“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:14-15

Soul ties, family curses and the like were nailed to the Cross of Jesus along with every other sin.  First, please allow me to address family curses as related to sin.  If there is a family curse related to sickness, we know sickness is straight from the devil, but it is the sin of Adam, which caused the fall of man, that allowed satan any legal right to us.  Because of this sin (the fall of man), we became subject to the result of sin…death.  Both death and sickness  originated with sin and are now being propagated by satan.  It is because of the fall of man that we needed (need) a Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Only through Jesus Christ is sin and death defeated.

So what happens when the saint gets sick?  What happens when we have laid hands on them, anointed them and they are not healed?  Does that make Jesus a liar?  Absolutely not.  Does their illness mean the family curse wasn’t broken by Jesus’ finished work on the Cross?  Again I say, absolutely not!

“For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.  For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8:22-25. 

Before all of my Pentecostal brothers and sisters begin to stone me (Just for full disclosure, I am Pentecostal from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet…even my dogs are Pentecostal!), I absolutely believe in divine healing.  Matthew 10:1 “And when He had called unto Him His Twelve Disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”  The purposes of this discussion is until our healing comes.

There are so many saints today who are sick.  When I say sick, I mean what the world refers to as “terminally ill”.  However, I don’t subscribe to the world’s diagnosis but instead to God’s sovereignty and pray for His divine healing.  The reason we pray for their divine healing may sound horrible to those who are not spiritually discerned.  But we pray for divine healing to glorify God.  Although, when it is us or our family, we tend to have other, more selfish reasons to pray for their divine healing….understandably so!!  It is really easy to say “God’s will be done” when your personal will is not at stake.

So my question is this, if upon salvation; family curses, soul ties, bondages and strongholds were torn down, yet after salvation a Christian becomes sick or oppressed – how then is Jesus Christ glorified?  And here is the answer…and I want you to hear this loud and clear; I want you understand how Christ is glorified in your sickness and oppression – He is not.  The Lord is glorified in the joy and peace we have in knowing; in knowing that you know, that you know, that His payment on His Cross was ENOUGH to defeat any sickness, sin or death the devil had prescribed.  God is glorified by His children because we know that satan NO longer has any rights to us.  Jesus was the First Fruits, He addressed every thing we have lost on the Cross.  Even though we only have part of our inheritance now, we will soon possess all of our inheritance.  Many times we grow frustrated waiting on our inheritance.  We get angry at God because we are promised that by His stripes we are healed and we have not yet seen our healing.  Sickness, death and bondages are all real but they were all defeated on Calvary’s Cross.

“ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ” Mark 11:23.  No matter our mountain, no matter our difficulty…through our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross, that difficulty will be removed.  It will be removed by being taken out of the way or by no longer being difficult.  Sometimes, we don’t allow God to no longer make the mountain difficult to move because all we still see is the mountain.

The power of God is in the Cross of Jesus for those of us who are being saved (1 Cor. 1:18).  As a Christian, the only thing we have to do is go back to the Cross daily and remember the price that was paid for us to have victory in this life and eternally.  Upon realizing these blessings are but a sample, the first fruits of what is to come, we continue in our hope.  That mountain in no longer difficult and we persevere…in our perseverance we glorify the Lord.  – Donna Warren

God is sovereign over those who follow Him voluntarily AND those who oppose Him…that includes satan. Sin was satan’s legal right to us and the Cross of Jesus is where the devil LOST any and all rights to us. IF you are a child of God, don’t let the enemy convince you he has any rights to you. We abide in the Lord Jesus Christ and He abides in us and “when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19. IF you are not a child of God, not only did God the Father create you but He sent His Son to pay your debt as well. Your debt was paid on the Cross of Jesus, but until you accept Him you are not covered under His blood. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. There is NO man strong enough to beat sin and satan. On the other hand, there is NO sin bad enough and NO bondage strong enough that the shed blood of Jesus Christ did not pay for in full. Seek the Lord, He chose you! – Donna Warren

The same saving grace that saved us is still the same saving grace that will tear down strongholds and bondages. Once we are saved, there are no loopholes or hoops to get back to the Cross of Jesus. The same Jesus that broke the bondages upon salvation can still break the bondages after salvation. God created us to be in communion with Him. It was love that created us and it is love that will redeem us. We don’t need a method to be delivered, we need a relationship with the Deliverer….His name is Jesus. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7.

-Donna Warren

“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, an you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27.  Many of us need to reawaken the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that has been quenched due to doctrine of man.

Many Christians continue to live in bondage because their faith has been directed to what they confess instead of what Jesus has done.  Any doctrine that teaches confession of one’s righteousness while ignoring the sin which brought Jesus from Heaven produces hypocrites and not saints.  The dangers of such doctrine is the continued defeat of the saint who is living in sin.  A Christian, who is honestly trying to defeat bondage,  to confess their righteousness instead of confessing their weakness to defeat sin to the Lord and allowing Him to help; these Christians will never know God’s faithfulness, His strength and His blessing…they will merely know their strength to believe their confession.  They will never know God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).   This is when faith gets derailed.  When the bondage is not broken and their strength collapses under the weight of their sin.  We cannot defeat the sin nature, our faith in Jesus’ and His finished work allows us to confess it to Him and He gives us the strength to overcome.  It is only  Jesus and Him Crucified that pulls down strongholds…not our belief in our confession.  If we don’t confess our sins, those sins aren’t covered by the Blood of Jesus.

On the other hand their are those who are happily living in their sin, they are the hypocrites…sorry, the truth hurts sometimes.  These are the ones who claim the conviction of the Holy Spirit when they sin is actually condemnation from satan, that is dangerous territory…extremely dangerous!

My point here is not to convict, condemn, rebuke  or condone.  Sin is not what sends one to hell, if that’s the case, we’re all in trouble.  It is the rejection of Jesus Christ that sends one to hell.  However, it is false teachings such as this that can derail a persons faith when their strength finally fails and they blame Jesus.  They never realize they were never seeking God’s strength in the first place but depending on their own.  We all have problems that we take to the Lord daily.  This does not mean we have to go get “saved” every Sunday morning.  God is faithful to us and wants us to know Him but we will never know the Lord if we never read His Word for ourselves and yield to His Holy Spirit.   Reading about God’s Word and hearing about God from someone else does not constitute a relationship with the Lord.  Jesus chose you and He wants a relationship with you…seek Him.  We don’t need a note to remind us to think of our spouses, our children or our spouses because we love them and have a relationship with them.  A relationship with the Lord is the same way.  As we get to know the Lord through His Word and His Holy Spirit, we understand His grace….and we would never take advantage of what He has done for us.  It’s a relationship, not a religion.  – Donna Warren

“There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.”  Mark 7:15.

Many of us know this scripture.  In it, Jesus is illustrating that nothing edible is defiling.  However, the following verses are what made my spirit jump,  “…Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach…What comes out of a man, that defile a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:18-23.

A while back I was speaking with a friend who has been a Christian for many years.  Growing up she had what many would call a “hard life”.  She was in and out of foster homes, sexually abused and neglected much of her life.  My friend was and is such a Godly woman.  Finally I asked her one day how she reconciled what happened to her as a child and God.    I couldn’t understand how the Lord would let such things happen to my sweet friend, not to mention the millions of other innocent children.  Then these children grow up and they go one of two ways.  They turn to God or away.  Honestly speaking, at the time I could see how they would turn away but I couldn’t see how they would turn to Him after such a life.

This scripture above reminded me of my friend.  Her response to my question that night was that it wasn’t God who did this to her and ultimately she had to make the decision to follow Him or to follow the world.  Knowing what the world had already shown her, she chose God and today the Lord has made up to her everything she lost.

You may be wondering “why” that scripture reminded me of my friend.  Things that we see, hear and experience are filtered through our heart and become the source of defilement.    “…For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45.  Every word that is spoken to us, if not captured into the obedience of Christ and does not line up with what the Word of God says about us, defiles our heart.  Every word that comes out of our mouth when speaking to our spouse, our children or the clerk at the grocery store can defile the heart of that person.  And don’t think that our actions don’t count as words either!  The condescending looks and blank stares are arrows straight to the heart of the other person also.   The little old lady at the grocery store who still writes a check is not ignorant of our hurry to get home.  She probably once had a family to get home to also but she didn’t have the convenience of swiping that debit card…writing a check is all she knows.  The condescending looks go straight to her heart as well.

Getting back on point here, in this world our hearts will be defiled by the things we allow to enter into our heart.  Jealousy, covetousness, pride, vanity and deceitfulness are just some of the sins that begin to birth in our heart as a result of defilement.   As a result, they over flow out of our mouths to the heart of others.  All of this is straight from the pits of hell.  These seeds of defilement are planted early in life and continue to spread.  They grow rampantly in the hearts of children who eventually become adults.  With each bend, compromise and tolerance with the ways of the world instead of the ways of the Lord, a seed is planted.

At some point we all have to choose.  Just as Jesus chose us, we too will have to choose Him to stop these seeds of defilement from spreading.   The Lord’s seeds of righteousness and holiness will absolutely weed out the filth of the world…but we have to choose.  We have to nurture the seeds the Lord plants and allow them to spread into the hearts of those around us.  We choose Jesus and change our minds about the way we have been living.  All of the things that have been said or done to us, which produced our defiled hearts, are now exposed.  The evil thoughts, resentment and rebellion are revealed as satan’s weapon.  We run as hard and as fast as we can, into the arms of our Father who, the moment you said “I believe and I’m sorry”, stood up and ran to meet you.  The strongholds are pulled down, arguments and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God are cast down (2 Cor. 10:4-5) and we are adopted into the family of God! Hallelujah!!

Be mindful of your words.  What seed will your words plant into the heart of your audience?  Are they words satan is using to defile a heart?  Or are they words the Lord wants to use to bless a heart? – Donna Warren

“…’Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ ” Matthew 25:40.

Haven’t we all known unbelievers who problems were so great that you really just didn’t know how to approach them?  Then they are those who, because of alcohol or drugs,  have not allowed their realty to surface in so many years, they don’t even know they have a problem.  Every time they get a glimpse in to their realty, they go running back to their vice of choice.  These people are the ones whose hurt is so bad we tend to write them off.  I’m not talking about the ones you see on television at the homeless shelters, I’m talking about the ones you see on your Facebook news feed, the ones we meet for dinner and talk to on the phone.  One day you will see “the night out with the girls pictures” and then a couple of days later comes the “sometimes the strongest people are the people who hurt the most” poster.  We see the fruit of their labor but they don’t because it’s not tangible.  We see the enemy at work in their lives.  Up, down, up, down…every now and then they will reach out to God but the enemy will dangle a rabbit in front of them and off they go again.   That rabbit could be another night out with the girls or a fancy program introduced by your local church.  The rabbit will never point you to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for answers to the problem.  The rabbit will always try to convince the sinners they are saints and the saints they are sinners.  That rabbit has a name…satan.

Sometimes it’s easy to write these people off.  We get tickled at their antics because we remember doing the same things.  Thank the Lord He doesn’t turn us into salt!  So we just laugh with them.  Their pain is too great and their vice is their god.  They become disposable in our hearts.  We no longer know how to help them so we just sit back and watch the train wreck.

The sad story painted here is not of the sinner but the saint; the saint whom has deemed the lost soul disposable.  The saint who has forgotten what the Lord brought them out of is the saint who has lost trust in God.  The saints who try to “fix” the sinner themselves, who  points them to a program instead of the Cross, have themselves been led away from the Cross of Jesus.  The good intentioned saints whose methods result in delays instead of delivery.  Trying to live for God in the flesh cannot be done.  The sin nature cannot be defeated when our faith is in our rules and programs.

Religion has crippled the saints.  A dose of scripture mixed in with psychology tickles the ears.  We think we’re getting fed the Gospel but don’t see the poison mixed in the pot.  We learn how strong we are but not how strong our God is.  The lost cross our paths and we can’t tell them how big our God is because we don’t know ourselves.  We know God as merciful, loving and full of grace – which He absolutely is by all means.  But our God is also jealous over His children, He will cause our enemy’s to be at peace with us and no one can pluck us from His Hand.  Our God is alive, still on His throne and still sovereign.  Jesus Christ came to defeat sin so we would not have to live in sin.  When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, our sin nature is quenched because of His defeat over sin.  It is us, who walks out the door of the church and starts chasing that rabbit satan is dangling.   But praise God, He is faithful and just to forgive us once we repent and ask forgiveness.  Once we accept the Lord, we continue to seek Him through His Word and the guidance of His Holy Spirit.  It is our relationship with Jesus that enables us to know Him; to know His heart.  Unless the Holy Spirit reveals this, we only have man made knowledge, not Jesus Himself revealed.  Until we seek a relationship with Jesus, we only know about Him.  You can’t get to know me through a mutual friend.  You may feel like you do, but you don’t.  It’s the same way with Jesus.  He wants YOU to know Him by what He says, not what others say about Him.  The Lord may be trying to chasten me and comfort you at the same time.  So when you come and sugar coat His chastening, you are in fact hindering instead of helping.

There are no disposables in the Kingdom of Heaven.  The saints can’t fix themselves and they can’t fix the sinners.  The saints aren’t called to “fix” anyone.  They/we are called however to preach the Gospel to the lost.  We are called to disciple the saints.  Jesus said “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed.” Matthew 8:31.  We can’t fix them, but we know Who can.  If we want to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we must point the lost to HIM and His Word.  The lost are not disposable, they are lost.  They are the very ones who need to hear the Gospel from the saints…but the saints have got to know the Gospel first.  – Donna Warren

“You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;  but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”  2 Peter 3:17-18.

Considering the fact that it was our Lord Jesus Christ who was sacrificed on the Cross, considering the fact that it was His Blood which atoned for our sins and His righteousness which washes us; I think I prefer to grow in His knowledge and grace to overcome than man made doctrine.  It is the Lord’s grace that helps us overcome our sin nature not ignoring our sin nature.    Instead of confessing sins we confess our healing with no regards to who paid for our healing.  Somewhere we fail to realize we are not healed because of our confession of healing but because of Jesus’ shed Blood.

The Lord’s grace is to free us from the corruption that remains in us after redemption.  We want what God has without allowing Him to produce in us what He is, His character.  We pray for the power of God and preach the power of self.  The Lord will never share His glory and cannot work with something man has built.  We must seek God to see the glory of God.  Any other way other than God’s way drives one farther and farther into deception.    If we get Jesus wrong or sin wrong, we are in trouble.  Jesus died to save us FROM sin, not in sin.   Souls are at stake in the deceit of truth.  Diluted and sugar coated gospel does not set the captives free but keeps their conscience pacified weekly.

In the end, God’s Word and His authority is sovereign.  We must seek Him out ourselves and allow Him to guide us into His truth.  There is no unity without His truth.  We put our life in God’s hands, why then would we seek His knowledge through another program instead of directly from Him?  That is nothing but deceit straight from the pits of hell to keep us out of fellowship with the Lord.  We don’t need a program to learn God’s will for our life we need God.  Jesus’ sacrifice reconciled us with God.  For us to then seek God’s will through “40 days” or whatever the case, is an insult to the Lord.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,  forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.  For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; ” 1 Timothy 4:1-4.

-Donna Warren

“and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” 1 John 4:3.

Make no mistakes, a true muslim has the spirit of the antichrist.  Their allah is not our God but a generic term for any god.  Their trinity is the sun, moon and stars.   According to their “holy” book, lying is permitted and even encouraged in defense of islam.  A true muslim believes the world is under the dominion of Islam.  The “good” muslims are not true muslims.  A true muslim wants you dead and will lie to you to gain your favor.

The United States government has compromised the Christian values of which this country was founded for the sake of islam.  Social gospels are reaching out to muslims in the name of chrislam.  Churches won’t say the words blood or hell because they aren’t pretty.  We, as a nation, embrace the cultural practices of any doctrine in the name of multiculturalism.  Multiculturalism embraces other cultures…including their laws.

Many people feel social gospels aren’t hurting anything.  What is a social gospel?  Social gospels are good for the conscience.  Sunday morning psychology sessions that equip the believer to get through the week.  A relationship with the Lord is not encouraged but relationships with each other are glorified.   A relationship with the Lord would nullify any need for their psychology.  The congregation is not told of the greatness of our God but about the greatness of their philosophies.  40 days of purpose results in 325 days of still searching.

The dangers of the social gospels are the resulting compromise.  The wolf in the sheep’s clothing results in “chrislam”.  Followers don’t see the wolf because they don’t have the discernment that comes with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  False doctrine of the social gospels have crippled the church today.  Christians are scared to stand up for  Jesus Christ who came to separate us from evil, instead we sit on the fence or allow them to pray in our churches.  Just this weekend I was speaking to a young adult who proclaimed to be an atheist.  This person believes in a “higher power” but not God or Jesus.  They can’t understand what makes “Christianity” the right choice.  Who says Buddha or Mohammed aren’t the correct choice?  They have friends who are part of these religions who are “nice” people.  They may very well be nice people but that doesn’t change the fact of their destiny.  Jesus Christ paid for their souls as well.  They need to know His Gospel too!!  Why are we allowing multiple cultures to influence our young ones?  When coming to our country, shouldn’t one be influenced by our culture?

All faiths are not equal.  Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified on the Cross and was resurrected after defeating the kingdom of darkness.  Jesus was not a martyr.  The Lord had a choice and He chose to be sacrificed to give us victory over death, hell and sin.  Jesus came to divide good from evil, not compromise with evil.  Even I am guilty of thinking it could never happen in the United States of America but it is happening right under our nose.  The only solution is to stop compromising and diluting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and turn our nation back over to Him.  If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem.  If you are not drinking from the cup of the Lord, then you are drinking from the cup….well, I just leave it at that.  Harsh but true.  Yes, I’m speaking to the individuals and the churches.  Which gospel will you declare?  –  Donna Warren

“For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” 2 Corinthians 11:4.  The Apostle Paul was jealous of the church’s affection, or lack of,  for Jesus Christ.  The church of Corinth had committed spiritual adultery by  tolerating false teachers.  Many false doctrines today teach the person to ignore sin which is in direct conflict with the Word of God.  “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10.  By not confessing our sin, we are living in unforgiveness of our sins.  We are in fact living under the law while at the same time being  taught  by false doctrine we are living under grace.  The enemy doesn’t wear a red cape and horns.  Many times he comes dressed in a suit carrying a Bible. 

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,” Titus 2:11-12.  If we are not being led by the Spirit into holiness, we are being led by a false Jesus into hell.    I know that sounds horrible but sadly it’s true.  Again, the enemy doesn’t wear a red cape and horns.  Deceit deceives the deceived.  Our faith in Christ and Him crucified is, His finished work and not ours, guides us into His righteousness and not our righteousness.  Humility in His Cross doesn’t produce resentment of our “cross” but victory  in our “cross”.  Because of His Cross, we now have dominion over our sin nature.  Sin no longer controls us. 

The problem with many teachings today is it points one to self for sanctification while quoting scripture.  It dilutes the Gospel just enough for one not to realize.  We begin trying to figure out how “we” can live for God without consulting God.  It leaves no room for trust in God.  Our self preservation and will is the basis of our faith.  We are called to fight the good fight of faith…faith in Christ in Him crucified, not faith that “we can do it”.  THAT’S where we go daily, appropriate our faith back to His Cross and not our works.  By “His Cross” I do not mean the wooden beam, I mean Jesus’ finished work.  It seems we have gone from legalism, skipped right over Jesus’ work  and moved straight to His grace.  We aren’t seeking Jesus’ for what He has done for us but for what He will do for us.

The enemy knows when we place our faith on Jesus’ work, we will develop a personal relationship with our Lord.  We will understand His victory and the devil’s defeat.  Our faith in Jesus and Him Crucified is not broken but can be easily misplaced by false teachings.  Our faith is the enemy’s bullseye.  Ask God to reveal deception to you.  The Lord is faithful and does not want you to be led astray.  We must stay in His Word to discern the truth, not other’s words.  God has given us teachers and preachers and the enemy has raised up counterfeits.  Test the spirits against the Word of God.  “ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ” 1 John 1:6.

Don’t stumble over the Cross of Christ to get to God.  Stop there, stay there and fellowship with Jesus.  It is His Blood that cleanses us, His grace that saved us and it is His grace that will see us through.  – Donna Warren