“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

The definition of apostasy is the abandonment of a previous loyalty.  The modern church has abandoned their first love, Jesus Christ and His finished work, for another gospel and are accursed.  “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: ⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. ⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-8.

The modern church preaches psychology and motivation to the people for deliverance instead of the Gospel of Jesus.  As a result, they have a form of godliness but by their actions are not godly.   Their gospel is more about themselves and leading by example.  They join the world to win the world to meet them where they are.  Truth be known, they have never had to leave the world because their pastors and preachers have met them “where they are” as well.  There is now no separation in the world and the church. 

Those who see this are constantly admonished for being “religious” which will “just turn them away from God”.   Yes preaching the full counsel of the Word of God will turn them away from “their god” and turn them to the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Please understand, condoning this other gospel is what is allowing them to turn away from God.  The god the apostate are now seeking is not the God of the Bible but a god some scheme of man has conjured up to fit fleshly desires.  If your god condones sin to win the lost, it is not the God of the Bible.   You are the one who is being religious by not allowing the Gospel of Jesus to offend when and where it needs to offend.  When the Gospel of Jesus offends the lost or bound, they have a choice to make and it is between them and God.  You plant the seed and wipe the dust off of your feet.  The Lord is longsuffering, just like He is with each and every one of us.  Just be sure to discern the seed your planting, not the ground but the seed.  Planting the wrong seed, preaching the wrong Jesus and the wrong Gospel allows bondages to remain.   

Sadly, many are being used as satan’s bait to lure others into bondage.  Instead of preaching the Gospel of Jesus that delivers from bondage, which would require pointing to the bondage and calling it what it is (sin), they lead by example, which by their actions, claim God’s grace allows them to “sin a little”, hence they are the bait…they have a “form of godliness”, they call evil good and good evil.  Not only is the bait used to tempt the one already in bondage but they, the bait, then places a law on them to overcome their sin nature.  This law incites the sin nature of the one already in bondage.  “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” Romans 7:8.   First they are the bait and then the bait places the bound under the law.  Then to make matters worse, if and when they do go to the modern church, they are full of these same pharisees. Except today’s pharisees will not allow the offense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified to offend, they sugar coat and water it down into, you guessed it…a form of godliness.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17.

Calling sin “sin” is not being rude.  Telling someone there is deliverance in the Cross of Jesus and what He there did is not being religious.  We are not called to win the world by joining the world.  We are called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the world and HE will draw all men unto Him.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14.  This does not mean to isolate one’s self from the lost.  We are to proclaim the good news to the bound and preach deliverance to the captives.  We tell them the full counsel of the Word of God.  This includes the part about sin and hell.  Those who have been forgiven much, love much.  Diluting the Gospel of Jesus is diluting and sugar coating what He did on the Cross to save us from our sin.  It is demeaning His work for the sake of their feelings, so as not to offend the lost and cause them to turn away from God.  The fact of the matter is, they are already turned away from God.
                                                                                                                                       “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.

Before we worry about offending someone, discern what it is that is offensive?  Is it the Truth of the Gospel of the schemes of man?  Schemes of man will never offend the flesh but the Gospel of Jesus will divide the very joints and marrow.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Luke 7:47

When you have been forgiven much, you love much.  We don’t realize how lost we were until we are born again.  As we grow in the Lord, as Jesus Christ authors our faith, we don’t realize exactly how saved we are.  Step by step, precept upon precept our faith is built upon Jesus and what He did for us on Calvary’s Cross.  As each test is pressed through with our faith placed solely and exclusively in Jesus’ atoning work, we look back and see He was there all along.

The modern church is the breach that redirects faith to the harlot of false doctrine for deliverance, causing repeated failure and complete destruction of faith.  The modern church will console and condone the very sin our Lord paid for on Calvary’s Cross.  The Believer in turn doesn’t understand of what they have been forgiven.  They never know the depth of their condemnation before accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour…they are never able to love much because they don’t know of how much they have been forgiven.

Sadly, many believe they are saved because they said that prayer and turned in their membership card.  They don’t believe with their heart that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Saviour but give a mental acquiesce of Jesus.  In other words, what they consider their Salvation is more of an implied acceptance therefore not having to actively oppose the Gospel of Jesus.  I know this from experience.  If you asked me 10 years ago if I was saved and believed in Jesus Christ, I would have adamantly declared yes…all along living like the devil.  “Thou believe that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” James 2:19.

Sinners are called to believe in Jesus and what He did on the Cross. “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.” John 3:16.  Saints are called to follow Jesus Christ. “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:24-25.

Step by step, line upon line…we find life and life more abundantly.  It is true, we are just as saved the first day we are born again as we are the day we cross over into glory as long as our faith remains in Jesus Christ.  There are no “levels” of Salvation.  It is our Sanctification that is progressive.  Day by day, fighting the fight of faith in Jesus Christ and HIS finished work…not ours.  Realizing it is Him, Jesus Christ, that blesses us, protects us, guides and directs us and that is what He does, that is WHO He is – that is how He authors and finishes our faith.  Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little, we begin to know just how saved we truly are; we begin to understand of just how much we have been forgiven and we begin to love Him more everyday of our life.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s Hand.” John 10:27-29.

The only person that can take one out of the Hand of God is one’s self.  The power of God to keep us comes through our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work…not 40 days, shemitahs, harbingers, festivals and feasts but faith in Jesus which allows the Holy Spirit to isolate our sin nature and quicken our spirits to glorify God.  When our faith is not it Jesus, the Holy Spirit is not commissioned to free us from sin and death.  “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2.

If you have been forgiven much, you completely understand what I’m trying to say.  If you feel you haven’t done too much to be forgiven of, in other words you are/were a relatively “good person”, unfortunately you don’t understand the wickedness of your sin and need to repent.   Have you been forgiven much?  Do you now condone that which you have been forgiven because you use to do it?  That’s the devil’s workshop.  There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.  Without Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we are condemned.  With Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are now spiritually alive unto God (Romans 6:11) and no longer dead in our sin and trespasses.  Being born again is being born of the Spirit of God (John 3:5) through faith in Jesus…it is not until we are spiritually alive that we realize we were spiritually dead.  It is not until we are born again that we realize of how much we have been forgiven.

-Donna Clark Warren

“ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10.

The devil may bluster and blow but never forget he is on a leash providing we continue to trust in the Lord and seek His will.  If it was over every time the devil told us it was over, we would all be over.  God’s perfect Will requires our faith in Jesus and His finished work.  Religion will tell us to “do our part”.  Our part is faith and it is the Lord Jesus Christ that does the work in us, in our heart.  It is the Holy Spirit ruling and reigning in our heart because of our faith in Jesus, that circumcises our heart and makes us a new creature in Christ Jesus.  This work is done on the inside by the Lord which results in good and fruitful works, not by laws, rules and regulations.  Even the Old Testament Saints, their faith was in the blood of the sacrifices of bulls and goats to atone for their sin, not their works.  Those bulls and goats didn’t take away the sin from their account but reconciled their fellowship with God.  Jesus Christ paid their sin debt and our sin debt on Calvary’s Cross…it is Him and His Work that delivered us from satan’s grip and gave us victory over death, hell and the grave.

When we allow the Lord to have His way and submit our will to His Will and the devil starts being the devil, we look to Jesus Christ.  “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. ⁴ 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. ⁵ Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? ⁶ But He giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:3-7.

The adultery spoken of here is spiritual adultery which is faith in our efforts and our abilities…faith in our works. Standing in our faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified will lay waste all other fads that come down the pike in the modern church.

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2.  Being determined to know nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross will cause you to understand the blusters and blows from satan are nothing but a distraction to take your eyes off of Jesus.  Religion will have you focused on every bluster and blow he snorts, the Holy Spirit will always point you to Jesus for deliverance.  Discern the distraction.  Is it blusters and blows or a quickening of the spirit by the Holy Spirit?

-Donna Clark Warren

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

As I sat at the hospital with my stepfather, Buddy, who is in the late stages of lung disease, I watched as he would fight the restraints they put on him.  His carbon dioxide levels had gotten so high he was confused and would pull out his IV, take off his oxygen and anything else that had him bound.  When he didn’t realize he had the restraints own, he would relax.  For instance, we put pillows under his arms as an arm rest of sorts where he couldn’t feel the pull of the restraints. Then we would put pillows around the bottom his legs as a type of wall because he couldn’t physically lift his leg up and over the pillows to get out of bed.  Please don’t misunderstand, he would get frustrated at not being able to lift his leg up over the “wall” but we would talk to him and he would relax for a minute.  I am thankful to God that we no longer have to restrain him at all.  This was only for a matter of hours on Sunday until they got his medications regulated.

All I could think about while watching this bondage was all of God’s children who are in the bondage of religion.  They don’t feel the restraints as long as the pillow comforts them; as long as it keeps them lifted up enough to not feel the pull of the bondage.  However, if the pillow is ever removed or if they ever decide to fight the restraints, the restraints get tighter and tighter.  The harder you pull, the tighter they get.  All of this in an attempt to keep one aligned to rules and regulations according to the restraints purposes.  As the fight against the restraints escalates, the restraints will always win unless they are released.  The walls are built but we can’t physically get over the walls until they come down.

“This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My Laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” Hebrews 10:16. 
It is only when the heart of an individual is changed that the yoke of religion is broken.  In our flesh we tend to trust the restraints, the yoke of our religion, instead of trusting totally and completely in Jesus Christ.  We trust that heavy yoke and are praised of men for keeping the religious rules and regulations.  All of the while, never realizing the praise of men is the pillow that keeps us from feeling the pull of the restraints.

Putting our faith in these heavy yokes to keep us spiritually aligned to these rules and regulations according to man’s laws is a sin, it is spiritual adultery.  It is only when our faith is in Jesus and what He did on Calvary’s Cross that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to come into our hearts and dethrone the sin nature that keeps the pillows fluffed so we don’t feel the restraints.  Because of our faith in Jesus, Who He is and what HE has done, the Holy Spirit circumcises our heart and we become a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:29.

Ask the Lord to show you the pillow that is hindering you from feeling the heavy yoke of religion.  Discern the praises of men. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” Galatians 5:1-3.

Please say a prayer for my stepfather as well.  Spiritually, his yoke easy and he is whole.  Physically, we are still looking to God for a miracle and have no doubt that our Lord is able.

God bless,

-Donna Clark Warren

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in Truth.”  John 4:23-24.

As the Holy Spirit moves upon our spirit, as He quickens our spirit, we worship the Lord in spirit.  No where in Scripture does it talk about New Testament Saints wearing prayer shawls or yamakas.  So you don’t think it is a sin to wear your prayer shawl?  Cain didn’t think his sacrifice was sinful either.  What does a prayer shawl or yamaka do?  Are they worn to show reverence to God?  So when they are worn, is God reverenced more?  In other words, the fact that I don’t wear one, do those that do reverence the Lord more than myself and others?

Whatever is not of faith is sin.  Jesus said “If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.” John 14:14.  The Lord did not say in a prayer shawl and yamaka, He said in “My name”.  I do not say these things to be ugly. I say these things because they are a sin and there are many who are blinded by their prayer shawls leading others straight into a ditch.  Whether one says so or not, their faith is placed in those prayer shawls (Cain’s sacrifice) to show reverence to the Lord in the flesh for show among men and not in God’s Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ.  If we want to reverence our Holy God, we are obedient to His Holy Word by walking in the faith of His Son to enter into the Throne Room of God.  The prayer shawls and yamakas are not entering the Throne Room of God through faith in Jesus and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross, they are adding a ritual to what Jesus did on the Cross.

If I am wrong (which I am not), and your faith is not in the prayer shawls and yamakas, when you go to church this weekend forsake your prayer shawl and worship the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit and in Truth…in HIS name, not in your prayer shawl.  See?  Your faith is in your prayer shawl and yamaka.

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Genesis 4:6-7. 

The Sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour is still available.   Faith in Jesus’ finished work is the only Sacrifice God will accept.  Belittling the Cross of Jesus by adorning faith with prayer shawls and yamacas to enter into the presence of God is not reverencing God but in fact, rejecting Jesus’…it is Cain’s sacrifice. Repent.  “If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted?” Genesis 4:7.

-Donna Clark Warren

“But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit search all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man know the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God know no man, but the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teach, but which the Holy Ghost teach; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man receive not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-14.

Before our Salvation, we know the spirit of a person to some extent. Because of our spirit, our intuition responds before we are consciously aware. “For what man know the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?…” 1 Cor. 2:11.  However,  we do not and cannot know the Spirit of God, we cannot compare spiritual things with spiritual things until we are born again.  A sinner is not spiritually discerned because they do not have the Holy Spirit living inside of them.  Please understand, learning about God through scientific investigation is learning of God by the spirit of the world (satan), it is not spiritual knowledge.  Satan knows the Word of God better than most Christians and he is still satan.

A born again Believer, with the Spirit of God living on the inside, will learn of God by the Spirit revealing the Lord to them.  Their spirit is quickened to the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done.  Our spirits are not quickened by the Holy Spirit when psychology, motivation or other schemes of man offer up Cain’s sacrifice before the Lord.

Oh, but when you start talking about Jesus…when you start preaching the Gospel of the One Who set the captives free, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit on the inside of each and every Believer will begin to quicken the spirit of man.  “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.  The 40 days, shemitahs, feasts and festivals are laid wasted by the Word of God being preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Learning about Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation, is revealed to us, precept upon precept, line upon line through the teaching and the preaching of the Word of God…the rightly divided, full counsel Word of God.  What we preach and teach is where our faith lies and where our faith lies is what we preach and teach.  When our faith is properly anchored in Jesus Christ and what He did on Calvary’s Cross to atone for our sin and give us dominion over our sin nature, the Holy Spirit is commissioned to teach us the deep things of God.  He, the Holy Spirit, is the only One qualified to reveal God to us because He is God.  The Holy Spirit is the member of the Godhead who deals with man and He deals with man only through faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified (Romans 8:2), not schemes of man.

The church has been swept to and fro, teaching every doctrine that comes down the pike for victory over our sin nature.  All along, victory was found the day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we just didn’t maintain our victory through continued faith in Him for our spiritual growth (sanctification).  The harlot of false doctrine seduced many to another bridegroom for “spiritual growth”.  Instead of “maintaining” our victory, we tried to “gain” our victory and lost.  The preaching of the Cross of Jesus does not need to be adapted to appeal to man, that is Cain’s sacrifice.  The preaching of the Cross of Jesus needs to be lifted up to the four corners of the world, so the Holy Spirit can bear witness and bring the lost to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth. For there is One God, and One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Timothy 2:3-5.

-Donna Clark Warren

“As He spake these words, many believed on Him. ³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; ³² And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. ³³ They answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? ³⁴ Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. ³⁵ And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. ³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:30-36.

The Lord did not say “ye shall quote the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.”  Reciting Scripture is different than understanding the full counsel of the Word of God in context.  I did not just say it was a bad thing to recite or memorize Scripture.  Truth be known, I could probably do more of it myself.  However, if we don’t understand what we are reciting than we don’t “know the Truth” we are quoting the Truth.  Furthermore, if we are reciting the Truth to speak something into existence that the Lord does not Will, we are in fact using God’s Word as an incantation.  An incantation is a series of words used to make something “magic” happen.  We cannot use God’s Word against His Will for our gratification.

“For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.  God’s power is to further God’s Will and His power is in the Cross of Jesus.  It is only through our faith in Jesus’ finished work that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

If we are in a situation that is unpleasing to us, seek God’s Will before cursing and rebuking the circumstances.  So many are spiritually stunted because the word of faith doctrine has taught them their situation is the devils fault, when in fact the devil is being used as God’s instrument to chastise us.  Or perhaps, like Job, God is wanting to show satan that no matter his attacks, the Lord still has those that will praise Him even in the worst of storms.  Seek God for the lesson and allow Him to author your faith.   “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

To Jesus the religious Jews declared “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” John 8:33.  These same religious Jews had been in bondage to the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and at that time the Romans…yet they were never in bondage to any man.  You see, these Jews could quote the Scriptures but they did not know the Scriptures.  They did not know they were in bondage.

It is Christ alone that can make us free.  Not our incantations, not our self efforts or schemes of man…Jesus Christ made us free on Calvary’s Cross.  The Lord paid the sin debt in full and gave us dominion over our sin nature.  Looking to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith, we shall KNOW the Truth and the Truth shall make you free.  “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.

-Donna Clark Warren

“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

Religion will attempt to explain grace to us by means of head knowledge.  Then, ironically, it will direct us in ways to “gain” God’s grace.  Sadly, we then begin to perform these doctrines and expect more blessings.  Often these doctrines are very Scriptural in nature but done with the wrong motivation.  We begin to feel “holier” or more “righteous” because we have successfully completed the said religious doctrine.  It is kind of like graduating from Christianity 101.  Our religious works are quite esteemed among the fellow religious.  Without fail, these religious doctrines performed with the wrong motivation lead to destruction if we continue on that path…it is the wrong path.

Eventually, the religious walls crumble and we are left barren with water washing away our castle of sand.  We were and are saved through faith, it is a gift of God.  Upon our Salvation we don’t try to “gain” God’s grace, we continue to maintain His grace.  It is our obedience to His grace that enables us to keep God’s commandments.  Obedience to God’s grace requires faith, not works, in His plan for Salvation and Sanctification – Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  We don’t gain grace, we maintain grace through faith…faith in Jesus and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross.

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12.

For example, as is obvious, I blog almost every day.  It is not because I try, albeit poorly at times, to exalt the Lord as much as a human can that God blesses me.  The Lord blesses because of Who He is, not because of what we do.  In other words, fighting the fight of faith for me is not allowing myself to ever think that the Lord is using me because I write.  It is quite the opposite, I write because He is using me in that capacity.  We preach, we praise and we exalt the Lord Jesus Christ because of Who He is and what He has done.  Jesus did not go to the Cross because we preach and we praise…we preach and we praise because He went to the Cross.  Do you see the mindset of the religious?  They will not see it in these terms, but their fruit is discerned by their actions and their words.

I hope this is making sense to some of you out there.  I have often said when speaking of temptations of the devil, that he is satan and that is what he does.  We know and recognize pain, emotional pain and physical pain but the grace of God we don’t know until we are born again.  It has been there all of our life, we just couldn’t see it at the time.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4.

You see, we cannot be partakers of the Divine Nature, God’s Nature, until we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.  It is only through our faith in Jesus and His finished work that we are reconciled to God, saved from death, hell and the grave and given dominion over our sin nature.  We cannot “gain” God’s grace through our works but we can “maintain” God’s grace through our faith in Jesus.  God’s Grace, Mercy and Righteousness is Who He is…that’s what He does.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2.  The Holy Spirit is only commissioned to dethrone our sin nature, who rules and reigns in a sinner’s heart, when faith is placed in Jesus for our Salvation.  Religion will then attempt to redirect our faith to our works, self efforts and self will to “gain” more of God’s grace.  This will in turn frustrate God’s grace because we have turned to a law to “gain” God’s grace.  Our sin nature then regains it’s throne in our heart because our faith is misappropriated in our efforts and not Jesus’ finished work.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”  Galatians 2:20-21.

We are saved by grace through faith.  We are righteous because of our faith in what Jesus did on Calvary’s Cross, not because of our works.  Don’t frustrate God’s grace.  This Gospel we have been given is a gift from God…it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, It is about Him…not us.

-Donna Clark Warren

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. ² For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. ³ And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. ⁴ And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: ⁵ That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. 

Religion will direct our faith to the wisdom of man.  Man’s wisdom seeks the power of God and even claims the power of God but results in the power of self – self efforts and self will.  What I’m trying to say, albeit poorly, is the modern church exalts the power of God without ever standing in the power of God because they have left the power of God for wisdom of man.

“For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

The modern church has left the Cross of Christ, which is the power of God, for their spiritual growth.  They no longer seek the Lord for spiritual wisdom and knowledge, they seek man’s wisdom on the Lord.  The new Believer starts out believing in the power of God, looking to the power of God but sadly, their faith is often destroyed because they don’t see the power of God in their lives.  They don’t have the victory we “Christians” speak of and begin to believe God must not love them, they are not good enough or even this whole God thing is a farce.  All of this is a result of religion, not a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.  The sincere and well intentioned Believers are pointing new Believers to shemitahs, harbingers, blood moons, feasts, festivals, 40 days of purpose and every other wind of doctrine in order to “keep them interested”.  Understand this, no amount of religious activity can fill that void in our heart that is meant for the Lord.  It is merely a distraction until the next scheme of man comes down the pike.

I want you to know, the power of God is real.  If religion has stunted your spiritual growth it is not too late to turn back to the power of God for restoration.  The Lord Jesus Christ will give back everything the devil has taken.  Even if your growth has been stunted for 30 years wrapped up in religion, the Lord will loose the chains that bind.  Faith in the wisdom of religious men does not set the captives free.

The power of God is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Wisdom of man will give Jesus a nod and then motivate the Believer to believe in themselves for deliverance, to forgive themselves and forgive God…the wisdom of man is about man and appeals to our flesh.  The power of God is about Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for all of humanity.  Why would we ever seek routines and rituals over Jesus Christ?  Because they are deceiving and appeal to our flesh.

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:21.

We don’t need a substitute to deliver us, we need the Lord Jesus Christ.  If it pulls us away from Jesus and His finished work, it is pulling us away from the power of God.  Place your faith squarely and solely in the power of God – Jesus Christ and Him crucified…He is knocking.

-Donna Clark Warren