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Hebrews 11

Bible Verse of the Day: Draw Near to God

by Lily Benson November 10, 2023

written by Lily Benson

Draw near to God with a sincere desire to know Him intimately. Cultivate a daily habit of seeking His presence.

Today’s Bible Verse

“It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him.” Hebrews 11:6

What is God’s Message For Me Today? Click Here

Put Into Action

Hebrews 11:6 can help you deepen your faith and draw closer to your loving Father by:

Cultivating a heart of belief: Take intentional steps to nurture your belief in the existence of God. Spend time in prayer and meditation, allowing the Holy Spirit to strengthen your conviction. Seek to understand God’s character and nature through the study of His Word, knowing that He is a faithful and loving God who desires a personal relationship with you.

Pursuing intimacy with God: Draw near to God with a sincere desire to know Him intimately. Cultivate a daily habit of seeking His presence through prayer, worship, and immersing yourself in His Word. Set aside dedicated time each day to commune with Him, listening for His voice and aligning your heart with His.

Stepping out in faith: Take courageous steps of obedience, even when faced with uncertainties. Embrace opportunities to exercise your faith, knowing that God rewards those who trust Him. Be willing to step beyond your comfort zone and pursue the dreams and callings He has placed in your heart. Trust that He will guide your steps and provide all that you need along the way.

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November 10, 2023 0 comment

Faith

Why It Matters That We Are Set Free

by Corine Channell August 22, 2022

written by Corine Channell

During my years of sexual abuse I built a fortress around my heart. And then I moved in behind those steel walls, and there I camped. I had everything I needed. I felt safe there. Albeit a false sense of security – a security in bondage. Locked tight, behind my own bolted door.

We hear and quote the scripture – “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” But do we really embrace or WANT that freedom? It will mean you have to tear down your shelter and face whatever was on the outside that you have feared. If your worst fear was similar to a nuclear fallout, you must face it. And guess what. Unlike an actual nuclear explosion where you WOULD die from the exposure, you WON’T die from facing the fallout of your hidden truth. I thought I WOULD die many times in this healing journey – the consequences of my failures have been astounding and a few are off the charts, to the point I was sure God Himself could NOT fix them, as if I had knocked the earth off its orbit – MY earth, ME. But nope. The truth is the ONLY thing that sets you free.

And what matters most in the bigger picture is that you ARE set free. If you find it hard to do that for your own self, do it for those you love and for generations yet to come. THIS is why I wrote books on bolted doors – we must open them. We must. Bolted doors represent secrets, lies, cover ups, shame and a deafening silence.

WHY BE SET FREE?

I think Hebrews 11 is a good place to start to find the answer. There is a running list of many of those gone before us, who died in faith. Some of the descriptive words of these people were – Abel was righteous. Enoch pleased God. Noah moved with fear. Sarah judged God faithful to her. Jacob worshiped. Moses chose to suffer affliction. Rahab was kind to strangers.

And Abraham. Let us NOT forget Abraham. Hebrews 11:12 says this – “And so from this one man (Abraham), and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” ( Whoa. Pretty sure I missed this verse till now. One man. Could be any one of us/all of us. “He as good as dead…” Wow. I bet we have ALL felt this way. But THEN from this ONE man – descendants…generations…us…

And the list goes on –

32 “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was NOT worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received NOT the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for US, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
(they without us – think about that.)

EXCERPT FROM BEYOND THE BOLTED DOOR

“When we produced our documentary Shattered Silence we were privileged to interview many precious Veterans of war. One man whose story has always stood out to me, had been a POW for several years during the Vietnam War. He expressed that how he survived the loneliness, the boredom, the sameness, the isolation – was the knowledge that he had to get back home to his family. He said, “THAT was my responsibility in those days, as I saw it.” He survived his incredible hardship by simply taking responsibility for his OWN survival, for the sake of those he loved. Wow. Let that sink in. His mere existence WAS the fight. Even though he was imprisoned, he was still fighting; giving up was never going to be an option to him. Taking responsibility for ourselves just for the sake of those that we love is truly staggering.

With the U.S. Marine’s disciplined, dedicated and devoted mindset there is NO room for compromise, hesitancy or weakness – only the goal of achieving great purpose at great risk. What if we ALL could measure up to this high standard? “Marines don’t play nor do they practice; they train. They neutralize the threat; they don’t fight for things; they fight for each other. From all walks of life and all different backgrounds, the U.S. Marine’s job is to answer the call to combat, as one unified fighting force ready to fight, ready to die.” (Joe Wooley, Actor/ U.S. Marine/Ret.) I think we would all do well to have THIS solid Marine mentality about life in general. Giving up? NOT an option. Retreating? NOT an option. And certainly NOT a luxury afforded to us.

Can I just venture to say basically we need to toughen up! We need to press on. Hardcore! Radical! Committed! Diehard! If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. If you can’t crawl, drag yourself – focused, weary, and bloody all the way to the end; all the way to the FINISH line. “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” (United States Marine Corps) We desperately NEED the Marine mentality, now more than ever before. We need to become AND see ourselves as someone who can NOT be weakened or shaken or destroyed! Too lofty of a goal? I think not.

No one prepares for a fight or a battle or a war five minutes prior to it – the preparation/the training, WAS the journey, no matter how that plays out individually – and in LIFE it is the culmination of ALL of life’s experiences that finally make us WHO were meant to be. The goal is not for life to destroy us, but to make us STRONGER, to make us UNSHAKEABLE. Unshakeable by definition is: “Too strong to be changed, weakened, or destroyed.” THIS is the kind of strength that ONLY comes from God, as He readies us for all the challenges of this life so that we can help ready others. There is NO greater feeling in the world than to feel READY. And to realize that GOD is the one who will empower you with HIS strength, is a win-win. It is essential to be fighting on the right side. “Be strong and courageous. Do NOT be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV) With God on our side, we are immovable, unstoppable, and unshakeable.

In the last mile, you finally understand the WHY’S! Looking back over my life I am grateful for the pain and the losses and the failures and even the effects of abuse (notice I did NOT say I am thankful for the abuse itself) – because NOW I am the warrior I wanted to be. NOW I am strong. NOW I can fight. Now I get to write a different ending to my story.“

LEAVE A LEGACY, GET SET FREE

My mother was a missionary to India at age 69 for the next 20 years of her life. She wrote a book titled It’s Never Too Late With God/ Funny, I just realized how much our messages are just the same. She died at age 93, having written a different ending to her story, and having left a powerful legacy.

In essence, why does it matter that we become free? Because being set free is our responsibility. No matter what age. We need to be set free in order to leave a Godly crumb trail for those who come behind us, and to finish the stories of those who have gone ahead of us. And one more time – “God having provided some better thing for US, that they without us should not be made perfect.

This IS us. THIS is why it matters that we are set free. None of our stories are finished until ALL of our stories are finished. It’s time to be set free.

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Impartation, A Call To Freely Give

by Bill Vanderbush June 25, 2022

written by Bill Vanderbush

Impartation is to those who honor the anointing as separate from the vessel or can lift the lid on the vessel to see the treasure it contains. If I honor THAT, then I benefit from the value of that treasure and it is deposited into my account. Matt 10:41…(if you honor a prophet in the name of the prophet…) I think it’s nice if the vessel knows what they contain/carry, but it’s not necessary. There is also great capacity in the heart of the person positioned to receive. The woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus for example. The giver and the receiver who are each aware of what’s going on will both be blessed in the exchange.

I’m not sure how to put this but here goes… God never stops being the source of the gift, so it’s not something that we can ever give independent of His sovereign will, however it is His sovereign right to invite us into a partnership of co-laboring where our will and His will are united to release blessing to people. If someone gave you charge of their wealth and asked you to distribute it, you would want to do so according to their desire, not sowing where they would not sow and so on. That would require you to be in a close relationship with them, which is apparently what He wants. That delegated authority to you would not result in your independence from Him, but would actually draw you closer as you release the treasure within you to affect the world around you.

Laying on of hands is a big deal. If you are going to equip someone in the physical, you’ll do it by taking hold of something and handing it to another person. We are made in the image of God and I think that, though God is Spirit, our hands reflect that aspect of His nature that releases, empowers, blesses, and equips. When you lay hands on someone and are aware that you are reflecting Him, there is great power in that moment and contact.

To put it another way, if people are conscious of what they carry in the things of the Spirit and they lay hands on someone whose heart is positioned to receive and steward with excellence what is deposited into them, there is a tangible transfer of Spiritual wealth from one person to another through the laying on of hands. 1 Tim 4:14. (Don’t neglect the gift in you that was deposited to you by the laying on of hands…) It’s God’s way of making certain that the Body stays connected and that we are always in “freely you have received, freely give” mode.

Fruit is not followers. If that were the case, Jesus had a fruitless ministry. Fruit is of the Spirit and that which is not of the Spirit is dead, and the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. Fruit is first and foremost, love. Love (Agape) has an appetite and it will be drawn to a well where it can be filled. God’s (Love’s) appetite for you went to unreasonable degrees to be poured out, ie crucifixion. The result of being immersed in that river of love is the fullness of joy that comes from the Presence of the Lord….followed by peace that goes beyond comprehension…etc. You get the picture, but it’s ALL good and beautiful. As I heard in a song once, “God is a lover looking for a lover so He fashioned me.” Love looks for Love, to respond to Love, so Love can increase. This is the mark of true discipleship. John 13:35

Jesus says blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake for they shall be filled. Matt 5:6 Righteousness is not a condition of being. RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A PERSON. Jesus IS the Righteousness of God and when you are in Christ and He is in you that Oneness produces an identity that we could spend a thousand lifetimes attempting to understand. That you now ARE the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. But just because something isn’t fully understood doesn’t mean that it can’t be fully accepted. So BLESSED (that is favored, empowered, and equipped) are YOU who have an appetite for more of Him and the result of that manifest hunger is that you will be filled.

Fullness in the Kingdom is measure in overflow, that is, stewarding it means you give it away. In order for that to occur, you have to find more who are hungry and thirsty for what you have freely received. If you are willing to travel to receive something from God, it demonstrates the value your heart places on both the vessel and the treasure God has put in them. This is honor and honor is how you receive inheritance.

It is a self pity mindset that defaults to the omnipresence of God as a way to excuse the lack of hunger a man can feel when disappointment and offense manifests as apathy. Apathy disguised as maturity will always call hunger that moves you a foolish waste of time. But it’s the hunger that makes it to the surface that gets fed and wise men still travel.

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Faith Is A 3-Letter Word

by Corine Channell April 3, 2022

written by Corine Channell

In thinking more about faith, it always seems to take me yet again to my small grandchildren. They always just say yes.

CHILDLIKE FAITH

Little children have this inapt way of processing life – and every single thing about it. They see things at face value – they don’t question – they see through eyes of innocence not yet tainted/corrupted – they don’t have higher aspirations for you or themselves because they like it the way it IS – they will try anything – life is a thrill, even blowing bubbles, even crazy hair day. Every conversation I have with them always leaves me basking in the wonder of being a child. Let them be children. Let them talk. Let them dream. Let them remind US of what it is we so desperately need to survive and thrive in the adult world.

WHY do you think God told us we would need to be like a child to see HIM? When we go looking for God as adults, we see through a glass darkly – our vision has since been tainted and corrupted by the world, by way of just growing up – we only view God through the mirror of our own image or who the world tells us we are.

“Jesus said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14)

JUST SAY YES

What is so funny or not funny/ maybe I should say – ironic – is that God wants us to come to Him exactly as we are. That could look like so many different things – “Just as I am, I come.” We might come as the abuse victim, the abuser, rape victim, prince or princess, prisoner, unwed mother, grandmother, disabled house-bound woman, blind, anxiety filled career woman, cripple, artist, fisherman, tax collector, demon possessed – do you get my drift? Jesus’ choice of His disciples was a brilliant light shining for all of humanity to be able to see – to see ourselves in at least ONE of them! The invitation is not exclusive or restricted – God said WHOSOEVER. That is every.single.one.of.us. We all hold the golden ticket in our hand – it really is whether or not we cash it in.

Yes, I will come as I am. All I need to follow God is a Yes. All God is waiting for FROM me, is a Yes. My Yes is the key to unlock the door of HOPE. Faith is just saying YES. That is it.

I don’t need to be more than the sum total of my YES; God will do the rest.

“Corine, tell your story.” I finally surrendered and said Yes. I didn’t know beyond that yes what it would be like, look like – it really wasn’t the issue – I have learned God is the God of the beyond. I just needed to be in the present moment of saying Yes. Did I know I would write two published books? Did I know my book would find its way into other countries, into prisons, into recovery programs? Did I know that my story would heal others? Did I know my one YES would change MY life? No. But saying Yes was my faith activatior. Faith opened the door of hope, and I was able to come out of the valley of trouble. What might God be asking YOU to say YES to? I bet you already know.

FAITH OF OUR ANCESTORS

“And so from this one man (Abraham), and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” (Hebrews 11:12) Whoa. Pretty sure I missed this verse till now. One man. Could be any one of us/all of us. “He as good as dead…” Wow. I bet we have ALL felt this way. But THEN from this ONE man – descendants…generations.. AND “By faith the prostitute Rahab…” Faith and prostitute in the same sentence – it was Rahab’s faith that saved her/ her YES was bigger than her sin.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients (our ancestors) were commended for.” (Hebrews 11:1) Hebrews 11 goes on to say “the world was not worthy of them.” Okay HERE’s the kicker. THIS is what we need to get. “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” THEY are waiting on us to take our place. We are born to move mountains, and we need a childlike faith to move adult size mountains. We just need a YES that says, I am all in. Period.

That’s it – that is the faith of our ancestors. That is the faith of our grandchildren. All the joy. All the mystery. All the wonder. All the faith. Let your Yes be Yes – just say YES!

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