In a nutshell I was told that I needed to do more feeling with my spirit than thinking with my head. At that time I believed that it was the Spirit that caused me to do so much thinking and rationalization. To me everything had to fit or make sense before if could be acceptable. I have struggled with getting by the 'by the book' mentality that's been instilled in me from childhood to the point where I have often believed that if it was not in the book, it couldn't be of God.
All that said, my question is this: Where is the point of that fine line between loving the God spoken of in the Bible and making the Bible that tells of God your god?
From my observations of you (Not saying I have anything figured out) This dogged tenaciousness for every scripture to line up, have zero contradictions, and everything have to be exactly as the Word says it is something that I greatly respect. I don't agree with you on a lot of things however but it's only because of What I see in the word, but at the same time can't argue you natural view point because it's exactly what the scripture does say.
To me that is a great strength and only something God put in you. I would not change that.
So then does this mentality cause us to miss something going by the letter?
Let's get honest here though, I have read lots of post and most have not even figured out that God's Word is perfect and never contradicts anywhere. So your situation is very unique.
Look at Isa 14 and Eze 28....... We talking about Satan here, something spiritual who run the kingdoms or we talking about human kings here? If I were to just read it as a book then we are talking about human kings here but the Word is spiritually discerned. If you plug Satan in, both fit, but only one is right or they both right telling two sides?
Someone that knows God would tell you right away that our God did not send Satan off to Murder Job's children. Can't be possible as it contradicts so many other scriptures. Job was given a right to choose death or life. Had to be Job's fault. We have no other example of God doing that to anyone that served him yet others take the book of Job as it's own book without the rest of the Word.
Our Father in Heaven never treats anyone that way, not those that serve him.
One has to ask what our relationship with God means when it comes to understanding scripture then. We read it by the letter or with relationship? Do we need both?
All that said, my question is this: Where is the point of that fine line between loving the God spoken of in the Bible and making the Bible that tells of God your god?
Psa_138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:
for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
That may not be the right question.
1Jn_2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:
but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
I think the question is, are we seeking after the Anointing to understand the Word, or the Word to get a grip on what the anointing is?
Eph_4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Php_3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
2Pe_1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe_2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
Seek after the knowledge of the anointing of the Lord Jesus Christ (The anointed one and his anointing) The knowledge of him.
To be honest, until I was filled with the Holy Spirit and finally received the gift of tongues, all I had was my own head understanding to put together scriptures. There is power in the Word.
Blessings.
Mike.