Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place —  

Are you living an unhappy Christian life of trying to die to self? Struggling to deny your appetites, desires, and dreams? Believing the more you deny your needs and wants, the holier, the closer to God that you will be?

Well, stop it. That message of self-denial is nothing more than the ancient practice of asceticism concealed in religious jargon. Abstaining from food, or fun, or future, won’t make you righteous and holy. Colossians 2:21-23. But it will make you religious. The idea that self-denial makes you a better, holier, more righteous person — is nonsense. All it does is leave you with anxieties and insecurities.

Jesus never said, “You must die to self.” Jesus did say in Luke 9:23, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

Simply, Jesus was saying to trust in Him, not in ourselves. To walk by the Spirit rather than the flesh. To live out each day in the glorious relationship we have with the Lord. Rather than a command to experience a miserable existence, is a thrilling invitation to the adventure of the life that is ours in Christ.

“Have I denied myself enough?” You can never know. So you’d better deny yourself some more, just to be safe. What Paul does do is remind us of the good news that Jesus died so that we might be free from this sort of dead and useless religion; that in Christ WE HAVE DIED to the world and its sin.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” – Galatians 2:20.
“You have died with Christ” – Col 2:20
“We have died with Christ” – Rom 6:8
“Therefore all died” – 2 Cor 5:14

If you miss the power of these verses to set you free, and hear a message that says you need to fast and pray to become spiritually mature, to hear God better, you might decide to fast and pray. Immediately you are no longer walking by the Spirit, no longer trusting in the FINISHED WORK of the Cross. You are trusting in your own fasting and praying to make you mature, more sensitive to God. Where does the Lord fit in this picture? He doesn’t, and that’s the problem. It is dead religion, and it is a faithless way to live.

So recognize dear Christian friend, that you have died, that your life is hidden in Him, in Christ Jesus — you’ll COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

The author of Hebrews writes remarkable things in his apostolic blessing and conclusion. It’s found in chapter 13:20-21. It reads, “Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The Passion translation says in part, may the Father “…work perfection into every part of you – giving you all that you need to fulfill your destiny.” Work perfection into every part of you – giving you all that you need to fulfill your destiny, all God has created you for. POWERFUL, eh?

How can the author pray so boldly? Because he knows the blood of the eternal covenant has secured it for us! This eternal covenant is the new covenant, and it guarantees both God’s equipping of us to do His will, AND the successful use of that equipment to make our lives pleasing to God. What a stress reliever!

In this new and eternal covenant, the will of God is no longer a few words written on stone for us to puzzle out. His will is worked IN us. As Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10 and Hebrews 10:16 declare, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”

The result is: We feel and think and act in ways more pleasing to God.

Isn’t it obvious that if we are going to live in God’s will, we will need God’s help. By that I mean we need His grace, undeserved, unearned FAVOR. HE is working His will within us for His glory. Let’s let Him; let’s not resist those Holy Spirit thoughts and promptings.

He is working His will in us and we are working to please God because we are in Christ, not because we are trying to earn our way into Christ. God is at work in us doing that which is pleasing to Him. Philippians 2:13.

By the grace of God He has equipped us to do His will. By that grace – we want to do His will. Result: we are pleasing in His sight!

So rejoice today beloved child of the LIVING God. Rejoice — for God is at work within you, making you pleasing to Him — making you COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

I live in Florida, where a great many people are retired. But far from finally ‘living the dream’ — many are barely living.

They are in desperate need of hearing and believing the basic truths concerning the Kingdom of God — and it is almost too late.

What are some of these basic truths? There are no righteous people, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But God sent His son to become Savior of all who believe in Him. Those who believe this instantly become new creations, they are born again. Instantly they become righteous before God. How righteous? With God’s own righteousness. Can’t do better! And, He did not stop there. He has ingrafted every believer into Himself. And, Father, Son and Holy Spirit have come to live, settle down, make their home WITHIN every believer.

Incredible! All this and more, by the blood of Jesus Christ, His life for ours; it is not of our own doing. Through His life given for us, we have been accepted in Him, raised up with Him, and seated with Him in heavenly places. We have the privilege of speaking in the name of Jesus, as though it were Jesus Himself speaking into this world. Our prayers are heard by Almighty God — and answered!

Mary, my wife, immediately summed these truths into one incredible truth: because of Jesus’ work at Calvary, we can have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with GOD HIMSELF, a relationship that is full of grace, mercy and lovingkindness.

Are you trying to prove yourself worthy of a relationship with God? Too late. Jesus took care of that already. And this relationship is not that of a slave of God, but one of precious intimacy.

Consider the refrain from “In the Garden” by C. Austin Miles:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

Intimacy with God. Incomprehensible though it may be, but we don’t have to understand it to live in it!

Yes, choose to LIVE in it today. Talk with the Father, with Jesus today. They are not holding your sins against you. All the sins we have or even have yet to commit: past, present and future – were carried by the Lamb of God on the cross.

If you are not yet a believer in Jesus, change today. Unbelief is the only thing that can keep a person out of heaven. Declare your belief in Jesus, God’s Son, Savior.

If you ARE a believer in Jesus, then I urge you to believe ALL the good things God says about you – you are righteous and holy in Christ, completely forgiven and totally loved, for Jesus has paid the price in FULL.

Yes, believe the full Gospel — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place –  

If you watch any news, you know it is filled with tragedies in which the survivors are demanding answers, asking, “Why?” “How?” As if knowing the why’s or how’s would give closure to their pain.

Dear friend, this premise is simply — wrong. Even answers with a theological bent don’t ease the pain. I found an article by Pastor Tim Brown in the Enduring Word for January.

He addressed some common explanations given:
– We live in fallen bodies in a fallen world where the curse is not yet lifted. So what? Why, out of all possible people, was it my loved one the curse claimed? I live in a fallen body in a fallen world; why didn’t I die instead?
– Or my loved one made a bad decision. Others make worse decisions, and they live.
– Or someone else made a bad decision that resulted in my loved one’s death. This doesn’t bring me relief; it only increases my bitterness.
– Or being in the wrong place at the wrong time? In God’s providence, He could have protected my loved one, right?

Again, here’s the premise – that if I know the reason, I can better live with the result; knowing the reason will bring some measure of relief. The premise of the premise is peace through knowledge. No.

Peace doesn’t come through reasoning, knowing, the study of God and the Scriptures. It comes through a relationship with God. We want answers, but God offers us Himself. A satisfied intellect can never fill the emptiness of the soul. A satisfied intellect can never heal the pain of a soul. Our greatest challenge isn’t unanswered questions but empty souls. When I’m seeking reasons, God desires to give me revelation. When I’m thrashing around for answers, God is calling me to abide. My greatest need is not answers. My greatest need is His presence.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6. Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you.” Clearly, it is His presence that gives peace to our souls.

Pastor Tom writes, “The older I get in Christ, the less I know, yet deeper is the peace I experience…. Where I once sought satisfaction in answers and reason, my soul is now content with Presence.… His Presence sanctifies the tears of the soul and brings rest to the weary mind. Jesus cried out, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus didn’t promise answers; He promised rest.”

I don’t know why some things in our lives have unfolded the way they have. We could have great grief and bitterness if we allowed these things any authority in our lives, but our souls can be satisfied in Christ. Even with ongoing pain, Jesus Christ can satisfy our soul.

Dear friend, let’s allow our soul’s to be satisfied with Christ in 2024. We’ll COME ALIVE!

Note: the full article can be found at The Post: https://post.enduringword.com/

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – In the New Year 

Looking for something ‘new’ to do in this new year? Allow me to direct you to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:1 and 2: “Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as His beloved sons and daughters. And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ, for He surrendered His life as a sacrifice for us.”

Well, that certainly sounds preposterous! Paul is indicating we already have a perfect example of how to treat other believers. That much I can understand. But for him to tell me to ‘imitate God,’ well that’s mind blowing. Be an imitator — of God.

Paul did not write, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” although these are all good. Paul calls us to practical action, to actual “doing” something. How can we, puny humans that we all are, possibly make God Himself our example and model and imitate Him? More than wearing a WWJD bracelet or T-shirt, but acting in situations just as Jesus or the Father would?

Anyone can make the conscious choice to let God be their example to admire, but actually imitating Him?

I need some answers! I have a suggestion: that we take note of Romans 13:14: “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the lusts of the flesh.” It’s having Christ within us that makes imitation possible. Rather than slinking away from Paul’s words, “Be imitators of God” we put on the Lord Jesus, the God who is dwelling within us. Some might call it ‘manning up’ in Christ. Rather than allowing for weak flesh to say it is too hard, that we are not able, we put on Jesus Christ, consciously.

Jesus is our example as He has loved us and has given Himself for us. We put Him on and are able to display the same kind of self-giving love. Impossible by rule or regulation, but possible by Christ in us, by the Holy Spirit working His work through us.

And what happens is that God’s behavior towards us becomes the measure of our behavior towards one another, in the new year — and always.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ my friend, surrendered to His extravagant love — and you will love one another, as Christ has loved us. A bit here, a bit there. God’s behavior towards us becoming more and more our measure for our behavior toward others. Let’s do it — let’s COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – 

It’s New Year’s Eve! By now we all understand that life is big, and confusing; full of uncertainty, questions that have no answers. It’s why many prefer LAW with its rules to GRACE. Behavior by the rules can be spelled out and we ‘just keep them’ to be ‘right’ whereas under grace — there are no rules — “all things are lawful” 1 Cor 6:12.

Under grace we walk by faith in God, trusting Him to lead us, to guide us by His Spirit. No rules. For those unacquainted with the security found in God’s love, the absence of rules can be terrifying. No wonder so many preachers, also unacquainted with God’s love, preach messages of picking up your cross to follow Jesus, or dying to self, or denying one’s self.

Paul warns us in Colossians 2:16-23 that such messages focusing on self-denial are worthless. Verse 23 says, “These are matters which do have the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

So as this new year begins, I’m making some resolutions. What do you think?
Resolve — to walk by faith in 2024.
Resolve — to receive His divine favor, blessing, and mercies because of Who HE is and His matchless grace in 2024!
Resolve — to stay away from preaching that says, “keep these rules and you’ll be holy and pleasing to God” Let’s choose to stay in faith — and we’ll be pleasing to God. Faith pleases God. Faith declares the Blood of Jesus poured out FOR us is ENOUGH!

Resolve — to be holy in 2024. The wrong way to approach this is to think of ourselves as flawed sinners trying to become holy. That’s not who we are and that’s not how it works. Old covenant holiness was based on who we are and what we did. New covenant holiness is based on who Christ is (our holiness – 1 Corinthians 1:30) and what He has done (sanctified us – Hebrews 2:11, Romans 11:16). Since we have already been made holy through Jesus Christ, in 2024 let us learn to walk in that, our God-given new identity.

Yes, this year, let’s have an adventure in holy living, working out who we already are and what Christ has already given us. And you know what? 2024 will be the year we fantastically — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – 

Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. The reading for today is Matthew 2:1&2. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

These wise men, when made aware of Jesus’ birth — did what? They — sought Him out. They — went to Him. Why? To be in His presence. To worship Him. That’s wisdom then; that’s wisdom NOW.

Some time ago, a friend of mine suggested that the most important present at Christmas is — His Presence! That’s a powerful truth! 

In Genesis we find Adam and Eve being visited by the Lord, most likely daily. His Presence coming to them. 

Then sin came around. The presence of God that Adam and Eve once knew freely — was no longer.

Except for some visitations to a person here and there, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for Israel in the desert, and some temple visitations, God’s Presence was not to be found.

Until the Messiah. Jesus. Immanuel. God with us. Isaiah 7:14. To overcome mankind’s sin and ensure His purposes, the Creator became our Redeemer. And brought His presence back to His people.

In the beginning God was with man in the Garden of Eden. Then in Revelation 21:3 we find a new heavens, and a new earth, and, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”

Isn’t that fantastic? Scripture begins and ends with God’s Presence with man! Can you believe that God wants to be with us EVEN MORE than we want to be with Him!

When we were born again, Christ came to dwell with us. His presence actually IN us! Colossians 1:27. And the epistles contain many passages saying we’ve been placed IN HIM, wow! 

But we want to experience more, don’t we? I mean, to be more aware of Him. To EXPERIENCE Him with every aspect of our being, right? How can we?

For a start, let’s ask Him. Start talking with Him as if He were right there, because HE IS! He is not far away; He is right there WITH YOU! Ask Him to speak with you and then LISTEN! Listen as you worship. Listen as you give Him praise. EXPECT to experience His presence as you invite Him to be with you.

Hey! You’ll COME ALIVE! What a Merry Christmas!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – 

Today is the third Sunday of Advent. The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth, celebrated on Christmas.

The Advent season for many is a time of depression, stress, anxiety. “Woe is me, I have no friends, my family won’t talk to me, nobody loves me — not even God, I’m not good enough,” and so on. Yet Jesus, who always spoke the truth — Hey, He IS the TRUTH! — said, “for the Father Himself loves you.…”

That’s recorded in John 16:27, “…for the Father Himself loves you.…” The Father Himself loves you. Take a deep breath, relax, for the Father Himself loves you.

Remember the beginning of John 3:16? “For God so loved the world, that He gave….” We don’t earn our Father’s love. We don’t perform to attain to our Father’s love. We can’t, for God so loved the world….

The Father loves you — beyond the general of ‘the world’ we find a special reason. It’s found in John 16:26-27 which reads, “On that day (after Jesus has risen from the dead) you will ask in My name (in the character of Jesus), and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.”

In The Passion it reads this way, “And I will not need to ask the Father on your behalf, for you’ll ask Him directly because of your new relationship with Me. For the Father tenderly loves you, because you love Me and believe that I’ve come from God.”

You have believed the Good News and love your Savior, Jesus Christ, God’s Son, and now your Heavenly Father tenderly loves YOU.

Depressed? Hearing voices saying you should end it all? How about believing the truth that the Father Himself loves you. I suggest you lift your hands, throwing off the darkness in the same way blind Bartimaus did with his blind beggar’s cloak, on the Jericho road when He heard Jesus calling for him. Like him, receive your sight, see the truth, that the Father Himself loves you — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – 

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” In Greek it is parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, which is the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi, Jesus baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, and His first miracle at Cana. During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting. Originally, there was no connection between Advent and Christmas.

But by the 6th century, Roman Christians had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. His second coming. The Advent season was not explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas until the Middle Ages.

Today Advent can be a depressing time for many Christians for the original religious preparation to receive Jesus has been replaced by greed, merchandizing — santas, elves and reindeer — extended Black Friday deals we can’t live without. When I lived in Texas we could find inflatable snow covered cowboy boots and cactus for our front yard. Here in Florida it’s alligators and flamingoes!

The greed on parade, coupled with a torrent of Christmas movies that have nothing to do with Jesus – can be very depressing. One year, greatly irritated, I placed a green tarpaulin over my front lamppost and spray painted it BLACK – decorating it with white lights. It’s how distressed I was, seeing only a dark dark world with a few Christians as glowing lights here and there. So if you’re feeling depressed, I’ve been there too.

I have a suggestion that might help, dear friend. This Advent, I invite you to rise above the world’s distorted notions of Christmas, and include Jesus in YOUR Christmas. In particular, in your decorations. I suggest you decorate – yourself – with Christ — Galatians 3:26 declares, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” And Romans 13:14 says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Yes, let’s clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ. He is our appropriate dress, especially now. May people see that we belong to Him simply by looking at us. In our behavior. In our compassion. May they see us — adorned with Jesus. So how do you do that?Paul doesn’t say. I suggest therefore that you tell Jesus it’s what you want to do! Then ask Him for His help. He WILL help!

Today, throw off that mantle of depression, put on Jesus — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – 

It’s the first Sunday of Advent. “What’s Advent?” you may ask. Advent lasts the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at His Second Coming.

As we see world events pointing to the End Times of which Jesus spoke, rather than becoming depressed, we can choose to look forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when He returns for His people. Us!

For many, 2023 has been a difficult year. Consider: Galatians 4:4 reads, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Jesus came “when the time was right.” When the world was perfectly prepared for God’s work. Theologians have said that the world at that time had sunk into a moral abyss so low that even the pagans cried out against it and that spiritual hunger was everywhere evident; it was a perfect time for the coming of Christ. To my mind, today is much like that. Sin appears everywhere, flagrant sin, and I urge you to be steadfast as the “right time” of His second coming approaches. Let hope arise.

Many people encounter depression at this time every year, feeling suicidal, feeling totally hopeless. Well, when we genuinely were totally hopeless, sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8, taking our hopelessness and giving us true hope. The work of Jesus on the cross for us is God’s ultimate proof of His love for us. Unconditional love. Not based on our performance prior to, or after our believing in Him. Jesus died for undeserving sinners and rebels. His love, His blood, is greater than our greatest sin. Let hope arise.

This Advent, look upon the evergreen trees – see Jesus’ eternal love for us. Look upon the lights – see Jesus, Light of the world, giving life to us. Look upon the gift giving – see Jesus, God’s greatest gift, given us out of His great great love for us.

Look and see. May your faith arise for “faith brings our hopes into reality” Hebrews 11:1. Embrace that Hope set before you, your glorious reality as a child of Almighty Father God, and COME ALIVE!

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