“And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not He that made that which is without make that which is within also?” Luke 11:39-40. 

The law, any law, whether it be the Mosaic Law, a Scriptural doctrine that man has made into a law, or some man made scheme to add righteousness or give dominion over our sin nature will only clean the outside of the cup while the inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.

The Mosaic Law was righteous and given to man to reveal their unrighteousness.  Man’s self righteousness would not accept their revealed unrighteousness, therefore they added to God’s Law and exalted themselves.  Is this striking a cord with anyone else?

“I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. ²² Though ye offer Me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. ²³ Take thou away from Me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.” Amos 5:21-23.

The Pharisees had exalted the rituals and ceremonies and neglected for what purpose they were actually intended, atonement for sin which enabled communion and fellowship with God.  All of the rituals and ceremonies were given as a type and shadow, a symbol, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Sadly, still today the laws are given which exalt the ceremony and neglect the Sacrifice.  The cups are cleaned on the outside but the inside remains ravenous and wicked.

“But He that enters in by the Door is the Shepherd of the Sheep.To Him the porter opens; and the Sheep hear His Voice: and He calls His Own Sheep by name, and leads them out.” John 10:2-3.

Hear me when I say this, “the porter”, the Law or the Doorkeeper, opens the door to  the only One Who kept the Law perfectly, Jesus Christ .  HE is the One Who fulfilled the Law and has entered in through the Door, calling His Sheep by name and leading them out.  Those feasts, festivals, rituals and ceremonies are the symbol of the One Who has entered through the door.   The porter (the Law) doesn’t open the door to those who enter in through the symbol but only through the Sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

Discern Who or what is being exalted.  Although the religious mention the name of Jesus in the ceremony, discern the reality of Who or what is actually being exalted, the ceremony or the Lord Jesus Christ.  Is the cup clean from the outside?  Jesus Christ is calling His Sheep out…do you hear Him?

-Donna Clark Warren

“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the Door of the sheep. ⁸ All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ¹¹ I am the good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees: and the wolf catches them, and scatters the sheep. ¹³ The hireling flees, because he is an hireling, and cares not for the sheep.

¹⁴ I am the Good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.” John 10:7-14.

The church is not the door to Jesus Christ but He is the Door to His church.  Those who have entered the Church of Jesus Christ know His voice and will not follow a hireling.  The hirelings have diluted the Gospel of Jesus to attract the world to the one world church.  They have come to kill, steal and destroy sheep who do not know the voice of the Lord and do not keep His Word, the false sheep who follow false shepherds.  The schemes of man and traditions of their religion are presented as the door to the Church of Jesus Christ, instead of Jesus Christ being lifted up as the Door to His Church.

Pray, discern, look and listen…whose voice do you hear?  Is it the voice of a hireling or the Voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ?  The hireling will present another door other than faith in Jesus and His finished work for victory over sin’s dominion.  The traditions, ceremonies, feasts and festivals which profit one nothing are presented as righteous to the hireling’s fold.

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. ⁶ For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. ⁷ Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? ⁸ This persuasion cometh not of Him that called you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:5-9.

This persuasion of traditions comes not from Him that called you, Jesus Christ.  Who did hinder you?  Was it a hireling?  Jesus is the Door to His Church…a particular religion is not the door to Jesus.

-Donna Clark Warren

“And He said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. ¹¹ Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God. ¹² Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and take away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. ¹³ They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the Word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. ¹⁴ And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. ¹⁵ But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Luke 8:10-15.

Many have a head knowledge of the Word of God, including satan himself, and he is still the devil.  The Word of God is only revealed to the Child of God with “…an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it…”.  Those that “hear” the Word and then “keep” the Word are those that are given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God…not those that “hear” and then “quote” but those that hear and then keep God’s Word.

Regrettably, we often attempt to discern the ground we are planting and not the seed we are planting according to the Word of God.  In other words, we change the Seed (The Word of God) to fit the ground instead of allowing the Seed to change the ground.  “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.  The Word of God is the discerner of the heart, not us.  Whether It falls on rocky ground or good ground, is not up to us to discern – we just plant the Seed.

Furthermore, we don’t plant tares to grow wheat, we plant wheat to grow wheat.  In an attempt to lure the lost into religious organizations, the religious plant tares instead of wheat.  Then when the tares are revealed as tares and not wheat, the religious blame the tares for being tares…you will know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:20).  When the religious plant religious tares, they get religious tares.  When the Word of God is planted, the Word of God discerns the heart. 

“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. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:14-15.  Stop discerning the ground and discern the seed you are planting by the Word of God and allow the Word of God to discern the heart.  -Donna Clark Warren

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ² For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ⁴ Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

The definition of apostasy is the abandonment of a previous loyalty.  The modern church has abandoned their first love, Jesus Christ and His finished work, for another gospel and are accursed.  “I marvel that ye 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. ⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-8.

The modern church preaches psychology and motivation to the people for deliverance instead of the Gospel of Jesus.  As a result, they have a form of godliness but by their actions are not godly.   Their gospel is more about themselves and leading by example.  They join the world to win the world to meet them where they are.  Truth be known, they have never had to leave the world because their pastors and preachers have met them “where they are” as well.  There is now no separation in the world and the church. 

Those who see this are constantly admonished for being “religious” which will “just turn them away from God”.   Yes preaching the full counsel of the Word of God will turn them away from “their god” and turn them to the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Please understand, condoning this other gospel is what is allowing them to turn away from God.  The god the apostate are now seeking is not the God of the Bible but a god some scheme of man has conjured up to fit fleshly desires.  If your god condones sin to win the lost, it is not the God of the Bible.   You are the one who is being religious by not allowing the Gospel of Jesus to offend when and where it needs to offend.  When the Gospel of Jesus offends the lost or bound, they have a choice to make and it is between them and God.  You plant the seed and wipe the dust off of your feet.  The Lord is longsuffering, just like He is with each and every one of us.  Just be sure to discern the seed your planting, not the ground but the seed.  Planting the wrong seed, preaching the wrong Jesus and the wrong Gospel allows bondages to remain.   

Sadly, many are being used as satan’s bait to lure others into bondage.  Instead of preaching the Gospel of Jesus that delivers from bondage, which would require pointing to the bondage and calling it what it is (sin), they lead by example, which by their actions, claim God’s grace allows them to “sin a little”, hence they are the bait…they have a “form of godliness”, they call evil good and good evil.  Not only is the bait used to tempt the one already in bondage but they, the bait, then places a law on them to overcome their sin nature.  This law incites the sin nature of the one already in bondage.  “But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” Romans 7:8.   First they are the bait and then the bait places the bound under the law.  Then to make matters worse, if and when they do go to the modern church, they are full of these same pharisees. Except today’s pharisees will not allow the offense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified to offend, they sugar coat and water it down into, you guessed it…a form of godliness.

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

Calling sin “sin” is not being rude.  Telling someone there is deliverance in the Cross of Jesus and what He there did is not being religious.  We are not called to win the world by joining the world.  We are called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the world and HE will draw all men unto Him.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14.  This does not mean to isolate one’s self from the lost.  We are to proclaim the good news to the bound and preach deliverance to the captives.  We tell them the full counsel of the Word of God.  This includes the part about sin and hell.  Those who have been forgiven much, love much.  Diluting the Gospel of Jesus is diluting and sugar coating what He did on the Cross to save us from our sin.  It is demeaning His work for the sake of their feelings, so as not to offend the lost and cause them to turn away from God.  The fact of the matter is, they are already turned away from God.
                                                                                                                                       “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12.

Before we worry about offending someone, discern what it is that is offensive?  Is it the Truth of the Gospel of the schemes of man?  Schemes of man will never offend the flesh but the Gospel of Jesus will divide the very joints and marrow.

-Donna Clark Warren

“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Luke 7:47

When you have been forgiven much, you love much.  We don’t realize how lost we were until we are born again.  As we grow in the Lord, as Jesus Christ authors our faith, we don’t realize exactly how saved we are.  Step by step, precept upon precept our faith is built upon Jesus and what He did for us on Calvary’s Cross.  As each test is pressed through with our faith placed solely and exclusively in Jesus’ atoning work, we look back and see He was there all along.

The modern church is the breach that redirects faith to the harlot of false doctrine for deliverance, causing repeated failure and complete destruction of faith.  The modern church will console and condone the very sin our Lord paid for on Calvary’s Cross.  The Believer in turn doesn’t understand of what they have been forgiven.  They never know the depth of their condemnation before accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour…they are never able to love much because they don’t know of how much they have been forgiven.

Sadly, many believe they are saved because they said that prayer and turned in their membership card.  They don’t believe with their heart that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Saviour but give a mental acquiesce of Jesus.  In other words, what they consider their Salvation is more of an implied acceptance therefore not having to actively oppose the Gospel of Jesus.  I know this from experience.  If you asked me 10 years ago if I was saved and believed in Jesus Christ, I would have adamantly declared yes…all along living like the devil.  “Thou believe that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” James 2:19.

Sinners are called to believe in Jesus and what He did on the Cross. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.  Saints are called to follow Jesus Christ. “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:24-25.

Step by step, line upon line…we find life and life more abundantly.  It is true, we are just as saved the first day we are born again as we are the day we cross over into glory as long as our faith remains in Jesus Christ.  There are no “levels” of Salvation.  It is our Sanctification that is progressive.  Day by day, fighting the fight of faith in Jesus Christ and HIS finished work…not ours.  Realizing it is Him, Jesus Christ, that blesses us, protects us, guides and directs us and that is what He does, that is WHO He is – that is how He authors and finishes our faith.  Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little, we begin to know just how saved we truly are; we begin to understand of just how much we have been forgiven and we begin to love Him more everyday of our life.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s Hand.” John 10:27-29.

The only person that can take one out of the Hand of God is one’s self.  The power of God to keep us comes through our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work…not 40 days, shemitahs, harbingers, festivals and feasts but faith in Jesus which allows the Holy Spirit to isolate our sin nature and quicken our spirits to glorify God.  When our faith is not it Jesus, the Holy Spirit is not commissioned to free us from sin and death.  “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.

If you have been forgiven much, you completely understand what I’m trying to say.  If you feel you haven’t done too much to be forgiven of, in other words you are/were a relatively “good person”, unfortunately you don’t understand the wickedness of your sin and need to repent.   Have you been forgiven much?  Do you now condone that which you have been forgiven because you use to do it?  That’s the devil’s workshop.  There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.  Without Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we are condemned.  With Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are now spiritually alive unto God (Romans 6:11) and no longer dead in our sin and trespasses.  Being born again is being born of the Spirit of God (John 3:5) through faith in Jesus…it is not until we are spiritually alive that we realize we were spiritually dead.  It is not until we are born again that we realize of how much we have been forgiven.

-Donna Clark Warren

“ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10.

The devil may bluster and blow but never forget he is on a leash providing we continue to trust in the Lord and seek His will.  If it was over every time the devil told us it was over, we would all be over.  God’s perfect Will requires our faith in Jesus and His finished work.  Religion will tell us to “do our part”.  Our part is faith and it is the Lord Jesus Christ that does the work in us, in our heart.  It is the Holy Spirit ruling and reigning in our heart because of our faith in Jesus, that circumcises our heart and makes us a new creature in Christ Jesus.  This work is done on the inside by the Lord which results in good and fruitful works, not by laws, rules and regulations.  Even the Old Testament Saints, their faith was in the blood of the sacrifices of bulls and goats to atone for their sin, not their works.  Those bulls and goats didn’t take away the sin from their account but reconciled their fellowship with God.  Jesus Christ paid their sin debt and our sin debt on Calvary’s Cross…it is Him and His Work that delivered us from satan’s grip and gave us victory over death, hell and the grave.

When we allow the Lord to have His way and submit our will to His Will and the devil starts being the devil, we look to Jesus Christ.  “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. ⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. ⁵ Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? ⁶ But He giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:3-7.

The adultery spoken of here is spiritual adultery which is faith in our efforts and our abilities…faith in our works. Standing in our faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified will lay waste all other fads that come down the pike in the modern church.

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2.  Being determined to know nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross will cause you to understand the blusters and blows from satan are nothing but a distraction to take your eyes off of Jesus.  Religion will have you focused on every bluster and blow he snorts, the Holy Spirit will always point you to Jesus for deliverance.  Discern the distraction.  Is it blusters and blows or a quickening of the spirit by the Holy Spirit?

-Donna Clark Warren

“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

As I sat at the hospital with my stepfather, Buddy, who is in the late stages of lung disease, I watched as he would fight the restraints they put on him.  His carbon dioxide levels had gotten so high he was confused and would pull out his IV, take off his oxygen and anything else that had him bound.  When he didn’t realize he had the restraints own, he would relax.  For instance, we put pillows under his arms as an arm rest of sorts where he couldn’t feel the pull of the restraints. Then we would put pillows around the bottom his legs as a type of wall because he couldn’t physically lift his leg up and over the pillows to get out of bed.  Please don’t misunderstand, he would get frustrated at not being able to lift his leg up over the “wall” but we would talk to him and he would relax for a minute.  I am thankful to God that we no longer have to restrain him at all.  This was only for a matter of hours on Sunday until they got his medications regulated.

All I could think about while watching this bondage was all of God’s children who are in the bondage of religion.  They don’t feel the restraints as long as the pillow comforts them; as long as it keeps them lifted up enough to not feel the pull of the bondage.  However, if the pillow is ever removed or if they ever decide to fight the restraints, the restraints get tighter and tighter.  The harder you pull, the tighter they get.  All of this in an attempt to keep one aligned to rules and regulations according to the restraints purposes.  As the fight against the restraints escalates, the restraints will always win unless they are released.  The walls are built but we can’t physically get over the walls until they come down.

“This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My Laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” Hebrews 10:16. 
It is only when the heart of an individual is changed that the yoke of religion is broken.  In our flesh we tend to trust the restraints, the yoke of our religion, instead of trusting totally and completely in Jesus Christ.  We trust that heavy yoke and are praised of men for keeping the religious rules and regulations.  All of the while, never realizing the praise of men is the pillow that keeps us from feeling the pull of the restraints.

Putting our faith in these heavy yokes to keep us spiritually aligned to these rules and regulations according to man’s laws is a sin, it is spiritual adultery.  It is only when our faith is in Jesus and what He did on Calvary’s Cross that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to come into our hearts and dethrone the sin nature that keeps the pillows fluffed so we don’t feel the restraints.  Because of our faith in Jesus, Who He is and what HE has done, the Holy Spirit circumcises our heart and we become a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17).

“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:29.

Ask the Lord to show you the pillow that is hindering you from feeling the heavy yoke of religion.  Discern the praises of men. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.” Galatians 5:1-3.

Please say a prayer for my stepfather as well.  Spiritually, his yoke easy and he is whole.  Physically, we are still looking to God for a miracle and have no doubt that our Lord is able.

God bless,

-Donna Clark Warren

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in Truth.”  John 4:23-24.

As the Holy Spirit moves upon our spirit, as He quickens our spirit, we worship the Lord in spirit.  No where in Scripture does it talk about New Testament Saints wearing prayer shawls or yamakas.  So you don’t think it is a sin to wear your prayer shawl?  Cain didn’t think his sacrifice was sinful either.  What does a prayer shawl or yamaka do?  Are they worn to show reverence to God?  So when they are worn, is God reverenced more?  In other words, the fact that I don’t wear one, do those that do reverence the Lord more than myself and others?

Whatever is not of faith is sin.  Jesus said “If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.” John 14:14.  The Lord did not say in a prayer shawl and yamaka, He said in “My name”.  I do not say these things to be ugly. I say these things because they are a sin and there are many who are blinded by their prayer shawls leading others straight into a ditch.  Whether one says so or not, their faith is placed in those prayer shawls (Cain’s sacrifice) to show reverence to the Lord in the flesh for show among men and not in God’s Sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ.  If we want to reverence our Holy God, we are obedient to His Holy Word by walking in the faith of His Son to enter into the Throne Room of God.  The prayer shawls and yamakas are not entering the Throne Room of God through faith in Jesus and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross, they are adding a ritual to what Jesus did on the Cross.

If I am wrong (which I am not), and your faith is not in the prayer shawls and yamakas, when you go to church this weekend forsake your prayer shawl and worship the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit and in Truth…in HIS name, not in your prayer shawl.  See?  Your faith is in your prayer shawl and yamaka.

“And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” Genesis 4:6-7. 

The Sacrifice Jesus made on Calvary’s Cross for whosoever will accept Him as their Lord and Saviour is still available.   Faith in Jesus’ finished work is the only Sacrifice God will accept.  Belittling the Cross of Jesus by adorning faith with prayer shawls and yamacas to enter into the presence of God is not reverencing God but in fact, rejecting Jesus’…it is Cain’s sacrifice. Repent.  “If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted?” Genesis 4:7.

-Donna Clark Warren

“But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit search all things, yea, the deep things of God. ¹¹ For what man know the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God know 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 teach, but which the Holy Ghost teach; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. ¹⁴ But the natural man receive not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-14.

Before our Salvation, we know the spirit of a person to some extent. Because of our spirit, our intuition responds before we are consciously aware. “For what man know the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?…” 1 Cor. 2:11.  However,  we do not and cannot know the Spirit of God, we cannot compare spiritual things with spiritual things until we are born again.  A sinner is not spiritually discerned because they do not have the Holy Spirit living inside of them.  Please understand, learning about God through scientific investigation is learning of God by the spirit of the world (satan), it is not spiritual knowledge.  Satan knows the Word of God better than most Christians and he is still satan.

A born again Believer, with the Spirit of God living on the inside, will learn of God by the Spirit revealing the Lord to them.  Their spirit is quickened to the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Who He is and what He has done.  Our spirits are not quickened by the Holy Spirit when psychology, motivation or other schemes of man offer up Cain’s sacrifice before the Lord.

Oh, but when you start talking about Jesus…when you start preaching the Gospel of the One Who set the captives free, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit on the inside of each and every Believer will begin to quicken the spirit of man.  “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63.  The 40 days, shemitahs, feasts and festivals are laid wasted by the Word of God being preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Learning about Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation, is revealed to us, precept upon precept, line upon line through the teaching and the preaching of the Word of God…the rightly divided, full counsel Word of God.  What we preach and teach is where our faith lies and where our faith lies is what we preach and teach.  When our faith is properly anchored in Jesus Christ and what He did on Calvary’s Cross to atone for our sin and give us dominion over our sin nature, the Holy Spirit is commissioned to teach us the deep things of God.  He, the Holy Spirit, is the only One qualified to reveal God to us because He is God.  The Holy Spirit is the member of the Godhead who deals with man and He deals with man only through faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified (Romans 8:2), not schemes of man.

The church has been swept to and fro, teaching every doctrine that comes down the pike for victory over our sin nature.  All along, victory was found the day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we just didn’t maintain our victory through continued faith in Him for our spiritual growth (sanctification).  The harlot of false doctrine seduced many to another bridegroom for “spiritual growth”.  Instead of “maintaining” our victory, we tried to “gain” our victory and lost.  The preaching of the Cross of Jesus does not need to be adapted to appeal to man, that is Cain’s sacrifice.  The preaching of the Cross of Jesus needs to be lifted up to the four corners of the world, so the Holy Spirit can bear witness and bring the lost to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the Truth. For there is One God, and One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Timothy 2:3-5.

-Donna Clark Warren

“As He spake these words, many believed on Him. ³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; ³² And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. ³³ They answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? ³⁴ Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. ³⁵ And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. ³⁶ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:30-36.

The Lord did not say “ye shall quote the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.”  Reciting Scripture is different than understanding the full counsel of the Word of God in context.  I did not just say it was a bad thing to recite or memorize Scripture.  Truth be known, I could probably do more of it myself.  However, if we don’t understand what we are reciting than we don’t “know the Truth” we are quoting the Truth.  Furthermore, if we are reciting the Truth to speak something into existence that the Lord does not Will, we are in fact using God’s Word as an incantation.  An incantation is a series of words used to make something “magic” happen.  We cannot use God’s Word against His Will for our gratification.

“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.  God’s power is to further God’s Will and His power is in the Cross of Jesus.  It is only through our faith in Jesus’ finished work that the Holy Spirit is commissioned to free us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

If we are in a situation that is unpleasing to us, seek God’s Will before cursing and rebuking the circumstances.  So many are spiritually stunted because the word of faith doctrine has taught them their situation is the devils fault, when in fact the devil is being used as God’s instrument to chastise us.  Or perhaps, like Job, God is wanting to show satan that no matter his attacks, the Lord still has those that will praise Him even in the worst of storms.  Seek God for the lesson and allow Him to author your faith.   “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

To Jesus the religious Jews declared “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” John 8:33.  These same religious Jews had been in bondage to the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and at that time the Romans…yet they were never in bondage to any man.  You see, these Jews could quote the Scriptures but they did not know the Scriptures.  They did not know they were in bondage.

It is Christ alone that can make us free.  Not our incantations, not our self efforts or schemes of man…Jesus Christ made us free on Calvary’s Cross.  The Lord paid the sin debt in full and gave us dominion over our sin nature.  Looking to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith, we shall KNOW the Truth and the Truth shall make you free.  “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.

-Donna Clark Warren