The old man’s dock, on a cold Scottish loch, when the cock crows, he stands in a warm frock, Taking stock of life’s secrets to unlock. He stands firm to mock, death’s calling tick tock. Hard as a rock, he leans against the shock, as waves of fear knock, upon his old crock.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
We are justified in Christ There was only one law in the beginning. Just one. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”–Gen. 2:17 People want to act like God is some eternal killjoy,…
Abide in the Lord We all face trouble in life. It is something we can all agree upon. No matter who you are, something bad will eventually come to cause you trouble. Something will break your heart. Something will break you down. Something will make you crazy, concerned or confused. When we look at the…
Satan’s Insanity If you’ve read the Bible, you know that we have a spiritual enemy. Satan fell sometime after creation. We do not know exactly when, but it was because he desired to be “like the most High”. (Isa. 14: 12-17) He wants to be God. This desire led to his fall and corruption. It…
Things that impact our walk with God and our future and service.
I want you to recall the story of the Exodus. (Book of Exodus)
The Israelites were in bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt. They did not know God at the time. They had forgotten. But, God had not forgotten them or the promise He made to Abraham.
God made a promise to Moses and the Israelites about a promised land. A home.
God delivered them out of slavery with a mighty hand. He showed himself to them. He proved He was with them and they could trust Him. He proved it.
He brought them through tough times and battles. This was not a love fest. This was war. He loved them, and was with them.
He brought them to the land He had promised them. To the very banks. They sent spies out into the land to see what was there. That’s what a leader does in a military conquest.
God already knew what was there and had already given it to them. It was all done except the dirty work.
Do you think God sat on His throne and said, “Boy I sure hope we can defeat these bad dudes?”
No.
All the spies except for Caleb and Joshua brought back a report filled with fear and doubt that ignored how God had delivered them so many times. They had no faith in God. They did not know him.
The people listened to the faithless report and believed it. They feared. They refused to take the promised land, God had given them because they did not know Him or trust Him.
God could not take them into the Promised land with that lack of faith. They needed to trust Him to get through.
So, He sent them to wander until they learned to have faith. Till the old generation died off and the new was ready. To strip off that old flesh and bring out the spirit full of faith and trust in God.
Then, they went and conquered.
God fought beside them and before them, with His might hand and put them in the promised land.
They did not go there to farm. That was later. They went there for battle.
We find ourselves in situations where we must trust God. We come to places in our lives when it’s a choice of faith in God and His promises, or to run away in fear.
Understand that God is with you, no matter which way you go. You cannot escape God.
But, it’s better to trust God to deliver his promises.
I’m not telling you to let your kid die from some easily curable disease because you’re praying for God to heal. Remember, the Israelites drew swords and went to battle. Yes, God went before them. Yes, God fought among them. He even stopped the sun in the sky.
But, they had to go to battle, and not just on their knees in prayer.
That brings us to the spies. The spies are fear.
We face something, and our mind starts spinning. We start thinking scary thoughts. We lay in our bed agonizing. We struggle with what is happening.
But, God has promised us. He has been with us. He will lead us through. It might not look the way we think. But, He has given us a vision. He has given us a dream. He has promised, and He is with us where ever we go.
Those spies in our head keep beating us. Do we quit? Do we turn away from the promised land? Those spies in our head make a lot of sense.
But, are we listening to the still small voice of God? Are we listening to the Spirit and the love and the peace that defies all understanding? (1 Kings 19:11-14, John 16:13, Phil. 4:6-7)
Then like Job, things start happening around us. Great friends come and give us faithless council full of fear. They give us wise advise that excludes our Lord. (Book of Job)
Problems come. The car breaks down. A family member gets sick. We lose a job.
And the spies in our head, with those “friends” by our side tell us, we can’t trust God. All the troubles scream that we can’t trust God.
But, this is battle.
The chaos rolls around you as you struggle and see God fighting beside you and delivering you through even more of the devil’s attacks.
God has promised you and He is bringing you there with a mighty hand.
Unless you quit. Unless you let fear control you.
Pray to God. Talk to Him. He is not a slave driver. Remember Lot? God told Him to go to the mountain to escape the destruction of Sodom. (Genesis 19:15-30)
But, Lot said, “I’ll never make it! Can’t I just go to this little city Zoar?”
The spies in his mind had calculated all the angles and he was not strong enough, they told him.
And God said “Ok”
It got Lot moving. It got his family moving.
Lot watched the destruction of Sodom from Zoar.
Then the very next scene, we see Lot on the mountain.
The Bible doesn’t say this, but I will bet you that by the time Lot reached Zoar. God had filled him with strength, courage and faith to reach that mountain.
Just pray and get moving. Do what you know to do and trust God. He has promised things to you. He will do it. Whether it looks like what you envisioned or not. He has promised.
I have faced things in my life many times. I have come to the very edge and listened to the spies and turned back. I failed instead of trusting God. And I lost everything. I was sent to wander where God broke me and taught me and showed me who He was and let me know Him. He taught me to trust Him.
Not all situations are as clean and clear cut as this makes it seem. Sometimes there are very hard choices. Things that make us sick. Learn to listen to God. Then do the best we can and stand in the promises of God. ( Eph 6:10-18)
These times of trouble, come into our life. I’m facing one now.
The spies are screaming. The battle is swirling. But, my God is moving and He is with me.
He is with you too.
Do not let fear keep you from what God has promised.
Listen to Him.
Trust Him.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
After we get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. He then starts to lead us into all truth. He starts to sanctify us and mold us and shape us into the likeness of Jesus. (John 14:16, John 16:13. 1 John 4:4, Romans 12:1-2, Phil. 2:5)
He shows us when we sin, and leads us to confess it to the Lord. Then, we are cleansed of all unrighteousness. This confessing and cleansing and growing is part of the relationship. (1 John 1:9)
But, that’s not all He does. He hears our prayers and He translates them into heaven and we see answers around us. We see our lives changing as He works in us and around us. (Romans 8:26)
He also works through us. The fact is that our works of righteousness are as filthy rags, because we are sinners with a corrupted nature. This doesn’t change. We are just saved. Even as the Holy Spirit works on us we still have things that corrupt us. (Isa. 64:6, Romans 7:14-25)
So, the Holy Spirit works THROUGH us as well, and we get credit for it.
What does that mean?
Well according to the scripture, on judgement day, our works will be judged. It will pass through the fire. Hay, wheat and stubble will burn. All that will remain will be gems and gold. (1 Cor. 3:1-15)
What does that mean?
Well, the works that I do in the flesh, no matter how great are stubble. Because I had wrong motivations, I had fear, I had doubt, I had lust and flesh. Because I’m a sinner with a corrupt nature.
But, if I listen to the Holy Spirit, and follow His guidance, then the works I’m doing are from the Lord, and are pure. It’s not me. It’s Him, and the works that I do under His guidance are gems. See?
You will hear preachers say “Do Do Do”. Their doctrine is all about works. (Eph. 2:1-10)
But the real works, are to wait upon the Lord, and follow the Holy Spirit as he guides. (Isa 40:31, Proverbs 3:5-6, I John 2:27, Romans 8:14, Gal. 5:18)
We are called to abide in Him. (John 15, 1 John 2:28)
Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30)
Does it feel easy and light?
It is easy and light. It’s a fact. The reason we don’t feel it is because we don’t believe it and we are trying to do the works ourselves. This is not a condemnation. It’s what our flesh does. It’s what the enemy tries to do to us.
But, Jesus has already done it. He has already saved us. Quit trying to save yourself. Quit trying to please God by following rules. You cannot please God. Jesus Christ has already done it. The Holy Spirit in us does it. Our faith does it. When we try to do it in our flesh it cannot please Him. Only by faith, which means following Him. (Heb.11:6)
He wants a relationship. He wants to work through us, while we follow the Spirit.
So, how does this work?
Well, let’s say the preacher asks for a love offering to help a missionary.
Did you feel led to help? Did a number jump into your head? 10 bucks? 20 bucks? God knows what’s in your wallet.
That’s probably the Holy Spirit guiding you.
Then the very next thought was fear, doubt and concern? You wanted to take the kids to McDonalds. You needed to buy a new plant for the garden, or even pay a bill.
The Holy Spirit led you, and then a demonic entity tried to stop you. A spirit of fear. (2 Tim. 1:7)
Have you ever seen the old cartoon image of the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other? That’s far more accurate than you realize.
Let’s say, you see a homeless person and they have a sign asking for help, and you feel led to help.
But, fear jumps up and says, “He might be a bad guy.” or “I see him here every week. I heard he drives a Lexus.”
So what?
A thought or a friend says “Well, other people who really need it, could be getting help and this guy is taking it”
Are you helping those other people? Why not help both? Why not divide the measly 5 bucks you were going to give and help the whole world?
Listen, just follow the Spirit as He guides. Do not second guess. Do not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. Do not count the cost. Just follow and do as He leads.(Matt. 6:3)
Paul says, ” When I seek to do good, evil is with me.” We get led by the Spirit to serve, but the enemy pops up to keep us from it. We get distracted, we have fear. We have false thoughts. Our flesh listens to the enemy tempting us and we have doubt. We don’t trust that God can provide or protect.( Romans 7:21)
Here’s the deal. God wants us to do what is right.
Let’s say a man asks for money and you give it to him and he goes and buys booze.
You followed the Holy Spirit and showed love to this person. You followed.
God can use that. When that person is struggling and telling God, ” I’m in this mess because of you! You never helped me!” God can bring you to their remembrance.
God did send help, and kindness. He sent YOU.
If you do the works of God with your flesh, you will do works of the flesh. Your motivations will be flesh, your plans will be flesh. Your fears and your love will be flesh. It will all be filthy rags because it is not God working through you.
Learn to hear His voice and guidance. Learn to follow the Spirit.
It gets easier over time as you hear and follow. When you feed faith it grows, instead of fear.
I have watched God bring a chance to serve to a group of people, and saw them talk themselves totally out of doing anything to help the person in need. Over and over again.
I’m not saying that we should abandon wisdom. But, turn to God in this as well, and He will give you a word of wisdom.
Let’s say a friend pops into your head and you want to call them and say “Hi”.
Do it.
The Lord might be working on them and you could have helped. But, don’t let the enemy distract you. I learned years ago, that when God calls, you drop everything immediately and go do it. If you wait, at all. The enemy will work to distract and bring in fear or other things. Do not give him a chance.
Let’s say you are thinking about going on a mission trip somewhere. The idea just popped into your head. Then, low and behold, a friend says “Hey we are going to Africa for a week to hand out blankets.” That’s the Holy Spirit, leading you. Calling you.
Here’s an example from my own life.
I had a trip planned. I took the time off and was ready to go. But, my plans fell apart. So, I prayed, “Lord, what should I do now.?” Then, I started thinking about maybe doing a mission trip. And I prayed “Lord. I really don’t know anything about that. What would you want me to do?” And it wasn’t a week later when a friend invited me to go on a mission trip. It was during the exact time I had set for my original trip.
God leads us if we listen.
I really had no excuse now. So, I went and it was one of the best things I’ve done. God teaches us and builds the relationship through our listening and following His guidance.
Let’s say you are driving in your car alone, and a Bible verse jumps into your head, and you spend the rest of the morning thinking about the verse. That’s the Holy Spirit teaching you. Then later on that day, something happens that has a direct correlation with the verse you chewed on all morning. The Holy Spirit again.
Like sheep following the Master, we chew the cud of His Word, while standing on the cloven feet of Spirit and Truth. He leads us into all truth. He leads us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
We are to be Spirit led. The Spirit brings to life. He is life.
The Breath of Life.
Our entire walk with Christ, is to abide in Him and have a relationship with Him. That comes by hearing His Spirit and following Him.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
When we are walking with the Lord. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, ……… Wait for it Wait let it sink in for a few minutes Pay attention to how much it bothers you to just rest in Christ Hold Hold Hold Ok ……who walk not after the…
The Spirit battles against the flesh This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye…
He is faithful God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.—1 Cor. 1:9 How is trust built? With anyone, whether it’s parents or friends or enemies or government or neighbors, trust is built or destroyed by relationship, and experience. It is the same with God.…
If you followed me around everyday with a camera. You’d be like,
“What’s wrong with this guy?”
God saves us despite our sinfulness. He works to change us.
Trust me. I’m better than I used to be.
I say this because I don’t want you to think I’m some perfect person. I’m not.
No one is. But, God uses us in our sin and failure anyway.
I say this again because I want you to realize that if we wait till we are perfect, we will never get busy serving God.
We are perfect because God washed us in the Blood of Christ, if you are saved. Not because we act perfect.
We grow in the Lord by serving Him. By working with Him. By confessing our sins to Him and building the relationship with Him.
Henry Blackaby used to say, “Find where God is working and join Him.”
A burden is a call from God to join Him.
So, what is a “burden”?
A burden is when you can’t get rid of a feeling or thought. It has weight. It burdens you. You perceive that there’s more to it than just some passing thought. Because it doesn’t pass. It stays with you. It keeps coming to your mind.
Now, a burden can be for anything, but let’s start with simple things.
You’re laying in bed and you wake up and someone is on your mind.
Pray for them.
Usually a burden will not leave you alone. It just keeps bugging you until you take care of it. Keep praying. As your mind runs wild, keep praying for what comes, or about what comes.
Sometimes, it’s a burden to pray. Sometimes it’s a burden to contact this person and just say “hi” and see what’s up. (Of course not at 2am)
You’ve been thinking about Uncle Joe all day. That’s a burden. Pray for him. Reach out.
You saw the woman sitting by the road with a sign. You’ve thought about her the whole time you’re in the store. That’s a burden. Pray for her and help her.
Sometimes a burden can be something you know about. You have no excuse.
Your friend’s spouse just died, and you feel a burden to reach out.
Do it.
You hear someone in need and feel a burden to help.
Do it.
Let’s get back to prayer, because no matter what the burden is, it needs to be answered firstly, by talking with God.
Nehemiah used to say short quick prayers under his breath when needed. (The Book of Nehemiah)
It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Just pray until the burden is lifted or you know what to do. Just talk to God.
I will often whisper prayers to God that no one sees. Even while I’m surrounded by people. God hears. You do not need to make a big show of prayer. Actually it’s best you don’t.
Sometimes, you won’t know what the burden is about. Just go. God will be there.
Sometimes you won’t know what to pray for. Pray what I call “Blanket Prayers”
You are throwing a blanket of prayer power over a person, place or situation.
Pray for salvation. Pray for protection. Pray that the people will draw closer to God. Pray for healing. Pray for help.
You are covering them in prayer.
You don’t need to know specifics. God will reveal those as He sees fit. Sometimes, it comes by contacting the person to see how they are doing.
The Holy Spirit guides us, and He can take our generic prayer and translate it into something specific. Even if we have no clue and are in agony, groaning for someone or ourselves, the Holy Spirit can understand. (Romans 8:26-27)
That brings us back to trying to be perfect. You can’t be. You already are perfect, in Christ.
The devil will get you to wallow in your own doubt and fear in order to keep you from serving. Just get up and do it.
Go, and let God guide you. it’s hard. You might fail. But, you went. And that’s really all we are called to do. (Eze. 3:17-22)
As we go, we listen for God’s guidance. The more we do it, the better we are at hearing Him.
As Saints, we are called to fight the enemy, help people, and spread the Gospel. We gather together in churches to do that work and help each other. This life is hard and we are often under attack. Our fellow Christians are supposed to pray for us and help us with our burdens and our troubles so we can fight the good fight of faith, and help them as well.
It all starts with prayer and often a burden to pray.
It will happen in these last days “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (The Day of The Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”— 2 Thess. 2:3 (2 Thess 2:1-15) It seems that this event…
Have You Tested God? “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”—Luke 6: 38 First, I wanna say that this verse and all…
He rewards those who seek him. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall…
There has been a debate since the days of the Apostle Paul, regarding salvation by faith versus works.
I’ll give you a hint. It’s neither. It’s Grace. Both Faith and Works rely on human power in some way
But, I want to talk about sanctification, and I’m going to use an analogy to do it.
Sanctification comes after salvation.
We get saved by hearing God calling us, and turning to Him (Repent) and confessing Jesus as Lord.
Let me break it down.
Everyone who is saved was called. That is grace. We realize that God is real and he is there for us and wants to save us. We believe what He has told us in our heart. That is faith. We turn to Him and ask Him to save us, confessing that Jesus is our Lord. That is faith and works. (Romans 10:9-10, James 2:26)
Salvation and sanctification are kind of like getting a job.
You need a job so you fill out an application. The human owner decides whether he needs you and if you can make him money.
But, God wants you. He made a way for you, before you even knew you needed one. He doesn’t care about your background or skills or college or attitude. He just wants you to come.
So if you want Him, you are hired. God trains you and gives you everything you need to serve HIM. He is the boss. Remember this.
So, now comes sanctification. Which is where God works in our lives to change us. A lot of changes occur when we first get saved. But, there are things that we need to work on our whole life.
Let’s continue with the analogy.
So, let’s say you show up late to work.(sin)
A human boss warns you and threatens to fire you. (Punish you and throw you in hell)
But. God is not like that. He forgives you and looks into your life to see what’s up. He might change your mind. Or make some adjustments to your circumstances so you can be on time, without a rush or hurting yourself or others. He works to correct us or solve our problem, or set us free from some bondage. he does not cast us away.
That’s how it works. God works in us and with us to fix us.He saved us already, now He continues to work. That is sanctification. The Holy Spirit helps us to grow, if we are willing to listen.
Too many people believe their heavenly father is like the boss or their earthly father. He is not.
God is not a slave driver. He doesn’t need to be. When He speaks something, he knows for a fact that it will happen. There is no doubt.
Sometimes sanctification leads to correction or brokenness. When we get saved we are basically giving ourselves to God, because we need Him and He knows whats best. So, we have given Him permission to work on us as He sees fit. (Prov. 3:11-12)
In our lives we often find that we have gone the wrong way or that we have become entangled with some problem. Perhaps a hurtful lifestyle or addiction.
In order to grow us and help us, God must sometimes take drastic measures to set us free from bondage. We might be at what we call rock bottom and lose everything and everybody. We might become broken. It’s terrible and painful, but He is there with us to protect us.
Like a refiner’s fire.He controls the heat to melt the precious metal and remove the dross or crud. All of this works to make us of greater use by Him. (Malachi. 3:1-3)
We often find ourselves broken by this process of correction or setting us free.
This brokenness leads to meekness.
People think meekness is weakness. It’s not.
Brokenness is like a powerful horse being broken by his master. He does not lose his power, but he becomes usable. This is meekness.
This is sanctification.
This is why some folks have their lives torn apart after they get saved. God is setting them free. He has saved them, now He is working to remove things that are bad for them.
The temptation at this point is to fight what is happening, or run away. But, that only makes things worse.
Remember Jonah.
God spoke to Jonah and Jonah refused. He ran away. All kinds of bad stuff started happening to Jonah; storms and even getting swallowed by a fish, till he was broken and accepted God’s will.
Prison or a hospital bed could be your fish.
Turn to God. Read His Word. Listen to the Holy Spirit.
When you turned to God and asked Him to save you, He promised He would. Sanctification is a part of that. We never really know how bad we are and how much God must remove from us. We sometimes, need a lot of pruning in order to bear fruit for the Kingdom.
Remember, God is with you. You have turned to Him and He is there, no matter what you are facing.
Remember ALL things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28)
Everything that happens in our life can be used by God to grow us and serve Him. The key is to turn to Him in everything. Suffer in Him. Do not run from Him.
Not everything bad that happens is caused by God. We have an enemy. We live in a fallen world. We also do things to cause problems for ourselves. But, EVERYTHING can work for our good, when we turn to Him and give it to Him.
I have had terrible things happen in my life. Most of it was my fault. Most of it was because I listened to the enemy.
But, I love those terrible things because God used them to set me free.
Would I change it?
I wish I had not been so foolish. But, it all drew me closer to God, and made my life better. So, I would not change it for the world.
When we know Him, He becomes more valuable than this world, this life, family, or anything we can think of.
That is how sanctification works.
It works to build the relationship. If you really know Him.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
So, we know the seasons. The Bible is 30% prophecy, as some have stated. But, when you consider that the whole thing is about Jesus Christ, and that all the stories and pictures speak of Him, His First Coming and Second Coming, I think its more like 100%. God has called all believers to be…
God works to build the Kingdom through us. James 2:14-26 In this passage. The apostle James, speaks of works being an aspect of our faith. It ends with the famous phrase “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” In the verses James shows that God commanded…
Why does God let us struggle? When we get saved, we might notice that there are things that change in us immediately. But, there are other things that do not. It’s like God saves us and removes some things but leaves other things in our lives for us to struggle with. I mean if God…
Jesus said that the thief or Satan has come to steal, kill and destroy. What does this mean? (John 10:9-10, John 8:43-44)
Well the very first thing. Is our soul. The enemy does everything in his power to keep people from salvation. He fights to keep people from hearing the call. From knowing God. From having a relationship with Him. ( Matt. Chapter 13, verses 4, 19)
But, once God has broken through into our lives and we have heard Him, believed Him and accepted Him. He saves us.
Even after salvation, the enemy still attacks us. He still seeks to steal, kill and destroy.
He gets us to waste our money on things that won’t bless others, or survive the fire.
He gets us to focus on things that don’t matter, stealing our time and our life, and our finances.
He gets us to see only this world, instead of storing up treasures for the next.
Because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matt 6:19-21)
Overcome evil with good. Turn everything over to God. Surrender it all and use all of it for His glory. That redeems our waste. That turns uselessness into value. (Romans 12:21)
That enemy seeks to destroy our health, and to murder us. He gets us to worry about the belly. What we shall eat and what we shall wear. He gets us addicted to this life, and the filth of it. Feeding us garbage to make us sick, to destroy our health and make us doubt God. Our sickness from the garbage of this world, gets us to focus on our bodies, instead of the things of the Spirit. (Matthew 6:24-34, )
We eat like kings, and gain all the diseases that come with it. And the enemy uses it to turn our minds from the things that matter.
He sends us to early graves, because we seek the things of the flesh.
All things are lawful, but not all things bring us closer to God. (1 Cor. 6:10, 10:23)
Our spirit matters more than the body, but the body can be used to distract us from the spirit. We need to try to prevent that. Like a soldier shoring up a weak position. Our health, both spiritual and physical matters.
That enemy wants to destroy our service to God, and others. He distracts us into things that doesn’t matter. He does things to make us look evil to others. He throws monkeywrenches into our work, and leads us to do things that cause people to not listen to us, when we preach the Gospel or share truth.
He destroys our families. Our lives. Our hopes and dreams. He gets us to blame God and run from Him. Which allows more destruction, death and loss.
Like a lion going around seeking whom he may devour, he makes a loud roar. And the fear, causes the weak, young, foolish, and sick to run. And the lion can find you away from the shepherd. (1 Peter 5:8)
The enemy destroys us by getting us to leave the presence of the shepherd.
He makes us feel that God is mad at us. That God is hurting us. That God is deceiving us or tricking us. He tells us that we are too far gone. That we have lost our salvation, or given it away. (Gen. Chapter 3)
He does everything in his power to keep us from our only savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord Almighty. (Matthew Chapter 13)
The Parable of the Sower shows that the enemy tries to steal the Word from our heart, while trouble and temptations come to draw us into the distractions of this life and get us to ignore God or hate God. These troubles cause us to fear, and doubt and forget. (Matt. Chapter 13)
The soil of the heart can only become good when we turn to God, get saved and let Him work in our lives. Even then we have attacks of the enemy. The heart never fully turns good. It is deceitful and wicked. Do not trust it. Trust God. (Jer. 17:7-12)
The answer for everything is to turn to God. Confess to Him. Grow in Him. Trust Him.
No matter what it is. Turn to God, and let Him work. Have faith that he loves you. Have faith that He is working, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6)
Turn to God. Always.
Our protection stands in God. When we get saved we are in Christ.
But, the question must be. If trouble comes, where do you turn? A person who knows God and trusts God and has put everything in God turns to Him. We trust His promises in His Word. We trust the relationship He has shown us that we have with Him.
A person who never really knew God or never really accepted Him does not turn to Him.
Of course we question things. That is the enemy putting doubt into our hearts. That is a temptation.
But, what do we do with it?
Do we reject Satan and turn to God? Or do we reject God, who is our only Hope?
God wants us to seek Him and question Him in these times. It helps build the relationship. He shows us His love and power and we grow in Faith. Even Jesus in the Garden had questions and concerns. (Matt. 26:36-46)
A person who really knows God, turns to God. This is abiding. (John 14:6, John Chapter 15)
Some believers, will act as though we should not concern ourselves with the enemy. But, that is the exact opposite of what the Word teaches.
We have an enemy. We are at war. We need to understand his devices and wage war. Our protection lies in Christ, not our own works. But, we are called to serve in this war. (2 Cor, 2:10-11)
We are called to abide in Him. We are called to endure. (2 Tim. 2:3, Matt. 24:13)
We endure and abide by knowing Him and trusting Him. By turning to Him always, confessing to Him, and building that relationship.
Not by works. But, by His Grace in Him.
Tough times are coming. The Flood is coming.
Is your faith in Him built on the Rock of Christ?
Or is it built on the shifting sands of your own efforts, and worldly things? (Matt. 7:24-29)
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
We are corrupt at the very core. What I am going to present to you today is something different. A different way to look at the world, and humanity. Something different than the legalism around us. As Christians we are taught and have come to understand a view of God, Scripture and the World based…
We are tempted to reject Him. When we get saved, we confess Jesus as our Lord, and believe in Him alone for salvation. We are called to Walk in the Spirit, and to abide in Him. We get great joy in the Lord. Prayers answered. Life changing experiences, and we see Him working to protect…
It’s hard sometimes This time of year, around Christmas is a very hard time of year for many people. It is not a joyful festive time, no matter how much we try to dress it up with religious zeal, and bright lights. This is the time of year we often miss those who have gone…
Running the fields Splashing the creeks Chasing the cats.
And the quiet times; when you just sit next to my soul.
Smarter than they say, sweet little guy. So full of life.
My funny buddy, loving hims a treat; while scratching his back.
When I get home He comes running So happy I’m there.
He brings his toy, For a game of fetch And tug of war.
He’s so much more Than just a dog. He’s my little friend.
I’d protect him, Like he’d protect me. That special guy.
My buddy Gus.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
A Look at Matthew 24 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive…
It’s important to understand. In order to resist temptation, we must understand what is going on. If we miss an aspect of it, we cannot really resist it. We just shift it around or suffer through. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with…
What does that look like? It’s so simple anyone can do it. That is how God designed it. I’m going to avoid magical theological words and just give it straight. As we go through life things happen to us. Good things and bad. We have excitement over good things. We celebrate victories and enjoy time…
We know from the Bible that God is Love. (1 John 4:8)
It’s who He is. We cannot really comprehend that.
We can only say, what we have been allowed to know and what we can glean from the pictures given to us in creation, and what God has revealed to us through His Word and other means. (Romans 1:19-20, Psalm 19:1, Gen. 15:1, John 1:1)
Our reality that we see with our senses, is probably so vastly different from the reality outside of this world and our understanding, that we cannot comprehend it. (1 Cor. 2:9)
The things that exist in Paradise, Heaven, Eternity, or the Spiritual Realm outside of what we see is beyond our ability to imagine.
It’s the same with God. (Isa 55:8-9)
But, we know He is Love, because He tells us in His Word. He is Just, He is Righteous. He is Truth. He is Mercy and Kindness. He is Holy. He is Wise. None of His aspects over rule any other part. He is perfect.
These aspects of His character are part of our understanding of Free Will.
Since, these are aspects of God’s character, these aspects are woven into creation, and into His reasons for creating.
God needed nothing. He’s God. But, He decided to create.
We do not really know why.
So, here we travel into speculation, because we really cannot prove it. But, it’s my belief that He created because of Love and His other attributes.
How can you say, “I Am Love.” If there’s nothing to love? How can you say “I Am Love” if everything is perfect and easily loved. How can you say, “I Am Merciful”. Unless there’s something to give mercy to?
So, I believe God creates because of His attributes. A challenge to Himself. I can’t prove it. But there it is.
The Bible says that God created everything “Good” (Gen. Chapter 1).
That means that everything was good, and without evil. There was nothing bad in His creation. But, we can see that if He said “Good” then evil existed somewhere. But not in His creation at this time. I believe evil is a by product of Good. Like exhaust or bodily waste, and was contained somewhere else at creation.
Ok, so God creates humans. He has already created animals and angels it seems.
He gave everything, Free will. Why? Because of Love. Because of His attributes.
If He created humans, angels and animals. Then forced them to love Him, their love would not be true. It would be fake. Like a robot. They had to be given Free Will in order to choose to love God, or not.
Angels also have free will. That’s why Satan and others were able to Fall. They could not have fallen if they did not have free will. It’s the same with Humans.
So, in order to have free will, there must be a choice. No choice. No free will.
So, God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden.
Adam and Eve had the free will to choose to eat of it or not. (Genesis Chapters 1 through 3)
The choice to trust God and love Him. Or not.
Adam chose to eat. He was not deceived. He knew what He was doing and made the choice and evil entered the world. He became corrupted and died spiritually. (1 Tim. 2:14)
Since Adam had dominion over the world. Everything under him suffered as well. (Romans 8:22)
Death, Sin and Satan took over this world. Humans gained a corrupted nature, which made us totally depraved. This is why we sin. This is why we cannot get right, without God. We are filled with evil mentally, spiritually, and physically. (Romans Chapter 1, Romans chapter 5, Romans Chapter 7)
We still have free will, even on our fallen state. We can choose to turn to God, for salvation through Jesus Christ or we can choose to reject Him.
It’s the same choice we had in the Garden. Choose God and Good. Or choose evil.
Choose God.
Why do I write this?
Well, because I feel led to. I cannot tolerate the “Because I said so” mentality. I must find out why. I must understand why things are the way they are. Just because some preacher tells me something, doesn’t mean I should just believe it. And I don’t expect you to either. The Bereans didn’t. (Acts 17:10-12)
I don’t believe that God expects it. God is Truth. He is not afraid for us to search out the deep things of God and reality. Because if we know Him. We will find Him everywhere. “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” (Psalm 139:8)
James says that if we ask God for wisdom He will give it. (James 1:5)
The Holy Spirit will teach us, and guide us into all truth. (John 16:13)
We cannot know everything of God. The scriptures teach that. But we can understand enough to have firm faith.
In these last days of deception we need to dig deeper. The false beliefs and doctrines that will come from every quarter will be so difficult to stand against, we will need answers.
If we do not have answers then Satan will be happy to provide them.
Trust God. Trust Jesus Christ.
The Truth can stand up to scrutiny. That doesn’t mean it will be believed. But, it will still stand.
You will not prove God wrong. You will not prove Truth wrong. If you do, then it’s either not true, or your understanding is flawed, or the preacher you’re listening to is wrong.
Seek God. Dig deeper.
Choose Him.
You do not need to understand everything. Let Him show you, and then you will trust Him more.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
A Deeper Meaning “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”—1 Tim. 6:10 People often misquote it as “money” is the root of all evil. But it’s not. Money is a tool. Like a…
What is it? Let us rightly divide 2 Thessalonians 2, and come to some conclusions about the near future. This book was written by the Apostle Paul. He is speaking of the last days, which we are in. I’m using the KJV. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,…
He is there and will answer. We live our lives in this world, where we seem to have no control. Where we look every where for answers. Everything seems hard and we have sorrow, working our selves to death. We seek answers from gods, idols and wisemen. We seek answers from deep within ourselves. We…
I was in an isolation cell; when I realized God put me there. He sat me down to speak. He shook me awake.
I began to live again. Everything was ok, again. I felt Him there, again. I knew who I was, again.
I went to those prison churches. Those gatherings of criminals, like me. Those broken, hurting men like me. Those sons, husbands, and fathers, like me. Those guys whose only hope is God. Like me.
No one was better than anyone. We were all known sinners. We were all doing time. We were all bad apples.
There were no bosses. There were no judges. There were no cops. There were no prying eyes. There were no holier than thous.
There were only failures. Like me. Caged, desperate men; Like me. Voices raised to God. Like mine; all clapping in time.
I have never been welcome in church. Your pity is not love in church. I am never good enough in church. I am a failure in church. I am a felon in church.
But, in that prison church; I was me. In that prison church; I was free. In that prison church; I smiled. In that prison church; I lived a while.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Who really rules? Let’s talk about some conspiracy and spiritual truth for a moment. Because you must understand that there is only ONE conspiracy. And that’s the spiritual battle behind the scenes, that we all can see parts of, and have a feeling about, but cannot completely prove. The people who rule this world are…
It is a demon. Cast it out. Jesus said, “Fear Not” (Matt. 10:31) He said it many times. Actually, it’s a theme throughout scripture. Fear at its most basic level, is a lack of trust in God and His promises. That is a harsh saying, especially when we are dealing with anxiety. Because, often times…
A picture of us all The thief on the cross, spoken of in the Gospels of our Lord Jesus, stands as an extreme view of salvation in the eyes of some. The man who did what appears to be absolutely nothing, yet Jesus himself saved him declaring, “Today you shall be with me in…
The Bible says “.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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.—(Eph.2:8-10)
Now let’s rightly divide this verse. (2 Tim. 2:15)
First, we are saved by Grace. Period. It is a gift from God, which we need to turn to Him to accept. We just need to ask. Just call on His name. Just confess Him as Lord. (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:9-10)
We do this through faith, not by works.
When we get saved God will work in us and through us to do the works he desires.
Now, the focus of this writing is Faith.
We are not saved by faith. We are saved by Grace.
See, faith can fall into a works based category.
People will say, “You don’t have enough faith.”
Even Jesus said, “Where is your faith?” ( Luke 8:25)
Understand that faith is a medium. It is a bridge. It’s like a phone line.
You can put faith in a rock. But that rock can’t save you.
You can call 911. But, if the phone line is cut. No one is coming.
Understand?
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
We do not see something, but we still believe and trust it because we have evidence. In God’s case, that evidence has been given to us.
This is faith, and faith in something.
We have faith the sun will rise. We have faith that our job will be there in the morning. We have faith that the chair we sit in will hold us.
We have no proof. It doesn’t have to happen. But we trust and believe anyway.
This is natural faith.
All humans have a measure of faith. How could we believe if we didn’t? (Romans 12:3)
But, not all people have faith in God, or Jesus Christ as Lord. (2 Thess.3:2)
Faith can be grown and strengthened.
We have faith our phone will work. That faith has grown over years of experiencing its working. If our phone never worked we would not trust it.
It’s the same with God.
Our faith grows, because we have seen Him move.
The more we see Him move, the more our faith grows. It grows till we KNOW…He is real and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
The first thing is that you need to be saved. You need to hear His call, and turn to Him. Asking Him to save you and confessing Jesus as your Lord. (If you’re reading this, then this is God calling you.)
You must be saved. You must be born again. That makes you a clean vessel for the Holy Spirit to come and inhabit. Ask Him to fill you. (John 3:1-8, Romans 10:9-10, Luke 11:11-13, Rom, 8::28)
Now once you are saved, the little bit of natural faith you have can be made new and strengthened in the Lord as He sanctifies you, and you walk with Him.
Once you’re saved the Holy Spirit can take that little spark and build on it.
See?
You must believe, before anything can happen.
So, let’s look at ways faith builds.
The Word of God.
The Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God..” (Romans 10:17)
That means that we get saved and grow our faith in God, Jesus and spiritual things by hearing preaching that comes from the Word, and by reading the Word, or getting the Word in other ways.
BUT…
And this is most important. You must believe or be willing to believe. You must desire to know God. This comes by hearing the call and turning to Him. If you refuse to believe, nothing can happen. Unless God just hits you, like He did Paul. (Acts)
Years ago I heard a preacher preaching some things I didn’t agree with.
I set out to prove the him wrong. But, what I found was that I could not PROVE, it wrong.
What the Bible said was just as plausible as anything else. It was not crazy.
So I prayed and talked with God, and said, “I will believe Your Word. I don’t care how crazy people think I am. I will believe your Word. Not what the world says.”
See?
You must believe it. You must trust IT and the God who speaks it.
Like James said, “not being hearers only…”(James 1:22)
We put our faith in the Lord and His promises. Our faith grows as we trust His Word, and act on it.
This is why faith itself has an aspect of effort, or works.
We are saved by grace. But, faith is a bridge that connects us to God. This bridge is built by God and maintained by God. But, we also can and need to work and maintain it.
We are called to abide. (John 15:4)
You cannot abide without faith. (Heb. 11:6)
So we listen to preachers preaching the real Word. We read the Word. But, we can also quote the Word to ourselves.
We quote God’s promises to ourselves, and we trust it. Then, we see God move and fulfill His promise and our faith grows stronger.
Memorize God’s promises. Believe them. Trust them. Say them out loud to yourself, and your faith will be emboldened.
Let’s say you are facing trouble at work. Speak out loud to yourself “No weapon formed against me shall prosper…: (Isa. 54:17) Trust it. Believe it. Stand on it. Then, see God move as you trust Him. It might not be what you think, or want, but watch and see. Speak it in Jesus’ name.
Let’s say trouble is coming, Speak out loud to yourself “The Word says! The Lord is faithful, He shall establish me, and keep me from evil. I believe it! I stand on it! Begone Satan in Jesus Name!”(2 Thess. 3:3)
Faith comes by hearing. You hear the truth of God’s Word, when you quote verses out loud.
See?
“Taste and see that the Lord is good…”(Psalm 34:8)
We put a little faith in Him and His promises, and we see Him move. Then our faith grows, and we draw closer to Him.
You cannot see glorious things if you are not first willing to believe that glorious things are possible. Then, when you see it, your belief in glorious things grows, and your doubts get weaker.
If they won’t believe the little things. They cannot see the big things. (Luke 16:10-12)
We trust God’s Word. His promises. And God proves it to us. Then our faith grows.
You must also realize that Jesus Christ is the Living Word. So when you trust and believe in the Word. You are in essence trusting Jesus.
But, do not make the Bible an idol. Trust the Lord, He is the Word.
Giving
Giving is a means by which our faith can grow.
God’s Word gives us many promises regarding giving. (Luke 6:38, Mal 3:10)
It is almost like an exact exchange. You can literally see these promises being fulfilled.
The Word says to give to The Lord and to help people, and God will give back.
I have trusted this and obeyed, and literally watched as it all came back to me by the end of the day, and the blessings continued beyond that.
This is not “Prosperity Gospel” as some claim. These are promises of God. It is not a get rich quick scheme.We obey and see Him move, and our faith grows.
“Give and it shall be given unto you…” is a promise, and when you believe and obey, you will see it return and your faith will grow.
Fear Not.
The Lord commands us over and over to “fear not” (Isa 41:10)
His Word is full of promises to protect us.
When we trust Him, we see His protection. We see Him move. We feel encouraged. And our faith grows.
God does not expect us to have blind faith. He proves it over time.
Because you see Him move and it embolden you to trust Him more. And you let your lamp shine, because you no longer fear. Lamps without oil are useless, and are removed. (Matthew 25:1-13,)
But, what about all those people in the world without Bibles, in China, North Korea and Islamic countries?
Well, if they are saved, then they have the Holy Spirit, the same as any other believer. That Spirit teaches them, the same as any believer. They move in love with faith, and God brings it back and proves it.
They trust God, through the trials of life and persecution, and He proves He is there. They trust His presence.
They pray and He moves.
Just like us.
Everything I am saying here is very important. But even more so as we see that His return grows closer.
We want to make sure we are abiding. We want to make sure we have faith. We want to make sure we have oil in our lamps and are saved, clothed in His righteousness ready for the feast.
(Matt. 25:1-13, Matt. 22:11-14)
There are Christians, who have never known Christ. They have never put their faith in Him. They have no oil. They have no garment washed in the Blood.
They are not saved. They never were. They are false brethren, false teachers and prophets.
Grace was offered, but they put their faith in themselves, and their works. They never really believed.
Therefore, they never knew Him. (Matthew 7:23)
Trust God. Let Him grow you and fill you. Strengthen your faith.
He will. Just ask.
—–
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Make sure. What does it mean to follow the real Jesus? Well, let’s look and see. Jesus’s ministry was a ministry of healing. This should tell us something about what we believe in regards to the Gospel and how we are to serve God. Because we want to be like Him. That is real godliness.…
You are never too far gone. In the books of Luke, Mark, and Matthew we see the story of the Gadarene Demoniac. (Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matt. 8:28-34) He had an unclean spirit, which called itself “Legion” because there were many of the demons inhabiting this man. He lived in the tombs, crying out and…
The saints will be overcome. The scriptures are clear that the Anti-Christ will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Dan. 7:25, Rev. 13:7) I want to point out how this is likely to occur and how it is already started. I am not giving a prophecy here. I’m just pointing out some things.…
Free Life Blog 