Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
As a newly born-again Christian in 1975, I had a choice to make. I could follow God by HIS Word or I could do what seemed right.
I decided the Bible showed us the will of God in the various issues of this life.
Proverbs 1 helped me to see the truth of this.
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Proverbs 1:1-4 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
I was certain wisdom from God was what I needed, so I set about to obtain my wisdom from God.
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I could see from Proverbs 1, how deadly it would be to go any way other than God's word.
Proverbs 1:23-32 Turn you at MY reproof: behold, I will pour out MY spirit unto you, I will make known MY words unto you.
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
They would none of MY counsel: they despised all MY reproof.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
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Proverbs 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto ME shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
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I really believed this. If I went in the way of God, HE would keep me and protect me. If I went in my own wisdom, I would destroy myself.
So I set myself to find God's wisdom. I read the Bible and paid attention to various scriptures and made changes accordingly once that scripture got strong enough inside me to cause the change to happen. I let the scripture take root inside me by keeping it before me day and night. Eventually I found I was actually doing that verse of scripture.
Later I saw this is exactly what God told Joshua to do.
Joshua 1:5-9 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
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? 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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Doesn't God command us by HIS Word? I believed HE did. So the Word was as if God HIMSELF was telling me what to do.
I developed a good fear of God, a fear of the LORD, knowing if I went HIS way it would be good for me and if I did not go HIS way I would bring disaster upon myself.
So I set about to see what God's way was, mostly through prayer and by reading the Bible.
I hunted scripture as a person hunts great treasure. And when I found a scripture "to do", I rejoiced and set about to get that scripture to go deeply inside of me!
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Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in HIS law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
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I read the Bible as one looking for nuggets of gold. And when I found a piece of gold, I was determined to get it inside me by keeping it before me and thinking on it... for days, or weeks, or even months.
I still do this.
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