“¹² For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

¹³ And who is he that will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good?

¹⁴ But and if you suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are you: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

¹⁵ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

¹⁶ Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”  1 Peter 3:12-16.

Who is he that will harm you if you deny your self efforts, pick up the benefits Christ afforded us on Calvary’s Cross and follow Him?  Who is he that will harm the Child of God when they have set apart Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour in their heart because He is the source and Calvary’s Cross the means by which the promises of God are yes and amen?  Who?

Be not careful to answer.

“¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

¹⁷ If it be so, our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

¹⁸ But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18.

It is better to suffer for righteous sake than for the sake of chastisement.  Suffering does not result in righteousness but righteousness can sometime result in suffering.  Just to be clear, any righteousness that results from suffering is self righteousness.

Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.  Be ready to give an answer to every man that asks you the reason of the hope that is in you.  Be not careful to answer.

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2

Any other gospel is another Jesus.  40 days, feasts, festivals, traditions, ceremonies and every other scheme of man are a golden images the religious have set up for the church to worship.  Do not bow.  Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross is the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life.  He WILL supply all of your needs according to HIS riches in glory.  Seek Him.  Know HIS statutes, not the statutes of man.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the Right Hand of the Throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2.

Faith put into action can only arise through experience…precept upon precept, line upon line as Jesus authors our faith and finishes our faith.   Reciting Scripture over and over until it “sinks down in our soul” is not faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work in action, it is faith in our narrative.  It is only when we put our faith in action and believe that Jesus Christ is the Source and His Cross the means by which the promises of God are yes and amen, that we experience JESUS authoring and finishing our faith.

“² You lust, and have not: you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not.

³ You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts.

⁴ You adulterers and adulteresses, know you 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 you think that the Scripture says in vain, The Spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?”  James 4:2-5.

Sadly, many attempt to author and finish their own faith according to their own lusts…they ask amiss.  The Holy Spirit is jealous of our faith in our own narratives.  He (the Holy Spirit) is not commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death when our faith is in our decrees, ceremonies and traditions (Romans 8:2).  When we are the source and our narratives is the means, our faith is in our narrative.

Jesus Christ came to die on Calvary’s Cross to free us from the debt of sin which is death and the dominion of sin.  Put your faith into action – faith in Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe.  Allow Him to Author and Finish your faith through your current experience.

“²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

²⁷ And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.” Romans 8:26-28 (emphasis added).

All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to HIS purpose…not our own lusts.  Faith in action is authored by Jesus Christ according to the Will of God.

-Donna Clark Warren

“¹⁷ This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

¹⁸ Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

¹⁹ Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ;”  Ephesians 4:17-20

Moral insensibility, “being past feeling”, occurs when one fully gives themselves over to evil.  The lost are ignorant of Divine things.  They may be very smart intellectually but spiritually they are ignorant.  Remember, they are not lost because they reject Jesus but reject Jesus because they are lost.

Willful ignorance is not knowing that you don’t know.  There are far too many Believer’s who have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, yet they remain willfully ignorant.  They don’t know that they don’t know because they have deemed the word of man to be truth.  They have not studied the Scriptures to show themselves approved but have taken the word of man that they are approved.  They have been approved by man to remain in their sin, their oppression, their depression and anything else that the Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver them from.  Jesus Christ broke the bondages of sin on Calvary’s Cross, yet the churchians believe the preacher’s method will throw off the sin that has so easily beset them.

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

We will all give an account of how we rightly divided the Word of God…study to show thyself approved.  Be determined to know nothing else among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Has not God chosen the poor of this world RICH IN FAITH, and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him?”  James 2:5 (emphasis added)

Faith that is not put into action is merely claimed and will bless no one.  By put into action I do not mean handing out water and building houses but the action of actually believing in God and HIS Redemption Plan to give us victory over the world, the flesh and the devil for whosoever will believe.  Please don’t misunderstand, giving water and building houses for those in need are a wonderful work indeed and as for me, I’m extremely thankful for such. However, the problem is too many have mistaken those good works for the spreading of the gospel and have placed their faith in those works.

“¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.

¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

¹⁹ You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

²⁰ But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”  James 2:17-20.

One cannot separate faith and works because proper works, that which is the Will of God, is a result of proper faith..faith in Jesus Christ and HIS redeeming work on Calvary’s Cross. Any other faith is dead faith.  Dead faith has no saving grace and produces a condemning work.  It is not a life giving work because God does not recognize this dead faith.

Just to be sure, any faith that is in any object other than Jesus Christ and His redeeming work for whosoever will believe is dead faith.  The profession of faith in the form of declarations or creeds is profitless when our faith is in the declaration.  Religious ceremonies are works that produce a lifeless faith because the object of faith is the ceremony and not the Lord Jesus.  Such things attempt to produce proper faith; life giving, saving grace faith, through the various creeds and ceremonies.  Again, such faith is not recognized by God.  It is condemning, dead, profitless, lifeless faith…it is dead faith that produces dead works.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the Right Hand of the Throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2.

Faith that is authored and finished by Jesus Christ will make one rich…rich in the faith. Fight the good fight of faith.  Lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses (1 Timothy 6:12).  Faith and trust in money, decrees and ceremonies blaspheme the name of God and bring reproach to His Work because it will not save the sinner nor sanctify the Saint.

Saving Grace and Sanctifying Peace are found in the same place…at the foot of the Cross. Be rich in faith…faith in Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross.

Be blessed.

At the Foot of The Cross – Rachel Larson

-Donna Clark Warren

“¹¹ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our Salvation nearer than when we believed.

¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

¹³ Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

¹⁴ But put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”  Romans 13:11-14.

Today is the day of Salvation.  Today, while it is today, Believers must awake out of their slumber.  Jesus Christ broke the grip of sin in the lives of whosoever will believe.  We, as Believers, must choose to cast off the works of darkness and believe the grip to be broken.  Unbelievers cannot choose to cast off the craving desire to sin.  They have believed the lie of the devil that they must fulfill their lusts or die.  The lost are spiritually dead unto God, not spiritually alive through the Blood of Jesus Christ. They reject Jesus because they are lost and therefore blind.  They are not lost because they have rejected Jesus but reject Jesus because they are lost.

While the lost wonder about lost and do not have the choice to throw off the works of darkness and say no to their sinful cravings rooted from their evil hearts, we have far too many Believers wondering about who willingly CHOOSE to fulfill their evil lusts.  The Believers who only make provision for their flesh…for their “best life now”.   They see nothing wrong with their sinful desires.  I’m not speaking of those who are under bondage and seeking the Lord for deliverance; those who hate their own sin as much as they do others.  As a born again Child of God, we hate sin; whether it be ours or others.  If we say that we have no sin, we decieve ourselves and the Truth is not in us (1 John 1:5-10).  I’m speaking here of those who claim to be Christians yet the works of the flesh are clearly manifest.  They are willfuly ignorant because seeing, they see not.

“¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (absence of restraint, indecency),

²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21.

The night is far spent.  The works of darkness have manifested in the church because another gospel and another Jesus has been proclaimed; a gospel that cannot and will not free the Believer from the grip of sin.  This gospel focuses on “you” and “your” part to gain victory.  This victory in which we seek has been squarely, utterly and completely won by Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross.  This victory afforded us by Jesus is freely given to whosoever will choose to make no provision for the flesh and put on a heavenly armor, an armor of virtue and grace…an armor that can only be found by faith in the One Who broke the grip of sin – Jesus Christ.  Faith in Who He is and what He did on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe…for whosoever will choose to cast off the old and put on the new man; the armour of Light in Christ Jesus.

“⁵ Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

⁶ For which things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience:

⁷ In the which you also walked some time, when you lived in them.

⁸ But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

⁹ Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds;

¹⁰ And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him:”  Colossians 3:5-10

Forsake forever learning without coming to the saving knowledge of the Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ…Who He is and what He has done for whosoever will believe (2 Timothy 3:1-7).  Learn of HIM, Jesus Christ, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  Seek Him while He may be found.  Today is the day of Salvation.

-Donna Clark Warren

“³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water (natural child birth NOT water baptism) and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto you, You must be born again.” John 3:3-7.

As I was traveling down the interstate the other day I saw a sign that read “Deny Fear”. How does an unbeliever deny fear when God has not given them the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind…when the Lord has not given them the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:7) to isolate the spirit of fear?  How do the lost overcome fear lest they be born again?   How do they just say no to fear?

As far as that goes, how does one just say no to anger lest they be born again?  How about pride…how do we “deny pride”?  If we can deny fear, surely we can deny pride as well, right?

” ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21.

If one can simply deny the works of the flesh, which is born of Saints who walk after the flesh or sinners who are not born again (born of the Spirit), why did Jesus go to Calvary’s Cross to give His Children dominion over the flesh?  We are not under law, we are under grace (Romans 6:14). If the law of denial will set us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2), howbeit our Lord Jesus had to go to Calvary’s Cross to set us free?  The ONLY law that is greater than the law of sin and death is the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus which requires faith in Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe.  Then and only then is the Holy Spirit commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death; to free us from fear, anger, pride and any and all other works of the flesh which manifest from walking after the flesh.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.  The devil will not flee unless we are submitted to God’s Redemption Plan – faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the power of God for those of us who are saved (1 Corinthians 1:18).

The billboard I saw was on the side of the interstate.  It was not a “religious” billboard but more of an athletic motivational billboard.  However, sadly, this is the same gospel being proclaimed behind many pulpits today.  They may add some Scripture to make it sound more religious but the source of their victory remains “self” and the means “self will or self effort” (denial).  This “victory”, which is born of the flesh, will not overcome the law of sin and death…it simply can’t.

All of this being said, the message today is for those struggling with unsaved loved ones.   Unless they be born again, they cannot see the Kingdom of God.  Evil cannot discern righteousness.  They see evil in everything.  Their anger provokes them to see anger in everyone.  Their pride provokes them to see pride in others. Nothing can be said or done to help them overcome these works of the flesh unless they be born again.

However, this does not mean we stop praying for them.  This does not mean we stop loving them.  We must simply realize that no matter  what “we” do for them, unless they be born again, unless they receive the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit, through faith in Christ Jesus, they cannot deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Jesus.  An unbeliever cannot deny themselves, they do not want to pick up their cross and they certainly can’t follow Jesus.  They may know the ways of Jesus but they can’t follow Him.  Many know the ways of the Lord but are not born again.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17.

Recognize, unbelievers cannot discern righteousness and do not be caught in the snare of the devil to partake in their works of the flesh.

-Donna Clark Warren

“²⁰ He (Abraham) staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

²¹ And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

²² And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:20-22

A religious ceremony has nothing to do with our Salvation and neither does it have anything to do with our Sanctification.  The feasts, festivals and traditions of man from the vanities of their own minds will not impute righteousness.  Forgive me, it will impute righteousness…self righteousness.

However, being fully persuaded that what God has promised, God is able to perform imputes the righteousness of God to us.  Reckoning ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through the finished work of Jesus Christ attributes the righteousness of Jesus (Romans 6:11).  It is only when we have faith in Jesus, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross to give us dominion over sin (Romans 6:14), that His righteousness is accredited (imputed) to our account.  I’m speaking here of Sanctification, not Salvation – I’m speaking to Believers.

When we stagger at the promises of God and resort to methods of man, we are not glorifying God.  We are not persuaded that He is able to perform.  Our 40 days of purpose, unmerited favor, shemitahs, prayer shawls, etc. are from the vanities of man’s mind to achieve righteousness.  Again, righteousness is only accredited (imputed) to us when our faith is in the only one righteous among us – Jesus Christ.

If we have not reckoned ourselves dead indeed unto sin through faith in Jesus’ finished work but through our religious works, whatever they may be…we have made the Cross of Christ of none effect.

“For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:” Romans 4:14.

Those works; the feasts, fasting, traditions, etc. become the laws by which we seek the promises of God.  Fasting, as Scriptural as it is, was not given to man to impute the righteousness of Jesus to our account. Even praying, by all means should we pray and pray without ceasing…but our prayers will not impute the righteousness of Jesus to our account.

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Are you fully persuaded?  Stagger not my friend.

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21….and amen.

-Donna Clark Warren

The moral decline of the modern church is the result of spiritual deterioration.  Many will claim to be spiritual and they indeed are “spiritual” but they receive their information from demon spirits and not the Holy Spirit. With their mouths they draw near to God, and honor Him with their lips; but their heart is far from Him (Matthew 15:8).  They worship the Lord AND serve their own gods.

Sadly, pride has taken them to a place where they believe the Lord will not deliver them unto Satan for the destruction of their flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5-6) because of their position in the church.  The Lord will never abandon us when we are serving HIM seeking His Will and learning HIS statutes according to the Word of God…not methods of man from the vanities of man’s mind or the latest fad.  The Lord can not abide in sin.  God will not abide in those who worship Him and serve others…just ask Israel.

“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11.

If we have not received the love of the Truth, the Lord will see to it that we get what we seek…a strong delusion.

“Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5.

We should all examine ourselves.  Have we received the love of the Truth according to the Word of God?  Is Jesus Christ the source and His Cross the means by which we overcome the world, the flesh and the devil?  Are we worshipping the Lord and serving another?  Prayerfully consider.

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11.

-Donna Clark Warren

“15 Wherefore I (Apostle Paul) also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the Saints,

“⁷ Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost says, To day if you will hear His Voice,

⁸ Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

⁹ When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My Works forty years.

¹⁰ Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known My Ways.

¹¹ So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.)

¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Hebrews 3:7-13

Many are decieved because they listen to counselors who recieve their information from the vanities of their own minds or demon spirits.  Israel challenged the Lord to make them a table in the dessert and when He did, they decided Pharoah’s was better and sought to make a capain and return to Egypt (Numbers 14:3-4).  They did, as many continue to do, err in their heart because they follow the statutes of the heathen (the ways of the world) and do not know the ways of God.

Instead of believing God to deliver us out of the wilderness, we err in our hearts and seek the ways of the world.  We seek worldly means to obtain love, joy and peace in our life by compromising with the world instead of coming out from among the world.  The Lord did not come to bring peace, He IS peace (Luke 12:51).  We do not know love, joy or peace until we learn to rest IN Him…His Yoke is easy.

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2.

It is only by faith (by belief) in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ as the source and Calvary’s Cross as the means by which we may be saved and given dominion over sin.  When our faith is placed solely and exclusively in what Jesus Christ did on the Cross for whosoever will believe, the Holy Spirit is commissioned to isolate our sin nature (which we were all born with due to Adam’s fall) and give us dominion over sin.

“³ And wherefore has the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

⁴ And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”  Numbers 14:3-4

Friend, if our faith isn’t in Christ Jesus for our deliverance from the wilderness…if we look back to the world and declare it’s table better, we are bound by the law of sin and death.

Religion will offer many methods to overcome, overthrow and cast out the unpleasant circumstances in which we may find ourselves.  Many of these methods will seem Scriptural but were not and are not given to overcome sin…and sin is the reason for the unpleasant circumstance, it may not necessarily be your sin but the sin in the world.  These are not the Ways of God but the ways of man…statutes of the heathen.

We are alive unto God through our faith in Jesus Christ, Who redeemed us to God as the Sacrificial Lamb of God on Calvary’s Cross.  Jesus Christ was resurrected on the third day and now sits at the Right Hand of God.  His redeeming work saves us from eternal damnation and gives us dominion over our sin nature.  This finished work of Jesus Christ is still and will always be God’s prescribed order for victory over the world, the flesh and the devil.  No schemes of man, no matter the religious spectacles, will give us dominion over sin.

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Hebrews 3:12

Do not depart from the Living God.  Be determined to know nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  There in lies the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).

-Donna Clark Warren