Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Beware of trusting in that which "you" do.


Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

God knows you will be reading this blog at this exact moment. 

It is important for you to realize that.

I come to you as an apostle/prophet in the church.  This is my calling. 

What does that mean?  apostles have anointing from God to deal with church doctrines and prophets today are trying to get the individuals who are the church to be ready for the return of Jesus.

If we are ready when Jesus returns, we will be taken out before the great tribulation.  If we are not ready, I believe we will be left on this earth.  Therefore Jesus warns us over and over in the Bible to "watch and be ready" …  

Luke 21:34-36    Jesus says   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.  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. 

***

How do we keep ourselves ready for the return of Jesus? 

The apostle Peter tells us in the following scripture:

II Peter 3:14    Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of HIM  in peace, without spot, and blameless.

***                           

We are warned in Bible that we don't know the day or the hour that Jesus will return so "be ready."

We must "be diligent" at all times to be found in peace, without spot, and blameless.

If we have unforgiveness in our heart toward another person we are not ready for the return of Jesus, 

Are we living without spot and blameless … 

The return of Jesus will be like a surprise visit …  it could come at any time.

Will we be ready?  or will we be caught ashamed, wishing we had taken care of something before  the visitor arrived at our house.

I believe the church that is ready will be taken out … while the church that is not ready will be left behind.

Thus the following scripture:

Matthew 24:37-51   But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 

Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 

The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

***

In the early days when I was called to the ministry, church people were often asking me, "Do you believe the church will be taken out before the great tribulation?"

(This subject was highly debated in churches in those days.)

I always answered, "I don't know."  (God had not revealed that to me at that time.)

But now, 40-years later, I believe God has revealed the truth to me on this subject.  

The answer to the question is, "Both."

The church that is ready will be taken out before the great tribulation.  The church that is not ready will be left behind and will go through the great tribulation.

Therefore … Jesus says: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 24:44)  


*****

The apostle Paul warns us about trusting in that which "we" do.

Philippians 3:3-7    For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 

(These are the religious works Paul did before God revealed Jesus to Paul.) 

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

***

People can go to church, eat crackers and drink grape juice at church thinking it is the Lord supper, and still avail nothing of God  ...  

(The Lord's supper is eating and drinking the Word of God ... but even then we must do this in a proper way, led by the Holy Spirit, focusing on that which is called to our attention by the Holy Spirit.)

Everything that counts with God has to do with hearing from the Holy Spirit and following the Holy Spirit of God!

Apart from hearing from the Holy Spirit and following HIM, nothing matters that we do.

***

A woman who was in our little church group was having many difficulties.  She said to me, "You have no idea how hard I am working."

(I thought, "This is probably part of her problem," ... her hard work.)

For I do not find that I work "hard" at anything that is of God.

All I do is read the Bible and focus strongly when the Holy Spirit calls my attention to a verse or section of scripture.

I do not look for messages in every verse.  I do not try to do every verse.

When I read Bible, I trust in God to show me if I need to pay special attention to something.

To me, reading the Bible is relaxing and like taking a warm shower ... just letting the Word of God wash over me ... And if there is something I need to pay close attention to and look into more deeply, I will know this because I will get sort of "hung up" on that verse.

When that happens, I stop reading and start praying:  "God ... please show me what YOU are trying to tell me in this verse."

***

Daily on our blog, we print a compilation of those scriptures presented that day in our blog.

Pam Padgett prints these scriptures out for me daily and brings the sheets of scriptures to me.

I prepare myself to read these scriptures.

First, I want my mind clear from other things before I read.  I want to be completely free and at rest, not thinking of some problem. If I have a problem or concern, I do not read the list of scriptures.  I pray instead, settling matters with God.  I cannot read scripture if I am concerned about another person or if I am troubled about something in my life.  That has to be dealt with first, before I read scripture.

Then, when I am at complete peace and rest, I begin reading the list of verses.

If anything in any verse catches my attention, I stop and focus on that point, believing it is the Holy Spirit Who is calling my attention to that.

When I have drained every drop of "blood" from that verse ... then I go on in my reading.

There have been times I have read the entire compilation of daily scriptures without feeling anything is called to my attention.  When that happens, I am not troubled.  I just treat it as a warm shower, resting in that inward knowledge I have that if there is something that needs special attention, The Holy Spirit will call that to my attention. 

I do not want to trust in my own flesh.  I want to trust in God and what I know about the working of HIS Spirit that is in me.

All religious activities and religious works are futile unless it is the Holy Spirit who is leading you to  focus on that scripture or that work.

Jesus says:

Matthew 7:21-23    Not every one that saith unto ME, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of MY Father which is in heaven. 

(How do we know the will of God?  By the Spirit of God WHO rises up in us to bring the issue to our attention, for it is the Spirit of God WHO searches the heart of God and knows the thinking of God on the matter and shows us what God is thinking about what we are doing or planning to do.   I Corinthians 2)

22 Many will say to ME in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in THY name? and in THY name have cast out devils? and in THY name done many wonderful works?  


23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.

Unless that work which we think to be "good" is authored by God by HIS Spirit, that which we do is a work of iniquity in the sight of God.

Many church people will be turned away at the day of judgment because of such things.

They will come saying, "But I sacrificed my life ... I visited the sick ... I gave much money ... I did this ... I did that!"  But if the acts were not authored by God by HIS Spirit, then you do an evil work.

Everything good thing is done in us by God by HIS Spirit.

***

Many will eat and drink the Word of God incorrectly.  There is a penalty when such happens. 

I Corinthians 11:27-31    Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 

(We must prepare ourselves to read the Bible or blog or hear the Word of God.  We do this by prayer.  If we are in strife with another, we must forgive that other person first and settle the matter "with God" before we pick up Bible or a religious work such as blog.  We must be at complete peace before we begin reading otherwise we will find ourselves reading while our mind is thinking of something else other than that which we are reading. And our dependency must be on God, trusting that HE will give us HIS understanding.  We cannot trust in our own thinking.)  

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  

(The Holy Spirit catches our attention on a verse and we "examine ourselves" by that verse, taking proper action when needed, but being led by the Spirit of God.) 

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die).  

31 For if we would judge ourselves (by the Spirit of God), we should not be judged. 

*** 

I Corinthians 2:9-13    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. 

(The Holy Spirit brings ideas, thoughts, concepts, dreams, visions, scripture to our mind to cause us to think upon these things.)

11 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. 12 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. 13 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.


***

And we know the work of the Spirit of God because Jesus tells us what the Holy Spirit does in the believer.

John 14:26    But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13    Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The devil frightens you:  "You have to do such and such otherwise you might let it slip."  

The Holy Spirit leads you to do such and such for your good.

The devil often drives you.  The Holy Spirit leads you.

Both can seem right.

So you have to sort though everything with God through prayer, trusting in HIM to show you, especially when there is confusion.

And beware of being puffed-up religiously, thinking you know the answers and don't need "that".

I've seen many fall because they thought they already knew.

***

But we know real godliness because we have been made by God to be godly.

I Corinthians 8:2   And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know


*****