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comfort, experience, feelings, following Jesus, freedom, God's love, heart, Jesus Christ, love, peace, seek and find, the presence of God, thought life, thoughts
Picture and quote taken from http://www.pinterest.com/quotlr/possibilities-quotes/
I have just been pondering on why I don’t want to abandon my prayer habits for a longer time.
Admittedly, there are days when I have no strength to seek Him. Since I have been chronically ill for almost all my life, there are times when I am so weak that I need Him to (first) meet me through prayer. Nonetheless, today I have been wondering what might be the reasons that make me keep searching for always more of Him.
As I awoke with a headache, feeling nauseated, with abdominal cramps and fatigued [all symptoms are more or less chronic], my first thought was,
“My God, I need You!!!”
Of course, it would be wonderful to be healed by Him as well, but what I truly need more than being physically healed is to be assured of His permanent presence. To feel His comforting arms around me, His peace that eases my worried mind, and His loving touch that keeps my heart beating – for Him. Indeed, as long as I am focused on my problems, on bad circumstances, on everything that went wrong, goes wrong, and might go wrong in the future, I decide to jump on my old hamster wheel of thought habits, a “workout” that has never helped me before.
“Susanne, don’t you forget ever that it NEVER helps!!!” 😉
So why going on with continually thinking along the same patterns as I always did in the past? Where does the feeling of being alive again come from when my life simply feels like mere (painful) existence? The following three Scriptures highlight the way that leads to REAL LIFE.
“For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live.” (Amos 5:4 ESV)
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” (Jn 5:39-40 ESV)
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6 ESV)
To put it negatively, what will not help in finding spiritual life will be reading the Bible, for example. If we are in love and want to be with the one we love, we won’t keep on reading their letters unless we cannot be together for a certain time. Of course, if a loved one already died, we might want to read their letters again and again. However, as for Christ who wants to give us life abundantly (Jn 10:10), He is not dead – He is risen. Yes, the only One who can change our thoughts and feelings through His presence is HERE and NOW.
What won’t help us either is talking with other human beings and telling them about the one whom we love while he or she has been waiting for us to meet them. That would be an unnecessary distraction from the lover who alone can make us happy again.
Jesus promised that none of us will ever seek in vain.
“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Lk 11:9-10 ESV)
As for opening the door into the unseen heavenly realm, I recently wrote a poem about it which I published on my poetry blog. If you like to read it, just follow this link http://susanneschuberth.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/the-beauty-within/.
Entering the Promised Land 
A great piece, Susanne. Thanks for writing! I’ve been thinking a lot lately on what it means exactly to just abide in Christ. My own life has seen a lot of turmoil in this past year and God has been using it to draw us to closer fellowship with him than ever before, but in that I’ve been wrestling to understand exactly what it is God wants from me. He’s been helping me understand more and more that there is no work I can do for him. He does all things, and even through me sometimes, but that’s not my gift to him. He just wants me! I’ve always known and said this but I feel he’s showing me in a more real way than ever exactly what that means. Your post is a great reminder of that. Thanks again for sharing 🙂
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Thank you very much for commenting and for your encouragement, Dan. Means a lot to me! 🙂
Sorry to hear that your “own life has seen a lot of turmoil in this past year.” Nevertheless, I am glad that God has drawn you into a closer fellowship with Him than ever before.
Oh yes, He just wants YOU and ME, not primarily what we can do for Him. Yet I admit that it has not been that easy for me to acknowledge my own helplessness without Him. By nature I am rather a doer than a waiter. And I do know wrestling and doubting as well, it seems to be part of our struggles with faith, I think. I even believe that someone who never doubted will have difficulties to become a real believer.
Thanks again for writing. 🙂
Love,
Susanne
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Susanne, after reading your post I was thinking…scripture or writings are like drawing water from a well, that will quench your thirst or refresh you for a brief period, but Christ within us is so much more, that words can’t describe Him.
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Wow, Deborah!!! 🙂
You provide us with a beautiful quote by saying,
“Scripture or writings are like drawing water from a well, that will quench your thirst or refresh you for a brief period, but Christ within us is so much more, that words can’t describe Him.”
Thumbs up!
Love to you ❤ ❤ ❤
Susanne
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Susanne I was also thinking, but forgot to mention, that I’m sorry to hear that you have a chronic illness, but I know you trust God and expect his full will to be done in your life, and in His time. I will believe that with you. Love to you!
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I know that you feel sorry for me, Deborah. But you know me, too – I am, more or less, somehow used to being sick since chronic and acute illnesses have been a great part of my life as it was with my mental illness (bipolar disorder) in the wake of sexual abuse and rape.
We see, in some cases God heals (bipolar disorder) and in others He doesn’t. I know people who were healed from physical pain, yet remained mentally sick, still. Who knows why? Indeed, God’s ways are infathomable, aren’t they…
Much love,
Susanne
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Yes, I don’t understand the why of things. I don’t know if I was clear in what I meant but, in other words, the main thing, no matter what God does or doesn’t do in our earthly lives, is that we desire His will to be done. And I know that is your desire. 🙂
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AMEN! 🙂
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well I said I would share my experiences later and the later has come–just the other day on my job at ORU I was sent to get some stamps for the campus post office–so off I went and it turns out I went to the wrong post office–I did get the stamps they wanted but I took too long–so after them fussing at me and me threatening to quit I asked my lord–hey your the perfect one inside of me-why did you not tell me that I was going to the wrong post office? he said I did–I said to him–when? he said remember when you were driving to that other post office and suddenly the thought came to you about the address of the post office you were supposed to be going to? I said yes I do remember–but–he said but nothing–your mind is not focused on my presence–yes you know the bible real good but do you really know me your loving God?remember im your husband will you please be my wife and listen to me when I put thoghts in your mind.wow I need to get focused here–bible or no bible.
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That’s a wonderful example you brought in here, Kenneth, since – YESSS – I experienced similar things. How often would I complain to God that He didn’t guide me in a way that I could doubtlessly discern His voice from all that confusing blah blah on my mind. I even asked Him why He didn’t speak LOUDER so that Susanne could immediately pinpoint, “That was God’s voice!”
Tcha….Not that I got an immediate answer at that time. Yet after several experiences where I raised the same question you did in your stamp-post-office case, I realized that the first thought that comes to mind seems to be almost always from God. Sounds crazy? For sure, but I believe it is true, for those thoughts that are often referred to as intuition suddenly pop up in our minds without warning and they have not yet been through the hamster wheel of reasoning and logic.
Here I am once again reminded of Peter who suddenly KNEW that Jesus was the Messiah (Mk 8:29), but soon afterwards when Peter pondered on the possibility of Jesus being killed, he listened to Satan’s suggestions which so easily go with human reason (Mk 8:32-33).
Thanks for sharing another part of your testimony, my brother. Much appreciated! 🙂
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Susanne, what a great blog and thread of comments on here. I have been contemplating many of the same verses you quoted on here as of late. This business of Jesus BEING the WAY has caught my attention. I was born into the R.C. church as an infant and struggled to appease an angry God who was far away and unreachable by mere mortals. Then in my early 20’s I found out the truth of what the scriptures say about Jesus as our Savior that takes away our sins and “said a sinner’s prayer” with a Free Methodist pastor. That did not seem to last for very long, though as God kept drawing me closer to Him.
Anyhow these words of Jesus seemed to jump off the page at me lately, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It occurred to me that I like so many, I have for so many years looked to a religion as “the way” to God and I ended up joining many churches and Christian groups, hoping each time that THEIR “Way” would do the job and each time becoming disillusioned with each one of them before long. It was this thought in contrast with this verse that showed me why. Churches and religious organizations are NOT THE WAY and that is why they never filled the deep need in me to find an abiding presence in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus alone is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life! No man-made organization or fellowship will ever be able to do what only He can do not matter how much “truth” and “life” they might have. The only good that any man, woman or group can do is to keep pointing us to the ONE who by the Father’s design is our ALL in all. Only as we abide IN Christ can we know HIM as all the Truth we need. Only by abiding IN Christ can we know HIM as or Way. Only as we abide an IN and rest IN Christ can we know Him as our ONLY source of Life. With this in mind, looking to religion is only a distraction and often just gets in the way as a placebo or even an injection that inoculates us from seeking the Real Thing as it proposes to be the way, the truth and the life we need.
I appreciate what Deborah said that even the Bible itself can be only a glass of water that soon leaves us to thirst again, or as Jesus put it, “in them you think you will find life… but you will not come to ME that you might have Life.” What Father really wants is for us to so surrender to His Son that WE have the very Fountain of LIFE IN US and never thirst again (see John ch. 5)! This Life springs forth with artesian force from our midst and gives to drink those who thirst around us for spiritual reality that they also might know Christ as the Fountain of Life who abides within and meets all their needs — settling for nothing less.
Thanks to each one of you for sharing you hearts and lives on here.
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This idea of simply abiding in Christ is one that I’ve been thinking a lot on since you and I spoke the other day, Michael. I’ve been talking with several others about it, too. It’s a tough concept to grasp when coming from a background of being so involved with “church ministry” my entire life, but I believe it’s vital. There is NOTHING that can replace the leading of Christ in us and through us. As I’ve been thinking on it I’ve also come across this article that I think is relevant to the discussion: http://frankviola.org/2009/10/07/deep-ecclesiology/
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Actually, Dan – the article you linked is awesome!!
There are two quotes I’d like to copy and paste from Frank Viola because I found them so appropriate and fully consistent with my own experience. Here they are.
“Authentic church life is born when a group of people are intoxicated with a glorious unveiling of their Lord.”
“All of the churches and movements I was involved in had effectively preached to me an it. Evangelism is an it. The power of God is an it. Eschatology is an it. Christian theology is an it. Christian doctrine is an it. Faith is an it. Apologetics is an it.
I made the striking discovery that I don’t need an it. I have never needed an it. And I will never need an it. Christian its, no matter how good or true, eventually wear out, run dry, and become tiresome.
I don’t need an it, I need a Him.”
I could discover in Frank Viola’s entry several things I know from my own experience, for instance, the “powerful” revivalist stuff, the plunge into eschatology, the focus on “sound doctrine” and then some. Today I am neither into revival, nor eschatological issues, nor sound doctrine unless God nudges me once in a while to take a closer look at these things – again. Apart from that, any “spiritual things” bore me to death because they are only something for my mind, but they leave my heart empty. However, what is never boring, is being together with God and Jesus. That is indeed an abundant and adventurous (spiritual) life which, finally, brings in its wake the proper spiritual “things”.
Or in other words (mine), God is LOVE. And since God is a person, LOVE is the only “thing” that is not an it. 😉
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Dan and Susanne,
We just got back from South Africa where we had some great fellowship with Mia and Andre DeVries and now I am busy trying to get caught up on my reading and letter writing.
Dan, I enjoyed your postings about your own journey and the link to Viola’s article. YES, what he wrote here is what my life-long search also boils down to, “IN HIM [Jesus Christ] we live and move and have our being.” All else as our center and focus is just living lives for “things” and “its” and we are no different in these traps than the most lost materialist of atheist, majoring in the minors. Finding Christ as our sufficiency in all matters pertaining to godliness and totally taken up with the kingdom of His Father as members of HIS family is where we as believers in Him should find ourselves and not in some “thing” and “it” focused dead religion. Getting there seems to be a life-long quest then for us, but thank God that He has appointed each of us enough time to get there.
Love you both IN Him,
Michael
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Thank you for taking the time to comment despite tiredness and jetlag, Michael. I fully agree with you regarding Dan’s postings on his own blog site. 🙂
Love you in Christ, too, my brother,
Susanne
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Well-wrought words, Michael! And thanks so much for taking the time to comment so detailed on here.
You wrote, “No man-made organization or fellowship will ever be able to do what only He can do not matter how much “truth” and “life” they might have.”
So true, indeed! Not only church meetings, even the best fellowship with our brothers and sisters will lack spiritual life that springs from its divine fountain, unless the fellowshipers first seek God in their own lives. Anything or anyone that comes between God and us can easily draw our hearts away from God.
Your comment reminded me of a quote I posted elsewhere – on another blog – before. Here it is.
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”
― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
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Oh wow Michael, I like what you said. I have been going through that my self, kind of. Going form this bible study to that bible study or this site to that site or even just facebook posts about what Christians should or should not do. listening to these different posts, sites, bible studies and even videos is my way of trying to get closer to GOD or know him more. All it has done is cause me to fear him and feel that I will not ever be good enough for him and it keeps me thinking something I do or do not do will land me in hell. That is not the way I should think. I do love GOD and I want to know more about him and get closer to him.
So your comment means a lot to me. I need to unfriend or unfollow people on facebook to keep from constantly falling into that mind set.
Thank you very much.
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You are welcome, Fred. Like I have said from the beginning,
“These things have I written unto you concerning them that deceive you. But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” (1John 2:26-28, KJ2000)
And as Jesus told us…
“These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:25-26, KJ2000)
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Thanks for sharing, Susanne! I pray that the Lord will heal you physically! What a testimony to continue to worship and seek Him regardless of your circumstances! Such love and peace can only be shared and known by those who are in Christ, and how we wish the world to know!
For me, I discern God’s voice with my spiritual journal. I have a habit of jotting down and dated what I think I have heard from the Lord after I prayed and pondering on His Word. I also have a habit of reading through my spiritual journal. Sometimes I was shocked by how patient and gently loud in His voice. For example, I was shocked to find that He was telling me the same message five times over the past month through ‘random’ circumstances! I desire to hear Him more clearly and more instantly.
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You are so welcome, Joanna! 🙂 And thanks so much for your prayers which mean a lot to me!!
It is not so that I would ever have the strength to seek Him on my own. Instead, God is the One who nudges me time and again to not look at my circumstances any longer, but to close my eyes and to keep looking at Him. He only does that nudging because He wants to free me, then, from remaining downhearted because of unexpected situations, people and things.
Whether the world knows that? Actually, I do not think they do, either, observing those around me who are still captured by their thoughts and feelings because they do not know our lovely Lord yet.
Regarding your spiritual journal – funny you say that, Joanna, since I am used to apply such a thing as for my spiritual experiences, too. For decades I wrote everything that seemed to be relevant for me down in huge day planners. And in fact, for many years I kept reading and rereading it, wondering how many things I would have missed without writing them down.
Meanwhile it's a bit different. Whenever I experience something "extraordinary" with God, I jot it down [even in the middle of the night – YAAAAWN…. 😉 ]. But later when I read it once again, I am surprised that I am no longer interested in what I wrote during the night (be that a vision, a dream, or a prophecy which I never understand before the things REALLY happen). Nonetheless, Susanne keeps writing, still…
Thank you very much, again, for your wonderful comment, Joanna! May God bless you immensely and let your wishes come true.
Much love ❤ ❤ ❤
Susanne
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Thank you. This reminded me of something I had forgotten as this or something like it was mentioned in a sermon. He was talking about the bible being love letters from GOD.
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