I remember it vividly. My father-in-law had come into some money and bought new furniture for his porch. The problem was that it arrived unassembled. My husband and his dad laid out all the parts and proceeded to put the furniture together. After a long time of struggle, they finally figured out that without reading the directions, the construction was chaos. Screws were in the wrong places and legs were backwards. It was truly a mess. Little life wisdom: Read the directions before assembling.
Did my father-in-law have great intentions when he started the assembly process? Of course!! The difficulty was that he wanted it assembled immediately without bothering to go through the written process. Another lesson: Part A honestly does not fit in Part C, especially if it is backwards.
During the unsuccessful assembly I heard a lot of words going back and forth and a great deal of emotion was expressed (maybe our children should not have been in earshot). It took a whole lot longer to assemble that furniture than it should have.
I find that some Christians take this approach to their growth in Christ. Their life is adrift with emotions and feelings. Experience rules the day. There is an emphasis of experience over what Christ has said. Jesus has already said thousands of words.
He moves me and speaks to me through His delightful and wonderful Word daily. I already have it in black and white and it is the dearest thing in the world to me. The Bible is living. As Scripture says, Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. God’s Word is a daily scalpel in my life, cleaning, healing and protecting.
Also II Timothy 3: 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
God has already given me the Instruction Manual for Life. He has already given me His Word and that is what I drink from daily, slowly and carefully. I ask His Holy Spirit to open up my ears, my heart, my very being so that when I read His Word it comes alive to me. Jesus speaks to me through what He has already very effectively said and He cuts to the very depths of my heart. God’s written Word is what has saved my life. Amen and amen!!
If you want to look into this further, please read https://worldlysaints.wordpress.com/2020/05/13/experience-vs-the-word-of-god/