We Are Tempted

 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.

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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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God Leads Us

 God Leads Us 

 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.

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Other Scripture References:

Psalm 23
Psalm 25
Matthew 6:9-13

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

Photos by the Author.

Judge Ourselves

 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.

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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“  a collection of dystopian short stories.“The Future is Coming” and his latest book “The Latter Days‘ is a book on Bible Prophecy and avoiding the deceptions to come.

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

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Go To The Exchangers

 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 earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."--- (Matthew 25:24-30 KJV)

Here we have a frightening verse that basically says that when He returns the Lord is going to expect an accounting.

The Lord has given each of us our lives, talents, gifts  and the possessions in our lives, which He expects us to use to build the Kingdom. He wants people saved. He wants us to love others and help them. He wants us to love Him and have a relationship with Him. As best we can with the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

In the verses, the Lord gives talents to His servants, and then leaves. These are gifts. The scriptures says, "He gave gifts unto men" He has given gifts unto all men, whether saved or not. Salvation is just one gift. Our life is a gift. Our possessions are gifts, Our talents are gifts. We are to use what He has given us to turn to Him and build the Kingdom.(Eph. 4:8)

He comes back and finds that his servants have gained profit from the gifts. This profit would be souls or people helped. There is no other real medium of exchange between worlds.

The first 2 servants succeed and are rewarded. They used what they had to help others in Jesus name and to get souls saved and lives changed.

But, let's focus on the last one. This servant says,"I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine." (see verse above)

There's so much here. First, the fact that the servant says that the Lord is a hard man, proves that there is no relationship. This servant doesn't know the Lord. Jesus said "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:27-30)

I could stop right there. Because people try to use this prophecy as a way to prove that people can lose their salvation. 

But, this guy never had it. He never knew the Lord. He never trusted the Lord. He never had faith in the Lord. He did not have the Holy Spirit.

But, let's go on because this guy never even tried. He buried the talent. He was afraid. Jesus warns us "Fear Not".  Fear is one of our greatest enemies and will keep us from knowing Christ.

If this guy had even tried, he might have woke up and found Jesus. He might have seen something that made him turn. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8)

The Lord rebukes him, and says, "You could have given the talent to the exchangers (or bank) and I could have gained profit in interest."

What does that mean?

Well let me break it down. I'm not trying to speak for the Lord. But, it might sound like this.

"I know you were afraid, and didn't know what to do. But, you could have at least given and supported people and ministries, who were doing the work. But, you didn't even do that."

Then, the servant is cast into outer darkness and there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Understand that The Lord is the light of the world. Apart from Him is darkness.

Hell/the Lake of Fire is a garbage dump outside the city of God where all unclean and evil things must go.

Satan, the fallen angels, demons, unclean spirits, and those who have not been washed in the Blood of Jesus must go there.

They cannot enter the city lest they corrupt it with the plague of Sin for all eternity.

This servant was never washed. He did not have a clean garment. He had no oil in his lamp. He was a goat. 

He never knew the Lord. When we know the Lord, the Holy Spirit guides us to care about the things the Lord cares about. We become burdened with it. We will respond. We will serve somehow. Even if it's only giving to others who are serving.

The worst thing to ever hear is...

"Depart from Me, I never knew you." (Matt. 7:23, Matthew 25:31)

 

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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

Photos by the Author.

 

 

Give And It Shall be Given Unto You

A Word on Faith 

 

“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 verses are completely true.

I have given for years. I give a tithe regularly, and I try to give as the Holy Spirit leads me.

God has protected me, provided for me and has brought it back to me and then some. You can trust His Word.

I can tell you story after story of Him making this real in my life. It’s a fact. But, you start by believing His Word.

And that’s the point. If you can’t believe God will give to you, then how can you believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead? Do you trust God’s Word?

It’s about faith.

I have been in situations where I have been led by the Spirit to give, and have watched God bring it back, by the end of the day. And not only bring it back, but bring it back 10 fold.

That builds faith. 

People say, “You shouldn’t give wanting to get back.”

Well first off, I don’t. But, why would God promise a return then?

It’s about Faith. He saves us by His Grace, through our Faith. So, our faith must be exercised and made strong. That is the oil of faith in our lamps. He wants us to Trust Him and His Word. Faith and trust is built, when you see that someone keeps their promises and are good to you. So, He promises and then keeps it.

We can literally watch it happen. He says “Prove me on this.” ( Malachi 3:10 )

This builds faith. You believe His Word. You take a step of Faith. And you see Him move. And that builds more faith. He wants us to trust Him.

I know it’s hard sometimes. We pray and see nothing happening. I have prayers, that get answered immediately. But, some prayers have been cooking for years, unanswered. I can’t hardly wait to see it explode on the scene in power as He moves like He promised, when the answer comes. It’s not a no. It’s a “Stand back and watch it explode!”

It’s about faith. We give cheerfully because we are giddy to see Him move. We are amazed by His power and love. Like He told the Israelites in the desert. “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.” (Deut. 29:5) God can keep things from wearing out.

He blesses us in many ways. But do not be deceived. Some will say, “Yes, He gives back, but it’s spiritual blessings.”

That’s not what the Word says. Jesus said “pressed down shaken together shall MEN give unto your bosom.” See the verse at the top of the page.

How can men give spiritual blessings? They can’t.

Let go of your expectations. Just trust His Word and watch Him move.

The bottom line is faith. Do we believe Him and trust Him.

Everything in reality screams it. From the fall in the Garden, where they didn’t trust Him or believe His Word. Till today, as we struggle through our lives constantly encountering situations where the question is asked. “Do you trust me? Do you believe me?”

Give as the Spirit leads, and watch Him move and your faith will grow. 

When you feel that you should give, just do it. The Spirit is leading you. Of course you can exercise wisdom in the matter. But, beware of second guessing and doubting and talking yourself out of a blessing, or an opportunity to serve the Lord.

I know people who say “Yeah but they will just buy drugs or not use it right.”

That’s not our problem. Jesus said, ” Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” (Matthew 5:42)

We do not know what God is doing. God could be working on this person and your helping them could be an answer to prayer. That answer could lead the person to turn to God and save a life and a soul. Trust God.

We are to be cheerful givers. ( 2 Cor. 9:7)

We cannot do that if we have doubt, fear, or second guessing.

Have faith in God and watch him move.

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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

Knowing The Word

 Knowing The Word

Truth on knowing God's Word.

 

You will never know the Word of God by going to church and hearing sermons and teachers.

You will only know the Word, when you taste it for yourself and the Holy Spirit brings it to life in you.

When He speaks to you through it.

When He breaks your heart with it.

When He brings you comfort and revelation by it.

When your life twists, to teach you the Word.

Then, you will know and remember it.

When you wake up with a verse on your heart. 

When you memorize verses, because you need them to live. 

When you need them to bring peace and hope and drive those demons away.

You won't know it till you believe it.

Every word of it. 

Even the verses that make you seem insane to everyone who doesn't know it.

Jesus Christ is the living Word. Knowing Him, helps us know the written word. His Spirit brings it to life for us. He leads us into all truth.

He is Truth.

He is all we need.

Forever.

 

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 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

Wait Upon The Lord

 Wait Upon The Lord

A Word on Answered Prayer

 

 

Trouble comes into our lives and we panic. We rush out and do something. This often leads us to do the wrong thing, which brings more trouble. That’s the bait of Satan.

Satan is described as a roaring lion, or a birder trapping birds in a snare. Snares work by reaction. An animal sees the bait and reacts and gets caught. Likewise, a lion has a scary roar. It will often roar and when an animal freaks out to run, the lion pounces. ( 1 Peter 5:8, Psalm 91:3)

But, if we wait. We can avoid these things.

Wait upon the Lord, and He will lift you up. (Isa 40:31)

Bad things come into our life and we pray. We beg God. And we see nothing happening. It’s hard. But, we trust Him. We trust He is working. But it’s hard. We get mad. We get tired. We break down. But we hold on.

The devil puts ideas into our head of things we can do, but it’s not good things. We can attack, we can run. We can get revenge. We can be resentful. We can be snarky. We can sabotage. We can drop a dime.

But, if we wait and trust in the Lord, we might see miracles. We might see Him move and then we will KNOW, He is real and a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

It’s hard.

Daniel prayed and heard nothing. He waited and waited. Till an angel appeared and told him that God heard his prayer the minute he first started praying. God released the answer the second Daniel prayed. But, demonic forces slowed the answer. ( Daniel 10)

God hears. He has moved.

He promises that “Whatsoever you ask in my name I will do” (John 14:14)

Believe it. Trust it. It’s hard, but what have you got to lose?

God is our only real hope. He is our friend and our father. he is not out to get us.

But, the enemy gets us to fear and doubt and run away from God. That’s when he has us.

This life is but a breath. A moment in eternity. It’s hard. But it won’t last.

Things we think are important today, will matter nothing to us 10,000 years from now.

Wait upon the Lord. Pray, watch and wait. You will see Him move.

You will wake up and see that things are different.

It might not be what we want, but we will see it’s better. We will see Him in it and that will make it better.

Praise Him for all He’s done. Sing His praises.

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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.

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

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