Free Life Blog

A Terrible Christian

God Is For Us

I’m a terrible Christian. It’s a fact. Other Christians look at me and say “He said what?” or “He believes what?” Or they might say, “That’s not very Christ-like.” And it’s true. I sin wickedly. But, they do also. They just commit the socially acceptable sins. They commit the churchy sins.

There are so many people who have asked God to save them, and God has saved them. But, then those same people are driven away because they do not obey all the churchy rules. They don’t say the right thing. They don’t go to the right church. They still smoke, drink or chew, or hangout with girls who do. They haven’t read the Bible or can’t find the verses fast enough. But, at some point in their life, they heard God calling them and they prayed to receive Him. They are saved, but church people drive them away. We are saved, because God has called us, and we turn to Him, and ask Him to save us. We confess Jesus as our Lord, and start to follow the Holy Spirit as He guides us. We are not saved because we follow rules. We grow, and get better, but we still sin. Our sins are not held against us, we are growing. We abide in Him.

I got saved when I was young. Then, I started living like the devil. I was saved, but knew nothing about living a spiritual life. All I knew was that I still sinned, and all the church people were perfect; or at least acted perfect. They never failed. They had perfect families, and perfect teeth. But, I was a failure, even at that age. I was not important to them.

So, what is wrong with me? My Christian experience has not been perfect. I don’t obey all the rules. Even when I try, I fail in a dozen other ways. I lust. I anger. I hate. I doubt. I want possessions. I’m a glutton. I’m a liar. I’m disobedient. I’m an addict. I’m a rebel.

I am not that perfect Christian. But, I am saved. He has shown me, and He gives me his perfection, and continues to work on me. I am better than I was, not because of my works but because of His victory. I did not become a mess over night, and I won’t get out of it over night either. Spiritual growth is a process. I am already saved, but I am getting better too. It’s like getting a shot to heal a disease. I am healed, but the scar and symptoms are still going away.

Those perfect Christians were born in the church and never left. They have not experienced the depths of evil that many of us have experienced. They are the Elder brother. Do not let them drive you away from God. Abide in Him no matter how bad you seem to be. Keep turning to Him and confessing your sin, and asking Him to work, and save. He will.

We need to stop acting like we are perfect, by our own power. We live in a fallen world that needs God. Christ did not come for perfect people. He came for all of us. Our failure shows that He is working on us. It shows we are human and need God. It shows that we are real. I’m a failure, but I’m right in 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.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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Photograph by the Author, a crooked old branch.

We Are Tempted

We Have An Enemy

In the book of James, chapter one. God tells us that we are tempted. He explains that the Lord does not tempt us with evil. God is good and He does good always.

But. The scriptures say we are tempted and enticed. This happens because of our flesh. Our lust. Our desires.

So who tempts us?

Historically preachers have used these verses to show that we sin because of our flesh.

Which is true.

But, over time the lesson has become totally about the flesh, and our corrupted nature from the Fall, while excluding the fact that we are being tempted and enticed by someone, who is not God.

Satan, his angels and demons, or unclean spirits.

We have even created jokes to ridicule the idea that we are tempted by demons.

Saying things like “the devil made me do it.” or we say, “Yeah but, God will protect us” Which is true, if you are saved. But, saved people do not have fellowship with demons. We rebuke them and drive them out like Jesus, in His name. But, too many “believers” never wage spiritual warfare. Is your family protected? Your friends?

Peter said, that the devil is a roaring lion going around seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

We have an enemy. The enemy was defeated on the cross but it is our job to enforce that defeat.We have authority in Jesus name. Peter would not have warned us about an enemy, if we did not need to be aware.

But, we have lost our vigilance. We have lost our spiritual eyes.

The idea that it’s all a battle in the flesh, has weakened us and caused us to only focus on the flesh.

But we need to be focused on both the spirit and the flesh.

The earthly and spiritual.

It is a spiritual battle we need to be fighting. Not just the flesh. We need to learn and practice spiritual warfare.

Obeying rules won’t cut it. More church won’t cut it.

We must turn to God and wage spiritual warfare. Confessing our sin to Him. Casting out demons. Praying. Listening to His Spirit as He guides us and directs us. He will tell you what to do.

Even James says so, in the same chapter we are looking at. If you seek wisdom ask God. (James 1:5)

It’s not just a matter of “not sinning anymore.” Jesus has washed away our sin if you are saved. We are not held to eternal account for sin. That’s gone. But, we can suffer in this world and we can lose rewards, and be stopped from being of service.

That is the enemy’s tactic. He does anything he can to keep us wrapped up in nonsense, while he snatches people into hell. The enemy keeps us focused on defeat and struggle. He gives us a spirit of fear, and doubt. He gets us to doubt God’s promises and truth, or not know them at all. He gets us to think we are alone.

But, remember who we are.

We are Saints of the Living God. We are here waging war under the authority of the King of Kings. If you are saved.

It’s not about trying to quit sinning, or obeying rules made by men, or playing church. We are dead to those things and risen in Christ, if you know Him.

It’s about turning to God, and confessing. Then letting Him guide you in what to do next.

Pray and cast out the demons. Then, follow the Lord.

He might lead you away from things. He might show you a way to solve it. But, listen to Him.

You want God to fix it. If you do it in your flesh, it’s not really solved. It just moves somewhere else.

The demon you seek to overcome will manifest in another way. Your sexual lust, might become gluttony. Your lies might become resentment. You have not cast it out or defeated it. Flesh cannot overcome spirit.

God must change us. God must fix it. We must wage Spiritual Warfare. This is why we confess our sins. We bring these things to God and He cleanses us spiritually, then starts working in our lives to make changes to set us free from this sin or behavior that is hurting us. We keep abiding in Him and confessing to Him and eventually we will see that it is gone. This what Jesus meant by washing our feet.

He knows what He’s doing. Give it to Him. The enemy tries to get us caught in a snare. But we wage Spiritual Warfare by turning to God and letting Him cleanse us and direct our paths. That is just one small aspect of the war we wage.

Praise Jesus.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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7 Things To Focus On Instead Of Addiction

You can do it!

1. God

2. Work

3. Life Improvement

4. Support Structure

5. Hobbies

6. Health

7. Helping Others

1. God is at the top of the list because that’s where He should be in our lives. I’m not being preachy or talking about religion. I’m talking about having a relationship with our creator. He knows our frame. He understands addiction and our needs. He loves us and seeks us. He desires to save us and give us an abundant life. Go to Him about everything. He has changed my life.

2. Work is important and useful. Not only does it gives us the money we need to survive. But. We can focus on our career. We can learn to be the best at what we do. We can take all that energy and focus on work instead of our addictions and problems. Stay busy. Let God guide you in a job or career choice. He knows you better than yourself.

3. Life Improvement means to start working on improving your life in every way. Pray about it. Listen to God. Let God show you who you are. Then take that vision and start building a new life. Let God guide you. He knows what’s best.

4. A Support Structure is very important. We had people who we partied with, grew up with, and involved ourselves with, who supported and enabled our addictions. Now we need to kick all them folks to the curb and find people who can be supportive in our new life. We can find them at church, school, work, family or friends. Find people who are focused on good things. Just because a person isn’t an addict doesn’t mean they are good for you. The wrong people can drag you down. Trust me, a negative person can destroy all your dreams with nothing more than a comment.

5. Remember your hobbies. Remember the things you used to love to do before the addiction. I went back to writing. Learn new hobbies. I discovered I loved art and travel. Hobbies can bring us peace and joy. It can be an escape. We can join groups that like the same hobbies. Also, your hobby could be the key to a career or side hustle. Stay busy.

6. Your health matters. We spent a lot of time destroying our minds and bodies. Now that we are free we can use it as a chance to heal. I started eating healthy, exercising and educating myself as well as going to school. You can actually become addicted to healthy living. When I was an addict I was addicted to the life as much as the booze. But now, I have allowed myself to become addicted to God, and healthy living. This is the real purpose for addiction. To help us stay focused. Health is not just physical. It’s mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual. Learn about these things. Let God guide you in your health.

7. Help others. Do volunteer work. The things you have overcome in your life can be an indication of where you can help others. But, honestly just love people and help them. Be a better person. I try to help people when I see them. I believe that God is showing them to me for a reason. He is working and wants me to join Him in the work. Be open to such things. We learn a lot about ourselves and heal ourselves by helping others.

You’ll notice that many of the things on this list will over lap. That’s good. This causes everything to support the other things you are doing. You will find that it’s a journey.

If you work on one thing, you’ll find that it leads you to another thing and another thing along the path. You’ll focus on God and your career. You’ll meet new people, and start a sport or hobby. Then, you’ll see change and improvement. So, you’ll keep up the fight. Then, one day you’ll realize you didn’t think about drugs at all. And you’ll get stronger and move forward.

Trouble will come. You might be tempted to go back. But, all these things you’ve been doing will help you resist or get back on track.

Finally we end with God. He was at the beginning of our life and He will be there at the end. He was with us during our addiction, and He pulled us out. God has saved me so many times. Every time I screw up He is there to help build me back a new.

And knowing what He has done. And remembering how far we’ve come. Can help us resist many of the attacks that will surely come.

You can do it.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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Photos by the Author.

God Leads

He shall direct thy paths.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”—Proverbs 3:5-6

***

God leads us in our lives. He literally directs our paths.

Our part is to abide in Him, praise Him, seek His desire for us, thank Him and tell others of the great things God has done for us. ( John 15:4, Mark 5:18-20, Mark 16: 15-20)

We acknowledge Him. We turn to Him in all our ways. We tell people about Him.

He guides us. He knows what we need before we even ask. (Matt. 6:7-8)

So what does this mean?

How does this work?

It is part of God building a relationship with us. He knows us and we know Him through Jesus Christ and this relationship. But, we have been separated and unable to hear. Our faith is weak and our spirit is groggy from sleep. It must be grown.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice”. (John 10:25-30)

The scriptures speak of Elijah hearing the still small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12)

This relationship is utmost. There is no other relationship that matters as much as this.

You can do great things, you can obey rules, you can talk about loving God.

But, if there’s no relationship, it doesn’t matter. He never knew you.

So, how does this work?

Ask Him.

I know that seems snarky, but it’s the relationship.

Pray…”Lord, I want to hear your voice and have a relationship with you. Please save me and help me. In Jesus name, amen,.”

Or pray something similar. Then trust that He will and is working.

I will tell you an example from my own life.

There was a period of time where my life had fallen apart, and God was working to build me back up.

I had a choice of several different churches to go to. But, the Lord led me to go to the church I had grown up in.

As I was sitting in the balcony, I started to notice that there was disrepair. Things needed painted bad. There was dirt and grime.

I am not a neat freak. Normally I don’t really pay much attention to such things, but something was pointing it out to me.

Later that day, I got a phone call from the church asking me if I wanted to do some painting and other tasks.

I did not need to pray over it, or think about it. God had “led” me.

He had gone before me and paved the way. He had told me before hand.

It led to an assistant custodians position. Then, to the head custodians position, which God has used to provide for me. And give me a place to do the real work he has for me, in the 5 fold ministry. (Eph. 4:11-12)

I thank him, I praise him. He has done so much.

But, it came by him leading me and me following his lead. It came by having a relationship with him and knowing his voice, as Jesus said. “My sheep know my voice”. (John 10:25-30)

Another side aspect of this is that it gives you authority to stand on.

You KNOW God brought you there. You know He is with you. You know He will move you or lead you out, and protect you. You are in His will.

So when the enemy uses someone to try to get you to doubt, or fear, or be deceived. You can stand and say, “No! This is where He led me. I am in His will. I have done nothing wrong. He is with me.” It is a valuable thing to have. Knowing you were placed there by God means you have authority in your position.

God has never really required blind faith from me. He has shown me. Led me. Reminded me of how He has kept His promises, and that He is with me. So, there is no “Blind” faith if you know Him. There’s “Follow Me”, and then the thought…”He has protected me a thousand times, He is there.” That’s not “Blind” faith. That’s trust.

This is about having a relationship.

He might lead us in different ways at times. My experience here, is just one example.

The point, is that He is real, and a rewarded of those who seek Him. He is able. We can trust and wait and follow.

He will lead you. Let Him build the relationship and your faith. Just watch and see.

Praise Jesus.

Other Scripture References:

Psalm 23
Psalm 25
Matthew 6:9-13

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photos by the Author.

More From Chris

Does God Feel Distant?

He is with you. Believe it. There are times in our lives when we feel that God has abandoned us. It seems that He doesn’t hear and we don’t feel His presence or see His movements in our lives. I have experienced the same. God has opened my eyes to the reality of it, and…

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The Holy Spirit Vs. The Antichrist Spirit

Both are working in this world. The spirit of antichrist is mentioned in God’s Word ( 1 John 2:18, 22, 1 John 4:1-6, 2 John 7 KJV) but very little is known of it. It is rarely mentioned in sermons or teachings to the saints. It is important to know what this is, because it is working…

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What Is My Purpose?

We are all called by God to serve. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of…

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Recovering The Self Magazine

The Latest Published Submission.

I’ve decided to do more work as a freelance writer and blogger. As I’ve said several times in my posts I have self published 3 books, with more on the way. I have also created several websites and ran them. Blogging for them, and running the social media aspect, while publishing other writers.

But, in the process of doing that I have let some of my own writing go by the wayside. I have certain niches’s I enjoy writing in and plan to do more submissions and work in those fields. I also want to offer my writer/blogging services to anyone who could need content for their website or blog.

I recently submitted a bible study article to “Recovering The Self” Magazine, and was accepted. Here is the link for the article below.

https://www.recoveringself.com/spirituality/i-die-daily

Thank you for reading and supporting my work.

Judge Ourselves

Do You Judge Yourself Or Others?

We are called to judge ourselves lest we be judged with the world. (1 Cor. 11:31-32)

Paul says this to believers.

So what does he mean?

He means current earthly judgement and eternal judgement.

Because if you think you are saved and you think you don’t sin.

You need to check yourself. The fact is that the closer we get to God the more we see our sinfulness in thought and deed.

John says that if you say you have no sin you’re a liar and the truth (Jesus) is not in you. (1 John Chapter 1)

Fact.

This is not only talking about Salvation. But, our walk in Christ as well. We can be judged or chastened in this world, and still be saved. (Hebrews Chapter 12)

So we judge ourselves and confess our sins to get our feet washed, even after salvation. When we walk in this world we get dirty. Confessing our sins to God is judging ourselves. It is when Christ washes our feet.

If we do not, then we risk falling into judgement with the world. God will protect us if we are saved. But if we step outside that protection we could have a problem.

We might be saved for eternity but earthly judgment could put us there quicker.

But, the fact is that if you think you don’t sin, you don’t really know Him and you might be in danger of eternal judgement as well. If a person does not have a relationship with the Lord, they are not saved. That’s why God calls us to judge ourselves. When we know Him we are drawn closer to Him. The things of this world get less and less important. Serving him and trying to build the Kingdom become larger in our lives. Our spiritual growth and exercising our faith matters more and more.

Consider your death. If you were told you were dying in a month, what would you focus on? Pray to the Lord and ask Him to save you and show you. I’m not saying that many of the things we enjoy are wrong. I’m saying that there is a higher focus, and when we get closer to God that focus magnifies.

Now, let’s look at our churches. Because, the Bible teaches that the church is the Bride of Christ. We are his body. We are His representatives, and in essence, He considers us, as His own self. (1 Cor. 12:27, 2 Cor. 5:20-21, Acts 9)

We see in Revelation, that Jesus does hold churches accountable and could allow earthly judgement. Which I believe will happen in the last days. When the Anti-Christ makes war with the Saints. A second cleansing of His temple. (Rev Chapter 1-3, Rev. 13:7)

But, we as churches need to confess and correct ourselves. I know for a fact that things go on with churches, and the church acts like it’s above reproach. It can do no wrong.

I’ve seen false teaching, unkindness, false brethren, pride, greed, and other things. I’ve seen people driven out and really treated wrongly. Then the church puts the blame on the victim. I’ve seen people complain about churches, and rather than listening, and trying to fix it. The church will double down and make excuses while blaming the victim.

It would be better to confess it to the Lord as a church. Then try to fix the problem.

We want to blame others. But, we need to judge ourselves to make sure we are alright, then we can see clearly to help someone else.

We must judge ourselves personally and as churches, so we are ready for His return.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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Overcoming Anxiety

Methods For Battling Anxiety

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 anxiety occurs without any real grounded reason. Or sometimes, it happens without any practical realistic reason, at all.

Sometimes, anxiety is over nothing. You just have a feeling of dread.

Battling anxiety is tough. But, please realize that it is a spiritual battle.

The Word says God has “not given us a spirit of fear, but if power, love and a sound mind.”( 2 Tim. 1:7)

So, let’s rightly divide what this is saying.

First, there is a spirit of fear. It is not from God. We are His children and He is with us.

He has given us a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. We already have it, if we know Him. It’s the Holy Spirit.

We forget this, and let the enemy overcome us. But, we must remind ourselves who we are in Christ, and that He dwells in us. It’s a spiritual battle. A Spirit of fear is trying to take us, and lead us down a dark path. So, we speak truth into the world to combat it.

Speak it out loud to yourself.

“I am saved and the Holy Spirit dwells in me. Power, love and a sound mind dwells in me. Begone, spirit of fear in Jesus name.”

This is a promise from God. He is promising us that He did not give us this fear. We speak it out loud and believe it to remind ourselves and inform the spirit of fear, what the truth is. The promise empowers us.

Ok, consider this. If we speak negative hateful things to a child its whole life, the child will be impacted by that. It is a fact that the things we hear go into our mind and soul and settle there whether we want it to or not. So speaking truth out loud, serves many purposes at the same time. It gets truth into the world for the enemy to know, and it penetrates the mind, and it acts as a prayer to God.

Speak God’s promises out loud and make them manifest in your life. Here are a few good ones. Speak them. Believe the promise in Jesus name.

Verse: “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”— 2 Thess. 3:3

Say: “God is faithful. He will establish me and keep me from evil, in Jesus name!”

Verse: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”—Isa. 54:17

Say: ” No weapon will hurt me and whatever they say against me God will deal with. I am a child of God. I believe His Word and He’s got this in Jesus name!”

Verse: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”— John 14:13

Say: “Jesus said ‘whatsoever I ask in His name, He will do’ I have prayed in Jesus name! God is moving. I trust Him. He is coming. In Jesus name.”

Learn more promises. Memorize them. Believe them. Believe God. Trust Him, and speak His Truth.

Let’s break this verse down more.

1. Power.

The Spirit in us allows us to speak to the Father. We have power in prayer and praise. The Spirit translates our concerns into words for us and intercedes for us.

He gives us the power to cast out demons and have faith in the promises of God. Cast out those demons in Jesus name. Speak out loud and stand on the promises of God.

That’s power.

2. Love.

“Perfect love casts out fear.” ( 1 John 4:18 )

Remember God is Love. The Holy Spirit is God, so we have love dwelling in us.

Often times we have anxiety because we are focused on our desires instead of God’s. We want our way, not God’s.

When we die to self and love God and others, a lot of our anxiety will go away.

Course, sometimes we don’t know what God wants. We can’t accept His will because we don’t know it.

Imagine you are one of the Israelites, coming out of Egypt. You don’t know where you are going, or what’s going to happen. It’s scary.

All you see is a pillar of fire and smoke. When it moves you must move and follow it. You have everything in your life. Ready to grab and go to follow Him.

And it’s concerning. You might be tempted to murmur and complain about going back to your old life. You might think it was easier when you lived in the world, without Christ.

But, if you wait and trust you will see God move and know that He loves you and will come through. He will provide and protect as you wait upon the Lord.

That Love drives out fear. Remember when He has moved, and loved you. By remembering the things He has done for you in the past, you can speak these things and drive out fear.

3. A Sound Mind.

The Holy Spirit leads us into ALL truth. ( John 16:13) That helps us to see clearly through the deception, the spirit of fear is casting into our hearts and minds. The Holy Spirit can bring verses and the good things of God to our remembrance.

Is there a rational reason to be concerned? Is this fear even possible? What is the worst case scenario? What are God’s promises? God has protected us before and will again. But, even if He doesn’t, He is with us.

What is the Truth? Jesus Christ is Truth and He rules ALL.

Anxiety is an attack by the enemy. Fear is not from God. But, neither are accusations. Satan is the accuser of the brethren.

So, anyone accusing you because of your anxiety is serving the enemy. If they were serving God, they would love you, and that love would drive out fear.

Ultimately, turn to God and let Him work in you and through you. He is with you and in you. Remember this.

The enemy will try to get you to turn from God, and not trust Him. Remember, Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. ” ( 1 Peter 5:8)

A lion roars, and it causes fear in the Sheep. So it causes some to run and separate from the Shepherd. This spirit of fear is a roar trying to drive us away from God. God is our only real protection.

We turn to all kinds of things to help alleviate this fear. Drugs, philosophies and distractions.

But always turn to God. He is our only hope.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by the writer.

More From Chris

Go To The Exchangers

A Word on Being Ready For The Lord’s Return “Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the…

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Forgive And You Shall Be Forgiven

Walking in the Spirit is tough. Jesus said, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.— Matt. 6:14-15 Jesus tells us this in explanation of the Lord’s Prayer. After this manner therefore pray ye:…

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He Rose For Our Justification

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Time Marches On

Be Encouraged

Time marches on,
but things can change.
The flow of life is the same,
but we can spin away.

Find a place to abide;
a life to call your own.
Find a way to live;
a way to feel alive.

All the road blocks,
will guide your way.
Till you are strong enough,
to crush them all.

That path of least resistance,
is how the water flows.
Carving a river, a gorge,
a valley, and canyons deep.

Find the path,
that works for you.
Seek the way,
to grow and shine.

You are important.
You can make a difference.
As time marches on,
and you flow with it.

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.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photograph by the poet, Rock City, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Debunk Honestly

Are You Really Being Honest?

I read a lot. I read books. I read things in the news, and I read articles on Medium, among other locations.

I know we are engaged in a Culture War and have been for quite sometime.

When I read, I often see this war come to life. I see the bias. I see the deception and propaganda. I see the desire to persuade people to turn to one side or the other.

Personally, I seek truth. I’m not afraid to have my mind changed. I’ve changed it many times in my life.

But, my mind never gets changed by intellectual dishonesty.

I read a lot of things where the writer pretends to debunk an idea or belief system.

I say pretend because dishonesty is incapable of debunking anything. When you are playing tricks with people. Those who know the truth, can plainly see and tell others. Those who don’t see will hear eventually of the lies, and when their eyes are opened, you’ve lost them forever.

This is why few people trust politicians and the media.

So, just be honest.

I’m going to assume the writer’s deception is not intentional. They just don’t know any better because they were tricked also.

But, calling people names, and making fun of what they believe or their ideas, is not debunking.

It’s a logical fallacy. It’s Ad Hominem and Appeal to Ridicule.

You did not debunk, you just proved you have no real argument so you call names.

If you mischaracterize a person’s or group’s actual belief or idea, then attack it. You have proven nothing. That’s a Strawman fallacy.

You have not debunked them. You attacked a fantasy.

Or perhaps you might say, “because the expert says so…”

This is a fallacy also. Appeal to Authority. The expert can be wrong or biased, or bought off or lying.

It’s not real proof.

So I appeal to the writers. Debunk honestly.

Find the truth. Seek out original sources. Let your mind change. Admit there are valid questions or fears.

I have had my mind changed and grown many times by researching the truth.

According to the rules of debate, you should be able to argue another person’s position as well as they can. You should know everything they know. If not, then you cannot really debunk anything.

You can learn something and still not agree. That is where your argument lies. If you must be dishonest, or use tricks, or logical fallacies. Then you must ask yourself.

“What is the truth here?”

Then go find it.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photo by the Author

I Sin A Little

Don’t Be A Pharisee

Pharisees are one of the biggest problems in the church.

What is a pharisee?

Well a pharisee is a person who practices religion and acts just like the pharisees in the Bible.

They think they are saved by Works. Even if they won’t admit it. They think they are better than others. They believe they do not sin. And they try to force others to follow the same rules they obey. They usually try to control churches, families and people.

They crucified Jesus, because He didn’t obey their rules, and they didn’t want to lose control. They were envious of his growing ministry.

These same people would crucify Him again if He came into your church today.

I’m sure someone is coming to your mind as I describe a pharisee.

These people need saved. They are in a tough place. They practice self-righteousness but we are not saved by our own righteousness.

They are the Elder Brother. God wants them saved also. But, Jesus warned us to not be like them. Their works based doctrine will spread throughout, and ruin you. It’s like leaven. It only takes a little to puff us up. That’s pride. Pride comes because you think you are saving yourself. (Matt 23, Matt. 16:5-12)

So, I ask these people. “Do you sin?”

Which if they know the Bible, they have to admit they do. 1 John 1:8 says, .”If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth (Jesus) is not in us.”

So, they say. “Yes, but I try to only sin a little”

To which I say, “James says, that if you try to keep the law and fail on one point you’ve broken the whole law.” ( James 2:10)

Then, they usually try to say, that they love God.

But Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments.”(John 14:15)

And this leads into a conversation on whether humans can truly love God.

We can’t. We have a corrupted nature. it’s only through the Holy Spirit that we can love God and others to the level God desires.

I don’t say these things to be a jerk or make things hard. It’s really quite simple. We can’t do it, and need Jesus, even after we are saved.

This brings me to the point.

We are saved BY grace THROUGH faith, not by Works, lest any man should boast (pride) Eph. Chapter 2.

The works we do are done by the Holy Spirit, in us and through us. Our own works are as filthy rags. (Isa 64:6) (Even our love. We are not saved by our love.)

Understand that we do nothing to save ourselves. Even thinking we do, is a sin. Pride.

The best we can do is turn to God (repent) and fall on our faces praying “have mercy on me a sinner” as Jesus said. (Luke 18:9-14)

We ask Him to save us and we confess Him as Lord, then through faith we trust Him and let Him build our faith, and grow our relationship with Him.

Our “works” change. We no longer worry about sin. Our sin was washed in His blood and cleansed when we confess. We confess our sins to Him and He washes our feet.

Our works become abiding in Him, letting Him grow us, serving and loving Him and others, building the Kingdom and getting people saved.

Again, all of this is done by HIM, through us.

We are vessels.

Do not be a pharisee. You are no better than the worst sinner. You are just saved. Remember this.

We are just like the Thief on the Cross. One step above death.

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

Buy a cup of Coffee

Support the work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13514235&fan_landing=true&view_as=public

Photos by the Author.

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