I was just reading this chapter to stir up my faith this morning, so I thought I’d share it with my friends. There is more at the bottom, so don’t assume it is just about Heb. 11.
Hebrews 11
1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And 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 him.
7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, 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.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspringb]”>[b] will be reckoned.”c]”>[c] 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
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From Beth: And what about the woman with the issue of blood who pressed through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment? (Luke 8:43-46)
And what about the woman who begged the Lord and because of her persistence, her daughter was set free from the demon? (Mark 7:26-29)
Faith, faith, faith! Jesus KNEW when He had been touched by the woman with the issue of blood because of HER faith. She believed that the moment she touched Him, she would be healed. Does that stir your faith?
Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:7-11)
I didn’t add that exclamation point there friends — it is in the scripture. Hallelujah!
As a parent, I can honestly say that I care about every little concern of my daughter — her every need. HOW MUCH MORE WOULD OUR ABBA FATHER CARE ABOUT US? Surely HE will meet our needs.
Numbers 23:9 – God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:9 – God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Be encouraged today! If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then SEEK HIM and know that you will FIND HIM. Knock and KNOW that He will open the door for you! ASK and you WILL receive. I didn’t come up with those words. Jesus did. These words are TRUTH, living and active. They will accomplish the work they were sent out to do and will NOT return void.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.Isaiah 55:11
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
This post was a good way to start my day and my week. I'm trying really hard to live like this even during difficult times. I trust that God will meet all my needs. I have to or I would have nothing to keep me going.
amen amen amen..and thank you precious sister for feeding us with the Word of God,,,His Word that shall not return to Him void..Hallelujah.
Thank you for sharing, Beth! To have such faith as these would definitely be awesome!
awesome!!! All amazing passages and such a reminder.
God is GREAT!!! Thanks Beth for the wonderful reminder that God is always listening.
I'll be praying for you. I hope your feeling better soon.
Love ya,
Miti
Hebrews 11:1 is one of my favorite scriptures. I think it really emobodies what being a Christian is all about.
I love this post and what is so awesome, is that I heard an amazing sermon this morning that taught from the end of chapt. 10 into the beginning of chapt. 11. Needless to say I was hanging on every word.
I had read your post before I went to church, but didn't have time to leave a comment and now I know why! Needless to say I was just a little pumped when I heard the sermon and connected it with this.
What a great day! Thank your Beth. 🙂
Perfect timing for me! I finally got a post up on Devotional Daze & I feel so much better.
xoxo
Excellent, EXCELLENT reminder for me today, dear Beth! Faith. Love that word.
My precious sister,
Your comment to me this morning brought fresh tears to eyes that can't stop tears from falling from love of my King and the beauty He has surrounded me with during this time. He amazes me. You amaze me. Thank you so much for interceding for me. I love you so!
Amen, Beth…what an awesome word, girl!
I have been thinking about Luke 8:43-46 for several days, now! I know it has been on your mind strongly.
I'm so glad that we are sisters-in-Christ, and that we can agree with one another – BY FAITH – in prayer!
Love you…
P.S. Bo is having all four wisdom teeth removed tomorrow morning (Mon.) at 10:45 a.m. (EST). Please remember him in your prayers, agreeing that the teeth will be easily removed, that he will tolerate the procedure/anesthesia well, that swelling/pain will be minimal, and that his recovery will be quick and complete.
Thanks, sistah!
Amen!!! and amen…it's so true God's word does not come back to him void…That is a blessing right there!
Amen! This was the pastor's message today about how faith overcomes fear. Thank you for reinforcing that my friend! It is definitely a message I needed today!
Beautiful post! A wonderful reminder.
What an amazing Daddy we have! Thanks for these words of encouragement.
Blessings.
Stopping by to say welcome to SITS! I know that you will enjoy being a part of this vibrant community of bloggers!
Amen! What a great post!
I came by to welcome you to SITS! We're happy to have you with us!
Thank you, Beth, for this wonderful and gentle reminder! Big blessings to you, sweet friend!
You popped into the Pond, so I thought I'd hop over here to say hi! 🙂
Welcome to the SITS community!
i AM MOST DEFINITELY ENCOURAGED FROM THIS POST TODAY BETH! THANK YOU!
Who doesn't need a little more faith?
Welcome to SITS!
So I was wondering as I read this (and I apologize upfront, I'm having a bad day) but how long do I have to wait for what I've been praying for? Why has my door not been opened? I guess I'm being rhetorical, but if you have any insight, I'd appreciate it.
Such precious words spoken here my friend, love you.
This is such a wonderful post, Beth. Hebrews 11 has always a great impact on me when it comes to faith-building. I can't imagine my life without having Faith to God, and yes, all we need is to ask, seek and find.
God bless you, Beth.
Wonderful post to stir the heart and open our eyes today.
Thanks so much for posting it!
Amen, Beth. Beautiful words, and just what I needed today!
AMEN!!
Great post!
Love all these verses, Beth. So had to comment on just one. Love the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith chapter!
Part of verse 34 says "whose weakness was turned to strength…" Love that! I want the Lord to turn my weaknesses into strengths!
Beth, that was me, Nan, posting!
~ Nan
Wonderful post! Thank you for touching my heart and blessing my soul. I have missed visiting everyone so much! God bless you my friend.
Someone recently asked me if I really knew that God exists..
.. I said, yep. I know it without a doubt!!
That friend had a hard time grasping that concept but you see, people use sight as evidence. I merely use faith as evidence, it feels as real as my beating heart <3 can't get any truer than that!
When we close our eyes, our sight goes away but our faith will always remain 🙂
Mmmm…good word!
I love the Hall of Faith in Hebrews. I love the two scripture references you gave of the stories on faith: the bleeding woman and the daugther possessed. There are several other that I included with those in one of my posts long ago. If you look under my favorites, read the one Master's Touch, Our Faith. I don't know if you followed/read my blog back them. There's much to be said about our faith and having it abundantly.
Love,
Paula
Beth, I loved this post. Thank you, thank you!
I wanted to ask what version of the Bible you use. I like its wording.