The Journey Inward

By Katja Schmidt

It is safe to say that we are entering some of the most difficult times on earth that we have ever known, and as Christians we need to examine our relationship with Jesus. Do we really know Him?

This book is a journey of discovery—a journey inward—that will show us where we really are in our walk with God. This last century has seen many Christians in first-world countries enjoy a comfortable walk with God, which has sadly enabled a lukewarm lifestyle. Will this get us through the next chapter we are globally about to enter as a Church and as individuals—as the world changes daily before our eyes, as our comforts are removed, and as many are left stranded in financial distress, broken relationships, and other hardships? The Journey Inward will help believers refocus during this time. It is a clarion call to show us what is most important in life. Jesus must come first and all else second. But how do we find Him amidst our chaotic, self-focused, and noisy lives?

It’s time to take the journey inward, which is probably one of the most important steps you’ll take in the direction toward God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664231535

Katja Schmidt

Katja Schmidt is an aspiring author who has penned her debut book on her passion for Jesus and her desire to see Christians living a more intimate relationship in their journey with Him. Katja belongs to the Barn Christian Fellowship in Johannesburg, South Africa, and has been a born-again believer since 1992. She manages a successful international events agency and is an active participant in her church and community.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-3152-8 (sc)

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1     Something Is Wrong

Chapter 2     Martha, Martha

Chapter 3     Learning to Let Go

Chapter 4     Away From the Crowd

Chapter 5     Less of Me, More of Him

Chapter 6     The Pearl of Great Price

Chapter 7     The Kingdom of God Is Within You

Chapter 8     Still Waters That Run Deep

Chapter 9     Only Him

Chapter 10   Become the Beloved Bride

Chapter 11   The Eternal Union

Chapter 12   Learning to Abide

Chapter 13   Enjoying the Presence of God

In honor of the One Who has my heart—Jesus.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:14)

To say that being a Christian has been an easy journey so far would be the furthest thing from the truth. But has it been worthwhile? —oh yes indeed, and I would do it a thousand times over! My prayer is that this journey on which you are about to embark in this short book will resonate with something deep inside of you that longs for a more intimate relationship with God.

I dedicate the writings of this book to my family, who have loved me unconditionally through thick and thin, especially through the times when I struggled with self-acceptance. I would also like to acknowledge some of my closest friends who have pushed and encouraged me to be more like Christ each day. Wynand Jordaan—thank you for always speaking the truth and for not giving up on me during my struggles. To my faithful friend Nathalie Gouverneur—you have encouraged me to stay on the right path through so many years! I’m so blessed to have met you at Bible School, and we haven’t looked back. And to my other close personal and work friends—we are walking through this journey of life together—I love you all and thank you for your loyalty and commitment to our friendship.

To Pastor Roelof and Carol Kwant from the Barn Christian Fellowship—my spiritual home for the last 20 years—thank you for your love for Jesus and His Church and your dedication to preach the true gospel.

Lastly to Erica Blickens. What a dear friend you have been! The hours you spent editing and proofreading my book—your hard work and efforts are really appreciated—thank you!!

PREFACE

I often wonder what prompted me to write this book—perhaps it’s this strange time in which we are living during the COVID-19 pandemic. As I embarked on this journey during our nation-wide lockdown in South Africa, it seemed like a pretty daunting mountain to climb! As much as I always imagined writing a book would be an incredible milestone to achieve, it’s not that easy. A year has passed, and I’m still busy editing! My personality is generally an A-Type —which is extremely goal-oriented. This means that I could start and finish a book in two pages. To be honest, I am completely out of my comfort zone, but at the same time I am probably exactly where God wants me—and patience is key!

Just a little background on me—I became a born-again Christian in 1993, during my last year at University. I was born in Germany, but my life is firmly rooted in South Africa and Africa as a continent. I’ve just turned fifty, run an events management company, am unmarried, and have no children. Over recent years, however, I have realized that life cannot only be about achieving certain goals I set for myself—whether they are work, spiritual, or life-focused. I have also discovered, albeit initially to my disappointment, that getting somewhere in our spiritual walk is not about moving up the proverbial ladder in the church or work world either.

What we do need to realize is that there is a greater mystery at work inside each of us through God’s Spirit—and that deeper work is the most important discovery I have made! This deeper work is most often God working at a different pace than ours.

In this book, I would like to share my personal experience of discovery of this inner work, in hopes that it will give us a unique perspective on our daily walk with Jesus. I believe for most, this is the road less travelled, and I often wonder if I had learned these insights earlier, would I have been further along in my Christian walk? Be that as it may, I’m grateful to God for His patient and relentless love—because I know I’m exactly where He wants me to be right now.

As Christians, we are all at different stages of maturity in our journey and even as every stage of our growth is precious, it is even more important that we don’t remain where we are. Wynand, my close friend who is a full-time missionary in Mozambique, once told me a story about a little green apple. He explained that when an apple is formed on a tree, it is small, sour, and green. After a little while, it slowly becomes a bigger green apple until, after a couple of months, it is edible and fully ripened. However, even the small, sour, and green apple is perfect and exactly where it needs to be at that point of its growth. Eventually, as nature so beautifully portrays, the small green apple grows and becomes the delicious big green apple we love to eat. If we compare this to our spiritual journey, it is somewhat sad to see how some of us have remained that small green apple all our lives and haven’t so much as moved off the starting block. You see, it’s not so important whether one person is here or there along their journey. What is important is that we are moving forward—growing and maturing as believers.

Just as it’s unnatural for a baby to remain a baby all its life, the option to remain as we are in our growth as Christians is not encouraged anywhere in God’s Word, as this will keep us unskilled and unable to discern good from evil:

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5: 12-14, author’s emphasis added)

Common sense teaches us that when a person rows a boat and puts down his oars for even just a couple of seconds in a moving river, he will start drifting backward. Likewise, we as believers have to use our spiritual oars to move forward in the river of life that God sets before us, which enables us to grow.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

I trust that this journey on which we are about to embark, will show us what is important in our walk as Christians and that no matter what life brings us, we can’t give up, or put down our oars. We need to continue—through the good and tough times—and trust the process that God puts us through. He has a carefully crafted plan for each of our lives. This plan is revealed step by step as we journey inward and grow in our relationship with Him.

INTRODUCTION

In 1981, at the International Worship Symposium held at Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, Charlotte Baker, a guest speaker, delivered a prophetic message called The Eye of the Needle. I heard this prophecy for the first time at a group prayer meeting shortly after I gave my life to the Lord. As I heard this prophecy, I wept. I believe my spirit responded to a deeper message that the Lord conveyed to me through this prophecy although being a young believer at the time, I didn’t quite grasp the full depth and impact it would have on my life!

The prophetic word is mostly metaphorical, but there is a deeper and more important message it conveys. It speaks about the mystery that we can so easily miss, especially when we are caught up in our frantically busy lives. This precious truth is in direct contrast to how most of us live our spiritual lives. I’m not sure if you are aware, but God doesn’t seem to reveal His secrets to just anyone. According to His Word, He reveals them to those who fear Him:

The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He reveals His covenant to them. (Psalm 25:14, Holman Christian Standard Bible)

This prophecy sets the tone for what I have written, which is about the journey inward and finding that which matters most. In the next few paragraphs, I’ve summarized and taken short excerpts from the prophecy—The Eye of the Needle by Charlotte Baker (author’s changes to original text in italics).

"I said unto the Lord, ‘I will do mighty exploits in the name of my God.’ And the Lord heard my prayer and I said, ‘Lord, if I could only be among those who play sweetly upon instruments, and who sing well in the house of the Lord, then would I do great things for my God.’ The Lord led me according to the desire of my heart, and He stood me among the sons of men and let me play and let me sing. And I saw the day when the hearts of men were moved by that thing which the Lord had given me. As the hearts of men were moved, I stood back and said within myself, ‘now will I be content, for I have been able to move the hearts of men.’ While men were praising Him and magnifying His name, I went back to my secret chamber and bowed my head in sorrow as I said, ‘Oh my God! I am not satisfied. I am not satisfied.’"

The prophecy continues in a similar pattern, wherein she would earnestly pray, longing and asking God for a legitimate gift, whether it be healing or casting out demons or preaching the Word. Each time, the Lord answered her prayer and allowed her to go forth and minister with these gifts, yet she returned to the prayer closet feeling deeply dissatisfied! When she finally came to the end of herself, her prayer changed.

"But I