^“And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” John 12:23-25.

When Jesus’ hour had come to be glorified, He told His disciples unless He was sacrificed to pay sins debt, He would abide alone but if He died, He would bring forth much fruit.  For those who accept the Lord’s glorious Salvation, we are His fruit.  When we understand Who Jesus is and what He did for us on Calvary’s Cross, we also understand Jesus’ Resurrection was never in question.  It was and is finished on Calvary’s Cross and Jesus’ Resurrection is proof.

“Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Luke 20:18.

The Lord will lead us out to the wilderness so we can fall on that stone and bring forth fruit unto Him.  If you are in the wilderness, praise the Lord for bringing you there…He’s trying to show you the stone, the Rock of your Salvation.  Look to Him for understanding.  Faith in the finished work of Jesus to deliver you, to bring you through the wilderness to the promise land, IS falling on the Rock.  If you are not giving it to the Lord, you are keeping it from the Lord.  Too many are still working for their victory over sin instead of giving it to God and allowing Him to deliver them.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33.

Fall upon the Rock of your Salvation, Jesus Christ.  Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord.  Trust Him to bring you out of the wilderness once you fall upon the Rock.  Bring forth much fruit unto God by the word of your testimony.

“And they overcame him because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” Revelations 12:11. 

-Donna Clark Warren

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know. ⁵ Thomas said unto Him, Lord, we know not where You go; and how can we know the way? ⁶ Jesus said unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:1-6.

If we do not know the Word of God for ourselves, then we do not know The Way, The Truth and The Life…we do not know the Jesus of the Bible but merely what man has told us about Jesus of the Bible.

“And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11-12. 

The Lord has given us His five fold ministry for the perfecting of the Saints, not as a substitution for knowing His Word for ourselves.  If we don’t know the full counsel, rightly divided Word of God for ourselves, how do we know the God we worship is the God of the Bible?

“Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2.

The seeker sensitive, psychology churches routinely preach and teach another Jesus.  They preach a gospel that does not allow reproving and rebuking.  To reprove or rebuke false doctrine is considered judgment of the person.  How are we to discern doctrine if we don’t know the Word of God for ourselves?   Are we to follow the false teacher into the ditch?  They are not God’s anointed you know.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.

You will know the false teachers by their fruit, by their followers.  Does the sin nature rule and reign in their fruit or the Divine Nature?  Many Believers are oppressed by the devil because of teachers teaching another way of deliverance other than faith in Jesus and His finished work.  The Holy Spirit is not commissioned to isolate the sin nature in a Believer whose faith is in their self efforts and self will for deliverance from their bondage, He is commissioned to deliver the captives who are looking to the works of the Lord Jesus Christ for their victory (Romans 8:2).

Do we know the Word of God for ourselves or do we know what man has told us about the Word of God?  The Lord has called His Ministers who preach and teach His Word and we should all be thankful to God for them.  They will always glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, they will lift Him up and allow the Holy Spirit to draw the sinners and the Saints closer to Him.

“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 1:18.

Everyone should be studying to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).  We should all be determined to know nothing among us except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), pressing toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).  These Scriptures are not only for the five fold ministry, they are for each and every Child of God.

-Donna Clark Warren

“But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? ⁸ And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drank; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? ⁹ Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow (think) not. ¹⁰ So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” Luke 17:7-10. 

The unprofitable servant attends to their duties first before themselves.  Because the Child of God is justified through faith in the works of Jesus, our good works, which only come through properly placed faith as He molds us into His Divine call on our lives, are our duties – our good works do not, will not and cannot ever profit us any further justification.  There is nothing any greater than what Jesus accomplished at Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour, therefore the work we do, no matter the capacity, will not profit us anything.  Will the Lord bless us? Yes!  We are talking about justification.  We cannot be anymore justified than when our faith is placed solely and exclusively on Jesus Christ and His finished work, no matter our good works.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Romans 5:1.

A Child of God is either in the Will of God or not in the Will of God.  The devil’s goal is to get us to step out of God’s Will.  There will be trials and tribulations in God’s Will.  The difference is, when we are in the Will of God, there are times the Lord will use satan as an instrument to build our faith by testing our faith.  When we are outside the Will of God, we have indeed listened to the lies of satan.  Jesus will lead us into the wilderness only to lead us out stronger in the faith, while satan will push us deeper than we want to go.  To whom we listen, is up to us.

“But he that enters in by the door is the Shepherd of the Sheep. ³ To Him the porter opens; and the sheep hear His voice: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. ⁴ And when He puts forth His own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. ⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:2-5.

The Divine calling in which the Lord has placed on all of His Children, should never be taken lightly.  Too often, we decide we would rather be a profitable servant of satan instead of an unprofitable servant of the Lord and we step out of the Will of God.  In our flesh, we are not content in the lot the Lord has supplied, so we step in to the work of another calling in which we have not been called.  Let us not forget, the devil is more dangerous disguised as an angel of light than he is a roaring lion and will attempt to push us pass the divine line the Lord has for us.

“And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹² For the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11-12. 

The Lord has called ALL of His Children to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the world.  “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2.  Just because one is not called to the ministry does not mean they are not called to reprove, rebuke and exhort the brethren.  On the other hand, just because we are called to reprove, rebuke and exhort the brethren does not mean we are called to the ministry…it means we are attending our duties as a child of God while remaining unprofitable in our justification.  We are no more or no less justified but we are unprofitable.  We often confuse our good works which are profitable in the Kingdom of God as profitable as well in our justification with God.

We must ever be diligent not to cross the divine line into another calling.  God has a divine calling for each and every Saint of God and we must always be satisfied with that which the Lord gives.  We must not seek to enlarge our own borders which the Lord cannot bless but allow the Holy Spirit, through our faith in the works of Jesus on Calvary’s Cross, to guide us into all Truths.  When Jesus does lead us into the wilderness to stretch our faith, we will know His voice and will not be operating on presumption.

“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things,” Matthew 25:21.  It is the faithful servant to whom the Master will say “well done”….not the profitable.

I could care less if I’m the one that when my feet hit the ground in the morning the devil says “oh no, she’s up”.  I would prefer to hear my Lord Jesus say the one I love is awake, let me go sup with her.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Wherefore she (Sarah) said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son (Ishmael): for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. ¹¹ And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. ¹² And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” Genesis 21:10-12.

We must let go of our bondwoman and her son, our works we birthed in the flesh.  Our denominations, ceremonies, feasts and festivals will not be heir with the Son of God in our hearts.  Entire ministries have been birthed with the bondwoman in which the Lord did not ordain.  As grievous as they may be, the bondwoman and her son must be cast out in order for the Holy Spirit to reign in our hearts and lives through our faith in Jesus and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross.

“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.
-Donna Clark Warren

 ^“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹ And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³ And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. ²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” Luke 16:19-25

Something that always stands out in this Scripture is the consciousness of both Lazarus, who was eternally comforted and the rich man, who is eternally entombed in torment.  Before the Cross of Jesus, the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin.  The Saints of the Old Testament were held captive by satan in Paradise, with him hoping to one day get them into the burning side of hell.  When Jesus came, He led “captivity captive”  (Ephesians 4:8-9).  In Paradise, the Old Testament Saints were comforted, just as Lazarus was, as they awaited the Cross of Jesus to deliver them. ” And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:15.  Jesus Christ made a show as He led satan’s captives (Old Testament Saints) captive, triumphing over satan and his minions.  The sin debt for past, present and future Children of God, for whosoever will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, was and is paid in full by the Blood of Jesus.

Then there was the rich man.  The one eternally entombed in torment…consciously.  They’re those Saints who won’t allow anything on earth to keep them from the Lord and then those who remain lost and will not allow God’s richest blessings to bring them to the Lord.  Some who walk in heavenly places and mind the things of the Holy Spirit by picking up their cross daily and appropriating their faith in Jesus, Who He is and what He has done.  Then those who mind things of the flesh, concluding their blessings are due to their works and never realizing their wickedness.

There is an entire religious world that has not realized their own wickedness.  They are being brought together under the guise of unity in the name of God but it is not the God of the Bible, it is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…it is their own god, the idol they have built to accommodate their lifestyle with a strange fire that brings death.  The only thing that really matters in life is being right with God, the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  There is a Heaven and there is a hell.  It is very easy to step off in to hell, eternally entombed in torment.  However, there is only One Way to make Heaven our home…Jesus Christ.

” Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. ² But he that enters in by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. ³ To Him the porter opens; and the sheep hear His voice: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. ⁴ And when He puts forth His own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. ⁵ And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10:1-5. 

What is keeping you from the Lord Jesus Christ?  Is He calling your name to lead you out?  Are you listening?  Regrettably, the rich man did not listen and continues to this day consciously seeking that one drop of water.  Jesus has won the battle already against whatever you’re fighting.  Allow Jesus to lead you out – follow Him, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

-Donna Clark Warren

“And God, which knows the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; ⁹ And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” Acts 15:8-11.

How were their hearts purified?  Was it by doing “their part?”  In a sense yes but “their part” was faith.  The modern church feels that faith in Jesus and His finished work isn’t enough to purify the heart so they add their programs, routines, rituals and ceremonies to make the followers feel like they are doing something…doing their part.  These works hinder the grace of God.  “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21.  These practices hinder God’s grace because if He did in fact move on one’s behalf while they are doing their part (anything other than faith) it would not be Him that is glorified but the person or the method.  We must never believe that God’s blessings are condoning our disobedience or unbelief.  The Lord continued to bless the Israelites in the wilderness in hopes to bring them to the saving knowledge of Him, yet an entire generation perished.

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?¹⁷ But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. ¹⁸ Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans 6:16-18. 

For some reason many get twisted when they think about the Apostle Paul having a sin nature.  The only One Who was born without a sin nature was Jesus Christ and Him alone.  We are all born with a sin nature due to Adam’s fall.  In Romans Chapter 6, 7 & 8, Paul talks of his warring with his sin nature, as all Saints will do from time to time, and most importantly the Apostle speaks of how to overcome our sin nature through our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross.

“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 6:23-24.  Many stumble when the mention of the Apostle Paul’s warring against the law in his mind and the law in his members is mentioned and they miss the “how” he overcame this war.   This is not speaking disparagingly of the Apostle Paul by any means but of how the Holy Spirit, through Paul, shows us how to have victory over our sin nature.  Don’t stumble when someone talks about the Apostle Paul warring with his flesh because you will miss how he also obtained victory in that war…faith in Jesus and what HE did, not by doing “his part”.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2.

The Holy Spirit shows us “how” Paul obtained victory by the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” .  The law of the Spirit requires faith in Jesus and His finished work to free us from the law of sin and death.  The law of the Spirit does NOT require us to do “our part” – our part hinders our freedom from the law of sin and death.  “Our part” will in fact keep us busy in religious works.  We become so bound by those religious works  that we blindly find ourselves in the worst kind of bondage – religion!

Another offense I have found by those who reject this message is the thought that sin is condoned…absolutely and by all means no!  Our sin nature is a fact.  We are all born with a sin nature because of Adam’s fall.  However, when we are born again and baptized with Jesus into our Saviour’s death, we are now dead to our sin nature and alive unto God.  Our sin nature is not dead but we are dead to it.

“ Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ⁵ For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His Resurrection:”  Romans 6:3-5. 

It is our faith in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross that allows us to walk in the newness of life.  We don’t celebrate Christ’s death we celebrate what His death accomplished for whosoever will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.  Praise God, when we know WHO Jesus is and what He accomplished there on Calvary’s Cross, we also know His Resurrection was a given…there was never any doubt of our Lord’s Resurrection!

Once we are buried in the likeness of His death through our faith in what He accomplished there on the Cross, we are raised up by the glory of the Father…not by doing our part.  We are no longer spiritually dead in sin and trespasses but alive unto God.  Before our Salvation we were unable to yield to God, we were spiritually dead.  “Likewise reckon ye 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 ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Romans 6:11-12. 

Our sin nature is still alive but we are now alive unto God and not alive unto our sin nature.  However, when our faith gets misdirected to another source for victory over our sin nature (religious works, methods, 40 days, psychology, etc.) through all of these doctrines sweeping through the churches, we begin once more to become alive unto our sin nature.  Does this mean we are no longer born again? No!  This means our Sanctification and spiritual growth are stumped until our faith is redirected back to Jesus and His finished work.  Is there a danger of losing our Salvation?  Yes, if our Sanctification becomes stagnant and our faith begins to fail in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in grave danger.  Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail him (Luke 22:32).  The Lord knew Peter would fail but he prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail.  Our faith in Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is satan’s bullseye.  The devil knows if he can misdirect our faith, our faith is in danger of failing us because it is in the wrong object (“our part”, works, religion, denominations, etc.).  As long as our faith is placed solely and exclusively on what Jesus has done, no one can pluck us out of the Lord’s hand.  When we start following every scheme of man coming through the religious circles, we will follow them right in to a ditch….I’m speaking to you as well Hebraics Roots Movement!

How is our heart purified? “And God, which knows the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; ⁹ And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:8-9.  Our hearts are purified by faith…faith in Jesus Christ.  A purified heart will want to be obedient to the Word of God.  A purified heart will produce good works.  A purified heart is what will change the world…one heart at a time.

-Donna Clark Warren

“ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. ¹⁹ For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Romans 7:18-19.

The Apostle Paul’s will was to do good but how to perform that which is good, he found not.  They’re many who will (self will) to live for God but don’t know how to live for God and therefore place laws on their will.  These laws, no matter the good intentions, will not overcome the evil (sin) in our members that war against our self will.  Man has placed many a law to defeat sin, many of them Scriptural practices which were given but not to defeat sin.  They have misappropriated fasting, prayer and even the Lord’s Supper as a means to overcome sin.  As I stated but want to make perfectly clear, all of these are Scriptural but were not given to overcome the evil which is present within us.

“ I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 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 7:21-24.

It is the how that so many Believers have a problem with, the “how” to live for God.  We know what we are suppose to do, our will is present, but the “how” to perform is not present.  We all have to have this Romans Chapter 7 moment that the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul’s humility gave us; that moment when we realize our self will is present but we don’t know how to perform…we don’t know “how” to live the holy life the Lord Jesus calls us to live.

“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 hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2.

The law of the Spirit (the law of the Holy Spirit) of life in Christ Jesus is HOW we are made free from the law of sin and death.  “For by Grace are ye saved through faith;…” Ephesians 2:8.  The Holy Spirit is only commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death when our faith is placed on Jesus, on Who He is and what He has done on Calvary’s Cross to free us from the law of sin and death.  When we place a rule on our will, no matter the religious appearance, as a means of “how” to perform or “how” to live for God,  we are living under law and not grace.  We unknowingly and unwittingly place our faith in that law as a means to live for God.  Just as the Jews had placed their faith in the Mosaic Law to save them when in fact  it condemned them, we too place our faith in the taskmaster we have put in place as a means to overcome sin.  The Mosaic Law was holy and the Lord Jesus Christ was the only One Who could fulfill the Mosaic Law.  Even with good intentions, unless our faith is placed in Jesus and His finished work, we are living under law and not grace as a means to perform that which is good. 

“But my faith is in Jesus!”  I understand your faith is placed in Jesus and His finished Work for Salvation, praise the Lord and rightfully so.  But where is your faith placed when it comes to how to perform that which is good today?  What do you do when the law in your members war against the law of your mind?  What do you do when you will to do that which is good but how to perform you know not?  You do what the Holy Spirit showed us to do through the Apostle Paul, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2.

We don’t have to be swept to and fro with every wind of doctrine that places a new law on Believer’s in order to direct their faith to another means of victory over sin, that is the work of the devil.  “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” Galatians 5:4.  God’s grace come through faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, not by law.

-Donna Clark Warren