How to Walk the Walk with God: Precept Upon Precept

By Joni Foster

The Bible Precept Book for All People
Helping them to Grow in God’s Knowledge!

This book is recommended to all lovers of God’s Word. With this study, a believer can gain victory in their lives through learning “How to Walk the Walk with God, Precept upon Precept.” Fifty-two Weekly Bible Precept Studies written by Bible Teachers especially for individuals who desire to “Grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” II Peter 3:18. God instructs ‘How’ to gain knowledge of Him found in Isaiah 28:9-10, “Whom shall God teach knowledge? And Whom shall He make to understand Doctrine?” For the Word of God must be learned: “Precept upon Precept, Precept upon Precept; line upon line; line upon line; Here a little and there a little.” Having a full knowledge of God’s Word is possible when you, “Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” II Timothy 2:15.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489736864

Joni Foster

Joni Foster lived through this tragedy. She has spent her life helping communities around the globe as a community organizer, community developer and storyteller. Today, she and her husband live on a small farm in Texas.

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Copyright © 2021 Joni Foster.

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All quoted scripture begins with the Authorized King James Version.

However, I often paraphrase those verses to replace thee’s and thou’s and other Old English phraseology.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3687-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3686-4 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 07/06/2021

CONTENTS

Foreword/Dedication

Preface—Introduction

Chapter 1 Definition of a Precept

Chapter 2 Precept of God’s Love

Chapter 3 Precept of God’s Grace

Chapter 4 The Precept of God’s Forgiveness

Chapter 5 Precept of the Voice of God

Chapter 6 Precept of Fellowship with God

Chapter 7 Precept of Christ as Lord of Our Lives

Chapter 8 Precept of Believing the Promises of God

Chapter 9 Precept of the Believer’s Faith in God

Chapter 10 Precept of the Believer’s Walk with God

Chapter 11 Precept of Spiritual Warfare

Chapter 12 Precept of the Spiritual, Carnal and Natural Person

Chapter 13 Precept of Spiritual Blindness

Chapter 14 Precept of Our Spiritual Conscience

Chapter 15 Precept of the Soul and Spirit

Chapter 16 Precept of Prayer

Chapter 17 The Precept of Light

Chapter 18 Precept of Salvation

Chapter 19 Precept of Holiness

Chapter 20 The Precept of Disobedience

Chapter 21 Precept of the Armor of God

Chapter 22 Precept of Witnessing for the Lord Jesus Christ

Chapter 23 Precept of How to Witness for Christ

Chapter 24 Precept of Harmony with God

Chapter 25 Precept of the Legacy of the Believer

Chapter 26 Precept of the Abundant Life

Chapter 27 Precept of Eternal Security

Chapter 28 Precept of Abiding in Christ

Chapter 29 Precept of the Human Will

Chapter 30 Precept of God’s Will

Chapter 31 Precept of the Servant’s Heart

Chapter 32 Precept of the Fruit of the Spirit

Chapter 33 Precept of the Calling of God

Chapter 34 Precepts of Blessings, Happiness, Joy and Hope

Chapter 35 Precept of Objectivity and Sujectivity

Chapter 36 Precept of Mental Attitude

Chapter 37 Precept of Certainty

Chapter 38 Precept of Courage

Chapter 39 Precept of the Compassion and Mercy of God

Chapter 40 Precept of the Sanctity of Life

Chapter 41 Precept of True Love in Relationships

Chapter 42 Precept of Human’s and Animal’s Eternal Destiny

Chapter 43 Precept of God’s Biblical Numerics

Chapter 44 Precept of the End Times

Chapter 45 Precept of Blasphemy

Chapter 46 Precept of the Earth-Dwellers

Chapter 47 The Precept of the Arrogant and the Inadequate

Chapter 48 The Precept of the Balanced Christian Life

Chapter 49 Precept of Suffering for Christ

Chapter 50 Precept of Why a Believer Suffers Part One

Chapter 51 Precept of Why a Believer Suffers Part Two

Chapter 52 Precept of How to Live with Many ‘Crises’

FOREWORD/DEDICATION

How To Walk The Walk With God

Precept Upon Precept

Key Scripture:

"Whom shall God teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand Doctrine? (Precepts) Those who are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For Precept must be upon Precept; Precept upon Precept; line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little." Isaiah 28:9-10.

Why am I writing this FORWARD for my new book? I wish to enlighten my readers how to awake each morning and be able to say, It is well with my soul and know it is true! Living now within what the Bible calls The Dispensation of the Age of Grace which is the final Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), we find ourselves residing in very unsettling and troubling times not only in America but also encircling the globe, giving the sense of unrest to most people who desire to be happy living their lives in contentment and peace.

Dear Readers: There is peace to be found in only one way! The Bible says:

• You will keep us in PERFECT PEACE, whose mind is stayed on God because we trust in God. Isaiah 26:3.

• PEACE I leave with you, My Peace I give unto you; not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27.

• Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved Acts 16:31.

God’s Peace will be upon you every day, so that you can say, It is well with my soul. When you make the decision to apply GOD’S WORD, ‘PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT’, you will find the answers from God that will keep you in PERFECT PEACE, no matter the circumstances surrounding your life.

My humanness wants me to be afraid; but my soul, which is my life consciousness, speaks the truth coming from God’s Word, wherein I know that my redeemer lives Job 19:25. He lives in me because I have believed in Christ as my personal Savior, Who has forgiven me all my sins, and keeps me cleansed within, as I acknowledge Him daily in my life, and I know that, "If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me my sins, and cleanse me from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9. This is ‘HOW’ I can say, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL. (May God’s Peace rest upon each one of you!)

I am nearing the end of my long journey of life upon earth where God has enjoined me, Joni Foster, on behalf of my deceased incredible husband, Jim Foster. Together we declare the calling from God to announce this new book, written and authored by Jim and Joni Foster, called How To Walk The Walk With God, Precept Upon Precept. Since I am alone now, I am depending upon the Holy Spirit of God to influence my mind to write the challenging chapters to be included in this book, intended to help each of you grow in God’s Word. Most of the chapters were already written and taught by both Jim and Joni Foster over many years of us both teaching God’s Word in various Bible Classes.

God has taught us volumes of Bible Precepts, which are stored away in our minds and written into multiple lessons which deeply impacted both of us and those in our Bible Classes so precisely and positively. God has impressed it upon my soul that this knowledge, taught to us by the Holy Spirit of God over many years needs to be transferred into this book. It is my prayer that these individual Doctrines, also called Topics, Concepts or Subjects, each written with concise individuality by both Jim and Joni, will enable each reader to be enlightened and encouraged from the information written in this book as to How to Walk the Walk with God Precept Upon Precept. We are certain that each chapter, simply defined, will answer most of the many spiritual questions that the readers of our book may have, regarding their desire and fulfillment to acquire a more active and influential spiritual walk with their Lord, provided through a deeper knowledge of the Word of God. Blessings to each of you who will read this new book: Love, Joni

DEDICATION OF THIS BOOK: (To Jim and Jim II, Mark and Kristianne)

I am dedicating this book to my husband Jim who was my love, inspiration and source of Bible knowledge throughout my entire life. We lived our lives together for 63 years as ‘one’ in Christ, and spent the greater portion of our lives sharing the Word of God with others, including our children, as they were growing up in our home.

I am also dedicating this book, with special love and thanksgiving in my heart, to our three children: Jim Foster II; Mark Foster and Kristianne Foster Wolfe, who, outside of our love and service to our Lord Jesus Christ, were all three the source of the greatest joy to Jim and Joni’s hearts as they grew up for about 18 years in our home together, and then flew like birds out of our nest to build their own lives. Since Joni led all three of their children to Christ as their personal Savior, and their daddy taught them the foundation of God’s Word, which was deeply seared into their hearts. We were so blessed for the years we had to spend with each one of them, while still living at home with their dad and mom. They all are very talented and continued to walk with their Lord into adulthood, along with all their children, our grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, who all believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. What greater joy and praise could there be in the world to Jim and Joni, than to know that all their children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will all be Heaven as a family one day with their Lord. Jim and Joni are so blessed to know that God is the greatest love in the hearts of all those who they loved on earth. (Thank you, Lord!)

As the years flew by, they all wonderfully contributed to our family: Five Grand Children: named, Jim Foster III, Tara Foster Sood, Saryna Foster Parra; Danny and Kris Wolfe and eleven adorable Great-Grandchildren: Dillon, Rohan, Logan, Kian, Anthony, Diana, Austin, Penelope, Zeike, Arya, and Ariel, along with other precious babies, who are with their Lord Jesus Christ and with their great grandfather Jim in Heaven.

FURTHER SPECIAL RECOGNITION:

Because a special thank you was unintentionally left out of Jim’s book, God’s Blueprint of the Ages, I wish it to be known that our son, Jim Foster II, largely contributed to the drawing and production of Jim’s chart in the book called God’s Blueprint of the Ages. Without him, it would never have become a fulfillment of Jim’s dreams, along with his wife, Joni’s dedication to writing the missing chapters in Jim’s Book, where she diligently worked with the Lord, making the publishing of this amazing book possible. Also, our daughter, Kristianne Foster Wolfe, was the brilliant artist who thought of and designed the beautiful front and back cover for her dad’s book, ‘God’s Blueprint of the Ages’ so it could be published. She used Jim’s chart, cut it into sections and pasted them together to produce this unique piece of art work. Kristianne also thought of and contributed the ‘Eternity’ diagram found on the top left hand corner of the chart.

Also, to Mark Foster, our second son, we thank him for his constant interest, enthusiasm, encouragement, appreciation and belief in all of his father’s efforts to fulfill this gigantic task of drawing this chart over many years. He stood, admired and watched in fascination the production of the Masterpiece produced by his dad for His Lord Jesus Christ’s Glory.

Jim and Joni thank all of you for your ability and willingness to make this special Servant of the Lord, Jim Foster’s dream come true, and it did! Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ!

I desire for everyone to know that though I am writing this book while Jim is in Heaven, I praise God that my husband was my Pastor-Teacher all our lives together, teaching me, in his sermons and classes, much of what I taught my children throughout their growing years, and taught to the ladies and girl’s in my Bible Classes. All of the chapters written in this new book were written by Joni after Jim’s passing, using materials from both Jim and Joni’s Bible Lessons over the years. Together, Jim and Joni dedicate this book to our Lord Jesus Christ, Who enabled Joni to write this remarkable treatise, with Jim being a contributing writer to a few Chapters that I copied word for word, and are contained within this new book. Jim never lived long enough to write together with Joni, called, How to Walk the Walk with God Precept upon Precept. I, Joni, am dedicating this remarkable book to my beloved Jim’s memory, with all my love, and to each of our children, named above.

God bless each one of you, who are reading this Precept book, to enhance your personal spiritual journey which I have no doubt will mightily change your lives, to the extent that as God changes your thinking, you will lift up your hearts in praise to our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to His Glory and Honor, and share His knowledge and love with many other people seeking the Truth. Jesus said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me John 14:6. God bless each one of you as you walk boldly into this new adventure.

HONORABLE MENTION:

Jim and Joni want to thank each one of you who have prayed for the Publishing of this current book. Without the people I herein mention, I would not have been able to complete the huge task of writing this book. Each of them contributed some important resource to strengthen and encourage my desire to keep on writing to the fulfillment of this huge project over many months.

Thank You: To my Lord God and His Angels who He literally sent to take charge over me every night since Thanksgiving of 2020 (Psalm 9:9-12; Psalm 91:11); To Tom Larkins, our friend and very patient talented Editor for the second time, who sat under Jim’s ministry in Colorado; to Mike and Christine Kelly and Norman and Terry Barker, my kind and loving neighbors, who help me every day to do things I can no longer do by myself; To my dear Sister, Betsy McCall, who was my loving encourager to keep on going; To my kind physician, Dr. William Handy, for his loving care, of Jim while He was dying of Parkinson’s Disease and faithfully caring for Joni since his passing, even coming to our home to pray with Jim and to comfort Joni; and to Ann Widener, my sympathetic, special friend who has been my house keeper for two years, and kindly offered her love along with her encouragement, during these past two years of my grieving each time she comes.

The Key Verse for this book, How to Walk the Walk With God - Precept Upon Precept, (Isaiah 28:9-10 written above) will be the ‘KEY’ to your new learning experience, as it impacts your walk with your Lord, opening the way to new love, joy and peace in your heart. It is my deepest prayer desire that our readers will, "Grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" II Peter 3:18, and finding that the Precepts written in the book will add to their knowledge and understanding of the Bible, and be influential in their maturity of God’s Word.

The intention of this book is to demonstrate ‘HOW’ and ‘WHY’ we should ‘WALK THE WALK’ with God PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT. Hopefully also, impacting the people surrounding your lives who need to come face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, accepting Him as their Lord and Savior (John 3:16) and for those who are already believers, that they may Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ II Peter 3:18. This is not intended to be just a Devotional Book, but rather it is written as a Biblical Handbook to teach us how to live and walk step by step with our Lord Jesus Christ. The First Lesson is entitled, DEFINTION OF A PRECEPT. God bless you as you take your new journey in God’s Word "Precept upon Precept."

Sending this with God’s Blessings upon each one of you as you ‘WALK YOUR WALK OF LIFE—PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT WITH YOUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

With all my love and prayers for each one of you: Joni Foster: (Author, Wife, Mom, Grand-Mom, Great-Grand-Mom)

PREFACE—INTRODUCTION

PREFACE:

Joni’s journey in life, walking with her Lord, began on June 13, 1956 when Jim and Joni Foster recited their vows to love one another until death do us part, as unto our lord Jesus Christ, which we did for sixty-three years. However, on November 14, 2019, our Lord brought Jim home to Heaven after at least ten years of intense suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. But in between 1956 and 2019, Jim and Joni’s focus in life was always to love, serve and honor our Lord together. Therefore, our lives as one in Christ, were rich and full of love for one another and for our Lord, who was our focus and our main purpose for living. Jim was a former Roman Catholic and received Christ in that Religion, and by Joni’s prompting and his innate love for God (that even he did not realize at first), Jim gave his life unreservedly in service to his Lord Jesus Christ.

We did not plan our way of life or the years ahead — God did! Just as a Mason would construct a beautiful home out of brick and mortar, so should believers construct a solid home of Bible knowledge within their souls, Precept upon Precept, Precept upon Precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little. Isaiah 28:9-10. This verse means that God’s Word represents bricks of precepts, wherein all the Bible knowledge found within each precept in the Bible, called God’s Holy Word, can be compared to building bricks of God’s Word. When constructing a monumental structure within our soul, brick upon brick, brick upon brick, defined as our life-consciousness, eventually it becomes as a house containing valuable knowledge as worthy as polished fine gold within our souls, which is a type of the Holy Word of God in the Bible. (Revelation 3:18)

Our youth and natural love for each other and for our God, made us pliable putty in God’s hands to mold and shape our lives. We were wide open for His leading, as we both had hearts eager to love and please our Lord without any idea of where this would lead us at nineteen and twenty-one years of age. But God did not spare a minute of our willingness, even though we knew little of the Bible at that time. We were naïve to the future commitment we were willingly venturing into with the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and Teacher of God’s Word. God began His work in our hearts together, immediately, for we chose to go to a little Baptist Church in Abilene Texas where many Armed Service members attended. Jim was a pilot of the KC-97 refueling tanker and Second Lieutenant in the Air Force. As soon as the leaders in the Church learned that we were both believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Sunday School Superintendent approached us one morning and asked us if we would teach the 6th grade Sunday School class. Without hesitation, we accepted and later admitted to one another that we knew little about the Bible, and neither of us had taught before. Jim boldly stepped up to the plate and volunteered to prepare to teach these boys and girls, and did a splendid job under the tutelage of God the Holy Spirit, with Joni as his supportive helper.

This was the beginning of Jim’s exciting adventure toward learning the Word of God. He faithfully submitted himself to studying and learning the Bible, which he never stopped doing for our entire married life together. He got up at about 3:00 each morning, scrabbling to learn the Bible from cover to cover, with the Holy Spirit as his Teacher as he did over all our years together. Jim had literally fallen in love with God’s Holy Word years before he ever had any formal schooling in Bible School or Seminary. Jim had committed himself to knowing God’s Word. He fervently studied and never stopped, for he could not get enough. He wanted to know it all, which became his lifelong adventure with his Lord. He never tired of learning and bought several study books from the Christian Book Store to help him on his spiritual journey of learning the Bible on his own. The Holy Spirit was his teacher, which He promises to be: ... If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. … But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things into your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you. John 14:23, 26.

Thus, Jim began to study God’s Word diligently, and soon was doing a remarkable job teaching the students, with Joni’s assistance, in our Sunday School Class. We loved leading these children in the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Soon, we planned a fun outing with them which they never forgot. This outing required us all to dress up as hobos. We hiked out in the Texas boondocks to find a safe place to build a fire pit and started a fire to start cooking our ‘hobo stew’ which consisted of all the canned vegetables and meats that the kids brought with them. We dumped everything they brought into our one, huge, lobster pot, where we warmed it over the fire and later sat around eating hobo stew from the cans we all brought that day. We had a great time around the fire, roasting marshmallows afterwards and making Smores, while taking turns telling stories. Afterwards, we had a devotional from God’s Word by Jim, and we all went back to our cozy homes after having a delightful time around the fire together with our Lord.

Our attendance at Temple Baptist Church began our ministry for God, which continued from one Bible study to another all our married lives together wherever we moved. Jim became a great expositor of the Word of God and taught me all that he had learned. Eventually, Joni began to teach Good News Clubs after taking the course to receive a certificate to teach with Child Evangelism Fellowship. She led many children to Christ, including our own three children, Jimmy II, Mark, and Kristianne.

Jim’s devotedness to studying God’s Word led him to begin a study on eschatology which teaches through the Bible from the beginning of time in Genesis through Revelation. This study lead Jim to draw a long chart of all the dispensations and the events in the Bible from the beginning of time until the end – a chart which he called, God’s Blueprint of the Ages. That chart was used to help teach many Bible classes in Colleges, at Churches and to various groups for many years.

In the year 2020 after Jim’s passing, Joni felt led of the Lord to publish a book in Jim’s honor with the title, God’s Blueprint of the Ages. This book contains a copy of Jim’s full chart, along with many of his doctrinal lessons that explain the chart. With this background of re-reading a synopsis of Jim’s life work, Joni realized Jim’s theme to teach hundreds of doctrines found in the Word of God, that all help us to ‘walk the walk’ with Jesus, day by day, step by step, doctrine upon doctrine, precept upon precept.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit laid it upon Joni’s heart to write a sequence to Jim’s book to expand on those precepts written by Jim and Joni through their teaching years. The Word of God enriched both their lives and lead them both to commit themselves to the service of their Lord Jesus Christ through many ministries for their Lord over the years and in many places that God led them together. May this doctrinal book called: How to Walk the Walk with Jesus, Precept Upon Precept, be an inspiration to all who study it. All to God’s Glory!

INTRODUCTION TO THIS BOOK OF PRECEPTS:

What makes this book without an equal in its presentation? Are you tired of shallow teaching where you leave a service feeling as empty as when you arrived?

This is a unique book backed with many scriptures used to substantiate what each precept means, and stands alone in its presentation and message. It is not a book for a Sunday afternoon of casual reading to just sit down and browse through for relaxation. Rather, it is a book answering God’s question: Whom shall God teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? God answers these questions simply with the following words. those who are weaned from the milk; For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line; line upon line, here a little and there a little. Isaiah 28:9-10.

Precepts in Isaiah 28 are doctrines, subjects, studies, topics, or principles of Bible knowledge intended to blend truths upon other truths with the intent of constructing a solid Biblical structure within the minds of people desiring to learn, know, follow and live by God’s Holy Word. Each chapter contains a critical analysis of biblical knowledge. It is crucial to examine each scripture written in this book to get a broader view of God’s intent in each particular precept. The book itself could be an excellent teaching tool for new bible classes with you as the teacher.

This book is not intended to be a treatise for leisure reading, but rather an exercise in disciplines of learning. It is intended to advance your knowledge, while digesting the knowledge of each verse from God’s word compared with other verses, and precepts with other precepts, in constructive ways, leading toward maturity in the reader. Each Bible verse or series of verses must be studied separately and then used to connect topics, sentences, paragraphs, and thoughts, resulting in a cycle of full and complete knowledge of each precept after precept after precept, taking each chapter, each topic, and analyzing how this particular discipline can fit into a growing structure of Bible knowledge in the hearts and minds of individual believers. Precept teaching is God’s way of sharing His knowledge throughout the Bible, especially to those who want to know God’s Word and apply it to their lives and live by it, then teach others as Bible instructors themselves.

May God bless this study of precepts to your hearts so that you might grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Blessings to you all,

Joni, April, 2021.

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CHAPTER 1

DEFINITION OF A PRECEPT

Key Scripture: Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Those who are weaned from milk and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; Isaiah 28:9-10.

Q. How Do We Define A Precept from God’s Word?

A. A Precept is also called: a Topic, a Doctrine, a Subject, a Study, a Theme, or an Essay.

God’s Word has an undetermined number of doctrines within its pages throughout both the Old and the New Testament. Many verses in the Bible have more than one doctrine within a verse; for example: John 3:16 has at least seven different doctrines or subjects within it, which I will underline, such as: For God, so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him, should not perish; but have everlasting life. (Each one of these words underlined can be written as a separate Bible precept study.)

A precept (as found in God’s Word) this writer is using like an analogy to describe a building brick placed in a wall while constructing a brick house. Each brick is put into place with mortar in between and continues as such so that each row of bricks soon builds a solid, sturdy brick wall. Each brick is likened to a precept or subject from God’s Word, which is used to define how the mortar between the bricks (God’s Word) is used to place each brick together with another brick explaining why and how this begins the knowledge or precept-structure in our minds, just as a brick upon brick or precept upon precept builds the growing solid structure of God’s Word, precept upon precept in our souls. Each precept in God’s Word, when studied with many other passages of scripture, begins to add precept upon the next precept. Eventually, within the human soul, a solid structure of precepts are combined with one another, bringing a greater understanding to the student who obeys God. He says in His Word, "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15.

Studying the Word of God daily is the work ethic practiced by the Bereans in Thessalonica, wherein they searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so. (or correct) Acts 17:11. God requires such study for a serious Bible student who loves God and His Word first, above all else in their lives.

Also, there are some further words in Isaiah 28:9-10, which are: line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little. How do we define these words to increase our knowledge of this passage of Scripture? We are to grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, steadily, step by step, doubling our emphasis on studying God’s Word, so that we can mature in our knowledge of God. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ 2 Peter 3:18, thus increasing our knowledge upon knowledge, brick upon brick, line upon line, here a little and there a little, precept upon precept of God’s Word. This is the key to a successful Christian walk for any believer.

May God bless the study of this precept lesson to your hearts, which, when added to many other precept lessons will enhance the quality of your life like none other. This is available to any person who chooses to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, who then further decides to learn also about God through the study of the Holy Bible. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. Acts 16:31.

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CHAPTER 2

PRECEPT OF GOD’S LOVE

Key Scripture:

For God so Loved the World, that He Gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

What is God’s Love?

God’s love is a precept in God’s Word, defined by the Lord Jesus Christ in His Bible, when He gave to all mankind, through His death on the Cross; His life and His love for every person born, who chooses to believe in Him as their Savior from sin. His love is always the same for each person, because it does not increase or decrease and is fully available and present to everyone that believes in Him, and open to anyone who would choose to follow Him.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8.

‘How’ do you obtain God’s favor and love?

God’s love is available to all people, and can be obtained in only one way – through faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior from sin. Because God’s Word says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. How do I love God? Just believe in God’s Son as your savior from sin. His love is available to everyone who believes in Him.

Dear Reader:

God always keeps all His promises to those of us who He loves, all His human beings who He created in His very image, and still, He is so immense in Who He is that we see so little of the enormous potential which exists in our heavenly Father. As God leads me to continue to write this book that He laid on my heart to write to those He desires to receive it called How To Walk The Walk With Jesus, Precept Upon Precept, my heart is so stirred to insert some new and precious aspects about Who God really is. He reveals Himself to me daily, more fully than ever before while I am writing about Him. Therefore, I feel compelled to try and write on paper some aspects of our Heavenly Father that often remain concealed to our eyes, until perhaps that time comes when we are left bereft and desolate, a time when perhaps we are open to receive more comfort and love from God, than ever before.

The Lord Jesus’ love to me, at this time of the greatest need ever in my life, is almost beyond my capacity to receive it since the Lord removed my husband from my life. He died of Parkinson’s Disease on November 14, 2019, leaving me heart-broken, hurting, lonely and crushed beyond any description. But God knows, and he loves with a love beyond our imagination!!!

God’s internal, deepest love remains often unseen to most of us in life, because it is a love that needs a believing recipient, who knows ‘how’ to empty themselves of ‘self’, and be free of sin long enough for God’s internal, deepest love to be revealed, which remains nearly unseen to most of us in life. It is a love that must have an open forgiven heart to receive it in order to absorb within oneself, spiritually, this greater love of God.

This infallible part of God’s Love is rarely seen and so beautiful, that it is difficult to write about this deeper love of God. It is a love so intense, that it is almost impossible to truly comprehend the depth and magnificence of it, or to even write a full description or disclosure of its amazing splendor, in any way that comes close to revealing the truth of how personal and how loving our God really is. He is able to display this intense deeper love to those who He can reveal it to, while in the process of healing people’s broken hearts.

This love is available to all who have believed in Christ as their personal Savior, but it is necessary for us to accept the Precept of Forgiveness and Fellowship with God, and truly desire for God to cleanse us from all sin in order to receive this deeper gift of God’s love. This can happen only when we totally and humbly empty ourselves of self and sin in order to be an open vessel that He can pour His immense love into, enabling Him to fill the great need in our hearts. Only then, can our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, display and reveal to us the deeper layer of his love that is breathtaking and beyond human ability to comprehend when it is displayed to us, but probably seen only once by the whole world when He revealed His total love to all mankind, as He hung on the Cross of Calvary, dying in the agony of His Soul and Spirit, because of His matchless love and grace, that He has for each one of us, and thinking of us, individually, as He hung on the Cross dying for you and me. His greatest agony was in His foreknowledge and omniscience, knowing all that was, is, and will ever be, and seeing and knowing those who would or would not receive His love and forgiveness to receive His eternal love.

God prompted me to include this insert at this time into this lesson, because I feel the need to disclose to each of you that are reading this book, something so special about God, that reveals without a doubt, the absolute truth about the depth of God’s remarkable love, that I suspect is rarely seen or heard of, until He makes you the gracious recipient one day. The question remains, who has the courage to try and write what God, in His grace and love, has inserted into their life, as He has for me, at this time of deep sorrow, sadness and loss, the incalculable depth of God’s amazing grace and love that I never knew until this time.

How does one love God? Just believe in God’s Son as your Savior from sin. His love is available to everyone who believes in Him, because now, after a tragedy interrupted and changed my life totally, His love is limitless, especially to an empty vessel, ready, and desperately in need of receiving and needing His love more than anything in the world, at this time in my life.

The Incalculable Love of God:

The Lord has given me permission to share with you some unbelievable true accounts of God’s personal love to me, since the day my Jim passed into the loving arms of His Heavenly Father, which I pray will significantly help you or others you know, to survive any catastrophic events that could occur in anyone’s life, as long as we are alive on earth. I will briefly tell of a few incidences in order to adequately share the almost ‘unbelievable’ with you about the God of love and grace!!!

God’s Inconceivable Love and Grace:

I desire for it to be known that the following amazing events, including this short insert: before I do start this part of my true life story, I wish to make it known that Jim and I never sought miracles, or signs or recognition from our heavenly Father, while we served Him in various ministries together for the 63 years of our marriage; but I am sharing, with God’s permission, what happened in this past fifteen months since Jim’s death and to say that God’s blessings were totally unexpected or sought for by me; but it seems God wants me to tell them in this book, as He has laid it upon my heart to do so. God’s grace gifts started for me two nights after Jim passed into heaven. I was sitting alone on the love seat in our study, so devastated with my loss, and crying uncontrollably. When I finally went to sleep, and awoke many hours later feeling myself held in someone’s arms, and feeling very warm and cozy, believing that Jim had come back to me. I did not want this wonderful feeling to stop; but when I came fully awake, no one was there, and the trauma of Jim’s death came over me again. Then I realized that I was being held by God, or an Angel, or could it have been Jim? I do not know, but in any case, God was obviously immediately making His presence known to me in a most special, comforting way.

The Shekinah Cloud:

It was February 19th, 2020, when, as I was ready to turn off my light in my bedroom to go to sleep, that I glanced over toward my window and saw a strange ‘light’ on my ceiling. Wondering what is was, I went over, looked up and decided I had no idea what this was, and decided to ignore it. Suddenly a clear mist began pouring into my room, catching my attention again. This time I went to my bed and lay watching this mist grow thicker and bigger. In my heart I knew this had to be coming from God and I was not afraid and said out loud, I know this is coming from you God, but I have no idea why. I asked if Jim, my husband, who had just recently passed away, was in the cloud with the Lord? No answer. Knowing about God’s shekinah glory from Jim’s teaching at his Bible classes, my mind was in awe as I watched this large cloud-like formation fold over and over, grow larger and larger, revealing beautiful colors of light pink and blue within. When the cloud stopped building, I looked and behold, the cloud began to open up from the middle revealing, a tall black tower, (like a cell-phone tower). My mind tried to decipher the reason for this beautiful cloud forming in my bedroom, and as I lay watching it, it moved over to the end of my bed and remained there a short while. Then it moved again and came right over above me, but too high for me to reach. I was in awe, mystified and responded out loud, that I knew this was of God. Suddenly, I felt very sleepy and said out loud, I am so very tired. I must have gone to sleep at that point. I remember the accounts in the Bible of Jesus going to frail, sick and the infirmed, and healing them and I felt overjoyed that He would come to me at this time of my deep sadness.

In the morning, the cloud was gone; but the memories were not. When I got up, I immediately went to my Bible, knowing that God often gives us explanations of signs or things that happen on earth. God the Holy Spirit, who lives in all believers, spoke within me, as He often does as I teach God’s Word, and told me to look up the word ‘tower’. When I did, God’s Word revealed my answer: Blessed be the LORD my strength, Who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in Whom I trust; Psalm 144:1-2. I knew instantly that God was giving me the answer to the Shekinah cloud and high tower in my room the night before, because He was displaying in such a kind loving manner, that He is my high tower, my fortress, my goodness, my delivers, my shield, and I was to trust in Him! What an amazing assurance, and one which I cling do daily!!!

What Is the Shekinah Glory of the Lord?

It is the manifested glory of God. God’s Holy essence of light that enshrouds Him since God is light. (I John 1:5; Ezekiel 10:4-5, 11:22-23)

From that day, February 19, 2020, for over a year now, I believed, rested, had faith in and knew God is my hero and protector. As a widow, I had nothing to fear, and I have not as I write this. I have trusted in and thanked my Lord daily for His promises from His Word to my heart because He has not failed to be with me every day, and I have no fears of being alone, because my Lord God is in me and with me, and lives in my home. From that day forward, I pledged to do all I could to make my home a place where God could be comfortable when He is here, and that is always, as long as I live, as God the Holy Spirit lives in me, as He does in all believers. I play beautiful Christian hymns and songs, that are reverent and soft, all day long, to remind me that God lives in me and with me and in my home. I am respectful of His holiness, and decided that I wouldn’t want to have any sinful element of anything in my home, and I don’t. I also feel compelled to keep my home, as I always did for Jim, decent and in order and clean, as my Lord lives here with me.

The Widow’s Promise:

But this is only the beginning, as God has never left me for a minute, and I feel His presence and talk to Him often during the day, for many reasons. He is living here and this is so comforting. Within a week of receiving the Shekinah cloud in my room, the Holy Spirit pointed out a verse to me in the Scriptures: Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusts in God, and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. I Timothy 5:5. This verse, I have learned, keeps me in daily conversation with my Lord, as He renews my spirit within me and His presence is felt as I stay in His Word, which is easy, as I am writing this book, which keeps me centered on God’s Word, daily.

One night as I was shutting my light off to go to sleep, I looked at my alarm clock and said out loud, I need to get up by 8:00 in the morning, as I have an appointment to keep. I decided not to turn on my alarm clock, feeling I would wake up on my own. While Jim was living, I often asked him to get me up at a certain time in the morning, as he was an early riser and he would wake me the next morning when I asked him to. That morning I was sleeping soundly when I heard Jim’s voice say to me, Joni. I was startled awake and glanced at my clock which read exactly 8:00. I looked around and called out to Jim, but there was no reply; but I laughed and said, "You and God were playing a funny on me this morning, you monkey!!! I will never forget the sound of his voice: it was him! God used this also to reassure me that indeed Jim’s soul and spirit were very much alive, and aware of me, as many comments by people, around the time of his death, said many strange things that made me doubt, and deepened my burden.

Three days after Jim’s Memorial Service, our daughter Kristi arrived home in Texas from Virginia. The next morning she heard a strange noise coming from her kitchen, which she recognized, but knew it couldn’t be what she heard. She got up and went into the kitchen and couldn’t believe her eyes. There on the wall of her kitchen was the cuckoo clock which had been broken for many months. But here it was, busily ticking away and just cuckooed, and has continued to cuckoo since that day. Oh yes, her daddy was special to her and she to him, and he had given her the clock, even if it was broken. He was the only one who could fix it but he was too sick to try this time. Kristi knew immediately that her ‘daddy’ had come and fixed her clock that evening with the Lord’s permission, and it has worked ever since. Try and figure that one out!?!? God, of course!!!!

Finally:

God has never stopped showing me his love and grace since Jim passed! Without Him I could not have gotten through this trauma and sadness in my life. Next to my Lord, Jim was my hero and I loved him dearly.

Another Miracle:

On the evening of November 28, 2020, I was all alone and sadly went to bed as was my habit since Jim left. As I shut off my light that evening and shut my eyes, for some reason, I opened my eyes again, and beheld on my ceiling there was a picture of a tree. I stared at it awhile and remember feeling that God has sent it for some reason; but I had no idea why or what it meant. In the morning, I got up and went to my Bible, believing God would show me why He sent me this sign, but I could not find anything significant that gave me a hint what this meant. That next night the tree appeared again and I believe the Holy Spirit whispered to me, ‘Look up the word, Vine.’ I did the next day, and yes, God let me know that He was sending me another ‘sign message’ from Him. The Bible cleared up the mystery the next morning when I looked up the Word ‘Vine’ and discovered in John 15, who the vine is and it is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We, as believers, are ‘branches’ that should be bearing fruit for Him, as we witness to people about Christ’s Saving Love and Grace. (See Ephesians 2:8-9)

How Wonderful Is This?

So as not to belabor this too much longer, allow me to say that I was not certain that God the Father wanted me to reveal some of this miracle, which began for two nights at the end of November, and never stopped. These visions have become the midnight prayer meetings happening every night, and have become such a blessing to my heart. Praying with my Lord each night when He still comes as the Vine, is an unbelievable experience. The Lord Jesus Christ has continued to bless me with His Word and comfort, as the Vine each night. Why? I cannot imagine why, except that He comes to bring comfort and joy to my still aching heart, as a widow, which gives me the courage and will to carry on and continue writing this book, which I know will bring great blessing to those who study it when it is published.

God’s love is self-contained, self-generated and exists from the independent source of Himself. Since He is love, He does not need an object to love – God automatically loves! This is why He loves everyone the same, no matter what we say or do (John 3:16) with one exception: the sin of unbelief.

God’s Love is unconditional, and because ‘He is Love’, He evaluates all things through His perfect love. That is ‘why’ He can love the sinner, even when He knows, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. God cannot love sin, for He is perfect and righteousness.

God’s Love is patient and long-suffering, for He says, (the LORD is) not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

God is Eternal and unchangeable. His Love is always available to us. "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3. God’s Love is infinite, limitless, endless, immense, inexhaustible, and has no boundaries (See Malachi 3:6). Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8. Christ’s love compelled God to reach out to the ones who respond to His matchless grace in salvation. For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.

God’s Love is a Righteous Love. And because God loves us when we believe in Him, He imputes (freely gives) His righteousness to us. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. God is Holy! But, as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16. God’s Love responds only to righteousness, for God cannot have fellowship with sin, because He is Holy!

God’s Love makes it possible for believers to love one another, for Love is of God. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is Love. 1 John 4:7-8.

• God’s Love is Everlasting. (Jeremiah 31:3)

• God’s Love covers all sin. (Proverbs 10:12)

• God’s Banner over me is Love. (Song of Solomon 2:4)

• God’s Love is stronger than death. (Song of Solomon 8:6):

• Greater Love has no man than this, for He laid down His Life for His friends. (John 15:13)

• Love works no ill. (Romans 13:10)

• The God of Love shall be with you. (II Corinthians 13:11)

• The Love of Christ which passes all knowledge. (Ephesians 3:19)

• Love covers all sins. (I Peter 4:8)

• Love is of God. (I John 4:7)

• Grace be with all them that love God. (Ephesians 6:24)

• We Love Him, because He first loved us. (I John 4:19)

Loving God is one of the Ten Commandments to All People!

Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37.

Question: How Do We Love God?

Answer: We personally begin to love God by believing in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, because "God is love." I John 4:8b.

Question: How Do We Believe in God?

Answer: Jesus died on the cross for your sins, which requires us to personally accept His gift of Salvation. … Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shalt be saved. Acts 16:31.

Question: How Do We Learn to Love the Lord Jesus Christ?

Answer: We are to love the Lord our God with our whole heart and soul and mind. We love Him, because He first loved us. John 4:19. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. II Thessalonians 3:5. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. II John 1:6.

The beloved are those who have trusted Christ as their personal Savior from sin, and cannot ever be separated from God’s love. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans 8:35, 37-39.

The Trinity (or Godhead) Loves Us: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

• The Father’s Love: (John 3:16, I John 4:9) But God commends His Love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

• The Son’s Love: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life. John 3:16.

• The Holy Spirit’s Love: "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I (Christ) go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you: but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He (the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you will see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world (Satan) is judged." John 16:7-11.

The Holy Spirit’s love reflects the Father and the Son’s love to us, as the Holy Spirit indwells all believers. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8:8-11.

Overview of this section:

Key Scriptures:

• "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son (to die on the cross) to be the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins. 1 John 4:7-10.

• Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him." I John 4:11-16.

God’s amazing love for us: … Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3.

The Precept of love: God loves us with His Agape love. God’s Agape love is acquired in believers through a firm foundation in God’s Word, gained by studying: Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. 2 Timothy 2:15. Learning and applying God’s Word to our lives becomes the inward structure in which a person can comprehend and act upon the true meaning of their moral actions in a relationship with God or toward others. God’s love in our lives then, radiates from our cleansed Soul.

What is our soul? Our soul is our life consciousness. It is our awareness of being alive.

What is our spirit? Our spirit is our God consciousness. As we live, we make choices daily as we mature in life and become conscious of ‘how we think’ and ‘what we say’ and ‘how we choose to do things’.

How to stay cleansed from our sins: "If we confess our sins, (meaning: agree with God that we have sinned), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. God’s love in us is intended to radiate toward God and toward others within the perimeter of love for one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. John 13:35.

Sin Separates Us from God’s Love!

What Is Sin? Any offense or fault.

The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23, and "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal live, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. God hates sin: "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea,