Who is a Liar?

 Who is a Liar?

The Answer Might Surprise You.

 

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”—Rev. 21:7-8

This is a haunting verse at the very end of the Bible.

Let’s rightly divide the word. (2 Tim. 2:15)

First, we must look at the first verse because it basically cancels out the rest. If you really turn to God because you hear His call and Confess Jesus as your Lord. You are saved.

“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”—1 John 5:5

That’s what it says.

After salvation, God will work in our lives to change us and sanctify us if we have really turned to Him. Our faith will grow, if we are really with Him.

But, “the fearful and unbelieving” in the verse are those who have been too afraid to give up their life and turn to Christ. People who are too afraid of what people might think. Afraid to lose business and friends or family.

The unbelieving are those who refuse to put their faith in the Lord. They hear the call and refused.

Next we see a list of sinful actions, all of which God warns us about in the Word. But, all of which are sins that keep us from turning to God.

“abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,”

All these can be saved if they turn to God and confess Jesus as Lord. But, these sins make it extra hard for a person to break free.

An abominable lifestyle is hard to stop.

A murderer has refused to forgive. And instead chose to kill. Remember Jesus said, “ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”—Matt. 6:14-15

This is talking about actual murder and murder in the heart. What we would call 1st degree murder. It’s also talking about people who have absolutely no regard for the lives of others at all.

A whoremonger is a pimp. A person who is a sex trafficker and exploits other people to survive, and for profit. It’s difficult to get out of this life. Like the Abominable there is a demonic presence in this type of thing.

The Sorcerer and Idolater have basically turned to other Gods for help and salvation. They have not turned to Christ. They have never had a relationship with Him.

That brings us to “Liars”.

This terrifies us because we have all lied. We have all told lies in our lives. Whether we want to admit it or not. We try to justify it. We try to make it “White Lies”. We lie because of fear. We lie to save ourselves and others. We share things we have not seen or proven.

We lie.

But, God clarifies in His Word who is a liar.

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”—1 John 2:22

So again, God tells us that the only people who are liars are those who have rejected Christ.

Why?

Because if you have accepted Christ, then your sin is washed away and you are hid in Him.

You do not sin because your sins are no longer held to your account. It’s not about what you do, it’s about your position in Christ.

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”— 1 John 3:9

In chapter one, John tells us to confess our sins. (1 John 1:8-10)

In chapter three, he tells us that those in Christ do not sin. These two ideas do not work together, unless he is talking about something else.

Clearly he is saying “We do not sin in the eyes of God. Because we are saved.” He is not saying we do not commit sins. That wouldn’t go with the need to confess our sins to God.

We are saved. We confess our sins to wash our feet.

John wrote Revelation and First John. When he says “All Liars” in Revelation 21:7-8 he is speaking of those who have rejected Christ. The Holy Spirit ties these together.

The only reason anyone is condemned is because they reject Christ. They have never been cleansed of Sin.

That’s it.

Jesus said, “ Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” —Matt. 10:32-33

Do you know Him? Have you confessed Him?

Turn to the Lord and let Him save you and grow you.

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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/

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

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

New eBook: The Latter Days

 The Latter Days

An eBook on Bible Prophecy

 

New Prophecy eBook Available

I have released my latest eBook “The Latter Days“.

It is available at Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Wal-Mart, and other major outlets. It is only available as an eBook at this time. Purchase HERE

It’s a collection of articles on Bible Prophecy. It speaks of the spirit of antichrist, the ancient past and how it has moved forward to building the New World Order today.

The book also leans toward helping people to get saved and avoid the deceptions that are coming upon the Earth, in these latter days.

Get your copy at most eBook sellers. (Except Amazon)

You can get my other eBooks online as well.

Made Free: Overcoming Addiction is a free ebook for addicts and family members or friends suffering with the addict. It gives new insight into addiction and ways to help overcome it, from someone who has been there. I have an addiction recovery Facebook page as well. Recover Freedom.

The Future is Coming, is a book of dystopian short stories I wrote about about the future and where we are heading. It is a warning in story form.

Against the Man, is a collection of poems that speaks of the plight and slavery of the worker in a beast system that seeks to devour the poor.

You can also support my work and ministry through PayPal, or through the links below.

Buy me a cup of Coffee:

Through Patreon

Thank you for your support.

(photos and covers are created by the author)

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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/

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

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

Buy a cup of Coffee

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

True Stewardship

 True Stewardship

A Word on using God's Money

 

 

I often get told by Christians that the church needs to be good stewards with the money the people of the church have given them. This comes when I start talking about how we should be doing more to help the poor in our community. Yes, we are called to be good stewards of the things God has given us, and the things that other people have put under our control.

 However, we are called to answer to God and Him only. It is paramount that our “Good Stewardship” is done according to His standards not ours. We are to operate under spiritual standards, not worldly standards. The things of God are foolishness with men. It’s God’s money. When people give, they give to God.

 Jesus said “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” And again, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matt. 19:21, Matt. 5:22) These are not earthly methods of good stewardship. Jesus spoke of “the widow’s mite”. He talked about loving God, and loving your neighbors. He talked about laying down your life for your friends. (John 15:13, Mark 12:41-44,)

 This is good stewardship, in the eyes of God. This is True Stewardship. God is not going to say “Well done thy good and faithful servant” to people who have done things according to the worlds standards while ignoring His standards. When we get saved the Holy Spirit works in our life to mold us into the likeness of Christ. That means that we learn to walk in the Spirit and not the fleshly ways of this world. Our fleshly ways are based in fear and a desire to fit in or impress or to try to earn God's favor.

This is why we as Christians often build massive mansions called "Churches" to please God. We pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into building and maintaining massive structures while our neighbor goes hungry, can't help his family, or goes to hell. This does not please God.

The excuse is made that we need a place to worship. That doesn't mean we need a giant mansion of a building.

 The goal in God’s Kingdom, is to get people saved. It is to glorify God. It is to wage war against the enemy. If our stewardship, doesn’t move in that direction then it cannot be labeled “good”. We get people saved by telling them about Jesus and lifting Him up. We glorify God, by letting our light shine, so the world can see our good works. We wage war against the enemy, by snatching people out of his hands and by alleviating suffering, which is our good works and glorifies God.

 Glorifying God is done through our good works. We are to be like superheroes in our community, in Jesus name. We often think it brings God glory, when we spend money on buildings, and that it brings shame to Him when we let a building go into disrepair. But, what does God say? What does He say brings Him glory? Our light shines, when we help a family make ends meet in Jesus name. Our light shines when we stop and help the man on the side of the road whom Satan has robbed of everything.

 Too many Christians use the phrase ‘Good Stewardship” and have no idea what it really means. It’s not about this life, or this world, it’s about God and the life He has given us. It’s about His Kingdom.

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 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/

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

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

Money Insulates

 Money Insulates

Can Wealth Harm Our Spiritual Walk?

 

 

As we read the Bible, we will gain a certain view of money. We will come to the conclusion that we are not supposed to stock pile money, and that we are not supposed to be tricked by the deceitfulness of riches. We will find that money is transitory and doesn’t satisfy.  We will see that our money is God’s money, and that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. We see that the love of money is the root of all evil. We see that we cannot serve two masters, it’s profit or God. James says that the wealthy heap treasures against themselves and will be broken in the last days. (1 Tim. 6:10, Matt. 6:19-21, Matt 13:22, Matt 22:21, Matt. 19:24, Matt. 6:24, Jam. 5:1-6)

There are many verses that teach us about the dangers of wealth, and there are just as many justifications, that humans will give for choosing to be wealthy. Such as, we need money to give to God’s kingdom, so my wealth helps God. Or we say the eye of the needle was not a real needle; it was a door in a wall of a fortress. We will tell ourselves, God looks at our heart. He knows I don’t love money. We will also compare ourselves to biblical people who were rich and God used.  “Lydia in the Bible was wealthy. Abraham was wealthy.” And on and on we go. We love money and the things it provides for us. Let’s be honest. 

Look I’m not saying we should live in poverty. Most Americans are barely scraping to get by. One injury or job loss would destroy them. A lot of us are poor within this culture we live in. But, our culture and our beliefs are based in wealthy thoughts. We have a philosophy that leads us to worship and love money because money keeps us from the bread lines. It’s freedom in this world we think.

So, what is so bad about money? Wouldn’t it be better if the whole world had wealth? If there was no poverty, and everyone had their needs met? Of course, and that day is coming. But, in the mean time we are stuck in this broken degenerate world. Depraved sinners, separated from a loving God. We abide in Death, waiting to be cast into eternal fire; because we refuse to turn to Him to be saved, and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

And that is what is so bad about money. Sin, Death, and Satan have dominion over this world. It is a fallen place filled with fallen humans. Our only salvation lies in turning to God. So, God placed a curse, upon this world that causes us to struggle. That struggle is supposed to cause us to cry out to Him. Mothers pray for their children, and worry about them. Fathers scrape the earth to provide. Everything around us dies, and works to stop us or fight against us.

Money insulates us from the trials and tribulations of this life. A mother doesn’t need to just place her trust in God; she can take her sick child to the doctor and afford treatment. A man can hire an attorney to get out of trouble, he doesn’t need to weep over his sin and beg God for mercy. A family can go to the store and purchase food, they don’t need to pray and trust God for rain, or for the hunt. They have plenty of clothes; they don’t need to trust God for rags.

Money insulates us from needing to cry out to God for the basic things in life, or to help us when we have need. Our needs are met through our money. I’m not saying that poverty is a guarantee of salvation, or that there is some kind of purity in poverty. But, what I am saying is that money keeps people from really needing God, and it keeps us from seeing His movements in our lives. How can we see God miraculously heal a neighbor, when the neighbor uses money to get medicine? We like to say “But, God provided the money, and the medicine and the knowledge of doctors to heal. There are millions of poor people around the world who die daily from things our over the counter drugs could heal.”

This is true. But, is dying the worst that can happen? This world is a place of death. All of us are dying second by second. We are all going to go meet our maker. It is our wealth, and His mercy that slows that process. But, our wealth that keeps us alive longer, also works to keep us from drawing closer to Him. We horde our wealth and worry about being taken advantage of by the poor around us. What we do to the least of these we do to Him. See how our wealth or our love of our wealth keeps us from Him? I’m guilty too. Our money insulates.

That insulation extends to our entire culture. We have no idea how insulated we are. I’m currently reading a book written by an evangelist from India. He is a native of India, and lived there his whole life. He got saved, and God called him to go to the north of India and preach the Gospel. He has lived in, and experienced extreme poverty his whole life.

In the book, he speaks of a visit to the United States, and he is appalled by the amount of wealth we have, and we do not even know we have it. But, God knows. The evangelist speaks of every church gathering in America having food. How ashamed he was to eat there, while evangelists in India sit under trees and eat a few scoops of cooked rice, once a day, if that. He tells that Americans have closets full of clothes, while people around the world wear rags. That Americans waste enough money and water daily, that it could save the lives and souls of thousands around the world.

Our money insulates us. It keeps us from seeking God when He calls us through our need. It insulates us from suffering with others, and having real compassion on them. It insulates us from needing to draw together with others, and lean on each other. It insulates us from the trials of this world through which we learn and grow in spirit.

Oh sure, our wealth can allow us to do great things for Jesus, but do we do it? Does He want us to use our wealth, or His Spirit and His power? Are the great things we do really what He wants?  Can a rich person serve God? Can a rich person get saved? The fact is that every person in America is richer than the whole rest of the world and God loves us and wants us saved as well. So, yes; God saves rich people and works on them and through them. But, our wealth is a dangerous trap that we need to wake up to. And I think we will be awakened shortly. When He cleanses His temple before His return. He drives out the money changers.

Money is not evil. But, be aware of what wealth can do to you. Fight to resist it. Remember, it not only insulates you, but also your children. What is growing up in wealth doing to them?

We do not need half the things we think we need.

We need more Jesus.

Turn to God, Let Him grow you. Have a relationship with Him.

Live simply. Give with a joyful heart. Look for ways to give and serve.

He is coming soon.

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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/

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

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

Spies In A Promised Land

 Spies In A Promised Land

 Are You Wondering What To Do?

 

This is going to be some deep spiritual stuff.

Things that impact our lives.

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.

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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/

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

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

Buy a cup of Coffee

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

Hearing From The Spirit

 Hearing From The Spirit

How The Holy Spirit Works in Our Lives

 

 

How The Holy Spirit Works In Our Lives.

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.

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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/

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

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

Buy a cup of Coffee

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

The Burden Of Prayer

 The Burden Of Prayer

Sometimes We Have A Feeling We Cannot Get Rid Of.

 

 

I’m not a very good Christian. I’m just not.

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.

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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/

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

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

Buy a cup of Coffee

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