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death, discerning the spirits, dream life, experience, following Jesus, God, God's guidance, obedience, Oswald Chambers, quickening of the spirit, T.A. Sparks, walking by the spirit
If you and I want to be led by the Holy Spirit 24/7 and we are insecure about whether we have been led by Him or not, the following excerpt from one of T. Austin Sparks’ articles might be helpful to read. What I did not copy and paste were Sparks’ implementations on how and when Jesus refused to do what others told Him (whether his mother, his siblings, or other people were concerned) because that would have been too long an article on here. Nonetheless, if someone has time and wants to read the whole thing, you will find the link beneath, as always.
“The Lord Jesus knew that at a certain time He could not act, could not speak; He had no movement of the Spirit in quickening, no life so to do at that time; in His spirit there was no movement of life; the law was not active in the positive way. But when the Father, Who knew what was required in speech or action, saw that the time had come, He did not bend down and speak with an audible voice into His ear, and say, Now is the time! Say this! Do that! He simply quickened Him inwardly. The law of life became active in that direction, and He knew by an inward quickening what the mind of God was. That is what Paul means when he says, “The mind of the Spirit is life.”
“If you want to know the mind of the Spirit about anything, you will know it by quickening, by life in that direction. If you want to know what the Spirit is against, you will know it because there is death in that direction in your spirit, you have no life, you say, in that direction. All right, that means you know the Lord, you know the Spirit, you know what it is to move on the basis of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. The Father governed Him by that law. He governs us by exactly the same law when we are joined to the Lord, one spirit. Guidance, direction, is a matter of life in the Spirit, life by the Spirit. The Lord Jesus had His life ordered, governed, conducted, arranged in every detail by the quickening Spirit; the Spirit of life in Christ.
“This it is, again, that provides the contrast. These Jews came along and said: Here is the Scripture, and the Scripture says, You ought not to do certain things, and You are doing them; You are all wrong because the Scripture says this! When Christ so acted was He violating the Scripture? Or was He giving God’s meaning to the Scripture? When God gave that law, did He not have a fuller meaning than what men see just on the surface? Was there not a spiritual interpretation? Was it not pointing on to something, which when it came was to supersede – I do not mean break but transcend – simply because higher, fuller, deeper meaning was reached? Christ is God’s Sabbath. It is in Christ that God comes to rest in all His works; His new creation. But they said, You must abide by the letter! We put it in that way to show the difference between taking the letter and having the Holy Spirit’s illumination of the letter. Life and the letter are often contrasted in the Word. The letter killeth, the Spirit maketh alive.” (1)
During the last few weeks the Lord made me more and more aware of what Sparks wrote about the perception of life and death in my own spirit. I cannot say that my experiences were overwhelmingly clear and easy to describe, however, what I can say is that being plunged into God’s flow of speaking (or not speaking) and acting (or not acting) is always accompanied by His peace, and joy, and love. It appears to me that the fruit of the spirit is directly related to our obedience. But there are times when I am insecure about what to do and what to omit. From hence, the main reason for me to publish this rather short post, which I had already begun three weeks ago, was to let my readers know that blog posting lately has given me no life at all so I avoided the internet as much as possible. I felt repelled when I booted up the computer and that has not changed as yet. The only quickening through His Spirit led me to that “old stuff” which you have just read.
(1) http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/002221.html
“In keeping with T. Austin-Sparks’ wishes that what was freely received should be freely given and not sold for profit, and that his messages be reproduced word for word, we ask if you choose to share these messages with others, to please respect his wishes and offer them freely – free of any changes, free of any charge (except necessary distribution costs) and with this statement included.”
Nancy said:
Susanne, you said…“what I can say is that being plunged into God’s flow of speaking (or not speaking) and acting (or not acting) is always accompanied by His peace, and joy, and love.” I’m not sure if this relates directly to what you are sharing, but this is what is on my heart; I have found that since I do not go on facebook, twitter (never have for either) or pull up umpteen websites to read or hear what everyone is saying, I minimize the voices that I hear with deliberation. Further, I do not watch TV nor have an iphone or a smart phone so I have deliberately also eliminated these constant disruptions. What is my point…I truly believe that technology has hijacked our ability to be still in order to recognize when God is speaking or not, and acting or not.. And these are all disruptions from being able to hear that still, small voice of God the Holy Spirit, guiding us and directing us. I do not mention this to brag (in fact I am probably considered odd by most), but rather to make this very point. There is so much noise in this world that we must be deliberate in choosing how we give and receive information and how we are truly being led without all the distractions that can easily cause us to misunderstand or not hear the Lord’s leading. Frankly, it can cause confusion which I believe is by design. And usually all this noise is coming from man and not God. This has allowed me to spend more time in prayer, studying His word and meditating on His truth. When we detach from technology, I believe we are also detaching from this world and there is peace, joy and love that follows. Susanne, I have been so blessed by all of your posts and always look forward to reading what you have to share from your heart. I have also been blessed by the commenters as well. God Bless you! Nancy
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Dear Nancy,
I do believe that what you shared on here very directly relates to what I wrote about. You are so right by what you said regarding these constant disruptions. Technology can be a blessing if we have been enabled to always hear and obey His voice and to ignore what should be ignored. But if we cannot hear Him, all this technological stuff will be a continued distraction that keeps us busy and at an unnecessarily hurried pace.
As for you being kind of ‘odd’, well, I know it myself how people wonder when they hear I do not read books, I do not watch TV, never go on vacations etc. pp. I wrote about these things of which the Lord set me free in 2008 here if you like to read more:
It seems to me that all the saints somehow turned into ‘odd’ human beings as soon as they were gripped by the Holy Spirit. I mentioned one of them in this article too (Charles G. Finney).
May God bless you too, dear sister! 🙂
Much love,
Susanne
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Fred Thoren said:
I remember a sermon I once heard that mentioned something like this.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thanks for your confirming input, Fred.
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Ken Dawson said:
Boy that article by Sparks is so good-I know because I have read it before-That last paragraph of yours is so identifiable because I get the same feelings-There are so many times that I just get sick and tired of living here on this earth and beg God to just kill me and take me home-But as usual He does not and so I must continue on looking for more of His enduring strength-Yes we must simply plow on looking for God to run the show and expect His life giving flow.Thanks for the lively article–I missed you.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Yes, that article by Sparks was truly good, Ken. Thanks for your edifying words.
I do know that feeling of getting tired to live on this earth too, my brother. Indeed, usually God does not listen to this particular wish of ours.. 😉 If God runs the show, His life starts to glow… You see it was pretty inspiring what you wrote here! 🙂
I missed you as well, Ken. Actually, the main reason for writing this entry was to let my readers know why I stayed away from the net for such a long time. I hope I could explain it a bit and I do hope I do not lose connection with them over time.
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Michael said:
Susanne, thanks for publishing this writing from TAS as well as your own story on how it fits. I also am going through a time of no inspiration to write on my blog and not even feeling driven to reply to the few emails I get! If I was to be measured at this time by my activity on the web as to whether I am a Christian, I am sure that I would be labeled a heathen. But, I still find times of fellowship via the phone with my family and with local believers from time to time. Then there are those chance encounters with other fisherman and neighbors, though they might not all think of themselves as “Christians” I can feel God’s love for them.
I can feel the love of the Lord and His peace in my heart even though I am not doing anything “outwardly Christian” at this time. This morning I was up at 4AM and out on a local lake by 5:30AM in my boat. I love it at that time in the morning. as I motored along I looked up and found that I was not alone. There were six fish eagles (ospreys) soaring above me on the morning air thermals. Then I looked at the trees and saw an eagle’s nest in the top of an old dead snag. All of a sudden my heart was filled with joy at the wonders God has made. Normally, I go fishing to CATCH FISH! But God has been weaning me of the need to do so and just getting me to enjoy His handy-work in the mornings when things are quiet. Today, I parked my boat at the end of a bay near the far end of the lake I fish at and I took a walk up this long valley (or draw) that climbed gradually away from the water’s edge. I was taken that after I got more than a few meters from the water’s edge there was no longer any sign of human activity in that area. I love it when I find God’s creation undisturbed on my walks.
My heart is so filled with gratitude for all He has done in my life, especially over the last 2 1/2 years. I love taking pictures of wild flowers and watching birds, deer and other wild life. I have been able to just rest IN Christ and not worry about how I measure up in Christian circles or how many hits I am getting on my blog. The internet can be used of God to bless us so and put us in touch with some wonderful saints and excellent Christian writings like that of Sparks and Chambers, but it can be such a trap and be used to destroy our peace IN Christ as well if we let it.
So, you see dear sister, what you wrote and quoted from Sparks really fits where I am these days. Like Jesus told his siblings, “Your time is always. My time is not yet come.” Rest, sweet rest! To be able to walk or go boating without having to accomplish something and just enjoy the Spirit and His love in the midst of His creation… What a difference! Today, my wife and I went to a July 4th BBQ and it was good to even to be able to love and enjoy people as they are and not continually be judging or sizing them up in my mind… Peace, Rest, Love… and the greatest of these is to be able to Love.
God bless and keep you in His peace, dear sister. ⭐
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You’re welcome as to the sharing of this entry, dear Michael.
My brother, I can relate to your resistance regarding answering emails too. Even phone calls are often so distracting… it is truly a strange period God puts us through at the moment, isn’t it…? It seems God wants to make us acquainted with the fact that our time is not always, either. Our time should be His time since we are His.
Thanks for sharing your own story and latest experiences with God on here, Michael. I can relate as well! ⭐
“Rest, sweet rest…” Well, that is kind of funny. Speaking spiritually, I feel quite restful right now although I had one of these restless nights, once again. After only 2 1/2 hours sleep I gave up on trying to fall asleep again, checked my blog, approved the comments, liked them, and now I am sitting in the office with a cup of coffee. I do know and feel that God is present and I enjoy this blessing with gratefulness. However, more sleep would be a wonderful gift too. Yaaaaawn…… zzzzzzzz 😉
May God bless you and keep you in His peace too, my brother.
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dimple said:
To every thing there is a season. I, also, identify with what you and the other commentators have written.
Blessings!
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
I am glad to hear this, dear Louise. Thank you for your edifying input! 🙂 Every blessing to you!
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totellthetruth1962 said:
I hardly sign on to this one email account that I have in order to catch any blogs from you. I usually wait for Michael to write a blog. Then I sign on to my other account totellthetruth. Very interesting what the two of you are writing. It is as if possibly God wants us to be silent now? This scripture comes to mind and yes it seems to be flying around a lot lately, after I first read it several years ago.
Amos 8:11-13English Standard Version (ESV)
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
13 “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
shall faint for thirst.
I just know, (not by man or not even sure if I sense this because of the Holy Spirit) there will come a time we will not have these ways of communicating. I talk more online than I do in the flesh. And even that lately is getting less and less. I’m deaf so I don’t talk much on my cell. I keep thinking to myself why do I not hear from God? I need to let go of my dependence on technology except for my hearing aids. I need to read my bible more than depend on blogs or articles. I am not surprised at what is going on anymore. Frankly, it is out of my hands. I mean if the general population can’t see and hear and if I should open my mouth I am stopped almost immediately, by the way they look or a statement that is made, so I say nothing. But I do feel that I want to write one last thing if the Lord so permits. But it feels that it will be the last time I write in this fashion. I don’t know scripture by heart nor the whole book, but I have faith enough to know that what we all know in part we will know in full.
Heaven and earth may pass away, BUT HIS WORDS WILL NEVER PASS. It will be in our hearts.
I love you Susanne. Enjoy your summer. You will never be forgotten by me. You and Michael have been a great inspiration to me.
Selah!
Love, Stacey
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Oh, Stacey… your comment reads like a goodbye to me. 😦
Well, I do not know what lies ahead, but I do know that I have experienced similar things Michael described in His latest blog (https://awildernessvoice.wordpress.com/2016/07/07/solitude-with-our-father/) and I am mulling over how to put into words how it feels to enter into His rest. God willing, He might give me something to write about – or not. 😉 We will see…
I do not know whether God will take these ways of communicating away from us since I cannot predict the future. But I know I want to be guided by Him in all areas of life since I have seen that His will is always better than mine. Indeed, God only gives us good things (although my old self always doubted that).
YES! His words will never pass…. whatever He told us privately and in an intimate way while no one listened but our open hearts, these words will never pass away. Yet I think this verse also refers to Scripture which can be trusted. Whenever He makes Bible verses alive to our spirits, we KNOW we can trust such experiences as having been of divine origin, too.
Much love to you too, dear sister! ❤
Susanne
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totellthetruth1962 said:
No, it is not a goodbye. Even if on the net it ceases to be it still will never be goodbye. I will always continue to look for you until the day I am with you. LOL With all of us. Especially with Christ forever more.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
That was sweet… and true too, dear Stacey. ❤ In Christ we cannot be separated from one another – ever.
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Anna Waldherr said:
Another informative post, Susanne. It prompted me to search out what the early church fathers had to say on the work of the Spirit, and how we can tell the Spirit is moving in our lives:
“Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4: 8). Love is proof of our Salvation, and its absence from our lives a cause for concern by any who believe themselves to be Christian. {“Love” as our culture knows it — carnal, and self-centered — will not suffice.)
Christ, Himself, taught that “By their fruit you will know them” (Matt. 7: 16). To which Aquinas added, “The things that we love tell us what we are.” This is the evidence (external and internal) of our Salvation, and reflects on the extent of our sanctification. Of course, good works alone do not merit Salvation or demonstrate it. We can do a host of public “good deeds”, and still have hearts filled with hate and acrimony. Only God knows the heart.
Aquinas, also, said, “Anything done against faith or conscience is sinful.” This speaks to conviction by the Spirit. A sincere examination of our conscience can be very revealing.
Finally, Augustine said, “Love and do what you like.” This is not an invitation to sin. It speaks both to vocation, and our day by day journey of faith. Not everyone hears the Spirit audibly (or even clearly). But the Spirit indwells us, nonetheless. If we have sought God’s direction for our lives, we can trust that the Spirit will lead us where God desires…even if that involves hardship and trials.
Just a few thoughts.
Much love,
Anna ❤
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Excellent, Anna! ⭐ Thank you so much for taking the time to search out and share what you found. 🙂
Actually, only a few minutes ago I had the same thought on my mind you wrote about at first. Indeed, love is the only proof that we know God. Everyone who claims to know Him and has not love is a liar.
Furthermore, I always loved that saying from Augustine too. If we love as God loves because we are IN Christ, we can do what we like because our spirit automatically wants what God wants due to the oneness with Him.
I also remember that I often times did things that were not wrong in themselves, yet they did not spring from faith as Aquinas pointed out. In fact, I never felt His peace after doing so… Just lately I saw that doing God’s will by following His gentle nudges keeps the conscience pure, even against what others might say about us.
As for hearing the Spirit audibly, that only rarely happened to me and it has always been a shock. Sometimes I sense that God speaks the loudest when it is extremely silent. In the depths of our own hearts He lets us know that we are loved. Even without words…
Much love to you too, dear Anna, ❤
Susanne
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