“The thief comes 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 deceives us into thinking that snare; the bait of which he tempts the Believer with won’t hurt us.  Twisting God’s Word he will convince us we have dominion over that sin and partaking in it won’t hurt us.

Just to be clear, the Believer whose faith is solely and exclusively in the Cross of Christ for victory over sin, the devil is correct…we DO have dominion over sin.  We are under Grace not law and sin no longer has dominion over us (Romans 6:14).  While one Believer is looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the other is looking until self effort.  When we tune our itchy ear to the devil and believe that in our own power we can “control” the measure of sin in which we choose to partake, we have believed the lie of the devil.  His goal is to kill, steal and destroy our faith in the Cross of Christ for victory over sin.  To leave us defeated and bound.  The Believer is Saved, and praise the Lord for our Salvation which is the number one most important choice the believing sinner can ever make, but they are living a defeated Christian life.  The work the Lord has for them, His perfect Will and Providence, has been stolen by the devil’s lie.  The devil uses and abuses all that we have while never replenishing.  His ultimate goal is to destroy the Believer’s faith in the Cross of Christ for our Salvation.  Sadly, he all too often achieves this goal and the artery he uses for this destruction is religion.

^“Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 7:7

These commandments of men use and abuse the Believer and never replenish that which is stolen. The Cross of Christ gives us life and life more abundantly because we are afforded the ability to partake in God’s Divine Nature.  No longer bound by sin, we are troubled but not distressed.

^“7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

⁸ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;⁹ Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

¹¹ For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

¹² So then death work in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

The death of Christ which works in us, is life unto us…life and life more abundantly.  THIS is the cross we must bear. As we continually look unto Jesus, all things work together for our good.  Persecuted but not forsaken, that which will always work for our good is made manifest for Jesus’ sake.

We are alive unto God through Christ Jesus.  What He and only He could accomplish on Calvary’s Cross gave us access to the Throne of God.

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

We are delivered unto death so that we may partake in God’s Divine Nature…not to entertain the wiles of the devil.  We have been given such great and precious promises.  Don’t let the devil use and abuse that which the Lord has given you.  Try the spirits. Search the Scriptures. Beware of man made commandments given as biblical doctrine.

-Donna Clark Warren