Kindle Notes & Highlights
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September 2 - September 4, 2023
“This is the day the Lord has made,”
“We will rejoice and be glad in it,”
For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there…
James had warned the believers against the dangers of envy and self-seeking, for such things were earthly and demonic. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, James had explained, his gentle features glowing with conviction, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy…
Precious Lord, forgive me,
How long have I prayed for the salvation of my family, Lord? And then, when You led my dear little sister right to my doorstep, granting me the opportunity to share
Your truth, did I rejoice in Your great mercy? No, I reacted in petty jealousy like a selfish, willful child! Forgive me, Righteous Father. Enable me to reflect Your unf...
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“He is a brilliant scholar. Unfortunately, when such men do not
“But isn’t that what faith is all about? Trust in the face of uncertainty? Faithful obedience to God without demanding an explanation?”
Simon Peter’s instruction confirmed this for me. Do you remember when he said those who forsake the needs of their own families deny the faith by their actions?”
The problem, however, is this: there was no power in the rules and regulations because there was no relationship with the One who established them. It simply became a dull routine, a meaningless bore to her, I imagine.”
“When rigorous religious observances do little or nothing to transform the one performing them, it often results in disillusionment and scorn—both to the religionist and to those around him.”
Spirit who gives the power to transform formerly dull spiritual disciplines into life-giving channels fed by the true Living Water.”
To experience an abundant life was all she really wanted, all she had sought so desperately. Even so, how could she possibly hope to experience an abundant life if burdened by rigid rules? Surely one experienced true bliss once free to do as one pleased, unhindered by the unreasonable expectations of one’s family, religion, or society!
These believers met because they couldn’t help themselves! They loved their God, they loved His Word, they loved each other. The Scriptures were something not only
believers shone like the sun, effortlessly reflecting their deep joy, their inner peace. Kelila wanted to experience that exultation for herself. She wanted it so badly she thought she would go mad! But she couldn’t stomach the thought of resigning herself to another monotonous checklist, and the believers obeyed all the commandments without thought or question.
Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me Your way, that I may know You…”
To have every desire and every need met wasn’t enough. To dine upon the most lavish and sumptuous fare of the land wasn’t enough. No, Moses recognized that earthly pleasures mean nothing without the presence of God.”
The Lord had granted her a precious gift—this incredible man whom she loved dearly—and yet she was so concerned about the future, she couldn’t possibly enjoy the sweetness of this present moment.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?
…because He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us, God’s presence is always with us, strengthening and enabling us to follow that Way.
God’s presence. The Holy Spirit. Perhaps this was the force responsible for the believers’ unwavering obedience.
“Oh, the Holy Spirit has proven invaluable to me,” Candace insisted. “When I am weak, He is faithful to help me resist temptation. When I need guidance or encouragement, He brings the perfect Scriptures to mind. And when I do stumble in sin, He convicts me of my shortcomings.”
“That strange disquiet, that disturbing loss of peace, is often the Holy Spirit seeking our attention. When we sin—be it accidentally or intentionally—the Holy Spirit brings those sins to mind. This, in turn, allows us to recognize our sin, taking it before God in genuine repentance. When we confess our sins to God, He is faithful to forgive us, cleansing us from our unrighteousness.”
When prompted by the Holy
Spirit, the godly sorrow one experiences over sin
always leads to re...
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“He sinned greatly against God. But the Holy Spirit reached him, and he wept bitterly. Peter confessed his sin, and he was forgiven. Now the Lord has granted him a place of honor among the apostles, allowing him to perform mighty wonders.”
“Unlike Judas, Simon Peter allowed the Holy Spirit to draw him back to the Lord,” Candace explained. “He confessed his sins to a faithful God, and he was forgiven and restored. But Judas, consumed with guilt, refused the Spirit’s leading. Driven by the devil, the great accuser of men, Judas swallowed the lies the enemy fed him, believing he was beyond redemption.”
“So you’re saying the Holy Spirit draws men toward God and toward repentance, while the devil attempts to separate men from God, convincing sinners they are a lost cause, unworthy of God’s redemption?”
“Then is it safe to say that the guiltier one feels, the harder the Holy Spirit is trying to reach him?”
Part of her longed to embrace this strange new sect of believers, losing herself entirely to the beauty and simplicity of the Way. And yet another part of her held back, daunted by the frightening possibilities of relinquishing her right to plan her own future, to chart her own course.
Still a struggle for so many people, but once you fully embrace Christ life is so much greater.
interesting that the Shema is composed of three distinct, separate sections, forming one complete benediction, unrivaled in beauty and perfection. Note also that this blessing is pronounced three times each day—a rather obvious theme of three in one. So many hidden symbols—and this is but one ancient blessing!”
most well-known blessing of Torah, the Birkat Kohanim: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Note the pronouncement of the sacred name three separate times—the Lord bless and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. Again we see this central theme of three in one.”
“Most often,” Gamaliel mused quietly, “I find the Word of God to be quite literal. True, there are also
symbolic passages. Some passages prove both literal and symbolic.”
“The Spirit of God now dwells in the heart of each believer, not in a building shaped by the hands of men. As the body of Christ, the church has now become the Temple of the Holy Spirit. He resides in us when we believe, accepting Christ’s atoning sacrifice.”
You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart…
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.
she’d once loathed religion because, in her father’s household, there was no life, no love, in it. The religion her father practiced was one of ritual and obligation.
God had shown her what it really meant to follow Him.
Now, Jesus’ shed blood provided the final atonement for all who were willing to receive it. Now, by the power of the Holy Spirit, all believers communed freely with Almighty God. He wasn’t imprisoned within the marble walls of an ancient temple. No, He was enthroned within the hearts of His children!
Besides, all the jewels and finery in the world couldn’t win a person to Christ. No, that was accomplished by the Holy Spirit of God moving through the obedience of a fully surrendered believer. Sighing in resignation, she determined to remember that important fact.
“Jesus said, ‘He who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.’
“We all bear hidden scars,” Stephanos said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to see past a person’s crusty, unpleasant exterior to truly understand them, to recognize why they are the way they are. But we must strive to do so, nonetheless.”
some of the most demanding, controlling people in the world are also the most fearful. That’s why they seek to control others, Tabitha—because they’re afraid of what might happen should they relinquish the illusion of control. But these are the ones in desperate need of our prayers. Only the perfect love of Christ can cast out fear, releasing them from their self-inflicted prison of torment.”
But then again, I suppose none of us really knows how much time we have left with anyone, Tabitha thought, reluctantly resuming her gentle sweeping. We should do everything in our power to reach the lost while we can—while there’s still time.
How she had longed to unveil the deep mysteries hidden within the feasts, each one pointing directly to Jesus Christ!
“Am I safe anywhere apart from the will of God?”
