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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Lynn Hardy
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September 18 - November 4, 2019
God still spoke to Abraham even though there was a separation. This means sin doesn’t keep God from speaking to us when He wants.
If you look closely at this verse, it says God will not hear us, hear our prayers, it doesn’t say we cannot hear Him.
It is apparent that God can speak to us even if we don’t believe in Him and while we are in sin.
“Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man];
He gave them a choice in the form of a tree. If they wanted more than what He gave them, there was the tree of knowledge, which contained intimacy with everything, even that which wasn’t God. He warned them not to eat from it. He knew if they disobeyed Him there would be a separation between Him and mankind. In time it would mean death, not only to Adam and Eve but also to many who came after them. Adam and Eve knew and talked with God, yet they still had the free will to choose.
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
God’s answer came in the small, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit, “I give to man what is necessary. If the journey is going to be long and hard they will need to hear directly from me to complete the task.”
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)
(Romans 5:9) However, just as we are saved by the blood, we have to accept it, claim it, and submit to His authority: it isn’t automatic. We don’t get to go to Heaven because we know Jesus is the Son of God. Even the demons know this and they tremble at His name. (James 2:19) We have to take Jesus as Lord – the word “lord” means owner. Likewise, we have to appropriate our justice by the blood of Jesus.
John was given a word from another pastor, encouraging him to train others in dream interpretation so what he is doing isn’t lost when he dies. John made an agreement with God: if God would show him how to train others in what he did by instinct, then John would train others to interpret dreams from God.
Freely you have received; freely give. (Matt. 10:8 NIV)
God doesn’t bring sickness, Satan does.
…From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required (Luke 12:48 AMP)
God is just and fair. When God speaks to someone, He gives the enemy equal access if judgment should occur.
The more God speaks to a person, the more severe ...
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Many people think it was because Moses struck a rock in anger instead of just speaking to it that he was no longer eligible to enter the Promised Land. If you look at what Moses said right before he hit the rock, there is a bit more to it. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” (Numbers 20:10) The word “we” is not in caps. Moses isn’t talking about how God will bring water for the people; he is claiming partial credit for the miracle of bringing the water from the rock. Moses had lost
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God gave Moses much and expected him to do exactly what He told him to do. This is why God only gives people what they need.
Imagine, if you will, this scenario: In Heaven, God is on the judgment seat. The court is called into order. The prosecutor, Satan, steps forward, “Your Majesty, I bring charges against Joe Smith. Three days ago, You, Yourself, spoke to him and said, ‘I am God!’ and since then, Mr. Smith has violated the commandment of using your name in vain as he said, ‘God d*mn’ three times. He has not apologized for this use of Your name. Because of this violation, I demand the right to send (sickness, accident, or attack) against (him or his children); removing the blessing you have given him.” If you do
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For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14 AMP)
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48)
Free will gives us the right to choose. We have the right to accept His plan or reject it. With “chosen” people, He designs them for a particular job and influences their life, lining up their destiny. God sends others to speak into their lives until they are on the path designed for them. Few who are “chosen” can ever escape their destiny.
God chooses to whom He will speak audibly for the reasons explained in the prior chapters. However, this doesn’t mean that God will not speak to you. There are many ways God speaks to people, but the top three are: Through His Word (the Bible) A small quiet voice A louder, internal voice
Before we can be sure that we are hearing from God in the other ways God speaks, we need to know who He is. The way we find this out is by reading the Bible; the inspired word of God written as the Holy Spirit instructed its writers.
If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)
These are two of the many verses that promise God gives wisdom to those who ask. God likes it when we quote His words back to Him and He is delighted to give us gifts. Use these two verses in a simple prayer something like this: “Father, I ask that you grant me wisdom to understand what I am reading. Help me find out more about You, Your Son, and the Holy Spirit.” A prayer like this will open the way for God to bring wisdom and understanding to you through the Bible. This is the beginning of learning to hear from God. There are two keys that will help you in understanding of what you are
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“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
If the Word can be analyzed correctly, it can also be analyzed incorrectly. How do we know we are getting the right meaning? It is all about the context: remove the text surrounding a scripture you can get easily conned. Ask yourself these questions: Who is this directed at? Why is it being said? In the case of Jesus speaking, ask yourself whom He is talking to? If it is before going to the cross, is He talking to Jews about the law and trying to get them to realize that they cannot fulfill it on their own? Or is He speaking prophetically about how it will be in the future?
There are three groups of people in the Bible: Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God—. (1 Corinthians 10:32) Jews – God’s chosen people Gentiles or Nations – those without a relationship with God Church – the entire body of Christ, literally translated “called out ones” Not all verses are about you as a Christian, but all Christians can learn from every word recorded. We must, however, know whom it is talking about so we can see how to apply it to our lives.
There are three sources that can bring us knowledge: Our minds The enemy God The more we know about God through reading His word, the easier it will be to discern what is bringing us knowledge.
I ask that You send the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me and to become one with my spirit, making me a new creation. I receive you Holy Spirit Thank you for filling me to overflowing. Holy Spirit, please guide me and reveal to me any sins that remain in my life so that I can turn from them. I desire to live according to God’s way from now on.
If you cannot yet say this prayer and believe it with your whole heart, begin reading the first four chapters of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Before you begin, ask God to grant you wisdom and reveal Jesus to you. Come back and say this prayer when you KNOW these things with all your heart.
Our best defense against this is a good relationship with God, which is developed by spending time with Him, including reading what is written about Him.
Have you been overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit so that He can guide you and use you for the work of the Father? If you aren’t sure, you can ask for Him right now: Heavenly Father, Your Son declared that when He went to Heaven He would send the Holy Spirit to us. I ask now, Father, for the Holy Spirit to come and live in me in my heart and fill me to overflowing. Holy Spirit, I welcome You, speak loudly to me and teach me. I ask all this in the name of my Savior, Jesus. Amen.
Once you have invited Him in, the Holy Spirit can speak to you. The most common way He does this is in a small quiet voice (1 Kings 19:12). I heard from Him in this way for years and didn’t know what was going on (See “Angels Believe in You,” it’s FREE). After I came back to God and asked Him into my life, the voice inside my head – some would call it our conscience – seemed to get really smart. Everything it said would come to pass.
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. (Proverbs 3:6)
The next time there seems to be zero chance of rain and the small quiet voice in your head says, “Bring an umbrella,” when the rain comes, say, “Thank you, Holy Spirit for telling me about the rain…” This strengthens your relationship and the light on your path will increase.
If you are married, many times the Holy Spirit will use your spouse to train you. A thought will come, sounding just like you: “Don’t say that…” If you ignore the thought, a seemingly innocent remark will lead to an argument. Learn to acknowledge the real Person behind the voice that sounds just like you. This gives Him more authority to speak to you.
When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down. Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]. (Ephesians 4:26-27 AMPC) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)
A word of knowledge should always confirm something that God is already placing in your heart. If someone gives you a word from God that does not connect with something in your life, it could be that the person is speaking from his or her own spirit, or has missed who it is the word was meant for.
When God gives gifts, He doesn’t take them back. If someone gives you a word from God and then asks you for money or something of value, this is not God’s way. This person may have a gift from God, but he may not be using it for His glory.
There are demons assigned to each and every one of us; they listen and report. If one was standing by when you said something or your father said something, they can use this information to try and draw you away from God. People who are using this gift to talk to spirit guides are just speaking to demons that can imitate or repeat things they have seen or heard. This gift can be used for tarot cards, palm reading, or any other type of divining that doesn’t give glory to God or Jesus.
God will speak about a future situation and show you how to deal with it. The Holy Spirit may tell you to say something to someone else about a future situation so that they will know what to do when the time comes.
The bottom line is: does what you receive line up with what you know is true about God from the Bible? Does it encourage, help, correct, and lift up? These things are of God. Does a message or word condemn you, making you feel worthless or like you aren’t good enough? These aren’t messages of God. If there is any question about where it has come from, put it before the Lord and ask Him for wisdom concerning it.
If you are listening to and learning from the Holy Spirit, He will change you. You will develop what is called “Fruits of the Spirit.” A mature tree bears much fruit: But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
You must reach a level of maturity to receive from God in different ways. Dreams are usually more vague than visions; you need maturity to not only understand them but to react appropriately to them. God doesn’t stop talking to you through other means once you mature, He just opens up new doors as He determines you are better able to handle them. Consequently, old men can have both dreams and visions. Both God and Satan have access to our dreams. You will need to discern who is speaking to you, much like you would for words of wisdom. Look for an upcoming book about this topic for more
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Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8 NIV)
Give back what God has given to you, freely.
He has set on a task. Then, He adds the parameters, “you did nothing to earn this power or knowledge; I give it freely to you. You do the same. What I have given to you, give it away for free.” (Matthew 10:1-15)
Peace, so strong it was undeniable, welled up deep inside me confirming I was on the right track.
“To whom much is given, much is required. You now know the fullness of your calling. You cannot give the enemy a place from which to attack you.”
When we give, it is not to the person, it says, “God, I believe You have sent this person and accept that this message is from You.” This allows Him to respond to your act of obedience and flow more powerfully into your life.
