Week 4/ Day 1:
Hebrews 11:10
“For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is
God.”
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 10 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!!
looking
foundations
architect
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes:
Looking: Where we are looking is where we are focused. Our eyes tend to direct our minds and hearts. I tend to be looking, focusing on, things that are areas of concern. This is true for the mirror, the calendar, and the people around the dinner table. I wonder what it would change if I shifted my focus and began looking more at the beauty around me; the blessings, the everyday successes and smiles.
Foundations: The base. The starting point. If the foundations of a building are not secure, neither is the building. There are also foundations in relationships. The patterns that are established for communication, expectations, even conflict resolution will have a lasting impact on the duration of the relationship. Foundations are critical.
Architect: The master planner of a project. The one who has the vision and can draw out the design. In a moment of total transparency, when I hear the word architect I still think of Mike Brady, in his den working on a project…”Here’s the story, of a lovely lady….that’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch!”
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 4/Day 2:
Hebrews 11:10
“For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
The power in this verse is not in Abraham’s act of looking, rather it is where he is looking; Abraham is looking forward. There is such power in this choice. While I do think reflecting on where we have been is valuable and having awareness of where we are currently is critical, the act of looking forward is perhaps the most empowering. Abraham was looking forward to what God was going to do, not focusing on the present challenges of his current tent residence in a foreign land.
Reality Check #1: When my eyes are fixed on the promises of God, my past failures and present challenges are less overwhelming. God is constant and faithful. That means that when I surrender my past mistakes and my current challenges, He is able to work those together for my good and His glory. The future lies securely in the hands of our perfect God. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose”(Romans 8:28). We have the amazing security that the foundations of our lives, our universe and our eternities are God, our creator. Abraham recognized that we live our lives in a temporal world. Our circumstances are continually changing. We are existing on shifting sands. Abraham, however, was looking forward to the city with foundations. He was aware of the eternal component to our souls. The shifting sands of our temporal world are just that, temporal. Ultimately, we will reside in the eternal city with our eternal God.
Reality Check #2: We have finite minds and therefore grasping eternity is impossible. When the Holy Spirit enables me to have an eternal perspective, everything changes. The goals and aspirations of my life, the places where I spend time and place value all shift when I am aware that my eternity with God is my ultimate reality. “If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to
come”(Job 14:15). The architect is indeed the master planner. They are the ones who are able to see the vision long before it is a reality. God was able to see eternity from the beginning of time. When He spoke and created life, He knew that we would fall short and sin. He had already prepared a solution, His Son, our sacrifice. He knows how this earth will end and the glory that we will experience in the new Heaven and the new earth. He is the master architect.
Reality Check #3: God is the architect of each life and His creation as a whole. We are blessed to be a part of His ultimate story. No one can thwart God’s plan. It is secure. May we live our lives aware of our responsibility to further His kingdom while He gives us time here on earth to do so. “But the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”(Romans 14:17).
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 4/ Day 3:
Hebrews 11:11
“By faith even Sarah, who was past child bearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the 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 11 verses together several times today.
Who are we meeting today?
Sarah: This is a woman of amazing faith. When we read that Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to a land he would later receive as his inheritance, guess who went with him? Sarah. Sarah exhibited confidence in God’s promises throughout the journey to the Promised Land. Like everyone else we have met, she was not perfect along the way. My favorite part of her story is the transition in her laughter. In Genesis chapter 18, when Abraham is told of the gift of a son, Sarah laughs. This is not joyful laughter, this is skeptical laughter. Sarah is old and has suffered many years, not able to have a child. God works in her life and in her heart. Sarah comes to a faith that God can indeed provide a son for she and Abraham. After the birth of Isaac, in Genesis 21: 6, “Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” This is the joyful laughter of a transformed heart and life.
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!!
enabled
considered
faithful
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Enabled: This word is often used in counseling in a negative context. If you are enabling an addictive or destructive behavior, you are keeping a loved one from recovery. On the contrary, when you enable someone to succeed, you are giving them the tools and support necessary for growth.
Considered: When I consider something, I give it thought. I might not have a definite opinion yet, I am still gathering information.
Faithful: To me, this word means loyal. Someone faithful will be there for the long haul.
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 4/Day 4:
Hebrews 11:11
“By faith even Sarah, who was past child bearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered Him faithful who had made the promise.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
There are times that I am aware that I need the Holy Spirit to empower me, to enable me to do what the Lord is asking of me. Speaking in front of a group, writing, confronting a difficult situation. All of these are areas whereI am aware of my weakness. The reality is that I am in desperate need of the Holy Spirit’s enabling presence in every moment of my life. I believe that Sarah’s history of leaning on the power of God enabled her to trust Him to provide a son. Sarah was aware of her need for God as she made the pilgrimage to the Promised Land, and as she resided as a stranger in a foreign land. This pattern of trust set-up the foundation for her to trust God for His most precious miracle her life, Isaac.
Reality Check #1: The Holy Spirit enables us to do the work that God has planned for us. The world might judge our work as big or small, important or mundane, but if God has prepared it for us, He will equip us to persevere and He will build our faith as we trust in Him. Awareness of our need for the Holy Spirit’s power as we complete our routine each day builds the foundation for us to trust His power when a new opportunity or challenge arises. “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it”(1 Thessalonians 5:11). Sarah considered Him faithful who had made the promise. Sarah doubted God when she first heard of His promise to provide a son. Her doubting did not deter God’s plan. Instead, He worked in her heart and mind to teach her to trust in Him and in His power. In the end, Sarah’s honesty with God led to a deeper and more intimate relationship with the One who loves her completely.
Reality Check #2: God is not surprised by our doubting. When we bring our doubts and fears to God, He patiently teaches us of His faithfulness. Hiding our questions from God is futile, He knows our hearts. When we come to Him like a child with a question, He is faithful to teach and love us through our challenges. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition make your requests know to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Sarah’s experiences with God had proven Him to be faithful. She had a relationship with Him and knew Him intimately. It was because of this relationship that she trusted Him and He blessed her.
Reality Check #3: God is Faithful. Always. We cannot know of God’s faithfulness if we do not take the time to get to know Him. Spending time in the Word, in prayer and in worship allows us to get to know this constant God who can be trusted. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ”(Romans 10:17).
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 4/ Day 5:
Hebrews 11:12
“And so for this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.”
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 12 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!!
One Man
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes:
One Man: When I think of the concept of one man, I think of those who have had a powerful impact on history. Political leaders and activists, great thinkers and writers also come to mind. There have been men who have contributed with inventions and technological advances. Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, Billy Graham… There are also many women who have changed the course of history. Feminists have led the way to gain voting rights, equal pay in the workforce, societal change and respect for women in society. There is also the reality of the evil that can come from one man. Hitler and Stalin are examples of cruel dictators that took countless lives for their own advantage. We have seen Christian values torn down by the leadership of those who do not know the Lord. The reality is that one life can certainly have a huge and lasting impact on society and the world as a whole. What historical or present day figures come to your mind when you consider one life, one man changing the world?
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 4/Day 6:
Hebrews 11:12
“And so for this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
God created a perfect world. There was no sin, no pain, no separation from Himself. With the introduction of the forbidden fruit, everything changed. We could no longer have a relationship with a holy God. We were separated by our sinful nature.
Reality Check #1: Sin entered the world through one man, Adam. It was the act of one man, Adam, that allowed sin to enter the world. The reality is that Adam represents all of us. We would have fallen the same way had we been the one in the garden. As it says in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” God was not surprised by man’s sinful nature. He already had a plan for the redemption of our souls. We are not capable of maintaining a relationship with God and so He sent us the One who can bridge our hearts to His own.
Reality Check #2: Salvation entered the world through one man, Jesus. From the beginning of time, the plan for salvation was in place. God would send His one and only Son, Jesus, to be the once and for all sacrifice for our sins. Only one man was perfect and that one man was willing to give His life for us in order that we might spend eternity in relationship with God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Sin entered the world through one man, representing all men. Salvation entered the world through one man, forgiving all men. And now, we see Abraham, one man, being used by God to be the father of descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. It is clearly not of Abraham’s strength and abilities that this is happening. He is as good as dead! It is through the power of God in Abraham’s life that he is changing the world.
Reality Check #3: God created you, your one life can change the world. Just like God had a plan for Abraham’s life to change the world, He has a plan for your life as well. You might not be able to see it right now; that’s okay… God does. You might not feel equipped to fulfill His plan for you; that’s okay… God is. You are the vessel and He is the strength. How exciting that God will use your one life to change the world! God’s call is clear in Matthew 5:14,“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Journaling Assignment #3
Take time to record the “reality checks” that the Lord provided to you as you were digging into His truth today.
Week 4/Day 7:
Reflection Day
1. Reflect on your notes from this week.
2. Practice the verses hat 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 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!
Congratulations!!! You have memorized 12 verses of Scripture!! That is amazing!!!
