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being born again, Christianity, church, darkness, deception, discerning the spirits, exhortation, experience, eyes of the heart, false spirits, God's voice, Jesus Christ, light, poems, prayer, preaching, prophecy, separation from religious spirits, separation from the world, worldly spirits
To be honest with you, although I was hell-bent on going to bed, quite some time after midnight I felt the strong ‘nudge’ from God to re-publish an older poem of mine, maybe, even two. I do know that this is not my poetry blog and most of my readers prefer reading blog articles instead. Nonetheless, I want to emphasize here, once again, the danger of cherishing any kind of fellowship or friendship, not only with worldly people (which should be clear), but also with those people who are used to meeting on a regular basis where one ought to hear from God. As I have often made clear before, a spirit being who has been birthed from above will, like God, not be predictable in their speaking, writing and doing. We are like the wind if we listen to God’s leading only. So, if we really want to have spiritual relationships first with God and then with one another, too, we do not only need to go away from the world and its pleasures, we should also say ‘Bye bye’ to any regular and obligatory gathering, whatever form it might take (attending church, home church meeting, connecting via internet etc.). The reason for doing so is that we cannot submit to God’s unpredictable leading and to predictable tradition (like preaching or listening to a sermon every Sunday and singing hymns in determined order) at the same time! Either we obey God and cannot be figured by anyone who does not yet have His Spirit, or we submit to another spirit that can be put in a box, a spirit that can be controlled by us. It might be easier and feel better to go on attending meetings with other Christians, but if God does not show up in such a gathering because His Spirit is quenched there, who are we really looking for? 🙄
These might seem to be strong words for some who regularly go to church and are fellowship seekers. However, don’t we think that we are above it all. It is so easy to be influenced by a tiny, seemingly innocent and unimportant, yet wrong spirit that sneaks up on us. How difficult if this person with whom you have to do is part of your family at that! Some of you might know about this problem. Love them, but do not submit to them if they usurp authority over you! Dear brothers and sisters, I experienced this approach from demons so often during these last more than two years of having been taught by God about discerning the spirits that I, honestly, am fed up with communicating with other people on their level if it is not God’s way at all. Today I know that we need to, even MUST close the door to the wrong spirits immediately!! If we don’t, we will be affected whether we want it or not. Confusion sets in, we begin to struggle and doubt regarding truths that seemed to be clear to us before. We might even despair due to anxiety or panic attacks from demons that were permitted to do so since WE disobeyed God.
Eventually, the poems I will copy and paste below deal with the following two problems. The first poem points out the expendability of a preacher who is not used to being led by God. The second poem then highlights the main falsities of today’s churches. I hope you can take these strong words I used in my poems as well.
PLEASE PRAY AND PREACH
A preacher who did never pray
Would surely not have much to say
But platitudes and human stuff
Of hollow words we had enough
No yes-man and no moralist
No self-made man evangelist
No loveless grumpy chatterbox
No faceless coward and no ox
Who’s drawn by selfishness and fame
To play that ugly demon’s game
A man who thinks that dark is light
And trusts in reason’s fooling might
With these tin soldiers, we’re fed up
Up to the brim they filled the cup
For all those hungry, thirsting souls
Who do not know what are their goals
If all those preachers don’t repent
Their preaching will come to an end
God doesn’t need such lifeless talk
He needs a man who shares His walk
Down on his knees he’ll hear His voice
That softly shuts out all that noise
Which springs from human worrying
And fear, and pain, and earthly thing
The Lord alone knows how to preach
And that our hearts are out of reach
Whenever shallow talk comes up
In churchly social gospel club
Please, pray, and preach as you are led
After your soul by God was fed
With divine wisdom and His sword
That lifts men up who know the Lord
Discernment and compassionateness
Will help you bring to end all mess
And finally all men will see
This is a man with Heaven’s key
THE PROPHET’S CALL
Those who are aliens here on earth
Endure tormenting pangs of birth
They make the call to share their pains
Alas, the whore is bound in chains
She’s looking for applause of crowds
The prophets though are His ‘all-outs’
They call the stout to leave the wall
So they can hear the desert’s call
That calls for you and me, my friend
To leave that church which is a blend
Of truth and lies we might not see
And if we stay, we won’t get free
God calls us to the narrow path
So that we may escape His wrath
That is to come so very soon
When sun is darkened, and the moon
Where you can hear the weak one say
“He strengthened me, I’m on His way”
Don’t we reject the voice we hear
Through prophets’ words and by our ear
They urge us that we make our choice
And listen to His longing voice
The Lord’s still speaking to our heart
Because He wills that we take part
In joining them wholeheartedly
Who prayed to Him for eyes to see
The wickedness down to the core
Of Satan’s wife, his bride, his whore
See, all the years she took from Him
The fat, the wool, the sheep at whim
Still there is time for us to come
Unto the Lord before it’s done
The prophets who stand in the breach
Were called for us to pray and preach
Don’t we despise their words that hurt
Since Christ now wants to sift from dirt
If you click on the link to the short video here, you should see and hear some haunting impressions my husband Paul Schuberth created during a thunderstorm in 2012. I hope Paul’s work underlines my message.
Judi said:
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Well dear Susanne, I would call this word FIRE!
Isaiah 4:4 was the first word that came to mind as I read your post but sense that the entire chapter is important to give context and confirms (imo) what you have shared.
Isaiah 4:4-6 (AKJV)
4 “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. 2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. 3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+4&version=AKJV
POWERFUL! Thank you for obeying the Lord and sharing these poems 🙂 Judi
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Wow, wow, wow, Judi!!! 🏆🏆🏆
These verses do fit perfectly! 😊👍🏻 Hats off as to your Bible knowledge, too, my dear sister!! ⭐🎩👒🎓⭐
You are very welcome as to the sharing! 🎉🎈🎊
Love 😘🤗😘🤗
Susanne 💗
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Michael said:
Judi, Thanks for sharing this passage. It really fits.
“4 “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. 2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel… 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.”
There are two women here just as there is in the New Testament, the bride of Christ and the self-willed whore of Babylon. The whore (seven women, seven churches, denominational-ism) wears her own clothes, not the righteous covering of Jesus given her. And she eats her own bread, not Jesus, the Bread of Life. BUT she calls herself by HIS name to hide her shame, Christian this and Christian that.
The other woman has been washed clean of her sins by Jesus. They are the branches that abide in Jesus the Vine and together they produce His spiritual fruit.
The spirit of judgement and burning works on both. One goes up in smoke and the other is purified by fire as jewels made ready for His crown. It is a SPIRIT of judgement. The Spirit of Christ moves among us deciding which is which, sheep from the goats as that final day approaches.
Good to read what you two sisters are sharing here.
Your brother, Michael
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Excellent exposition, Michael! ⭐ Thank you!
Your sister in Him,
Susanne
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Judi said:
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Thank you Michael!! Eye-opening as to the meaning of the women in these verses. Reading before and after Isaiah 4, with that context, your explanation looks so clear now. I sure did not “see” it that way before…Thank you 🙂
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Fred said:
This goes along with some thing I learned today. I felt GOD has been wanting me to spend time with him so tried my best to do so but it was a struggle. Any way in my attempt I read his word and was reading revelation and discovered something interesting that goes along with this blog. Jesus says he hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans. My Bible has a note about what a Nicolaitan is and it says and I am paraphrasing here, it says a person that is in a leadership position like a pastor or a priest that uses manipulation, intimidation, and is controlling either time they lead. It even mentions this is common in churches these days. Wow
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Very good contribution, Fred! ⭐⭐⭐
Yes, it is often a struggle to seek God, but our efforts are rewarded. 🎁🕊🥇
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Michael said:
Fred, that is exactly what the Greek word means. It is a compound of
Nikos – to vanquish or conquer
Laos – the people (from where we get the word “laity”)
The doctrine of the Nikolaitans is what we have in the churches today, a conquering man ruling over the believers and God still hates it!
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Michael said:
Susanne,
Thanks for sharing this. The greatest paralyzing wound that Satan has inflicted on the church is the spirit of control. Yet, it is so common that people think that attending a Sunday church “service” perfectly orchestrated and controlled is what God wants. What’s worse is the assumption among them that only one man in their local group knows what God wants to say and do each and every time they gather and has it all planned out according to his seminary training and denomination’s traditions.
This system flies in the face of the teachings of Paul that EVERY ONE of us (1 Cor. 14:26) who has the Spirit has a God given gift with which to profit the whole body of believers. This tradition of the church is so ingrained in our thinking that most who believe in Christ don’t have a clue of what it means to move in and act under the unction of the Spirit. You might say that the Spirit in His body has been starved out by neglect! Contrast that to Paul’s description of body life…
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” (1Cor 12:4-11, ESV2011)
It is this kind of gathering together under the leading of the Spirit that Hebrews 10:25 speaks of that we are not to forsake, not a “Sunday service.” BTW, notice that there is nothing in this list above about one long winded person dominating the gathering of the saints with his mental prowess in a sermon. Sermons and preaching as it has become are a tradition of men that came in when the church adopted Greek oratory instead of making room for the Spirit to move in each member. We see this in action among the learned Greeks in Athens in the Book of Acts, “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.” (Acts 17:21, ESV2011).
Actually, the Bible does give a place for preaching and that is to be done when the Spirit sends us out to preach the gospel (Good News) of salvation to the lost (as Paul did in Athens) not to the saved (see Acts 10:36-37). Preaching is NOT for the body meeting, exhorting yes, but not lengthy sermons that quench the moving of the Spirit. (Yes, I know what it says in Acts 20:7. The word translated “preached” in the Greek is dialegomai – from where we get our word dialogue – to discuss and reason with each other, NOT PREACHED). He made room for the Spirit to speak and teach through them as the truth of Christ came forth. Enough said for now.
Michael
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thanks for sharing your insights, too, Michael. I wholeheartedly agree with your deliberations on the spirit of control! ⭐
As for the topic of preaching, I believe that in a certain sense we ‘preach’ while writing what the Spirit has given us on our blogs as well. There is no pulpit needed as it was for Oswald Chambers or T. Austin Sparks who preached to an audience their whole life as far as I know. Times have changed and the Spirit wind gives us something to share in places where God seekers are found today, that is on the internet, for example.
Just in case someone is interested, I recall having written in a detailed way here about how spiritual gifts from God should be used.
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Michael said:
Susanne, I believe if we had our “reply” function turned off on our blogs and posted our teachings with no place for people to interact, THAT would be preaching. But the Spirit has had us leave that on, soooooo we can have an open dialogue going with other saints that also have the Spirit and what a wonderful heart to heart exchange we often have with these precious members of Christ’s body. Many have commented on how they have been blessed not only by what we write, but as to the responses of those who write on here as well. Of coarse, gathering together in face to face gatherings of the ekklecia is always best as long as we rely on the Holy Spirit for all that is shared and done.
Interesting that you quoted the exact verses in your above linked article from 1 Cor 14 that I did, 🙂 One Spirit. ⭐
Michael
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
You are right, Michael, if we think about bigger churches in particular where interaction with people is anything but usual. But I know and experienced it myself that in smaller churches/gatherings the ‘audience’ is allowed to speak up. You only need to think about Pentecostal churches where talking gibberish (aka speaking in tongues) and its imaginative interpretation is still pretty popular. Yet if we find ourselves in a cult, as soon as someone disagrees with the pastor, they will be gagged. I guess you and I had similar experiences.
In fact, on our blogs we still have an open dialogue with those saints who write from an honest heart. What our readers do not see is the number of comments that are deleted before their writers’ confusing spirits begin to stir up division. So, in a certain sense we exercise authority over our readers, too, as we decide what is edifying to be read and what is not. Relying on the Spirit’s leading, as you said, is key and makes all the difference between a false and a true leader.
Yup, same verses, same spirit! 🙂
Susanne
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Michael said:
Yes, Susanne, I have been in Pentecostal churches where tongues and interpretation was real, but most often it had become a tradition with the same people spouting off each Sunday, inspired by the flesh.
I also have been in home fellowships that were inspired by and ordered by the Spirit and the love there among them was so healing. We had just got chewed up (and thoroughly gagged) in a Christian cult a year earlier and these dear saints by the Holy Spirit loved us back to life.
As for the exercise of authority in not letting people blab away with their spirits of confusion on our blogs, it is via discerning of spirits, a gift of the Spirit that we act, so it is Him that decides, not us. You, my dear sister have that gift working in you, more than I and I have learned to listen to what He sees through you, just as you have learned to listen when He gives me an appropriate scripture to go with what He is teaching you or through you.
“Relying on the Spirit’s leading, as you said, is key and makes all the difference between a false and a true leader.”
AMEN, dear sister! ❤ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you very much for these edifying words, dear Michael! 😊
⭐❤⭐❤⭐
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Anna Waldherr said:
A powerful post, Susanne. ❤
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Thank you very much for the encouragement, Anna. ❤
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Kenneth Dawson said:
As one guy said–God in His being is the only real thing—everything else is commentary.
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said:
Yes, Ken. This reminds me of TAS devotional from Dec 21st which I have just read (since it is after midnight in Germany already).
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