INTERCESSION
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
BELIEVING GOD
‘Belief’, a verb, is the action part of ‘faith’, which is a noun. At Salvation, when the believing sinner comes to Christ, there is a mustard seed of faith placed in their heart. Whosoever wills (wants) to believe in Christ Jesus, Who He is and what He has done, the Lord places in their heart the faith they need to believe. He creates in us a new heart. We become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
“20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives 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.
21 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
It is ‘THE’ faith of the Son of God by which we live. Everyone has faith. Even an atheist has faith in their vain philosophies but it is not the faith which God will accept.
“15 He (Jesus) said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but My Father which is in Heaven.
18 And I say also unto you, That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:15-18
It is this “action” of belief when Jesus Christ is revealed unto us. Because of the believing sinner’s will to believe upon hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, He is given the faith to believe. THIS is the Rock of which The Church is built. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ in the heart of man by God’s Divine Grace through THE faith in the Son of God that we are able to live unto God.
“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 12:2
This mustard seed of faith is increased as we continue believing the Cross of Christ for all that we need for life and living. The faith which was given unto all who have believed, is authored and will one day be finished as our faith becomes sight and we meet our Lord and Saviour face to face.
The faith we are given at Salvation because of our will to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, must be contended for…it must be fought for after our Salvation. Our initial belief at Salvation is probably the easiest part of our living for Christ. The devil quickly comes to kill, steal and destroy the faith of which we have been given. He knows if we fail to exercise our belief in the Cross of Christ after our Salvation for our Sanctification, our daily living for Christ, our growth in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, will be hindered and the Grace of God will be frustrated.
“Take heed, Brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the Living God.” Hebrews 3:12
It is the evil heart of unbelief that hinders our walk with the Lord. We do not realize it is unbelief in the Cross of Christ because it is in fact belief in something seemingly religious which is being taught as Biblical doctrine. This is the deceit of the devil. It is the corruption results in spiritual death.
This fight of faith in which we fight, the faith of which we contend for, is the faith which was given unto us at Salvation when we willed to believe upon Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. When we say “be determined to know nothing else among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified”, it is because Jesus Christ has been revealed to us, just as He has to all who are born again, and we are fighting to believe; to believe in HIM, in Christ and the Cross, and not our own wiles of which we are oh so familiar with. We aren’t fighting to ‘remain’ Saved…that’s silliness. We are Saved to the uttermost as long as we continue believing in the Finished work of Christ Jesus for our Salvation. We are fighting to believe Him and not our own abilities to attain the Promises of God and follow Jesus Christ. We are fighting to submit ourselves unto God’s Will and not our own because we know, that we know, that we know that we have been bought with a price and the Lord has a purpose for our life.
For so long I didn’t understand the Scripture “Lord I believe, help my unbelief…”. To be frank and honest, I thought that would be only for unbelievers. Of course I believe…I’m Saved, right?
Yes, I believed in the Cross of Christ at Salvation…but I also fight to believe in the Cross of Christ for ALL that I receive from the Lord because I know that if I can simply believe; that if I can simply rest in Who He is and what He has done, all things are possible.
“23 Jesus said unto him, If you cant believe, all things are possible to him who believes.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.” Mark 9:23-24
Lord, I believe…help my unbelief.
-Donna Clark Warren
THE GOOD FIGHT
NO OTHER FOUNDATION
GOD’S ARMOR AND GOD’S HEDGE
“10 Finally, my Brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His Might.
11 Put on the Whole Armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:11-12
As a Believer living in this fallen world which is ruled by the prince of darkness, we are given God’s Armor. The Lord puts up a hedge of protection around those who have believed upon Him and within those boundaries we are guaranteed victory as long as we properly follow the Lord.
“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
Sadly, many Believer’s do not know how to properly follow Jesus. They do not understand that we must deny ourselves (our abilities, intellect, talents, etc.) in order to pick up our cross (the blessings which the Cross of Christ afforded whosoever will believe) and that it is only then that we are able to properly follow Jesus.
Picking up our cross is not the denial of self. Self denial is just that; denying our self will to manipulate a situation in order to achieve our will. While picking up our cross is not self abasement but picking up that which we cannot do in our own might…receive the promises of God. Unredeemed man is unable to receive the promises God has given to His Children. Furthermore, God’s Children operating in their flesh, attempting to manipulate situations within their own might, will also fall short of God’s Promises.
The Armor of God is HIS Armor. It is not something that we get up every morning, stand in front of the mirror and ‘put on’. No, not at all. The Armor of God is put on upon belief in the Cross of Christ Jesus…it is God’s hedge of protection around His Children.
“6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Where have you been? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and eschews (hates) evil?” Job 1:6-8
There will be times in our lives, times of great trials and tribulations, as the Lord may lower HIS hedge of protection and allow Satan certain access. We have done all that we know to do; we have denied ourselves and properly followed Him and He offers us to Satan to test us. You see, Satan is nothing but an instrument in the Lord’s Hands to strengthen our faith. It is during these most unpleasant of circumstances that we go deeper with the Lord. It is during these times that our spiritual testimony before the spirit world should be “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him:”. It is then, in those times of despair that we choose to praise the Lord for our redemption draws near. It is then that we know, that we know, that we know in Whom we have believed and we know that He is able to keep that which we have committed unto Him.
There is a boundary, a hedge of protection, around the Child of God when we are properly following the Lord. As we look unto Jesus Christ, Who HE is and what HE has done to afford us the Promises of God; we will find the Cross of Christ was, is and will forever be sufficient to withstand the wiles of the devil as he rules the fallen world of which we are passing through.
“1 I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help.
2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made Heaven and Earth.
3 He will not suffer your foot to be moved: He Who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He Who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper: the Lord is your shade upon your right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil: He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Psalms 121-1-9
Jesus Christ and Him crucified – be determined to know nothing else among you. Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord. Stand still and see the angels of the Lord encompassed round about you. Stand still and see the signs and wonders which follow those who believe.
-Donna Clark Warren
IMPORTUNITY
GOD’S SACRIFICE
O’ WRETCHED MAN
“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
As the Apostle Paul delighted in the Law of God after the inward man, the law in his members warred against the law in his mind. He wanted to be obedient to the Lord in his inward man but found himself in bondage…captive by the Law of Sin.
After his Salvation but before the understanding of the Cross of Christ for daily living, the Apostle Paul himself struggled with living under the Government of Law.
Many wrongly believe that because we are under the Dispensation of Grace that we, as Believers I might add, are living under the Government of Grace but that is simply not true. Regrettably, soon after Salvation, the devil comes to corrupt the Truth the believing sinner has been given and he offers up his polluted pottage full of good works and commandments of men being taught as ‘Biblical doctrine’. Being young in the Lord, they are too often quickly deceived and take a bite of death’s fruit.
As for the Apostle Paul, he was living under the Law, the Mosaic Law, while trying to live for God. The Mosaic Law was not given to bring life to the people but was given to show their (our) utter depravity; their need for a Saviour. The Mosaic Law could not Save anyone but served to restore fellowship with God upon the required sacrifices.
Any law that man may devise to fellowship with God outside the Cross of Christ, the Sacrificial Lamb of God; He Who IS the Way, the Truth and the Life, will find themselves living under the Government of Law with sin’s dominion taking hold as their members war against the Law of God in the inward man. We find ourselves wanting to do that which is right but unable to gain that victory…we find ourselves crying out “O wretched man that I am!”.
” 1 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
Being buried with Christ at Salvation, baptized into His Death, we are now dead to the Law of Sin and Death…as long as we remain IN Christ. Submitted unto Jesus Christ, Who HE is and what HE did at Calvary’s Cross to break the power of sin in the Believer’s life, we, through our faith in the Cross of Christ, give the Holy Spirit latitude to do that which He is commissioned to do…FREE us from the Law of Sin and Death.
It is here, in this place of submission unto God by Grace through Faith in the Cross of Christ, that our members are able to yield unto God’s Will. Denying ourselves; our abilities, intellect, talent, etc., we are able to pick up all the Christ Jesus has afforded whosoever will believe and FOLLOW Him.
This Gospel of which we preach, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, is not a ‘new’ Gospel. No, not at all. It is the same revelation that was given to the Apostle Paul and has today been given to the church through the ministry of Jimmy Swaggart. This light which has been shed abroad through SonLife Broadcasting Network by the Lord will set people free from the sin which so easily besets them. This Light which IS the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, will set at liberty those who are bruised.
Sadly, many have and will reject the preaching of the Cross. To them it is rudimentary and they have grown past this ‘doctrine’ and on to other Biblical ‘truths’. My friend, if that Biblical ‘truth’ isn’t pointing to Jesus as the Source and the Cross as the means, it is not truth but a lie.
If the Cross of Christ Jesus has become foolishness to you, please consider how you are receiving such preaching for you are in fact perishing.
“17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 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 Cor. 1:17-18
Jesus Christ and Him crucified…be determined to know NOTHING else among you.
-Donna Clark Warren