“These (the Bereans) 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.

What some call “heresy hunters”, the Word of God calls Bereans.

“¹⁴ Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

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

¹⁶ But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

¹⁷ And their word will eat as does a canker: of whom is HYMENAEUS and PHILETUS;

¹⁸ Who concerning the Truth have erred, saying that the Resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.” 2 Timothy 2:14-18.

A wolf who says they love the Lord, remains a wolf.

“⁸ This people draws near unto Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me.

⁹ But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”  Matthew 15:8-9.

This is not a game we play.  This Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified will set the captives free.  This Gospel is the measure by which we discern what is preached behind the pulpit.  If the message directs me to me, it is another gospel and is accursed.  The rightly divided Word of God is the only way we can judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24).

Many would have called the Apostle Paul a “heresy hunter”.  He called out and named Hymenaeus and Philetus as false teachers (2 Timothy 2:17 ).

The Lord is raising up a people to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified BACK to the church.  Judgment must first begin at the house of God.  Many will reject this preaching because it lays waste the commandments of men.

However, many will crumble under this preaching because it contains the power of God.  The weight of the conviction of the Holy Spirit will bring the repentance necessary and they will return. The prodigals will return to their first love, Jesus Christ.  They will learn of Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross to give them victory over the world, the flesh and the devil and be free from the doctrines that have swept them to and fro throughout their Christian walk.  They will begin to KNOW in Whom they have believed.  Their faith will be authored and finished by Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit frees them from the law of sin and death because they are once again looking unto Jesus, 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.  These will begin to realize that they don’t know…not WHAT they don’t know but THAT they don’t know.

“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 Corinthians 1:17-18.

Bereans don’t cause division.  They study the Scriptures.  Recognize the division and judge righteously.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” Proverbs 26:12.

There is more hope for a fool than a conceited wise man.  God labels all who do not know and abide by His Word a fool.  The only one labeled below a fool is a conceited wise man.

A conceited wise man does not know what he doesn’t know.   Ignorance is the lack of awareness.  Willful ignorance is willfully lacking awareness.  The Lord has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us into all Truths.

“¹³ The slothful man says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

¹⁴ As the door turns upon his hinges, so does the slothful upon his bed.

¹⁵ The slothful hides his hand in his bosom; it grieves him to bring it again to his mouth.” Proverbs 26:13-15.

Forgive my bluntness, but the slothful will offer many excuses (a lion is in the streets). They will turn back and forth on their bed and bury their hand on their bosom, too lazy to bring the food of life to their mouth.

If you think I’m speaking of those who are physically “lazy”, you are wrong my friend.  I speak of those who have been and are spiritually lazy.  They do not know what they don’t know because they are willfully unaware…and choose to remain there.  There is more hope for a fool.

“But He (Jesus) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God.”  Matthew 4:4

-Donna Clark Warren

“⁹ And He (Jesus) said unto me (Apostle Paul), My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The effect of the manifested grace of God in one’s life is not to give us high thoughts of ourselves but high thoughts of Jesus.  Jesus is the source and His Cross the means from which all blessings are received.  Our faith in HIS atoning work is what gives the Holy Spirit the latitude to do that which He is commissioned to do…free us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

In our zeal to grow in grace, religion will begin to give us rules to follow.  Some of these “rules” are indeed Scriptural (prayer, reading Bible, fasting, the Lord’s Supper) and some are not Scriptural (Jewish feasts, traditions, ceremonies, humanistic psychology [40 days purpose, celebrate recovery, 100 ways], etc.).  With the best of intentions, these rules are given to help one grow in grace.  They become laws we place upon ourselves to receive or earn God’s grace.  Sadly, we soon forget we are “justified FREELY by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” (Romans 3:24 emphasis added) and our faith begins to be placed on our doings (Scriptural or not Scriptural).  

God’s grace, which was at one time sufficient for us and in reality continues to be sufficient, suddenly seems out of reach.  His yoke, which was in the beginning easy starts getting heavy.  The Sunday morning sermons of grace gives us high thoughts of ourselves that fade as soon as we get in the car.  They are a vain attempt of humanistic psychology to overthrow that which only the Lord can do.  The entertainment was merely a distraction.

The reality of what has happened is WE, yes We, with all of our good intentions and love for the Lord have placed ourselves under a curse.  Yes, we are accursed.

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Galatians 3:10.

This not only pertains to the Mosaic Law but ANY law we place upon ourselves to receive God’s grace.  The more we grow in grace, the tighter we cling to Jesus Christ and His atoning work on Calvary’s Cross.  We don’t go past It.  We can’t go further than the Cross of Christ and grow in grace.  That feeling of insufficient grace and heavy yoke we begin to suffer from is not because God has changed but in our zeal, we have suddenly began to try and “earn” God’s grace through our good works.

When we eat our favorite food, that food is good.  That particular food is not good because we eat it but because it is good.  We are not good because we have eaten this food, whatever it may be.

God is good.  God is not good because we partake in His Divine Nature.  He is good regardless if we partake or not.  We are given a choice to partake.

“² Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

³ According as His Divine Power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue:

⁴ 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.”  1 Peter 1:2-4.

God’s grace IS sufficient.  His Yoke IS easy.  Come back to the faith…the saving faith, faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  He is good.

-Donna Clark Warren

“⁵ And the devil, taking Him (Jesus) up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

⁶ And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give You, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

⁷ If You (Jesus) therefore will worship me (satan), all shall be Yours.” Luke 4:5-7.

Many Believers have been promised victory over the world, the flesh and the devil by other means than the Cross of Jesus Christ and His finished work.  They walk away from Sunday morning services not understanding the entertainment provided was merely a temporary distraction from the world in which they live.  The zeal soon fades as the roller coaster continues.

We must seek to understand and discern that when we walk away on Sunday mornings thinking how great the preacher was, how great the church is and how wonderful the entertainment may be we are NOT, I repeat – we are not hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  If so, we would be walking away thinking how great is our God.

Satan promised Eve she would be like a little god.  He promised Jesus he would give Him the world.  Does this not sound like the gospel we hear behind many modern pulpits today?

Who is being lifted up among the congregation to heal a heavy heart?  Entertainment? 40 days? 100 ways? Traditions, ceremonies, feasts or festivals?

“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”  Luke 4:9

Beware of that which satan has proposed to worship.  There is no method given by man that will break the power of sin in the Believer’s life.  God gave us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty of sin and break the power of sin.  He sits at the Right Hand of the Throne of God seeking to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

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

-Donna Clark Warren

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11:1.

Saving faith, faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe, results in building an ark to save your family because God said build an ark (Hebrews 11:7).

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”  Hebrews 11:3

God is the Creator.  He is the One Who speaks things into existence, not man.

Saving faith is authored and finished by Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2) when we choose to deny our selves, pick up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).  Picking up our cross requires denial of our self efforts and believing the finished work of Jesus Christ is enough to give us victory over the sin that so easily besets.  This sin may or may not be a sin of the flesh we are trying to overcome but a bondage that keeps us yoked to the world (fear, anger, worry).  Worry is a sin because it is unbelief in God’s promises.  We may say we believe with our mouths but our hearts are full of fear and unbelief.  God looks to our heart.

Fear of faith…unbelief of things not seen is a sin; it is a lack of faith. The modern church has attempted to comfort the unbelief of Believers by offering them excuses for their unbelief which is always the fault of others and then presenting another way to overcome (40 days, 12 steps, 100 ways, etc.).  This attempt to make the unbelieving Believer comfortable in their unbelief comes straight from the great deceiver himself, satan.

“³ Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁴ Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the Will of God and our Father:

⁵ To Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

⁶ I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ.”  Galatians 1:3-7.

Saving faith, faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning work, delivers us from this present evil world according to the Will of God.  Faith in methods of man for deliverance from evil does not deliver.  It is another gospel and another Jesus.

Fight the good fight of faith…faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

-Donna Clark Warren

“²³ For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says.

²⁴ Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.”  Mark 11:23-24.

If we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will place His desires in our heart (Psalms 37:4). Our heart’s desires do not come from God in our fallen state.  Where our treasure is, there will our heart be also (Matthew 6:21).   The mountain of difficulties shall be removed when we pray and believe the desire God has placed in our heart.

If a prayer is founded on the desire God has placed in our heart, BELIEVE that it will be received and it shall be received!

However, if a prayer is based on presumption so that it may be consumed upon our own lusts (James 4:3), even though it is quickly declared “it shall come to pass” when the Lord has not commanded it (Lamentations 3:37); this prayer will not be received and it shall not come to pass for those who delight themselves in the Lord.

“¹⁰ And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the Truth, that they might be saved.

¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  1 Thessalonians 2:10-12.

If one does not want the Truth, if they do not delight in the Lord Jesus Christ….Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe, if they follow man’s methods of humanistic psychology to overthrow, overcome and obtain their desires; God will send them a strong delusion that they shall believe a lie.  Their presumptuous prayers may indeed be answered.

It is impossible to trust in the Lord without knowing His Word for ourselves.

“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.

Delight in the Lord your God.  He is worthy.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.”  Ephesians 5:1-2 KJV

OR

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. ² Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us^[a] and offered Himself as a Sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”  Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT

Do we follow or do we imitate?  Let’s try this again.

“Wherefore I beseech you, be you followers of Me.” 1 Corinthians 4:16 KJV

OR

“So I urge you to imitate Me.”  1 Corinthians 4:16 NLT

Just to be fair I wanted to see in what context the NLT used the word “follow”.  There are many instances when follow was used in context.  However, then there was this:

“And He said unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 KJV

OR

“Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Matthew 4:19 NLT

Will the Lord show me how to be a fisher of man or will He make me a fisher of man if I follow Him?

Who is to say which is correct?  The scrolls themselves proclaim that which is the Word of God.  The King James Version is translated word for word while most others are translated from an entirely different set of scrolls and are thought for thought.

There is something extremely important missing in the New Living Translation version (and many other versions).  This “something” determines whether we become fishers of man.  It is THE difference in “following” and “imitating”.

Have you noticed how the NLT version of these Scriptures leave out the ministry of the Holy Spirit?  It is the work of the Holy Spirit to make us what the Lord has called us to be. We usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit when we attempt in vain to imitate God instead of following Him.

This is the problem with many if not most modern churches.  The unadulterated, full counsel, rightly divided Word of God has been so diluted that the ministry of self empowerment has usurped the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  The Believers faith is directed toward their ability to “imitate” and when they fail, which they ultimately will, their faith is shattered.

“⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

¹⁰ And you are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power:

¹¹ In Whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

¹² Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, Who has raised Him from the dead.” Colossians 2:9-12 KJV

The ministry of the Holy Spirit will effect a change in our heart that results in the making of a new creature.  Old things are passed away and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  The Holy Spirit is commissioned by God to make these changes when WE given Him the latitude to do such.  When our faith is placed on our ability to imitate, we are not giving the Holy Spirit authority to make the change in our hearts He is commissioned to do.

Imitate as we might but the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will not make us free from the law of sin and death until our faith is placed in the atoning work of Jesus Christ to break the power of sin in the Believer’s life (Romans 6:14)…not our ability to imitate Him.

-Donna Clark Warren

Great teaching by Brother Loren Larson on Romans 6.  Listen and then listen again. Brother Larson is an associate pastor at Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, LA.

SonLife Broadcasting Network

Be blessed!

-Donna Clark Warren

“¹³ These (Noah, Abraham and Sara) all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

¹⁴ For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

¹⁵ And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

¹⁶ But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he has prepared for them a city.”  Hebrews 11:13-16.

As Believers we live by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  We fight the good fight of faith in Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for whosever will believe.  Faith is not based on emotional experiences, ceremonies or any other religious works given to imitate the Lord.  Faith is based on the Word of God and the Word of God, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelations 22:21 points to Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross.

The object of our faith is more important than the amount of our faith.  If we get the object wrong, we get it all wrong and our faith will indeed fail.

“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.

Recognize who or what is authoring your faith.  Is it your senses?  Does your faith coincide with your emotions?  Perhaps it is a particular means or method given by the religious to overcome the sin that has so easily beset us.  Maybe it is signs and wonders that we seek.

“¹⁷ And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

¹⁸ They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”  Mark 16:17-18.

Please note, those sign and wonders FOLLOW those who believe.

“²² For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

²³ But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

²⁴ But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 1: 22-24.

The Jews required a sign and the Greeks earthly wisdom and both stumbled over the power of God…Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Sometimes the Lord will lead us into the wilderness to commune with us and separate us from the world.  Look to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  Run the race.  Fight the good fight.  Be determined to know nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

-Donna Clark Warren

“Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom. A fool has no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”  Proverbs 18:1-2.

All too many separate themselves to an earthly wisdom. They seek and intermeddle with evil and sensual wisdom from the vanities of man’s mind in order to “find” themselves…so their heart may discover itself.  This earthly wisdom results in pride and self righteousness in it’s “best life now” methods to overthrow the sin that so easily besets us.

God did not give us 12 steps for victory over the world, the flesh and the devil.  He did not give us 40 days of purpose or 100 days to “rightly believe”.  God gave us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  Jesus is the source of everlasting life and Calvary’s Cross is the means by which whosoever believes in Him and His atoning work shall not perish.

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

Because of our belief in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross, the power of sin is broken in our lives.  Sin no longer has dominion over us because our faith is placed in Jesus, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe. This is GOD’s prescribed order of victory…faith in the Sacrificial Lamb (Jesus) HE provided and the ONLY way we are reconciled to God.

“Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:6.

The Holy Spirit is not commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death and give us dominion over our sin nature when we place our faith in, and separate ourselves to, the sensual and earthly wisdom to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.  He (the Holy Spirit) is only commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death when our faith is placed in God’s plan for victory – Jesus Christ and Him crucified…HIS atoning work on Calvary’s Cross, not ours. This IS the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that gives the Holy Spirit latitude to free us from the law of sin and death.

“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.

This Christian walk is not about faking it to we make it.  All of the methods the modern church presents so that “the heart may discover itself” are not wisdom from above but evil, earthly and sensual.  These methods become laws the Believer must adhere to in order to know one’s self.

“Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of ME (Jesus). And you will not come to Me, that you might have life.”  John 5:39-40

The entirety of the Word of God speaks of Jesus Christ.  From Genesis 1:1 to Revelations 22:22 Believers are pointed to the Sacrificial Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  We search the Scriptures which testify of Jesus yet in our heart we will not come to Him so that we may have life…we are foolish.  We separate ourselves to worldly wisdom and not unto God’s Way.

The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him (2 Chronicles 16:9)…not perfect toward man or man’s methods.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17

Discern the separation.

-Donna Clark Warren