Scriptures:

 

Hebrews 8:10 -13   For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put MY laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to ME a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know ME, from the least to the greatest.

 

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 

 

13 In that HE saith, A new covenant, HE hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

 

***

 

 

Psalm 62:8  Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.  Selah.

 

***

 

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

 

***

 

John 20:31  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through HIS name.

 

***

 

Romans 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is MINE; I will repay, saith the Lord.

 

 

💥💥💥💥💥

💥 God tests Abraham

 

Genesis 22

 

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

***

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

God did provide HIS only son Jesus Christ as an offering that we and all who believe in HIM might be saved.

9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

 

***

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from ME.

 

***

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

 

***

15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed MY voice.   

***

When we hear the voice of God and obey God, we are blessed.

Psalm 111:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do HIS commandments: HIS praise endureth for ever.

 

 

💥💥💥💥💥

💥 Book #12: Life in Christ Series: * Great Is THY Faithfulness, Chapter 7

 

(Order all books from Amazon:  E-books: 99 cents each)

 

The Time is Come for Judgment to Begin at the House of God

 

By mid-1981, I was on radio from coast to coast in USA.

I had written two little booklets which were sold in faith movement churches.

One book was "Taking Thoughts Captive" ... the other book was "Healing the Wounded Believer".  (Published by Harrison House, a faith movement publisher)

As I recall, these booklets were into multiple printings and faith movement churches couldn't keep them on their bookshelves due to high volume sales.

My meetings around the USA often had between 500 to 2000 people.

Everything was going very well and growing rapidly.

I was very popular. 

At that time, the subjects God had given me centered around these topics:

-  Following God by HIS Spirit
-  The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer
-  Taking thoughts captive
-  Dealing with destructive thoughts

Very soon a big change was coming.

*****

At a meeting in Seattle, I was en route to the airport when God spoke the following to me by HIS Spirit.

"The foundation is laid.  Now we're really going to move."

I was very excited over this, foolishly.

I didn't have the sense that Mary had.

Luke 1:28-29    And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.   And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

*****

A few weeks later, approximately summer 1981, I was on an airplane, returning from speaking to a church group in Hobbs, New Mexico (USA), when the Holy Spirit began speaking to me.  

I heard these words over and over:

The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God ...
The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God ...
The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God ...

At that approximate time, God gave me a dream.

In the dream, University of Texas (major football team) was playing North Texas (very minor team).  A very skillful running back who had once played for Texas was now playing for North Texas.  The ball was about to be snapped.  I knew this running back would be crushed by Texas and the weight of the players.  At the snap of the ball, I heard:  "Don't go until you see Exodus 15."

I had been in the faith movement and even a "rising star" on radio in that movement.

Now I was speaking what God had shown me to be errors in the faith movement doctrine.

I knew I would be crushed.

So it was very easy for me to understand the dream.

*****

I had my schedule of meetings for 1982 completely filled.

I cancelled all meetings immediately.

One of our board members said, "Joan ... you can't do this.  You must go out.  If you go out, they will give money.  If you don't go out, you will lose money."

I replied:  "I'm not going.  God told me not to go, and I'm not going."

That was early 1982. 

I haven't gone out physically since then.

(But two decades later God worked it out nicely for the messages HE gave me to go out daily all over the world  through our blog ... Jesus Ministries Exhortations ... and through the books we publish on Amazon.)

And I am completely free to publish any message I believe to be from God without influence or without threats of being removed from distribution areas.

*****

A couple of years after I was born again, while I still was operating my business, a man from the church I was attending came to my shop to talk with me.  He identified himself as a prophet.  He said he had a message for me.  It centered around the following scripture:

John 21:18-19    Jesus said:  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

This spake HE (Jesus), signifying by what death he (that disciple) should glorify God.

And when HE (Jesus) had spoken this, HE saith unto him (to the disciple), Follow ME.

That was about to happen to me.

*****

A few days after hearing, "The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God," The Holy Spirit began calling to my attention various things being done by ministers and showing me what they were doing was sin.

- one minister had added a country western type music to his meetings to draw more people to his meetings and to increase the size of the meetings by entertaining the people with music, according to his advertising agent.

- another minister had allowed his group to take up an "offering" for his birthday to send him and his wife on a fun trip to Hawaii  (tax deductible offerings)

- to another minister there was a message about adultery and fornication and a warning

- one minister was tricking the airlines into shipping boxes of books, tapes, and Bibles to her meeting cites

- one minister "killed a prophet" by keeping her from speaking freely on his TV talk show

- several  pastors were changing doctrines in their churches away from that which was written in Bible and were adding made up stories to portions of the Bible, failing to hold forth truth in their preaching


As a prophet of God, I knew I had to communicate with these ministers and tell them that which the Holy Spirit had shown me about them.

I began taking these messages to these big-time ministers. (Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Kenneth Copeland, and a few others... and I warned many pastors of their sin in the loose handling of scriptures from pulpit and of deliberately telling of fabricated stories instead of giving the pure truth cited in Bible.)

But I found even though I was relatively well known at that time, I was unable to reach the big-time ministers with these messages for they isolated themselves and kept "body guards" around them to keep people away from them.

I tried sending these messages by letter, identifying myself as a prophet.  But I learned the letters were intercepted by their office staff and thrown in trash and the message never reached the minister.

*****

In one case, Jim Bakker,  I received a response to the message I had sent.

The letterhead upon which I wrote the message is "Jesus Ministries" ... Baker supposedly replied saying: 

"Dear Jesus.  Thank you for your letter.  Jesus, I want you to know Tammy and I prayed for you today,"  Jim & Tammy Bakker

(Of course it was just a standard form letter he was using to reply to all who wrote to him ... he never saw my letter at all ... hypocrisy from Bakker.)

The message sent to Bakker concerned adultery and fornication. 

Later it was revealed he was committing adultery and fornication with one of his church secretaries and her name was even made public to everyone. 

Also he was committing fraud against his followers concerning a theme park scheme, and was tried in US court, found guilty, and placed in a USA prison. 

Tammy Faye divorced Bakker, married another man (adultery) and died of cancer. Bakker is out of prison now and has resumed preaching. (see Jim Bakker:  Wikipedia)

*****

I finally decided to tell of these sins of various ministers and name the minister by name on my radio broadcasts.

Then the message reached these ministers.

Hate mail poured in from their followers.

Radio stations began putting me off the air. 

Offerings to my ministry decreased dramatically.

*****

One message was about Jimmy Swaggart. 

He owned two of the radio stations where I was broadcasting:  KWJS in Dallas and a station in Houston.  They put me off the air immediately.

But I had no doubt the message had reached him.

Swaggert had deliberately increased country western type music at his meetings to attract more people to his meetings.  (My advertising agent told me Swaggart was their client at that time and he was tired of preaching to such small groups of about 500 and he wanted big groups at his meetings so he used this music to draw people to his meetings)  Later he was caught with a prostitute.  He made tearful plea on TV asking for forgiveness.  Then he was again caught with another prostitute.  This time he said "the Lord" told him it was "flat out" none of anyone's business.  (see  Jimmy Swaggart:  Wikipedia)

*****

One message was about Kenneth Copeland. 

Although his mother, Vinita, was a close friend, I was unable to reach Kenneth with the message. 

I had a meeting at that time in Fort Worth where Kenneth lived.  The meeting room was filled with his followers. 

At the end of the meeting I told them I was now giving them the opportunity to leave the room if they wanted to leave for they were not going to like what I was about to say.  And once I began speaking, the doors would be locked and they would not be permitted to leave the room until I had finished speaking. 

No one left. 

I presented the message which I had been unable to get to Copeland. 

Now the message reached Copeland.

Copeland had permitted tax-deductible offerings to be received for a "birthday present" for himself, to send him and wife to Hawaii.   Later on Internet, Copeland is proudly shown with his arm around the Catholic pope.  He was so proud that the pope granted him a 3 hour audience.  Also pictures on internet were shown of Kenneth Copeland's 6-million-dollar house, estate. 

In 1982, God said to me, "He (Copeland) is antichrist ..."  There are many antichrists.  He is just one of many who are antichrists (opposite to the doctrines of Christ in Bible and exalting themselves over these doctrines in front of the church) in today's ministries.  II Thessalonians 2:4

*****

I was able to get a message to Robert Tilton ... my own pastor at the time, 1981.

Bob was a very ambitious person, even stating from the pulpit that he was going to be greater than Kenneth Copeland and have more TV-radio stations than Copeland. 

This is the sin of "emulation" (Galatians 5:19-21 / work of the flesh).

Bob had a TV talk show on a station in Dallas.  He invited a prophet from his own church to be on the show.  Just before they went on camera, he said to Ava, "Just one thing.  Don't say anything about being a prophet because it's not popular."

After the show, Ava called me in tears, telling me what Bob had done.

I sent a cassette tape recording to Bob.

I told him by doing what he did he "killed a prophet" ... and as a result his house would be left desolate unto him.  Matthew 23:33-38


I had a report from Bob's office staff that several, including Marte, Bob's wife, gathered in his office to hear the tape I sent.

Afterward they yelled and danced around a waste basket as Bob cut the tape into pieces and threw the tape pieces into the waste basket.

(But I know they heard the message and I know they might destroy the tape but the message will ring in their ears and repeat over and over, for it was the Holy Spirit speaking that message.)

What Bob did in cutting up the tape, reminded me of the following OT story.

Jeremiah 36     1-2  And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah (the prophet) from the LORD, saying, 

Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

... 4-6    Then Jeremiah called Baruch (the scribe) the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:

Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

...  7    It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.

... 14   The princes sent for the roll (tablet of paper) where Jeremiah had written ... Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

... 16   Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch (Jeremiah's scribe), We will surely tell the king of all these words.

... 19-26      Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he (the king) cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he (the king) would not hear them.

But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet:

but the LORD hid them.

... 27- 31    Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?

Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

... 32   Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

*****

Bob Tilton heard the words I sent to him.  Though he cut the tape in pieces and threw the pieces in the waste basket, this did not destroy the message which would no doubt ring in his ears during the following years, and also come to the mind of those people that day who heard the tape recording of the message I sent by the Spirit of God to Bob as a result of his killing a prophet.

Later, Bob and Marte divorced. 

Bob's big, 8000-seat church building ended up torn to the ground and a hockey center built in its place.  Today there is no evidence of a church having ever been in that location.

Bob remarried and the second marriage ended up in divorce and in lawsuits over money and power.

Bob moved to the Southeast and remarried another woman, his 3rd wife.

In between these wife problems, ABC News did an Investigative Expose concerning Robert Tilton where they managed to get on film, in secret, Bob saying inflammatory, derogatory remarks about another race of people (Jewish as I recall)

This was presented on ABC's Primetime Live TV Show.

They closely investigated his ministry, and especially the hundreds of thousands of "prayer requests" solicited by Bob during those years on radio and TV. 

ABC News found (and reported on TV Primetime Live) that the prayer request envelopes were being routed unopened directly to a bank in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they were opened by bank staff and the money was deposited in Tilton's ministry account and the prayer requests were thrown into the garbage cans by the bank employees.  (there were thousands of these prayer requests letters in the dumpster in alley behind the bank)

A member of his own congregation began suing Bob over his "100-fold" offering statements in which Bob was guaranteeing 100-fold return to them in the amount of money they were giving to him at church.

Bob's house was left to him desolate, though he still tries to continue on TV and over 2 million dollars per year are still being given to him in solicited TV offering. 

At one point, prior to the ABC NEWS story, over 80-million dollars was received per year by Tilton's ministry.

(See:  Robert Tilton   Wikipedia)


I Timothy 5:24-25     Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

*****

Marilyn Hickey was having a meeting in Dallas in the early 1980's.  I picked her up at DFW airport to take her to her hotel.  Marilyn had a large number of boxes of tapes, books, and Bibles which she sold at her meeting.  These came in the cargo area of her plane and arrived at baggage with her luggage.

(The man who took me to DFW to pick up Marilyn had to make multiple trips between airport and her hotel to be able to get all the many boxes of books and Bibles she had shipped with her personal items.)

Marilyn proudly told me how she managed to ship all these boxes without paying the cargo fees.

She said:  "Always check in at curb-side (which they allowed in those days).  In your hand have a large roll of bills where the check-in man can see them.  After he puts shipping tags on the boxes, then hand him the "tip", the roll of bills."

Then Marilyn proudly said:  "And I've taught Sarah (her daughter) to do this and she can do it."  (Sarah was 12 at the time this happened.)

Later I realized Marilyn was stealing from the airlines as she shipped ministry type books, and even Bibles, to sell to people at her meetings.

*****

After I delivered some of these messages on radio,  literally thousands who had given money to us left us. 

Hostile mail came into the office by large amounts. 

People attending my meetings reduced greatly.

My own office staff said they would like to wear paper bags over their heads to my local meetings so no one would know they worked for me.

My best friend left me. 

She said to me, "Joan ... Is there any way you could be wrong about this?" 

I replied, "No." 

She withdrew from me.

It was an extremely difficult time.

*****

At a meeting in Seattle, the manager of the Seattle radio station was waiting for me outside the meeting room as I approached the meeting.  George had always been very friendly and supportive.  But now he looked very sober and serious. 

He said to me:  "Joan ... you have many 'good' messages.  Just speak those messages.  If you keep speaking these judgment type messages I don't know what is going to happen to you."

Out of my mouth came words that would define the remainder of my life in ministry.

I said, "George ... If I don't speak the message I believe to be from God then I don't have a message and I may as well be off the air."

About 1/2 of my stations stopped the broadcasts.

*****

In 1984, I decided to terminate the radio broadcasts on those stations that remained.

My father had died in 1982 and I felt it would be good for me to move from Dallas to Clovis, New Mexico (USA), where my mother lived and be there to help her.

Life for me in Dallas had become dead. 

My friends there had all left and I was almost alone at my apartment.

I began a new life in Clovis where I remained until my mother died in 2002, after which I put all the properties up for sale and moved to Lubbock, Texas.

In approximately 1997, I was introduced to personal computers.  This was going to change everything in the years to come.

*****

HYMN:    BLESSED ASSURANCE

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine:
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of HIS Spirit, washed in HIS Blood.

(Chorus)

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long,

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.


(To hear this hymn played on piano and to follow along with the words, click on the following link and then when it appears on screen, tap on the play arrow, > ) 

 Blessed Assurance

*****

Scriptures:

Romans 6:23   For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 

*** 

Revelation 16:7  And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Thy judgments. 

 

***

 

Jeremiah 9:23  Thus saith The Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am The Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith The Lord.

 

 ***

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

 

 💥💥💥💥💥

💥 Isaac, the child of promise of God, is born

 

Genesis 21

 

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as HE had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as HE had spoken.

2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

 

***

 

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

 

(Sometimes we must take swift action for light and darkness cannot co-exist.)

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

 

***

 

 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

 

 

💥💥💥💥💥

💥 Book #12: Life in Christ Series: * Great Is THY Faithfulness, Chapter 6

 

(Order all books from Amazon:  E-books: 99 cents each)

 

Are there prophets in today's NT church?

 

Some churches say there are no longer prophets in the NT church.

But what does the Bible say?  Are there examples of prophets used in the New Testament church?

Ephesians 4:11-12 ... After Jesus arose from the crucifixion ... we read ... And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

It is amazing that some church groups who say there are evangelists, pastors, teachers, say there are no apostles or prophets.

We have the Bible example of Agabus, a NT prophet, bringing a word to the apostle Paul in the church.

Acts 21:10-11    And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.  And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

Another example of Agabus is in Acts 11.

vv. 27-29    And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.  And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.  Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:

Notice in verse 27 it says in these days came "prophets" ... more than one prophet ... to the NT church.

Paul often had a prophet, Silas, accompanying him on his journeys.  Acts 15:32  And in that scripture, a man named Judas was said to be a prophet.

*****

When there is an example in the Bible showing prophets in the NT church, we should accept this as being for us today.

NT prophets often carry messages of correction to the church today.

I was invited to speak to a small church in Texas.  The pastor invited people to come to a prayer line and asked me to pray over those who came forward.  As I went down the line, I noticed a very large black woman.  I went to her and asked, "And what is it you want from God?"

She replied:  "I's gest wants more of Jesus."

I said to her, "God will show me what you are doing."

She shouted aloud saying:  "Oh, no, Lord ... Don't tell her."

It brought down the house.

*****

Prophets have an anointing from God and will often bring to the church messages which reveal truth which some in the church try to hide.

*****

I am called by God as a NT prophet, as well as an apostle.

Once I was having coffee with 2 Baptist women.

One woman began speaking of another woman from her church group.  She asked me what I thought might be wrong with this woman for she was against the new, expensive church building the pastor was having built.

Without any thought at all, the following came from my mouth.

"Maybe she's a prophet."

*****

I was playing golf with two women, a Church of Christ woman and a Methodist.

The Methodist woman began talking about people who judged others.

Out of my mouth came these words from the Holy Spirit.

"If you judge someone is judging, aren't you judging?"

It was like someone had stuck a pin in a balloon that was full of hot air.  This Methodist woman gasped like air was coming out of her.

*****

One Sunday, I was in the checkout line at the grocery.

The woman in front of me began chastising the checker who attended her church because the checker was working on a Sunday.

Finally I spoke up and said to the abuser, "If you want to go by OT law, why are you buying groceries on a Sunday?"

(In OT law they were to remain all day in their tents on the Sabbath.)  

*****

As a prophet in the NT church, I have carried many messages of correction to pastors and to congregations and to individuals in the congregations.

Prophets are usually abused by the wrong-doer.

And prophets are sent to the church, not to the world.

*****

NT apostles are a bit like judges in a court of law.  The apostle has his law book (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit who rules through him by bringing to his mind scripture concerning the case at hand to allow the apostle to judge correctly in the church.

NT prophets are like the policeman who sees a person speeding down the highway.

We see the church speeding past the Word of God, and when we see such, God often has us speak to the offender to give him an opportunity to correct himself in the church.

*****

I had gone to the same hairdresser for haircuts for about 10 years. 

She said she is a Christian. 

In October, 2017, she began telling me about her recent trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico.  

I started to ask her what she did there but it was like a STOP in my spirit.  I felt God was stopping me from asking.

But she went on to tell me she went there with her new boyfriend.

I was very grieved.

I said nothing but when I returned home I talked to God about this.

As a result, I sent her the following letter:


10-6-17

Marla:

You once told me you are a Christian.

To commit fornication is a very grievous matter and is a way of death and destruction.

The Bible says they who do such will not inherit the kingdom of God.

It is selling your soul for a morsel of flesh.

When you spoke to me of your "boyfriend" and your trip to Ruidoso, I was greatly grieved.

There was a pride and a delight in you when you spoke.

I urge you to seriously consider what you are doing, and if fornication is involved, to repent and turn back to God and save your soul, for fornication is surely a way of eternal death.

If fornication is involved, I cannot be a part of this.

Please cancel my next appointment if it is.

I just cannot approve this nor rejoice with you nor go along with you if that is what it is.

Joan Boney


Avoid even the appearance of evil.

*****

II John vv. 8-11

Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.

He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

*****

HYMN:  MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

(Chorus)

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

(To hear this hymn played on piano and to follow along with the words, click on the following link and then when it appears on screen, tap on the play arrow, >)

My hope is built on nothing less

*****

Scriptures:

Proverbs 3:5,6  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

 

***

Matthew 10:39  Jesus says ... He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for MY sake shall find it. 

 

 ***

Proverbs 20:15  There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

 

***

 

Matthew 7:24-27  Jesus says ... Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of MINE, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of MINE, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. 

 

***

John 6:27  Labour not for the meat that perishes, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for HIM hath God the Father sealed.

 

 

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💥 God keeps Abimelech from sinning against Abraham

Genesis 20

 

1  And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

 

***

 

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

 

God caused the fear of God to be in this place by the dream HE gave Abimelech.

12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

 

***

 

14  And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

 

16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.  18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife. 

 

 

💥💥💥💥💥 

💥 Book #12: Life in Christ Series: * Great Is THY Faithfulness, Chapter 5

 

(Order all books from Amazon:  E-books: 99 cents each)

 

God says to me in prophecy:  "I have called you and set you into the body of Christ as an apostle."

 

"An apostle? ... what's an apostle?"

I was very shocked and set about to find out what this was.

I knew what it says in Ephesians 4 ...

After Jesus arose, HE gave gifts to the church ...  11-12 And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Though many churches teach there are no apostles or prophets today, I believed what this scripture said and the church I was attending at that time professed to believe there are apostles and prophets in today's church ... but no one knew who the apostles were at our church group and no one knew what apostles do in the NT church.

I turned to God with this, asking Him to teach me what apostles do in the NT church today ... and God taught me.

*****

God used a section of scripture in Acts 15  to help me to understand the work of an apostle in today's NT church.

A problem arose in the church.  Should they require the Gentiles who believed to be circumcised?

The apostles and elders met to discuss this.

The Pharisees who were now believers said they should circumcise the believing Gentiles and also they should require the Gentiles to follow all the law of Moses.

Peter stood up and stated we now believe in God by faith in Christ Jesus and no longer follow the law of Moses, such as sacrificing of animals, but the blood of Jesus is our sacrifice now.

Paul and Barnabas also spoke.

Then the apostle James reviewed the scriptures and gave a "sentence", a judgment.

I saw this as being like a judge in the supreme court of USA where one of the judges renders the decision which they go by.


Acts 15:13-20     And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name.

And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.

Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

I saw by this scripture that NT apostles have an anointing from God to deal with scripture, and to establish church doctrine.

This is what I do constantly in the church concerning subjects such as

* divorce/remarriage
* homosexuals/lesbians
* drunkards
* hair length for men and women
* antichrist in the church today.

There are many false doctrines in today's churches.  Scriptures have been explained away to please people.  This is the end-time apostasy spoken of by the apostle Paul in II Thessalonians 2.

*****

A few decades ago, multiple churches taught against a man marrying a divorced woman.

This agreed with that which Jesus taught us in the Bible.

Matthew 5:32    But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

In 1936, the church of England was still teaching some doctrine close to this.  Edward VIII wanted to marry a divorced woman but the people of England, according to Parliament, would not allow a divorced woman to be their Queen.  So Edward renounced the throne of England.

In the years following WWII, many churches began to eliminate these scriptures and began approving all sorts of divorce and remarriage.

Yet the apostle Paul taught the following in the Bible, which does not change though churches change the doctrine which the Bible teaches us.

I Corinthians 7:10-11   And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

We will be judged by the Word of God, the Bible, and not by that which the churches approve.

Therefore our doctrine must conform to the doctrine of the Bible.

The removal of such doctrine in the church is the removal of the restraint that has been holding antichrist back from the church.  When the portions of scripture are changed from the Bible, antichrist comes into the church and the apostasy of the end time begins in the church.

II Thessalonians 2:3-8   (NASB)    Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.

(That which restrained antichrist was the scripture.  When churches allowed portions of scripture to be removed, the restraint was removed and antichrist moved into the church ... this is the end-time apostasy in the church ... the "falling away" spoken of in KJV which was a falling away from scripture by the church.)

7  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

(When these portions of scripture were removed from the church, "he" Jesus, The Word, was removed, "taken away", thus opening the door for antichrist and the apostasy in the church group.)

8  Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

This removal of portions of scripture is taking place in the churches today, thus we are seeing today the end-time apostasy.

Those called by God as apostles will fight against this, but I have never seen a pastor repent when I have shown him scripture which he has twisted or removed from the congregation.  I have gone to several pastors through the years and never has a pastor repented when he did this with scripture.

  When God showed me the word "restraint" I knew what was happening in those churches.  

Antichrist had moved into the church by the removal of specific scriptures.  This is the end-time apostasy in the church which had to happen before Jesus returns.  We are seeing it today.  It opens the door for the return of Jesus.

There are many other doctrines from Bible which are twisted or changed or explained away in the churches today .

In Bible we see homosexuals went against nature and chose unnatural acts of sex. 

Romans 1:26-27    For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

These homosexuals try to explain themselves saying they were born this way and therefore have always had this unnatural sexual attraction to the same sex.  (Some churches today are approving homosexuals and lesbians and some churches even ordain homosexuals and lesbians to be their ministers.)

But the Bible teaches us they chose this unnatural way.

Concerning drunkards  ... some medical groups are saying drunkards have a disease causing them to be drunkards.

But the Bible teaches us drunkenness is a sin, a work of the flesh, and they who do such things as this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The apostle Paul explains as follows:

I Corinthians 6:9-10    Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

These are not diseases as cancer is a disease, but these are sins, the work of the flesh, their own uncontrolled fleshly desires manifest in them.

These people who continue these sins will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The real apostles, appointed by God and ordained by God to the NT church, will not approve sin in the church but will hold fast to Bible doctrine regardless of the words spoken by religious people against these doctrines of the Bible.

*****

In the next chapter, I speak about prophets in today's church.

Notice how different the work of the apostle is from the work of prophet.

The apostle uses much scripture, comparing scripture against scripture.

The prophet rarely speaks scripture but gives specific words and concepts to the church. 

*****

HYMN:    I SERVE A RISEN SAVIOR

I serve a risen Savior

HE's in the world today.

I know that HE is living,

Whatever men may say.

I see HIS hand of mercy;

I hear HIS voice of cheer;

And just the time I need HIM

HE's always near.

(Chorus:)

HE lives, HE lives,

Christ Jesus lives today!

HE walks with me and

talks with me

along life's narrow way.

HE lives, HE lives,

salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know HE lives?

HE lives within my heart.

(To hear this hymn played on piano and to follow along with the words, click on the following link and then when it appears on screen, tap on the play arrow, > )

I serve a risen Savior

*****

Scriptures:

 

Romans 8:29-31  For whom HE (God) did foreknow, HE also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of HIS Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom HE did predestinate, them HE also called: 

and whom HE called, them HE also justified: 

and whom HE justified, them HE also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

 

 ***

 

 Revelation 21:1-5  And I (John) saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5  And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.  And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

 

***

Colossians 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

 

 ***

 

Matthew 6:19-21  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

***

 

Romans 14:19  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

 

 

 💥💥💥💥💥

 

💥 God appears again to Abraham

 

Genesis 18

 

1  And the LORD appeared unto him (to Abraham) in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:

5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And HE said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

 

(God will not allow us to get by with lying to ourselves.)

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which HE hath spoken of him.

20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto ME; and if not, I will know.

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And HE said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And HE said, I will not do it for forty's sake.

30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And HE said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And HE said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.

32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And HE said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

33 And the LORD went HIS way, as soon as HE had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

 

💥💥💥💥💥

💥 Book #12: Life in Christ Series: * Great Is THY Faithfulness, Chapter 4

 

(Order all books from Amazon:  E-books: 99 cents each)

 

Very Serious Test of Faith in the Promises of God in Bible

 

In approximately 1977, while I was still operating my business in American Indian Arts, a short, fat, jolly type man came into my store.  I noticed immediately that his tie clasp was a pair of handcuffs.

He said to me:  "Little lady, do you know a man named Settles?"

I told him I didn't know anyone of that name.

He said to me, "Well ... he knows you!  He is suing you for a million dollars!"  (And with that he served me with the legal papers for the law suit.)

I was stunned.

Not only did I not know this man, but I had less than $2000 at the time this happened.

At first, it was very hard to take this seriously.  I remember going into my office and tossing the legal papers on a counter.

In a few days, I realized if I failed to respond to this judgment, that man could take away my business, all my merchandise, and the money I had in my checking account!

At that point, I hired a lawyer.

*****

Test of faith:  Is this scripture really true and valid for NT church today?

Isaiah 54:17     No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

*****  

God had taught me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.  I would go on buying trips and buy only merchandise that I had cash to pay for.

I did not borrow money for merchandise.

I came back to Dallas from the buying trip and sold the merchandise and took the cash out to the reservation and purchased more merchandise with the cash I had.

At the time one of my best friends, a vice-president at Braniff International (airlines) told me she had never seen any business or corporation conducted as I was doing with my business.

She said every corporation she had ever worked for and everything she had ever been taught about business said to use other people's money for the business and to make money from other people's money through business loans.

But I felt God had shown me to get out of debt and stay out of debt.

Romans 13:8    Owe no man any thing

So that is what I did.

About 3 months after she told me this, Braniff filed for bankruptcy, shut down their operation, and everyone at Braniff lost their jobs.

*****

So at the time of this lawsuit, I was out of debt and operating on a cash only basis.

The bills for legal fees connected with the lawsuit began arriving and were eating up all the profit from the sale of merchandise.

I made a very strong, significant decision at that time.

If that scripture in Isaiah 54 pertained to the church today, this lawsuit could not prosper against me.

I am a "servant of the Lord" now, a Christian.

So according to Isaiah 54:17, this weapon against me could not prosper.

Therefore I decided, based on that scripture, to dismiss my attorney and go to court without any human legal counsel.

I made an appointment with the pastor at my church and went to tell him what I was doing.

As I drove out to the appointment, I prayed for God to give pastor wisdom.

After I told him, he looked at me and said:  "Joan ... I perceive you have the faith to do this this way."

I called my lawyer immediately.

*****

Gordon, lawyer, was shocked.

He replied:  "Joan ... you can't do this!  You don't know how evil these courts are."

To that I said to Gordon:  "I am a Christian.  And this scripture says, 'No weapon formed against me will prosper.'  If the Bible is true for us today and not just a history book, then this weapon will not prosper.  And if the Bible is only some kind of book telling about History in the church, I want nothing more to do with the Bible.  So with this lawsuit we will test the Bible."

When I explained to Gordon how the legal bills were eating up all the profit from my business, Gordon said: 

"Joan ... we're willing to work with you ... Don't worry... It will only take about $10,000 more to try this case."

I was shocked and cried out:  "$10,000 more ... Gordon ... STOP ... don't do another thing."

*****

A few days later Gordon came to my shop.  

He said:  "Joan ... we have decided to try your case without any further charge to you."

What is going on here? 

One day they tell me it will take $10,000 more ... now they tell me all future legal service will be free ...

I replied:  "Gordon ... I will  have to get back with you on this."

He left my shop.

I started praying:

"God ... what do YOU want me to do about this free legal service?"

Immediately I was reminded of the following scripture:

Genesis 14:21-23    And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.  And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,  That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

I knew, by this scripture, that God was saying to me:  "Don't take the free legal service."

*****

I called Gordon immediately and declined the free legal service and prepared myself to go to court without any human legal counsel.

I was terrified!

During the weeks, and months, that followed, before the trial date, God reminded me of several scriptures.  I took those verses and recorded them onto a cassette tape.  When I went to bed, I played that tape.  When I awoke during the night, I would turn the tape over and play the scriptures again.  I had recorded those 13 or 14 scriptures on both sides of the cassette tape so I could hear them many times.  

I also had written out those verses and kept them before me during the day to reinforce my faith and hold to what I believed I was to do.

This is exactly what we see God telling Joshua to do in Joshua 1. 

(I saw this later.  I didn't know Joshua 1 at the time of the law suit.)

Joshua 1:7-9    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.

For 6 months or so I kept these scriptures that had been given to me by the Holy Spirit before me day and night, during the time leading up to the trial date.

It all exploded 6 days before the trial was scheduled in US District Court.

I received a phone call from the lawyer of the man who was suing me.  He said since I had no lawyer he was calling to tell me his client had dropped all charges.

I asked him if the man dropped all charges against everyone else for he had attached several of us together with a charge of conspiring to keep him from doing business in Dallas. 

(He was an itinerate merchant of Indian jewelry, a peddler, who went from city to city renting motel meeting rooms to sell merchandise at 70% off.)

This man's lawyer said, "He cut everyone loose."

The lawyer went on to say, "We tried to get him not to sue you but he wouldn't listen.  He was like a madman."  

*****

It was over ... almost ...

A few weeks later, Gordon came to see me.  He said, "We have discussed your case at the law firm for weeks.  And we have decided that what you said would happen happened ..."

Isaiah 54:17 ... No weapon formed against me would prosper ...

and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of ME, saith the LORD.

*****

This was a very big test of faith in the Word of God ... and by this God took me forth to other battles over the Word of God in the Bible.

This lawsuit was a foundation for faith in the scriptures in the Bible and was greatly used by God in my life for the remainder of my life.

*****

HYMN:    

STANDING ON THE PROMISES
                        OF CHRIST MY KING

Standing on the promises
of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages
let HIS praises ring,

Glory in the highest,
I will shout and sing.

Standing on the promises of God.

(Chorus)

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of
Christ my savior;

Standing, standing,
I'm standing on the promises
of God.

(To hear this hymn played on piano and to follow along with the words, click on the following link and then when it appears on screen, tap on the play arrow, > ) 

Standing on the Promises of Christ my King

*****