Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
When we pray for help with something, what then?
Often our own flesh comes up with ideas as to what we can do.
The devil can give us ideas but he is always trying to destroy us.
John 10:10 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.
God will always give us wisdom when we ask HIM.
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
We recognize the plan that is from God by the following:
James 3:17 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.
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* pure, peaceable, gentle
When Pam Padgett was adding a full bath to the downstairs area of her house in 2018, she was planning to move the laundry to the place where her 1/2 bath was located and turn the laundry into a full bath. A decorator suggested she could just add a shower to the existing 1/2 bath. This was by far the easiest way to do this project. Pam had some resistance to this plan. But then she realized the reason for her resistance. A few years ago, a man, who came to do some work at the house, said to her that this 1/2 bath was in "a strange location", in a hallway adjacent to the fireplace area. The laundry is in that same hallway but a few feet farther from the fireplace area and Pam thought it would be more private. God brought the pure plan without the prejudice of the statement made by the man who said the location was strange. The blockage to the plan was removed and she did put the shower in the existing bath. So far, that has been very satisfactory.
People can say things to us which rise in us to stop us from doing that which would be the best thing for us to do.
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Also that which we have been doing can block us from a better way. I have been using a type of Folger's coffee for several years. Recently that coffee, gourmet dark roast, became difficult to find. I ordered a few cans online. Then we read that Folgers has discontinued that type of coffee. I panicked, which is what my flesh usually does. I tried to buy more cans on line to store up this coffee. Then I remembered to pray. After that, an idea came to go to the Starbucks coffee store, which is just down the corner from where we live, and begin testing their coffees to find a new coffee. We did that and I like the Starbuck's "Samatra" even better than the Folger's "Gourmet dark roast."
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* easy to be intreated
For many years, I've seen that the plans of man are often very complicated and difficult to do, and usually costly.
When God has brought to me HIS plan, I'm amazed at how "easy" it is to do that plan.
So if something is difficult and costly, I stop and begin praying. I know I don't have God's plan for me yet.
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* full of mercy and good fruits
God's plan is not only merciful to me but merciful to others involved in that which I am thinking of doing.
I don't have to hurt another person to get what I want!
When I go in the plan of God everyone will benefit.
So if my plan is going to hurt someone else, I knew I do not yet have the wisdom from God.
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* without partiality, and without hypocrisy
It is amazing how just a little deception can enter into our thinking! When that happens, I always know I am not doing God's plan for it is without having to "play act" which is one of the definition of the word "hypocrisy."
hypocrisy: pretending to be what one is not ... or pretending to believe that which you really do not believe ...
Women often master hypocrisy to trap an husband. Then when they trap him often they do not want him. All this are fruits of deception.
It is good to know the wisdom from God is without such deceptions.
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