Joan Boney ... apostle and prophet of Jesus Christ, according to Ephesians 4:11-12
*****
A woman who has many Baptist relatives, tried to share various scripture with them only to see those persons continue in a way opposite to those scriptures.
We "deny ourselves" when we give up those church goers who will not obey scripture.
Titus 3
11Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
II John
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
(But you must turn to God to see "how" to leave them.)
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing,
Deuteronomy 28:12 and thou shalt not borrow.
We deny ourselves when we refuse to borrow ... We charge only those items that we can pay for in full upon billing. Stay free and be ready to serve God. Obey scripture.
As a new Christian, I saw scripture which led me to make my goal to live out of debt. God helped me to get out of debt. Various church friends encouraged me to go into debt to have things.
For a few years, I attended Faith Movement church. I didn't look prosperous. I didn't look like I had faith in God, for I drove an old car that did not look prosperous. I lived in an inexpensive apartment.
A woman who worked for me running the ministry "office", which we had in her home, said, "Joan ... we can afford for you to go buy a new Cadillac and we can pay for it by monthly payments."
But I would not do that. I felt debt could put me in a very serious path and I felt it was opposite to the way I saw in the scriptures and opposite to the things being shown to me by the Holy Spirit.
I wouldn't take out a mortgage for a house.
I continued to live in an apartment. Though I built up no equity, neither did I build up debt.
After several years, God allowed me to build an apartment on a lot which was owned by my parents. But I had the money to pay in full for the construction from money left to me by my dad. ($50,000)
During the next 5 years, I accumulated money to use buying a lot on the local golf course by money I had saved and money from my mother's savings. ($13,350)
Then I built a house on that lot and was able to pay cash from my mother's money and my money and excess offerings from ministry. ($100,000)
My mother lived there with me until she died in 2002, eleven years.
That $100,000 house sold for $227,000, which I used on the house in Lubbock, Texas, where I lived for the next 18 years.
(No mortgages on any of the houses.)
During these years, people who gave offerings died and offerings decreased considerably. Also many became offended with the messages I spoke and they left me causing decrease in offerings.
By the time I was 81 years old, we only had about 6 people contributing to the ministry. But we had that house in Texas, debt free. That house sold in 2020, enabling both the ministry and myself to be financed, mostly aside from offerings.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
But none of these things were acquired by going into debt.
The accumulation of things through debt is a way of this world.
I think it is very risky.
But I know the way of God is safe. And the things we have that way are acquired through God and not by ourselves.
As we deny ourselves to follow scripture, we end up with everything in this life and in the next life. We have no want.
Joshua 1:8 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.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
(But you must turn to God to see "how" to leave them.)
***
As a new Christian, I saw scripture which showed me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.
We "deny ourselves" when we heed those scriptures and stay out of debt.
Deuteronomy 28:12 and thou shalt not borrow.
We deny ourselves when we refuse to borrow ... We charge only those items that we can pay for in full upon billing. Stay free and be ready to serve God. Obey scripture.
As a new Christian, I saw scripture which led me to make my goal to live out of debt. God helped me to get out of debt. Various church friends encouraged me to go into debt to have things.
For a few years, I attended Faith Movement church. I didn't look prosperous. I didn't look like I had faith in God, for I drove an old car that did not look prosperous. I lived in an inexpensive apartment.
A woman who worked for me running the ministry "office", which we had in her home, said, "Joan ... we can afford for you to go buy a new Cadillac and we can pay for it by monthly payments."
But I would not do that. I felt debt could put me in a very serious path and I felt it was opposite to the way I saw in the scriptures and opposite to the things being shown to me by the Holy Spirit.
I wouldn't take out a mortgage for a house.
I continued to live in an apartment. Though I built up no equity, neither did I build up debt.
After several years, God allowed me to build an apartment on a lot which was owned by my parents. But I had the money to pay in full for the construction from money left to me by my dad. ($50,000)
During the next 5 years, I accumulated money to use buying a lot on the local golf course by money I had saved and money from my mother's savings. ($13,350)
Then I built a house on that lot and was able to pay cash from my mother's money and my money and excess offerings from ministry. ($100,000)
My mother lived there with me until she died in 2002, eleven years.
That $100,000 house sold for $227,000, which I used on the house in Lubbock, Texas, where I lived for the next 18 years.
(No mortgages on any of the houses.)
During these years, people who gave offerings died and offerings decreased considerably. Also many became offended with the messages I spoke and they left me causing decrease in offerings.
By the time I was 81 years old, we only had about 6 people contributing to the ministry. But we had that house in Texas, debt free. That house sold in 2020, enabling both the ministry and myself to be financed, mostly aside from offerings.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
But none of these things were acquired by going into debt.
The accumulation of things through debt is a way of this world.
I think it is very risky.
But I know the way of God is safe. And the things we have that way are acquired through God and not by ourselves.
As we deny ourselves to follow scripture, we end up with everything in this life and in the next life. We have no want.
***
Also we "deny ourselves" each time we choose the Word of God over that which our own flesh prefers doing.
As we meditate on scripture brought to our mind, we enable ourselves to choose to do those scripture over that which our flesh wants to do.
The way of God is life. The way of our own fleshly preferences is death.
We are born again in a second as God brings HIS WORD to us and we agree with HIS Word.
We then "endure" by following the Holy Spirit and keeping our own flesh under the control of the Word of God.
A woman in our church group let herself go and told me off, following her own flesh. This was death to allow the flesh to reign over her. There was nothing I could do to restore her after she did this.
We must not let our flesh rule over the Word of God for it is a way of death.
Work at salvation by meditating in the scriptures brought to your mind by the Spirit of God so you can continue in HIS Word.
*****