There is a spiritual awakening occurring. God’s people are in bondage and He is calling them back to their first love. This awakening is not about the sinners but the saints. The Lord is ready for our Salvation to make it’s mental ascent to the heart. Religion has crippled His bride while trying to prepare her for His coming. Formulas, programs and methods of man have caused His bride to depend on man rather than His saving grace. The Cross of Jesus and Him Crucified doesn’t need the help of man to take care of His bride. Her dry bones are rattling as the Lord calls His bride back to Him for food. The circumcision of the heart without hands is going to occur. We are not our own but the Lord’s. The heart of this remnant will be knitted together with the heart of the Lord. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:11-15. – Donna Warren
Monthly Archives: March 2015
The Way – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
It seems we have replaced the power of the Holy Spirit with the programs of the administration and our Father’s Heart with organizational skills in many churches today. When man’s religion is questioned carnality screams legalism. Faith in religion brings carnal grace. Faith in Jesus’ finished work brings supernatural grace. The words sin and repentance send people running in sack cloths and throwing ashes when mentioned behind the pulpit. Renewing our minds daily has become remembering the promises of the Lord without the remembrance of Him. We are baptized into Jesus resurrection and not wanting to be baptized into His death. All of these things neglect one very vital part of the Christians life – Jesus Christ. HIS grace comes through HIM both upon salvation and after salvation. Our justification is due in whole to Christ Jesus but our condition is better understood when our carnal knowledge of His grace is fully trusted and our weakness is laid waste by His strength…when man’s gospel is laid waste by His Gospel. – Donna Warren
Enough Then and Enough Now
Abiding in the Lord allows us the benefits of His victories. Being covered by His blood is where bondages are broken, curses cast down and victory over sin, death and the grave are found. Jesus’ blood was shed on the Cross at Calvary. God doesn’t look at the person but the Sacrifice, Jesus Christ. His sacrifice atoned for all, once and for all. Don’t allow the enemy to come and replace your faith in Jesus and His finished work to faith in religion. Religion isn’t what saved us but Jesus is Who saved us. The Lord’s finished work was enough to save us and His finished work is enough to keep us saved. Be mindful of distractions aimed at misappropriating our faith….even if they do seem scriptural. Do they remind you of how able our God is or do they remind you of how strong you must be in order to obtain His grace? Therein lies your answer. Therein lies His grace…faith in Jesus and Him Crucified was, is and will always be where our victory is found . -Donna Warren.
Abide in Him
“casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ” 2 Corinthians 10:5.
Don’t ever let the enemy convince you he has a dog in your fight. Abide in Jesus’ finished work on the Cross and remind satan who you belong to. Just because he dangles a rabbit in front of you, doesn’t mean you have sinned and it doesn’t mean he has won…it means he is trying to bait you into coming out from under your covering of Jesus Christ. – Donna Warren
Understanding Grace
God doesn’t need help, He needs our faith in His Son in order for His grace to be revealed and our deliverance becomes our testimony. Immediately upon salvation, we begin to start making mental notes on how we can overcome our sin nature. Even well meaning, God loving Christians try to help. Try as we may to overcome that sin nature, we have actually just put ourselves under law and not grace. It may not be the law of Moses but nonetheless, it’s law. It’s just another form of bondage but wrapped in a prettier package. When we trust God enough to allow Him to deliver us from our problems, His grace is truly revealed. – Donna Warren
Jesus and Him Crucified…is STILL Enough
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:14-15
Soul ties, family curses and the like were nailed to the Cross of Jesus along with every other sin. First, please allow me to address family curses as related to sin. If there is a family curse related to sickness, we know sickness is straight from the devil, but it is the sin of Adam, which caused the fall of man, that allowed satan any legal right to us. Because of this sin (the fall of man), we became subject to the result of sin…death. Both death and sickness originated with sin and are now being propagated by satan. It is because of the fall of man that we needed (need) a Saviour, Jesus Christ. Only through Jesus Christ is sin and death defeated.
So what happens when the saint gets sick? What happens when we have laid hands on them, anointed them and they are not healed? Does that make Jesus a liar? Absolutely not. Does their illness mean the family curse wasn’t broken by Jesus’ finished work on the Cross? Again I say, absolutely not!
“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8:22-25.
Before all of my Pentecostal brothers and sisters begin to stone me (Just for full disclosure, I am Pentecostal from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet…even my dogs are Pentecostal!), I absolutely believe in divine healing. Matthew 10:1 “And when He had called unto Him His Twelve Disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” The purposes of this discussion is until our healing comes.
There are so many saints today who are sick. When I say sick, I mean what the world refers to as “terminally ill”. However, I don’t subscribe to the world’s diagnosis but instead to God’s sovereignty and pray for His divine healing. The reason we pray for their divine healing may sound horrible to those who are not spiritually discerned. But we pray for divine healing to glorify God. Although, when it is us or our family, we tend to have other, more selfish reasons to pray for their divine healing….understandably so!! It is really easy to say “God’s will be done” when your personal will is not at stake.
So my question is this, if upon salvation; family curses, soul ties, bondages and strongholds were torn down, yet after salvation a Christian becomes sick or oppressed – how then is Jesus Christ glorified? And here is the answer…and I want you to hear this loud and clear; I want you understand how Christ is glorified in your sickness and oppression – He is not. The Lord is glorified in the joy and peace we have in knowing; in knowing that you know, that you know, that His payment on His Cross was ENOUGH to defeat any sickness, sin or death the devil had prescribed. God is glorified by His children because we know that satan NO longer has any rights to us. Jesus was the First Fruits, He addressed every thing we have lost on the Cross. Even though we only have part of our inheritance now, we will soon possess all of our inheritance. Many times we grow frustrated waiting on our inheritance. We get angry at God because we are promised that by His stripes we are healed and we have not yet seen our healing. Sickness, death and bondages are all real but they were all defeated on Calvary’s Cross.
“ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ” Mark 11:23. No matter our mountain, no matter our difficulty…through our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross, that difficulty will be removed. It will be removed by being taken out of the way or by no longer being difficult. Sometimes, we don’t allow God to no longer make the mountain difficult to move because all we still see is the mountain.
The power of God is in the Cross of Jesus for those of us who are being saved (1 Cor. 1:18). As a Christian, the only thing we have to do is go back to the Cross daily and remember the price that was paid for us to have victory in this life and eternally. Upon realizing these blessings are but a sample, the first fruits of what is to come, we continue in our hope. That mountain in no longer difficult and we persevere…in our perseverance we glorify the Lord. – Donna Warren
God is still God!
God is sovereign over those who follow Him voluntarily AND those who oppose Him…that includes satan. Sin was satan’s legal right to us and the Cross of Jesus is where the devil LOST any and all rights to us. IF you are a child of God, don’t let the enemy convince you he has any rights to you. We abide in the Lord Jesus Christ and He abides in us and “when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19. IF you are not a child of God, not only did God the Father create you but He sent His Son to pay your debt as well. Your debt was paid on the Cross of Jesus, but until you accept Him you are not covered under His blood. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. There is NO man strong enough to beat sin and satan. On the other hand, there is NO sin bad enough and NO bondage strong enough that the shed blood of Jesus Christ did not pay for in full. Seek the Lord, He chose you! – Donna Warren
Saving Grace
The same saving grace that saved us is still the same saving grace that will tear down strongholds and bondages. Once we are saved, there are no loopholes or hoops to get back to the Cross of Jesus. The same Jesus that broke the bondages upon salvation can still break the bondages after salvation. God created us to be in communion with Him. It was love that created us and it is love that will redeem us. We don’t need a method to be delivered, we need a relationship with the Deliverer….His name is Jesus. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7.
-Donna Warren
POISON IN THE POT: Psychology
POISON IN THE POT: Psychology is defined as the science of mind and behavior. Psychology in the church is man’s attempt to suppress sin. If the Law of God could not suppress sin, what makes man think their laws can suppress sin? The Law of God was not meant to suppress sin but expose it for what it is…death. Psychology in the church is an example of diluting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. It attempts to make the Cross of Christ of no effect by directing the person to self will instead of His Cross. The strength of the Lord to destroy strongholds will never be known in psychology gospel, only the strength of one’s self.
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!…” Romans 6:1-2. It may appear to some that the mere mention of “sin” is the teaching of law. One’s first thought may be “we don’t live under law, we live under grace!”. Absolutely true and praise God for His saving grace! However, if we are living in unforgiven sin, if we have not repented for our sin, if we have not confessed our sin and asked the Lord for help…we are deceived and living under the law and not grace. I am not talking about sinless perfection, the Bible does not teach sinless perfection. I am speaking of willful sin. “ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” Hebrews 10:26. Because of the willful sin one is living under, their works become an attempt of atonement . Instead of showing faith by works, works are the atonement. The works are appealing to the flesh. They are often fun and are indeed “good” works but they are performed merely to soothe the conscious. They are the salve applied to the sin with a hand clap of appreciation in the Sunday morning services. They are works while living under the law but with the law having a more flesh appealing effect.
The liberty that came with God’s grace upon salvation is deceitfully stolen by the spiritual hippie instead of the Jewish Pharisee. “Come, follow me, ignore that sin, you are the righteous of God now, let’s go serve hot dogs to the sinners and show them what a wonderful life this is” is the mantra. Then when the torment of the sin nature becomes too much to bare, that’s ok too…in fact that is quite normal but there is always a program to overcome that problem also.
The weight is too heavy and psychology is applied. Once again, man tries to sanctify the sinner with a law that God’s law could not even accomplish (again, because it wasn’t meant to accomplish holiness but point out lack of holiness to the sinner). God’s Law, being perfect, exposed the need for a Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ work on the Cross has already defeated that unconfessed sin. We won’t find that defeat in a classroom, a program or any other man made doctrine. We will ONLY find the defeat of the sin nature at the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ONLY one who can defeat the sin that has dominion over us. Until we confess to Him our sin, realize our error (repent) and ask HIM for help we will never know and understand His grace. When He reaches His Hand down to you and breaks that stronghold, you know without a doubt it was Him and had nothing to do with you. It is then, the understanding of what He did on the Cross is revealed and living under His Grace begins. This will never happen as long as man stands in the way and attempts to sanctify the saint by means of psychology. Don’t encourage me to be strong but instead, remind me how strong my God is when I’m weak. Pray for God to heal a broken spirit instead of trying to heal it yourself. God uses people to point them to Him for salvation and sanctification. Jesus not only justified us on the Cross but He died to give us life and life more abundantly. We can’t quit seeking Him after salvation and allow man to sanctify us. Keep seeking the Lord and allow His work to continue. God gave us two infallible resources – the Holy Spirit and His Word. His Word and the Holy Spirit always point us to the Cross of Jesus and His finished work. Ignoring sin is not God’s grace, confessing, repenting and victory over sin is God’s grace. The confession of sin is admitting we need God’s help to overcome. 1 John 1 is instructing the SAINT to confess their sins, not the sinner. If we never admit we need the Lord’s help to overcome sin, we are rebelling; we are slapping the hand that feeds us.
Psychology in the church is poison in the pot. It is diluting the Gospel of Jesus to appeal to the conscious of man. If it is not pointing you to the Cross of Jesus and HIS finished work, it is another gospel…period. The Bible warns us of other gospels. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-8.
Psychology gospel doesn’t come dressed in a red cape with a warning flag. It is pretty, makes good sense to the carnal mind and appeals to the flesh. It’s target is your faith. Without faith in Jesus we are not justified. Without justification we are not saved…isn’t that the devil’s goal? Can you see where this can derail one’s faith; especially someone new to the Lord? As much as “we” try to help them, if we are not pointing them to God’s Word, which points to the Cross of Jesus and what HE did, they will never know to yield to the Holy Spirit but will instead quench Him. They will never have victory and we, the ones who disciple them, will be held accountable for leading them astray if we point them to any other gospel. If the Lord has given you a ministry, we are stewards of His Gospel and His Gospel alone…nothing added to It and nothing taken from It, anything else is another gospel. – Donna Warren
Dangers Down the Road
“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, an you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27. Many of us need to reawaken the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that has been quenched due to doctrine of man.
Many Christians continue to live in bondage because their faith has been directed to what they confess instead of what Jesus has done. Any doctrine that teaches confession of one’s righteousness while ignoring the sin which brought Jesus from Heaven produces hypocrites and not saints. The dangers of such doctrine is the continued defeat of the saint who is living in sin. A Christian, who is honestly trying to defeat bondage, to confess their righteousness instead of confessing their weakness to defeat sin to the Lord and allowing Him to help; these Christians will never know God’s faithfulness, His strength and His blessing…they will merely know their strength to believe their confession. They will never know God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). This is when faith gets derailed. When the bondage is not broken and their strength collapses under the weight of their sin. We cannot defeat the sin nature, our faith in Jesus’ and His finished work allows us to confess it to Him and He gives us the strength to overcome. It is only Jesus and Him Crucified that pulls down strongholds…not our belief in our confession. If we don’t confess our sins, those sins aren’t covered by the Blood of Jesus.
On the other hand their are those who are happily living in their sin, they are the hypocrites…sorry, the truth hurts sometimes. These are the ones who claim the conviction of the Holy Spirit when they sin is actually condemnation from satan, that is dangerous territory…extremely dangerous!
My point here is not to convict, condemn, rebuke or condone. Sin is not what sends one to hell, if that’s the case, we’re all in trouble. It is the rejection of Jesus Christ that sends one to hell. However, it is false teachings such as this that can derail a persons faith when their strength finally fails and they blame Jesus. They never realize they were never seeking God’s strength in the first place but depending on their own. We all have problems that we take to the Lord daily. This does not mean we have to go get “saved” every Sunday morning. God is faithful to us and wants us to know Him but we will never know the Lord if we never read His Word for ourselves and yield to His Holy Spirit. Reading about God’s Word and hearing about God from someone else does not constitute a relationship with the Lord. Jesus chose you and He wants a relationship with you…seek Him. We don’t need a note to remind us to think of our spouses, our children or our spouses because we love them and have a relationship with them. A relationship with the Lord is the same way. As we get to know the Lord through His Word and His Holy Spirit, we understand His grace….and we would never take advantage of what He has done for us. It’s a relationship, not a religion. – Donna Warren
Living in The Spirit 