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This time I am going to share a short vision with you on here, though only further below. Nonetheless, this vision was so impressive that I was left with the fear of the Lord in my heart afterwards. For a better understanding I want to clarify again that beholding the Lord or God Himself cannot be compared with looking at a real photograph or with watching a movie or else with our natural eyes. When we look at a picture or at someone who is in front of us, as long as our eyes allow we can explore what we want to see, even in details. However, that is not the case in the spiritual realm.

As long as we live in this frail body that is still connected to our fallen nature, it appears to me that catching a perfect sight of God is not possible. The apostle Paul put it that way,

“For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].” (1 Cor 13:12 AMP)

I compared several Bible translations, but I believe the Amplified Version puts it best. When Jesus Christ or God our Father appear before our spiritual eyes, we might be able to see them partially or only their shape. Whether it is the face, a part of the body, an arm, a hand or two, whatever God wants to show us we can behold what we see for a specific time only. When this particular time is over (sometimes merely a few seconds or less) we cannot make it alive again. It is over. Nonetheless, the impression remains and becomes part of our memory.

It was only yesterday as I listened to a song on the radio while doing the kitchen in the evening that a peculiar verse of the lyrics sung by a man immediately reminded me of something I had experienced… with Jesus. At that very moment it was as if I was struck by a light from heaven! As simple as this realization might sound at first, I saw that my natural tendency to recall past events of my life (on earth) when listening to particular songs was suspended at that moment. Walking in the Spirit… living a new creation life in Christ… so many different Scriptures come to mind. Gathering treasures in heaven, not on the earth… I often wondered what that might mean…

The more time we spend walking in the Spirit with Him, the more memories of the spiritual realm we will have. That which has become clear to me was that the new creation life in Christ enables us to shift the focus from our old life with its experiences, sufferings, pains, and even joys to a completely new, heavenly perspective on all things. Our old memories start to disappear in the background as new memories from our life with God come to the fore. Again, the Amplified Bible Translation offers explanatory notes on Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].” (2 Cor 5:17 AMP)

Later in the evening when I spend some time in prayer in our living room, I found myself in a vision with Jesus. Suddenly He told me to focus on His face, or rather, on His mouth. As He stood at a distance of about one and a half meters (about 60 inches) in front of me, I had a hard time to focus on His mouth. Also, I was wondering what that might mean. The picture remained blurry until I saw that He had opened His mouth. Jesus said,

“Speak my words.”

I was startled as the fear of the Lord had gripped my heart at once. My initial reaction was only, “Oh…!”  🙄 Knowing that you can be inspired by God to deliver that which He wants to say, more or less in your own words, I truly wondered what that might mean. I have known a kind of ‘spiritual’ enthusiasm that came up whenever I sensed that God had been speaking through me. But as it was with Peter and His revelation about Jesus being the Messiah, shortly afterwards, Satan used my flesh to somehow spoil the message given by God. Therefore, knowing my own frailty, I asked Him what He meant by these three words. But yesterday I got no answer yet.

Today God drew my attention to the last line of most of my blog posts in recent years. Usually, you can read there, “All images © Susanne Schuberth 2022” (or another name of someone in my family who took the pictures). I knew immediately that God wanted me to remove this copyright symbol ©. Although I never claimed copyright as to my writings on here, knowing that I can only share what God has given me before, I still thought that taking pictures belonged to another realm of (my) life. Yesterday I had read an inspiring article by T. Austin-Sparks (“Lord, Lord”) (1) where Jesus told His disciples (!) that not everyone who called Him “Lord, Lord” would enter the kingdom of heaven. Sparks wrote,

“He says even to His disciples: “Not every one that saith unto Me ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.” You see, that is a very sifting word, and the Lord is constantly sifting out amongst those who on the face of it are His followers.” (1)

TAS went on to describe the rich young ruler who wanted to “have” eternal life by somehow “adding” this life to all his other possessions. Jesus, in contrast, told him to enter eternal life through the narrow gate by leaving ALL his possessions behind and to rather follow Him. Here is the exact quote by TAS.

“In that part of the chapter where the man who has become professionally known as ‘The Rich young Ruler’ is in view. Firstly he says: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” The Lord Jesus says: “If thou wouldest enter into Life…”, and finally He says: “inherit everlasting Life”. You see the three things in relation to eternal Life: have, enter in, inherit. And they represent aspects of this great question of eternal Life which go right down deep into the being and find us out as they found this man out. That man was tested out by the very thing that he himself first raised, the question of Life, and his way of approaching this matter is: “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”. “That I may have”. Let us ring that out. “I”, “Have” – “That I may have”. Everything for this man turned upon his desire for possessions, his acquisitiveness, he was great on acquiring, on having, and with all his possessions he wanted to have still another, and to add to his possessions, perhaps give them a perpetuity, an immortality. He wanted to have eternal Life; to his adding he would have eternal Life. “That I may have”. “Good Master…” that sounds very much like “Lord, Lord” doesn’t it? It sounds like an acknowledgment, a recognition, but is it a patronising?” (1)

Today it got clearer to me and I have felt really bad about it. I have a big archive of pictures I took, some of them better, some of them not so good. But that is not the point. My failure was that I always thought they were mine since I took the photographs. Nonetheless, I do know how often God nudges me to take pictures of objects of which I had never thought before. That happens almost as often as writing blogs “on His demand” only.

Yesterday when I was on a longer, stormy prayer walk including a talk with Michael Clark on the phone, I was already exhausted because I felt I my blood sugar was pretty low (a cereal bar helped, but not at once, though). I recall a moment when we talked as I saw this “MY LIFE” sticker on a car (just compare the first picture I posted). Immediately I took a picture of this fragment (so that nobody could figure out whose car that was) and sent it to Michael. He was amazed to see how this white zigzag line, representing a boundary mark which in connection with a traffic sign restricts standing or parking there (2), was mirrored on the rear of the vehicle. “Save this picture for a future blog!” When he had said this, I felt a confirmation from God in my heart, too. Indeed, hasn’t my life with God really been like a zigzag line?  🙄

(1) https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/005095.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 statment included.”

(2) https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/zickzacklinie/ (Sorry, this link only offers a German explanation)

All images by Susanne Schuberth 2022

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