Week 7/ Day 1:
Hebrews 11:19
“Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”
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 19 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!!
reasoned
receive
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Reasoned: The first thing that jumps in my mind is standardized tests. There was always that section on deductive reasoning that meant no matter how little I remembered of what I had been taught, I could, maybe, think my way into a decent score. At least on that one section. The next stop on my stream of consciousness is Inspector Gadget. (At this point you might either feel really good about your ability to study the Bible or you might feel like you are following a total goofball through this process. Both are understandable!) Inspector Gadget had really cool tools, but very little common sense. His ability to reason effectively lacked greatly. Reasoning seems to go with what we commonly refer to as “street smarts.” It is actually critical to living a successful life.
Received: When something is received, it changes hands. The giver of the object no longer has control, it has been relinquished to the receiver. The trick here comes when the giver does not let go, or when the object comes with strings attached. This could be an inanimate object, such as a piece of jewelry. If I give someone a necklace and then wait to see when and if they wear if, what they wear it with and judge them accordingly, I did not release that gift. This could also be considered in relation to human encounters. For example, when a father of the bride gives his daughter away, he can no longer insist on managing the daughter and her new husbands choices and lives. He has to relinquish that role and if he does not do so, his relationship with his new extended family will be damaged considerably. Another aspect of this exchange occurs based on the receiver response to the object or experience at hand. We have all given a gift to someone whom does not receive well. For whatever reason, they do not appreciate the gift or they are unable to communicate their gratitude. This can easily lead to a feeling of resentment from the giver, especially if they have not fully released the gift. On a conscious or unconscious level, giving and receiving are vital parts of any relationship.
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 7/Day 2:
Hebrews 11:19
“Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
Abraham reasoned very well. His reasoning was not based on human experience or human exchange. His reasoning was based on the character and power of God. This is a repeated theme which Abraham. This giant of the faith seems to have the supernatural ability to keep his eyes on God instead of his circumstances. His reasoning is not based on what he can figure out about himself and his situation. Abraham’s reasoning is based on what he knows about God.
Reality Check #1: I spend a lot of time trying to reason my way through difficult situations. If I can see a conflict coming, I immediately begin to try and devise a plan to circumvent the uncomfortable situation. If I find myself in the middle of a crisis, my mind goes into overdrive, managing and trying to minimize the damage. What if our first action, when we did not understand or became frightened by our situation, was to pray? If my reasoning was based on God’s character instead of my abilities, everything would change. At every moment, God is with us, He is all powerful and nothing is impossible for Him. Reasoning based on that truth can lead to a life of fearless abandon. “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26).
This use of receive in this verse is profound. The Lord did not require Abraham to go through with the sacrifice of his son, he provided a ram to take his place. And yet, we read that it was as if Abraham did receive Isaac back from the dead. I believe that this speaks to the heart of Abraham and the power of God. Abraham had already reconciled that he was going to sacrifice Isaac and that God could raise him back from the dead. He had total trust and confidence in God and that mattered as much as the action of sacrifice itself. God knew the heart of Abraham and Abraham knew the heart of God.
Reality Check #2: There are times when we can check the boxes of our faith. We go to church, read our Bibles, practice our memory verses. All of these are good disciplines, but what God desires most is our hearts. God sees our hearts and is blessed when they are filled with genuine trust in His character. We cannot will or work our way into trusting God, it is a gift from the Holy Spirit. As we spend time with the Lord and surrender our lives to Him our hearts become more and more dependent on Him. Then, the spiritual disciplines that we practice are an outpouring of our love and not a checking of the box.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).
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 7/ Day 3:
Hebrews 11:20
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding their future.”
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 20 verses together several times today. Who are we meeting today?
Isaac, Jacob and Essau
We just read the account of Abraham being called by God to sacrifice Isaac on the altar. We reflected on the internal war that Abraham must have felt. Now, let’s consider the impact of that experience for Isaac! I cannot imagine his thoughts as his father prepared the altar and there did not appear to be a substitute for the sacrifice of his life. We know that he asked his father about the offering and Abraham simply replied, “The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:8 paraphrased). What at legacy of faith! Isaac might not have realized the gravity the situation; he might not have known the details, but what he did know is that his father trusted God to provide. We now see him blessing his two sons Jacob and Esau. This death bed blessing was wrought with sibling rivalry. Jacob, with the help of Sarah, actually tricked Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing. This is important because as the first born, Esau would have received the blessing of ruling and power in the line of Isaac. Now, Jacob would become the leader of the Israelites. Understanding that God’s plans cannot be thwarted, I wrestled for along time with God allowing this schemer to steal his brothers blessing. The answer is found in this verse, “By faith, Isaac blessed…” Isaac was still seeking the Lord, even if his sons were not. Therefore, the blessing being given to Jacob instead of Esau was not a mistake, it was allowed by a God who could see the heart. God knew that Esau had a hard heart that would rebel from his parents and his people. Jacob, on the other hand, had a heart that would eventually be ruled by God.
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!!
blessed
future
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Blessed: A blessing is a gift. I often remind my children to “be a blessing.” By that I mean, make someones day better because you were a part of it. I do not think of blessings as something that we earn. At times we hear that someone was blessed because of their hard work. I still do not think that this means that you can earn a blessing, I think this just means that an opportunity was presented and received by someone seeking the Lord.
Future: Unknown! This is exciting to some and terrifying to others. By this point you probably know that I most often fall on the terrified side of things. While I think that I would love to know what the future holds, I am aware that it would be overwhelming. God reveals all that we can handle, at the perfect pace for each of our hearts and minds.
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 7/Day 4:
Hebrews 11:20
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding their future.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
The blessing that Isaac spoke to Jacob was one of grains, wines, power and authority over his brothers. Esau, realizing that his blessing had been stolen, pleads with his father to bless him however he was able. Esau’s blessing was to be away from the earth’s richness, to live by the sword and to serve his brother. This does not seem like much of a blessing. These contradictory exchanges with their father set Jacob and Esau up for years of warring and pain. The relationship between these two brothers continues to impact our religious climate and wars to this day. The true blessing is that, in the end, it is God who will be victorious over everything and everyone.
Reality Check #1: When God chooses to bless my life, I need to use that opportunity to glorify him. I can only do that if I am able to recognize the blessing. If my eyes are focused on myself, I will miss God’s blessings. It is only when I am focusing on God, that I can appreciate his continual flow of blessings in my life. It is easy to miss a blessing by simply mislabeling it. In my pride, I might label it an accomplishment of my own strengths and abilities. Those strengths and abilities are a blessing from God. I might label a day with healthy children doing homework as ordinary. That ordinary day is a blessing from God. Each breath I take is a blessing from God. I can accomplish nothing of lasting value with our God’s hand of blessing on my life. We see the ease of missing a blessing in Jeremiah 17:5-6, “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands, they will not see prosperity when it comes.”
The future of Esau and Jacob was cemented by the plans of God. Isaac was simply speaking what was already destined to happen. From the beginning of time, God has not changed his mind. His plans are immovable. Therefore, the futures of Jacob and Esau were secure. The way in which they experienced their futures, however, would be determined by the way they chose to relate to God. Jacob chose to trust and surrender. Esau chose to rebel and reject God and His chosen people.
Reality Check #2: My future is secure in the hands of God; the way in which I experience my future will be determined by the way that I decide to relate to my Heavenly Father. We have already established that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. We know that He is faithful and that He can be trusted. And yet, we worry about our future. This might be because God has promised that it will not be easy. There will be pain and hardship in this life. None of us is looking forward to those moments. We worry, we imagine, we dread. Here is what we forget: when those moment arise, we will not be alone. There will be grace and power and a covering that we cannot imagine, not until the moment that we need it. That is the security, not that there won’t be pain, but that we will never have to face the pain alone. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
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 7/ Day 5:
Hebrews 11:21
“By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each one of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.”
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 21 verses together several times today. Who are we meeting today?
Jacob and Joseph
After all the drama caused by Jacob’s parents picking favorites, you would think that he would have avoided that mistake. And yet, he did not. Jacob had 12 sons and 1 favorite, Joseph. This sin of favoritism led to more familial dysfunction in the ancients that we are studying. Thankfully, once again, God’s plans are not controlled by the sins of man. God is able to use Joseph’s brothers decision to sell him into Egyptian slavery as a means of saving them all when a famine strikes the Promised Land. It is through this chain of events, found in Genesis chapters 37-50, that the Lord moves the Israelites from the Promised Land into Egypt. It is here that they will grow into a great nation. Joseph teaches his brothers and each one of us the ultimate truth when he says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
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!!
worshiped
leaned
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Worshiped: For most of us worship is something that we do on Sunday mornings, after the offering and before the message. For me, it is also something that happens in my car. This is best when I am by myself because, while my noises may be joyful to the Lord, they are not so pleasant for my family! I love to sing worship songs; it is an important form of prayer in my life.
Leaned: To lean on something is to transfer some of your weight. My kiddos will lean on me when standing in a long line as their feet get tired. When I broke my foot, I leaned on my crutches to support me. There is also an emotional leaning that can happen. When life feels overwhelming, I call a friend and share the burden. I am leaning on them to support my heart and spirit until things become lighter.
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 7/Day 6:
Hebrews 11:21
“By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each one of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
As Jacob is dying, he worshiped. In reading the account in Genesis, I do not see that he was necessarily singing, which is how we often think of worship. What I notice is that Jacob is speaking to his sons about the faithfulness of God. He is reflecting on all that God has done in his life and celebrating all that he is trusting God to do in the lives of his descendants going forward.
Reality Check #1: I do love worshiping through song and I know that the Lord is blessed by that as well. This particular verse reminds me that worship is a lifestyle. I can worship God with my thoughts, words and actions every moment of the day. When I start my day with a prayer, acknowledging God’s authority in my life, that is an act of worship. When I speak truth over my family, that is an act of worship. When I spend time in the Word of God, that is an act of worship. When I put others before myself, that is an act of worship. There are countless ways that we can worship God with our lives each and every day. Ask Him to reveal these opportunities to you. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).
As Jacob was dying he leaned on the top of his staff. This is a picture of the way that Jacob has learned to lean on the Lord to be his strength. Jacob began his life scheming and manipulating. He wrestled with God and was changed. He surrendered control of his life to God and then trusted God to carry him through trials and lead him on the path to obedience. Jacob is a hero of our faith, not because he was perfect but because he learned to lean on a perfect God.
Reality Check #2: I am a fighter. Not in terms of conflict, I hate that, but in terms of battling my way through challenges. Often times, I do not realize just how hard something is until I am on the other side, looking back. This is a prideful quality and one that I am praying for the Lord to change in my heart. You see, while I am fighting my way through trials, I am ignoring the calling of the Lord to lean on Him. He never intended us to carry our burdens alone. When the burdens do get heavy, I tend to pick up the phone and call a friend to share my struggle. Again, the Lord is waiting for me to lean on Him. When at last, I collapse under the weight of the circumstances, I cry out to the Lord who is patiently waiting to pick me up and carry me through. God desires to walk through this life with us, as we lean on Him to support us in our journey. My faith is made stronger only when I surrender control and trust the Lord to be my support, my sword and my shield. God calls out to us in Mathew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
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 7/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 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!
