Week 13/ Day 1:
Hebrews 11:37
“They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and in goatskins,destitute, persecuted and mistreated.”
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 37 verses together several times today.
Journaling Assignment #2
Spend today considering the following concept, not by looking anything 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!!
Physical attack vs. Emotional attack
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
I have to admit that I spent a good deal of time looking at this verse, praying over this verse and reflecting on this verse before I could even begin to study this verse. The concepts seemed so foreign to me, stoning and sawing people in two is simply nothing for which I have any reference point in my life. When it comes to sheep skins and goatskins, I can’t help but think of the feature I saw on an early morning news show about the faux animal skins that will be in style this fall. I am most content wearing my running shorts, tank top and a hat; therefore the latest fashion is generally lost on me. Even more than that, sheepskins and goatskins just sound really hot to this 40 something pre-menopausal woman! Then moving on to the three words; destitute, persecuted and mistreated. I would honestly feel ridiculous claiming that I have ever experienced true persecution and I have certainly never been destitute. Mistreated, maybe, but I had probably done something that caused the incident and most likely did deserve whatever conflict I experienced. So, I walked away from this verse. Then the Lord began to show me that I actually could relate. I have experienced physical attacks, maybe not from stone and swords, but from an aging body, from disease, from the weakness of my flesh. I have also experienced emotional attack. Satan attacks on a daily basis. He torments my mind, persecuting without relent. My spirit is left completely destitute when I am not walking with the Lord. The woman that God created me to be is mistreated by the lies that I buy into from the world, the enemy and my own insecurities. What about you? Can you relate to this verse more than you thought you might be able to at first glance?
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 13/Day 2:
Hebrews 11:37
“They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and in goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
Being stoned to death, sawed in two and killed by the sword were not creative uses of imagery. The faithful ones of God have faced gruesome endings to their earthly existence throughout time. In 2 Chronicles 24, we read the horrific account of Zechariah being stoned to death because he was calling for God’s people to repent of their idol worship and return to Him. Not only was Zechariah stoned to death, he was stoned to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. We also witness the stoning of the apostles of Jesus after His ministry on earth. In Acts chapter 7, we read of the stoning of Stephen after his compelling address to the Sanhedrin. (Side note, Acts 7 is another wonderful overview of the history of our faith. It might be a fun one to memorize as well!) There is great irony in his death as Saul was standing by and taking part in the murder of this great man of faith. Only 1 chapter later, in Acts 9, we read of Saul’s conversion and the beginning of his world changing ministry. Paul was also stoned while he was in Lystra. He was dragged outside of the town, assumed to be dead. However, his life was spared and he got up, reentered the town and continued preaching the Good News! It is thought that the prophet Isaiah was literally sawed in two under the orders of the wicked King Manesseh. The life of John the Baptist was ended by the sword when Herod cut off his head because of the conviction that he felt by the teaching of this great prophet. That account can be found in Matthew 14. Those who were not killed were exiled and denied the ability to be a part of society. John wrote the book of Revelation while exiled and imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. The dichotomy of the evil heart of mankind and its abusive treatment to its neighbor contrasts the beautiful grace of God to never leave or forsake us is profound in the life of John and so many of God’s faithful.
Reality Check #1: There is a saying that if you have your health, then you have everything. There is some truth in this statement. From the nuisance of waking up with a stomach bug and being sidelined for 24 hours to the life flipping terror of a cancer diagnosis, we all know that when we lose the gift of good health nothing else seems to matter. And yet, we are guaranteed to lose our health multiple times throughout our lives, and eventually our bodies will give out altogether. I am not glib enough to suggest that as you are lying in the bed, green with nausea, that you praise God for how you are feeling. I know I couldn’t do that. Maybe we could try and remember that the good news is that, “we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands”(2 Corinthians 5:1). As Satan attacks our physical bodies, we can claim the truth that ultimately he will lose. Our suffering is temporary. If we pray for the Lord to show us His presence when our physical health is under attack, He will be faithful to do so. In that moment Satan loses, and we will catch a tiny glimpse of the glory that is to come in eternity with God.
Reality Check #2: I have come to realize that Satan loves to persecute me in subtle ways. He knows me well enough to know that if the attacks do not seem significant, I will attempt to “handle” them in my own strength and eventually will be left destitute in spirit and most likely mistreating those whom I love the most. Spiritual warfare is real. Satan’s attacks are real. I have never had him come at me with a pitchfork and horns on his head. He comes at me in the way of self-doubt, selfishness, perceived loss of control, perceived injustice towards my children, frustration, exhaustion, fear. Do any of these strike a chord with you? If you are like me, these are easy to write off, attempt to handle or even try to ignore. Here is the problem: Satan does not wear out, but we do. He is relentless and we are limited. We cannot fight these attacks in our own strength and we don’t have to. The Holy Spirit can train our hearts to recognize these “triggers” for what they are, attacks. At that point, we can call in the strength of the Lord to fight for us. He will always be the one who is victorious. When we try to fight on our own, we are outmatched. We are desperate for His strength and His weapons. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”(2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Whew!!! Anybody else ready to call on the Lord to take on some strongholds??!! Let’s claim the victory and celebrate the freedom!!
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 13/ Day 3:
Hebrews 11:38
“… the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”
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 38 verses together several times today.
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!!
world
worthy
wandered
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
World: How big is your world? I think that mine can be pretty small. I get caught up in my life and the lives of my children and lose sight of just how big the world really is and what my purpose is for being a part of it. When I begin to lose sleep over what baseball team my son will make, what the number on the scale says in the morning or who did or did not stop to chat with me at a school meeting, then my world is entirely too small. It is time for a perspective check. Travel is great for that. Sitting on an airplane I begin to wonder about who is heading out and who is heading home. I wonder what they will encounter when they arrive at our destination. I wonder what their story is…sometimes they like to share and other times they put on their ear buds! My family likes to cruise and that is another amazing place to gain perspective. Perspective comes not only from the thousands of guests roaming around on a cruise ship, speaking a myriad of languages, but it also comes from taking in the expanse of the ocean. It is not only the people in the world who make it so interesting, it is the creation of Earth itself! I love the way that the roar of the ocean waves drown out even my own thoughts. The world gets big, I get small and it all gets quiet. Peace.
Worthy: So, I guess I will show my age a bit and admits that the first thing that just jumped into my mind is Wayne’s World. Yep, that mid-90’s movie where Wayne and Garth would bow down to their rock idols and say, “We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy.” Silly, I know, and yet isn’t that how we feel so often? Not worthy to lead, not worthy to teach, not worthy to speak up, not worthy to be all that we were intended to be. And so, who is worthy? The gazillion YouTube stars, Instagram masterminds and Facebook artists? They all seem to be doing it better, to be more worthy. Is it the mom who never seems to lose her cool, the mom who stays home with the kids or the mom who can balance work and raising children? Is it the family at church who is always on time and ironed and seems to like each other? Who is worthy and who decides what worthy looks like? I don’t have the answers but I do know that the answer is very rarely me.
Wandered: There is a bumper sticker that is everywhere, have you seen it? It says, “Not all who wander are lost.”This is particularly funny to me in the age of GPS and Waze. How are you possibly lost? That genius inside my phone is never thrown off by all of my wrong turns, she simply recalculates! Not only does she recalculate, she does it quickly. As soon as I make a wrong turn, she notifies me and tells me to turn around, never allowing me to wander too far from where I need to be. It would be so nice if there was a GPS for life that would recalculate when I get off course. Man, a GPS for parenting? Yes please!! I think comfort in the wandering of life is a personality thing. Some are okay to take a few turns and see where they lead. Others, like myself, prefer a direct A to B path with few stop and no detours. How about you? When you wander, are you lost?
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 13/Day 4:
Hebrews 11:38
“…the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
In Matthew Henry’s commentary on Hebrews 11, he draws out an amazing point. He explains that, “A most honorable commendation from God, the true Judge and fountain of honor- that the world was not worthy of such men; the world did not deserve such blessings; they did not know how to value them, nor how to use them. The righteous are not worthy to live in the world, and God declares the world is not worthy of them; and though they widely differ in their judgement, they agree in this, that it is not fit that good men should have their rest in this world; and therefore God receives them out of it, to that world that is suitable to them, and yet far beyond all the merit and services and sufferings.” Creation, Fall, Salvation, Eternity. Amazing grace.
Reality Check #1: Yesterday we leaned into the reality of spiritual warfare, to the battles and weapons that exist and yet cannot be seen. This leads into our reflection on the world. It is human nature to live in the temporal, that which can be seen, touched and experienced with our natural bodies. This is the world that we most often experience. And yet, there is so much more to take in and I believe that if we open our hearts to this deeper reality, it will change our lives every day. For example, I can see nature around me and it is beautiful. Experiencing nature is a powerful experience. How much more powerful if, through prayer and the Holy Spirit opening my heart and mind, I am able to see God’s hand in creation, His perspective and love for all that He has made. This requires slowing down and using not only our five senses but our heart and soul as well. When life gets hard, I can take that in. I can recognize and experience emotion; we are intended to do so. If I am able, in the pain, to ask the Lord to speak to my heart and show me His hand, then my eyes shift focus from the seen to the unseen and supernatural peace and healing begin to occur at a deep spiritual level. I may not be able to explain it in a quantitative way, but it will change everything about how I live my life. 2 Corinthians 4:18 explains it this way, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Throughout this study we have been reminded that the heroes of our faith were not perfect. They doubted God, argued with God and took matters into their own hands. At times they were murderers, adulterers and liars. And here we read that the world was not worthy of them? This is the best we have to offer? Let’s not forget that while man looks at the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart. I think often times we read this truth and only consider physical appearance. In reality, it extends to outward behavior as well. It is easy for us to judge how people act; God however is more interested in why they act the way they do. The world was not worthy of these heroes of our faith, not because they were perfect but because they had hearts that were seeking to please the heart of God.
Reality Check #2: “There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no-one who seeks God” (Romans 3:10-11). Ouch! This feels very hopeless. We are not worthy! We are not worthy of the blessings of this life and we are certainly not worthy of the gift of eternity with Christ. We are not worthy to lead or teach or speak up. But there is hope. We do not have to be worthy. We do not have to strive and work and chase the stamp of worthiness. We can collapse, exhausted, into the arms of a Savior who died to make us worthy in the sight of God. We can live out of grace and not desperation. We can live out of peace and not striving. We can live because we are not worthy but have been made worthy through the blood of Jesus. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:23-24).
The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years because they doubted the faithfulness of God. They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land. This time, however, was not wasted. God used the wanderings of the Israelites to build their faith in Him. He provided for them, He taught them, He guided them. God used the wandering years to build up and prepare the Israelites for the battles and acquisition of the land that He always intended for them to inhabit. The Israelites might have felt lost at times, but God never lost sight of His plans for His people.
Reality Check #3: I am not the master of my destiny. At first glance, I don’t like that. I want to be in control. I want to set the course and call the shots. I do not want to wander, I want to move with purpose. And then I realize, I am not safe left to my own plans, I am only safe in the providence and wisdom of God. I might feel that we are not moving in the direction that I want to go, that we are wandering. However, just like the Israelites, God is working, teaching and preparing. I can trust Him and I can learn to wait on Him to direct my path. This most likely means that I will not move at the pace that I set. He will slow me down and teach me patience. He will not move in the direction I set. He will turn me away from selfish desires and toward His passions. We will not find a smooth path. He will teach me to trust Him among the rocks and mountains. As I “wander”, I will grow in my relationship with the One who made me and I will find His purpose in the journey. “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
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 13/ Day 5:
Hebrews 11:39
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”
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 39 verses together several times today.
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!!
commended/received
yet
promised
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Commended/Received: We touched on the word commended back in verse 2, a couple of months ago. Has your perception of this word changed at all? Has your perception of those who were commended changed at all after digging into their stories? At this point we counterbalance the idea of being commended with the anticipated result of receiving. When we are commended for a talent, an accomplishment or a job well done often times that comes with a tangible reward. That can be monetary, such a being paid for your work. It could be a medal if you were an athlete competing in the Olympics. Golden statues are given to artists whose movies or music touch the hearts of the public. My youngest son appreciates receiving a milk shake after being commended for hard work at a baseball practice. What if there is nothing to be received? Does commendation still mean as much? Is a quiet thank you or a subtle smile from the recipient of your efforts enough to make it all matter? What impact does the value of what is received have on your desire to be commended for your efforts?
Yet: This is a big old u-turn in any story! The word yet indicates that things are about to go left when you thought they would go right; they are going to zig when you expected a zag. The “yets” in our lives are the buckle up moments! Of course, the yet can either bring trial or relief. Perhaps you made the wrong decision, yet it all worked out anyway. That is a happy surprise, different from doing everything right, yet having it all fall apart anyway. Yet reminds me that I am not in control. Yet keeps me from calling all the shots despite my best planning and preparations. Yet is what keeps me on my toes and on my knees!
Promised: This is another repeat in our study. It is a very important concept in Hebrews 11 and in our lives. Do you always keep your promises? I would love to say that I do but know there are times when I promise my boys something, not really listening to the request, and then have to take back what I have spoken. They are so upset when this happens and rightly so! A promise is not to be taken lightly. When a promise is made official on a contract, breaking it can lead to fines and even jail time. It’s a good thing my kids can’t lock me up for renegotiating on extra dessert! We all know those people in our lives who are always where they say they will be, and we also know the ones who will most likely flake out on us. Those who keep their word, keep their commitments and keep their promises are the ones who make us feel safe and secure. A kept promise speaks to a committed and trustworthy heart.
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 13/Day 6:
Hebrews 11:39
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
They were commended for their faith. The chapter is not really clear on how they were commended. We do see that, by faith, they were able to do miraculous feats and were empowered to defeat the seemingly insurmountable giants in their paths. However, we also see that they were stoned, beheaded and left destitute, abandoned by society. That is not the monetary or shiny medal that one might hope to receive for their faithfulness. These ancient leaders of our faith were given a different perspective. They were commended by the Holy Spirit. I cannot give you a physical definition of what that looked like for each of them. I am confident that it happened because it was through the presence and encouragement of the Spirit of God that they were able to carry on, in faith.
Reality Check #1: I have had a little pity party today. I homeschool 2 boys. I write an online Bible Study. I spend a lot of time working when no one is looking. So, today I was a little pouty because I was looking for a human to commend me and to receive some praise and recognition for my efforts. I was stuck here, “for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God” (John 12:43). Do you know what God did? He had me writing on this verse! So cool!! And here is the kicker, Satan had me so wrapped up in my own sinful and selfish nature that I forgot… I don’t deserve any of it anyway!! It is only by the grace of God that I have the privilege of teaching my two boys and spending time pouring our His Word to type these words to you. It is only by the grace of God that I take in oxygen and continue to be allowed to spend time on this earth with those that I love. I am wrapped up in His blessings and I was completely missing it because I was lost in the quiet whispers of the enemy. Thank you Lord for commending this broken soul for learning to simply fall into your arms, always ready to receive me just as I am.
The ancients of our faith were commended and yet…they suffered, they were persecuted, they were murdered, they were sinful, they were imperfect. It is encouraging that God can commend even the less than perfect! It is harder to accept that God allows terrible things to happen to those whom He commends. And yet, He is faithful. The gift of faith is not the result, it is the peace in the waiting, in the yet. David had peace while hiding in the cave, Joseph had peace when he was sold into slavery, Abraham had peace when God tested him, Moses had peace parting the Red Sea and Rahab had peace welcoming the spies. They did not receive the things promised, yet they received the peace and the presence of God.
Reality Check #2: Yet makes me nervous. It somehow means that the thing that should have happened did not. Whether the ultimate situation was favorable or not, it still feels unsettling. It brings to light the reality of our lack of control. We cannot control what happens in our lives. We can make right decisions, we can plan and prepare, we can do our very best. And we should! God calls us to do everything “as unto the Lord.” What we cannot do is manipulate the plan that God has for our lives. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” He is omniscient, we are not. He has perfect judgement, we do not. Our future is secure in His hands, and God works in the yets!
God promised Noah protection from the flood and He kept His promise. God promised Sarah a son and He kept His promise. God promised the Israelites exodus from Egypt and He kept His promise. God promised Joshua victory in the Promised Land and He kept His promise. God promised David the throne and He kept His promise. God promised the remnant returns to Jerusalem and He kept His promise. God promised hope in the form of a new born baby and He kept His promise. God promised salvation through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and He kept His promise. God is a promise keeper and even though the ancients did not witness the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, they knew that one day they would.
Reality Check #3: God is a promise keeper, in His perfect way, in His perfect timing. We have to keep a few things in perspective. First, that our lifetime is a blink of the eye in the light of eternity. Second, that God fulfills promises in ways that our finite minds cannot comprehend. We cannot put our time constraints and ideas of fulfilled promises onto our infinitely powerful, infinitely wise and infinitely faithful God. His promises to you are true. Do not loose heart, God is working for your good and for His glory. He will fulfill all of His promises to His children. Eternity is in His hands and it is a promise of perfection! “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
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 13/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 5:23).
“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 God’s 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!
