Life In Christ

* 4 Recognizing The Wisdom That Is From God

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter.

The Holy Spirit lives in the believer.

The Holy Spirit searches the heart of God and reveals the will of God to the child of God so the believer can go in the way of God in dealing with the issues of this present life.

We, as people of God, have a tremendous advantage in life because God has given us HIS Spirit to guide us.

*****

We once lived according to our own ideas. We followed our own flesh, hating others, trying to outdo everyone and exalt ourselves, having great fear of what might happen and of the power of other humans, attempting to gain more money and things of this world, seeking the approval of other humans, and such.

But after God revealed HIMSELF to us, we were changed and since that time we are continually recreated in the image of Christ as we seek the will of God in the issues pertaining to this life and as we choose to go in the way God shows us by HIS Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does the following for us:

- HE teaches us all things (John 14:26)
- HE reminds us of all Jesus, The Word, has said to us (John 14:26)
- HE guides us into all truth (John 16:13)
- HE shows us things to come (John 16:13)

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

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

*****

We pray, asking God to help us and show us what to do as we have problems.

God, by the Holy Spirit, guides us into the way of God and the will of God.

Usually a gentle thought will come into our mind concern the issue at hand. Often we have never thought of "that" in regard to the problem.

But how do we know if "that" is the idea from God?

Ideas come from our own desires, from devils, from ideas of other people and the thinking of other people ... and from God.

(God is always right of course ... God knows what is coming in future and God sees the end from the beginning so we want to be able to choose that idea which we believe to be from God.)

So how do we identify those ideas that are from God?

The following scripture tells us what to look for.

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.

*****

* The plans from God are pure ... without preconceived prejudice.

Sometimes other people will say something and we will end up trapped in their thinking without even realizing that has happened to us.

Pam Padgett decided to remodel a portion of her house, creating a downstairs bedroom and full bath.

She was thinking of moving her 1/2 bath to the place where her laundry was located creating laundry area into a full bath. But it was also possible to add a shower to the 1/2 bath making that into a full bath. A decorator had suggested this to Pam.

Then I became involved in the issue.

Pam had a type of resistance to this idea of turning 1/2 bath into full bath.

Finally she realized years ago, when she first bought the house, a man said to her the 1/2 bath was in a "strange" location.

That concept had apparently lodged in her thinking and was distorting the building concept.

I kept hearing to put the shower in the place where the 1/2 bath was located.

But I didn't want to tell Pam this.

Finally I did tell Pam exactly what I had heard, believing it was the leading of God. "Put the shower in the small bathroom."

She did this.

It saved her a good deal of money and unnecessary construction effort. It was a much easier plan.

It is amazing but this is the exact area that I live in today at Pam's house and I find everything wonderful in the arrangement.

*****

* The wisdom from God is ... peaceable

That spirit that would drive you is not usually the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit doesn't make you do anything.

The Holy Spirit "leads" you by bringing a concept to your mind.

The Holy Spirit doesn't take over your body, as some think, and cause you to do gyrations.

There used to be a church group in USA called "holly rollers" ... They rolled about the floor and thought that was "the spirit". It was a spirit alright but not the HOLY Spirit.

In the 1990's, I visited a non-denominational church in the city where I lived. The pastor was teaching the Sunday school class. All of a sudden, one woman jumped up and ran around the room waving her arms into the air and shouting. The people became all excited. They thought this woman had "the spirit". I was horrified! She had a spirit but not the HOLY Spirit. The Spirit of God would never interrupt the teaching and take over this way.

I Corinthians 14:26 Let all things be done unto edifying.

edify:

- to build faith in God.
- to strengthen spiritually

This woman's actions did not strengthen us spiritually. She did not cause us to increase in our knowledge of God.

This was simply her own flesh taking over and breaking up the message which the pastor was bringing to the church.

32-33 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

***

At a church group I once attended, our Bible teacher would always ask, "Does anyone have a word from the Lord?" At that time, if we did, we were free to speak that word one by one.

Decently and in order ...

*****

* The wisdom that is from God is ... gentle, easy to be intreated.

Usually the concepts brought to mind by the Holy Spirit are so gentle I almost miss them, even failing to recognize I've had such come to mind. They are like a "fact", a piece of information, usually something I didn't know before.

In December, 2018, after an accident at my house, the ambulance workers were rolling me on a gurney and when we passed the front door of my house, the following came into my mind: "You'll never see this house again."

I knew that was truth and from the Holy Spirit. It did not disturb me. It was just a fact. And it was true.

2 1/2 months later, the day I was dismissed from the rehabilitation hospital, I flew directly from hospital to my new home in Colorado. The season for me to live in that house in Texas was over. I knew it because God had revealed it to me that day by a word from HIS Spirit, The Holy Spirit.

John 16:13 Jesus says ... 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.

***

A man in our little church group, went into his backyard and began thinking about his overflowing storage building. "Maybe I'll build another storage building to store my stuff," he thought.

But the Holy Spirit brought the following thought to him with another concept.

"Why don't you just get rid of the stuff?

Great wisdom from God: For at that time this man was in mid-70's. He had heart problems. He didn't need to be dealing with more stuff and more buildings. A short time after this, he became very ill and then died.

***

At one point, I bought a lot on a golf course in Clovis, New Mexico. The lot cost me $13,350 on a golf course.

"easy to be intreated" ? Yes! I had more than enough saved to pay for this lot. I felt it would be a good buy at that price and could later be sold if I didn't use it.

Approximately five years after this, I decided to build a house on this lot and move my mother into that house with me. This was the last decade of her life.

After we moved into the house, there was one obvious problem that surfaced. The kitchen was very small. My mother and I kept bumping into one another when we were in there together.

Unknown to me, the builder had reduced the planned size of the kitchen. The lot was not large enough to accommodate the house plans we had designed so he cut down the kitchen.

I began praying immediately asking God what I could do about this problem.

Approximately 4 years passed and every time I went into the kitchen I prayed about the problem.

One day as I entered the room, the solution came into my head ... all I had to do was to move the built-in pantry into the attached garage and put the refrigerator where the pantry had been. This allowed for 4-5 more feet of cabinet space to be attached and even opened up the traffic area for a small, rolling island/cabinet to be added.

It was relatively inexpensive to do this ... thus "easy to be intreated". The workers were available for the project.

The Holy Spirit had showed me what to do and that is what I did.

Most people delight in their own wisdom.

But we delight in that wisdom that we believe to be from God, for it is so simple when it comes that we marvel at God and laugh that we didn't see it before.

***

* The wisdom that is from God is: ... "full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality."

In 2019, a woman who had been in our little church group since 1980, began to tell me off for grievances she had accumulated against me during the past years.

She said it was like I had been "throwing rocks" at her for many years.

I had been trying to get her to share (in a timely way) with our church group, word of wisdom and word of knowledge, which I felt she had been given by God on various subjects as they surfaced in our group.

Often when things happened in our group, this woman would say, "I thought of that."

But usually she did not share those thoughts at that time, when it would have helped the group or me.

I felt it was God giving her spiritual gifts of word of wisdom, word of knowledge, but that she was holding back from sharing them with the church.

After this woman's' accusations against me, I had to be judged by God and reestablished in the ministry by God, so I turned to God and asked HIM to judge "me".

That same night, God gave me a dream. I opened the front door to my house to find someone had dumped bags of garbage at my door and all the way across the front of the outside of my house.

I felt God was showing me that which this woman had said to me was her stored up "garbage."

(Pam Padgett witnessed part of this railing because the talk became so bad on phone that I said to this woman, "Wait until I can get Pam on the extension so she can hear this and moderate this conversation.")

The following scripture was called to my attention by the Holy Spirit as I prayed about this happening.

I Corinthians 5:11; 13 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat ... Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Railer is defined as one who speaks with bitter, vehemence.

This is exactly what we heard coming from this woman who was in our church group at the time.

We knew we would have to separate from this woman, which is what we did.

Now I feel I have been told this: "Do not try to get her back. If she comes saying how sorry she is she did this then receive her."

It is the mercy of God to the church group to remove such from the congregation until such time as true repentance is displayed ... for a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, says Paul.

I Corinthians 5:7-8 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

(At the time of this publication, this woman is separated from our church group.)

***

* The wisdom that is from God is ... "without partiality".

We have witnessed the Catholic church hiding sins of child abuse and transferring offending priests from one city to another, from one church group to another. This has been going on for decades.

We cannot protect the congregation by hiding sins that are committed in the church group or by the ministers who speak to the church groups.

We cannot allow ourselves to "be partial".

All the church, ministers and congregation, are subject to the rules of God and the Holy Spirit.

When they stop being, this is antichrist in the church ... opposite to Christ.

***

* The wisdom that is from God is ... "without hypocrisy".

Several years ago, I was returning to Dallas from a one week TV guest appearance on a religious talk show in Detroit when I heard the following words from the Holy Spirit.

"Don't do any more TV talk shows."

I had two more TV shows scheduled at the time. One in Dallas and the other in Phoenix.

I was thinking of what I might say to the TV hosts when I cancelled, when I heard in my mind, these words from the Holy Spirit.

"Why don't you just tell them the truth?"

The TRUTH! OH NO ... we don't want do to that! But I did.

Hypocrisy, pretending, play acting, alterations are not the wisdom that is from God.

The truth can really get us free and keep us free but even though we pray to be free sometimes we don't actually want to be free.

*****

This happened to Pam Padgett. She was engaged. At one point Chuck began speaking of his adult aged son who was going to marry a divorced woman. Pam gave him scriptures showing that if the son did this, he would commit adultery.

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.

After Pam told this to Chuck, he wanted no more to do with Pam, although he said he was a Christian.

Pam said she often held back rather than speaking with Chuck.
But then when she did speak, Pam became free.

I know many hold back because inwardly they know their words might cause division.

Luke 12:51 Jesus said: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

*****

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.

*****

Additional examples of changes authored by The Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

* One day, I was stopped at a red light at an intersection. A pickup truck pulled along the side of me in the left lane. He had a flatbed trailer, loaded with fireplace wood. As I looked at the firewood, I thought, "I wish I had a wood burning fireplace." (The fireplace in my house had gas logs and I hardly ever turned it on because it didn't seem interesting to me.)

As I thought about this, the Holy Spirit brought the following to my mind: "You can have that."

I had never before considered that I could change from gas logs to wood burning.

But the fireplace was originally constructed for either wood or gas.

I called a local business that specialized in fireplaces and arranged to have the gas logs removed and stored in the mechanical room. They added a log lighter, and firewood rack on my porch, and I bought fireplace tools.

By the following week I was burning real wood!

Was that plan 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.

pure: never before had I considered doing such a thing.

gentle: not a driving, pushing concept ... just truth

easy to be intreated: yes ... I had the fireplace ... it was relatively inexpensive to make the change ... I had the money for the project ... the workers were available.

***

* A few years ago, I made a very bad decision concerning the purchase of a TV. The unit had a streaked picture. It was an expensive TV, Runco plasma. The dealer promised to calibrate the picture and make it right but he never did. The company wouldn't fix it either.

I had no way to deal with the situation.

Often I would try to help the picture by setting various options on the remote. But I was never very successful.

One day, when I was struggling to make the picture better, I heard: "You don't have to put up with this."

"That's right!" I thought.

I had more than enough money in my savings account to buy another TV.

Although I had that TV less than a year, I went immediately and bought another TV and arranged to have that defective TV carried away by the men who installed the new TV.

Is this the wisdom from God?

It is certainly not wisdom to struggle daily and to be frustrated daily when I had the money to deal comfortably with the issue!

Isaiah 55:8-13 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.

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall MY word be that goeth forth out of MY mouth: it shall not return unto ME void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

*****

* 5 Abide IN HIM ... In That Which God Has Told You By HIS Spirit

We live in that which we believe God has told us.

I know in WHOM I have believed!

When it is the Spirit of God speaking to us, and we believe HIM, and do that which is appropriate to the instruction given, living in that Word, we will not be ashamed in the day of judgment for it is God who told us that.

Have not I commanded you, says God. (Joshua 1:9)

I John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when HE shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

(Live in that instruction God has given you by HIS Spirit. Continue in that Word, doing that Word in a manner appropriate to that instruction.)

Each of us must answer for ourselves: What has God told me?

*****

Here are some of the things God has shown me.

* John 5:30 Jesus says:  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.

The Holy Spirit of God says to me: Neither can you do anything by your own thinking, by your own wisdom, by your own cleverness. As Jesus did, so must you do also. You must do and speak that which God gives you.

***

* The gates of hell will not be able to stand against that Word revealed to me in the matter at hand.

We, the church, are built upon that which God speaks by HIS Spirit. We can build on nothing other than that. We cannot build upon what men think about the subject. We build upon what God says. And we know what God says by HIS Spirit which dwells in us and brings to our minds ideas to show us God's way for us to go as we live on this present earth.

***

* I Corinthians 2:4-5    And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

9-13    But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by HIS Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

***

If we speak those things taught us by God by HIS Spirit we will not be ashamed at the day of judgment. But if we speak those things taught by other men, we are in danger. For what if they are wrong and we live in that? Then we, too will be wrong and we will be judged in the last days by their wrong and in our wrong as we follow them.

We must follow the Spirit of God and not our own preferences.

We must turn as God enlightens us by HIS Spirit.

We must trust in the Holy Spirit.

We must trust in God for our salvation and not in what man says.

What God says to us is unchanging and is right.

Our faith must be in God and in that which HE says to us.

***

* In the last days, there will be many false teachers in the churches.

Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in MY name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Since they say, "Jesus is Lord", many, in the church groups, will think they are of God and will follow them and they will be able to deceive many.

Jesus says they will say, "I am Christ." (HE, Jesus is Christ)

They will say, "I (Jesus) am Christ."

They are not saying they are Christ. They are saying Jesus is Christ. If they said they themselves were Christ we would not follow that human but because they say Jesus is Christ, we follow them.

But they themselves fail to follow the portions of scripture which displease themselves. By this they show Jesus is really not their Lord.

***

Beware of all men who come saying they are Christians while they cast aside portions of the scriptures to follow their own preferences.

Scriptures such as Matthew 5:32 are good examining points.

- Do we teach that a man who marries the woman who is divorced commits adultery?

That is what Jesus said.

- Do we teach that the woman who divorces and remarries commits adultery?

That is what Jesus said.

- Do we teach men not to divorce their wives when their wives are faithful?

That is what Jesus teaches.

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

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.

Or do we explain away these scriptures to allow people to do other things?

Antichrist is opposite to scripture, showing himself to be God, refusing to allow scripture to rule over him and over others.

It is very simple.

When Jesus is Lord, we obey HIM.

***

* 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: 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.

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: 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.

***

Every time we build upon a Word we have heard from God by HIS Spirit, that Word will stand. It is our foundation and we can be assured we have a foundation.

Trouble comes to both houses. But the house built upon the foundation of the Word of God stands.

***

* Matthew 6:24-34 Jesus says: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

(By thinking about it, can you grow one inch taller?)

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

(Take thought for doing that which is right in the sight of God ... Seek that information from God through prayer, asking God to show you what HE wants you to do when something arises in this life.)

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

(Concerning concerns and thoughts about tomorrow, pray. Concerning today and this moment, attend to business.)

***

* God has persuaded me that communion, The Lord's Supper, and all the writings pertaining to such, has to do with eating and drinking the Word of God and has nothing at all to do with eating crackers and drinking grape juice at a church meeting.

I Corinthians 11:28-30 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

(We examine ourselves by the word of God, by the Holy Bible, and we eat and drink the "bread" of the word of God with the intent of examining ourselves by that word.)

29-30 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die).

***

* Antichrist is not one person but is a spirit in many persons.

The apostle John tells us this in Bible as follows:

I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

***

* Antichrist comes through the church.

II Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

***

* Before antichrist appears in the churches, the church will fall away from portions of scripture and by this falling away from scripture antichrist gains entrance to the church group for it is scripture that keeps antichrist out of the church.

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, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

It is not that the people leave that church group but rather the church group falls away from portions of scripture and this is how antichrist is revealed.

*****

* 6 God Leads By Dreams

In a dream, God showed me I needed to have a way out of my house but I would not be able to go out through my cousin's house.

Shortly after this dream, my mother died. My cousin wanted me to move to the city where she lived with her husband. She also had two adult aged sons living there. She said, "The 'boys' will be such a help to us."

But God had warned me in a dream that I could not go out through my cousin's house so I chose to move to another city which was 350-miles away from the city where my cousin lived.

It turned out that my cousins' husband died. When she needed help changing a light bulb she had to threaten her son to get him to come to her house to do this for her. She was crippled at the time and she told him if he didn't come do this for her, she would get on a ladder herself and do it.

Then a year or so later, my cousin died.

I never liked the city where she lived. Had I moved to that city, I would have ended up being alone in a city I didn't even like.

God, by that dream, kept me and spared me from all this trouble.

***

In 1982, I had 3 dreams about the same event.

In the first dream, I was in a tall glass building. Something began to happen outside. The building began to shake as if it were going to fall in on us. It was like bombs exploding on our building. This was not the first bombing but the second bombing. After this, life would never be the same again.

In the second dream, I was looking across at the sky line of Manhattan. It was all smoke. Something had happened. When the smoke cleared, the landmarks would be gone.

In the third dream, I was in a small diner. Ambulances began racing past ... one after another ... with sirens screaming.

On September 11, 2001, I saw each of these dreams come to pass as I watched the event on television. It was not the first bombing of the World Trade Center for that occurred in the mid-1990's, but it was the second bombing.

***

In 1982, I was on radio from coast to coast in USA. I travelled to each radio city and had meetings for the radio audience.

The early messages were on the subjects of taking thoughts captive, dealing with destructive thoughts, and following God by His Spirit. People from the various churches were very interested in these subjects.

Then the message changed. God said to me: The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. (Over and over I heard this repeated to me.)

Then God showed me sins being committed by ministers and by people in the congregations.

When I warned them on radio, there was much persecution coming to me from people in these church groups.

I was given a dream.

In this dream: There was a football game between Texas University and North Texas State. This was a shocking mismatch with Texas being in a much higher conference than North Texas. The quarterback for North Texas was getting ready for the snap from center. The running back was very skillful and had once played for Texas but now played for North Texas. It was clear to me this running back was going to be in grave danger when he went forward. Then I heard, "Don't go until you see Exodus 15."

I knew what this dream meant. I was in the Faith Movement until God brought me out and showed me some of the fallacies of their doctrine. I had spoken of the errors in doctrine. There was much persecution from these church groups as a result. I knew I was that running back in that dream. I must not go out as I had planned.

Jesus warned his disciples: John 16:2-3 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.

Immediately after receiving that dream, I cancelled all meetings scheduled for the remainder of 1982.

A woman who was in our church group at that time said to me: "You've got to go out. If you go out, they will give money. If you don't go out, you will lose money."

I replied, "God told me not to go out. I'm not going." I did not go out. I stayed at home in my apartment and continued recording radio broadcasts. I did lose money. But we still had plenty.

The radio station manager in Seattle said to me: "Joan ... you have many 'good' messages. Just speak those messages. If you continue to speak these judgment messages I don't know what is going to happen to you. We might have to put you off radio."

The Holy Spirit instantly gave me the following words which I spoke to this man: "George ... If I don't speak the message that 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 the radio stations did put me off the air.)

My experience is church people want to be praised ... not corrected!

But God uses His prophets to prepare the church for the return of Jesus so the messages a prophet of God speaks will often offend the wrong doers in the church.

Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

***

Throughout the Bible, Old and New Testaments, we have examples of God leading HIS people through dreams. It is not an unusual thing. We might need to pray for interpretation.

In 1979, God gave me a terrifying dream.

In the dream, destruction was everywhere.

I went into a room where a man was speaking to a group of people.

A second man rushed into the room and said, "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun." Then he disappeared and the first man resumed speaking.

I looked out the window to see what had "already begun", but none of the other people in the room looked to see.

I was very shocked at that which I saw when I looked out the window.

There was a tall pole with a yellow civil-defense type speaker on top of the pole. Coming out of the speaker was a poison gas. It was coming directly toward us.

The speaker set there to warn us was the device that was being used to kill us!

I looked at the man who was seated next to me. He had a big smile on his face and he was looking directly at the man who was speaking. Then I saw it. This man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was dead.

I looked at the other people in the room and they were dead also.

And as I sat among them while listening to the speaker, I began to feel drowsy and I knew the "gas" coming from this man who was speaking was killing me too as I sat there.

I did not know what this dream meant, though today it is obvious to me.

In 1982, I was at the church group I attended. It was a Wednesday night. I looked at the man sitting next to me. He was the corpse in the poison gas dream of 1979. I looked about the congregation and they looked like the other people in that poison gas dream.

I got up immediately and went into the ladies room and began praying.

"God ... I think YOU are telling me to leave this church group. I'm going to get into my car and drive away, but if YOU want me to return I will."

God did not want me to return. God began showing me errors in the doctrines being presented in that group. I shared these errors on my radio broadcasts at the time.

***

A woman was given a dream showing her grandson was killed on a motorcycle.

She went to her daughter and the adult aged grandson and told them of that dream.

They told her he would quit riding motorcycle, but he did not.

He was killed on the motorcycle.

***

Job 33:14-18 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then HE (God) openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,

That HE may withdraw man from his (own) purpose, and hide pride from man.

HE keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

*****

* 7 Supernatural Acts Done By God To Accomplish His Purpose

Luke 1:11-17 (An angel appears to Zacharias before the birth of John the Baptist, to tell him what will happen in future.)

And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

And he shall go before HIM (before Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

This is one of the things prophets do today: To make ready a people prepared for the coming of Jesus.

Before the first coming of Jesus, the prophet, John the Baptist did this.

Today, NT prophets do the same thing. The prophet brings correction to the church to cause repentance before the day of judgment that comes with the second coming of Jesus.

II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

*****

Jesus told his disciples, four things the Holy Spirit would do for them.

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

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

The Holy Spirit does the following for us:

* He teaches us all things (John 14:26)
* He reminds us of all that Jesus has said. (John 14:26)
* He guides us into all truth. (John 16:13)
* He shows us things to come. (John 16:13)

***

There are times, God chooses to show us things to come. Often this is by dreams. Sometimes it is through an open vision.

I fell at my house in Texas on December 6, 2018.

After surgery, in the hospital, I "saw" one of our church group standing at the foot of my hospital bed. She didn't say a word. She just looked at me, then turned her back to me, and disappeared through the wall.

They had been giving me many drugs at that time so I thought what I saw was a vision caused by drugs.

A few weeks after this, that church person came to the rehabilitation hospital. She said to me she no longer cared about anything (anyone) anymore. She said she no longer read the Bible nor our church blog.

I responded, "But what will become of you if you walk away from things of God?"

She replied: "I don't want to talk to you about this."

What is left to talk about if you can't talk to a minister of God about things of God?

About that time a nurse came into the room to do something.

The church woman took this as her opportunity to depart. She went into the bathroom in my room, and then began to sneak out the door of my room.

I saw her and called to her asking her to wait.

She disappeared without a word to me.

When this happened I knew what I had seen that day after surgery was not drug related from the pain medicine they had been giving me, but was God showing me what this woman was going to do.

*****

Herod planned to kill the apostle Peter as he had previously killed James, because Herod saw this pleased the Jews.

Acts 12:1-11 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did.

And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent HIS angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

*****

Here is another supernatural experience from God.

Acts 9:1-6 And Saul (Paul), yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And he said, Who art thou, Lord?

And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

***

Later Paul appears before king Agrippa and tells him the following concerning this heavenly vision.

Acts 26:9-19 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being
exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And I said, Who art thou, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in ME.

Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

*****

In 1975, shortly after I was born again, I was asleep in the night. God transported me into heaven.

I was with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit. (I saw no images. It was in the Spirit.)

At that time, I was merged into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God ... God and the Holy Spirit witnessing.

A few nights after this, the exact same thing happened a second time.

After that I was really on fire for things of God, for Bible, for the church.

I see supernatural happenings in the Bible. I do not think it strange that such would happen today if God chooses to do such.

*****

Moses burning bush ...

Exodus 3:1-10 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.

And he said, Here am I.

And HE said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Moreover HE said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto ME: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth MY people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

*****

Isaiah 46:10-11 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, MY counsel shall stand, and I will do all MY pleasure:

Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth MY counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

*****

* 8 God explains HIS calling and shows us what we are to do.

In approximately 1978, I was driving along the road and God spoke to me by HIS Spirit and said:

"I have called you and set you into the body of Christ as an apostle."

"Apostle?" I cried out.

"What's that?"

***

The church group I attended at that time taught there are apostles and prophets in the NT church, along with evangelists, pastors, and teachers, as told us in the following scripture.

Ephesians 4:8-12 Wherefore HE (Jesus) saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

(Now that HE ascended, what is it but that HE also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? HE that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that HE might fill all things.)

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:

***

So I did already believe, by seeing this in the Bible, that there are apostles and prophet in the NT church today.

But I didn't know anyone at our church group who was identified as "an apostle".

I asked our Bible teacher:

Who are the apostles at our church?

He did not know.

What do the apostles do in today's church?

He did not know this either.

Having no living human example, God would have to teach me ... and HE did.

***

To teach me about apostles, God took me to Acts 15.

A question arose concerning the Gentiles who had not been circumcised. Did those Gentiles who believed in Jesus have to be circumcised?

The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter and to come to a decision which would be presented to the churches.

After much disputing, the apostle James summarized the matter and presented the "judgment" which would rule over all the churches.

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.

19 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.

(James presents the scriptural basis for the subject and then he presents the ruling.)

***

I could see from this scripture, one thing apostles do in the NT church is to deal with doctrine in the church.

We have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us. We have an anointing from God to do this work concerning doctrine. And we have the Bible, the Holy Scriptures.

When church groups depart and go another way, we present the truth from the Spirit of God and the Bible.

For example: Concerning marriage/divorce/remarriage

Matthew 5:32 Jesus says: 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.

The apostle Paul presents the following which he says is "a commandment" of the Lord.

Mark 10:6-12 Jesus said: from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

And in the house HIS disciples asked HIM again of the same matter.

And HE (Jesus) saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

***

These scriptures should make it clearly understood, but today in the various church groups we see the approval of men marrying divorced women ... We see men divorcing their wives for causes other than fornication ... We see both divorced men and divorced women remarrying in the church group, committing adultery, with the approval of their ministers and the congregations.

***

A pastor from Shreveport, Louisiana, contacted me about this subject. He and his wife were divorced and he wanted to marry another woman.

I shared the above scriptures and told him if he did this, he would commit adultery.

About two weeks later, he called me again asking, "Is there any change in this matter?"

I replied, "As far as I know, the Bible has not been rewritten."

*****

Another controversy today in the various church groups and in church people concerns homosexuals.

I shared the following scripture with a church woman.

Romans 1:22-28 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 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:

27 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.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

***

After I shared these scriptures on the subject of homosexuals and lesbians, this church woman said, "But what about those on talk shows who say they were born homosexual"?

Later, God called my attention to the following truth:

Mark 10:6 from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.

NO! They are created by God as either male or female.

Some are turned over to a reprobate mind to do otherwise, but they are created by God as either male or female ... and everyone should be able to see by the body of the child which is which.

(It has progressed passed nonsense.)

*****

Another problem today:

The medical world has been calling "drunkenness" a disease. And many people actually believe this.

But the Bible identifies drunkenness as a "sin".

I Corinthians 6:9-11 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.

And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Jesus told the woman taken in adultery, "Go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)

The person who is washed from his sins and saved must not try to continue to live in those sins. For to do such would cause him to be turned over by God to a reprobate mind.

Hebrews 10:25-29 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

*****

A woman in our little church group shared the Bible with her adult aged son and he replied, "But that's so legalistic."

I was very grieved by this.

Later the following words of Jesus were called to my attention.

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.

And I realized this truth: people of this world want freedom to sin. They want to be approved in their sins.

But the people of God want freedom from sin.

By the Word of God by the Spirit of God we see the way to go where we can have freedom from sin, avoiding those sins of this world.

*****

The problem is, as we move closer to the return of Jesus, antichrist (the apostasy) has moved into the churches as the apostle Paul told us it would do in the latter days.

II Thessalonians 2:3-4 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.

Antichrist comes through the "temple of God" ... through the church. Antichrist is not one man but is a spirit in many men as the apostle John told the church.

I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

And the apostle Paul told us in II Thessalonians 2:3 that this "falling away" and antichrist must come into the churches before Jesus can return for the true church.

We see this apostasy in today's church groups as they depart from portions of scripture and set up other doctrines in their church groups.

We do not like this but it is easier to endure because we know this is one of the signs of the end times and it had to happen in the church groups before Jesus returns.

But when we see this, we leave those church groups out of respect for the scripture that they have discarded in those church groups.

*****