” The Word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

² Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My Words.

³ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁶ O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in Mine Hand, O house of Israel.” Jeremiah 18:1-6

God’s timing and God’s will are inseparable.  Often, when we know the will of God, we grow impatient with His timing.  As we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Hand is molding us into a vessel to be used for His Work.  Through our faith in Jesus’ finished work on Calvary’s Cross, the Holy Spirit is given latitude to do that which He is commissioned to do – isolate our sin nature as we render our flesh dead to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil and breathe life into this vessel He has molded.

“ For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He lives, He lives unto God.

¹¹ Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Romans 6:10-12.

We who were once dead in our sins and trespasses are now alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  When we come to Jesus broken and marred, He doesn’t throw us away but places us on the Potter’s Wheel.  He Authors and finishes our faith precept upon precept, line upon line through our faith in Him.  We live, yet not I but Christ lives in us by our faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20 ).  We are alive unto God through our faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ…now we must LIVE through our faith in the Son of God.  We don’t “have” to follow the Law, we WANT to follow the Lord Jesus Christ which be default, if you will, causes us to follow the Law – it is written on our heart because He is in us, making our crooked paths straight.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

² He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

³ And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

⁴ Blessed is that man that makes the Lord his trust, and respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” Psalms 40:1-4.

God is no respecter of persons and His arm is not shortened.  If you are a born again Child of God, you are alive unto God through faith in Jesus Christ…now LIVE unto God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Trust His timing, for it is one with His Will.

“And he (Jehoram, king of Israel) went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab has rebelled against me: will you go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.” 2 Kings 3:7.

Even though Jehoram, the king of Israel, put away the image of Baal he remained united and devout to the golden calves Jeroboam built to keep Israel from going to Jerusalem to sacrifice ( 1 Kings 12:27-28 ).  As soon as Jehoram solicited Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to help battle the Moabites, he quickly and willingly united with him in what appeared to be an honorable operation.

How quickly do we unite with the religious world in what appears to be an honorable enterprise?  The religious world is full of Christians who continue to cleave to the idolatries  of their traditions and ceremonies seeking to unite in the name of peace to overcome evil.  Please allow me to be clear, uniting with those who substitute Jesus and cleave to their idols and philosophies of their own minds (40 days of purpose, 100 ways, 12 steps, etc.)  to overcome evil is not unity but another gospel preaching another Jesus and is accursed (Galatians 1:6-8).

“There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 16:25.

If the gospel directs our faith to a substitute source for deliverance, the end thereof is the way of death. Recognize the snare of the devil in the unity of the relgious.

-Donna Warren

The lost are not lost because they reject Jesus but they reject Jesus because they are lost.  Let me say that again…the lost are not lost because they reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour because they are lost.

“ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  John 3:16-18. 

Sinners are called to believe and Saints are called to follow the Lord Jesus.  Until we believe in Jesus,  the perfect Lamb of God sent as the Sacrifice for our sins to die on Calvary’s Cross and was Resurrected 3 days later because He was and is God’s only begotten Son and is now sitting at the Right Hand of God…until we choose to believe with our own free will this glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are lost, condemned and unable to yield unto God.

The problem in today’s modern church is they lift up philosophies from their own mind to comfort the sinner in their sin, therefore the lost never know they are a sinner and look to the church to “fix them” and not the Lord.  Once we know and understand Who Jesus is and what He has done for whosoever will believe, His Resurrection is NEVER in doubt.  The Resurrection of Jesus was dependent on His finished work on the Cross.  He came to be the Sacrifice for our sin and His Resurrection was a given because of WHO He is and what He has done.  Please don’t think for a minute I’m in some way taking away from Jesus’ glorious Resurrection, God forbid no!  However, I know in Whom I serve and my Lord’s Resurrection was NEVER in doubt.

“Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him:

⁹ Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over Him.

¹⁰ For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He lives, he lives unto God.

¹¹ Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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 6:8-14. 

The lost are unable to yield to God because they are not alive unto God.  Their sin nature still rules on the throne of their heart.  The lost are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sin.  If it were possible for us to yield unto God before our Salvation “as those that are alive from the dead” (Romans 6:13), there would have been no reason for Jesus to go to the Cross to give us dominion over sin (Romans 6:14).   We in our flesh cannot overcome sin.  Our religious ceremonies, traditions, feasts and festivals cannot overcome sin.  There is only One answer for sin and that is Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross.  It is our faith in Jesus’ work that allows the Holy Spirit to isolate the sin nature we are all born with…this IS the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus which frees us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).  This IS the power of God for those of us who are saved.  This IS the good fight of faith…faith in Jesus and His finished work on the Cross.

As Believers we are now able to yield unto God.  We are a new creature in Christ Jesus and able to partake in His 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.

When we pick up our cross and follow Jesus, our cross is not our burdens. How do we deny ourselves then at the same time pick up our burden (our cross)?

“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.

Our cross consists of partaking in the Divine Nature and receiving those exceedingly great and precious promises afforded us by Jesus’ work on His Cross and following Him…yielding unto Him as those alive from the dead.  Doing that in which we were unable to do before our glorious Salvation – follow Jesus.

If the lost reject Jesus because they are lost, why do the religious reject Jesus for day to day living?  Because they are religious?

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17.

-Donna Warren

“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:  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 1:3-4. 

Partakers of the Divine Nature are not controlled by their sin nature because they have believed upon Him Who gives them dominion over their sin nature, Jesus Christ.  The Bible does not teach sinless perfection. Corruption has not put on incorruption this side of glory.  What the Word of God does tell us is sin shall not have dominion over us.  So why are so many Christians bound by sin?  Why does their sin nature have dominion if they believe in Jesus Christ?

“Neither yield ye 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.  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:13-14.

Once we are born again and planted together in the likeness of Jesus’ death, we shall also be in the likeness of His Resurrection (Romans 6:5).  We are given dominion over our Adamic nature, or our sin nature.  The problem arises when well intentioned, religious Christian intercedes and directs our faith to scriptural doctrines but doctrines which were not given for dominion over our sin nature.  Because our faith has changed from Jesus’ work to our work, albeit seemingly Scriptural, our dominion is not maintained.  Ironically these doctrines are given to “gain” dominion over the sin which binds the new Believer.  Never forget, satan took the Scripture and twisted it as well.  We cannot gain dominion over our sin nature.  Dominion is a free gift given to the Believer by grace through faith in Jesus’ finished work, not our work, and we maintain dominion by grace through faith in Jesus.

The modern church has become a halfway house between fellowship with God and fellowship with the world.  The Believer cannot place themselves, their spiritual gifts and their callings at the foot of the world and the foot of the Cross.  To whomever we yield ourselves to, it is to them we serve.  The religious attempt to take the Holy Spirit’s position as teacher and comforter all the while thinking they are doing the Lord a service.  This in turn leads the new Believer down a path of destruction…destruction of their faith.  The Believer’s faith is not authored and finished by the Lord Jesus Christ but derailed by fruitless and religious ceremonies and traditions.

There are Believers who love the Lord Jesus Christ yet remain bound by their sin nature.  They hate their sin as much as they hate others but simply cannot “gain” victory.  The Lord wants to deliver His Children from their bondage.  God is calling them out of the halfway houses into fellowship with Him.  The Holy Spirit will do, wants to do and fully capable of doing what He is commissioned to do when we put our faith in Jesus, Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross.  He, the Holy Spirit, will derail the ruling monarch in our heart, the sin nature, when our faith is placed in Jesus…the ONLY answer to sin.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

¹⁴ But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

¹⁵ But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

¹⁶ For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? but we have the mind of Christ.”  1 Corinthians 2:12-16.

“But these (false teachers), as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

14 Having eyes full of adultery (spiritual adultery), and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” 2 Peter 2:12-16.

**The term riot in verse 13 actually means luxurious or delicate living. In the Greek it is “tryphe” (Strong’s G5172).

“17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:17-19.

False doctrine impresses the listener by appealing to the material things. The false teachers seduce those not well grounded in the Truth of the Word of God by guaranteeing their way will lead to happiness. They are promising freedom while they are bound in religion. It is not seen as religion because it declares freedom, joy and peace unto all. However, this religion forbids the Believer to speak out against those things which are not of God. It condemns the Believer for rebuking and trying to snatch one out of the fire. This false doctrine keeps one forever chasing the joy of the Lord without ever obtaining the joy of the Lord.

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” 2 Peter 2:20.

If Believer’s reject God’s plan to heal the brokenhearted and deliver the captives through the power of God which is the preaching of Jesus’ atoning work on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will believe, their latter end is worse than the beginning. They have been given the Gospel of Jesus for deliverance but have been seduced by great swelling words of vanity to another way of joy. They waited on God but not for God.

It is time to stop playing church. There is a lost and dying world that need to know Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done for them on Calvary’s Cross. He is alive and sitting at the Right Hand of God. We sit in our pews and exhort each other with swelling words while there is a harvest of those who need an experience with the Lord Jesus Christ right now today. They are perishing before our eyes, my loved ones, your loved ones and other’s loved ones because some vain religion declared by some false teacher has kept the Believer bound from speaking against that which is not of God.

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17.

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16:13-14.

Just to be clear, I believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues. When I say this I do not mean the gift of tongues and interpretation as in the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-10) but praying in another language as in Acts 2:4, ” And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Now all of this being said, I’m not here to argue this point…each person can believe as they wish. Besides, it is too late to tell me otherwise, I have been Baptized in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in other tongues….I have been baptized with fire and am thankful to God for His keeping power.

“John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I comes, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:” Luke 3:16.

However, we “Pentecostals”, as we are known, have placed our faith in the mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit for victory over sin. When I say sin, I speak of bondage, sickness, acts of sin and the results of sin. In other words, the sin nature that we are all born with because of Adam’s fall is the reason for sin in the world today. When I say sin is the problem, I don’t mean one is sick because they sinned, although in some instances that may be the case, I mean they are sick because of sin in this fallen world. Sin IS the problem. What I want you to understand is that the Holy Spirit was not given to us to overcome sin, Jesus was the One Who defeated death, hell and the grave on Calvary’s Cross…Jesus defeated sin. The Scripture plainly states the Holy Spirit will not speak of Himself, He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify Jesus.

” For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2.

You see, “the law of the Spirit” is the law by which the Holy Spirit works and the Holy Spirit will never speak of Himself but glorify Jesus. The Holy Spirit is only commissioned to work through one’s faith in Jesus’ atoning work on Calvary’s Cross, not through our faith in Him (the Holy Spirit) for victory over sin. Again, the Holy Spirit will always point us to Jesus’ work because our faith in Jesus is the only way the Holy Spirit is commissioned to isolate our sin nature…not through our faith in Him. The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus that makes us free from the law of sin and death is a spiritual law that requires faith in what Jesus has done on the Cross to pay our sin debt to God and give us dominion over our sin nature which allows the Holy Spirit to do what He is commissioned to do in the Believer’s life…free us from the law of sin and death.

I do hope my Pentecostal friends understand that I am in no way saying this to be ugly in any way. However, there is a world out there of Christians who are bound by the powers of darkness. Their faith has been swept to and fro by every doctrine that has come down the pike. Many of these doctrines are Scriptural doctrines, (fasting, communion and in this case, Baptism of the Holy Spirit) but please understand, these doctrines were not given to us for dominion over our sin nature….and again, our sin nature is the problem. Jesus Christ came in the flesh, died on Calvary’s Cross and atoned for every sin and gave us dominion over sin. Knowing this, Who Jesus is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross, we also know His blessed Ressurrection was NEVER in question. Jesus is alive and sitting at the Right Hand of God. His eyes are running “…to and fro throughout the whold earth to show Himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him…” 2 Chronicles 16:9.

“He (Apostle Paul) said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were you baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. 4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” Acts 19:2-6.

I thank my God everyday for the mighty Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit endues us with power to witness and serve. At Salvation, the Holy Spirit dethrones the reigning monarch in our heart, the sin nature, and we are born of the Spirit. We become partakers in the Divine Nature through our faith in Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4) . Our Salvation experience and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are two separate experiences. At Salvation we are baptized into Jesus, into His Death, our old man is crucified with Him and we are born again. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is Jesus baptizing the Believer in the Holy Spirit. “…He (Jesus) shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” Matt. 3:11 and Luke 3:16.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was not given to overcome sin, Jesus Christ defeated sin. The Holy Spirit will always point to Jesus, Who He is and what He has done on the Cross, He will guide us into all Truths, He will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and He will give us dominion over our sin when our faith is placed in Jesus…this is a spiritual law, it is the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

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

“ And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?²⁸ And did I choose him (Aaron) out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

²⁹ Wherefore kick you at My Sacrifice and at My Offering, which I have commanded in My habitation; and honour thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people?

³⁰ Wherefore the Lord God of Israel said, I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before Me for ever: but now the Lord says, Be it far from Me; for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.”     1 Samuel 2:27-29.

The sons of Eli had dishonored God’s Sacrifice’s and treated them as worldly which caused the children of Israel to transgress. They no longer wanted to offer sacrifices to God because Eli’s sons would take parts of the sacrifice and not leave any for the feast of the offerer.   “Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.” 1 Samuel 2:17.    Instead of rebuking his sons, Eli honored their will before God’s Will.  Eli became an accomplice to this abomination because of his failure to fulfill his obligation to the work of God.

Was Eli the first seeker sensitive preacher?

“And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.  ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.  ¹³ For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knows; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.  ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.” 1 Samuel 3:11-14.

There is evidence of Eli’s knowledge of his son’s abomination against God but there is no evidence of Eli’s repentance for allowing his sons abomination.  Our Sacrifice, Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross , is of no effect without true repentance for our sin.   Knowing our sin and repenting of our sin are two different things.  Compromising and condoning those who attempt to rival the atoning work of Jesus on Calvary’s Cross for victory over sin through philosophy and schemes of man is a sin.  It is placing man’s will above God’s will and is sweeping the church to and fro with doctrines of demons…it is a sin to know this, compromise with this and not repent of this.

Eli knew of his son’s behavior regarding the work of God but did not repent for not restraining them and therefore was an accomplice to their work and not God’s work as he was called to be.  Eli honored man before God.  Sadly, Eli knew the ways of the Lord but did not follow them.  He did not judge according to Scripture, he judged according to man.  It is a tragedy how many Eli’s we have today behind the pulpit.  Many do know the ways of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they in fact honor man before God…they  are seeker sensitive.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15.

“ But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me:” John 15:26.

The modern church will be judged for refusing to judge evil as evil.  Sympathizing, compromising and unifying with the world in order to win the world is not declaring the Gospel of Jesus to the four corners of the world.  Instead it is a cloak of deception which presents philosophies and superstitions as the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Please understand, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a method and these vain superstitions and philosophies will not grow a relationship with our Lord Jesus.

“He that has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21.

One of the results of love is obedience to that which is loved…because it is out of love that the obedience is done.  How does one know Jesus, Who He is and what He has done, if philosophies from the hearts of man are taught behind the pulpits?  Harbingers, shemitahs, blood moons, prayer shawls, feasts, festivals and ceremonies appeal to the flesh but are nothing more than superstition.  It is the same seducing spirit behind old Jewish mysticism wrapped in a new package for the modern church to get their eyes off of Jesus, or rather keep their eyes off of Jesus and keep them focused on the ceremonies.   Their ceremonies attempt to rival the atoning work of Jesus as holy.  Please don’t say the ceremonies and festivals are done to honor God because they are not honoring God but bringing reproach upon the work of the Lord.  They distract the Believer by veiling the evil motives of the seducing spirits through their (the Believer’s) reverence for God and cause them to continually look to and depend upon the ceremonies for their perceived holiness.  It would not be called deceit if it wasn’t deceitful.

“ Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them.  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide My eyes from you: yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:13-15.

It is not a new thing that God’s people are swept to and fro by every wind of doctrine because of seducing spirits.  The Israelites removed their eyes from God and placed them on the ceremonies as well as we see in the above Scripture.  The allurements of the world has not changed and neither has the Lord our God.

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.  Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land:”  Isaiah 1:16-19.

There is but one way the Holy Spirit is commissioned to open the eyes of our heart and that is the closest thing to a “method” the Word of God gives.  It is through faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to free us from sin and death.  The modern church will be judged for not judging that which competes with the work of Jesus for atonement, deliverance and holiness.

“ I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” 1 Corinthians 6:5.

Come, let us reason….

-Donna Clark Warren

“ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delights in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24.

Recognize the difference in seeking God for Divine direction, which He will always bless, and seeking the Lord to bless our direction.  One will produce good fruit and the other fruit of our flesh.  Now understand this, God cannot bless the fruit of our flesh.  The word of faith doctrine has Believer’s declaring and decreeing that which is not of God which in turn is causing Christians to lie to themselves and God.  How does one seek healing when they refuse to claim they are sick?  God knows we’re sick, everyone else can see we’re sick but if someone asks about what ails us, we quickly rebuke that “word curse”.  I’m sorry to be so blunt but that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!    That is superstition not faith!!

Religion is full of superstition and philosophies stemming from man’s intellectual knowledge (the fruit of their flesh) of their perceived God of the Bible.  How in the world can a “word curse” curse a Child of God without God allowing it?  Is that curse stronger than His Blood?  This ritual or ceremony these people go through to break these word curses, family curses and soul ties is an abomination to God.  If we sin, we repent and ask the Lord to forgive us.  We can call it all of the fancy and flamboyant titles we want but the Lord calls it sin and there is only one answer for sin…Jesus Christ and His shed Blood on Calvary’s Cross.  Faith in HIS work is what broke the curse the day we accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour.  Any other method for dominion over our sin nature is at direct enmity with Jesus’ work.  If we sin, it’s not the devil’s fault…it’s ours.  The devil is just being the devil.  He wouldn’t be the devil if He didn’t tempt us to sin.  The problem is, we, in our flesh, don’t want to admit we can’t beat the devil so we concoct some ridiculous ceremony that appeals to our flesh and makes us “feel” better to gain victory over that sin.  However, we still haven’t “beat” the devil.  Satan finds our ceremonies and rituals quite amusing I’m sure because our faith is in those ceremonies…they are in fact rivaling Jesus’ work for victory.

Again, there is only one way we can maintain (not gain) our victory over our sin nature and that is through faith in Jesus’, Who He is and what He has done…for our Salvation and dominion over our sin nature.  The Holy Spirit is only commissioned to isolate our sin nature, thus giving us dominion over our sin nature, when our faith is in Jesus (Romans 8:2), not faith in our self efforts, self will or “our part”.

“ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  ⁶ For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  ⁸ So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8.

There is only one way we receive spiritual knowledge and that is through faith in the work of Jesus on Calvary’s Cross which allows the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the deep things of God, any other knowledge is intellectual knowledge which will always be at enmity with God’s Will.  This intellectual knowledge produces self righteousness and superstition, not humble and taught souls.

” But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. ¹⁰ But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. ¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.¹⁶ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-16.

-Donna Clark Warren