Kindle Notes & Highlights
As you see His view and opinion, which is reality, His splendor and His goodness, you are transformed, or changed into His likeness.
True effortless transformation and change occurs from the inside out! The scripture says that we are transformed by beholding. Everything has to do with who or what it is that you are continually looking at.
As a Christian, when you have a wrong image of who God is, you may as well just worship an idol!
The people of God are distinguished from the people of this world because in the midst of crisis, you can have peace. In the midst of turmoil, you can be at rest.
As I have already said before, very few people relate to God for who He really is. We tend to relate to the “God” we perceive Him to be. Our beliefs and perceptions as human beings can change over time, even though the specific object of our beliefs and perceptions does not change.
God’s grace exercises a divine influence or ability upon the heart of man, and it is an enabling power. The best way that I would define grace is that it is God’s ability that has a divine influence upon the heart of man. Grace is God’s ability working in and through me.
The view and concept you have of God directly influences the quality of your life as a Christian.
Have you ever heard of something called the “subconscious mind?” We know it is a reality. Every person has a subconscious mind. The Bible simply calls it your “heart.” When you study the Word of God, you will find that the same attributes psychiatrists and psychologists ascribe to the subconscious mind are the attributes that the Bible ascribes to the heart of man.
Unless we start believing fully in the finished work of Jesus we will always thirst. Unless we start to see God for who he really is in and through the wonderful work of Jesus on the cross we will always thirst. The finished work of Jesus on the cross and faith in that work alone is what gives me access to an intimate and personal relationship with Almighty God who is also my Father.
God had self-existent life in Himself. He gave it to the Son. Jesus, the Son, gave you and me this same self-existent life. This scripture tells us that John wrote this truth down for us so that we would not be confused, but know that this eternal Zoe-life is already in us.
Put the same effort into persuading and changing what you believe, that you have put into trying to live right and do right, and see what power will be released in your life.
As a bona fide child of God, you may approach His throne any time you want by nature of your family relationship.
Man got into the mess of sin through Adam, but God got man out of the mess of sin by Jesus Christ, the Last Adam. Man received a sin nature through Adam. But God gave man a new righteous nature two thousand years ago through Jesus Christ, the Last Adam. Praise God! No, it is not fair - it is mercy! Mercy triumphs over judgment. God’s nature longs to extend mercy. Our part is to receive His mercy by faith in the finished work of Jesus.
How can the second person of the Godhead be a man? It is because forever and ever through the work of Jesus Christ, you and I will be counted with the second Person of the Godhead as part of His Body”.
As a believer, success is living a life full of wholesome, life-giving relationships with my family and friends. They benefit from my participation in their lives and I benefit from their presence in my life as we advance God’s Kingdom together.
Under the Old Covenant, everything was done in secret. Everything was covered over. Everything had a veil. If you really wanted to know, you had to get behind the veil. Then Jesus came and did everything out in the open.
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound!” What a powerful way to say it. Def – Safe:“the provision of security and protection. Being free from the feelings of risk or danger.” Def – Sound: “a state of being healthy, whole and complete. Not diseased or damaged or inferior in any way.” God’s whole intent is to make sure that every person has the opportunity to have his or her eternity safe and sound through Jesus Christ.
Through these three stories, Jesus expressed both to the religious leaders and to the ones whom they considered to be the scum of the earth, “I do not care why these people are the way they are. I do not care if it was their nature to be this way. I do not care if it was their circumstances that caused them to be this way. In fact, I do not even care if they wanted to be this way. I love them! If they will receive Me, and if they will listen to me I will receive them and restore them to what is theirs. Let’s party!” Can you see the Father? That is a snapshot of God our Father!
People are not going to truly change from their hearts if they believe God is wrathful and angry with them. Fear can motivate you to change what you do, but only love can change your heart.
As human beings, we want to blame everybody else. We want to blame the government, our spouses, our parents, everybody else, but the reason really comes down to a lack of intimacy with the Father. In the parable, the same thing prevented both sons from truly experiencing and enjoying their inheritance.
Study the Word of God to discover for yourself that you are approved, accepted and loved by your Father. If you study the Word for any other reason, you will not be able to rightly divide the Word of Truth.
For instance, if you study the Word to find out about end-time prophecy, you will very likely come up with some of the strangest doctrines that will never balance out at the end of the day. But as you discover just as Jesus did, that you are approved, accepted and loved by your Father, He will tell you of things to come as you fellowship with Him!
Every time you open your Bible, your heart’s intent should be, “Father, show me how much You love me. I open my heart to believe the truth about how much you accept me. Reveal to me in a deeper way what was accomplished and achieved on my behalf. Let this be firmly established in my heart.”
