Spiritual Experience to Be Built on the Word:

We must be on guard that our spiritual experience is founded on God’s Word rather than on ecstatic experiences. Strong cautions are given to those who seek an emotional high through a “spiritual experience.” The Word of God is to be the solid foundation upon which we are to build our experience. Anything else will eventually prove to be a foundation of sand. Notice the stress placed upon the Word as the basis for our spiritual lives.CESDAC 4.2

“The Lord desires His servants today to preach the old gospel doctrine, sorrow for sin, repentance, and confession. We want old-fashioned sermons, old-fashioned customs, old-fashioned fathers and mothers in Israel. The sinner must be labored for, perseveringly, earnestly, wisely, until he shall see that he is a transgressor of God’s law, and shall exercise repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.”—Selected Messages 2:19CESDAC 4.3

“It is through the Word—not feeling, not excitement—that we want to influence the people to obey the truth. On the platform of God’s Word we can stand with safety.”—Selected Messages 3:375CESDAC 4.4

“They [nominal Christians] flatter themselves that they are in conformity to the will of God because they feel happy; but when they are tested, when the Word of God is brought to bear upon their experience, they stop their ears from hearing the truth, saying, ‘I am sanctified,’ and that puts an end to the controversy. They will have nothing to do with searching the Scriptures to know what is truth, and prove that they are fearfully self-deceived. Sanctification means very much more than a flight of feeling.CESDAC 4.5

“Excitement is not sanctification. Entire conformity to the will of our Father which is in heaven is alone sanctification, and the will of God is expressed in His holy law. The keeping of all the commandments of God is sanctification. Proving yourselves obedient children to God’s Word is sanctification. The Word of God is to be our guide, not the opinions or ideas of men.”—Selected Messages 3:204CESDAC 4.6