Comments by Joan Boney:
At this point in time the devil works to try to discourage me from preaching, reproving, building up the other person with instruction, and from reading the Bible.
So you take scriptures which tell you to do these things and keep on doing them.
The scriptures will cause you to overcome, so you keep them before you for a season and do them and keep doing them.
Joshua 1:8
While I'm learning the verse, I will throughout the day try to speak the key points in the verse. At first I often get one key point but forget another key point, So when that happens I go over that verse again and look at both key points and meditate upon the way both points affect my life.
Eventually both points become clear and stick in me as I do them.
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The devil used a woman in our own church group to attack me: The goal of the devil was to confuse me and make me think I had spoken something incorrectly.
She said, "I've heard you say child abuse was the worst of all the sins. Now you are saying fornication is the worse sin." (There was a bad accusing spirit speaking through her. An implication to me of ... "You're not speaking rightly so you shouldn't be speaking at all. You're wrong." Is what the devil is implying.
I said: Paul said "Flee fornication. All other sins are without the body but he who commits fornication sinneth against his body." I Cor. 6:18 Perhaps what I should be saying is fornication is different from all other sins. For it is a sin against the person's own body in that it causes him to be one flesh with that other person even if she is a prostitute.
But what I found after this attack is that I wanted to refrain from speaking the scripture of I Cor. 6:18 "at all". If the devil could get me to do that, it would remove preaching from me "entirely," stopping the Word of the Bible from coming forth on that subject. That is the goal of devils.
I was reading the Bible, and another scripture was used as an antidote for the poison of the attack against me on this subject.
Titus 1, Paul says, v.1 "the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;"
(Keep acknowledging the truth. Keep speaking I Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
(The woman who carried this attack committed fornication at least twice before she was born again. It was like the devil used this to be able to use her to attack the preaching of this scripture.)
But in future, instead of calling fornication the worst sin, I can modify my speaking and call it a sin that is different from all other sins, because it makes you one flesh with the fornication partner fragmenting your soul.
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By this attack, I can also see that I need to get more scripture deeply within me. I know we can do that by doing Joshua 1:8 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.
So I printed key scripture showing points of attack and pinned these on my wall beside my bed so I can think more on them. When they get deeper inside me, there will be other scriptures which need to be planted deeper in my heart and I can pin them where today's scriptures are pinned.
There is a period of time when we must increase the focus on a certain scripture until we are fully doing that scripture. At this time, the key words in my life to think on are:
1. preach the word. (don't hold back)
2. acknowledge the truth of the Word
3 reprove
4. rebuke
5. exhort
6. avoid questions, especially the questions which are designed to trap you and STOP YOU FROM SPEAKING THE VERSES OF SCRIPTURE, KILLING YOU and others.
7. avoid strife
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Here is a photo of what I did to help me meditate on these words where the attack from devil centered.
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We have many scriptures where devils working through the Sadducees and Pharisees came to trap Jesus, but God turned it for good instead of their intended evil.
Matthew 22
15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle HIM in HIS talk.
16 And they sent out unto HIM their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20 And HE saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith HE unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left HIM, and went their way.
23 The same day came to HIM the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked HIM,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at HIS doctrine.
16 And they sent out unto HIM their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20 And HE saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith HE unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left HIM, and went their way.
23 The same day came to HIM the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked HIM,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at HIS doctrine.
A question can be asked out of a pure heart to learn or out of evil heart striving with another to trap him in his words.
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The second thing I did which I think will help me to read more Bible, especially when I go to bed at night:
I bought 2 smaller Kindle tablets: I plan to use these just for Bible. They are a little smaller than the Kindle Fire 8 Inch so they are easier to handle while lying in bed. They bring up the whole Bible much faster than my older, larger size Kindle does.)
(They only cost about $50 each.)
They are a great help to me so far. I keep one by my porta-potty and put the other by my bed. I find I am really back to reading more Bible, especially NT which gives me rules for the church to live by.
We must provide for ourselves ways which allow us to read more scriptures which tell us how we are to live today in the time the corruption increases in this world.
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Another very helpful thing when we are having trouble focusing while trying to read Bible:
Email from Barbara Preston
I just finished reading some of the writings on the blog from today.
I have had a difficult time this morning settling my mind but sat down in the bedroom to read. I paired my AirPods with iPhone and settled into an Apple radio station that only plays Mozart. Really helped to calm my mind and allow me to think about what I was reading.
One night I had the little radio that you and Pam gave us playing, and drifted off to sleep with Mozart.
I know really nothing about classical music only that frequently when I would hear something classical it was by Bach. So I knew that much. But I will say, I am enjoying listening to the classical. It does seem to settle me.
I have had a difficult time this morning settling my mind but sat down in the bedroom to read. I paired my AirPods with iPhone and settled into an Apple radio station that only plays Mozart. Really helped to calm my mind and allow me to think about what I was reading.
One night I had the little radio that you and Pam gave us playing, and drifted off to sleep with Mozart.
I know really nothing about classical music only that frequently when I would hear something classical it was by Bach. So I knew that much. But I will say, I am enjoying listening to the classical. It does seem to settle me.
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Email from Joan Boney:
Last night my mind was wobbly ... I too turned on classical music and began reading Bible and I noticed I became much more settled and clearer very quickly and could focus on what Bible was saying
The examples of devils leaving Saul when David played skillfully on harp applies to all.
The examples of devils leaving Saul when David played skillfully on harp applies to all.
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