Category: Sue’s Views

Sue’s Views

12 Steps to a Good Year (by Derek Prince)

Step 6: Let Us Draw Near To The Most Holy Place

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19–22 NIV)

Let us draw near to the throne (Step4) means that we are to come for the help we need—for mercy and grace. But Let us draw near to the Most Holy Place is to draw close to God Himself. I believe it takes us much further. The suggestion is not merely that we come to the throne for help, but that we are invited to take our place with Christ on the throne. That is what it means to enter into the Most Holy Place.

Speaking about our entrance into the Most Holy Place and approaching the Mercy Seat and the throne, the writer of Hebrews says there are four requirements. Let’s look very briefly at each of those requirements.

1. A sincere heart. We approach God with our heart, not with our head. God is not the answer to an intellectual riddle, but He does meet a longing heart. It must be a sincere heart, without any pretensions or hypocrisy. We have to expose ourselves to God just as we are and not try to cover up anything or pretend to be different than we are. We must be open and honest with God.

2. A full assurance of faith. In the next chapter of Hebrews we read:

“But without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe…”(Hebrews 11:6 NKJ)

So we see that we must come with faith in God’s faithfulness; in other words, not in our own ability or righteousness, but with absolute faith in God’s faithfulness.

3. Our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. An “evil conscience” comes from wrong and sinful deeds that we have committed in the past. Through the blood of Jesus, however, we can receive assurance that all those evil deeds in the past have been forgiven and our hearts are pure from sin. We can have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience through the blood of Jesus.

4. Our bodies washed with pure water. In his first epistle, John tells us that Jesus came by water and by blood. (See 1 John 5:6.) In these two conditions, we see both elements: the blood that sprinkles from an evil conscience, and the water that washes our bodies. I believe that “water” refers to Christian baptism. In every place where it is explained in the New Testament, Christian baptism is depicted as sharing in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So “the new and living way” is Jesus. It is the act of coming and partaking of His death, His burial and His resurrection. We are to be identified with everything that Jesus went through in dying for our sins.

Sue’s Views

12 Steps to a Good Year (by Derek Prince)

Step 5: Let Us Press On To Maturity

Now we will look at the fifth resolution, found in Hebrews 6:1:

“Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity.” (NASB)

To remain static in the spiritual life is almost impossible One very penetrating verse from Proverbs 4:18 reads:

“The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” (NASB)

Notice, first of all, that righteousness is a path. A path is something that we move along. A path is never designed for standing still, much less sitting down. Righteousness, as a path, implies motion. It implies progress and development.

When we are walking in the path of righteousness, the light should always be getting brighter on our day. With each step and each day, the light should be brighter than it was before. “Until the full day” describes our destination. “The full day” is the height of noonday. God is not content that we should stop short of that full brightness of the noonday sun. The dawn is our beginning point, the path is the way of progress, and the light gets brighter and brighter. No stopping place is permitted until we reach the full day.

There are two main requirements. First, we must come under the discipline of the God-given ministries Paul has listed: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Without that discipline, oversight, and instruction, I do not see how God’s people can ever attain to maturity. Jesus Christ never made a provision that was not important, and I believe this provision is essential.

The second condition is that we must be part of a growing body, not just isolated individuals. 

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” Ephesians 4:14 (NIV)

Sue’s Views

12 Steps to a Good Year

Step 3: Let Us Hold Fast Our Confession

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” (Hebrews 4:14 NASB)

The word confession is derived from a word in the original Greek of the New Testament which means “to say the same as.” In its scriptural context, it means that we say the same as God says—that we make the words of our mouth agree with God’s Word.

Then the passage points out, particularly, that it is our confession that relates us to Jesus as our High Priest. Every time we make the right confession—speaking out a positive declaration with our mouths—Jesus  has obligated Himself to ensure that our confession is made good in our experience. 

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” (Hebrews 3:1 NASB)

Those last five words tell us that our confession enlists Jesus as our High Priest. But the opposite, unfortunately, is also true. If we make no confession, we have no High Priest. Not that Jesus has ceased to be our High Priest, but that we have not given Him the opportunity to minister as our High Priest. He is the High Priest of our confession. If we make the right professions in faith, with our mouths, according to Scripture, then Jesus has eternally obligated Himself to see that we will never be put to shame—that we will always come into the experience of what we confess. But if we do not say the right thing then, alas, we silence the lips of our High Priest. We give Him nothing to say on our behalf in heaven.

Sue’s Views

12 Steps To A Good Year

Step 2: Let Us Be Diligent

“Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11 NASB)

What Is Diligence?

Let’s consider for a moment what diligence is. Sometimes one way to find out the meaning of a word is to consider its opposite. One obvious opposite of diligence is laziness. The Bible doesn’t have one good word to say about laziness. It is a theme that does not receive enough attention in contemporary Christendom. Compare this to what the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 6, verses 11–12:

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (NIV)

Sue’s Views

To start off the New Year ….. I want to share some thoughts from a devotional by Derek Prince called ‘12  Steps To A Good Year’. They are taken from the book of Hebrews.

Step 1. Let Us Fear

‘Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still remains and is freely offered today, let us fear, in case any one of you may seem to come short of reaching it or think he has come too late.’ Hebrews 4:1 Amp

Because of their presumption, their false security, their laziness, and because they had not availed themselves of all the privileges and blessings that they had enjoyed in a special degree, this first admonition was “let us fear.”

In what, exactly, did that generation fail? The passage makes it clear: They did not hear God’s voice. They were content to get things second-hand through Moses. They had a form of religion: the tabernacle, the Ten Commandments, the priesthood, the sacrifices, and various ceremonial laws. But in all that, they missed the one essential. They failed to hear God’s voice.

If you will make this your first step in this new year, you will be a better person by the end of it. Please accept this as the first resolution. Let’s fear that we don’t make the same mistake that Israel made. Let’s cultivate hearing the Lord’s voice.

Sue’s Views

Well 2023 is almost over ….. and now it’s time to prepare for a new year. There’s something about a new year that makes me want to clean out closets ….. and rearrange stuff. But most of all ….. to do a heart check. It’s like we get an opportunity to start over. To get rid of things that don’t quite ‘fit’ who God made us to be. And to focus on what brings out the best in us! 

If 2023 has been a tough one for you ….. no doubt you are a different person than you were a year ago. I can’t promise 2024 will be any easier ….. but I can promise that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will continue to be your strength ….. your provider ….. and your helper in times of need.

Sue’s Views

I wonder what new things 2024 will bring? At the end of his life …..King Solomon concluded that “there is nothing new under the sun!” I recently heard a preacher say, “History repeats itself. It has to because no one listens!” I’m personally not looking for ‘the new thing’ ….. but for a new way of looking at the ‘old’. New understanding ….. new revelation ….. new desire to change my thinking to God’s perspective. How about you?

Sue’s Views

Life has many challenges ….. not the least of which is other people’s expectations. Especially at this time of year ….. trying to please everyone will add to our stress. Not everyone is going to be pleased with us ….. we have to learn to live with that fact! We too must be careful not to put excessive expectations on others. Like the Apostle Paul said ….. ‘I have learned to be content ….. whether with much or with little’.

Sue’s Views

If you are walking on the narrow path ….. you probably experience times of loneliness. It’s not the most popular route! You may sometimes question whether you are going the right way. The Bible tells us that the highway to hell is broad and crowded ….. but the path to heaven is small and only a few ever find it. Sobering thought!