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I.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Capacity
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But if from thence thou shalt
seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if
thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
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Deuteronomy 4:29
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God.
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Matthew 5:8
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…they that tread the path of faith, they
that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that
is earthly - their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings,
their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding
fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then will they be made worthy of the
effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and understanding…
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Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Iqan,
Page:3
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Islam
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2.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Wisdom
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The LORD's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see
thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
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Micah 6:9
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That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him:
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Ephesians 1:17
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Muhammad
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Baha
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3.
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Preparing to
Search/Understand--Detachment/Humility
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He shall save the humble person
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Job 22;29
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
God.
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Matthew 5:8
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May God save thee, shouldst
thou seek any evidence according to thy selfish desire; rather it behooveth thee to uphold the unfailing proof which God
hath appointed. The object of thy belief in God is but to secure His
good-pleasure. How then dost thou seek as a proof of thy faith a thing
which hath been and is contrary to His good-pleasure?
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The Bab: Selections from the Bab, Page: 122
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The true seeker hunteth
naught but the object of his quest, and the lover
hath no desire save union with his beloved. Nor shall the seeker reach his
goal unless he sacrifice all things. That is,
whatever he hath seen, and heard, and understood, all must he set at
naught, that he may enter the realm of the spirit, which is the City of
God. Labor is needed, if we are to seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to
drink of the honey of reunion with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we
shall cast away the world.
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Baha'u'llah: Seven Valleys and Four Valleys, Page:
7
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4.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Fear of
Searching
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I also will choose their delusions, and will bring
their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine
eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
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Isaiah 66:4
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But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (separation from God)
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Revelations 21:7-8
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"But those who reject Faith and belie Our
Signs, they shall be companions of the Fire; they shall abide
therein." O Children of Israel! call to mind
the (special) favor which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil
your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant
with you, and fear none but Me. And believe in what I reveal, confirming
the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith
therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone.
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Qur'an
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Baha
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5.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Asking for
God's Assistance
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When thou art in tribulation, and all these things
are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy
God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For
the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither
destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swear unto
them.
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Deuteronomy 4:30-31
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Call to me and I will answer you and tell you
great and unsearchable things you do not know
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Jeremiah 33:3
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Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened…
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Matthew 7:7-8, 11
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Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds!…Thee only do we worship, and to Thee do we cry
for help. Guide Thou us on the straight path, The path of those to whom
Thou hast been gracious-with whom thou art not angry, and who go not
astray.
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Qur'an: Surih 1:1-6
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At every moment he findeth
a weighty matter, in every hour he becometh aware
of a mystery; for he hath taken his heart away from both worlds, and set
out for the Ka'bih(7) of the Beloved. At every
step, aid from the Invisible Realm will attend him and the heat of his
search will grow.
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Baha'u'llah: Seven
Valleys and Four
Valleys, Page: 6
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6.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Need to Search
Independently
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Thus saith the LORD of
hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you:
they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of
the mouth of the LORD.
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Jeremiah 23:16
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Then charged he his
disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
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Matthew 16:20
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It is incumbent on these servants that they
cleanse the heart - which is the wellspring of divine treasures - from
every marking, and that they turn away from imitation, which is following
the traces of their forefathers and sires, and shut the door of
friendliness and enmity upon all the people of the earth.
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Baha'u'llah: Seven
Valleys and Four
Valleys, Page: 5
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7.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Imaginings
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Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. Nay,
rather, follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the
All-Wise.
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Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p: 32
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8.
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Preparing to Search/Understand--Obedience
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But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will
speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments,
which thou shalt teach them, that they may do
them in the land which I give them to possess it. Ye shall observe to do
therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside
to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which the
LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well
with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall
possess.
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Deuteronomy 5:31-33
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