” ‘And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the Lord of hosts;” Malachi 3:11

Many years ago in high school I had a group of friends that always exchanged birthday presents.  We would all go in together and get each other something “nice”.  One particular year, I received a piece of jewelry which I cherished.  I wore this piece of jewelry for almost 20 years without exception.  One evening after returning home, I noticed my piece of jewelry was missing.  I was heart sick knowing I would never see this piece again.

Fast forward eight years and my once cherished piece of jewelry had been long forgotten.  Eventually the sting of losing becomes numb with each progressive loss.  It seemed I was living from loss to loss instead of glory to glory.  Truth of the matter is, I was living far from God so any “glory” came from man, therefore producing only what man could produce.

Then came that night.  The night the preacher got up to preach but the Holy Spirit had other plans.  I’m so thankful for the pastor’s who yield to the moving of the Spirit.  It is the fate of souls who are in their hands when the decision is made to yield or not to yield to the Holy Spirit.  It is in that moment the Spirit is quenched or given freedom to have His way.  It was in one of those moments that the weight of the Holy Spirit’s conviction fell upon me.  All it takes is one inflammatory touch from the Holy Spirit to set your soul on fire…just one.

Since that night when I turned my heart over to the Lord, He started His work in/on me.  I’ve still had some losses but instead of a numbing effect, they have more of a cleansing effect.  Instead of stumbling blocks causing me to stumble, they became stepping stones.  The glory from man turned to darkness in the light of the Lord’s glory as I continue to be ” transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

While having lunch with a friend yesterday, we were talking about loved ones and the “what if’s” in life.  We pray and believe for healings but ultimately God is the one who heals.  The fact of the matter is we are all appointed a time to die, unless we are taken up in the rapture of the church first.  This is why Jesus saved us, so we could have eternal life with Him.  Instead of saving Himself on the Cross, He saved us.  Jesus’ resurrection is the evidence that our debt was paid in full by His finished work on the Cross.  As it turns out, our loved ones were never “ours” to begin with.  Jesus paid the price for their life, not them nor me.  The Lord has blessed me when He gave them to me to steward through His love for them.  So when my husband’s being hard headed (sorry honey, secrets out) or my parents are being….well, parents, I try to remember they are only mine for a while.  “Behold, all souls are Mine;…” Ezekial 18:4.  This revelation causes us to be thankful to God for them and by default better stewards to them.  This peace only comes through understanding of Christ and Him Crucified, His finished work for our salvation and not from psychological motivation.

So, what about that cherished piece of lost jewelry my friends bought me almost 30 years?  While walking in the backyard yesterday, on a regular path I have taken many times, a sparkle caught my eye.   As I looked down, there it was, my cherished piece of jewelry.  Once I regained my composure, I understood the miracle that had just happened but couldn’t quite figure out what the Lord was trying to tell me.  As I sat down and turned on the television, Jimmy Swaggart was saying “the Lord is going to give back what the enemy has taken”.  Hallelujah!  That night at the altar, when I said yes to Jesus, He rebuked the devourer for me.  The Lord turned a hardened, weary heart to a heart full of love and gratefulness for others instead of things.  The Lord sent me a nugget yesterday to share with you; a golden nugget that shows He WILL replace what the enemy has taken all because of His love for you.  If the world is beating you down, just say yes to Him….He wants to rebuke the devourer for you too.

-Donna Warren

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, ”  1 Corinthians 2:7.  The wisdom of God was and is hidden in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is there at the Cross where Christ was revealed, it is on the Cross where the Lord chose to save us instead of Himself.  Satan’s defeat was handed to him as Jesus led captivity captive and led the saints out of sheol and into the gates of Heaven.  It is in fact, Jesus Christ’s resurrection that makes the gospel effective and if anyone does not believe in His resurrection, they cannot be saved.  ” And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” 1 Corinthians 5:17.  Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee  for all others who believe.

In both Matthew chapter 4 and Luke chapter 4, satan tempts Jesus.  The devil goes so far as to quote Psalms 91:11-12 back to Jesus.  Satan will misquote and misapply the scripture to keep one in bondage.  He will never lead us to the next verse, Psalms 91:13 where it states he (satan) will trample under our feet.  The enemy knows if he can keep us busy trying to “figure out” God, we will never “know” God.  Rationalization of the scripture never produces revelation.  Faith in the Gospel of Jesus is when the mystery of God is revealed.

The fruit of rationalization is frustration.  As the enemy has us chasing down scripture to  misapply in our situation as he did with Jesus, we become overwhelmed with fear and dread; we have no peace.  We become frustrated as we hear about grace but don’t feel grace.  The condition of our heart doesn’t change because of the direction we are headed.  It in fact gets worse as we are being led further and further away from the grace of the New Covenant in Jesus Christ.  This is why it is so important to know the entire Word of God.  The entirety of the Old Testament points forward to Jesus.  The New Testament, from Matthew 1:1 to Revelations 22:21 is the covenant we are under.  This is the covenant Jesus made for us to lead a victorious life.  We certainly cannot dismiss the Old Testament in which Jesus was the fulfillment of and answer to.  The Old Testament shows us the Law in which we would have been under if not for Jesus.  However, while reading the Old Testament we must remember the New Testament and the promises of God we now have because of Jesus.  It is precisely these promises the enemy  wants us to forget.

Our heart is the evidence and pride our shield of misdirected faith due to deceit .  This misdirected faith can result in great humility and grace when redirected back to the Cross of Jesus.  The Cross of Jesus is the only place where peace is found and love abides.  Just as Jesus discerned the scripture satan misapplied to Him, we should also discern the application of scripture and from whom it was sent.  Is it revelation knowledge or rationalization knowledge?

“These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:13.

-Donna Warren

“Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. ”  Revelations 3:3.

Repent is not a popular term.  It denotes our wrong doing.  To repent is to feel sorrow or regret something that we did.  In fact, repentance is one of the main themes of the Bible.  It is spoken of 68 times between Numbers and Revelations.  “I”, Donna Warren, can tell you to repent of your sins and you would probably look at me like I had lost my mind.  Who am I to tell you to repent?  Jesus began His ministry in Galilee  preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 4:17.  In fact, John the Baptist came preaching “Repent, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” Matthew 3:2 as well.

Sadly for many, the offer of the Kingdom of Heaven was rejected.  Sadly, John the Baptist was sent to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah and was counted as having a demon and Jesus Himself was counted as a glutton and winebibber by the Pharisees (Matthew 11:18-19).  Hypocrites will condemn any course of action while seeking to justify their actions and reject the truth.  Hypocrites tend to propagate certain parts of religion for personal gain instead of for the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Repent, the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” How do you know what to repent of when you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong? (Well, you can start there…but we’ll continue on.)  If you are a good person, work hard and do right, what do you have to repent of?  You have been “good” all of your life and can’t catch a break.  Perhaps, you truly don’t know what to repent of.

Then there are those who don’t feel repentance is necessary once we are saved.  We are forgiven of all of our sins and they are tossed into the sea of forgetfulness, which is true.  However, this doctrine also teaches that any conviction of the Holy Spirit is actually condemnation from the devil.  This rejection of conviction causes one to sin freely.  The very same conviction one feels upon salvation is the same conviction rejected to overcome the sin nature.  This is the very reason Christ went to the Cross, to give us dominion over sin nature not to enable us to sin.  Many refer to this as hyper grace which, after centuries of legalism in the church, would also portray the Christian as a hypocrite to the world.

“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? ” Romans 2:4.

There are three things that God uses to lead us to repentance; His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering.  The Lord ‘s goodness is witnessed with every good thing we have been given or encountered in this lifetime, including the breath we take.  His forbearance is the self restraint He shows in allowing us time to live in order to be saved.  Lastly but certainly not least is the Lord’s patience with us, which is His mercy and grace to us, in hopes of us accepting His plan for eternal reconciliation to Himself, Jesus Christ.  “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9.

Revival of the church and souls getting saved because of the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus is what leads one to repentance.  The understanding of Jesus’ perfection and God’s perfect plan is what reflects ones true state and causes not just profession of repentance but proof of repentance as well.  The “good people” who don’t know what to repent of realize God’s goodness through the Gospel of Jesus.  The hyper grace doctrine is shown the Blood that is  being trampled through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus.  Instead of running from repentance, we should embrace repentance.  The Lord, through His longsuffering, forbearance and goodness is willing to show us why we must repent.  Through His Gospel we are equipped with the understanding of our need to repent.  The Lord’s righteousness puts our self righteousness into perspective upon the revelation of His grace and mercy.  – Donna Warren

The finished works of Christ and Him Crucified does not stop working at salvation.  The Gospel of Jesus does not or has not lost Its power but perhaps we have strayed away from source.  It is a snare of the devil to lead a believer down the roads of legalism or psychology for sanctification; which leads us by default away from the Cross of Jesus.   The enemy knows that the only true sanctification remains with the Cross of Jesus and His finished work.  Satan will not hinder one from traveling down the psychological or legalistic path of sanctification; he knows our attempt at self-preservation will only lead to us losing our purpose instead of finding our purpose.

The Cross of Jesus and Him Crucified is salvation for the lost and sanctification for the saints.  “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18.  It was on the Cross that Jesus was tempted and it is there we will always find the strength to overcome our sin nature.  It is our faith in His finished work;  it is us knowing our Jesus died for that temptation the enemy is whispering in our ear, that gives us the strength to say no.   This is how our faith is built.   “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18….precept upon precept, a little here and a little there (Isaiah 28:13) we are being sanctified.

The Holy Spirit guides us into growing in His grace and knowledge of the finished work of Christ crucified.  Any and all schemes of man, ways of man and even worship of man will only lead to what man can give.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not need any help nor “buts”, just our faith that It worked, once and for all.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,  and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”  Hebrews 2:14-15.  Unforgiveness births death.  Jesus died for our sins so we could be forgiven of our sins upon repentance.  When we do not forgive ourselves for the sins in which our Lord was crucified for, we are not accepting His finished work was enough, His sacrifice is not worthy of our sins… we are refusing His grace.  Understanding the humility of the Cross of Jesus comes with the revelation of the Jesus.  The understanding that His work was/is enough; it IS finished.  Once His forgiveness is accepted, death is no longer birthed but liberty and freedom is revealed.  The Holy Spirit, who we receive at salvation, is then given liberty to guide and direct us in all things of God.  Spiritual gives birth to spiritual, precept upon precept, from glory to glory, for preservation and sanctification unto final salvation.  We “are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ” 1 Peter 1:5.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not only for baby Christians but is still meat for the mature.  Sometimes as I’m writing this blog I feel as though I’m preaching to the choir.  As many mature Christians, as well as baby Christians, may read, I felt like maybe I wasn’t “feeding” the more mature Christians; they know the message of Christ and Him Crucified.  Then I realized, I too know the message of Christ and Him Crucified.  However I too, need to go back to His Cross daily to place my faith back in Jesus’ finished work and not mine; to remove any leaven the enemy may have planted as well as any condemnation from this not yet perfected person.  No matter ones worldly position,  as a believer in Christ, He calls us His, He call us holy and righteous.

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”  Ephesians 4:1-6

– Donna Warren

“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Matthew 15:14.

I could stop here and enough has been said…to the ones who are blessed to see; those who are spiritually discerned.  The most disturbing part of this scripture for me is “Let them alone.”  This scripture is written in red; it is the words of Jesus talking about the blind leading the blind.  This scripture is Him saying leave them alone and let them fall into the ditch.

The good news is, it is only the spiritually blind who are led into the ditch.  Therefore, believers have nothing to fear.  On the other hand, the bad news is the spiritually blind are just that, blind.  “Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.” John 9:41.  In other words, if one is really ignorant, it is not a sin for they are blind.  However, once we are no longer ignorant but we choose to remain blind we are rejecting the Gospel of Jesus;  we are in rebellion with God.  As hard as it is to imagine, there are those who choose to remain in darkness.  There are evil ones who do not want the light to expose their deeds, they love the darkness. (John 3:19).  These are the ones who are worthy of eternal blindness.

As I watch the video of our government being led in prayer to allah, I see the blind leading the blind.  I see the darkness of the ditch before the fall as our nation’s leaders are being led to the slaughter by the enemy.  I hear Jesus saying “Let them alone.” Our God is a jealous God.  He is jealous of His blessings becoming a resource for His enemy.  An earthly mother or father would not like another man or woman convincing their child to call them mom or dad.  Our Heavenly Father does not like us giving honor, which is due to Him, to others.  One thing we must understand, our Lord Jesus was a sacrifice not a martyr.  Merriam Webster defines sacrifice as destruction of something for the sake of something else.  Jesus was sacrificed for the sake of you and me.  A martyr is defined as a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle.  Jesus didn’t sacrifice for a principle but for a people – all people, including the spiritually blind.

The spiritually blind who are not ignorant are all around us.  We see them at the store, we’re friends with them, sometimes we even sit next to them on Sunday mornings.  They think they are the rich and wealthy who need nothing but are blind to the fact they are really miserable and poor.  (Revelations 3:17)  Many of these are motivated by religion but sustained by self will; they try hard to maintain their do good attitude but without any peace inside.  Mere knowledge of Jesus counts one as not being ignorant.  Not accepting Jesus as our Saviour once knowledge of Him is given, counts one as not being ignorant but at enmity with God.  In other words, rejection by default.  They too are the blind being led into the slaughter…all the “good” people we love who are not believers.

These are the reasons we pray for God’s continued mercy as the blind are leading the blind into slaughter.  As His honor and His praise is given instead to His enemy, we are granted His mercy because His Son was our sacrifice.  Because Jesus paid in full for all of us, He gives us time to repent from our evil ways.  It is because of Jesus’ love for us, not because of us, that we are granted God’s mercy and grace.  Our separation from God because of man’s fall (not His) and His love for us is the reason He sent His Son as a sacrifice.  Often God is misrepresented as unmerciful.  It is His desire to save us from the enemy, not hand us over to satan.  Jesus’ sacrifice was and is God’s grace poured out on all, sinners and saints, in hopes to save us, not condemn us.

We pray for His mercy because many of the blind being led to the slaughter by all of these compromises are our children.  The enemy has infiltrated our schools.  Blindness has bred blindness and with each generation the darkness is becoming deeper and deeper.  We pray as the blind either fall on the cornerstone of mercy and become broken or the stone falls on them and they are crushed (Matthew 21:44).  I pray the message of the Gospel of Jesus makes it to the halls of the White House and to the homes of the lost and the Holy Spirit’s conviction unveils their eyes.

Dear Lord, thank you for leaving the 99 to come and get each of us who believe.  Dear God, I pray you send out laborers into Your harvest.  Dear God, have mercy on us all.

-Donna Warren

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;” 1 Peter 4:12.

God will teach us from our trials but that doesn’t mean He sent them.   Just as our earthly parents teach us from our mistakes that does not mean they lead us into trouble just to teach us this lesson.  So often God is blamed for our suffering, the same suffering that He sent His Son Jesus to pay for on the Cross.  Jesus came to heal the oppressed of the devil not those oppressed by God.  God does not oppress but delivers from oppression.   It is only when we stop blaming God for our sufferings and start cooperating with His plan of redemption that we have the victory promised to us in His Word.  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

God’s plan of redemption comes only through Jesus and His finished work on the Cross.  Only when the Gospel of Jesus is written on our hearts do we have dominion over the enemy.  When we understand all that was accomplished for us by Jesus on the Cross, there is no longer a question of what we get but a revelation of Who we get – God our Father and all of His Kingdom reconciled back to us for eternity.   Our focus is turned to Jesus and His sacrifice instead of our net gain; our focus is shifted from us to Him.

Once the revelation of Jesus and the Cross is written on one’s heart, we no longer accept the suffering of which Jesus has already paid.  We have the strength to overcome the temptation because His faithfulness to us has been revealed; we choose Jesus and not the enemy and the Lord faithfully equips.  Knowing the sacrifice made by the Lord gives us the boldness to reject the suffering He has suffered for us.

Sickness, sin and disease are not caused by God but He will help us get through them.  Praise God for His deliverance from our oppression and don’t blame Him.  There are plenty of unbelievers giving example of needless sufferings without Christians doing the same.  We are not promised a life without trials and tribulations but the needless sufferings being carried by the believer which does not glorify God is a suffering Jesus has already suffered on our behalf.  If our suffering does not manifest grace and cause thanksgiving to abound (2 Corinthians 4:15) and if the mortal death of our flesh is not working to bring life to others and provoke them to want to live for Jesus we are suffering in vain and negating the Cross of Jesus.

Never forget to remind the enemy what has been paid for and Who paid for it  – Jesus Christ and “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.” 1 Peter 4:14.

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
and by His stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6.

Sheep are the most helpless of animals when they have gone astray.  Many today are like sheep led astray.  We Christians call them the harvest.  Sometimes we look at the lost sheep, the harvest and may tend to judge them.  Then the Lord has a way of showing us their side of the story; He will remind us we too were once lost.  Our judgment of the lost becomes less and less as we are reminded more and more that our righteousness has nothing to do with us.  The Lord will gently remind us it is only because He loves us we are considered righteous; it is only because of His love for us that He came to save us.  His love for us has nothing to do with our love for Him.  It is because of God’s children being led astray, pursuing their/our own interest and making their/our own plans, regardless of the good of the whole, that Jesus came.

Jesus came and carried away our grief.  The Lord has borne our sorrows.  Does it seem easier to allow Him to pay for our sins but we’ll keep the sorrows and grief?  The sorrows and grief are our payment for our sins, right?  Do we really accept His payment for our transgressions, but His payment for our grief and sorrows isn’t adequate?  Our faith in the FULL Gospel of Jesus Christ is where bondages are broken.

Jesus came, not in glory and majesty but in submission to our Father, to save us from the slaughter.  As Jesus was rejected and crucified according to man’s wickedness, He was, at the same time, accepted as the Perfect Sacrifice for all of our transgressions.  It was at that very moment our victory was attained; the enemy knew he had been defeated.  The blood of bulls and goats could not take away the sin of man; only the perfect Blood of Jesus could atone.

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief….” Isaiah 53:10. This scripture could be hard to understand in our natural unless we understand Jesus’ higher calling, His sacrifice for the good of the whole.  Both the Father and Son, (Jesus Christ, the Word in the Flesh) volunteered to suffer the indignation of the world in order to bring redemption to men.  It was this voluntary sacrifice, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, that demonstrated God’s divine perfection, justification and mercy.  It was Jesus finished work on the Cross that fulfilled the law, judged sin and reconciled God to men; reconciled us to our Heavenly Father. 

It is only when the proper message of the Cross and Jesus finished work is ministered that the Holy Spirit has latitude to work.  The motivation or plan of others will not convict the hearts of the lost.  Only when the Gospel is written on their hearts.  “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17.  The Holy Spirit works exclusively within the parameters of the Cross of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is the way by which we are sanctified.  We cannot accept grace then add law to sanctify ourselves.  We must allow the Holy Spirit His was for the chastisement and guidance of our souls.  With our faith in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, the Holy Spirit has legal right to come in our heart and He does the work, not us or others.  “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:13-14. 

Minister His Gospel and He will confirm His Word in their Hearts.  Trust His Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus.

-Donna Warren

“I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another,”  Isaiah 42:8

God will not share His glory with another.  Often we go from humbly waiting on our prayer to be answered to stubborn rebellion and then, out of frustration, to  just doing it ourselves.  I’m not the only one guilty of this am I?  I’ve never been a good “boss” because it’s easier for me to do something myself than try to show someone else how to do it.  Anyone else ever do this with God also?  We humbly pray then try to show God how to answer our prayer.  Then we get aggravated, cross our arms and stick our lip out and declare and decree we aren’t doing anything, or we “can’t” do anything, until God answers this certain prayer.  In the meantime, He is still answering our prayers.  You know, the prayers we forgot about.  The ones like “guide and direct us”, “please protect my child” and so on and so forth.  Those prayers that have now become ungrateful expectations fade to white when we are faced with that one unanswered prayer.

Then we pick up our Bible and read James 1:23 -24, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ”  As our ultimatum is declared and our faith becomes paralyzed because of this unanswered prayer, we open up the Bible and again see our reflection in the mirror.  We see our imperfections and blemishes when compared to God’s mercy and righteousness.  We are once again humbled at the Cross of Jesus….and we once again receive God’s mercy.

As a child of God we are given promises.  We are given an inheritance as part of the family of God.  We never have to pray “if its in Your will” if it is something already promised by God in His Word,  “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:3-4. 

We are given promises of God but sometimes only receive the ones we are comfortable with ourselves.  We receive His mercy because we need His mercy for our sins but we won’t receive His forgiveness because our sins are too great, we must pay for our sins before receiving His forgiveness.  We negate Jesus’ payment in an attempt to pay for our own. 

There are so many scenarios of Christian’s faith, mine included, falling short.  Our faith falls short without our realization.  In our attempts to please God, we are in fact at enmity with Him.  Instead of the Word of God being our mirror, we attempt to reflect it onto others for their sanctification instead of our own.  We cannot sanctify ourselves or others.  The Holy Spirit sanctifies through His leading and our learning.

The New Covenant granted to us is because of Jesus Christ.  His finished work on the Cross is where our faith lies.  Jesus came to defeat evil; so the sin nature would no longer have dominion over us.  Jesus came so we could receive the promises of God…all of them.  Jesus came to break the curse of death and hell given by the law and to write the laws on our heart which by default purifies our affections, passions and appetites.  The Lord came so God’s mercy could be applied to our unrighteousness instead of His wrath.  God’s throne has always been a throne of mercy.  It was Adam’s fall that broke man’s covenant with God.  God did not break His covenant with man.  It is because of man’s fall that God sent His Son, Jesus.  God’s mercy on us  is the reason Jesus was sent; to bring life to His creation and not death.  The Holy Spirit cannot convict when the Gospel of Jesus is misrepresented by the religion of man.

Our faith is in Jesus and “all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. ” 2 Corinthians 1:20.  It is God’s mercy and long suffering that brings our rebellion and stubbornness to repentance.  It is our faith in Jesus’ work, His reconciliation to God’s Providence for us,  that will allow God to glorify Himself.  He cannot do this with our guidance, by following our plan;  God will not share His glory.

“And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” Mark 16:20.  God will confirm His Word through accompanying signs when our faith meets His plan, the Gospel of Jesus, and His glory is reflected back to Him.  – Donna Warren

Somewhere along the way we may turn around and wonder “where did Jesus go?”  We accepted Jesus as our Saviour and His peace and joy filled us.  Our eyes were unveiled, we had ears to hear and were given the Spirit of liberty.  The Lord’s face shined upon us.  The enemy throws out a couple of snares and we hardly notice; we are too focused on Jesus.  The enemies darts are deflected by our shield of faith.  We have a personal relationship with Jesus; we are a part of His joy..

Time ticks away and we are still holding strong to our faith.  We love our Lord Jesus.  He has brought us too far to turn our backs on Him now.  Nothing can shake our faith.  We have been tested, persecuted and plundered.  However, the trials, or sometimes just life in general  has started keeping us busy and we begin to miss Jesus.  We miss our chats in the quiet time, our reading in His Word…they are what kept us during our weakest moments but we got over that mountain, praise the Lord.  There is that longing in our spirit  but it eventually becomes calloused over by that important meeting.

Then we get a little rattled one day.  We are convinced our child has completely lost their mind but we get the problem handled and move on.  The rattles gradually become shakings; violent shakings.  Eventually we  turn around, throw our hands in the air and shout to the top of our lungs “God, where are you?”  We are God’s child and we feel as if He has left us.  Where are you God?

He’s still where we left Him.  The dusty Bible we will read later, the quiet time in the morning that has now become a social hub for the kids; He’s still there. We were tossed to and fro, pulled in every direction, robbed Peter to pay Tom; we handled it and He was still there.  We got too busy to wait on Him; too busy to consult with Him.  We were distracted.  Distraction is dangerous to a Christian. We lose focus and begin to sink.  Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re sinking until we can’t breathe anymore.

While meditating on this problem we hear that small, still voice.   We are quickened to go pick up that Bible again.  For some reason we often believe that once we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He quits saving us.  It really doesn’t even make good sense.  Its as if we feel He doesn’t love us anymore because we suddenly see our own filthy rags…as if we didn’t have them on before our salvation.  Just because we never saw our unworthiness, doesn’t mean God didn’t…and He loved us then.   Once we are saved we suddenly feel He is no longer our Saviour but our Judge.  It is true, the Lord will one day be our Judge.  We will ALL have to give an account.  Instead of allowing God to perfect us, we begin to try and perfect ourselves.  We begin to judge ourselves and others.  If we could only see ourselves and others through God’s eyes, we would realize He has already saved us, now He wants to bless us, guide us and sanctify us.

When we see how far the Lord has brought us, why do we fear He won’t keep us through this storm?  He’s still there.  “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”  1 Peter 5:10.  He hasn’t gone anywhere and He’s still in the saving business.  When we have been distracted or discouraged because our filthy rags has now been revealed to us as well, God still sent His only begotten Son to save us and He will not give up on us.  He’s still reaching out to show us His love.  He’s still here…seek Him while He can still be found.  – Donna Warren

“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” Hebrews 8:6.

To mediate is to bring opposing sides into agreement.  Jesus Christ is our Mediator; it is His Blood that was shed, He is the New Covenant.  The Old Covenant or the Old Testament was given to Moses to glaringly portray the fault of people.  In other words, darkness does not recognize it is dark until the light is shown.  Humanity did not recognize their unrighteousness until they were shown righteousness; and they failed miserably I might add.  The purpose of the Old Covenant was to show mankind they needed a Saviour.

Jesus Christ was the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant.  Instead of demanding righteousness, we are now given righteousness through Jesus Christ.  The New Covenant cannot be broken for it is between God and Jesus.  It is our decision to either be apart of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, or not be a part.  Hence we are in Jesus, we are part of the Body of Jesus.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1.  While the Old Covenant brought a yoke of bondage, we are now given liberty.  Many manmade traditions and religions continue to bring God’s children into bondage.  As the Old Covenant brought bondage which led to death, so too does manmade traditions bring forth spiritual death.

Many Christians today are spiritually starved because the door to the Holy of Holies remains closed to their traditions.  God’s plan of salvation opened the Heavenly Tabernacle to all who live under the New Covenant; under the Blood of Jesus.  The finished work of Jesus is what allows us immediate access to God’s throne of mercy.  Our sins, which were once accounted for death, are no longer remembered because we belong to Jesus; we are a part of the New Covenant.  In the eyes of God we are again seen as His perfect creation.  In the eyes of God, He now wants to use His creation for our intended purpose, to glorify Him.

Sometimes I feel like the phrase “glorify God” is misunderstood.  In human terms we bring glory to someone or something by singing their praises.  As parents, we glorify our children when they behave correctly.  We glorify our employees when they accomplish goals.  They are a shining example of the perfect child or the model employee, so we give them honor.  Many in the world don’t understand glorifying God because they have not given God His due credit for what He has done for us.  Therefore, they are not glorifying God but glorifying themselves.  With every breath we take it is a breath of mercy.  With every breath given, God is given us time to return the glory to Him.  This mercy is granted to us because of Jesus.  Jesus, being our Mediator, is pleading intercession for us.  The Law which brought God’s wrath to the sinner has now been paid in full by the Blood of Jesus; by the mediation of the New Covenant.

Because the Old Covenant did not produce love, God sent love through His Son, Jesus Christ.  God sent the perfect Lamb to fulfill, once and for all, the blood sacrifice.  While on earth, Jesus showed us how to reach the lost.  He was and is an example of God’s perfect love and mercy for all.  It was through mercy that Jesus reached the lost.  His mercy is what reaches the heart of man.  It is not until we understand with our heart the sacrifice made, that we are healed (Mathew 13:15).

One day soon, very soon, Jesus will no longer be pleading for more time for the lost.  One day soon the Lord will no longer be our Saviour but our Judge.  My heart aches for those who will not be covered by His Blood; who are not under the New Covenant.  One day soon all of the “good people” who lived honorable, honest lives but never got around to accepting Jesus as their Saviour will be judged according to His standards and not the world’s standards.  Soon will come the day when our time will be up.  What we were going to do tomorrow will no longer be an option.  Our busy lives has taken up all the time we had and its over.

Jesus will soon be glorified and every knee will bow whether we chose to glorify Him or not, He will be glorified.  I pray we allow the Lord to glorify Himself in our lives and we have mercy on the lost.  If not for His mercy on us, we too would still be lost.  I pray we acknowledge His answered prayers and His blessings in everything we do.

The New Covenant cannot be broken.  We must decide now whether we accept or deny Jesus because any indecision is by default a denial.  The harvest will come and the tares and the wheat will be separated.  The tares will be burned and the wheat will be gathered.  (Matthew 13:24-30).  The harvest is ripe.  Soon it will be separated.  – Donna Warren