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11
You Meant it Against Me for Evil, but God Meant it for Good
You Meant it Against Me for Evil, but God Meant it for Good
I was notified I was being audited.
(Personal audit, not ministry, for IRS agent said IRS does not audit tax exempt ministries nor churches)
I
only took a very small salary at that time and everything I took was
reported on the 1040 tax forms required by IRS, so I really didn't see
how this could harm me.
*****
The
two IRS agents came to my house. When I opened the door, the agent
said the name of a man, asking to see him at my house ... It was the
man who had been angry with me.
I replied, "No ... I'm Joan Boney."
The agent was very embarrassed.
*****
I invited the 2 agents into the house.
I told them they were welcome to take all my cancelled bank checks for both the ministry and for me personally.
They were shocked!
Apparently people did not hand over their cancelled checks to IRS this way.
But
I didn't care. If I had done anything wrong, it was a mistake and I
would correct it by paying the fee and appropriate fines to IRS.
I talked with the agents, gave them the bookkeeping and the checks and they left.
After their audit, I went to the IRS building to receive their finding.
I asked if they found anything wrong.
They said they did not.
One
agent asked me a question. He said he noticed the ministry did not pay
social security taxes for me. These are paid by the employer, which in
my case would be the ministry.
I explained that when the ministry was first set up with IRS (in 1979), we had an option concerning social security.
I could sign "a vow of poverty" with IRS and the ministry would be exempt from paying social security taxes for me.
The man who set up our legal papers in 1979, was a former IRS agent and he advised me not to sign this vow of poverty, for he said if I signed this, we could never go back and receive social security payment for me.
Neither would I ever be able to have Medicare, medical provision from the US government.
I was young at the time and didn't foresee illnesses.
And the ministry at that time, 1979, could not afford to pay social security taxes for me. We had no income when we started out.
So I signed the IRS "vow of poverty."
The agent said there was no record of such a vow being filed with IRS so if I would like to buy-back into social security I could do so for $8000.
At
the time of this audit (1990's), the ministry was well established and
we had plenty of money to pay social security taxes so I wrote out a
check for this immediately and gave it to the agent.
This turned out to be very important. A decade later I fell over a box, broke hip, had surgery, and had to spend an entire month in a rehabilitation hospital. I'm sure the cost was enormous. But it was all paid by social security and by my supplemental insurance policy.
Also at the age of 62, I began receiving small checks, about $500
a month, from social security. This was enough for my personal needs
so I stopped taking salary from ministry. To this day, this is still
the way I live.
The tax audit turned out to be a great blessing for me and for the ministry!
*****
12
The Power of God that is in the Believer by The Holy Spirit
The Power of God that is in the Believer by The Holy Spirit
We,
who belong to God walk through this present life. From time to time we
have a dream from God or the Holy Spirit will bring to our mind a
concept so we can know the truth about an issue of this present life.
Or the Holy Spirit will remind us of a scripture.
When
that happens, the power of God is upon us by that truth from God and
with that revealing we have then the power to witness unto HIM.
Before receiving that word, we have no power.
This
happens to us over and over as we live on this earth. It is not just a
one-time happening. God is continually giving us HIS truth by HIS
Spirit who lives in us.
*****
People of the world often seek a special power through superstitions.
They gather for dinner and click glasses together thinking there is some kind of power in this. They cross themselves thinking there is some kind of power or they light candles or they put ribbons around trees. These are works of their own imaginations as they try to connect themselves with that power.
They gather for dinner and click glasses together thinking there is some kind of power in this. They cross themselves thinking there is some kind of power or they light candles or they put ribbons around trees. These are works of their own imaginations as they try to connect themselves with that power.
But we who are of God know that power for it is the power of the Holy Spirit that is in us and HE rises up in us according to the will of God to reveal truth to us as needed.
I Corinthians 2:4-16 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
We cannot conjure nor make the Holy Spirit speak and reveal things. He speaks not because of what we do. He speaks only by the will of God to speak. When God wants us to know, HE speaks by HIS Spirit to us.
*****
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto HIM that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
The power that works in us is the power of the Holy Spirit who does the following in us:
- He teaches us all things ... John 14:26
- He reminds us of all that Jesus has said ... John 14:26
- He guides us into all truth ... John 16:13
- He shows us things to come ... John 16:13
Even before the day of Pentecost and before speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples.
It was after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus from the dead, that Jesus appeared to HIS disciples before HE was taken into heaven.
John 20:20-22 And when HE had so said, HE shewed unto them HIS hands and HIS side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
And when HE had said this, HE breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Jesus had already ascended into heaven in a cloud before the Day of Pentecost. Tongues did not happen until the Day of Pentecost.
*****
Even before the day of Pentecost and before speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples.
It was after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus from the dead, that Jesus appeared to HIS disciples before HE was taken into heaven.
John 20:20-22 And when HE had so said, HE shewed unto them HIS hands and HIS side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
And when HE had said this, HE breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Jesus had already ascended into heaven in a cloud before the Day of Pentecost. Tongues did not happen until the Day of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit was given before the gift of tongues.
*****