Tags
discerning the spirits, encouragement, experience, following Jesus, God's love, God's voice, Michael Clark, rest, Satan, the enemy
Bavarian Sunset – Picture by Susanne Schuberth, colors enhanced by Michael Clark
Today I want to point you to an article I wrote just before I began this rather long series on discerning the spirits. Honestly, those experiences I endured during the last weeks in order to learn more about evil spirits, specifically, about their different ways into our hearts and minds were tormenting. Nonetheless, I am glad I was allowed to learn these lessons and to get more and more confirmation from God that the very first voice we always perceive in our heart is indeed the voice of God. His voice is so subtle, so loving, and He never forcefully tells us what to do. Only when there is danger ahead, God urges us to go in a certain direction to protect us. However, Satan always tries to force his will on us. Sometimes the enemy uses other people to contradict God’s voice we clearly sensed before and thus tries to get us under his control again.
Dear brothers and sisters, as soon as we feel uneasy when someone pretends to speak for God, we ought to drop their message and to stop listening to them. Instead, we could immediately turn to God and ask for His guidance. Rest assured, He will give us all the wisdom we might need. James wrote,
“If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.” (Js 1:5 AMP)
Finally, here is the link to the post I announced before.
A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY READERS! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
In His great love for all of you,
❤ Susanne ❤
Entering the Promised Land 
Yes Sue that’s what I learned when I was learning to listen for Papas voice–His voice speaks first–thanks for the new years wish and may yours be happy and profitable.
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Thank you both for confirmation and wishes, dear Ken.
Every blessing to you from our good God and Father through Jesus Christ,
Susanne
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Dear Susanne,
May you also have a more blessed and richer new year as you continue to grow in Christ in the bond of His unifying love. This year has been a blessing as Father continues to draw us closer to Him even though the trials have often been severe. You have been a great encouragement to me as we have prayed for one another and seen Him move in our lives.
I was recently reading something by T. Austin Sparks that really spoke to me about the nature of our Father’s working in our lives and the pattern that it seems of follow with all its terrible lows followed by His wonderful heavenly highs…
As I read this something that Paul wrote took on greater meaning,
Yes, who can survive a life such as this and who is sufficient to understand God’s ways with us? We can only endure such dying in Christ by faith for it is designed to kill that old Adam in us with whom we so closely identify, so that only the life of Christ remains in us and is manifest to all who know us. To those who perish we smell like death and they despise us for it, but to those who are being saved, we are the smell of HIS life that brings life. Just as Mary broke that alabaster box of perfume and poured it all out upon Jesus and totally blessed Him with her act of love, the smell of that perfume also filled the whole house and blessed everyone else. This is the nature of our own brokenness in the plan of God.
Death and glory go hand in hand, but for those who belong to Jesus, death never has the final word, but rather the glory of God manifest in us through Christ. Just before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you.” (John 17:1 KJ2000) Jesus glorified the Father by the sweet smelling sacrifice of His own life in obedience to God. What love for the Father that He would not only lay down His own life for Him, but that He might redeem all of God’s precious creation from sin and death. Oh, how I love the fragrance of Christ in His saints!
Jesus went on to pray,
So we not only see that death is a prerequisite to glory in the economy of God but also is needed to fully live in the love of the Father and the Son. Oh, what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called the children of God and made ONE with the Father and the Son as well as one another in perfect agape love! I love you, my sister. Thank you so much for your inspiration. ❤
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Thank you for your New Year wishes and edifying words, dear Michael.
You have been a continued encouragement to me, my brother, especially through those many (read countless) severe trials. It was so good to see that and how God answered our common prayers, though not always immediately, but in an often very surprising way. It appears to me that God wants to hear our prayers – ALL of them – if we have finally fully grown into the image of Christ because He loves His children so much (you might remember our exchange about this lately).
As for the TAS quote which is very good since it describes our very experiences, I was reminded of John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila who both had been enabled by God to finally leave those dark experiences behind and to enter into God’s permanent peace and light IN Christ. I am sure only a few saints ever got to that point where they had been fully transformed into the image of Christ and were able to behold him as he really is (in the spirit). Of course, all of these things happen by His grace alone. I also recall that John of the Cross in one of his books (most probably “The Dark Night of the Soul”) mentioned that these experiences of darkness and pain are different for everyone. Most of the mystical Christians experience a moderated form of sanctification and never enter the second night of the spirit which is truly cruel. One of the possible reasons for God to do so, in John’s view, was that the greater the glory and authority God wants to give, the deeper and longer the night has to be. I agree with him since it is truly a dangerous thing to receive divine authority from God while one has still to struggle with one’s old self regarding pride and selfish desires. So it is truly better to suffer more in order to be finally set free completely and to exclusively see Christ living in us as Paul said here,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20 ESV)
Michael, for more than two years now you have been a great inspiration for me as well since I always sense His Spirit in what you write and that makes my heart rejoice. 🙂 I am looking forward to reading your new blog post springing from your comment above. I love you, too, my brother.
In Christ’s great love,
Susanne ❤
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As always, sound advice. Happy New Year, Susanne! May God bless and protect you. Love, Anna ❤
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Thanks so much for your encouraging words, dear Anna. ❤ Indeed, HIS protection is so important!!
Happy New Year to you as well! May God bless you and keep you.
Love,
Susanne
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Susanne, I love the title of this post. Thank you for the post. Truly we are called to follow the voice of the Shepherd. You have enriched my life, because you know Him. I know Him, but long to know Him more fully; therefore, I receive from you.
His blessings to you and yours in the new year.
Love,
Pat Orr
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You are such a sweet sister, dear Pat. ❤ Your humility truly humbles me. I am so grateful to have had you here on the blog and to have met you before on Michael’s. You are a real gift from God to me, a rare blessing, and a sister who knows her Lord’s voice.
Thank you so much for your continued support and encouragement! 🙂 Like you, I want to know Him more fully, every day.
His blessings to you and yours in 2016 as well! ⭐
Love,
Susanne
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