If you delight in God and the Word of God and the things of God, I believe you will enjoy reading this book.
God blesses HIS people and even frees us from following after money as HE gives us all that we need and will do so as long as HE keeps us on this earth.
Jesus said no man can serve two masters. We cannot serve God and "mammon".
So God made a way whereby we could follow after HIM, and still prosper and have good success.
At the time I was born again, I owned a small business in Dallas, Texas. After I was born again, all I cared about was God and the church. I was completely changed. The greatest thing that has ever happened in my life is being born again.
I no longer thought about my business. I had 3 competent women who worked for me and that made it possible for me to stay home and read the Bible. I used what I read in the Bible as principles for running my business. I didn't do this in order to prosper and have good success. I just wanted to do that which was right in the sight of God and as a result I prospered and had good success.
I didn't follow after money, riches, wealth. I just followed after scripture.
Jesus said:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
Prosperity and good success are by-products of our seeking after the righteousness of God.
That is what this book is about.
Joan Boney
Righeousness, Prosperity, and Good Success: Product Description
If you delight in God and the Word of God and the things of God, I believe you will enjoy reading this book.
God blesses HIS people and even frees us from following after money as HE gives us all that we need and will do so as long as HE keeps us on this earth.
Jesus said no man can serve two masters. We cannot serve God and "mammon".
So God made a way whereby we could follow after HIM, and still prosper and have good success.
At the time I was born again, I owned a small business in Dallas, Texas. After I was born again, all I cared about was God and the church. I was completely changed. The greatest thing that has ever happened in my life is being born again.
I no longer thought about my business. I had 3 competent women who worked for me and that made it possible for me to stay home and read the Bible. I used what I read in the Bible as principles for running my business. I didn't do this in order to prosper and have good success. I just wanted to do that which was right in the sight of God and as a result I prospered and had good success.
I didn't follow after money, riches, wealth. I just followed after scripture.
Jesus said:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
Prosperity and good success are by-products of our seeking after the righteousness of God.
That is what this book is about.
Joan Boney
Righteousness, properity, and good success: 1
God spells out for us the way to righteousness, prosperity, and good success through the information in the following two scriptures.
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 withersoever 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?
(Isn't it God who told you to do that which you are currently doing?)
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.
*****
Psalm 1:1-3 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.
*****
If we fashion our life according to the instructions in these two scriptures we are going to be going in a way of righteousness as we live on this earth.
And we will also prosper and have good success on this earth.
If you will take each verse which is called to your attention by the Holy Spirit, and focus on that verse and do that verse, you will come into prosperity and good success without even trying to do so.
*****
During the past 43-years, I have never sought money or things of this world. My focus as been on scripture and the church. As I followed scripture, by the Spirit of God, at first it would seem I encountered loss ... but then it was like God did for me like HE did with the prophet Job.
Job 42:12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:
I didn't follow after blessings. I followed after verses of scripture that were called to my attention by the Holy Spirit and I tried to do those scriptures, and the blessings followed the doing of the scripture.
Today I have ended up, at 80-years-of- age, lacking nothing.
Many people in churches say, "The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want."
But when the Lord is your shepherd, you follow HIM, doing that which HE shows you to do.
After a time of following those scriptures shown you by the Holy Spirit, you will one day realize that you actually have all you want. It just happened along the way as you followed God without even thinking of what you wanted.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
All we think of is doing that scripture or word given us by the Spirit of God.
Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is HE that giveth thee power to get wealth, that HE may establish His covenant which HE sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
*****
Focus
on following one verse at a time ... keep that instruction in your mind
and think on it daily until you can do what it says to you, making it a
part of your life.
(It sometimes helps to look up definition of key words in a dictionary, viewing the meaning in your life as Holy Spirit reminds you of events or things in your life.)
(It sometimes helps to look up definition of key words in a dictionary, viewing the meaning in your life as Holy Spirit reminds you of events or things in your life.)
Joshua 1
* 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 withersoever thou goest.
(Of
course we do not do the OT sacrifices ... but think of this scripture
in terms of that way of God which we are told to do in the New Testament
church, following NT diligently. Also keeping in mind some of the many
promises of God from OT.)
The Holy Spirit will get us to focus on specific scripture which shows us the will of God for us at a specific point in time. Focus on that scripture, doing that which is appropriate in your life to conform yourself to that scripture for that is exactly what you need at this moment.
*****
When I was born again in 1975, one of the early scriptures which showed me the will of God is the following:
Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing
I felt God was saying to me: "Get out of debt ... and stay out of debt."
I stopped buying things on credit. I bought only those things for which I could pay cash.
I
cut back my spending, even on "little things". Even though it didn't
amount to much toward paying the debt, it structured my life in another
way of thinking.
(I
am always shocked at the amount of money I see people spend on things
like iced tea and soft drinks when they go to café. While I was
getting out of debt, this is one way I disciplined myself and cut back.
Certainly today I could afford such but even to this day, the way of
life I developed in that period carries over.)
*****
I had gotten my personal life out of debt within a few weeks.
But I owned a business at that time and I had borrowed approximately $6000 from a woman who wanted to buy into my business.
But I owned a business at that time and I had borrowed approximately $6000 from a woman who wanted to buy into my business.
I used the money to buy merchandise which I sold in my shop.
This woman was an unbeliever, as was I when I began my business and borrowed from her.
But now I am a Christian!
And I saw the following instruction:
II Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
My goal became to pay that business loan as quickly as possible, freeing myself from a business partnership with an unbeliever.
A situation came about to cause me to be able to get free from this debt much sooner than I expected.
My business was American Indian Arts. I bought authentic jewelry and pottery and offered the items for sale in Dallas, Texas.
I was on a buying trip in New Mexico (USA).
Mostly we sold jewelry in my shop and when I went on buying trips, most of the cash I had was used to pay for jewelry.
Mostly we sold jewelry in my shop and when I went on buying trips, most of the cash I had was used to pay for jewelry.
However, on this trip something very unusual happened.
An old Navajo rug caught my attention. (I knew nothing about Navajo rugs.) I tried to walk away from that rug but I kept coming back to it. I finally knew I had to buy the rug. It cost me $500.
I
took it to a rug appraiser who told me it was really a very fine rug.
She said I should price it at a price where it would not sell for it
would go up in price and I should hold onto it.
At the time she appraised it at $1500.
I returned to Dallas and had that rug rolled up at the side of the room, not on display yet.
A man came to purchase jewelry. He saw that rug and asked, "What's that?"
I replied: "It is an old Navajo rug."
"Let me see it," he said.
I said, "Oh ... I don't think you'd like that." I responded.
But he kept insisting so I rolled the rug onto the floor.
After looking at the rug he said: "How much?"
"Let me see it," he said.
I said, "Oh ... I don't think you'd like that." I responded.
But he kept insisting so I rolled the rug onto the floor.
After looking at the rug he said: "How much?"
Without any thought, I said: "$5000."
He said: "I'll take it" ... and he began writing out a check to pay for the rug.
I was horrified. I always protected my customers, being sure of the quality of the item and charging a fair market price.
I did all I could to try to talk this man out of buying that rug but he was determined to buy the rug.
I said to him, "I'm
not going to cash your check for a week. If you change your mind,
bring the rug back to me and I will give you your check back."
I never saw the man again.
I deposited the check and repaid the woman all the money she had loaned me ... and I was debt free! And I was no longer yoked to an unbeliever!
*****
When we see a scripture and purpose in our heart to do that scripture, God makes a way for us to do that scripture.
Romans 13:8 Owe no man anything
II Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
*****
Notice the steps taken by me in being led by God's Spirit.
* Before going on buying trips, I always prayed for wisdom concerning what I should purchase.
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.
I depended on God to lead me by HIS Spirit. I continually asked God for wisdom. I believed it would be given me when I asked, for that is what it says in the Bible.
How does God give me HIS wisdom?
Sometimes God will bring a thought to my mind by the Holy Spirit. It may be a scripture or a concept.
Sometimes God will get my attention drawn to something and my interest will be such that I can't leave that item behind. (In the rug case, that is what happened.)
Human reason often tries to talk us out of what God is trying to show us.
In this case: "But I need to spend my money on jewelry. That is what I sell, not rugs. I don't know anything about rugs."
But I had with me the cash to pay for the rug. That was very important since I had felt God was leading me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.
I had absolutely no idea one item would end up allowing me to pay (in full) the woman who had invested in my shop!
I just couldn't walk away from that strong interest I had in that rug.
We can know the ideas that come from God by the following characteristics.
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.
Also God had shown me the following scripture to live by:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto ME, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
* Before going on buying trips, I always prayed for wisdom concerning what I should purchase.
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.
I depended on God to lead me by HIS Spirit. I continually asked God for wisdom. I believed it would be given me when I asked, for that is what it says in the Bible.
*****
How does God give me HIS wisdom?
Sometimes God will bring a thought to my mind by the Holy Spirit. It may be a scripture or a concept.
Sometimes God will get my attention drawn to something and my interest will be such that I can't leave that item behind. (In the rug case, that is what happened.)
Human reason often tries to talk us out of what God is trying to show us.
In this case: "But I need to spend my money on jewelry. That is what I sell, not rugs. I don't know anything about rugs."
But I had with me the cash to pay for the rug. That was very important since I had felt God was leading me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt.
I had absolutely no idea one item would end up allowing me to pay (in full) the woman who had invested in my shop!
I just couldn't walk away from that strong interest I had in that rug.
We can know the ideas that come from God by the following characteristics.
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.
*****
Also God had shown me the following scripture to live by:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto ME, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take MY yoke upon you, and learn of ME; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For MY yoke is easy, and MY burden is light.
*****
I had been living the above scripture for many weeks.
I knew if something was complex and expensive, it would not be the way
of God for me. I would start reexamining the plan if it was going to
put me in a financial bind to do that plan. Always there would be
another way to go about accomplishing the goal and the other way would
be "easy to do" and "simple."
Another scripture I had been living for weeks:
Isaiah 55:12 Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace:
Joy, interest, excitement ... were guides ... provided I could afford the item.
Of course there was always prayer: Asking God for wisdom.
*****
Righteousness, properity, and good success: 2
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
*****
When the Holy Spirit causes our attention to be drawn to a verse of scripture and we think on that verse and on that which we are told to do, and we begin to do what it says, we enter into God's righteousness and HIS way of prosperity and we find good success.
Sometimes we will do that same verse daily for weeks, or months, or years.
This was the case for me when I saw the promise of God in the following scripture and began doing the instruction daily, continually.
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.
*****
I was very aware of the great wisdom God had given Solomon.
Also I saw in Proverbs many scriptures about God's wisdom.
Now I have seen a promise that if we ask God for wisdom HE will give it to us!
I really wanted to do this all the time.
So as a new Christian in 1975, I set out daily to get wisdom from God.
I took my Bible and wrote the following on the top of each book in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. I didn't want to forget to do this before reading daily!
"ASK GOD FOR WISDOM"
*****
God explained to me many things from the Bible.
Jesus said: Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
At the end-time, before Jesus returns for the church, many would come saying, "Jesus is Lord," and because they say "Jesus is Lord", they would be in a position to deceive many.
When I first read this scripture, I thought they were coming saying they are the Christ. But if they did that we would not listen to them.
If they come to the church saying, "Jesus is Lord," they could work their way in among us and could deceive us.
Jesus was warning us this would happen in the end.
*****
The apostle Paul says:
II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,
I saw the "falling away" was the church group would "fall away" from scripture, allowing strange doctrines to take the place of the Bible, opening the door for antichrist, the man of lawlessness, to move into the church.
*****
God showed me many things about how HE leads us today as HIS people in the NT church.
Jesus said:
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, HE shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 16:13 Howbeit when HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into all truth: for HE shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever HE shall hear (from God), that shall HE speak: and HE will shew you things to come.
We see by these two scriptures, the Holy Spirit, who lives in each believer, does the following for the child of God.
- HE teaches us all things
- HE reminds us of the WORD
- HE guides us into all truth
- HE shows us things to come
The Holy Spirit does all this by bringing thoughts to our minds. These thoughts show us the way to go and show us the will of God for us in that exact issue with which we are currently dealing.
The thoughts HE brings can be concepts, both secular and spiritual ... or HE reminds us of scripture which we need to consider at the moment.
God watches over each of us constantly. God leads us in the way of righteousness and leads us into positions which cause us to prosper and have good success in everything we do.
God does this through HIS Spirit, by showing us what to do by bringing thoughts into our minds to show us.
When we go forward in that shown us by the Spirit, following the concept or scripture given by the Spirit, we go in the will of God for the Spirit of God knows the heart of God and shows us what God thinks about our current situation and what we should do. I Corinthians 2
There is a problem however. Sometimes our own desire can overrule the concept shown us by the Spirit and in such cases we end up following what we want and resisting that which is shown us by the Spirit.
Other times the devil enters in by bringing us a way that would end up destroying us.
So we must know how to tell if the thought is from God, or if the thought is from our own desire, or if the thought is from devil.
Then we deliberately choose that shown us by God.
It sounds like we would always choose that shown us by God, but sometimes God will show us to go in a way we do not want to go. Then we have to make a decision whether or not we will follow that way which is shown us by God.
I've been tested a great many times. Here is an example.
The Holy Spirit called to my attention the following scripture:
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
I thought on the instruction given in this scripture and began trying to do what it said. I kept this scripture before me day and night to allow the scripture to grow in me and cause me to do what it says.
During this time, I was visiting with my neighbors at their house. It was during the USA presidential elections. I am non political but two candidates that year were of interest to me and apparently this interest had grown in my heart for I very much wanted to say, "And what do you think of the election?"
But the Holy Spirit brought to my mind the scripture in Ephesians 4:29 ... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
- If I speak about the election, will people be edified in the ways of God?
- Will my words stir up good or evil?
But amazingly I wanted so very much to speak of this election.
I chose not to speak of this and instead I chose to follow that which the Holy Spirit brought to my mind and I left my neighbor's house without speaking of the election.
But I was really surprised in how strongly my flesh was trying to get me to do what it wanted.
If we feed our flesh it will get stronger. I suspect I had been watching news reports more than usual and it fed my flesh on this matter.
It is also amazing how little this election affected us in USA. This happened about 20 years ago and I can't see that my life was affected at all by the outcome of that election.
But my life is very much affected by whether I choose that which the Holy Spirit shows me.
If we are going to move into righteousness, prosperity, and good success ... we are going to have to choose to follow that brought to our minds by the Holy Spirit.
Often that way causes us to "suffer in the flesh" for our flesh wants to go according to its desire and when we choose to go the way shown us by Holy Spirit, our flesh cannot rule over us and it suffers as a result.
It is easy to see this when we recall how much we wanted to go in ways of the flesh, ways of fornication or adultery or drunkenness or hatred when we were younger.
Did we follow the flesh and do those things or did we follow the Spirit and refuse to do those things?
*****
Another example:
As a new Christian, in 1975, I owned a business in American Indian Arts.
During that time, many fake articles were brought into Dallas by itinerate merchants who rented motel rooms and sold these items at less 50-70 percent.
The Dallas Morning News asked me to write an article giving people advice concerning the purchase of Indian articles.
Shortly after the warning appeared, one of the itinerate merchants came to Dallas and saw my article and filed a law suit against me and against others claiming we were trying to keep him from doing business in Dallas.
As a new Christian, in 1975, I owned a business in American Indian Arts.
During that time, many fake articles were brought into Dallas by itinerate merchants who rented motel rooms and sold these items at less 50-70 percent.
The Dallas Morning News asked me to write an article giving people advice concerning the purchase of Indian articles.
Shortly after the warning appeared, one of the itinerate merchants came to Dallas and saw my article and filed a law suit against me and against others claiming we were trying to keep him from doing business in Dallas.
It
was difficult for me to take this seriously and I just tossed the legal
papers aside ... but then I realized if I failed to respond to the
courts, I could lose my business and all my merchandise.
I hired a lawyer to represent me.
God had taught me to get out of debt and to stay out of debt. (which I had done)
But when the legal fees began coming in regularly, I saw very
quickly I was going to be back in debt if I continued going this way.
The Holy Spirit called to my memory 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.
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.
If this scripture is true, the "weapon" formed against me by that lawsuit could not prosper.
As
I thought upon this scripture that was brought to my mind by the Holy
Spirit, I realized God was showing me the way to go concerning this
lawsuit.
I would dismiss my
attorney and go to court without human legal counsel, stopping all the
legal fees that were also coming against me.
When I told my plan to my pastor, he said: "Joan, I perceive that you have faith to do this this way."
My lawyer greatly objected when I told him my plan.
Lawyer said: "Joan, you can't do this! You have no idea how evil these courts can be."
My response to lawyer:
"Gordon
... I am a Christian. The Bible says no weapon formed against me will
prosper since I am servant of God ... This lawsuit will not prosper ..."
I
dismissed attorney and proceeded with the plan to go to court without
human legal counsel. God brought to my mind several scriptures to give
me courage to do this as I planned. I recorded these scripture on
cassette tape and played the tape when I went to bed to get those
scripture into me so I would have faith, strength and courage.
About a week after I dismissed the lawyers, Gordon came into my shop.
He
had told me the lawsuit would cost me about $10,000 more to try the
case. But now he told me the law firm had decided to try the case for
free and there would be no more cost to me.
But what does God want me to do?
I told Gordon I would have to let him know.
I prayed: What do YOU want me to do about this?"
Immediately God, by the Holy Spirit, brought to my memory the following scripture:
Genesis 14:22-23 Abraham said to 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:
By this, I knew God was telling me not to take the "free" legal service.
I continued with the plan to go to court without human counsel.
God brought to my mind many scriptures which strengthened me in doing this as I thought on those scriptures.
Six days before the trial was scheduled in US District Court, the man dropped all charges against everyone.
The weapon formed against me did not prosper, just as God promised in the Bible.
*****
Now consider Joseph:
Genesis 39 (Joseph's brothers sold Joseph into slavery and Joseph was taken into Egypt)
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
(Even when Joseph was a slave, God made it possible for Joseph to prosper. Joseph was a righteous man.)
And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
And
he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had,
save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and
well favoured.
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
In times of such temptations, we, who want to go in the way of God, can get great help from God by calling on God in prayer ... asking God to help us and to please stop us from going in way of evil.
I have called on God many times when the temptation was great and God always stopped me when I wanted to be stopped.
Often God, by the Holy Spirit, would remind me of a scripture which gave me strength not to speak or do that which my flesh wanted to speak or do.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
We who are born again do much harm to ourselves when we walk in the ways of the flesh.
When we follow the Spirit of God we go in the way of righteousness which turns into prosperity and good success for us in the days to come just as the Bible tells us it will do. Joshua 1 & Psalms 1
We who love God follow the Word of God brought to us by the Spirit of God even unto the death of our own flesh.
At the time it hurts our flesh to follow what the Spirit spoke, but in the end we rejoiced greatly, for we then saw how deadly that which the flesh wanted would have been to us! We thank God that we did not go in the thinking of our flesh.
The Holy Spirit always shows us God's way.
Jesus says:
Matthew 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.
*****
In times of such temptations, we, who want to go in the way of God, can get great help from God by calling on God in prayer ... asking God to help us and to please stop us from going in way of evil.
I have called on God many times when the temptation was great and God always stopped me when I wanted to be stopped.
Often God, by the Holy Spirit, would remind me of a scripture which gave me strength not to speak or do that which my flesh wanted to speak or do.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
We who are born again do much harm to ourselves when we walk in the ways of the flesh.
When we follow the Spirit of God we go in the way of righteousness which turns into prosperity and good success for us in the days to come just as the Bible tells us it will do. Joshua 1 & Psalms 1
*****
We who love God follow the Word of God brought to us by the Spirit of God even unto the death of our own flesh.
At the time it hurts our flesh to follow what the Spirit spoke, but in the end we rejoiced greatly, for we then saw how deadly that which the flesh wanted would have been to us! We thank God that we did not go in the thinking of our flesh.
The Holy Spirit always shows us God's way.
*****
Jesus says:
Matthew 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.
*****
Righteousness, properity, and good success: 3
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 withersoever 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?
(Didn't God tell you to do this? Are you following God's Spirit in this?)
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.
(When God, by HIS Spirit, told us to do what we are doing we can know God is with us wherever we go.)
(Didn't God tell you to do this? Are you following God's Spirit in this?)
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.
(When God, by HIS Spirit, told us to do what we are doing we can know God is with us wherever we go.)
*****
We,
as NT church, follow the laws and commandments of God set forth in the
New Testament. We also can count on the many promises of God from the
OT for these are also valid for the church today.
We
know what to do in the specific issues of this life because God shows
us the way as the Holy Spirit reminds us of scripture or concepts of
God.
Therefore,
we do not stumble about as the people in this world stumble about as
they trust in their own wisdom and in the wisdom of man.
*****
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.
And
we can recognize the wisdom that is from God because we are told in the
following scripture the characteristics of that wisdom that is from
above.
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.
Therefore I know the plans of God in the matter are simple, easy to do, not costly, without guile.
Also God's wisdom is "pure" ... free from bias and revenge and self seeking.
Also God's wisdom is "pure" ... free from bias and revenge and self seeking.
When a plan is otherwise, I know it is not God's plan for me, so I can pray and seek HIS will for me in the issue at hand.
*****
A man in our little church group, was considering building another storage shed to store his stuff.
As he thought on this, the following (from Holy Spirit) was brought to his mind:
"Why don't you just get rid of the stuff?"
- easy
- simple
- not costly
*****
Another example:
I was in my car while waiting at a signal light.
A pickup loaded with firewood came along side of me. I looked at that firewood and began thinking how much I would enjoy having a wood burning fireplace in my house. (I had gas logs.)
The thought came: "You can have that."
As I thought on this I realized I could change my fireplace to wood burning. My physical condition would allow this. Financially it would be no problem. There is a fireplace store in my town and they could make this change for me.
And above all, I felt that idea for change was given me by God by the Holy Spirit.
That is all I needed to be able to go forward in confidence.
I made immediate change and have used the wood for about 4 years.
When I believe I have God's plan and have assurance the idea is from God, I have the strength and courage to go forward with the plan.
Paul said:
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ (the Word from God) which strengtheneth me.
The word from God to us brought by the Spirit of God to our minds can be a scripture but it also can be an idea.
The only problem is our own flesh can bring us desires and the devil can bring ideas to our minds. We know how we feel inside, if we've been longing for that item or that change. If we have, then it might be our own flesh leading us to do this thing. In such cases, we can ask God to help us, to stop us if the idea is not from HIM. We can also ask God to remove the desire from our hearts if the idea is not from HIM.
So we have to examine the thoughts and be assured through prayer that the idea is from God.
*****
God has often led me through dreams and through godly happenings.
January 10, 1980, while I was sleeping in the night, a trumpet-like voice spoke 3 words into my ear, awakening me from sleep: "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"
I began praying.
KWJS was a radio station. I said to God, "Are YOU showing me to go on radio? I wouldn't know how to do that."
Immediately a gentle thought from the Holy Spirit of God came to my mind:
"Call the radio station manager."
I called the radio station manager that same day as soon as the business office was open.
The station manager told me to send an audition tape, 29 1/2 minutes long.
I made a tape exhorting the church in ways of God and sent it that same day to the manager of KWJS.
Within 5 days I was broadcasting exhortations to the church on radio.
***
In March, 2012, I was given a dream. A woman was singing to a group of people. I said, "It's a little voice, but it's a nice little voice." Then in the dream I realized it was a way to communicate with the church and the thought of a blog on Internet came into my mind.
One of our church members, Pam Padgett, had been a computer programmer at FedEx.
I called Pam and asked her if she could set up a blog.
She did and within 3 days we were writing exhortations for the church on this blog: Jesus Ministries Exhortations
It is a little voice to the church ... but it is a nice little voice, just as I was shown in the dream.
* It costs us nothing.
* The writings go all over the world immediately.
* We can exhort the church daily.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 10:25 exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
*****
Joshua 1:9 ... God says: "Have not I commanded thee?"
I think in the above examples we can say with great assurance that it was God who told us to do these things.
This really helps me to have the courage and strength to do these exhortations.
*****
How to I know what to write?
God, by HIS Spirit, reminds me of scripture and various subjects and by this I know what to write daily.
I don't look for something to write. I depend on God to show me by HIS Spirit bringing the subject to my mind. And by faith in God, I start writing. I just begin with that given me by God and write that, and as I am writing often I am reminded of another scripture or subject and I write that.
It is all done by the Spirit of God.
Therefore it is God who wants you to hear these things I write.
*****
Let me emphasize again this about the Holy Spirit.
Unless we are led by the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing of God.
Jesus said:
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Once I showed this scripture to a Baptist woman. She asked, "Who did Jesus hear from?"
I replied: "God."
Jesus always heard from God and did what God wanted and said what God wanted spoken.
We are exactly same on this earth.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells in us to show us the heart of God on the issues at hand. I Corinthians 2
We continually hear from the Holy Spirit and are led by the Holy Spirit and follow that which is shown us by the Holy Spirit as HE brings thoughts and concepts and scripture to our minds to show us what God wants us to do.
We have the information from Jesus in the Bible telling us what the Holy Spirit will do for the person of God.
The Holy Spirit does the following:
- HE teaches us all things (John 14:26)
- HE reminds us of all Jesus has said (John 14:26)
- HE guides us into all truth (John 16:13)
- HE shows us things to come (John 16:13)
That which the Holy Spirit does is the power of God in us. As we hear from HIM and do acts appropriate to that which HE shows us, we move into righteousness in the sight of God and in time we come into both prosperity and good success.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.
*****
Righteousness, Prosperity, and Good Success: 4
Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous
Be strong in the LORD ... in the Word brought to you by the Holy Spirit.
You must not try to be strong in your own self or your will power but in that specific word given you by God through HIS Spirit.
*****
We must not turn to the right nor to the left from that Word God has spoken to us by HIS Spirit.
The devil tried to persuade Eve that God hadn't really spoken those instructions to Adam.
Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
(Did God really say that? Surely not. You must have misunderstood.)
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
(Eve added to the Word of God when she said they could not "touch" that tree. God didn't say that. Inwardly we can never stand if we add to the Word of God on something for we know we added that and it causes the instruction to be polluted to the point we get to where we really aren't sure. When we add to what God said, it becomes like leaven, working through the entire word.)
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
(The devil will always try to stop us from believing what God says. Thoughts will be brought to try to stop us.)
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
(Thoughts come to try to explain away what God said and to try to get us not to go that way.)
(Did God really say that? Surely not. You must have misunderstood.)
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
(Eve added to the Word of God when she said they could not "touch" that tree. God didn't say that. Inwardly we can never stand if we add to the Word of God on something for we know we added that and it causes the instruction to be polluted to the point we get to where we really aren't sure. When we add to what God said, it becomes like leaven, working through the entire word.)
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
(The devil will always try to stop us from believing what God says. Thoughts will be brought to try to stop us.)
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
(Thoughts come to try to explain away what God said and to try to get us not to go that way.)
*****
When God tells me to do something, I try to do it quickly for I know the longer I wait the more opportunity I will have not to do that which God has said.
The devil will try to snatch the Word God has given me out of my heart and cause me to wonder, "Did God really tell me to do that?"
Then my own flesh will try to reason away the Word given me by God.
Then people watching me will try to get me to go another direction.
*****
When I was a new Christian in 1975, I had a major test.
A woman had taken me to court concerning my business which I owned at that time.
A word, which I believed to be from God, came to me: "Don't testify."
I told my lawyer he might not want to represent me for I believed God had told me "Don't testify" in this court case. (Lawyer said he would represent me even if I didn't testify.)
A woman who worked for me became angry when she heard I was not going to testify.
She had witnessed the situation and planned to testify. When I was not going to testify, she felt the burden was on her.
I said to her, "What can I do? I believe God has said to me 'Don't testify.' "
The man I was dating at this time tried to get me to testify.
He said: "Joan, you aren't doing this girl any favors by not testifying."
I replied: "I'm not try to do her any favors. I'm just trying to obey God. I believe God has told me 'Don't testify.' "
At the court trial the judge was very shocked when he learned I would not be testifying.
During the trial, my lawyer said to me, "Flo's testimony did not go as well as I thought it would. If you would testify, I know we would win."
I replied: "I'll see."
I left the courtroom and went to rest room and began praying: "What do YOU want me to do."
Immediately I heard, "Don't testify."
I returned to courtroom and shook my head "No".
After all this, I had a down moment and I said to God: "I hope YOU know what we're doing. We're going to lose this case."
But we didn't lose the case. We won. The judge ruled in my favor and I was acquitted.
Even when all are against you, you have to be strong enough in that which you believe God has said to you that you hold fast to that word.
*****
Mark 4:1-8 And HE began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto HIM a great multitude, so that HE entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And HE taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in His doctrine,
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
13-20 The sower soweth the word.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
(Remember how Satan came to Eve: "Has God really said that? That's not so." Satan comes today to us with his thoughts to try to cause us to doubt.)
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
(At first when the word comes, they are glad ... but when people begin to scoff at them because of the word or persecute them in other ways, then they are offended and turn from the word God has given them and go in the way of the flesh and devils.)
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
(They received the word and did the word ... bringing forth fruit from that word given them.)
*****
A man came to me saying he was a pastor. He heard what I said concerning preachers calling themselves "Reverend," exalting themselves above the apostles of the Bible and exalting themselves above the Word of God for no man in the Bible calls himself "Reverend."
This man, 48-years-old, had lived on church property for 30 years.
When he shared this word with his church group, according to his report, the church people became very angry and called him a false teacher and put him out of the church group ... and told him to vacate church property within that week.
He had no income, no money saved, no place to live.
My concern over him is I didn't think he had a solid basis on how to follow God which we need in the storms of this present life.
We sent him a laptop computer which was not being used so he could get the teaching on our blog.
I counseled him to get a secular job as Paul did and preach in his spare time.
I sent him teaching concerning following God by HIS Spirit.
After that I heard no more from him and I don't know what is happening to him now.
It is so important to know about the Holy Spirit and how HE leads us and to meditate on those scriptures given us by the Holy Spirit of God that we can be strong enough and have enough courage to hold onto the direction of God.
We build a deep root system in God when we keep the word of God given by the Spirit of God before us day and night, thinking on that instruction ... until we can do that instruction.
This is the power of God for us.
*****
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 withersoever 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?
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?
(Isn't it God who commanded us by this word given to us?)
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.
(If God has told us to do this, God will uphold us. What human is stronger than God?)
*****
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