Week 11/ Day 1:
Hebrews 11:31
“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”
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 31 verses together several times today.
Who are we Meeting Today?
Rahab, The Spies
Several times throughout this study, we have mentioned that even the giants of our faith, those who seem infallible, have shortcomings. With this verse, the description of our “heroes” seems to eliminate the need for that disclaimer! Prostitute and spies! Things just got extra interesting! I love the fact that God does not make this verbiage flowery or discreet. Rahab was a prostitute, a woman of ill-repute. And yet, when she encountered God, He changed her and then He empowered her and honored her. We see her transformation in the book of Joshua, chapter 2, “Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us…We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt…the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below” (Joshua 2:8-11). Rahab’s encounter with God changed her story from that of a woman of disgrace to a woman included in the lineage of Jesus and in the “Faith Hall of Fame!” The two spies that had come to Rahab to be hidden were not the original spies sent into the Promised Land. Forty years earlier, Moses had sent 12 spies into Jericho and 10 had come back in great fear, doubting God’s ability to lead them to victory over the “giants in the land.” This act of disobedience and doubt caused the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years until the entire generation living at that time had died and a new generation had been raised up to take possession of this gift from the Lord. These 2 spies were of the new generation and were all in, trusting God and ready to embrace His promises.
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!!
welcomed
spies
disobedient
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Welcomed: In the South, it is a symbol of a pineapple, it is sweet tea and fresh cookies. To welcome is to want someone to be in your home, in your life. Welcoming requires a warm heart and open arms. There are times that welcoming people into our lives felt very natural and life giving. There are other times that it takes everything we have not to lock the door and hide under the covers! Sometimes, when I have to force myself to keep commitments of hosting others, I am the most blessed by the gift of community and fellowship that the Lord provides. There is nothing like the feeling of being warmly received and welcomed into someone’s home. It means they care and are interested in relationship with you.
Spies: Bond. James Bond. Yepperoni, that is really the first place my mind goes when I hear the word spies. Then I think of the Wikileaks scandals that have infiltrated our new feeds so much in recent years. In my mind, spies usually speak with an accent, drive fancy cars and have really cool toys. That, or they are Inspector Gadget. Wasn’t he the coolest?! So, my jumping off point for the spies mentioned in this verse is pretty shallow…can’t wait to see where God goes with this!
Disobedient: I tend to ask my children to be obedient. I would love too say that this is always in a desire to shape their hearts; sometimes it is. Sometimes it is in a desire to make my life easier and more comfortable. As a matter of fact, I would really prefer that everyone just be obedient to my plans and ideas! When disobedience comes into play, that means that people are asserting their own will over what is being asked of them by those in authority. This usually gets messy and uncomfortable, two of my least favorite conditions.
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 11/Day 2:
Hebrews 11:31
“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
Rahab welcomed the spies. This description leads us to understand that she was not begrudgingly allowing them to stay with her. Rahab prepared for them; she was waiting and ready to serve them in an effort to serve her newfound God. She risked her life by protecting the spies, she helped them learn the lay of the land and she trusted them to spare her life. Rahab’s welcome to these spies was an act of total transformation and submission of her life to the God of Israel.
Reality Check #1: I have been a Christian for a long time. I run the risk of forgetting to celebrate, daily, the miracle of my salvation. Rahab was in a new relationship with the Lord and she welcomed her direction in her life. When the Lord gives me a task, calling or assignment, I am to welcome His direction with a grateful and eager heart. If the task is writing a Bible Study, He will equip me. If the task is doing the laundry, I can fold and worship at the same time. If the task is opening my home to new acquaintances when I would rather curl up under a blanket, He will provide energy and graciousness for me to extend. “Whatever you do, work at it with you all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23). I will welcome God’s calling on my life, no matter the size, because it is an opportunity to serve Him.
The spies that Joshua sent into Jericho were commanded to determine if they could conquer Jericho. As we stated earlier, they were the second set of spies given this task and they exhibited a much greater confidence in God. “They said to Joshua, ‘The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all of the people are melting in fear because of us” (Joshua 2:24). Why is their report so different from the other specs? They were surveying the same land and the same challenges. The answer is perspective. The original spies were looking at the risks and these 2 spies were looking at the power and faithfulness of God.
Reality Check #2: I think that I often send “spies” into the scary places of my life. Now these aren’t actual people; they are the obsessive thoughts, plans and research that I do before I take on a difficult situation or relationship. I do not think that preparation is bad; it is necessary. The goal is to fix my eyes on Jesus and His strength, rather than the size of the challenge, as I prepare for battle. In our mental and emotional espionage, if we were able to hold all information up to the truth of God’s power and grace in our lives our perspective would be transformed. We never face anything alone, we are always equipped by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we anticipate the situation, we must also anticipate His presence with us in that moment. Just as the Lord promised Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”(Joshua 1:9).
The prostitute and the spies were not the ones being disobedient. I really love that! It can be easy to judge others by what we see and prejudge their lives. God does not do that. He saw a prostitute in Jericho and knew that hers was the heart that He would include in the lineage of King David and ultimately Jesus! The Lord is not interested in the sins of her past, He is only interested in the relationship that they will share in her future.
Reality Check #3: When I am busy condemning someone else for a weakness that I may not happen to share, I am in actuality hiding from the desperate need I have for forgiveness of all the sin in my own life. Fear of vulnerability, failure and rejection keep us focused on the disobedience in others rather than the disobedience in our own lives. Jesus teaches about this, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye…You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3&5). When we are brave enough to trust Jesus with the admission of our own brokenness, submission of our lives and obedience to Him, it is then that we will experience true freedom. It is then that we will cease to have a need to judge the brokenness in others.
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 11/ Day 3:
Hebrews 11:32
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jepthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets…”
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 32 verses together several times today.
Who are we Meeting Today?
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Nathan, The prophets
Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jepthah were all Judges during the time that the Israelites were in the Promised Land. These were not judges in the terms that we think of them today, as a part of the legal system. These judges were actually sent, by God, to deliver His people from captivity form the surrounding nations. During this time in Israel’s history, there were sin cycles. This means that God’s chosen people turned from Him and were disobedient to the commands that He had given to them to follow. As a result, God would allow the surrounding nations to conquer Israel. This punishment would make the Israelites remember God and call out to Him. In His kindness, God would send a judge to rescue His people from their captors. This cycle was repeated seven times in the book of Judges. The judges were imperfect men of God, used by God. Gideon was a judge with whom I readily relate. He asked God for confirmation, assurance, reconfirmation, reassurance and then a little more confirmation and assurance! The story of Gideon’s calling, God’s patience and the ensuing liberation of the Israelites from Midian can be found in Judges 6 & 7. Barak was also unsure of his ability to defeat the enemy armies and insisted that Deborah go with him into battle. Through this partnership, and God’s might, Sisera and Canaan were defeated by the Israelite armies. This story is in Judges 4 & 5. Samson is perhaps the most well know of the judges. His story, found in Judges 13-16, tells of supernatural strength given by the Lord. It is also a story of his fall due to pride, lust and the weakness of the flesh. Jepthah’s story is found in Judges 11 & 12 and include the Lord’s deliverance of the Ammonites into His hands. The tragedy in Jepthah’s life is that the people were all, “doing as they saw fit in their own eyes.” This meant unnecessary family disputes, isolation and even child sacrifices. While God was continually faithful to save His people overall, the period of the Judges is the darkest in the Israelites journey. King David, in the lineage of Jesus, a man after God’s own heart and the leader who turned 12 tribes into one nation. We meet David in 1 Samuel 16 where we find him tending sheep. His life story continues through 1 Samuel and throughout the entire book of 2 Samuel. David is a musician, a shepherd, a warrior and a king.David is not perfect, but when confronted by Nathan the prophet about his sin in regards to Bathsheba and Uriah, he confesses and repents. This humble heart is what sets David apart and establishes him as “a man after God’s own heart.”
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!!
judges
kings
prophets
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Judges: Judge Judy, Judge Wapner, American Idol, America’s Got Talent….these are the judges that come to my mind. I guess the good news is that I haven’t spent much time in a courtroom to have any personal experience. When I think of a judge it is a powerful person who has been given the authority to declare what is right and wrong and hand out punishments as they see fit. This is a lofty and honorable profession. I also tend to see judges as stern and unyielding, intimidating and not to be unnecessarily upset!
Kings: The current royal family in London is so fun to follow. They give royalty a wonderful balance of pomp and circumstance mixed with approach-ability and humanity. While judges seem to be intimidating, the royals seems to be posh, admirable, and entertaining. There is definitely a level of respect to be acknowledged with a king. They are valued more highly than the commoners over which they rule. Bows and curtsys are physical reminders of their superiority to their subjects.
Prophets: This makes me think of fortune tellers. I often hear of the gift of prophecy and it always makes me wonder if there is a crystal ball involved. It all seems very mystical and magical to me. I generally imagine prophets to be unique to the extreme, think John the Baptist with his locusts and honey for lunch?! There is wisdom associated with prophecy and the courage needed to proclaim things that have not yet happened.
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 11/Day 4:
Hebrews 11:32
“And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jepthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets…”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
As we mentioned previously, the judges in this verse are those whom God sent to rescue the Israelites from oppression of surrounding nations. There were 14 judges in total throughout the 7 sin cycles. These were all far from perfect. They lacked confidence, self-control, and submission to God throughout their lives. And yet, once again, God saw their hearts and knew that they were the ones He had created to be His vessels at this time. This is a good reminder that we are not to judge the ways in which God chooses to use us and those around us. Only God has ultimate wisdom and we are called to submit to that wisdom, not question it.
Reality Check #1: The Israelites went through 7 sin cycles and were captured each time. They then cried out to God to save them. Each time, He graciously sent a judge to bring about liberation. It is easy to roll our eyes at the Israelites and their inability to stay faithful to God. It is more useful to evaluate our own hearts and lives. What are the sin cycles in our lives, the sins that continually draw us away from God and into captivity? We can call on the Lord and He will liberate from the bondage of our sin. We are reminded of this truth in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
The kings of today are often figure heads and offer more entertainment than leadership and authority. The kings that we find in the pages of the Old Testament were warriors and men of great power. God never intended Israel to have any king other than Himself. They were to be different from the surrounding nations, holy and set apart. However, when they continued to demand a king, God appointed Saul. Saul was the “people’s king.” He was everything a human could want in a leader. He did not, however, follow the statues that God placed on the king and his heart turned from the Lord. This led to Saul’s ultimate defeat and demise. The Lord then anointed David King of Israel. David was God’s King and his legacy reaches all the way to the birth of Christ. The kings that followed David were predominantly evil and continually lead the Israelites astray. This points back to God’s original plan, Him as King of the Israelites, was better than their plan of a human king to rule over them.
Reality Check #2: What is the ruler of your heart and mind? What king are you living your life to serve? Prosperity? Popularity? Comfort? All of these “kings” will lead us astray from God. God wants to be the only King on the throne of our hearts. That is His perfect plan for us. God is calling us to be a people holy and set apart for Him and we can only do that if He is the solitary ruler of our hearts and minds. This is not something we can do in our own strength; however, we can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what is on the throne of our hearts and then to replace it, taking His rightful place as we live lives that solely serve our God and King. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 14:2).
The gift of prophecy is real. It is from God and if you know someone who truly has this gift, heed their wisdom and insight. The prophets in the Old Testament were sent by God to battle the lies and deceptions of the foreign gods and kings that had infiltrated the nation of Israel. God sent prophets to speak His truth to His people. This included words of truth about their present time. Words of truth about the future that have now been fulfilled, as well as, words of truth that have yet to be fulfilled. The prophets cried out to the people of Israel from the time of the Kings all the way through the Jewish exile to Babylon and again after the faithful remnant returned to Israel. Micah is the last prophet to be heard before the 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments. John the Baptist breaks the silence, “preparing the way for the Lord!”
Reality Check #3: Hindsight is 20/20. Do you agree with that statement? I am not sure that I do. I have witnessed people rewriting and retelling history in such a way that I question if they ever saw the truth. I think we can choose to accept or deny truth about the past, the present and the future. We are wise to seek the Lord and His perspective. That is ultimate truth. However, our flesh can lead us to seek out what it is that feels good to us and live in that deception instead of being courageous enough to accept truth. We recognize that not knowing what the future holds can be unsettling. I believe that if we are submitting to the will of God then we will see His faithfulness in our past and in our present. God is unchanging. If He was faithful in the past, He will be faithful in the future. The truth is that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, if we are living in His truth, not our own comfort seeking perception, our future is secure in Him.
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 11/ Day 5:
Hebrews 11:33
“…who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,”
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 33 verses together several times today.
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!!
kingdoms
justice
lions
Kinsee’s Stream of Consciousness Journal Notes
Kingdoms: This brings about images of vast amounts of land and noblemen. Think Braveheart, that is what I am picturing. Ironically, I also flashback to my very favorite childhood TV show, Mr. Rogers neighborhood! The Land of Make Believe was the best part of the show. You hopped on the magical trolley went through the tunnel and emerged in the fictional kingdom of, among others, King Friday, Queen Saturday and Prince Tuesday. There was always a conflict or issue in the kingdom but it was never very upsetting and generally resolved within the 5 minute segment. I do remember feeling very unsettled when there was a “to be continued…” That would mean waiting another 24 hours before perfect peace could be restored in the kingdom.
Justice: This term is a hot button for so many people. We demand justice and fairness in life. If someone commits a crime, justice must be served. If an unjust act goes unpunished, there is rioting and acts of protest. The tricky thing about the time in which we live is the question of who defines what justice is? With absolute truths being swatted down as close mindedness, justice seems to be determined on a case by case basis, often with the loudest opinion being the most influential. It is infinitely difficult that a topic so vitally important and asserted so often has no real guidelines.
Lions: These beautiful creatures are majestic and powerful. We love to learn about them, to see them in the zoo and to admire their strength. What we cannot do is underestimate their nature. Recently, on the news, they features a person who jumped into a lion’s den. I am not sure what prompted this impulsive and foolish decision. What I do know is that the person in this story had lost sight of the power of the beast and the frailty of their own life.
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 11/Day 6:
Hebrews 11:33
“…who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,”
Let’s Dig into Some Truth
Canaan, the Promised Land, was surrounded by 6 mighty kingdoms. These included Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. As we have already discussed, throughout the sin cycles and into the fall and exile of the Israelite nation, these kingdoms conquered God’s chosen people. This, however, is not the end of the story. The judges, kings and prophets were enabled by their faith in God to conquer enemy kingdoms. Often times, the prospect of winning appeared to be ridiculous, but God is not interested in what the human eye can see. Repeatedly, God allowed Israel to conquer greater, larger and more powerful kingdoms in ways that could only be through His power. This showed the world that there was only one true God. In the future, God will again overthrow mighty earthly kingdoms to take His rightful place on the throne. In the end, all earthly kingdoms will be conquered and ruled by God.
Reality Check #1: There are times when I get very frustrated because things are not going my way. Does that ever happen to you? I can always justify these feeling and the behavior that they lead to. Things like believing that I know what is best for myself, my family and anyone else in my general vicinity can come into play. The truth is that when we are feeling frustrated because our plans are not succeeding, it is possible that we are more interested in building our own kingdoms than the kingdom of God. If we are committed to the furthering of God’s kingdoms and we are seeking to live our lives for Him, then we are able to flow with changing circumstances because we know that He is ultimately in control. “Then I saw a new heaven ad a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea” (Revelation 21:1).
We spoke about the sliding scale of justice in our culture today. During the time of the judges and the exile of the Israelites, they had the same issue. The prophets, however, did not. They were clear on justice because they were focused on the Lord. God is a God of absolute truths. When there was sin in the midst of His people, He sent warnings through the prophets and then administered justice. This can be difficult for us to reconcile with an all loving God. The reality is that there cannot be love without justice. In Hebrews 12, just past where we are memorizing, we see that “the Lord disciplines the one He loves.” This does not mean that God causes bad things to happen to you. When we sin, when we make choices that are disobedient to what God calls us to do, there are natural consequences. These often painful situations can be used by God to call us back to Himself, just as He did the Israelites in the midst of their sin cycles.
Reality Check #2: It is easy to place judgement and demand justice for the sins that do not personally entangle us. When we realize that any sin separates us from God, and our desperate need for God to save us from the justice that we deserve, we no longer have a need to judge others. God is perfect and as such He cannot be with anyone who sins; that is all of us! In His grace, He sent Jesus to take our place and to satisfy our perfect God’s need for justice. It is only through Jesus that we can stand before a perfect God and have relationship with Him. Jesus is the grace that saves us from the demand of justice. This is the precious promise found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old had gone, the new is here!”
We read in the book of Daniel, chapter 6, of Daniel in the den of lions. Daniel refused to worship the King of Babylon and as a consequence was thrown into the lion’s den. He was there all night and when the King returned the next morning, Daniel was unharmed. The Lord had quieted and controlled the mighty animals that were His creation. This was a miracle for the glory of God through the faith of His servant Daniel.
Reality Check #3: There are lions in my life. These are mighty strongholds that threaten to control my behavior. Conflict, Illness, Failure. When these are threatening, I am tempted to bow down to whatever idol will keep me from their terrifying power. The reality is that these lions, these strongholds, are no match for the power of our God. We can follow Daniel’s example and trust our creator to shut down the lions in our lives. This might look like me recognizing that I am making a choice to make someone happy, avoiding conflict instead of standing my ground and following the Lord’s leading in my life. I can instead pray for strength and wisdom, refuse to bow down and trust God as I am thrust into the lion’s den of conflict and discomfort. He is faithful, He will prevail and the outcome will ultimately be for His glory. We can claim this truth in any situation, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
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 11/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!
