Psalm 34:8 Expanded Bible (EXB)
Examine [Taste] and see how good the LORD is.
Happy [Blessed] is the person who ·trusts [finds refuge in] him.
Greetings and blessings to all Ness Energy stockholders. This past four months since the last update has been an interesting one, to say the least. Be assured, that with joy, my commitment to move Ness forward continues to remain strong. For many years I have been and will continue to be a steward/shepherd to Ness Energy directing it toward fulfilling the prophetic mission. As I stated in the last update, I will continue to prayerfully seek a partner for the well in Israel. I have contacted two potential “like minded” partners for the well, but have not had any commitments.
This has been a year of no movement. As I prayed and reflected on this I was reminded that there remains an estimated $100,000 to $350,000 still owed to Ness Energy. As I have stated before, the funds due Ness are from the sale of oil and gas leases located west of Ft Worth, TX. The transaction closed in 2005. Many of the oil and gas leases were drilled horizontally in the Barnett Shale and are still producing natural gas today. The company is financially viable and has acknowledged that additional consideration has not been paid, but it refuses to pay. Without the Lord’s divine intervention, it will require filing a lawsuit to collect what is due. I continue to pray and believe there will be a divine breakthrough to cause these funds to be released. Please join me in praising and thanking God as if the breakthrough has happened and the money is in Ness’ bank account. Obtaining these funds combined with either oil and gas income and/or the 2005 and 2006 historical accounting records, would be more than sufficient to complete what is required to finish the audit and file the application with the SEC.
It has been a season of continuing to sort through many spiritual issues. To get right to the heart of the matter, all that has been brought into the light since the last update are matters that are related to me and the private companies in which I was a partner. Because of my partnership in these companies, I have had to take responsibility to move forward to reconcile any and all lingering unsettled issues. Some were sins of a type of pilfering that needed to be confessed to the appropriate people and repented of, which I did. I feel I have identified other key errors of the past and I will continue to take the scriptural actions required to bring resolution.
As I took the initiative to deal with these old lingering errors and sins, insight came concerning a particular oil and gas well my partnership successfully reentered back in 2007. Although we were successful in the reentry of the well, we were never able to obtain commercial production from it. The circumstances concerning the well was a mystery of sorts. Up until now, I was unable to understand what was out of spiritual order that would prevent it from being a blessing. I am now proceeding to rectify the issues so that the well could be a blessing. If it were successful, it could create some much needed income.
During this latest season of prayer, I was convicted and enlightened by the biblical truths stated in the two quotes below by C.S. Lewis. I first came across them back in May and June of this year. It was not until July and August that I began to see the pattern with supporting scriptures about the need to return to old unresolved issues and get them back on the right road. The biblical standards to do so require reconciliation, restoration and restitution concerning them. I was led back in time to discover where the “off track” issues were located. With that knowledge, I knew where and how to return to the point the wrong road was taken and then how all could be restarted onto the right road. If this is actually the case, we should expect a blessing to be produced from the well.
Below are the C.S. Lewis quotes that concern these spiritual truths:
“I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A sum can be put right: but only by going back til you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on.”
“Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road.”
In order to identify and correct the sins, errors and wrong roads, it required me to practice tefillah. If you remember back to the previous update, tefillah is the Hebrew word for prayer as it is used in Isaiah 56:7 and quoted by Jesus in Mark 11:17. The definition is supported by what is stated in Mark 11:25. Notice carefully what Jesus says; “And whenever you stand praying (tefillah), if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your (own) failings and short comings and let them drop.” (Amplified Version) How would you know if you had anything against anyone unless you were practicing tefillah?
The definition of tefillah; it is to “self-evaluate”. Tefillah is a time of prayer when we examine ourselves and worship The Heavenly Father. We worship Him and compare our actions, behavior and attitudes of the heart against God’s holy covenant standards. A portion of those actions could have occurred many years in our past and we may have not realized at that time we had gotten off of the “right road” until we practiced tefillah.
As Christians, we are to tefillah in light of the New Covenant. We must compare our actions, behaviors and attitudes of the heart with the new and higher standards which it requires. In short, the New Covenant requirements are based on obeying Jesus’ commands which represent the Royal Law of Love. A facet of that type of love is stated in Luke 6:31, which is considered the “Golden Rule”. In tefillah, we must ask ourselves the key questions like: Have I done for others, in personal interactions and business dealings, what I would want done for me? If we have not, then according to the New Covenant, we must return all the way back to when those sins/errors occurred and to the intersection where the wrong roads were taken so confess, repent, make the corrections and then, get back on the right path. The right path is where the enemy can no longer rob, steal, kill and destroy and where we can expect God’s full covenant blessings.
The following scriptures were prompted to me after I wrote the previous update and they continue the same biblical theme.
Psalm 26:2 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Lord, you can scrutinize me. Refine my heart and probe my every thought. Put me to the test and you’ll find it’s true.
Hebrews 3:12 The Passion Translation (TPT)
So search your hearts every day, [a] my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you. For it will lead you astray, [b] and make you unresponsive to the living God.
To do what these two scriptures recommends requires tefillah. We must search our hearts every day for any evil or unbelief. Evil and unbelief can be represented by any heart motive that is not based on God’s love and grace. Giving God’s love to others, which includes our enemies, is a command of Jesus. What is it that God so lavishly gave us? It is, unmerited grace through his unconditional love provided through Jesus’ death on the cross. By refusing to give others what God gave us, we are led astray and it “makes us unresponsive to the living God.” Areas of our heart can become callused. It will also block God blessings in our lives. This “evil” and “unbelief” can be such emotions, as unforgiveness, harboring offenses/grudges, being judgmental/critical, idolatry (greed, selfishness) and lack of producing the “fruits of the spirit” described in Galatians 5. As we mature in our walk with Jesus we become more and more responsible to live in obedience to the precepts and commands of the New Covenant. We can only become responsive to the living God again by repenting and asking for forgiveness together with practicing what is required by God’s New Covenant principles. Of course, those principles are contained in His Royal Law of Love.
Colossians 3 The Passion Translation (TPT)
12 You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself with virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness toward all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others. 13 Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them. 14 For love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues. Love becomes the mark [k] of true maturity. [l]
Tefillah took me all the way back to 2005 in my own partnerships. Back where I discovered the errors/sins like pilfering and “wrong roads” taken because I became a bit callused and became unresponsive to the living God’s biblical principles. I addressed the issues with all concerned agreeing to God’s biblical plan of reconciliation, restoration and restitution. As I stated in an earlier paragraph, after I discovered these wrongs and took the prescribed action to correct, is when understanding began to come to me about the well and why it was a failure. Initially, it was difficult for me to overcome my negative bias towards the results of the well. After several weeks of prayerfully pondering the situation I could begin to consider the possibility of it becoming a blessing. During those weeks I was reminded of all the miracles we experienced that allowed us to successfully reenter it. The work on that it stretched out over a 16 month period. Those months consisted of struggles, challenges and obstacles at every turn. The operation began in January of 2007 and was not brought to a conclusion until April of 2008. At this time, I do not have all the answers as how the blessings that are the result of returning to the right road will be brought about, but I know it will require steps of faith and obedience.
I realize this update is more of a teaching on biblical principles than a business report. The reason primarily is because Ness Energy is as much of a ministry as it is a business. This mission and all that is required to accomplish it can only be done by intently submitting the business elements to fully practicing the New Covenant principles. Otherwise, it will fail. That is the only reason I can account for the intense spiritual scrutiny Ness and I have gone through the past several years. The process has been a true refiner’s fire for me and all the business matters involved. These refining fires have forced me to the type of prayers that require us to examine and scrutinized our hearts and return back to consider every path taken in order to return to the righteous road or “highway of holiness”. Sanctification is required in the process in order to achieve pure reconciliation in every personal interaction and business transaction.
I have given many years of my professional life to the calling of fulfilling Ness Energy’s mission. I have done so with very little to no financial benefit. I will continue to do so for as long as God’s calling and grace to do so rests upon me. I am very encouraged we have overcome so many obstacles caused by unrighteous decisions. I believe we are what the Word of God says we are; “more than conquerors through Christ Jesus”. This is true if we will continue to operate in the New Covenant principles. As we endeavor to do so to right wrongs, we will see The Lord’s plan accomplished through Ness Energy.
Thank you for faithfully praying for Ness’ mission to be fulfilled. Also, please pray for me to be correctly led to accomplish The Heavenly Father’s plan to create an income source for me and our company.
In Jesus Name,
David M. Boyce
President
Ness Energy International, Inc.