God Speaks
Heroes in Faith and Encouragement to Follow Their Example
Verse of the Day: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. . . . And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek hiim. (Hebrews 11:1, 6 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Hebrews 11
Reflection
Hebrews chapter 11 is the great “Hall of Faith” in the scriptures. It not only defines faith but gives “living” examples so that we can know what it looks like and accomplishes. Instead of listing them again, the author of this blog recommends that the reader reread the chapter, pick out one hero, research how that person exemplifies faith and then seek to emulate them.
Prayer
Thank You, LORD, for these heroes and role models of what it means to have faith and persevere. Increase my faith so that I am sure of the things I hope for and convinced of things that can’t be seen, yet. May I live as if I really believe that what I pray for is already in existence, leaving it in Your hands to carry out Your will. Help me to remember that: without faith it is impossible to please You. I want to draw near to You. I do believe that You exist and that You reward those who diligently seek You. By faith I understand that the universe was created by Your word. By faith, like Abel, I will offer You acceptable sacrifices. By faith, like Noah, I will build my life on Your word and save those around me as You direct. By faith coupled with obedience, like Abraham, I will receive Your promise of blessing. By faith, like Sarah, I will see You do what is humanly impossible. Just as Abraham (in essence) received Isaac back from the dead by faith, I look forward to seeing dear ones raised from spiritual death to vibrant life in Christ. By faith I want see into the future as Isaac did on behalf of Jacob and Esau, and Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph. By faith Joseph predicted and managed the great famine and anticipated the Exodus. By faith Moses was rescued as an infant, identified with the people of God, escaped a charge of manslaughter, kept the Passover, led Your people through the Red Sea on dry land and saw the Egyptian army drowned. By faith many others did so many exploits. Sometimes they saw the outcome of their faith in their lifetimes, sometimes not. However, in each instance faith was coupled with obedience. May I and Your other followers, now and on into whatever future You give us on this earth, continue by faith and obedience to reveal Your glory to those around us. AMEN
Action
(Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
I will research my “faith family tree” (those who were believers before me, demonstrated faith and prayed for me or led me to faith in Christ) and thank God for those who paved the way for me to be born again in Christ Jesus.
I will ask the LORD to whom He wants me to be a good role model and mentor.
I will keep a journal of things for which I am personally trusting God.
I will give my testimony of God’s faithfulness in a group setting sometime this week.
Hebrews 12
Reflection: Hebrews 12 discusses how believers can apply the lessons taught by the examples of faith found in chapter 11. The cloud (or crowd) of witnesses* is either watching and cheering believers on or providing testimonies as to how to run the race of life in Christ. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus who is the one who blazed the trail and continues to show us the way of faith. God the Father disciplines us as any good father should; the Holy Spirit is our coach and cheerleader; Jesus will be there waiting to greet us at the finish line. Jesus is the ultimate judge to determine if we followed the rules since He knows what it’s like to be human. He has already had to pull some out of the race.
*The conclusion of the Kendrick brothers’ movie Overcomer provides a glorious example of the cloud of witnesses and the indwelling Holy Spirit guiding believers as we run the faith race.
Prayer: Great Father God in Heaven, thank You for all these people (in Hebrews 11) who testify of Your faithfulness, provision, direction, and love. They and You also watch over and encourage us to put away the things that would trip us up in this cross-country race of life. Help us keep our eyes on Jesus who has already finished the course and won the prize in spite of all the opposition He faced. So, we should not grow weary, lose heart, and give up. Most of us (believers around the world) have not struggled to the point of shedding our blood as He did. We must remember that You call us Your children. Thank You, LORD God, that You love us enough to discipline us. We, the children You have adopted, are now brothers and sisters with (or in) Christ. When our flawed human parents trained us in various ways, we respected or at least obeyed them. How much more should we trust and obey You, the great and awesome God, who loves us perfectly and knows all about us and our future. Training for the race or game of life is never easy or painless, but the rewards of righteousness and peace will be worth it all. Please help us to continually pursue peace and godliness so that both we and others will ultimately see You. Don’t let us be like Esau who foolishly gave up his birthright and lost his blessing which were irretrievable. Don’t let us be so shaken that we lose hold of Your grace. May Your refining fire only purify us so that our lives reflect You more clearly. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will compile a list of people who would be in my personal “hall of faith” that I can look to as examples of how to run my race of life.
- I will write out the lessons in faith that I have learned so that I can pass them on to others.
- I will ask God the Holy Spirit to show me what is slowing me down or tripping me up so that I can avoid (or He can remove) whatever is hindering me from running my best race of faith.
- I will cooperate with Jesus, my trainer, even when it is difficult to do what He says
Hebrews 13
Reflection: Believers are to remember that Jesus is supreme and has or is the answer for all of the following: 1) those imprisoned for Christ; 2) those who are being mistreated; 3) those who are suffering in their bodies for various reasons; 4) those who have difficult marriages and/or family situations; 5) those who think that money will solve all of their problems; 6) those who are seeking to lead God’s people well; 7) those who have made food (or their physical bodies or religious rituals) their focus. It is only through Christ Jesus that we can offer God proper sacrifices, praise, confession, and acts of service. We ought to submit to, honor, bring joy to, and pray for the leaders God has put in place to watch over us.
Prayer: Dear LORD God, who is kind and hospitable to us, please help us to be loving, kind, and hospitable to others thus pointing them to Christ. May we especially remember that Jesus is supreme and has or is the answer for all of the following: 1) those imprisoned for Christ; 2) those who are being mistreated; 3) those who are suffering in their bodies for various reasons; 4) those who have difficult marriages and/or family situations; 5) those who think that money will solve all of their problems; 6) those who are seeking to lead God’s people well; 7) those who have made food (or their physical bodies or religious rituals) their focus. Lord Jesus, please help me (and the rest of Your people) to offer proper sacrifices, praise, confession, and acts of service. May we submit to, honor, bring joy to, and pray for the leaders You have put in place to watch over us. AMEN
I can conclude the prayers for the book of Hebrews in no better way than the prayer of Hebrews 13:20-21 (HCSB, Holman Christian Standard Bible):
“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus–the great Shepherd of the sheep–with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen”
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will look for ways to increase my “sacrifice of praise” to God, then do them.
- I will look for ways to do good to and share with other people, then do them.
- I will look for ways to obey, submit to, and pray for the leaders God has placed over me, then do them.
- I will look for ways to care for my own and others’ souls, then do them.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.