“Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:3.

The ultimate hypocrisy is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified but living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and US crucified.  Preaching Jesus and His finished work for salvation and living Jesus plus our work for sanctification is the church’s hypocrisy.  Believers are taught to accept Jesus as the Messiah but to no longer give any credence to His finished work on the Cross after Salvation.  Satan can’t deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ so he attempts to corrupt The Gospel.  We are saved because of Jesus and Him Crucified and we can’t do anything else to become more saved.  Don’t allow religion to try and take you past the Cross of Jesus.  It’s another gospel and another Jesus if our faith is directed anywhere other than Jesus and HIS finished work.  Learn who JESUS is and what HE did not what you have to do.

“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” 2 Cor. 11:4.

“Come now therefore, and let us kill him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” Genesis 37:20.

In the Old Testament, Joseph told his brothers of his dream where they would bow down to him.  He was favored by his father, Jacob, and resented by his brothers.   Joseph was a remarkable type of Christ found in the Old Testament.   Approximately 1800 years later, Jesus too was hated by His brethren, the Jews, and highly favored by His Father, God.   In both instances man had plans for their lives but God had His as well.  Joseph, being sold to the Egyptians, ended up sitting on the throne in Egypt which enabled him to save his family…including the very brothers who tried to kill him.  In the end, Joseph’s brothers did bow.    Jesus, being the ONLY Sacrifice for our sins, now sits at the Right Hand of God and is able to save us…including the very ones who continue today to try and put Him back on the Cross.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is still hated by many and rejected by others.  Please don’t misunderstand, there are many who love the Lord Jesus Christ but continue to reject His Gospel.  The haters are easy to spot.  They are the ones running around with black scarves over their head and a machete in their hands.  It is the rejecters who run around with the prayers shawls over their heads and the Bible in their hands that are hard to spot.   These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing who accept God’s plan for our Salvation but reject His plan for our continued sanctification and spiritual growth through Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  The religious methods and sacraments of the rejectors is laid waste when the Gospel of Jesus reveals them as works and not faith.

Once the Truth of the Gospel has been given, whether for correction or Salvation, we will all be accountable to God for what we do with that Truth.  Idolatry in the church today isn’t tangible with graven images, as in the Old Testament.  Because of Jesus, we now have the Holy Spirit to reveal the idolatry of spiritual adultery going rampant in today’s church.  I’ll just be honest, just because you go sit in a pew for an hour every week doesn’t mean you are spiritually discerned.  Discernment is a gift from God and unless you seek it, you don’t have it.  Entertainment, social hour and coffee shops have nothing to do with worshipping God but everything to do with distractions of the devil.  The church of Laodicea is never preached in church because most of them ARE the church of Laodicea.  “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17.

Promise Keepers, Celebrate Recovery, Your Best Life Now, 40 days and 18 ways are just a few of the Laodicea church’s methods that still compete with the Cross of Jesus Christ.  Not a one of these methods point to faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross but instead to faith in our own self will because of Jesus Christ and His finished work.  Can you see the difference?  Are you spiritually discerned?  Man’s method requires rejection of God’s plan and submission to their plan of FAITH IN ONE’S OWN ABILITY because of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  While God’s plan involves submission to Him by faith in Jesus Christ and rejection of one’s own ability because of (here is the key) Jesus Christ and Him Crucified – NOT because YOU can but because HE did.    These methods of man leave no room for deliverance from God.

The church today is akin to the brothers of Joseph.  They would rather be shoulder to shoulder with Jesus than submit and be part of His Body.  Jesus Christ still has His church.  They are the one’s who refuse to know nothing but Him Crucified.  They are the ones who abide in Him and He sups with.  They may not be sitting in the pews of today’s church but I assure you, they are sitting at the foot of the Cross praying for the eyes of today’s church to be anointed with eyesalve, that they may see (Revelation 3:18).

”  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Pray for discernment and see the graven image in the church.

Donna Warren

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17.

How many times have we heard “but Jesus hung out with sinners” as an excuse to commune with the world?  Sometimes unbelievers feel uncomfortable inviting believers to their social events and the believers often feel uncomfortable going.  Unfortunately this is often mistaken as us believers being judgmental, which is far from the truth.  It is the result of the things we once had in common have fallen away and our interest are no longer your interest.

“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17.  Jesus came to call the sinners to repentance not to be their companion.  The Lord was the great Physician to the sick.  Today’s mentality of the seeker sensitive churches is going the way of one world order instead of allowing the Gospel of Jesus to separate the goats from the sheep.  Yes, we are to love everyone but to love them is to tell them the Truth.  We have to love them enough to tell them their salvation is a decision they have to make.   Jesus called the sinner to repentance while the church today  calls the sinner to remittance.  Remittance of their works, their tithes and all of the other religious works that are in reality good works if done with the proper motivation and not to soothe the sinner’s conscience.

“That he (Sampson) told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” Judges 16:21.  Just as Sampson told his heart to Delilah which resulted in his fall, so too will today’s Believer fall while continually communing with the world.  God has not changed and neither have the dangers of this world.  It is impossible to fellowship with the world without becoming a part of the world.  A Believer, governed by self will, can fall deep into sin.  A Believer governed by God’s will, will indeed separate themselves from the world.  This separation is not to judge, nor is it to isolate but God’s children are to be set apart. “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself,…” Deuteronomy 14:2.  We aren’t supposed to be unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Seeker sensitive churches aren’t set apart from the world but have become a part of the world.  Being set apart has nothing to do with the person who is set apart but the God which the person serves.   Discern the church who have opened their doors wide to the world and flatters the sinner with words of love while making them comfortable against the church who has set themselves apart from the world, calling the sinners to repentance for deliverance of their sins.  – Donna Warren

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”  James 2:19.

There are many today that have this type of faith.  As I have stated before, years ago if you would have asked me if I was a Christian, I would have emphatically said “Yes”!  At that time however, I was no more a Christian than those demons in James 2:19.  I knew God but He did not know me.

“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” Galatians 4:9.

The defining difference in these two scriptures is God’s saving grace.  Galatians 4:9 refers to knowing God the only way He can be known and that is through Jesus Christ. While James 2:19 refers to the mere belief that there is one God does not bring justification, for the demons believe and are not justified.  It is our belief in Jesus and what He did at the Cross that allows us to know God and moreover, God to know us, in a saving way.

Believing who Jesus is and what He did is the only way we are redeemed to God the Father.  More often than not, after salvation we continue to believe in Who Jesus is but tend to forget what He did and “…turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” Galatians 4:9.  Bondage that is rewrapped in 21st century chains is still bondage.  Our symbols and sacraments that the Cross of Jesus abolished are not progress but ignorance.  In our attempt to become Christlike, we begin to seek His power to overcome our problems instead of seeking Him because He has already overcome.  Instead of abiding “in” Him we want to abide “with” Him; shoulder to shoulder instead of submitting.   Our religion becomes more about rejoicing in His power than rejoicing that our name is written in the Book of Life.  We no longer pray “Your will on earth, even as it is in Heaven” but our will on earth.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Matthew 7:21-23.

God knows every hair on our head but does He know you through Jesus’ saving grace?  Will Jesus know you because you have abided in Him all of this time and He has taken care of you like a parent takes care of their child?  Or are you the one that was always showing Him a better way? You know, the one that was enlightened through the Holy Spirit then stepped away from the light to go spread the light?  Aren’t we all guilty of that?  Isn’t it easy to reach that certain level of spiritual maturity that we feel we no longer need the Cross of Jesus because we are now in a relationship with God ourselves?  This is the first sign that we need to go back to the Cross of Jesus…we can’t go past Jesus’ Cross.  It is not that it is improper to do so but that it is impossible to do so, period.

“And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”  Matthew 24:8-12.

Has religion taken you past the Cross of Jesus?  Will you be out buying oil when the bridegroom comes?  In season and out of season be determined to know nothing but Christ and Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).  Keep your lamp oiled.  – Donna Warren

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” Ephesians 4:14.

The word of faith doctrine involves an attempt to conjure up enough faith to move a mountain and when the mountain doesn’t move it is because you didn’t have enough faith.  This man made faith is nothing more than self will with the title of faith because it involves scripture.  Let us not forget, satan too is a great theologian but he is still satan.

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20.  When our faith is based on our measure, the mountain will not be moved…no matter the self will.  It is not the amount of faith but the Object of faith that moves mountains, Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  Once the Object of our faith is correct, He (Jesus) begins to author our faith.  This is Biblical faith not man made faith.  The knowing that you know that you know because God placed it on your heart and you believed Him.  From when we first believed in John 3:16, “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” until today; we believe in HIM and not our works (man made faith).

“Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them.” Isaiah 1:14.  From man made faith to man made holiness, man will ever try to please God in ways that they deem holy but God hates.  Because of sin, we are deemed as filthy rags until we accept Jesus as our Saviour, as our Redeemer.  It is in Him, Jesus, that we are deemed holy.  The observance of Jewish feasts are for one’s own sake, to make one’s self feel holy and not for Jesus’ sake.

Just as Cane’s sacrifice was rejected, so too are man’s attempts at holiness and faithfulness outside of faith in the Cross of Jesus and His finished work.  All of these things are adding to Jesus’ finished work and become that which we will be judged by.  It is not about how we feel or what we do but where our faith is and what He did.

“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38.  When we trust God and His plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ and Him crucified, HE will author our faith and that mountain will move. – Donna Warren

Sinners aren’t called to confess their sins but that they are a sinner.  Saints are called to confess their sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,…” 1 John 1:9.  The only reason God can justify the believing sinner or repentant saint and maintain His Holiness is because of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  God always looks to the Sacrifice.  By confessing we are a sinner in need of our Saviour, Jesus Christ,  we are covered by the Blood of the only Sacrifice God will accept for our sins.  By maintaining our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross (not 40 days or 18 ways), the Sacrifice for our sin remains. “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there remains no more Sacrifice for sins.” Hebrews 10:26.  Willful sin is placing our faith on anything other than Jesus and Him Crucified. Faith in what we do is willful sin and not acknowledged by God at all…just ask Cain, he had plenty of faith in his sacrifice.  When we place our faith in things such as positive confession (declaring certain scriptures in an attempt to build man made faith), casting demons out of Christians who in reality don’t have dominion over their sin nature because their faith is in that prayer instead of what Jesus did on the Cross and rebuking the test that the Lord is allowing us to go through instead of seeking understanding for spiritual growth, we are committing spiritual adultery; we are wilfully sinning.

Our faith must always be in what Jesus has done and not what we have done.  Many say we must do our part when our only part is having faith in the Gospel of Jesus and trust the Lord to order our footsteps.  Good works will always follow proper faith; not the other way around.

Donna Warren

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6.

It is not so much that we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, albeit we must,  but that God accepted Jesus Christ as the Perfect Sacrifice for our sins.  Such is the first step in humility.  The revelation of our justification in spite of our condition is the beginning of understanding our need for our Saviour.   Our constant faith in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross is what allows the Holy Spirit to guide us in our spiritual growth.  We cannot add to or take away from what Jesus did on the Cross – whether we do it or not, makes no difference.  Jesus has already chosen us, now the choice is ours.  By not making a choice to accept Jesus our choice is made.  It is God’s will for all to come to Salvation and have eternal life, hence He sent His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is satan’s will to kill, steal and destroy which is the default of not making a choice.  God offered us a plan of redemption but we must accept Him, Jesus Christ.

Donna Warren

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4.

When our faith is placed anywhere other than what Jesus did on the Cross, we are at enmity with God.  As I was reading a questionnaire from a deliverance ministry regarding one’s family history, it was glaringly apparent the psychology in the ministry.  Questions regarding emotional, mental, speech and sexual problems, addictions, physical infirmities and occult error are seemingly harmless as the problems are indeed very real.  However, the answer to these problems are all the same for the believer, faith in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  Our faith in Jesus’ finished works is what gives us dominion over our sin nature.  At salvation, we are given dominion over our sin nature because of our faith in Jesus.  It is after salvation that our faith gets redirected.  All of the “open doors” from past experience we begin to revisit in an attempt to see where the enemy came in.  Self examination distracts us from God’s Word and God’s will.  The continual examination of our self will glean only what our carnal minds decide to crucify.  Seeking God’s will and allowing the Holy Spirit to enable us to crucify the things the Lord wants us to crucify in order to live out the purpose the Lord has for our lives.  Our faith is directed to schemes of man to cast out that “sin” rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to give us dominion over that sin nature through faith in Jesus Chris and His finished work.

Our battles are not physical, mental or financial – they are spiritual.  There is only one way to have dominion over these battles we all face and that is through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Everything that happens to a Child of God is either allowed or caused by God.  Therefore we rest knowing – and I mean knowing, that you know that you know; that no matter the circumstances, when you say to that mountain “Be thou removed”  Matthew 21:21 and our faith is exclusively in Jesus’ victory and not our declaration, that mountain will be removed.  The Lord will remove the difficulty or make the difficulty endurable.

No matter how religious our efforts may be, if our faith is directed to what we have done (methods of man, class 101-401, etc.) , albeit unknowingly, we have indeed become adulterers and adulteresses.  A relationship with the Lord will never require self examination but psychology will.   When we seek God, He examines our hearts. ” I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:10.  Discern every doctrine and test every spirit…a friend of the world is an enemy to God.  – Donna Warren

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6.

Some people don’t realize the difference between humility and self esteem.  Humility requires submission of one’s self to God’s will, while self esteem requires confidence or lack of confidence in one’s self.  Often times low self esteem on one’s part is viewed as humility when in fact any kind of self esteem, whether high or low, is at enmity against humility because it involves self.  Even when we realize we are not perfect, pride will still hinder us from submitting.  Once we admit our need, there is still one more step before receiving and that is submission.  When we accept Jesus Christ into our heart, we accept Him as our Saviour.  When we humble ourselves and submit to His will, He becomes our Lord.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18.                                                                       

Is Jesus Christ your Saviour AND Lord?  – Donna Warren

“And the Children of Israel did evil into he sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.” Judges 6:1.

Inevitably, when we forsake the Lord we accuse Him of forsaking us.  The Law of the Old Testament was given to reveal sin as sin.  The Cross of Jesus will reveal the sinner as a sinner in need of a Saviour IF we will humble ourselves to the reflection we see.  Living in the Age of Grace does not mean God operates any differently.  Because Israel had forsaken God and pursued other idols, God allowed them to be delivered into the hands of Midian.   God’s chosen people, the Israelites, were dwelling in caves out of fear.

The Lord heard the call of His people and sent them Gideon.  As Gideon began to point to their idols, they grew angry.  Such is the case in the church today.  The church calls out to God and God sends someone to reveal to them their idols (their religion) and instead of being thankful to God, they are offended at the messenger.  When the idols of todays church are touched, whether it be their methods, their television evangelist or any other man made religious schemes, the religious become angry and begin to warn of the “spirit of offense”.  Yes, there is a spirit of offense but the eyes of the religious are blinded to their reflection…they are the ones offended at their idols being touched.

When we are offended we must discern the reason for our offense.  Did the Lord send them as an answer to a prayer and the reflection paints an ugly picture?  “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him who has ten talents.” Matthew 25:28.  Light rejected is light taken.  Discern the offense before rejecting the offense, it may be an answered prayer.  – Donna Warren