Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
It is natural for flesh to react to flesh.
But we must learn to keep our own heart and not allow our flesh to pay back in kind that which the other person does toward us. For if we live that way, we make the things of God void.
God forbid! as the apostle Paul so often said.
I might not be able to control the heart of the other person but I can control my own heart through diligently turning to God and patiently allowing God to deal with my own heart in the troubling matter.
The apostle Peter told us God will destroy this present heaven and earth. Then Peter asked the question: Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Then Peter told us how to live in the end-times:
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. II Peter 3
We keep ourselves in peace, without spot, and blameless by taking each trouble to God in prayer and by waiting patiently as God brings to us the solution and establishes us in the midst of the problem.
We keep ourselves in peace, without spot, and blameless by taking each trouble to God in prayer and by waiting patiently as God brings to us the solution and establishes us in the midst of the problem.
If we fail to do this, we will likely become offended and resentful and fall into various evil thinking about the other person or about the situation. When we do this, we take on the spots of this world and we even become part of the problem and are to be blamed.
Jesus said:
Luke 21:36 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.
*****
This past week, two occasions arose giving me an opportunity to clean up my own heart that I could live in peace, without spot and blameless.
Last Monday, my cleaning woman began to examine me and accuse me because I had not gotten a flu shot. I began striving with her. After she left my house, very troubling thoughts began to come to me like waves, one upon another: She has no right to try to be my god. I'm trying to do what I believe God wants me to do. She is trying to take the place of God.
I took those thoughts to God immediately.
Other fears: I will have to see her again next Monday. Maybe I should just arrange to be away from home while she is here to avoid more potential for trouble.
I prayed over these thought.
But the troubling thoughts wouldn't stop though I was turning to God with these thoughts.
So I prayed even stronger ... "I need wisdom. Please show me what to do."
Then I had brought to my mind the answer which I knew to be from God.
"Just think on that which she does that is good."
The thing she does that is so good is cleaning.
I thought about how good she is in cleaning and the troubling thoughts about her vanished and I was at peace concerning her and the dread about seeing her was gone.
A few times the negative thoughts tried to return but I refused to think on the strife between us and I made my mind think on how good her work is in cleaning my house.
Only God would have had this solution! and when I sought God, HE showed me the thing to do that would keep my own heart in the situation.
*****
On Thursday of that same week, another problem arose.
I was at beauty shop to get hair trimmed. As I was waiting in lobby, I noticed a woman rushing down the other side of the room and I realized this was a woman I know. It was very obvious to me that she wanted to avoid me and hide from me. My reaction was I then wanted to hide from her.
Flesh reacts to flesh if we allow it to do so. If they hate us, we want to hate them, and such.
But this is wrong!
I thought on the past dealing with this woman and realized I must have offended her to cause her to react this way against me.
Of course, I immediately cried out to God asking what to do in this situation.
The next morning I awoke knowing what to do.
I contacted her immediately asking her if she saw me in beauty shop the day before. She said she did see me. She apologized for what she did. We worked through the matter and now neither of us would hate seeing the other.
From this problem, I saw how important it is to keep my own heart and not let offenses hide inside my heart.
I might not be able to take care of the heart of the other person, but I can certainly take care of my own heart by diligently turning to God to see what I should do in each issue of this life.
This is what is meant by having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
*****
We must learn to diligently take each matter to God and to continue in prayer every time the thought returns concerning that which happened.
When God shows us what to do or how to view the matter, then those destructive thoughts will stop coming as we do what God shows us and our own heart will be cleansed also.
We must live in peace, without spot and blameless through God waiting for the return of Jesus that we might be found by HIM in a good spiritual condition.
*****
Concerning the problem:
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
*****