Before I was born again in 1975, I owned a business in American Indian Arts.
A man came into my shop looking for art objects that contained "special powers".
I told this man there is a special power but it is not in any art object.
Power is in God, the creator of heaven and earth.
*****
Jesus left a commission to "overcome", cited in Revelation 2-3, to each of the 7 churches.
We overcome through God each time God reveals to us a word from HIS Spirit and we apply that word properly to our lives. The gates of hell cannot stand against that word revealed by God through HIS spirit to us.
However, the Holy Spirit does not make us do anything. It is up to us to learn to recognize the Holy Spirit when HE speaks and choose to follow HIM, doing as HE instructs from God.
By this, we overcome as we live on this present earth.
This is the subject of this book: Overcoming Through God
Joan Boney
*Overcoming Through God - Product Description
Before I was born again in 1975, I owned a business in American Indian Arts.
A man came into my shop looking for art objects that contained "special powers".
I told this man there is a special power but it is not in any art object.
Power is in God, the creator of heaven and earth.
*****
Jesus left a commission to "overcome", cited in Revelation 2-3, to each of the 7 churches.
We overcome through God each time God reveals to us a word from HIS Spirit and we apply that word properly to our lives. The gates of hell cannot stand against that word revealed by God through HIS spirit to us.
However, the Holy Spirit does not make us do anything. It is up to us to learn to recognize the Holy Spirit when HE speaks and choose to follow HIM, doing as HE instructs from God.
By this, we overcome as we live on this present earth.
This is the subject of this book: Overcoming Through God
Joan Boney
*Preface - Overcoming Through God
Before we were born again, we tried to overcome the various problems of this life by wisdom of man, by figuring things out by our own mind … by that which seemed right to us.
After we are born again and have been given the Spirit of God, we have the power to know what is right in the sight of God, for the spirit of God searches the heart of God to show us the will of God. I Cor. 2
Therefore Jesus says:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
The subject of this book and the examples given in this book are examples of overcoming through God, not through our flesh as we once did.
Isaiah 55 … For MY thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways MY ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY ways higher than your ways and MY thoughts than your thoughts.
Joan Boney
*1 ... Overcoming By The Spirit Is Not Automatic
I was baptized in water when I was 15-years-old.
I was born again by the Spirit of God when I was 37-years-old. Then I had another spirit in me, to lead me and to guide me. Now I could overcome through God. I was a new creature.
II Cor. 5:17 … Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Overcoming through God’s Spirit is not automatic.
We learn to hear God and to pay attention to that small voice speaking in form of a thought, an idea … and then we choose to do that which is in keeping with the instruction given by that “small voice” in us, The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth, The Comforter.
*****
When I was born again in 1975, the Holy Spirit said to me: “Joan … you know all those mistakes you’ve been making all these years? Those weren’t mistakes. Those were sins.”
SINS? … I was very shocked! I thought they were mistakes.
With that word from God, I was born again immediately by the Spirit of God and was given the Holy Spirit to dwell inside me to lead me and guide me.
But even though I was given the Holy Spirit, I still had to learn to hear which spirit was of God for we have thoughts and ideas coming by our own flesh, thoughts from devils, and thoughts and ideas from God, and often all three speak things to our minds that seem “good”.
Thus the apostle John said:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: I Jn. 4:1
We can pray, asking God to confirm which thought is from the Spirit of God.
We can pray, asking God for wisdom.
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.
We overcome through God … not through our own ideas.
Our flesh is greatly lifted up in pride when we do something based on our own wisdom.
But when we ask God for HIS wisdom and receive HIS direction, how can we take fleshly pride for the idea was not from ourselves but from God …
Thus we keep our flesh under submission to God by seeking God’s wisdom and by choosing God’s wisdom.
The apostle Paul said …
I Cor. 9 … Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
*2 ... Choosing Ideas From God
A man in our little church group was considering building another storage building to store his stuff.
As he thought about doing this, he heard: “Why don’t you just get rid of the stuff.”
This was the Holy Spirit speaking to this man.
This was wisdom from God.
James 3:17 … But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
At the time this happened, this man was in his early 70’s. Within a few years, he had a very serious heart operation and became partially paralyzed. It was certainly the wisdom from God by the Spirit of God to get rid of the stuff when he heard from God to do so.
*****
Overcoming through God … overcoming through the Word given us by the Spirit of God on the issue of this life with which we are currently dealing.
Jesus commissioned each believer to overcome the issues of this present life. And we need to overcome the problems by seeking the way God wants us to deal with such. We pray. We turn to God. We consult God. We wait until we are assured God has shown us the way to go.
Jesus promised us that God would give us The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth, The Comforter …
The scripture in John 14:26 and in John 16:13 show us 4 things the Holy Spirit does for the believer in Christ.
The Holy Spirit:
- Teaches us all things
- Reminds us of what Jesus said
- Guides us into all truth
- Shows us things to come
Jn. 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.
Jn. 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 (from God), that shall HE speak: and HE will shew you things to come.
*****
I have lived many years believing these things about the Holy Spirit and trusting my life and my way on this earth to God through this word concerning what the Holy Spirit does for the one to whom God reveals HIS Word.
When I was born again, I owned a small business in Dallas, Texas … American Indian Arts.
A man came to me from Houston to talk to me about business. This man’s wife was starting an American Indian Arts business in Houston and he insisted in coming to talk to me about business. I tried to get him not to do this, telling him I didn’t know anything about business. But he insisted on coming to talk with me. This man was a graduate of Harvard Business School.
The first thing he wanted to know concerned “my marketing plan.”
I was praying all the time he was asking me these things.
Finally I said to him:
I’m a Christian.
So before I go out to the reservation to buy art objects, I pray, asking God to have the Indians make the objects.
When I get to the reservation, I pray, asking God to show me the objects I should buy.
When I return to Dallas, I pray, asking God to send out the angels to bring in the customers to purchase the items.
Dead silence!
Then the man said, “Well …that’s a type of marketing ..” and he left the store.
*****
Shortly after I was born again, I was transported into heaven in the night as I slept … I was with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit. (I saw no images. It was an experience in the Spirit.) At that time, I was “merged” into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God.
I didn’t tell anyone about this because I thought this happened to everyone who was a Christian.
A few nights after this, the exact thing happened again in the night. I was transported into heaven as I slept. I was with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit. At that time I was “merged” into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God, with God and the Holy Spirit as witnesses.
I was then on fire for Bible and things of God. That is all I cared about. I no longer cared for the business.
I had 3 very competent women working for me at my shop. I didn’t even have to go to the shop, except for doing appraisals of art objects. And I did have to go to reservations to do the buying of the objects to stock the shop. Otherwise, I just stayed home at my apartment and studied the Bible. I went to church gatherings. And I went to a prayer group.
*****
During these early years, a man came to Dallas selling jewelry out of a motel room.
The Dallas Morning News asked me to write an article helping guide people in the purchase of authentic art works in this field. I warned consumers about “too good to be true” sales where items were marked down too much, such as 70%.
A man who was doing this filed law suit against me and several other American Indian Arts dealers in Dallas/Fort Worth. He also filed suit against Better Business Bureau of both Dallas and Fort Worth. He charged that we were conspiring to keep him from doing business in the metroplex.
I had trouble taking this seriously.
Then I realized that if I failed to respond to this suit, I could lose the business and judgment could be ruled against me in the courts of law.
So I hired a lawyer.
Shortly after hiring the lawyer, I saw the following scripture.
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.
The legal fees were putting me in danger of having to go into debt. Therefore, based on this scripture in Isaiah, I decided to dismiss my lawyer and go to court without any human legal counsel.
My lawyer was horrified and said, “Joan … you can’t do this. You don’t realize how evil these courts are.”
I replied, “Gordon … I am a Christian. This promise of God to Christians is in the Bible. The promise says no weapon formed against me will prosper. If that is true, this lawsuit will not prosper against me.”
Gordon replied: “We are willing to work with you. It will only take about $10,000 more to try your case.”
With that I was shocked and shouted: “$10,000? … Gordon, STOP, don’t do another thing!”
I dismissed the lawyer from representing me in this lawsuit.
*****
Approximately a week later, Gordon came into my shop. He said the law firm had decided to represent me without any further cost to me.
What is going on here? One week it is going to cost $10,000 more and now they are going to represent me for free?
What does God want me to do is the question … so I prayed, asking God what HE wanted me to do.
After I prayed about this, the Holy Spirit brought the following scriptures to my attention.
Genesis 14 …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 God was telling me to turn down this “free” legal service.
Also with this information my way was set for the remainder of my life. I purposed with Abraham that I wanted my support to come from God, not from worldly people.
*****
I was very frightened after these decisions. I kept scripture given me by the Holy Spirit in front of me day and night to give me strength and to fight fears.
The case went on for several months. Then six days before the trial was scheduled in US courts, the man suing us dropped all charges against everyone.
About two weeks later, Gordon came into my shop. He said the lawyers at the law firm had discussed my case and had decided what I said happened, happened.
I was not trying to be a witness to the lawyers.
All I was trying to do was obey God and do what God wanted me to do.
But when we are trying to do things on this earth God’s way we are a witness without trying to be. It is like a stone being thrown into the water. The stone isn’t trying to make ripples in the water. But ripples occur.
In everything that happens to us in this life, our goal should be to overcome by God’s plan for the situation.
*****
Jesus made the following promises to the 7 churches in the book of Revelation concerning overcoming … Jesus said:
Revelation 2
v. 7 … To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
v. 10 … Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life…
v. 11 ...He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
v. 17 … To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
vv. 26-28 … And he that overcometh, and keepeth MY works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of MY Father. And I will give him the morning star.
Revelation 3
v. 5 … He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before MY Father, and before HIS angels.
vv. 10-12... Because thou hast kept the word of MY patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of MY God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of MY God, and the name of the city of MY God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from MY God: and I will write upon him MY new name.
v. 21… To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with ME in MY throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with MY Father in HIS throne.
*****
We have a commission from Jesus to overcome on this present earth and to run that race to the end of our lives on this present earth or until Jesus returns for HIS people and takes HIS people into heaven, to the new Jerusalem, wherein dwelleth righteousness, according to the apostle Peter. (II Peter 3:13)
We will never have righteousness on this present earth.
The apostle Paul warns us:
II Tim. 3:13 ... But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Our job, as long as God leaves us on this earth, is to follow God by HIS Spirit, speak truth as the door opens for truth, and endure to the end, holding fast faith in God even in the midst of iniquity in our own households and churches.
One way to endure is to keep our eyes focused on great men and great women of faith in the Bible, letting them be our friends, for we are one with them. Our company must be with God and with those men and women of the Bible.
The churches today have already entered into the apostasy as they removed scripture, in part, and explained scripture away. This allowed the restraint against antichrist to be removed so that the man of lawlessness could enter into the churches.
But according to the apostle Paul, this had to happen in the churches before Jesus could return.
II Thess. 2 ... 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.
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. Then that lawless one will be revealed
*****
The restraint was the scripture. When portions of scripture were removed from the church, lawlessness moved into the churches ... thus the apostasy in the churches.
You will say, "My church isn't a part of the apostasy." (and you will be so proud)
Does your church teach the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery?
This is what Jesus said: Mt. 5:32
If your church allows men to marry divorced women, it is a part of the apostasy.
*****
The poison gas dream:
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
Destruction was everywhere.
I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too.
God was showing me the anarchy in the church groups, at the time of the dream, 1979. The destruction in the churches was everywhere, even at that time. And it is much worse today.
*3 ... Overcoming for a Christian is Seeking God’s Will and Obeying God In All Things
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
We must continually fight fear and unbelief as long as we live on this present earth. We fight such, through prayer, through gaining assurance that we have the will of God in that which we are doing, and by keeping that Word given us by God by HIS Spirit before our eyes day and night.
*****
Psalm 1 ... Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in HIS law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
*****
There are things we must do if we are to live in the way of God and prosper.
* We cannot walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Just because a man is successful in the world does not mean we can go in his counsel. We must, instead, walk in the counsel of God, which is often exactly opposite from the way that successful ungodly man might have you go.
In the early years when I was on radio, I had an advertising agency promoting my radio broadcasts and meetings.
The agent assigned to me began to make "suggestions".
First, he said to me: We would like you to add the following to all your printed materials and envelopes... "Send Me Your Prayer Requests"
I replied: "NO! I don't want to do that. They should pray directly to God through Jesus Christ, not through me!"
Then the agent told me it was very important for me not to offend anyone.
I'm called as an apostle/prophet ... apostles deal with scripture and doctrine and fight perversion of such in the churches ... prophets delivers messages of correction and the rebellious often attack the prophet.
The gospel itself is an offence to the unruly!
Lk. 12:51-53 ... Jesus said ... Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
I could not walk in the counsel of the ungodly (the ad agency) and follow God.
Within a short time, they set me aside and no longer represented me.
This agency represented, at that time, Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Robert Tilton, and had represented Jimmy Swaggart ... big-time ministers.
I knew I had "blown it". They definitely had the power to make me into one of those same big-time ministers.
One time Marilyn Hickey came to me and said: "Joan ... please pray that Michael Ellison will agree with my doing TV shows." (Michael Ellison ... not God)
That is how powerful this advertising agency was.
So I thought I had failed when they eliminated me as a client.
But God showed me I had passed a test.
Mt. 4:8-10 ... Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (obey me)
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
*****
* We cannot walk in the way of sinners, doing what they believe wise.
James 3:17 ... But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
(without hypocrisy: without pretense)
*****
* We cannot sit in the seat of the scornful ...
We cannot sit with the scornful, eat with the scornful, keep company with the scornful, nor be friends with the scornful, approving them by our friendship.
Scornful:
- one who shows contempt toward a person he considers to be despicable or unworthy
- looking down on someone and complaining about such in a derogatory way
- one who shows strong displeasure against another person, considering self to be more noble, worthy, righteous than that other person
- one who speaks of a person in a disrespectful way, making fun of that person such as saying: "Can you believe he would have said that?
*****
* To succeed and to have the power to succeed, we must keep the word given us by God before us "day and night" to think constantly upon that word ... By doing this, we will eventually have the power to do that word ... That word from God will rise up in us and overcome all other directions.
As we draw from the waters of that word given us by God by HIS Spirit, God says we will be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water. Our leaf will not wither. Our plans from God will not fade as do other plans of this world. Winds do not usually blow over a tree. And most of all we continually draw our water from that river of water so when there is heat and a drought of the world, we do not collapse as do others. We have continual nourishment.
As a consequence of these actions: Whatsoever we do will prosper
*****
Joshua was told by God to meditate on God’s word day and night so he might be strong enough to do God’s word and then he would make his way prosperous and then he would have good success. Joshua 1:8
The same thing applies to each Christian today.
During one period of my life, I was so frightened that I took every scripture brought to my attention by the Holy Spirit and recorded each of these scriptures on a cassette tape on both sides of the tape, and played that tape every night when I went to bed. Each time I awoke in the night, I turned the tape over and started it playing again and would go to sleep with the tape playing these scripture.
This helped me fight the fear and helped me to believe the Word given me by God on the fearful subject at hand in my life at that time.
We do what we have to do to overcome.
There are times I have had to avoid persons who would steal faith from me.
Jesus once said:
Mt. 10 … Whosoever therefore shall confess ME (The Word) before men, him will I confess also before MY Father which is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny ME (deny the Word) before men, him will I also deny before MY Father which is in heaven.
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
He that loveth father or mother more than ME is not worthy of ME: and he that loveth son or daughter more than ME is not worthy of ME. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after ME (the Word), is not worthy of ME. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for MY sake (for the sake of The Word) shall find it.
We might end up losing our life, our association, with certain people on this present earth.
I’ve often had people leave me and despise me because of the warnings I have given them from the Word of God.
I’ve had people leave me and despise me when they witnessed my way of life in Christ by the instruction of God by the Word, the Holy Scriptures.
Jesus warned:
Lk. 6 … Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
The apostle Paul said … Phil. 3:13 … Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
As long as he was alive on this earth, Paul had to contend for the Word of God … doing the Word of God in the issues pertaining to this present life.
We do not arrive to the point where we can stop contending for the life in Christ.
As long as God chooses to leave us on this earth, we contend for the Word of God.
I Cor. 9:24-27 … Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
*****
Jesus said "few" would find the way of life.
Mt. 7:13-14 ... Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Dictionary definition of "few" is two or three ...
So many people who say Jesus is their Lord today have a form of godliness but are empty vessels when they try to speak, showing nothing of God but vain imaginations. They can be swept off the path very quickly by a wind, even by a little wind, having no root system.
They have no real, consistent foundation in doing the word of God. Mostly they try to look good in the eyes of other men, doing all manner of plans of themselves and men of this world.
Few find the real way of God on this earth, living victorious lives, overcoming on this earth.
It is because of their choices and their lack of faith in God and there preponderance of faith in other humans and even in themselves.
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