Week 3/ Day 1:
Hebrews 11:7
“By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”
Journaling Assignment #1
Write the verse and read it several times. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you His heart in this verse. Don’t forget to practice the first 7 verses together several times today. Who are we meeting today?
Noah
“Who built the ark? Noah! Noah! Who built the ark? Brother Noah built the ark!” We all sang it as children, we have seen it on flannel board, and we all knew that the day we read the story in Sunday School, we would get animal crackers! The familiarity of the story can distract us from it’s power. God was going to destroy the world and this was the one man that he could trust to carry on the legacy of faith. Noah was not perfect (don’t miss his melt down after the flood). God chose Noah because Noah trusted God. He believed His Word and rejected the lies of this world. “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God”(Genesis 6:9). Noah was blameless-among the people of his time. I read this to mean that the people around him did not see fault, not that he was perfect. He was, however, walking faithfully with God. Faithfully, not perfectly. We do not have to be perfect to be used by God, we simply have to have faith and continue to walk with Him.
Journaling Assignment #2
Spend today defining the following words, not by looking them up, but simply based on what comes to your mind. There is no right or wrong. This is just a jumping off point. Take the time to reflect; be honest and open with yourself about your thoughts and feelings. We have nothing to do in the space except grow and learn! I will even provide my journal notes each day so that you can see the mess that the Lord is working with here!!
fear, condemned, heir
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Fear: Fear in my life generally stems from a perceived loss of control. It means there is a risk and I am afraid because I do not see a way to avoid pain. A loss, an illness, conflict, failure. These are all words that strike fear in my heart.
Condemned: Done. When someone or something is condemned, there is no hope for them.
Heir: The person who stands to inherit something. This can be desirable or costly. You can be the heir to a fortune or the heir to a pile of debt, brokenness and confusion.
Journaling Assignment #3
Jot down anything from this verse that jumps out at you. Include other scriptures that come to mind. Cross references add great insight into each verse. It is powerful to keep notes of what the Holy Spirit draws out of the verse in your heart and also to study Scripture in light of Scripture.
Week 3/Day 2:
Hebrews 11:7
“By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
Fear is a reality in our lives. It is not, however, from God. How then do we reconcile that Noah was obedient to God because of fear? The answer lies in the word immediately to the left; “Holy.” Noah was not acting out of an earthly fear. He was acting out of “holy fear.” Noah feared God and that changed everything. Noah’s obedience came from an acknowledgement of the omnipotent, omnipresent and perfectly just God that he served.
Reality Check #1: If I live my life acknowledging the power and perfection of God, I have nothing to fear on this earth. Fearing man, fearing pain, fearing loss-each of these will draw us away from God. God is sovereign. He is the only One that we need to please. If we live a life fearing only Him, we will find peace. “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil in it”(Proverbs 15:16). I find myself wondering how Noah had the authority to condemn the world. As we have established, he was not perfect. How could he judge? I am not sure that is what the word means here. Noah chose to turn his back on the lies of this world. The wealth, the approval of man, the ability to exist in his own strength. He condemned all of these things choosing instead to follow the voice of God. Noah was then God’s voice to the people, calling for them to repent, to leave their sinful lives and follow God. They refused and as a result, they faced the condemnation of God.
Reality Check #2: When we refuse to surrender to the will of God, painful consequences are inevitable. Noah was the voice of God to the people of His time and they refused to listen and repent. God is still speaking to us today and calling for us to walk with Him. He is patient and slow to anger, but that does not mean that we will escape the consequences of our sin. “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In the whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet”(Nahum 1:3). The concept of condemnation leads right into the concept of being an heir. Noah was the heir to righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Noah made choices that allowed him to be in this position. The decisions that we make on a daily basis are not only establishing our futures but the futures of the people we loves as well. In addition, God makes promises and those cannot be shaken. We are heirs to the grace of Jesus Christ. Praise God! Let us live lives that reflect our sonship in Him.
Reality Check #3: “Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and coheirs with Christ”(Romans 8:17a). Our salvation is secure in Christ, now let us live lives that reflect our position in God’s kingdom. God’s promises cannot be shaken and we are empowered to make choices that allow us to be used by Him while we are on Earth.
Journaling Assignment #4
Take time to record the “reality checks” that the Lord provided to you as you were digging into His truth today.
Week 3/ Day 3:
Hebrews 11:8
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going.”
Journaling Assignment #1
Write the verse and read it several times. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you His heart in this verse. Don’t forget to practice the first 8 verses together several times today. Who are we meeting today?
Abraham
Abram was called by God to leave his home and go into the unknown where he was promised descendants as numerous as the sun. We read here that he obeyed God in this calling and we marvel at his confidence. God changed his name to Abraham and he became one of the giants of our faith. Again, I want to point out that Abraham was not perfect. He wavered in his honesty along the journey, fighting the need to protect himself instead of allowing God to do so. Yet, He ultimately trusted God. In each verse of this chapter we learn that God is not looking for perfection. He patiently uses the broken who are willing to walk with Him, teaching every step of the way.
Journaling Assignment #2
Spend today defining the following words, not by looking them up, but simply based on what comes to your mind. There is no right or wrong. This is just a jumping off point. Take the time to reflect, be honest and open with yourself about your thoughts and feelings. We have nothing to do in the space except grow and learn! I will even provide my journal notes each day so that you can see the mess that the Lord is working with here!!
called, obeyed, know
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Called: I immediately think of those serving in the ministry. We often hear the amazing stories of people hearing the call and obeying God. This stirs images of foreign missionaries living in huts and praying for the preservation of their lives. Being called by God seems an amazing and overwhelming opportunity.
Obeyed: This one is pretty straight forward. Either you do what you are told or you don’t! There is a submission when we obey someone, an understanding that they have control over some part of our lives. There is also the rebellious part of me that obeys the speed limit best when my Waze app tells me there is a police waiting up ahead!
Know: To know something is concrete. It is definite. There is no guessing, no wondering. I know that I love my children. I know my address. These are truths that do not waver.
Journaling Assignment #3
Jot down anything from this verse that jumps out at you. Include other scriptures that come to mind. Cross references add great insight into each verse. It is powerful to keep notes of what the Holy Spirit draws out of the verse in your heart and also to study Scripture in light of Scripture.
Week 3/Day 4:
Hebrews 11:8
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
Abraham received a call from the Lord to move. That was step one. Had Abraham not followed God’s call to move, the other calling and blessing on his life would never have come to fruition. A calling can be seemingly insignificant because we do not see the whole picture. God does see it and calls us to be obedient with step one, just as Abraham was.
Reality Check #1: God calls each of us to follow His leading in our lives. God does not only call those whom He wants in professional ministry. He calls each of us, in some way, for a specific purpose. The only way to recognize His calling is to know His voice. Spending time in the Word, in prayer and in worship will teach you to hear His voice. Then you will be able to recognize His calling on your life. Promise that He has a calling just for you! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope”(Jeremiah 29:11). So when the call came, Abraham obeyed. The concept of being obedient is pretty black and white. If God is telling us to do something, we need to do it. The trick comes with the subtle lies that we tell ourselves, the ones that Satan whispers into our ears. We can find ways to justify our delayed obedience and manipulation. Abraham fell into this trap as well. When he was convicted of his sin, he asked for forgiveness and the Lord covered him with grace.
Reality Check #2: There are so many voices and opinions swirling around us each day. It is easy to justify disobedience when we desire to do so. I must spend more time in the presence of God that I do anywhere else to have the clarity and strength to be obedient. This does not mean hiding in a prayer closet all day. It does mean time in Bible Study and engaging in continual prayer with our intimate, omnipresent God as we walk through life. “Rejoice always, pray continually”(1 Thessalonians 5:16). I really would like to know God’s plan for my life. We just read in Jeremiah that He knows the plans; I would like for Him to tell me. That is not how it works. Adam and Eve were attempting to know what God knows in the Garden and that ended in death. Likewise, when I attempt to know and control my future, it ends in separation from God, death. Abraham did not know where he was going, but he did know the God he was following.
Reality Check #3: We are not called to know God’s plans for us, we are called to trust God with our lives.”Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose to the Lord that will stand”(Proverbs 19:21). God can be trusted, I do not need
to know the plans because I know my faithful God.
Journaling Assignment #4
Take time to record the “reality checks” that the Lord provided to you as you were digging into His truth today.
Week 2/ Day 5:
Hebrews 11:9
“By faith he made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.”
Journaling Assignment #1
Write the verse and read it several times. Pray and ask the Lord to reveal to you His heart in this verse. Don’t forget to practice the first 9 verses together several times today. Who are we meeting today?
Isaac and Jacob
Isaac is the promised son of Abraham and Sarah. He was a gift from the Lord to this faithful couple. He had a strained relationship with his half brother Ishmael. This strain is the basis of warring right up to the present time. Jacob is the son of Isaac. He had a twin brother, Esau. Jacob manipulated and lied to steal Esau’s birthright and then ran away to avoid being killed by his brother. In his running, Jacob, whose name means “deceiver”, encountered God. He ultimately surrendered control of his life to the Lord and God changed his name to Israel, which means, “a man God rules”. Israel went on to become the father of the Israelites, the Jewish nation. Same theme, God uses the messy to advance His message!
Journaling Assignment #2
Spend today defining the following words, not by looking them up, simply based on what comes to your mind. There is no right or wrong. This is just a jumping off point. Take the time to reflect, be honest and open with yourself about your thoughts and feelings. We have nothing to do in the space except grow and learn! I will even provide my journal notes each day so that you can see the mess that the Lord is working with here!!
Kinsee’s Stream of Conciousness Journal Notes
Promised Land: This is the land that God gave to the Israelites, the “land flowing with milk and honey.” I have also used this title for Starbucks found on the drive home from a very long day of baseball tournaments!
Stranger: Someone I don’t know. This takes me back to being a child and being taught, “Never talk to strangers.” The term stranger also makes me feel lonely. It brings up the anxiety of being in a new group of people, not knowing anyone.
Tents: So this goes to camping, which I do not! Each fall, we take our boys to “camp” at the Marriott hotel at the base of Stone Mountain. Our campfire looks a lot like room service!
Journaling Assignment #3
Jot down anything from this verse that jumps out at you. Include other scriptures that come to mind. Cross references add great insight into each verse. It is powerful to keep notes of what the Holy Spirit draws out of the verse in your heart and also to study Scripture in light of Scripture.
Week 2/Day 6:
Hebrews 11:9
“By faith he made his home in the promised land, like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth: The Promised Land was the land that God provided to the Israelites. It was called Canaan and it was the center of 6 mighty civilizations of ancient history: Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. God led Abraham to Canaan and later led Jacob and his family out. Ultimately the Israelites returned under the leadership of Joshua. The Promised Land represents God’s faithfulness and provision for His children. Each time they entered the Promised Land, it required a leap of faith. Here we see Abraham leaving all that is known to abide in this foreign land.
Reality Check #1: What is God’s Promised Land in your life? Where is God calling you to make your home? We must make a leap of faith from our comfort zone to the Promised Land that God has for us. This could be a change in profession, location, attitude, relationship or priorities. Whatever it is, God will be faithful to you as you follow His leading. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God goes with you: he will never leave you or forsake you”(Deuteronomy 31:6). A stranger is one whom we do not know. My children are always excited when someone new joins a class or sports team that they are a part of. They see a stranger as a new friend. As adults, we can tend to get stuck in groups and forget the excitement and possibility of turning a stranger a new friend. In this verse, Abraham is the stranger and it sounds lonely, “as a stranger in a foreign land.” Scripture tells us that we are actually all strangers in a foreign land. Earth is not our residence, we are only passing through!
Reality Check #2: God called the Israelites to be a nation set apart for Him. Now, He calls His church to be the Body of Christ, a light in a dark world. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it”(John 17:15-16). Jesus prayed for us. He calls us to be His hands and feet in this world while being set apart from a culture that does not know Him. We are not to blend in with the darkness, we are to be His light. Tents are a temporary residence. Again, we are being reminded that earth is our temporary residence. If we focus on what we can see, we are missing the point. Abraham was ready to move at any moment that the Lord commanded. His life reflected His heart.
Reality Check #3: We are to live lives that have an eternal perspective. Does my lifestyle reflect my heart? If so, what is in my heart? Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. I pray that the Lord will give us a “tent perspective.” That we will not be tied to anything temporal so that we might, at any moment, freely follow the leading of our eternal God.
Journaling Assignment #4:Take time to record the “reality checks” that the Lord provided to you as you were digging into His truth today.
Week 3/Day 7:
Reflection Day
1. Reflect on your notes from this week.
2. Practice the verses that you have memorized so far.
-Write them.
-Recite them to a friend or family member to check for accuracy.
-Use them as a prayer to the Lord.
3. Read Hebrews 11 in its entirety a couple of times.
4. Pray for endurance throughout this journey.
5. Remember…
“He who has called you is faithful and He will do it”(1 Thessalonians 5:11).
“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve Go’d will, His good, pleasing and perfect will”(Romans 12:2).
Scripture Memory Strategies:
1. Copy the Scripture several times. Then try to write it by memory.
2. Set an alarm on your phone for 4 times each day. Each time you hear the alarm, practice your scripture.
3. Showers! The shower is a perfect time to recite your scripture.
4. Traffic. As you sit, instead of getting frustrated, use the time to practice.
5. Accountability. Find a friend working on scripture memory as well. Recite your scripture to each other one day a week.
6. What else? List some ideas that might work for you!
