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books, Christian books, head knowledge, heart knowledge, Jesus Christ, reading, the Bible, truth, writing
Snowflakes or Snowsticks? 😉
(Photo by Susanne Schuberth)
Today I have been wondering how to publish a new blog post despite a permanent headache, no inspiration, and ongoing dying pains of self in heart and mind. On the one hand, I thought I should write another article, but on the other hand I was truly too worn out. Finally, I laid it all back into God’s hands and after cooking dinner and tidying up the kitchen, He reminded me of a comment I wrote for another blog exactly 3 weeks ago, a comment which had not been approved because of that blog site’s incompatibility with my Google account. The topic on which I wrote was the pros and cons of reading, particularly Christian books, of course. Here’s my comment.
As someone who read thousands of books in her life – and I admit that it was really a sort of “obsession” for me, since, whenever I had a new book in my hands, religious or not, I thought I would dig out Philosopher’s stone 😉 – I am eventually relieved to have seen that every book provided another hint to the truth, however, it was still necessary for THE TRUTH to reveal Himself to me so that I could eventually put all books aside, recognizing the ONE “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:3 ESV)
I call reading the great amount of books an “obsession” because before starting to bury myself in a new book, I was always excited to get to know a NEW thing (cf. Acts 17:21). Sometimes it really seemed to be that way and I was happy…..but only for a rather short time. Since after reading the whole book, happiness was over and I needed a NEW book to dig out another hidden treasure.
Also, I often wondered how the first Christians could survive spiritually, not only without such books but especially due to the wide-spread illiteracy. Perhaps they relied more on what God’s Spirit confirmed to their hearts than on what they could hear or read…?
I assume as long as not all Christians have come to know the truth, which is Christ in us, publishing Christian books will be necessary, for sure. Nonetheless, I think we need to be cautious to not overemphasize our head knowledge which, alas, diverts our attention and our thoughts from focusing (single-eyed) on searching God with our whole being.
May God help us to find the balance between head and heart knowledge.
“My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Eccl 12:12-14 ESV)
Only for clarification, if someone loves reading books, please, keep on reading! Actually I would have never tried to rid myself of reading which I gladly did for more than 36 years. But in the blink of an eye, seeing Jesus meant forgetting everything else. And thus, since 2008 I never read a whole book again, only some excerpts of, for me, new writings which the Lord showed me. “Older” things I once read sometimes pop up in my mind as God reminds me of them and then I use such information for my blog posts. Imagine, it is even the same with reading the Bible!! If someone tried to force a Bible reading plan on me, I guess I would go nuts soon. Honestly! 🙂
Since spiritual guidance is ALWAYS surprising…..it cannot be planned – ever.
⭐ A HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of my lovely readers! ⭐
Much love,
Susanne
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Entering the Promised Land 
You are right. Nothing else matches up to Him.
I can relate very much, to the last 3 or 4 lines.
In my post, “He teaches me to pray” (found in BLOG POSTS section), I mentioned something like that.
I didn’t put the link because I didn’t want to bother your post with my link. I wrote the directions incase you would like to read it 🙂
Peace be unto you Sister x
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If you don’t dare it, Ngozi, then I gladly post the link to your article which I enjoyed reading back then. 🙂
http://servinggjesushere.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/he-teaches-me-to-pray/
Still feeling honoured that you linked to my blog there as well, dear sister. BTW, I recently tried to LIKE two of your newer posts – yes, I read that you disabled the LIKE function and I remember WHY you did it – but I REALLY miss the function there. Sometimes I have neither the time nor the inspiration to comment and then I would rather LIKE the post. Do you see my problem?
Love ❤
Susanne xx
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LOL Susanne! you are hilarious. I love it. I do know what you mean dear sister and you are lucky the comment button re-appeared (because it was disabled as well) LOL.
Don’t worry, we will see what the new year will bring regarding the LIKE button.x
Do you know Susanne? When i made my comment, I had forgotten I linked your blog to that article!
When you mentioned that I had, in your reply comment, I thought ” Oh wait did I?”.
I actually had to go and check as I had forgotten the details of the post.
I think it is amazing that, without realising it, I linked this post to my article, which your article helped inspire.
I call it CONFIRMATION AND FELLOWSHIP 😉 Hehehe
Thank you for posting it and your reply.
xxxx
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Hahahaha 🙂
You’re most welcome, Ngozi!
Yes, yes, dear sister, aren’t we forgetful as for everything what we once posted? Same here (BIG GRIN).
Thank you for the fellowship of laughing together, too!
Susanne XOXO
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P.S i think you can still like my posts from the reader section. I still get LIKES from other bloggers who have figured out that “secret” (I had to ask them to find out because I was surprised to still get likes despite the disabling).
Only that it won’t show in my actual posts
So here is our compromise 🙂
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YES, indeed. I liked your posts from my WP Reader. But then I checked it on your blog because I wanted to see whether the LIKE buttons are back….and I saw….not yet. 😉
So I do hope you got my two LIKES recently.
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I haven’t seen it yet but I am sure it will show. Even if it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. I am glad you read and enjoyed the articles 🙂
Love xxx
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It does matter! Trying it again!!!!
🙂
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Lol. Just saw them. You are indeed stubborn…like me 🙂
I call it strong will and persistence😉
Thank you for persisting xx
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Indeed, strong will and persistence sound waaay better than stubbornness, don’t they…
You are so welcome, my persistent sister in Him. 😉
Susanne xx
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And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 RSVA)
Susanne, I understand where the Lord has you, for sure. Sometimes He has to kick out all our props to get us to fall down and look up to Him as our only help. It is more often than not that the worst enemy of what is Perfect are those things that we consider “good.”
As I read your latest blog entry I thought this passage as well,
And they took hold of him [Paul} and brought him to the Are-op’agus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you present? For you bring some strange things to our ears; we wish to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. (Acts 17:19-21 RSVA)
And on the positive side of being drawn to and fed by His Spirit instead of book learning…
Paul wrote, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine [teaching], by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (Ephesians 4:13-15 RSVA)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. (Hebrews 13:8-10 RSVA)
Yes, the early church was not only illiterate, but there were no personal Bibles and only a few fragments of Paul’s letters floating around between them and the four gospels were not written until late in the first century. They HAD to rely on what Jesus left them to lead them into all truth, the Holy Spirit and it was THIS ecclesia of people without all the props who soon turned the Roman world upside down as they followed the wind of the Spirit. Because men have chosen to be led by their intellects and book knowledge in the church is exactly why we have 43,000 different denominations and Christian sects in disunity today which have turned “the Church” into a fractured fairy tale instead of the Pillar of Truth it was meant to be (1 Timothy 3:15). The Spirit of Christ is also the Spirit of Truth… no unity in the Spirit, no unifying Truth.
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Yes and amen, Michael.
A perfect comment! Spirit-led, at that.
Speechless Susanne once again… 😉
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I BLESSED BY YOUR SCRIPTURE FROM ECCLESIASTES, I seldom read books. In the past, I read Watchman Nee. MOST OF MY BIBLICAL EDUCATION AFTER GETTNG THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM, THE BIBLE WAS A NEW BOOK FOR ME. I BOUGHT 100’S OF CASSETTE TAPES OF WELL KNOWN SPEAKERS WHO TAUGHT BIBLICAL TRUTH WHICH HELPED ME ADD WONDERFUL FUTHER KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH. ONE OF MY FAVORITE LIKE (C S LEWIS , BONHOFF, ANDREW MURRAY,TO SOME.).IS DEREK PRINCE, A SCHOLAR WHICH MADE HIM SUCH A WONDERFUL BIBLE TEACHER. I STILL CAN GET MORE OF HIS TEACHING BY CONTACTING HIS MINISTRY IN CHARLOTTE, N C.. (HE IS THE ONE WHO CAUSED ME TO DAILY, PRAY THE WAY TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES, THAT I HAVE WRITTEN YOU ABOUT. BILLY GRAHAM’S TECHNIQUE OF BIBLE READING IS TO READ 5 PSALMS & 1 PROVERB DAILY OVER AND OVER. I AM PRESENTLY READING PSALMS OVER AND OVER. I GET WONDERFULLY BLESSED DOING THIS BECAUSE I OFTEN RUN INTO A PSALM I CAN SING IN WORSHIP THAT I EXPERIENCE THE ANOINTING.
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I am glad to hear that you have been blessed by the Scripture from Ecclesiastes, Herbert, and that the Lord continually blesses you when you read the psalms.
We should always adhere to what helps us the most, be that cassette tapes as in your case, or reading books including the Bible until the Lord frees us to willingly do what He wants us to do (unexpectedly and without any human planning ivolved). If someone experiences some dryness which increases the more he reads, esp. the Bible, it is a good thing to completely drop reading it as Kenneth Dawson in his comment below mentioned. But alas, not many dare to do it because they think they should please the Lord by Bible reading. However, He is more pleased if we seek His face instead of watching us struggle through His written Word.
Thanks so much for your comment on my blog, Herbert. Much appreciated! 🙂
Blessings to you and Pat!
Love,
Susanne
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Your article reminds me of an author who said in one of his writings that the most profitable times of spiritual growth for him was when he hid his bible so that he could not get to it for one whole year. wOw imagine that!
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Actually, Kenneth, I just replied a bit to you in my response to Herbert Orr above. 😉
Indeed, I have no problem to imagine what that author meant, but I do hope that it was the Lord who nudged Him to do so and it seems to have been the Lord because he experiences spiritual growth during that time. In fact, I would never dare to suggest to someone who has doubts about the freedom of reading or not reading the Bible that he drop it, though. There are pastors who feel the burden that they MUST read the Bible because they ought to preach a book which they know better than their congregation. But alas, that is not the New Testament church as it should be. The Body of Christ has many different members and they should ALL work together.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comment, my brother! 🙂
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My sister told me that she was just enjoined a favorite hymn: “GOD LEADS HIS DEAR CHILDREN ALONG : SOME THRU THE WATER, SOME THRU THE FLOOD, SOME THRU THE FIRE, BUT ALL THRU THE BLOOD. SOME WITH GREAT SORROW BUT, GOD GIVES A SONG IN THE NIGHT SEASON AND ALL THE DAY LONG” Her husband of more than 50 yrs, died a week earlier, so she is experiencing great sorrow. The reason that I am sharing this with you, that the same day, I was reading Isaiah 43, in my devotion.” I HAVE REDEEMED YOU. I CALL YOU BY YOUR NAME: WHEN YOU WALK THRU THE WATER,I WILL BE WITH YOU AND THRU THE FLOOD.WHEN YOU GO THRU THE FIRE: YOU WILL NOT GET BURNED. Do you have occasion when you come across a word that another is experienciing the same word that shares such with you? I remember when I attend a Christian conference with several speakers, When a speaker following another says the previous speaker just told you things that I wanted to tell you. This tells me that the Holy Spirit like with my sister , shares the same thing together.
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Oh, Herbert, I will be praying for your sister that God might comfort her in her great sorrow!! I was so sorry to hear about her hubby’s death. 😦
You asked me, “Do you have occasion when you come across a word that another is experiencing the same word that shares such with you?”
Yes, indeed. The older I get, the more often I experience exactly THIS and it is deeply comforting for me to see that God has been revealing these things to you as well. Indeed, the Holy Spirit lets us share the same things so that we know we are God’s children. Sometimes He uses the different perspectives we might have, but nevertheless, we share in the same revelation of His Spirit.
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thanks Susanne for the article – (I am eventually relieved to have seen that every book provided another hint to the truth, however, it was still necessary for THE TRUTH to reveal Himself to me so that I could eventually put all books aside, recognizing the ONE “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:3 ESV) Seems like we have been walking down a similar road . when i got saved the Lord gave me a desire to read and i have read hundreds and hundreds of books, all christian related , and the bible thru many times.i was like you looking for the new thing . i noticed that ,after reading 3 or 4 books by the same person,that most had a single revelation ,that they wrote about from different angles. i would usually read the books and pass them on to others, but i had my on personal stash of classics ,plus whatever new books i was reading, a few yrs ago i was going through a situation and was reading a book and the LOrd spoke to me ” Quit going to man for the answer” ,not that He doesn’t speak through man, He has been in the process of separating the precious from the vile from all i have taken in over the yrs. in an act of faith i threw all my books in the garbage, funny thing when i first got saved i did the same thing only it was playboy mags, my classics, i wouldn’t suggest others do this with there books, except for the playboys 🙂 it was something between me and the Lord., maybe some IDOLATRY there, after some time the Lord led me to TA Sparks, where i saw and received the revelation of the supremacy of Christ, i had read him yrs ago but it wasn’t the same, and to Michael Clarks blog who also post his articles. then the Lord started confirming through those two, in what they said, some of the things He had been showing me, after that season of separation and stripping., in the mouth of 2 or 3 witnesses let a thing be established,this seems to be a pattern for me over the yrs , times of separation unto Himself from other influence.and then a confirming through His body of what He has shown me . i’ve become careful , an try to let Him lead me, in what i’m taking in ,more than ever . it,s getting simpler now ,it’s ALL about a personal relationship with Him .The older i get ,70 this yr,the more i realize i don’t have time for all the religious garbage that has hindered my relationship with Him.Thank you Lord for your continuous washing and cleansing and the revelation of and relationship with Yourself ~ wayne
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You are welcome, Wayne. Yes, it seems that we have walked a very similar road, my brother.
“Quit going to man for the answer”
WOW! That’s it, indeed!
“…in an act of faith i threw all my books in the garbage…”
Hahaha! Same here, even as to the first act of faith, that is, throwing all worldly stuff away, years before the second act of faith (i.e. dumping my religious garbage) was eventually performed. 🙂
And yes, it’s getting simpler now, not necessarily easier, but simpler when HE leads instead of me trying to make book authors my leaders into the truth, as I did in the past before 2008.
Thank you very much for your deep and thoughtful response, Wayne. I really enjoyed reading it!
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I am so sorry to hear about your headache. May the Spirit of the Lord bring you healing and continue to give you words of wisdom for the building up and encouragement of His people, His Church! Your comment regarding “The Truth has to reveal to me” — is so true. At the end of the day, it is the transformation of our lives that produces eternal fruits. But life transformation comes from the renewing of mind. One of the more common way that the Holy Spirit used is through our reading. This also means that there is a danger of intellectualization: that is reading in enlightenment without life transformation.
Take good rest, sister! May 2015 be another year of the Lord’s favor upon you in a much bigger dimension!
Blessings and Love, Joanna
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“At the end of the day, it is the transformation of our lives that produces eternal fruits. But life transformation comes from the renewing of mind. One of the more common way that the Holy Spirit used is through our reading. This also means that there is a danger of intellectualization: that is reading in enlightenment without life transformation.”
Very well said, Joanna! 🙂
Thank you so much for your prayers, my dear. Indeed, the headache is not the worst thing, rather, it’s the dark night of the spirit (or “Dark Night of the Soul” – Part 2) through which God has been killing me for months now. Whenever I thought I got a bit of relief, the spiritual pain was cutting deeper and deeper into my heart. But some day the whole dying process will be over – I hope 😛 – and then the light will break through again.
Also, thanks for reminding me of taking good rest (indeed, that is what I truly need right now – am overworked again). Your wishes and blessings are awesome, Joanna – WOWEE!! ❤
May 2015 be the year in which the Lord is going to reveal Himself to you in a way you do not dare to hope for right now! 😉
Blessing and Love to you, too,
Susanne
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