“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7
“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:6
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because
fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”— 1
John 4:18
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil
shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall
have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give
thee a crown of life.”— Rev. 2:10
When we read these verses we can see that we are not supposed to fear anything. God is with us.
If we believe that God is right beside us, and even in us through His
Holy Spirit, then why do we have fear? Our God is bigger than anything
in this world, and anything the devil can throw at us.
These verses above indicate that there is a spirit of fear. A demonic
entity which harasses us. It says in First John that we are tormented
by fear.
Therefore battling fear is Spiritual Warfare. It’s something we can overcome.
The first thing needs to be faith and trust in God, His goodness and His Word.
Nothing else matters.
I harp on this idea of a relationship with God. When we know Him, we
know where to turn. We can trust Him. Even when everything around us is
terrible and we are in our darkest days we can trust Him. Even though
the devil tries to get us to turn from God, and curse God, and doubt
Him. We can trust Him. And that is power. For in our weakness we are
strong when we turn to Him.
God is not against us. It is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. He is for us.
Say it out loud. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
“God is with me! He wants to give me the kingdom, He is not out to get me. He is my helper, I will not fear.”
Believe it.
We can overcome fear in His Power, His Love and His Wisdom.
We can pray and know He hears. He promises that if we ask anything in His name He will do it. —John 14:14
No doubts. Trust Him. He hears and is moving.
Fear be gone! God is with me!
Love casts out fear. Confront the fear in love.
Do the loving thing.
When faced with fear, love others. Do unto others as you would have
done to you. Loving others takes your mind off of self, and onto other
people. Use the fear to fuel love. Overcome evil with good.
Remember that God loves you. If we are saved, then we are perfect in
God’s Love. Remember this. He loves through us. Let Him love you and
love others through you.
The devil threw some of them into prison. They were told to fear not. So, what did they do? How did they overcome fear?
They loved. They prayed for the guards and other inmates. They
preached the Gospel and spoke faith to the other prisoners. They
comforted the sick in prison. They helped each other. They loved, in the
midst of fear and hate, and temptations for anger. They turned prison
into purpose. That is how you cast out fear.
Love casts out fear.
Praise God. Loving Him and praising Him casts out fear. You cannot hold fear in your mind, while praising God at the same time.
We also overcome fear through a sound mind. We have a sound mind by
knowing God’s Word. By seeking Him for wisdom and understanding and
truth. By having faith in His Word. By prayer and His guidance.
We can look at how God has brought us through things in the past, and
trust that He will again. We can go and seek out the truth. Study, ask,
learn, seek answers. Fear thrives in the unknown.
We can ask ourselves, “What is the worst case scenario? Has God let
the worst things happen to me? What if He does? He will be with me
through it.”
Overcome and drive out fear through Power, Love and a Sound mind. We
can drive it out through Him, and His Word, and Faith in Him and His
Word. We trust that He is good and He is with us.
Spirit of Fear be gone in Jesus name.
Say it out loud. Cast the spirit out.
Remember times when God was with you and saw you through. Trust Him.
Remember during Covid, when the virus was everywhere and fear was
running with it? Remember when the vaccine came out and they were
forcing people to take it or lose their jobs?
When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire
Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)
We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get
worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the
Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)
Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two
different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a
final destination which is the Lake of Fire.
Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final
judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth.
Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the
Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement
and new creation.
The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)
This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.
At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a
rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual
beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)
According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound
in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in
Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking
of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book
of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan.
10 )
There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings
are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the
Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves
more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of
info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them,
but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)
Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose.
Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all
eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and
wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and
Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is
like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or
Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of
eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)
Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.
Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.
When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of
the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and
stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They
were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an
uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.
They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the
garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown
away, and people would leave stuff for them.
The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and
fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15)
(Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were
scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a
child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets.
Course those family pets can turn feral.)
Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and
the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)
The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and
blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and
joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the
flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)
This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.
Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the
poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a
nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have
loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have
done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke
16)
Both of them die.
The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way
into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never
had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had
compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.
The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in
Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request.
(There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the
Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is
leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a
place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s
Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the
the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the
other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham
and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually
poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)
Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink
because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each
other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many
ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told
Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it
was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with
different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic
idea remains. Because it’s true.
The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they
won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went
unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though
one rose from the dead.”
Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man
knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family
would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.
But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.
In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the
dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named
Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe.
(John 11, John 20)
So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?
In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the
cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke
23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)
It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.
But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.
It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth.
The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins
with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death
has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how
it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16,
Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )
The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material
location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is
the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who
refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague
of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who
is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead
currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to
either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire.
(Rev. 20:12)
Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “For as
the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain
before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the
Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men
that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither
shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)
After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to
Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will
gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that
celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out
and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who
followed them in the Lake of Fire.
Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe
that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth
is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will
come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.
So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot
really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our
ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what
I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally
perfect.
We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)
That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual
realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give
limited knowledge and understanding.
I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get
people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am
not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can
teach it or prove it. I don’t.
This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.
We can trust God’s goodness in this fallen world which seeks to
destroy us. Everything around us might scream that God has abandoned us
or that He doesn’t care. But He is there. He will never leave us nor
forsake us.
Even in the Garden. In the midst of Paradise, Satan was able to get
the first couple to stop trusting God. He got them to doubt His promises
and His goodness. The same thing happens to us.
They were in a perfect place with all of their needs met and no
troubles at all, and the enemy was still able to drop a little nugget of
doubt into their mind. Just enough to get them to do the one thing God
told them not to do.
God’s rules are not to keep us down or to hide things from us. They
are designed to protect us, from things we do not understand and the
dangers of this world.
We can trust His promises. We can trust His Word. We can trust His goodness.
We no longer live in a Paradise. We live in a fallen world and bad
things happen to us. Trouble comes into our lives, whether it’s by our
own making or not; we face difficulties. We see the evil around us, and
we are again tempted by the devil to say “Where is God?” “Where is His
Goodness?”
Like Job. Satan attacked him in order to get Him to doubt and curse
God. But, Job said, “Though He slay me, still will I trust in Him.” (Job
13:15a)
He trusted God and refused to be pulled away from the Lord, or caused
to doubt Him. Job questioned. But, he never doubted God’s goodness or
curse Him.
When we face trouble in life, we are also tempted to reject God. We
are tempted to go do things that set us up for failure and more trouble.
Remember, the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He will use
everything to rob us of finances and joy and life and health, he will
work to kill us and ruin us.
That’s His plan. It starts with getting us to doubt God’s Word, His promises and His goodness.
If He can get us to ignore God, or doubt Him, He can lead us down dark paths and slay us.
When we look at the terrible things in this world it’s hard to
imagine that God is good. We even hear things like “A good God would not
allow such and such.” That is the devil. He cause the terrible things,
then he points at it and says “Look! God did that!”
If we do not know God, or trust Him we can be deceived by it.
In these last days it is going to get harder and harder, as deception grows.
But, we can trust Him. He is good. Learn of Him. Study the Word. Confess Jesus as your Lord, and believe that He is THE Lord.
Confessing ‘Jesus is The Lord” is the only thing that separates the
Christian from every other belief system on Earth. Remember that.
God is good, He came to Earth to die for us and set us free. He saves us. Do not be pulled away by the deceptions of the enemy.
“Seek ye first my kingdom and my righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”–Matt. 6:33
When we read scripture we need to “Rightly divide” it. (2 Timothy 2:15)
What does that mean?
Well, every word in scripture has meaning. They can often be linked
to other parts of scripture. When we want to understand or define
something, we need to use scripture to do it.
So, what does it mean to “Seek ye first my kingdom”?
It means to put the building of God’s kingdom first in your life. So,
how does that look? Well, it means that spreading the Gospel is the most
important thing to you. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18)
You tell people about Jesus personally on a one to one basis. You
tell people about Him publicly; and you support ministries and
missionaries that actively spread the Gospel. You have a desire for
people to get saved, and you step out in faith, to let the Spirit work
through you in doing that work.
On top of that, we support and participate in Kingdom building
activities, such as loving people, healing people, helping people,
protecting people, growing people, serving people and feeding people.
All of this is done in His name, and with an eye toward Kingdom
building. Not being fake, or having an ulterior motive; but being real
in our purposes. We want people to realize that there is a God who loves
them and wants them saved, and that process starts now in this world.
Now when I say this, it makes it seem like I’m saying that you need
to become a preacher, or go door to door, or become a missionary. I’m
not saying that. God has given each of us different personalities,
different gifts, and different callings on our lives. Build your
relationship with God, and step out to do the small things and you’ll be
shown by Him what directions to take. But, be real. You don’t have to
take mission trips, or go to seminary. But, when a friend or neighbor
falls on tough times are you there? Do you tell them about Jesus? Do you
exercise your gifts at work? Not being preachy or holier than thou, but
someone that is approachable, helpful, and keeps a confidence?
We do this out of our salvation. We do not do it to be saved, but
because we want to tell people the great things God has done for us.
What is “My Righteousness”? We are made righteous,
because we believe God. We believe what He has told us in His Word. We
believe what He has spoken to us in our hearts; and we believe He has
called us. We believe what He tells us about Jesus Christ, being the
Lord, and we confess Him as our Lord. We agree with God that we are
sinners and need Him.
We believe our personal relationship with Him; and the great things
He has done in our lives. This causes us to live rightly as He grows us.
We study and live by His Word. We seek to grow our faith and our
relationship with Him. Not obeying rules, but growth through faith and
relationship. Seeking His righteousness, is to seek the relationship
with Him, and we grow in faith and spirit through it and Him. We cannot
be righteous without Him, and faith in His Word. (Rom. 4:3, Rom.
10:9-10)
“And all these things shall be added unto you.” What
things? The things we need, and even in many ways the true desires of
our hearts. God knows what all humans really need and want. He also
knows us personally. He is more than happy to provide these things. But,
always remember that our spiritual condition, our relationship with
Him, and His kingdom are paramount. Sometimes that will lead to great
hardship.
God is not shocked when you desire success or abundance or any of
“these things”. But, as we seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness; our
desire for, and our definition of “These Things” starts to change. We
become humble. We become meek, like a wild horse broken and trained for
battle. We become less needy, because we have all in Him. We succeed,
but our success is not apart from Him. He is always at the forefront of
our minds and what we do.
Now when I say that, I’m not saying we don’t sin. I’m not saying we
don’t forget God. I’m saying that He is a constant fixture in our lives,
and grows in it. It’s a growth in Him. If you’re not experiencing this,
ask God to give you more of Himself and He will.
John tells us that we will sin and fail, but we turn to God and ask
Him to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. (Unbelief) and He will. Then,
when we are washed we are as though we never sinned. god remembers it no
more. (1 John 1:8-10, 1 John 3:9)
Terrible things happen in this life and in this world. But, even in
the midst of these situations or places. “Seek ye first my Kingdom, and
my righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” is a
promise. It might not manifest the same in everybody or in every
situation. You might even be miserable for a while as He works things
out in your life. To be honest, there are believers who died serving
Him, and being in Him, long before any of “these things” manifested in
their lives. But, I can promise you they have “these things” today with
Him. I can also bet that the families they left behind were blessed. God
is just. He pays His workers.
But, like most of God’s promises it requires faith to get started. Do
you trust Him? Step out and start doing the little things and begin to
grow. He will lead you and guide you; just go. He will move. It doesn’t
matter where you are. Seek His kingdom and His righteousness. Do it from
a pure heart, wholeheartedly. If you can’t, then ask Him to give you a
clean heart, and help you to be pure in your motivations toward Him and
others.
Then watch your views of what “these things” are change and turn to
what He wants you to view them as. Your relationship is with Him; no one
else. We answer to Him. Build His kingdom, and He will build yours.
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.
Jesus tells us a story about a young man who left home and went to make a name for himself. (Luke 15:11-32)
It could be a kid going to college with his parents credit card.
Or a kid chasing a dream with his fathers support and blessing.
We know this guy. We have seen him or her in our families or neighbors. We have seen them in ourselves.
We are free. We don’t have to answer to anyone.
We are trying to make it. We are chasing a dream or forced to take care of ourselves.
But we get pulled off the path.
Like the man in Jesus’ story.
He started riotous living. He started making friends in low places.
He was meeting all the best guys or best girls. He was getting drunk and
using drugs of all kinds. He was down at the club, or local bar. He
woke up next to all kinds of people.
And all the dreams died.
We’ve been there, or seen people there. We can smell the smells,
taste the tastes and hear the sound of the music thumping. We’ve done
the beer runs, and smoked the things that make us wanna go get some
more.
They are living for the party. Living for friends. Maybe living the
dream. But, it’s not the real dream. It’s not real hopes and dreams.
Jesus says that trouble comes. A famine in the land.
And trouble always comes. The party always ends.
It could be an accident that causes it. Maybe a divorce or break up. The loss of income and friends. Illness.
But, the party ends.
This causes us to get desperate. These times of trouble can lead us
to draw more into the party life, trying to hold on. Drinking and
drugging more to try to numb the fear and pain. Chasing things that is
not good for us. Trusting people we should not trust. Waking up in
places we do not want to wake up in. As our friends abandon us.
And we break. We have no choice. We are ruined.
Jesus said, the man went and got the worst job possible. The lowest of the low, just to keep himself from starving.
But, even that wasn’t working. He wanted to eat the pigs food.
We might end up homeless, digging in the dumpsters. We might even
consider a life of crime. Stealing, selling drugs, stripping and
prostitution to survive.
We hit rock bottom. We are as low as we think we can go.
Do not be deceived. There are always worst things that can happen. Rock bottom has a basement.
Jesus said, that the man woke up. He was willing to be a slave in His fathers house.
How desperate are you? Are you desperate enough to turn to God and
say “I can’t do it! I don’t know what to do! But, I need you! Do
whatever you want but please save me and help me.”
Are you so desperate to be free from your troubles and addictions and
life, that you just give it all to God, and even if He kills you or
throws you in prison or cripples you, it’s ok.
How desperate are you?
Jesus said the man went to see his father. He was desperate. He had ruined his life and was not worthy for anything good.
But, the father saw his child a long way off, and ran to him. And hugged him and held him.
That’s God.
He sees our broken and desperate heart, long before we even get to
Him. And He comes running. He comes running to save us and help us.
He wraps His arms around us and makes us His child. He brings us a robe and a ring and we are with the father forever.
And our life changes. We see things happening. Good or bad, but it’s
ok because the Father is with us. He shakes it out and gives us hope. He
grows our faith as we draw closer to Him. And we see him move. And more
faith grows.
The dreams come back to life and we see them growing in Him. We see
good things coming into our life, and it comes even more abundantly.
God himself is working in our life and everything is fine.
He blesses us where we are because we are His. We are His child and we turn to Him and know Him.
And He always comes running when we turn to Him. He always moves to
help us, even when we can’t see it. He is working and it will work out.
He is with us.
The sign of Christ in you is not that you work to quit sinning.
It’s not that you pretend to be sinless, and go to your church every time the doors are open.
The sign is that you confess that Jesus came in the flesh, and confess Him as Lord. (1 John 4:1-3, 1 Cor. 12:1-3, Rom. 10:9-10)
The sign is that you love God and love others. (Matthew 22:36-40)
The sign is that you believe the Word. And you believe it so much
that you become a fool for Christ. You believe things that this world
rejects, and that makes us fools. (Rom.4:3, 1 Cor. 3:18-23)
The sign is that you believe so much that you do not want people to
suffer or perish. If you really believed you would be telling people
about the great things God has done for you and them. You would be
getting the Gospel out. (2 Peter 3:9, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 8:38-39)
The sign is that you want to help people because you love them. You
want to go feed the poor, and clothe the naked. You want to visit the
prisoner and comfort the sick. You want to set the slaves free. (Matt. 25:31-46)
The sign is that you desire a relationship with Him, and things are
removed in your life that distract you from that relationship. You watch
for Him and grow in Him and will bear fruit. (John 15)
The sign is that you take all the bad that has happened to you, and
you turn it around for good. You use it to grow and to help others
overcome. You don’t bury it in the soil. (Matt. 25:1-30)
You use the gift God has given you to save and help others. You don’t
wrap it in a napkin and keep it in your pocket. (Matt. 25:1-30, Luke
19:12-27)
The sign of Christ in you is a focus and an urgency to build the
Kingdom. To seek His face. To let Him guide you and abide with Him.
(Matt. 6:3, Proverbs 3:5-8)
You endure hardness. Your endure molding as a potter molds clay. You
endure refining like a smith removing the dross from the silver and
gold. ( 2 Timothy 2:3, Jeremiah 18:1-6, Malachi 3:1-4)
And because of this, you won’t have the desire or time to sin.
But, you will sin. We all sin. If you say you don’t sin, then you lie
and Christ is not in you. When we sin we confess it to Him daily, and
He washes our feet. He cleanses us of all unrighteousness and works to
help us to overcome. And to Him, it is as though we never sinned.
Period. (1 John 1:5-10, 1 John 3:9, Psalm 103:12)
We do not sin because He does not hold it against us. When God says something doesn’t exist. It is gone.
He overcame Sin. He overcame Satan. He overcame Death. (John 16:33)
It’s all gone. That’s a fact. We are over comers in Him. (1 John 4:4)
Our faith grows in Him. As we know Him. Our lamps are full of the oil of faith because we have seen Him moving in our lives. (Matt. 25:1-13)
If you spend your life focusing on not sinning, your focus is on yourself. Not Christ.
Just let it go. Let Him remove what He sees fit. Let Him break you
and remold you. Trust Him. You will see yourself, sinning less. It will
just happen, as you focus on Him and let Him work. Remember, it’s about
you and Him. It’s not about what others think. (John 21:21-22)
What is written above is hard. But, its also easy because you cannot
do it. You just turn to Him and let Him do it. It’s not a checklist of
things you do. It’s a relationship that grows in you and you gradually
see yourself doing more of these things. Remember, dead things do not
grow. Are you growing in Christ, or are you dead?
This life is but a breath. This world passes away. Just turn your focus to Him.
He has overcome the world. He is eternal. And He is in you.
It’s supposed to get us to wake up and turn to God, so He can save us and help us.
We fall on tough times. We have a spouse who betrays us. We have kids
who reject us. We have friends and family who throw us under the bus.
We lose jobs and homes and friends. We are ruined, even by people who
claim to be good Christians.
But, God will establish you. Just turn to Him.
He promises.
“the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”—2 Thess. 3:3 KJV
Speak this promise to yourself to build up faith. Faith comes by
hearing the promises of God. Speak it to yourself and hear what it says,
and believe it.
“The Lord is faithful. He will establish me and keep me from evil.”
Jesus prayed for you, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out
of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”—John
Chapter 17 (verse 15) KJV
It’s going to happen.
Just turn to Him. Pray and ask Him to save you and help you. Trust Him. Follow Him.
We can look at Joseph. ( Genesis Chapter 30-Chapter 50 KJV)
His brothers betrayed him and threw him into a pit.
That’s just like how you’ve been betrayed or lied to or destroyed by people claiming to be family or friends or others.
They were going to kill him, but God used one of the brothers to speak mercy, because God had a plan.
He has a plan for you. He has made a way for you to escape. Trust Him.
They sold him into slavery.
They lied to his father, and anyone else who might need to know. They covered up their lies and betrayal.
When you do good you don’t have to hide it. When you do God’s will, it’s ok if you get found out.
But, God was with Joseph.
I’m sure there were some times, when it was scary, and Joseph didn’t
know what was going to happen. There were probably times the devil
whispered into his ear to get him to fear and doubt.
I’ve had the same. You probably have to.
But, God came through.
Joseph went to work for a decent man named Potiphar, who God used to
lift Joseph up to the highest place in that man’s household.
God established Joseph. He set him in charge of everything. Simply because Joseph trusted God.
What the devil tried to destroy, God saved and established. What his brothers sought for evil, God turned around for good.
And He can do it for you. He’s done it for me, and will again.
But, the devil wasn’t done with trying to derail God’s plan.
Potiphar’s wife came tempting Joseph.
The type of temptation is irrelevant.
The devil can use all kinds of things to try to trip us up.
He tempts our flesh to see if we will bite. Then he destroys us. It
could have been theft, or too much wine. It could have been an accident
or misunderstanding. It could be a bad boss who the devil uses to get
you to fail. If you fail, just turn to God, confess it and let Him grow
you.
But Joseph did not fail. He resisted and resisted.
He wanted to be right with God. The God who had established Him. The God who had given him everything.
But, Potiphar’s wife lied and falsely accused Joseph. And he was thrown into jail.
You might have been lied on. They might have twisted things to
destroy you because you would not submit to their evil ways or abuses.
They might have listened to the rantings of a petty person who always
wants to get their way.
Remember God sees. Revenge is His, He will repay.
And He will establish you. Which is probably the best revenge. Keep your heart pure, despite their evil.
God established Joseph again. He made him head trustee in the jail.
That’s God. He can bless you in the midst of terrible things.
When they seek to do you wrong, know that God will establish you and
keep you from evil. He will bless you. He turns all things around for
our good. Just turn to Him and love Him.
All that time in Potiphar’s house, and being trustee in the jail was
preparing Joseph and training him. Not just in practical things, but
preparing him in spirit. Joseph continued to abide in God and trust Him.
Till the time came for the blessing to break free.
And God raised him up and established him again, as the head of
Egypt. It was an Egypt who needed a wise worker from the darkest pits.
God established him, and He will establish you.
“The Lord is faithful. He will establish me and keep me from evil’
It’s a promise.
Turn to Him. Trust Him. Abide in Him. Have a relationship with Him. Endure the attacks that come and stay with Him.
God will establish you.
Your faith in Him and His promises will move mountains.
And on that final day, you will be with Him in Paradise.
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.
Is it complaining against God? Or complaining about life? or
complaining all the time? Or is it actually speaking the truth against
false things? Sometimes the Holy Spirit shows us things that are wrong,
and we don’t know how to properly deal with it.
I have been involved in Christian Ministry for over 20 years. I’ve
been to churches where the members are silent about the most ridiculous
ungodly activities and projects, because they do not want to be accused
of murmuring or complaining.
In the book of Exodus Chapter 4 and Numbers 17, we see that the
Israelites are murmuring and complaining against the Lord, and He
expressly condemns it.
Some Leaders in churches use this verse and others as a tool to stop
ALL dissent in a church. According to these leaders, the flock are
supposed to accept and silently go along with everything the leadership
does. They are supposed to be silent in the face of abusive behaviors,
and the latest fad that does nothing for the Kingdom.
That is false. Sin in leadership, is still sin. Does God support sin?
The scriptures speak of false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren. (2 Cor. 11:28, Gal 2:4, 2 Peter 2)
We are supposed to be wary of such things. That means we should rebuke and stand against it.
As the latter days get closer and closer things will get worse and
worse. Believers need to stop being silent about the direction their
churches are going in.
When the Holy Spirit reveals that something is not right. Your duty
is to pray and ask the Lord, whats wrong. Pray for the people, and study
the Word to make sure you are correct. Sometimes, it’s better to just
pray, than to confront. Or speak out.
But, when the Lord leads you to speak out, do it in the right way, with love and respect.
You will probably be rejected and ignored, or even attacked. You
might be accused of causing division or murmuring and complaining. You
might be treated as a troublemaker, and never asked to do anything in
the church.
Yes…these are Christian people who do these sorts of
things to other believers. There are people in churches who are about
controlling things not building the Kingdom.
Understand that “Murmuring and Complaining” in the book of Exodus,
was a specific thing. They were saying that they wanted to go back to
Egypt. They spoke of all the good things of Egypt.
You have to understand what this really is.
It’s like if God delivers a man from alcohol abuse.(Egypt) and the
man constantly says that his life was better as a drunk. He misses the
parties, and fun. Even though God is moving him to a good place.
That’s what murmuring and complaining is. It is not speaking against
false brethren or leaders, or opinions on how to spend money. If
leadership must twist scripture to maintain control, then that should be
a red flag. You need to know this because churches in these last days
will be ran by false brethren and teachers. Look at China today. The
legal above ground churches are all ran by pastors who are taught in
government funded colleges and are government sanctioned, not God
ordained. The churches from God are underground. In China, if you speak
out against false doctrine they call the secret police and you find
yourself beat. That is where we are headed globally.
Real murmuring and complaining is against the work God is doing in
us. It is a tough work. It is a battle between spirit and flesh. The
flesh wants to go back to Egypt, but the Lord is taking us to the
Promised Land. The journey is hard. We might lose jobs and homes, and
friends, and family, and reputation and everything that we hold dear.
But, we are gaining the Lord. He is our promised land.
The minute He saves us we have Him. IF we really have Him. Then He works in our lives to change us.
The Israelites refused to confess Him as Lord and trust Him. It’s not
about the Law. Joshua and Caleb were not saved because they obeyed
rules. They were saved because they trusted in God alone for salvation.
They did not trust in their own strength, but in His. They believed His
promises. When we complain about the Lord, we are doubting Him. It
destroys faith in us and others.
We are called to abide in Him. That is a relationship.
When we cry out to God, He comes running. But if we are not willing
to really give ourselves to Him, then we are not saved. The Israelites
refused to trust that God was good and doing good things. This is the
same lie Satan told Eve in the Garden. He got her to doubt God’s
goodness, and promises.
So, understand that murmuring and complaining is about a specific
thing in the scriptures. It is not a blanket term to be used to silence
people. In the book of Acts, murmuring led to the creation of the
deacons. (Acts 6:1-8) So, as I said the Holy Spirit could have stirred
some of the people to notice something was wrong, and used it to help
the early church, and the deacons were formed. In today’s churches if
someone said that the widows were being neglected, they would be called a
complainer. They would have to speak to 5 different committees and then
go before a business meeting, and then just maybe they might get
something fixed. At least until the next committee takes over. Unless of
course, they are a member with money. (James 2:1-9)
In Phillipians, it says “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:” (Phil. 2:14)
In context, this is referring to two things. God’s working in our lives, and our appearance before the unbeliever.
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my
presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12-13)
God’s
work in our lives can be hard. If we are not careful it can open doors
for a spirit of bitterness. Where we become snarky and talking trash
about the hardness of the battle between the flesh and spirit, or the
changes in our lives.
This phrase “work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling” often leads people to wrongly assume it refers
to a works based salvation doctrine. but it’s actually referring to
dealing with the work God is doing in our lives. Like a child whose
parents have decided to move to another city for work. The child has to
work out how to deal with this, while not becoming angry and bitter.
They have to work out how to deal with the loss of a school, and friends
and a life they had. Major changes happen when we really turn to God,
and we need to work out how to deal with it and not become bitter.
This bitterness can lead to murmurings and disputing with others in
the church. So Paul goes on to explain, that we should be of one mind
and not murmuring and disputing in front of those who we are trying to
help, and lead to Christ. Again, it is not a blanket verse to silence
people from speaking out when something is wrong. It is an admonition to
do it properly, at the right time, and in the right way, when possible.
Course, understand that control freaks and oppressors, also control all
the means of speaking out.
We can see in the next verses that Paul’s admonition for us to not murmur and dispute is to avoid driving people from Christ.
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye
shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the
day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
(Phil. 2:12-16)
Our murmuring and complaining doesn’t hurt God. But, it can drive
others away from knowing Christ. Because who would want to join a group
that is so un-happy? And again, it comes back to false leadership.
Leadership should solve things properly. Not just silence dissent.
Leaders who do not treat people rightly, are actually engaging in the
thing they seek to stop. Hiding it, doesn’t fix it. It is fixed through
love, and a proper answer that heals.
Not only does complaining drive people away in church situations, but
also in your own life. Nobody wants to be around that. If every time you
come around it is always negative or complaining. No one will want to
be around you. Drive that demon out.
A final word on murmuring and complaining is that when you do it, you
are driving away your blessings. The tongue has power. You can speak
the promises of God and believe them and watch Him work. or you can
speak negative, complaining words, and watch it work. Both will reap a
harvest. If you constantly speak negative things about yourself or
others, do not be surprised if it doesn’t become true in your life.
We reap what we sow.
As we get more and more into the latter days we need to get rid of
the false beliefs and teachings we have clung to. God will do it if we
don’t. Scripture says that we are to judge ourselves lest we be judged
with the world. In these last days, the things we have done or not done
can come back to haunt us if we refuse to see it and confess it to the
Lord to change it. This goes for entire churches, not just individuals;
as it shows in Revelation. So, when we see wrong things in the church
we need to speak out about it. This is judging ourselves as a body. It
is not complaining. (1 Cor. 11:31-32, 1 John 1:9-10, Rev. Chapters 1-3)
As we move into these latter days we are going to face tough times.
We will see that the things we complained about and disputed over,
really do not matter. When you can barely afford heat, new carpet won’t
matter. When you have to quietly meet in a hidden basement because of
persecution, having the latest sound systems and praise music, won’t
matter any more. There are believers all over the world, who have
nothing. While we bicker and destroy peoples faith because of opinions
on a building or types of paint, or views on doctrines.
Only God will matter, as He leads us through the dark dry desert in those days.
Don’t be like Lot’s wife, who desired the fine things and life of Sodom.(Gen. 19)
Understand that the Bible is full of these warnings for a reason. It
is not about murmuring and complaining. God can handle your complaints.
It’s about looking back after putting your hand to the plow. (Luke 9;62)
It’s about never confessing Him as Lord, and never having a
relationship, and never knowing Him. It’s about not trusting Him. The
Israelites in the wilderness did not trust Him.
If we do not know Him. We cannot trust Him. We cannot abide in Him. (John 15:4)
Our complaining is a reflection of our feelings toward God and His
promises. It drives people away from Christ and us. It drives blessings
away.
Turn to Him and trust Him.
—–
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from
Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has
written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ 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.
In order to understand the Gospel. We must accept God's power and
authority. God has awesome power and can save whoever He wants. However
He wants.
1. God calls us. No one is saved without
first being called by Him. If you are saved. Then you are called. God
calls everyone. If you are reading this, then you are being called. God
uses many methods to call us and draw us to Himself. He might call us many
times in life. He calls everyone.
God speaks into our mind and hearts. When He calls we hear it and we know it's Him. We can either accept or reject.
We
might not understand. We might not want to hear Him. We might put it
off, or reject, but we cannot say He didn't call, and we didn't hear. He
is God. He knows. Be real.
But what about the
guy in the jungle somewhere? Yes. God has called him somehow, and he
has heard. Perhaps he looked at a starry night and thought someone made
this, and God spoke to him and said "I made it" and the man believed and
wanted to know more.
Whether he accepted or not is between him and God. Not all saved people will look like you.
God is working. Trust Him.
2.
Belief! A person hears the call and believes it's from God (
Full understanding is not required) and the person turns to God (repent)
God knows, God sees, God understands. Whether we do or not is
irrelevant.
The picture in the scriptures is
Jesus calling His disciples. He said, "come follow me" and they knew
they should listen and they followed. They did not know the cost. They
just heard and followed. Jesus did not require anything else.
Another
picture is the prodigal son. He "comes to himself" and goes home in
humility to the father, and the father comes running. The father
demanded nothing. When the son woke up, that is what happens when we
hear the call. We realize the Truth.
Another
picture is the thief on the cross. He was guilty. He knew it. He was one
step above death. And he realized who Jesus really was. He heard the
call in his heart and woke up. He called Jesus "Lord" and put his faith
in him. Nothing else.
Just turn to God and trust in Him. Be real with Him. Just ask.
3.
God will bring you to Jesus Christ. It might happen immediately or it
might happen later. But, God will show you that Jesus Christ is the
Lord. When we see it, we confess Jesus is the Lord and believe God
raised Him from the dead. ( Roman's 10:9-10)
When
you hear the call, then turn to God and confess Jesus is the Lord,
putting your faith in Him for salvation you are saved. You cannot lose
it or give it away. God holds it. He owns you. Your salvation is totally
on God. Not you.
4 What about works? Faith
without works is dead? Well, confessing Jesus is Lord with your mouth
is a work. And that's all God requires. Your faith and confession of
Christ.
When you get saved The Holy Spirit
comes to dwell in you and He teaches you. He grows you. He helps you in
your relationship with Jesus.
He leads you into
works. He leads you into Baptism which is a work.. He leads you into
Communion which is a work. He leads you into Fellowship with
other believers . He gives you a hunger to read God's Word..
The Holy Spirit helps you to Love God and others. He gives you a
ministry to serve God and others
5. Sin and sanctification. Notice I
said nothing about sin so far. Because before we are saved we do not really
know how fallen We are. We do not know how wicked we are. Sure we might
realize something is wrong. Or that we do things wrong. But we do not
fully know.
And we are not required to. God
knows. He calls us, and loves us anyway. He wants us to turn to Him and
confess Jesus is the Lord, so He can save us and cleanse us.
But
we are not required to understand all that. We might know we sin. We
might know we fail. We might know we need Him. But, we might not
understand. We just know He called us. And we need Him.
After we get saved. God washes us in the Blood of Christ. This cleanses us of all sin. Forever.
It is finished.
Then
as we walk through our lives, the Holy Spirit teaches us and grows us.
He molds us and shapes us and we become different people. We sin less
and less as He sanctifies us. But, we were already forgiven the day we
were saved.
When we sin we confess our sins to
God. This is a work. This brings it up between you and Him. And as you keep confessing
over time, the Lord changes your mind and heart and you find that you no
longer do those things. Confessing sin to God and growing and abiding in
Him is a work. But you were saved the minute you turned to Him.
It's all totally God. Not you. We are to turn, believe, confess and abide. All of which He helps us to do.
Praise Jesus. God does it. He has made it as simple as possible. We have no excuse.
-----
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.
The early church had three things that helped them grow and take over the Roman Empire.
First, they had the Holy Spirit. They were saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, who led them and guided them in their work.
If your church never speaks of or teaches the Holy Spirit. If they do
not listen to or operate through the Holy Spirit. That should be a big
red flag. Especially in these last days.
Second, the saints of old were willing to die for what they believed.
They faced terrible persecution. They were fed to lions, crucified and
burned. They faced it with joy. This led the people of Rome to see that
they really believed, and therefore the Gospel might be true. The early
church put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
Now, many have faced death for what they believe. But, the difference
is that the early church saw death as a door to going home to be with
the Lord. Their belief was real. Our attitude towards death is to be
different than the world’s. We see death as an escape from this world,
and being with Christ. (Phil. 1:21-30)
We get saved, and the Holy Spirit works in our life. We see that God
is real and we trust Him. This leads us to see death as a gateway to new
life. We are going home.
The third thing is love. The Holy Spirit works in our life and
develops love in us. It is a love that defies our fleshly reason. Love
that speaks against our corrupted nature.
The early church grew because of this love.
The ancient world was harsh. It is said that over 90% of Rome were
slaves. We could say the same about modern America. These slaves were
totally controlled by their masters. They had to ask permission for
everything. They could be fired (Killed) for no real reason. Every
aspect of their lives was controlled by the master. They were considered
a reflection of the master (business)
I say this, to make the connection between conditions then and now.
They were very similar in spirit. The same Demon or Spirit that ruled
behind the scenes in Rome, still rules today around us.
These slaves had nothing of their own. It was all owned by their master. (Bank/State)
So here comes the early Christians. They acted weird. They had faith
which made them willing to die spiritually and physically to this world.
They showed crazy love, not abuse. It was so much different than the
world around them. Not because they stopped sinning, but because they
loved and had faith.
They had church gatherings where they shared food and money to help
each other succeed. They sold everything for this cause. They jumped in
with both feet, loving each other and the cause of Christ.
The other slaves were drawn by the Holy Spirit to be a part of this.
They wanted to know what this was. Of course some wanted to take
advantage, but many were for real. And even those who wanted to take
advantage were loved and got saved because of how they were treated in
comparison to how the world and the system treated them. They saw the
Holy Spirit working, they saw the faith, they saw the love. Real love.
Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”—(John 13:35)
Our success as believers comes through the Holy Spirit, Faith and
Love. It comes from God. We cannot do any of these things without Him.
We cannot love the way we should without Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit
growing and molding us.
Our success in this life as believers comes through the love and
support we give each other by the power of the Holy Spirit through
faith.
We see someone hurting and we help. We see someone fallen, and we
help them rise back up because the Holy Spirit leads us to show love to
them. We do this to everyone.
But, how much more should we help other saints?
Our love for our fellow saints shows whether we are even saved or not.
When we see someone who goes to our church hurting, suffering, fallen
or in need; do we help them or ignore them? Do we cast them aside
because they fell or do we go to them? Do we support them in ministry,
business and life? Or do we ignore them because they don’t measure up to
traditions of men? I shouldn’t even need to post bible verses to prove
it.
Shouldn’t the leaders of the church be leading the church in love? To
help others? to support the saints in life and in their ministry work
for Christ? Not to be seen of men or to look good because you’re
supporting the latest fad. But, to help those people Jesus speaks of in
Mathew 25. It’s easy to love children in need. But, our love is supposed
to be big enough to love the prisoner. To love the enemy.
This love can only come by the Holy Spirit. Course, if your church
doesn’t really believe in the Holy Spirit, that could be a problem.
All saints are gifted for service. Our service comes by the Holy
Spirit working through us and developing the fruit in us. Is that
happening in you or in your church? Does all your church love terminate
on a few “obedient” people?
Do you have little cliques in your church? Groups of people who
control everything and no one else can get inside or be a real part of?
Are you a respecter of persons? Like James spoke about; embracing the
rich while destroying and ignoring the poor or lower class? (James
2:1-9)
Is that love?
Real love is shown in Christ, when he died for those who hate Him, and forgave them.
Love is explained in First Corinthians chapter 13.
Love is shown throughout the Word.
Love is shown in how God has loved you.
Love is shown by doing unto others what you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)
We are to overcome evil with good. (Rom. 12:21)
Loving others, is good and is a form of spiritual warfare. When we
see evil such as poverty, or oppression or disease, we respond with
love. We don’t victim blame. or make unrighteous judgements. We help.
When evil is done to us we turn it around for good, by faith and love
with the Holy Spirit.
We are saved by Grace,through faith. Not by works. (Eph 2:8-10)
We are not saved by Love. We are saved by God’s love and grace, but
not our own. However, our love for the saints and others is a reflection
of what God has done for us. It is a reflection of Jesus. It is the
Holy Spirit working in and through us.
We win the fight of faith through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in
us. Our love is through Him. All our failures work to lead us and grow
us in Him if we turn to Him. These failures and hurts teach us to love,
and have faith in Him. (Rom 8:28)
We succeed 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“ 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.
