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being born again, deception, discerning the spirits, emotions, feelings, God's will, mind, reason, Satan, self-will power, T.A. Sparks, The Holy Spirit, The Soul, the will
Yesterday in the late evening after a phone call I suddenly felt or somehow “heard” inside me the title I chose above, “Discerning Spirit and Soul”. Immediately I wanted to start writing a blog article but it was late, almost midnight. Yet I could not get rid of this title inside my mind! It was as if it was strongly imprinted in my heart, too. As I felt no inclination to start writing so late and I had no idea what to write about this issue, either, I started a search on Google on this topic, adding T. A. Sparks. What I found there spoke to me, indeed. Although I have not read the whole article, I tried to keep it as short as possible and pasted what you can read further below.
Did you know that a soulical person can confess Jesus, work for God, but has NOT been born again from above? 🤔 Such a person only works on their soul level and thinks if they want something strongly, it must be God’s will. If they are emotionally drawn/attracted to a person, a project or a ministry, they are tempted to think that their feelings came directly from God. And if something speaks to their mind and reasoning, they say, “This is logical and wise”. They are convinced it is God’s wisdom they share in such a case. This is a big deception, dear brothers and sisters!! Although I believe that everyone who seeks God and the truth will find Him in the end, danger arises when people have stopped questioning themselves as they think they got it all figured out.
From what I have seen, watched and read, I am afraid that at least 90%, if not 95% or more, of the people who are Christians do not know that they do not know the real God yet. 😔 From hence, in order to deepen our understanding and discernment, I want to offer you this excerpt from one of TAS’ articles. Sparks also describes how a false (crossless) conversion takes place, which is very often the case, I presume. On the other hand, someone can truly be born anew and get sidetracked by focusing primarily on these new experiences of the soul. This is another danger TAS explains.
“Or read what Jude says about this natural man, verse 19: “These are they who make separations, sensual (soulical), having not the Spirit.” Those two things are set over against one another, having the Spirit and being soulical. What does ‘having the Spirit’ mean?
Well, it means that the human spirit has been raised from its place of dormancy, renewed, born again, and become the vessel of the Holy Spirit. Any such one is expected, therefore, to be pre-eminently spiritual on that double ground that their spirit has been born anew and the Holy Spirit is resident within, and therefore, they are not soulical pre-eminently, and these things will not be, or should not be, “who make separations” because they are soulical: “not having the Spirit”. This clause says that the soulical man who is pre-eminently soulical, has not the Spirit. It says, to make that more emphatic, that the child of God is altogether, or should be altogether, above the mere works of his or her soul. Is it not true that Satan’s successes come through the soulical nature always? “These are they who make separations…”. 
What is it that makes separations of this kind? Jude is not talking about those separations which are legitimate, that we are to separate ourselves from everyone who walks disorderly, but these kinds which are of the Corinthian character: “I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ” because of the natural element triumphing. Well, the cause of these things is just the soul life, either in its reasonings, or desirings, or in its willings. The remedy for these things is, as Paul points out to the Corinthians, that that natural man should recognise Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and that the Spirit should be pre-eminent in the believer. […]
I ask you: how many, comparatively, of the Lord’s people and the Lord’s servants today, have a clear perception of the difference between soul and spirit, and have a working apprehension of it so that in their ministry they are able to recognise and discern that difference and work accordingly? Comparatively very few. So that our evangelical work is carried on on the basis of a psychology which is not scriptural, and the soulish nature of man is the ground of both. Man in nature is appealed to; if only his reason can be persuaded and his emotions moved and his will influenced to act on certain presented propositions – and you have got a conversion! Nothing of the kind. Conversions do not take place on that level. That which is born again, born anew is not the soulical man, it is the spiritual man. The soul can no more be born anew than the body. It is the spirit that is born anew. The soul derives the benefit, but do not confuse effects with causes.
A truly born anew one, whose spirit has been renewed by the Holy Spirit, will have a change in the soul life, but the changes in the soul life will be the effects and not the cause. The danger is to go off on your effects and make them everything. Your new feelings, your new way of thinking, your new sense of purpose, new desire, volition, choice; they are the fruits not the cause, but people take up the effects and begin to make the effects everything and circle around an experience. And that is the danger of everything; that they have got back on to another level. It is important to recognise that. You get a young convert, truly born again and he begins to move out on the effects of the new birth, the new feelings, that which comes through to the soul as the good of the birth of the spirit, they move oulout on that and if you have had much experience you feel you want to give them a little caution. But it is not always wise to sit on their new enthusiasms; they will not understand, or begin to restrain.
But you know the danger, and if you are wise as a watcher of their souls, you will wisely, gently, carefully, without chilling, dampening, you will seek to keep the fundamental things in view because you know that in a month or so they will come up against something when these outer things will not be what they were, and when the blossom begins to fall and the winds blow, they will begin to question whether, after all, it was but an emotion, or whether it was real. And you know the danger of that hour. You want to understand, and be able as a wise nurse of souls to point out… yes, do not confuse the effects with the cause; you were born deeper than that and you have to learn to stand on your spiritual feet without a sensation; in the long run you have to learn to stand with the Lord where you have not a feeling of any kind. The soul cannot be born again any more than the body just now. It is important to know that and to recognise it.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/004873.html
All images © Susanne Schuberth 2020
Yes, Susanne, I have seen and partook in a lot of this kind of Christianity over the years in my many attempts to make “church” work for me for this was totally acceptable among them. It seems that we could use 1 Corinthians as a list of all the things that soulical Christians get caught up in, that is, excluding chapter 13 which ends with,
“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1Cor 13:8-12, ESV)
When I was still very soulish I, like many of the Christians around me, looked at this list of “spiritual gifts” as things to seek to have manifesting in us and as signs of our spiritual maturity. We also were of the mindset that we should submit to a “spiritual leader,” often being the one with the strongest soul powers in the group. This led to much suffering and many delusions, needless to say. Back then I read the part I just quoted and thought that Paul was talking about after we die and go to heaven that these things would cease to be so important, but after many years in a spiritual wilderness and much dying in my soul, I was able to see that he is speaking of those who no longer walk after the flesh, but after the spirit. Like Paul said, “We now live in heavenly places IN CHRIST JESUS.” There is life in the old man and their is true spirit led life. I had to awake to the fact that my Christianity was one where I was using spiritual gifts and soulish abilities together to reach the worldly goals I had before I was born again!
“When I became a man (full grown IN Christ) I gave up childish things. My life after those intense 14 years in His wilderness has been a continuation of Him pointing out those “childish things” that still remain and giving them up instead of fighting to keep them working as if my spiritual life was dependant on them, like I once did. Now I seek none of these, but rather that I might see Jesus face to face and know Him the way HE knows me and not in some delusional way because of the “spiritual things” I once clung to. To really KNOW Him is to put away all that is of the flesh with great disdain.
Those are great pictures throughout your article that tell a story in themselves. Thanks for sharing this vivid lesson and reminder on spiritual growth.
Michael
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You are very welcome, Michael. Thanks for your encouraging words regarding the pictures, seven of them taken on a bike ride, one on a prayer walk. 🙂
Just today as I read your comment for the first time, it occured to me that although God gives us prophecies, spiritual gifts like discernment or wisdom, it is childish if we stick to what He has given us. Maturity would mean to me today that we, having received the gift and/or the leading to use it, must let go of it immediately after having obeyed our Lord’s guidance since
“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor 12:7 ESV)
The Holy Spirit manifests Himself whenever He wants in order to make us do His will; He wants to reach others through us, but never as our old nature with its soulish life sees fit. And when His will is done, we need to let go of what we have received and forget it completely. Clinging to a gift, however small it might be, makes us lose sight of the Giver. We need to focus our spiritual eyes on Him (with His help, of course!). By beholding Christ through prayer we are being changed into the same image and are being transformed into the loving believer Paul described in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
Thanks a bunch for your inspiring response, my dear brother! 🙂
Susanne
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Yes, Susanne, many Christians think that just because God gave them a gift to give to others in THEIR moment of need, that it is their own to keep and use as THEY will. Not so! I have learned that the gift of the Holy Spirit IS the HOLY SPIRIT and all things are ours as we OBEY Christ. And He gives these gifts out AS HE WILLS so the whole body might grow into the fullness of Christ.
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (1Cor 12:12-13, ESV)
When any one of us looks to another member for their spiritual supply or seeks to stand out above others because of their gifting… the body is no longer One. No wonder there are over 41,000 different Christian denominations and sects!
“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:21-23, NKJV)
The meaning of Jesus’ final prayer just keeps expanding, doesn’t it?
Thank you for obeying the Spirit’s leading and sharing what you heard with us all… That we might be ONE in Him,
Michael
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Yes, indeed, it keeps expanding, Michael. Maybe, even endlessly…. eternally? 🤔
Now I know why I only quoted one verse from 1 Corinthians 12…you did the rest I had in my mind, too! 😇👍🏼
It is a real danger when we or others look for spiritual supply to other Christians who seem to be more mature or more successful. I mean successful in a worldly sense as such ppl keep selling Christian books, music CDs and seem to be the most wanted preacher(esse)s on conferences or in churches. We both talked about it lately that women often cling to men who present themselves that way just as men do similar things as they seek a spiritual woman to “rule” over them. In both cases, if these spiritual ppl are really spiritual, they will always point believers back to Christ who sets them finally free from this longing to submit to a human being.
Those “spiritual” Christian men and women who do not point back to Christ, but to themselves and their important ministry, these are those who are deceived and deceive others who trust in them. Very often they enjoy applause from their followers and ask for donations to keep their “godly” work going.
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Yes it keeps expanding and I think that’s what the verse is about where it says , “and the increase of his government there shall be no end”
As for those who do not point away from themselves to Christ when it comes to their admirers this is the true meaning of the Antichrist spirit that is “instead of Christ” they use their giftings to take lace in the lives of others.
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Yesss!!! You always provide the proper Scripture to give a fundament to my ideas. Thank you, Michael! 😇
Wow, these ppl are anti-Christian, indeed! What makes it so difficult to discern them is the fact that they are often very nice people, even ppl with whom you must have compassion due to the bad life experiences they had. A bad childhood, no real father or mother, others might be physically disabled people who had genuine experiences with Jesus before they became famous and before money had come into play. A sad story how Satan even deceives the former genuine believer. 😥 We can only pray 🙏 for them that He gives them eyes to really see the truth. 🙄
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Yes, Susanne, even handicapped people can have an antichrist spirit working in them. I found this out the hard way when I mistakenly allowed a crippled Christian woman (whose father was a Christian and author in our town) get close to me. She invited us to her home, supposedly for lunch and fellowship, only to find out she had an agenda to dig into me and my past and find something she could attack me for. We never went back there, even though they live about three block from our home. And they never called to find out why.
This is why Jesus called these religious ones a “brood of vipers.” Their kindness is all a pretense. Do you remember the viper that attacked Paul? He did not say, “Now brother viper, let’s be reasonable. Let go of me before you kill me with your little snaky kisses.” Nope! He shuck it off into the fire.
Vipers take on the appearance of something harmless, even beneficial, so that we will let down our guard and let them get close enough to latch onto us and inject their religious poison into us. All we can do is follow Paul’s example and shake them off into the fire. There is no reasoning with them.
Here is what Jesus had to say about religious vipers and the hell fires they are bound for:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.” (Matt 23:29-35, ESV)
“Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.” Yup! It seems that Jesus lets us go forth as lambs among wolves just to let them prove what spirit they are of. As He said about the judgment, “What you have done unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done unto me… Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.”
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters… Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Rom 14:1-4, NIV)
Except for the grace of God doing a deep work in me, I would be one of them.
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Michael, you wrote at the very end,
“Except for the grace of God doing a deep work in me, I would be one of them.”
Me, too! No doubt about this, my brother. Therefore it has been so difficult for me to feel (a soulical) compassion for a human being on the one hand when Jesus told me on the other, “Get thee out from among them!” (see here). In fact, there is NO fellowship light has with darkness. Your description of how this meeting with a disabled Christian woman unfolded confirmed my thoughts about it. How sad! 😦
We can only pray for these people who finally see a chance to become someone apart from their (mental or physical) disability. We both also met such ppl on the net and eventually had to cut them off in order to get rid of their confusing and destructive spirits. You know how many ppl I am talking of…. how many commenters, writers of emails, bloggers we had to reject over the years. Even close friends, neighbors at times… There is a cost involved when we follow Jesus closely… the gate is narrow and the path anything but easy. The people pleaser in us both would have never rejected anyone, right? 🙄 All these poor people we could have helped. But NO – we should never do anything apart from our Lord’s leading.
Just lately my heart got so burdened as I read a few articles from and about a female blogger in Australia. Some of our readers seem to read and like her blog, too. So I am cautious with calling somebody by name unless the Lord allows. I came to know her writings many years ago and I already felt a check in my mind back then as well. But I was not sure what kind of warning from God that should have been! 🙄
This woman I am talking about had endured A LOT through false submission of women in churches. No wonder that she wanted to get free from this false gospel!! However, it is terrible that someone gets to know the truth and soon afterwards gets sidetracked by a different false gospel as her intention from then on has been to set women free and to mature them through her own ministry. They ‘mature’ so that they can assume authority themselves by becoming preachers, pastors and female ‘apostles’. Sigh… 😦 Isn’t it the Holy Spirit alone who makes us mature? 🙄
To cut a long story short, what made me wonder in her case was the same thing that made me cringe as I had read Mother Teresa’s autobiographic fragments, mainly letters, in a biographic book about her. I am always interested in how believers relate to Jesus Christ since then I know whether they are ‘the real thing’ or not. Mother Theresa was a happy school teacher in India, she really loved her job. But then she said that Jesus had asked her several times whether she would help Him care for the poor in Kalkutta. He seemed to have asked her like a beggar as if He had been helpless without her. Oh boy, that made me shudder!! I don’t think it is a coincidence that she fell into depression afterwards, even for decades. Obedience to God should lead to peace and joy (cf. Romans 14:17) even if we have to suffer at times. But she was never restored to her initial joy in God. That was sooo sad!!! 😦
As for her relationship with Jesus, it appears to be a similar thing with this Australian woman. She described after coming out of these many false churches, she would have a dream (or vision) in which Jesus showed her all kinds of women in this world. He then was said to have asked her again and again whether she would help Him set these women free.
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Dear brothers and sisters, I urgently want to make everyone aware of the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is THE LIVING GOD! He rules the universe, heaven and earth are completely His. He, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is a Commander, He calls us without asking us before and He tells us what to do without asking our permission, ever!! That is not only the way I have come to know our Lord. Let us read what the apostle Paul told us here.
“For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” (1 Cor 9:16-18 ESV)
Free of charge, no tithes, no donations, no salary for preachers, no best-selling books, no music CD’s etc. We have received the gospel from God for free and we share it with anyone who wants to listen – for free. Amen.
Speaking of our loving God who is a Commander, another Scripture comes to mind.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (Jn 15:12-16 ESV – emphasis added)
We cannot call ourself a friend of God or say that we love Him unless we obey Him, right? We are only His friends – He must say that we are His friends – if we do what He has commanded, that is, loving our brethren with the love God has given us and telling others who do not obey Him yet the truth in this same love.
PS
Oops, Michael, the latter part of my comment is rather a sort of new blog post as it seems. 🙄
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I know what you mean. Coming into that place where we not only hear his voice speaking internally but we obey what he says, that seems to take a while. Every time I try to relate to Jesus as my friend he seems to follow up quite quickly with a test of obedience. And he has never offered me some great public ministry in that process but rather simple things that try my soul that crucifies my flesh every time. Like Jesus said, “Father I would that this cup pass from me but nevertheless not my will but thine be done.” I know that you have seen me go through this process many times in the last 6 years. In my natural man I would love to be liked by everyone and stay clear of confrontations, but to be obedient to the Lord’s leading always leads to confrontation in this world system because it is under the control of the wicked one. “Michael, do you love me more than these?” This is always the question in each test, but each time I obey Him it is worth it all.
Thank you my sister for sharing this wonderful insight. 🌟
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Yes, Michael, we both have had to go through this process of crucifying the flesh. We must decrease so that more of Him comes through.
Thanks a lot for this inspiring comment thread and for your many prayers! 🙏 You are most welcome as to the sharing. 😇
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Your very welcome, dear sister. 🙂
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