One can preach repentance unto Righteousness and Holiness all the day long but until and unless they preach the Way unto Righteousness and Holiness; repentance is indeed met with forgiveness but deliverance will continually fall short.

Why?

Because by our very nature, we will always and without fail resort to our own abilities and self will to live a righteous and holy life.  We will say no to the devil, no to the flesh and no to the world to no avail.  We will resist the devil but he will not flee because we are not submitted unto God.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

Picking up our cross daily, we attempt in vain to follow Jesus and fall short time and time again because we have not yet denied ourselves.

“And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

Repentance – yes, forgiveness – yes… but no deliverance.

Some will continue in this cycle all the days of their life.  They will never know the joy of the Lord; the peace beyond all understanding.  Sadly, all they know is the heavy yoke they carry.  The cross of which they carry is not the cross afforded us by Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross but one of religious rites, traditions and unprofitable works.

Still others will walk away from faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified all together.  With their faith utterly destroyed, they claim this ‘Jesus thing’ doesn’t work and turn back to the world.

^“11 But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you.

¹² Therefore, Brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

¹³ For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live.” Romans 8:11-13

Living the life we are called to live in Christ Jesus; mortifying the deeds of the flesh only comes through the Holy Spirit.  The flesh cannot be mortified after the flesh.  If we live after the flesh, we shall die after the flesh.

The Holy Spirit superintends the work of God in our hearts and lives when we say YES to God; submit unto HIS plan of victory over the world, the flesh and the devil…Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Submitted unto HIM and denying our own abilities, the cross of which we bear becomes one of great blessing.   With our faith placed solely and exclusively in the Cross of Christ as the Source and the means by which we are afforded the Grace of God, our ‘cross’ is the Promises of God.   Our mortal bodies, being quickened by His Spirit, are alive unto God and have been given the ability to follow Jesus – to partake in God’s Divine Nature.

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

The Cross of Christ afforded whosoever will believe the ability to live a holy life but it is only through CONTINUED faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified for victorious Christian living that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to superintend God’s work in our lives.  Man made methods from the vanities of their own minds, namely humanistic psychology, have been taught as biblical doctrine for victory over sin and God’s Children are in bondage.  They HAVE repented, time and time again….but they haven’t been delivered and return back to their bonds.  They remain under the Law of the Spirit of Sin and Death because their faith has been moved to these vain philosophies and not in Christ Jesus for their victory.

“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

There are many who love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of their heart but they are bound.  By what?  The Lord knows.  I’m here to tell you there is deliverance in the Cross of Christ Jesus.  At Calvary’s Cross, the power of sin was utterly broken and every demon in hell was made a show of as Jesus led captivity captive.

The Holy Spirit will not work outside of the parameters of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Applying any other method other than faith in the Finished Work of Christ Jesus is a law of which the Holy Spirit will not partake.  Saying no to Grace and yes to law, sin’s dominion is re-established.

Come back to the Cross of Christ.  There is life and life more abundantly in Christ Jesus.  Be determined to know nothing else among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

-Donna Clark Warren

^“12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.

¹³ Neither yield you your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under Grace.” Romans 6:12-14

God’s Grace is a product of what Jesus Christ did on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe.   God’s Grace afforded those who believe through Jesus Christ and His finished work separates us from our sin nature through baptism into Christ’s Death.   We are all born with a sin nature due to Adam’s fall.  At Salvation, the Holy Spirit comes in to our heart, dethrones our sin nature and isolates it.  Under Grace, the product of the Cross of Christ, our sin nature no longer has dominion.  This is the work of the Holy Spirit; a work that we cannot do…no matter our strong will.  To be sure, our will power is not strengthened after we are Saved.

Inevitably, mankind (myself included), will always attempt to rely on our own power to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.  Our abilities, talent, intellect, etc. is our first source of defense against the wiles of the devil.

Why?

Being dead to our sin nature through the Baptism into Jesus Death at Salvation, we are now born again and spiritually alive unto God…but we still live in this mortal tent called ‘flesh’.  This flesh of which we now inhabit has been submitted unto our sin nature and ruled by unrighteousness; it is bent toward evil.

Is this an excuse to sin? God forbid, NO!

The Cross of Christ Jesus gives the Believer the ability to be separated from sin if we so choose…but we must choose to accept this separation and once we do accept it, it will be gone.  Our flesh, which is bent toward evil, wants to be a member of unrighteousness and not righteousness.  So do we please our flesh or do we please God?

What is it that separates us from sin?  Simply put, Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Again, the ‘product’ of the Cross of Christ is God’s Grace and it is Grace which gives us dominion over our sin nature (Romans 6:14).  For it is by Grace that we are Saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)  and it is be Grace that we are separated unto God; a new creature in Christ Jesus.

^“22 For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man:

²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

²⁴ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:22-24

In our mind, we delight after the Law of God but our flesh, our ‘members’, we see another law working all manner of evil.  This flesh, bent toward evil, we cannot deny. It’s lusts are too great.  We perform many rituals and ceremonies; distract ourselves from these lusts which so easily beset us…but when they are all over, we submit; we yield our members too unrighteousness.

O wretched man that I am!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

² For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death.” Romans 8:1-2

When we find ourselves at the valley of decision to whom we are going to yield our members; in our mind we want to please God but our flesh lusts after it’s own evil desires, remember from whence our separation came – the Cross of Christ and CHOOSE to believe it is indeed sufficient to break the power of sin. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). The problem with most Believers is we neglect to submit unto God’s plan for dominion over sin, Jesus Christ and Him crucified,  and our faith is placed in our ability to resist the devil.

Let me tell you something friend, we do no have the power to resist the devil in our own strength but through the Cross of Christ Jesus, we have the power to submit unto God.  Before Salvation, the unbeliever is not able to willingly submit unto God.

^“11 But you, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:11-12.

This IS the fight of faith that we fight daily, faith placed solely and exclusively in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, so that we may be afforded God’s Grace to yield our members unto righteousness for without It, we are not separated from sin by the power of the Holy Spirit but by the power of self which is no power at all.

We cannot follow Jesus, until our own abilities are denied and our faith is placed solely and exclusively in the Cross of Christ.  Our cross becomes too heavy; it’s yoke a bondage of religious fetters.  The Cross of Christ Jesus was a place of great suffering for our Lord but for those who believe, His Cross is a place of great blessing; a place to find God’s Grace and Mercy…a place where we are separated from the sin which so easily besets us.

THIS is the cross of which we bear, a cross of God’s Grace and Mercy which follows us all the days of our lives as we follow Jesus…but it starts with denying ourselves daily; fighting this good fight of faith, faith in Who He is and what He has done is totally and completely sufficient for all that we need for life and living.

Sufficient for this day is God’s Grace.  Deny yourself.  Walk in His Mercy and Grace.  Be determined to know nothing else among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

-Donna Clark Warren

^“Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the Brethren, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever.” 1 Peter 1:22-23

Through the Spirit of God, our souls are purified by obeying the Truth.  By looking unto Jesus Christ, the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), we are able to love one another with a pure heart.  Our faith being authored is tried by fire, precept upon precept and line upon line, drawing us nearer to our Lord Jesus Christ.  This faith that is birthed from the fire is more precious than gold or silver.  It is falls out to praise and honor unto Jesus Christ as He works all things for our good.

It is through the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, that this work is done in our hearts and lives…not our disciplines, intellect or abilities.  Being born of the Spirit, we are Born Again…a new creature IN Christ Jesus, He lives and abides with us forever; His Word alive in our hearts; His Laws written on our hearts…we know, that we know, that we know, that HE IS ALIVE and that one day soon and very soon that if we don’t go by way of the grave that we will meet Him in the clouds and behold His Face.

THIS is the victory afforded us by Jesus Christ at Calvary’s Cross.  The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to superintend the work of God in our hearts and lives when we are Born Again.  The Holy Spirit will not work outside of the parameters of the Cross of Christ.  When we look to vain philosophies and humanistic psychology cloaked in Scripture for victory, our faith is deceitfully placed in those vanities which invoke our flesh to do something…to be a part of our victory and we make the victory afforded us at the Cross of Christ Jesus of no effect.  We have the same result as the world has when we partake in the world’s methods for victory over the world, the flesh and the devil.

Spiritually defeated by not obeying the Truth through the power of the Holy Spirit but through the power of our own self efforts, our unfeigned love of the Brethren falls short.  It was born of corruptible seed and not of the Spirit of God.

There is a joy unspeakable afforded us by the Cross of Christ.  With our faith placed solely and exclusively in Jesus Christ and Him crucified; not in ourselves, our ability, our intellect, etc., we are afforded the ministry of the Holy Spirit Who creates in us a new heart…a new creature where we are are changed into the same image of Jesus Christ from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

If you are not being constantly changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord, you are not growing in Grace but are withering…dying spiritually.  Grace, nor sin for that matter, is not stagnant; you’re either growing in one or the other.

Come back to the Cross of Christ.  Deny yourself and pick up the victory the Lord Jesus Christ afforded you at Calvary’s Cross and continue following Him; walking with Him daily…growing in the Grace and the knowledge of Who He is and what He has done for whosoever will believe.  He is Alive; the Word of God is alive and therefore inexhaustible.  Seek Him while He may be found.  Allow the Spirit of the Lord to do the work in your life He is commissioned to do.  Be determined to know nothing else among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

-Donna Clark Warren