phone she said you just called at the right time we just had a cancellation . So I was able to get our cat on an antibiotic right away that day.
***
Pam Padgett ... Member of the body of Christ
When I was in high school a boy in my class was killed in a motorcycle accident. For the first time in my life I knew that I could die, that nothing I had learned in the Catholic church could save me, and that God was my only hope of not going to hell.
That God was my only hope was put very strongly in me by God as I read the following:
One day my cat needed to see our vet. When I called they were full for the day but thought she should be seen by another vet that day. So they suggested I try another vet in town, I sat and prayed about when to call this place and was impressed to call right away. When the woman picked up the phone she said you just called at the right time we just had a cancellation . So I was able to get our cat on an antibiotic right away that day.
***
Pam Padgett ... Member of the body of Christ
When I was in high school a boy in my class was killed in a motorcycle accident. For the first time in my life I knew that I could die, that nothing I had learned in the Catholic church could save me, and that God was my only hope of not going to hell.
That God was my only hope was put very strongly in me by God as I read the following:
Jesus said: Come
unto ME, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly
in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For MY yoke is easy,
and MY burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
I believed this and fervently asked God to somehow save me, and He did. I was born again.
Later, I was going to a non-denominational church group which permitted divorced women to marry, going against scripture.
I believed this and fervently asked God to somehow save me, and He did. I was born again.
Later, I was going to a non-denominational church group which permitted divorced women to marry, going against scripture.
This
church group allowed ministers at that church group to perform these
marriage ceremonies, and those ministers
consented to perform such ceremonies.
Matthew 5:32 Jesus says: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
I Corinthians 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
Although I presented scripture to multiple people involved in a divorced woman's marriage and was persecuted by most of those I knew at that church group, I didn't want to see that anything was wrong with the church group itself.
When I read the poison gas dream which Joan Boney shared, and teachings she gave about coming out of corrupt churches, I still didn't want to see that this church group was corrupt, and was going against scripture by allowing divorced women to re-marry.
Then one day as I was sitting in the church auditorium waiting for the service to begin, I heard by the Holy Spirit: "What are you doing here? I told you to get out. Now get out."
I was stunned by this word, and asked God to confirm whether this word was from Him.
Matthew 5:32 Jesus says: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
I Corinthians 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
Although I presented scripture to multiple people involved in a divorced woman's marriage and was persecuted by most of those I knew at that church group, I didn't want to see that anything was wrong with the church group itself.
When I read the poison gas dream which Joan Boney shared, and teachings she gave about coming out of corrupt churches, I still didn't want to see that this church group was corrupt, and was going against scripture by allowing divorced women to re-marry.
Then one day as I was sitting in the church auditorium waiting for the service to begin, I heard by the Holy Spirit: "What are you doing here? I told you to get out. Now get out."
I was stunned by this word, and asked God to confirm whether this word was from Him.
A few days later I became convinced this word was from God. I asked when HE had told me to get out previously, and was reminded of the teaching Joan Boney had given and which I had read.
(JB
... When the apostle Paul spoke it was inspired by God through the Holy
Spirit. When we speak today by the Holy Spirit it is the same,
inspired by God. It is as if God is speaking to the church. when we are
inspired by God to speak.)
Pam's testimony continued ...
I didn't go to any more services at that church group. I did go to a "volunteer" job I had at that church, directing children to their Sunday school classes the following Sunday. so I would be able to let the volunteer coordinator know I would no longer be doing this, but see now I should not have done that.
In approximately 1984 I was living in Oklahoma City, unable to find a full-time job and working in temporary secretary jobs. I had been praying about what to do regarding a job.
One day I was talking with my parents and they casually mentioned having talked with my grandma who lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I asked how she was doing, and they said she was doing fine, but slowing down and finding it harder to keep up with her house. My grandma was 79 years old at the time.
That my grandma was finding it harder to keep up with her house kept coming to my mind. I asked God if HE was leading me to go help her, and became convinced this was what I was to do.
I moved to Colorado Springs and helped my grandma in various ways until she died several years later.
In Colorado Springs, my first temporary secretary assignment turned into a full-time job in just a few weeks. This job was in the trust department at a bank.
This was in the mid-1980's and we used typewriters and adding machines to do our work, not computers.
However, before I started working at the bank someone had given 2 Personal Computers to our department. One of these had been setup but used very little. This was before Windows was used on PCs, and one needed to know specific commands to give the computer in order to do anything on it. The person who set up this computer left shortly after I started working there. The only thing she had shown me was how to type a letter.
I didn't go to any more services at that church group. I did go to a "volunteer" job I had at that church, directing children to their Sunday school classes the following Sunday. so I would be able to let the volunteer coordinator know I would no longer be doing this, but see now I should not have done that.
In approximately 1984 I was living in Oklahoma City, unable to find a full-time job and working in temporary secretary jobs. I had been praying about what to do regarding a job.
One day I was talking with my parents and they casually mentioned having talked with my grandma who lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I asked how she was doing, and they said she was doing fine, but slowing down and finding it harder to keep up with her house. My grandma was 79 years old at the time.
That my grandma was finding it harder to keep up with her house kept coming to my mind. I asked God if HE was leading me to go help her, and became convinced this was what I was to do.
I moved to Colorado Springs and helped my grandma in various ways until she died several years later.
In Colorado Springs, my first temporary secretary assignment turned into a full-time job in just a few weeks. This job was in the trust department at a bank.
This was in the mid-1980's and we used typewriters and adding machines to do our work, not computers.
However, before I started working at the bank someone had given 2 Personal Computers to our department. One of these had been setup but used very little. This was before Windows was used on PCs, and one needed to know specific commands to give the computer in order to do anything on it. The person who set up this computer left shortly after I started working there. The only thing she had shown me was how to type a letter.
A couple years later, I became bored with secretarial work and began asking God if there was some type of work I might do that would be more interesting.
My boss who was an attorney and Certified Public Accountant, very intelligent. He handled the more complex trust accounts. Shortly after I began praying asking for a type of work that would be more interesting to me, my boss spoke with me about how useful the PCs could be to us in our work. He asked me to setup the second computer and start using these PCs for various things.
I told him that I didn't know anything about computers but was willing to learn. He agreed to my taking some computer classes. I got a course catalog from a nearby community college that offered computer classes. My boss and I chose 2 classes for me to take. One of the classes was called "Basic". This sounded perfect for me since I needed a basic understanding of computers.
During the first night of the Basic class, the instructor told what we would be doing in the class. It turned out that this was a programming class for the computer programming language called "Basic".
As he talked about programming, it was so clear to me that programming "fit" me perfectly. All the way home after class I couldn't stop thanking God, saying "This is IT!" I knew God had led me to a type of work that would be interesting to me.
After taking one more programming class, I was hired as a part-time programmer at a small company. About a year later, I was hired as a full-time programmer at FedEx where I worked for 23 years and greatly enjoyed programming.
I had been working at FedEx as a computer programmer for 23 years. At my last job assignment there were a great many problems. My manager and his manager did not want to be honest about a project I was leading which was making no progress because no one was available to work on the project. They wanted me to go along with their dishonesty, but I refused. I had been praying about what to do.
Then one day I was reading the Bible in the book of Micah, and the following strongly stood out to me ...
Micah 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
After God confirmed that this was His direction for me regarding this job, I retired.
About 2 months after I retired in 2012, Joan was given a dream showing to start the blog. When she asked me to setup the blog, I was free to immediately start working on it and have been able to continue with it ever since.
***
Linda Rodgers ... Member of the body of Christ
I remember when my Mom married a divorced man after my father's death. We weren't sure why he was divorced but we chose not to attend the wedding because of the marriage, divorce and re-marriage teaching.
(Comments by Joan Boney ... A widow can remarry but "only in the Lord." If the widow is a Christian, she must marry another Christian if she chooses to remarry. I Corinthians 7:39-40 Paul says: The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
A Christian man may choose to divorce and remarry if his wife has been unfaithful. Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
This does not apply to women. If husband is unfaithful, the wife will commit adultery if she divorces and remarries.
The apostle Paul explains following to be a commandment of the Lord where the woman is concerned. I Corinthians 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
***
Returning to Linda Rodger's testimony:
My boss who was an attorney and Certified Public Accountant, very intelligent. He handled the more complex trust accounts. Shortly after I began praying asking for a type of work that would be more interesting to me, my boss spoke with me about how useful the PCs could be to us in our work. He asked me to setup the second computer and start using these PCs for various things.
I told him that I didn't know anything about computers but was willing to learn. He agreed to my taking some computer classes. I got a course catalog from a nearby community college that offered computer classes. My boss and I chose 2 classes for me to take. One of the classes was called "Basic". This sounded perfect for me since I needed a basic understanding of computers.
During the first night of the Basic class, the instructor told what we would be doing in the class. It turned out that this was a programming class for the computer programming language called "Basic".
As he talked about programming, it was so clear to me that programming "fit" me perfectly. All the way home after class I couldn't stop thanking God, saying "This is IT!" I knew God had led me to a type of work that would be interesting to me.
After taking one more programming class, I was hired as a part-time programmer at a small company. About a year later, I was hired as a full-time programmer at FedEx where I worked for 23 years and greatly enjoyed programming.
I had been working at FedEx as a computer programmer for 23 years. At my last job assignment there were a great many problems. My manager and his manager did not want to be honest about a project I was leading which was making no progress because no one was available to work on the project. They wanted me to go along with their dishonesty, but I refused. I had been praying about what to do.
Then one day I was reading the Bible in the book of Micah, and the following strongly stood out to me ...
Micah 2:10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.
After God confirmed that this was His direction for me regarding this job, I retired.
About 2 months after I retired in 2012, Joan was given a dream showing to start the blog. When she asked me to setup the blog, I was free to immediately start working on it and have been able to continue with it ever since.
***
Linda Rodgers ... Member of the body of Christ
I remember when my Mom married a divorced man after my father's death. We weren't sure why he was divorced but we chose not to attend the wedding because of the marriage, divorce and re-marriage teaching.
(Comments by Joan Boney ... A widow can remarry but "only in the Lord." If the widow is a Christian, she must marry another Christian if she chooses to remarry. I Corinthians 7:39-40 Paul says: The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
A Christian man may choose to divorce and remarry if his wife has been unfaithful. Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
This does not apply to women. If husband is unfaithful, the wife will commit adultery if she divorces and remarries.
The apostle Paul explains following to be a commandment of the Lord where the woman is concerned. I Corinthians 7:10-11 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
***
Returning to Linda Rodger's testimony:
Then in 1993,
my son got married to a divorced woman and after telling them we would
not be attending their marriage, which did not make them very happy, they
eloped to Las Vegas..!
We felt we did the right thing in both of these situations and it didn't matter how the people involved felt because we did what we knew God wanted us to do.
We felt we did the right thing in both of these situations and it didn't matter how the people involved felt because we did what we knew God wanted us to do.
Matthew 5:32 whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
(Comments
by Joan Boney ... There is a difference between a man who marries a
divorced woman and a divorced man who marries a woman. A man might be
scripturally able to divorce and remarry if his wife is unfaithful.
Jesus said: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: Matthew 5:32
But the woman who is divorced has the following commandment of the Lord ... I Corinthians 7:10-11 ... And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
So even if her husband is committing fornication, she would not be
permitted to divorce and remarry though she could depart and choose to
remain unmarried.
Back to Linda's testimony ...
After John (husband) died there was still a lot of tools and equipment to dispose of in the garage. We had already gotten rid of a storage shed full of stuff. So I was praying about this and I heard from God, "Call your boss". So I did and he said he would be happy to send a trailer over and move the tools to the large warehouse that he has since it is a construction company. I could not have been happier. I told him to dispose of things as he wanted too. I knew this Word to call my boss was God helping me. I notice that God sometimes speaks to me in a very gentle tone and I am becoming more aware of this. (Holy Spirit often speaks this way although HE could speak stronger if needed.)
I was also asking God what I could do to fill my time now. I think I was momentarily lost after so much time being a caregiver. After a while God began to show me that I needed to be still and listen to Him. Sit, read and meditate in His Word. There's no hurry anymore.
As I slowed down, God showed me how to rest in Him and as I rested, He ministered to me in thoughts, impressions and His Word. I truly believe I would have missed God if I hadn't obeyed Him at this time. This caused me to see another side to my life, a simpler one that stabilizes me and is giving me much peace and contentment as I back away from the world. I spend a lot of time alone and I appreciate it. The two days a week that I work is plenty of "people time" for me. I don't require excitement or being on the go as are widows that I have come in contact with. God is showing me His way, a better way for me.
After John (husband) died there was still a lot of tools and equipment to dispose of in the garage. We had already gotten rid of a storage shed full of stuff. So I was praying about this and I heard from God, "Call your boss". So I did and he said he would be happy to send a trailer over and move the tools to the large warehouse that he has since it is a construction company. I could not have been happier. I told him to dispose of things as he wanted too. I knew this Word to call my boss was God helping me. I notice that God sometimes speaks to me in a very gentle tone and I am becoming more aware of this. (Holy Spirit often speaks this way although HE could speak stronger if needed.)
I was also asking God what I could do to fill my time now. I think I was momentarily lost after so much time being a caregiver. After a while God began to show me that I needed to be still and listen to Him. Sit, read and meditate in His Word. There's no hurry anymore.
As I slowed down, God showed me how to rest in Him and as I rested, He ministered to me in thoughts, impressions and His Word. I truly believe I would have missed God if I hadn't obeyed Him at this time. This caused me to see another side to my life, a simpler one that stabilizes me and is giving me much peace and contentment as I back away from the world. I spend a lot of time alone and I appreciate it. The two days a week that I work is plenty of "people time" for me. I don't require excitement or being on the go as are widows that I have come in contact with. God is showing me His way, a better way for me.
I have taken up baking, cakes, breads, cookies and cupcakes which I do enjoy very much and do share with family as I am led. I am also contemplating perhaps getting a cat or dog some time in the future for companionship. I like them both very much and have had them over the years. But I am really aware of God's presence in my life now and am truly very grateful and thankful for it.
***
Juliett Walton ... Member of the body of Christ
Several years ago after,I moved to Tacoma, I applied for and was offered a part time care giving job after filling out paperwork and speaking with the interviewer. All I needed to do was to sign was for acceptance of this job that came with training and required certification by the state.I told interviewer that I needed a few minutes. I went to my car and prayed to God about this. I realized this was my own idea to apply for this job. The real estate market had turned down and I thought I needed work part time. It has worked out fine not to working at all. God has supplied all my need.
Several weeks
ago, I got into my car to go to the grocery store for a few Items. I
asked God to help me to drive safely and not to hurt anyone nor myself.
I turned onto the main street that leads directly to this store. Then I
saw this car speeding up to me from the back then got close to my
bumper and stayed there for several blocks. It was not easy to just pull
over. I prayed asking God what I should do? I was impressed to get
into the left lane to turn on the green arrow at the busy intersection
ahead. I did that, then about two blocks down I made a right turn, then
another right turn several blocks down. Surprisingly the store was
close. I got what I needed and was grateful to God for getting me there
safely and back home.
Last Friday, I had a
problem with getting internet. I called my service provider and went
through several steps as directed by the assistant but was not able to
get internet. The person told me that there did not look to be a
problem from "their" end. An appointment was scheduled for the next
day. When I got up that morning, my internet was on and working. I
wondered if I needed to keep the scheduled appointment? I did not hear
to do anything. Later I looked out my window and saw the service
technician parked in front of my house. He got of out of his truck and I
asked if he needed to come inside? He told me that he saw that my
internet was working and he wanted to look in back of my house. When he
returned he said that he needed to look at something several blocks
down. When he came back he told me that he needed to get a cable person
out there because something strange was going on. He also told me that
I did not need to be home for that appointment. So glad that I did not
cancel the first appointment earlier because something was happening on
their end and needed attention. Internet is working OK now.
*****