Comments by Joan Boney:
As we wait for the return of Jesus, Peter tells us what we are to do.
2 Peter 3:14 ... be diligent that ye may be found of HIM in peace, without spot, and blameless.
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Pam Padgett awoke at 3 a.m. one day this week. She was concerned. Three times she had to go to a doctor during the past few months: once to dentist, once to eye doctor, once for a urinary track infection. The first two took her blood pressure and found it to be "a little" high, the last one found it to be "high".
When Pam awoke at 3 a.m. that morning she had terrifying thoughts that high blood pressure would cause her to have a stroke and she began crying out to God asking that this not happen.
Then she thought, "I've got to lose weight to get my blood pressure down." She has been gaining weight.
(God's yoke is easy and HIS burden is light. Mt. 11:30 ... Pam was taking on a hard yoke with her weight plan.)
But as she prayed God reminded her of Matthew 6:25 Jesus says: Take no thought for your life,
33-34 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
When Pam told me this, I told her, "I'm fatter than you are and I rarely test high for blood pressure."
(But I've learned not to let them take my blood pressure from my upper arm because it hurts a lot and one doctor told me when it hurts a lot it causes your blood pressure to go up and test high. So I make them test me by a wrist blood pressure test or ankle.)
I find medical people mean well with that which they try to teach us. But I also know their teaching is of other men who mean well.
It is very dangerous to go to doctors, and when I do go, I really try to take every thing they say "captive" to bring it under the spotlight of God and make it line up with the Word of God! I find they can scare you and put heavier burdens than needed onto you in order to "play it safe". So I'm careful not to let this happen to me. And we must deal through prayer with every fear they bring to us from the worldly teachings.
II Cor. 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 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;
The only way we can live in peace is to remember to pray!
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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.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Each time a concern arises, we must remember to go to God in prayer and seek God's help.
We connect with God each time we pray! And connecting with God causes us to be able to live in "peace" as we wait for the return of Jesus as the apostle Peter told us to do.
This also make us "worthy to escape all these things that are coming upon this earth and to stand before the Son of man."
Luke 21 Jesus said:
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (over indulgence), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
As we pray, we connect with God, concerning the issues of this present life! We then live in peace daily as we wait for the coming of Jesus, for if a concern pops-up, we take that concern to God in prayer and this connects us to God and when God brings a scripture or concept to mind we trust in HIM and live in the peace that comes through that Word that is from God concerning the matter at hand.
This becomes a steady way of life for us as long as we live on this earth.
Thus Peter says, "Be diligent" in doing this!
And Jesus says: "Watch and pray."
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The same night Pam awoke at 3 a.m. with her concern, I awoke at 5 a.m. and was troubled over a pastor who just came across my path.
This pastor is "consumed" with the desire to build a new church building.
These fleshly projects have a way of eating us up!
They take our focus away from that which God gives us to do and cause us to think of the project.
This pastor indicated to me that he believes we are in the end time. I believe that also. Our job is to help the church to be ready for the return of Jesus.
In my concern over this pastor, I finally remembered to pray!
(Sometimes it seems so difficult to remember to pray.)
I can be swept away from my assignment if I allow myself to be consumed by my concern over this pastor.
Most of these concerns are from devils.
To pray connects us to God. And God is the only help in each situation. And God will not fail us!
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Recently I was bombarded with thoughts: "You're 83. What if this happens to you? What if that happens? What will you do?"
I cried out to God: "Help me!"
Instantly the Holy Spirit brought the following to my mind: "God will supply all your need."
"THAT's RIGHT!" I exclaimed!
There is no problem for when one arises, God will supply all my need as God leaves me on this present earth!
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We must take every concern to God when that concern surfaces in our life.
We must make this our way of life as we go forward.
One night in July, 2020, I was asleep and I must have turned over in bed and somehow hit my cat and she bit me!
It was a very deep bite on the top of my hand. I put bandage and medicine on the wound. It hurt a lot.
The next day, I changed the bandage. The wound looked awful! I began praying, "God, please don't let me lose my hand."
Later I was concerned about sleeping and letting the cat roam free. I prayed asking God what I should do. And I had this brought to mind: "Put on gloves before you go to sleep."
I went to Amazon immediately ... and ordered some summer type gloves which have air holes for ventilation. They even have some type of coating on the inside of the fingers so you can wear them and make your tablet change pages as you read. The material is very light weight and feels a little like silk.
I think it would be so awful to live this life without help from God and without knowing we have access all the time day and night to God!
God says: "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Josh. 1:8 & Heb. 13:5)
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"Be diligent" in praying ...
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