(Original airing: 2-3-2020)
*****
Thursday, April 30, 2020
* Psalm 62:5-8;11
5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation: HE is my defence; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.
11 Power belongeth unto God.
***
(Comments by Joan Boney)
When a physical problem strikes my body, I usually just remain very still, waiting to see what will happen. I believe my trust is in God. "Do as YOU will."
In April 2020, a very severe pain struck my left knee. (I am 82 now)
It was all of a sudden, without provocation of any injury. I had no idea what was wrong. I just remained very still. I asked Pam Padgett to bring me a cane. (It was so bad I could hardly get to the porta-potty which sits a few inches from my chair.)
The pain continued this way for several days. I'm sure, at one point, I asked God what I was to do. If I can't walk with a walker, I can't live at Pam's house. I would have to go into assisted living.
Then the pain stopped after about 6 days.
Sometimes you just wait on God.
(Sometimes God will lead me to go to a doctor but usually physical things just go away.)
*****
* God reckons good and bad and brings judgments.
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
I Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
(After I read this, I prayed the same over myself.)
***
I Chronicles 5:18-22 The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore (44,760), that went out to the war.
19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.
20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in HIM.
21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
50,000 camels
250,000 sheep
100,000 men
22 For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
The captivity: God's penalty where they were taken away into Babylon and served as slaves for 70 years.
The captivity: God's penalty where they were taken away into Babylon and served as slaves for 70 years.
***
But there was evil in the land through the 1/2 tribe of Manasseh:
(Today: whoring after the various churches of the people of the land, churches where portions of the Word of God has been omitted and discarded, and doctrines other than the doctrines of the Holy Bible have been set up.)
26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.
God does not forget those things done against HIM. God stirs up an adversary against the tribe of Israel that departed from His Word.
By this, we see how important it is to "serve" the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, by which we save ourselves from the generations of this present world and keep ourselves to HIS eternal life, thereby choosing life over death by honoring the verses of scriptures.
***
The divided kingdom: Judah & Israel
Solomon did evil in the sight of God toward the end of his life.
God had warned Solomon about the "strange wives" he had taken. God told Solomon these women would pull him away from obeying God. And that is exactly what Solomon's wives did.
Therefore God put a penalty upon Solomon. After his death, the kingdom of Israel would be divided into two parts: Judah (one tribe) and Israel (10 tribes)
Solomon's son, Rehoboam would rule over Judah which was at Jerusalem.
Jeroboam would rule over "Israel", the other 10 tribes.
II Chronicles 12:15 And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
***
Rehoboam (king of Judah)
II Chronicles 12:1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.
So God raised up an adversary to fight against Rehoboam.
2 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord,
3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.
4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
---
5 Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken ME, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and MY wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
Concerning king Rehoboam (Judah)
II Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
Rehoboam reigned as king of Judah 17 years. And he died and his son Abijah reigned in his place.
***
Concerning Jeroboam: king of Israel
II Chronicles 13:2 And there was war between Abijah (king of Judah) and Jeroboam (king of Israel).
Jeroboam was one of the most evil kings of all time. He set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan for the children of Israel to worship. And Jeroboam removed the Levites from the service appointed by God and he set up extremely vile men to do the ministries of God.
(This is like they have done today by setting up ministers in the New Testament churches who were not ordained by God.)
II Chronicles 13
3 And Abijah (king of Judah) set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men (400,000 men): Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men (800,000 men) being mighty men of valour.
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial (the devil), and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
4 And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;
5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.
7 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial (the devil), and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.
8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.
10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken HIM; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:
11 And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken HIM.
12 And, behold, God Himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.
13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.
14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.
17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. (500,000 men of Israel slain)
When they began the battle, Judah had only 400,000 men and Israel had 800,000 men, and yet Judah won because God was on the side of Judah against Israel.
***
II Chronicles 13:20 Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died.
*****
Hymn: Trust & Obey
(Click forward arrow > to play music:)
1. When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides in us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Chorus:
Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise,
Not a cloud in the skies,
But His WORD quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,
Not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss,
Not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
5. Then in fellowship sweet
We will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do;
Where He sends, we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.
(Click pause symbol, " ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)
*****
Scriptures pertaining to this hymn:
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do HIS commandments: HIS praise endureth for ever.
The fear of the Lord is a deep respect for God and The Word.
When we "fear" God, we are basically afraid to go in a way opposite to God's Word for we have an inner understanding that God knows what is best and to violate what HE says is to go in a way of self destruction.
Therefore our trust is based on the awe we have for God.
And we obey God, doing what HE says to us by HIS Spirit.
***
In December, 2018, at the age of 81, I fell at my house.
As the ambulance people were removing me and we reached the front door, I heard the following word in the form of a thought that came to my mind: "You'll never see this house again."
I believed that thought was from God.
Therefore I believed there would be another way for me to go if I survived the accident.
I put my house up for sale even as I was awaiting surgery.
A church person said to me, "I don't see how you can do that." (I don't think she understood faith in God.)
I explained to her that when you believe you have heard from God and there is a way to go, you simply obey ... no hesitation.
I never looked back and I never saw that house again.
I did not know where I would go when I put the house up for sale but I knew God would work it out for me and reveal it to me and God did within a few weeks. A woman in our little church group took me (and my cat) into her house to live in Colorado. She is a very godly woman and prays over everything! It is a great joy for me to live in a house with such a person.
My life was made better after my accident, not worse.
God had a plan for me and I knew HIS plan was all that mattered.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
***
In December, 2018, at the age of 81, I fell at my house.
As the ambulance people were removing me and we reached the front door, I heard the following word in the form of a thought that came to my mind: "You'll never see this house again."
I believed that thought was from God.
Therefore I believed there would be another way for me to go if I survived the accident.
I put my house up for sale even as I was awaiting surgery.
A church person said to me, "I don't see how you can do that." (I don't think she understood faith in God.)
I explained to her that when you believe you have heard from God and there is a way to go, you simply obey ... no hesitation.
I never looked back and I never saw that house again.
I did not know where I would go when I put the house up for sale but I knew God would work it out for me and reveal it to me and God did within a few weeks. A woman in our little church group took me (and my cat) into her house to live in Colorado. She is a very godly woman and prays over everything! It is a great joy for me to live in a house with such a person.
My life was made better after my accident, not worse.
God had a plan for me and I knew HIS plan was all that mattered.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
*****
Acts 17 ... NIV Original Translation ... God chooses the exact places we will live and the times we will live there.
KJV Acts 17:26 … And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
KJV Acts 17:26 … And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
(God determines the times we live and the places we live.)
27-28 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though HE be not far from every one of us: 28 For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
27-28 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though HE be not far from every one of us: 28 For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
*****
Instruction In Righteousness: Philippians 1
Paul
and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ
Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that HE which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;
30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that HE which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;
14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.
29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;
30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
*****
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
* Ephesians 4:21
If so be that ye have heard HIM, and have been taught by HIM, as the truth is in Jesus:
***
The "truth" is in that word God speaks to us by HIS Spirit.
You ask yourself, "Has God told me anything about this virus?"
If so, that is important for you and perhaps for the church.
I am persuaded that if we need to know something, God tells us by a word brought to our minds by the Holy Spirit, or by a dream, or by a vision, or by an angel of God.
Although I check news headlines on many days, I don't really believe the truth is in what men say whether it is government or news broadcasters. I don't say they always intend to lie, but wisdom of humans is often learned from other humans, and that wisdom may or may not be right. When I do hear news casts, I can tell the medical doctors really don't know what is happening. They may be right or they may not be right.
The truth is in Jesus, the word that comes to us from God.
God's wisdom is "pure" ... without bias ... James 3:17
This certainly seems like a major event and yet I can't say for sure that God has told me to do anything other than to sell all excess sound equipment, which we have done, and to lower the price of the ministry house in Texas where I once lived, which we did and it sold, closing set for May 15.
We can only do that which we believe God has shown us to do.
I did have a dream a few weeks before the virus story broke. It might pertain to this virus. In that dream, Pam Padgett and I were standing watching a "house" burn. We weren't afraid. We weren't threatened. We were just observing.
I think we are like Abraham, in the following scripture:
Hebrews 11
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
(Abraham heard from God to go out and Abraham obeyed, not know where he was going but after he went out, God comforted Abraham and spoke to him from time to time and led him. And Abraham believed that which God spoke to him.)
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
This virus is certainly a peculiar situation and something I haven't seen in my life time of 82 years. I don't go out, for there is no real reason for me to go anywhere. Our food is mostly delivered to the house. Pam Padgett sometimes goes to drive through window to pick up our dinner. But I was already living that way before the virus surfaced.
Many years ago, I was in Paris. It was so peaceful there. Then I realized the reason it was peaceful was because I couldn't understand the French language!
I find peace when I read the Bible.
Isaiah 26
3 THOU wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on THEE: because he trusteth in THEE.
4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:
3 THOU wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on THEE: because he trusteth in THEE.
4 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:
***
You might make a habit of reading Psalms. I find a great deal of peace in reading the Psalms . Also these verses comfort me and assure me that God cares for HIS people as long as HE continues to leave us on this earth.
The only thing important for us is believing in God and in believing in that Word which God brings to our mind.
We fix our attention on that Word.
That Word from God is our life... and that Word is truth.
This is as a "foreign land" to us. We are just travelling through.
I Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
*****
* Josiah: A good king of Judah
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
II Kings 22:1-5 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2 And he (Josiah) did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
3-5 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,
Josiah gathered money for the carpenters and workers to repair the House of the Lord.
***
A book containing the Law of the Lord is found as they repaired the House of the Lord:
II Kings 22:8-13 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king (Josiah), and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.
10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 And it came to pass, when the king (Josiah) had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king (Josiah), and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.
10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11 And it came to pass, when the king (Josiah) had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
***
A prophet reports to king Josiah:
II Kings 22:14-20 Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
Because they have forsaken ME, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke ME to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore MY wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
18 But to the king of Judah (Josiah) which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.
And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
Because they have forsaken ME, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke ME to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore MY wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
18 But to the king of Judah (Josiah) which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.
20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.
And they brought the king word again.
***
The New Testament churches today:
The apostle Paul told us after he departed men would come into the church and bring perverse doctrines to cause followers to turn to themselves.
Acts 20
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Here is what Paul said we were to do in the gathering of the church when we come together as the church.
I Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
They changed the church plans and set up "approved men" to speak at the gathering of the church and by this they kept the Holy Spirit from speaking through whom God willed and this greatly weakened the church.
Sometimes you will find a Sunday school class set up more by I Corinthians 14:26, but I've never seen the "main" church service set up by this scripture which allows the Holy Spirit to freely speak to the church as God wills.
Also most, if not all, of the New Testament churches today have allowed portion of scriptures to be removed from their churches and by doing such have allowed antichrist into their church groups and therefore a severe penalty will come upon these church groups as follows:
II Thessalonians 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
***
A terrible penalty awaits all in the churches today where they failed to love the scriptures more than their church groups.
In 1975, as a new Christian, I attended a church called "Believers Chapel" in Dallas, Texas.
The pastors were men from Dallas Theological Seminary.
One of those pastors was teaching a series of teaching saying that tongues are of the devil.
I was a new Christian and knew very little Bible.
One day, I came across a chapter telling about what we were to do when we gathered as the church.
Paul said: Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. (I Corinthians 14:39)
The church I was attending were not only forbidding tongues, but they were teaching that tongues were of the devil!
What must I do?
I must choose the scriptures over that church group.
I left immediately and never went back.
Since that time, in trying to find a church group to attend, I have found this problem over and over where pastors were teaching a doctrine opposite to the doctrine of the Bible.
Each time, I left that church group.
There is no way you can sit in a church group where portions of scripture have been omitted or explained away and fail to be judged by God and suffer great penalty, if not loss of your soul for all eternity.
*****
Hymn: Standing on the promises
(Click forward arrow > to play music:)
1. Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Chorus:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
3. Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.
4. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.
5. Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
(Click pause symbol, " ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)
*****
The following scripture pertains to this hymn:
Joshua 1:5 I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Matthew 28:20 lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
***
Joshua 1:5 I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Matthew 28:20 lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
***
v. 2 By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
The living word is that word that comes down to us from heaven. It is put into our mind by God by HIS Spirit, by the Spirit of Jesus. By this "living word" we know what to do.
John 6 Jesus says:
32-33 My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is HE which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
48-51 I (The Word) am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven:
Jesus, The Word, is the Word that comes down from heaven. The living word of God is the word spoken to us by the Spirit of God. By His Spirit, God will bring to our mind ideas that show us what to do, or scriptures which show us what to do. And when it is that Word of God, it will never fail. We can put our trust in what we have heard from God by His Spirit.
The living word of God is just exactly that, living, because it pertains to the exact subject we are dealing with at that moment in time.
We can hunt for a scripture and fail. Or we can try to figure out what to do and fail.
But we will not fail when it is the Holy Spirit bringing the concept or a scripture to our mind to guide us in the matter at hand.
***
Here are promises from Jesus concerning the work the Holy Spirit will do for us.
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 (of His own thinking); but whatsoever He shall hear (from God), that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
4 things the Holy Spirit does for the believer:
- HE teaches us all things. (secular and spiritual)
- HE reminds us of all Jesus has said to us through scripture, dreams, concepts
- HE guides us into all truth. (often one thing at a time ... you do the first thing ... then a second idea comes and you do that ... on until the matter is resolved)
- HE shows us things to come. (often by dreams ... sometimes by just knowing)
***
v. 3 Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
We are freed every time we have a word from God brought to our mind by His Spirit, and when we believe and act on that word in the midst of the trial or temptation.
***
v. 4 Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
God speaks to each of His children by His Spirit which lives inside each child. The Holy Spirit brings thoughts from God to our minds to show us the way of God and the will of God as we live on this earth.
We overcome the trials and temptations of this present earth as we hear from the Holy Spirit daily, and take appropriate action to the instruction given by the Spirit.
You do have to be careful. For the devil will try to imitate God and bring thoughts to your mind which are opposite to the way God wants you to go. And often our own fleshly preferences will bring thoughts to us which seem good to us, but are opposite to the way God wants us to go.
James 3:14-16 ... 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.
So if that is the case, you must repent and pray for God to correct your own heart. For you will not likely to be able to hear correctly until you are corrected.
Otherwise: Prove all things by prayer and Bible. If you will ask God to confirm the way to go and to make it clear to you which thought is HIS, and if you will take time before you act, it will be made clear to you which thought is from God. Also in the Bible we have a scripture which tells us how to recognize the wisdom that is from God.
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.
***
v. 5 List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,
Once we have established that a thought is from God, we must focus on that thought and rest in that word that we have heard from God concerning the matter at hand after doing that instruction in an appropriate way. Often, we have to keep that word before us day and night to be strong enough to continue in that direction.
Joshua 1:8-9 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee?
(When God brings a word to our mind by HIS Spirit or when a scripture is made to stand out to us, that is God "commanding" us and we think on that word, taking action when needed, according to that word.)
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
*****
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