Monthly Archives: November 2025

November 20, 2025 · 11:10 am

God’s Hebrew Name–Yahweh

“What do You want me to do?” I had asked God.

With lightning speed, this thought came whizzing through my mind. “Tell them who I am.”

“Yes, but God, You are so stupendous. Where do I start?”

Where would you start to get to know anyone? You would ask them their name. You cannot tell them who I am, without first knowing My name.

At the Burning Bush

This reminded me of the conversation between Moses and God at the burning bush. Having fled Egypt, Moses was tending sheep on Mt. Horeb when he noticed a bush ablaze yet not consumed. As he approached, God called to him by name. Moses, stunned, heard God declare, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God then revealed His purpose: He had heard the cries of His people in Egypt and had come to deliver them. And He was going to use Moses to do it. “Come now therefore, and I will send you unto Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”

Moses, overwhelmed, asked, “Why me? Who am I to do such a task?” God reassured him: “Certainly I will be with you.” Still uncertain, Moses asked, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” Moses knew this would be their first question. If he didn’t know God’s name, they would doubt his calling. A true messenger of God would surely know His name (Ex. 3:10–13).

God answered, “I AM THAT I AM.” He continued, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Then He added, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD…has sent me to you’: this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (  ex. 3:1-15) [*RSV footnote: “The word LORD when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH, which is here connected with the verb hayah, to be.”].

With that understanding, we can restore the divine name into the passage: “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘YHWH has sent me to you: this is my name forever.” Yahweh is His name forever. God explicitly states that YHWH is His eternal name: “And thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” This is not a passing title but a memorial name—how He is to be remembered.

The name YHWH appears more than 6,800 times in the Old Testament. The prophets addressed Him by this name. They remembered Him by using it. It was not merely a label but a declaration of His identity and presence. Did Moses obey? Yes. When he and Aaron confronted Pharaoh, they declared, “Thus saith the LORD (YHWH) God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.” (Ex. 5:1).

Moses recorded the name YHWH approximately 1,700 times in the first five books of the Bible. Yet in almost all translations, this divine name is unfortunately rendered as the title “the LORD.” But His children remember Him by remembering His name–Yahweh.    Kenneth Wayne Hancock

1 Comment

Filed under Yahweh

Tagged as , , , , , ,

November 16, 2025 · 9:56 am

I’ll Tell You What’s Harsh!

There are two futures for two groups of people, according to God’s prophetical word. His offspring will dwell in the light of healing and righteousness. But the unbelievers will in the end be trodden down as “ashes under the soles of the feet of the righteous” (Mal. 4:3).

Is this prophecy harsh? Some would say it is. But the prophet wrote this down under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Harsh? No, I will tell you what’s harsh. Crashing the dollar, prosecuting stupid wars, running up the national debt to over 37 trillion dollars. That’s $37,000,000,000,000—37 with twelve zeros, a number too big to fathom, much less pay back with interest.

It is harsh, when international bankers and their patsy political cronies destroy the economies of the world. Harsh is when you trash the dignity of the common man and woman, when you make them peasants with pocket computers, ripe for the picking. That is harsh!

Nevertheless, some will become the ashes, and some will be walking on those ashes. A glimpse of the ashes can be seen in James 5:1-6. “Go to now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you…”

What kind of miseries? “The kings of the earth shall bewail” the destruction of the Babylon world system, “when they shall see the smoke of her burning…” There’s your ashes. The world system is coming down to utter destruction (Rev. 18:9-20). God has reserved a few heavenly hailstone visitors with fiery intentions to create the ashes. This is when God will have avenged us on the world system. He said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”

We must remain, therefore, patient and content to grow into Christ, with the bread of life as our food (Ephesians 4:15). If we do this, then the harsh stench of judgement won’t come around our door.  kwh

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

November 12, 2025 · 11:09 am

Asking God in a Proper Manner Brings Power

You may think you’re asking God in prayer simply because you use the word “ask.” I used to believe the same—until I realized I wasn’t truly asking. I was announcing. Saying, “God, I am asking You to heal William,” is a statement, not a question. There’s no humility in a declaration. It’s a proclamation of what I want, not a request for what He wills.

Instead, I should have prayed, “God, would you please heal William? Would you touch him and comfort him? Would you make him whole?” These are questions—humble, heartfelt, and open to God’s response. As I wrote them, I felt my heart soften. Asking invites intimacy. It acknowledges God’s sovereignty and our dependence.

God already knows our needs. He doesn’t require updates or explanations. What He desires is humility—a posture of the heart that seeks Him sincerely. “He is near to the humble,” Scripture reminds us. Asking cultivates that humility. It aligns our hearts with His, drawing us into deeper communion.

Moreover, God delights in being asked. He welcomes the boldness of faith-filled questions. He relishes opportunities to show His love and power. Asking demonstrates trust—it reflects the same faith that flows from His own heart. He tests and proves us, not to shame us, but to transform us. He invites us to challenge Him with His own promises: “Prove me now herewith… if I will not open you the windows of heaven…” (Mal. 3:10). He rises to the occasion, not for our glory, but for the sake of His name.

Asking God questions—when done with reverence—places the outcome in His hands. It’s not manipulation; it’s surrender. He has bound Himself to His word: “Ask, and it shall be given.” “Pray for the sick, and they shall recover.” These are not empty phrases. They are divine assurances. But they begin with a humble spirit that dares to ask: “Father, would you please heal him?”

This kind of prayer doesn’t just seek results—it seeks relationship. It tunes our hearts to His rhythm. It opens us to His will, His timing, and His grace. And it builds faith. As Mark 11:24 declares, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Faith is the key. Not faith in our words, but faith in His goodness. So let us move from announcements to true asking. Let our prayers be shaped by humility, softened by surrender, and strengthened by faith. God is listening—not to our demands, but to our hearts. And when we ask truly, He answers.     Wayne Hancock

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

November 10, 2025 · 7:27 am

How Trials Become Opportunities for Profound Spiritual Growth

A growth toward becoming like Christ

God’s greatest blessings often come wrapped in the paradox of divine distress—those unique circumstances that, though deeply challenging, become the very ground where agape-love is cultivated within us. These trials and tribulations are in fact opportunities of profound spiritual growth. They provide us with the inescapable chance to love our enemies, to rise above instinct and pride, and to embody a love that is not of this world but of God Himself.

The process by which agape-love is birthed within us is what the Scriptures term “SonPlacing”—the divine intention and plan that God has for every believer. This love, however, is not kindled amid laughter, comfort, or abundance. Like all births, it comes forth from travail, pain, and endurance. The apostle Paul, in his famous discourse on love in 1 Corinthians 13, describes this love as enduring and patient. He writes that love “does not seek after the things which are its own, is not irritated, provoked, exasperated, aroused to anger, does not take into account the evil which it suffers” (1 Corinthians 13:5, Wuest). This passage paints a picture of love that is not reactive, but proactive—a love that transcends circumstances and personal offense.

At the heart of agape-love is forgiveness. The maturation of this divine love is triggered by the experience of being sinned against. If you desire to possess this love, the only appropriate response to hurt or injustice is forgiveness, no matter the situation or depth of the wound.

In Scripture, the words translated as “forgive” and “forgiveness” come from four distinct Greek terms, each rich with meaning. Collectively, they convey the ideas of “sending forth,” “sending away,” “bestowing favor unconditionally,” and “releasing.” Forgiveness, in this sense, is not merely letting go of a grudge or forgetting an offense. It is an absolute annulment of transgression and its consequences, akin to a debt that is not just paid but completely canceled and erased from all records.

Letting Go

This radical form of forgiveness requires that both the failure and any thoughts of retaliation are forever released, as if thrown into a supernal incinerator—never to be retrieved or remembered. Forgiveness, then, is not just about letting go of what was done to us, but also about creating a new reality, one in which the offense is as though it never occurred.

As the psalmist writes, “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” This is the heart of forgiveness: an act so complete and transformative that it rewrites the narrative of our souls.

A Liberating Experience

Forgiveness, fundamentally, is not a human invention but a divine act. It originates in the heart of God and is extended to us through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. When we accept this sacrifice, we experience an unconditional release from the penalties our fallen, carnal nature has accrued. The apostle Paul reminds us, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Yet God’s forgiveness is not merely a legal pardon—it is a personal, liberating experience that the church has long called “Salvation.” As we turn our lives toward God, our infractions are erased, and we become spiritually washed, free, and invigorated with new life and energy.

This forgiveness is, at its core, the ultimate gift of love. When we receive forgiveness from God, the seed of divine love—agape—is sown into our hearts. Jesus illustrated this truth in his parable when he asked, “Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?” Simon answered, “I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.” To receive great forgiveness is to be moved to great love. This initial blossoming of love is what Scripture calls phileo-love—a joyful, grateful affection that springs from having received something wonderful and undeserved. It is, however, only the embryonic stage of agape-love, which is deeper, more self-giving, and unconditional.

Jesus further clarifies this process: “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” This passage reveals that the depth of our capacity for love is directly linked to our experience of forgiveness. Forgiveness received from God for the “good” in our lives produces phileo-love, an affectionate and responsive love. But the journey does not end there. To mature into agape-love, we must extend forgiveness from ourselves, especially in response to the “evil” or wrongdoing we endure from others.

To Love as God Loves

This is the critical transition point in the development of divine love within us. To love as God loves, we must move from being recipients of forgiveness to being dispensers of it. It is not enough to bask in the joy of being forgiven; we must also become agents of forgiveness. This is perhaps the greatest challenge and highest calling of the Christian life. It demands that we forgive those who have hurt us deeply, those who have betrayed or wronged us, just as God has forgiven us. In doing so, we participate in the life of God Himself, becoming channels through which His agape-love flows into the world.

Practically speaking, this transformative process often unfolds in the midst of our greatest struggles and heartaches. The “battlefields” of life—those moments of conflict, disappointment, and loss—are not merely obstacles to be overcome but are opportunities for the birth of something holy within us. When we choose to forgive, to let go of resentment and to release both the offense and the offender into God’s hands, we are shaped into the likeness of Christ.

Our capacity for agape-love expands, and we come to embody the very love that once saved us. In summary, the journey toward agape-love is a path marked by both receiving and giving forgiveness. It is a process initiated by God’s mercy and sustained by our willingness to forgive others as we have been forgiven.

Each circumstance of divine distress becomes a sacred invitation to practice this love, to transcend our natural inclinations, and to participate in the very heart of God. Ultimately, it is through forgiveness—the letting go, the creation of a new reality, and the refusal to keep score—that agape-love is born, matures, and overflows from our lives, blessing not only ourselves but all those around us. [A summary of a portion of Garrison Russell’s book SonPlacing found here: https://sonplace.com/xulon/sonplacing/sp_chp15.htm ]

6 Comments

Filed under additions to our faith, forgiveness, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

November 3, 2025 · 9:14 am

Loving Your Wife Like Christ Loves Us (Conversations with the Seer)

(Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the Seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a Seer. I Samuel 9:9)

My wife Linda and I were twenty-six. Two years prior, we had sold all that we had and had donated it to a little ministry in the piney woods of East Texas. We now were in northern Mexico being visited by the Seer, the one that sent us here.

My wife and I were having problems I was learning that we men do not naturally have it in us to love our wives properly. We are to love them the same way that Christ loves us, His church. But it takes a supernatural, spiritual connection to Christ, that will enable us to love our wives like that. “Without Him we can do nothing.”

This was the theme of a conversation I had with the Seer. His wisdom and knowledge really helped me. It hurt at first, but joy came with the morning light:

“I get this feeling that she just really doesn’t love me,” I said, head hanging down slightly.

“What makes you say that?” the Seer asked, looking right through me.

“She is like a bobcat, beautiful at first glance but then, when things don’t go her way, she erupts.”

“Is she faithful to you?” the Seer asked.

“Yes.”

“Does she do things for you like clean the house, take care of the children, wash your clothes?”

“Yes, she does, but I am not sure that she is doing it for me.”

“Have you considered that she is doing all those chores without modern appliances? And she keeps house despite the dust and dirt of our current missionary efforts here in the Sierra Madre mountains?”    

“She does all that. She’s very industrious. She is working all the time” I said. Wait a minute. I was building a pretty good case for her through this line of questioning.

The Seer said, “You should be grateful. Many men have lazy wives and would love to have a wife like that. The opposite is true: Many women have lazy husbands and would love to have a husband that works hard. What do you expect from her?”

“As busy as she is, I still feel like I’m #5 on her list.”

“And you want to be number one?

“I want her to look up to me and respect me, especially now that I’ve found the truth and am endeavoring to walk in it.”

“So, she does not sit at your feet gazing longingly into your eyes?”

His tone was not sarcastic; it was piercing. “I am not exactly expecting that. But she is so independent. She doesn’t seek my advice or counsel. She has her own agenda and platform of action,” I said.

The Seer looked at me and smiled. “Don’t you see that she is a direct reflection of how you have been toward Christ? She is inadvertently doing to you the same thing that you are doing toward God.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Listen. You have acted independently, doing things with no regard as to what God’s thoughts would be concerning a matter. Even in your first endeavors to serve God, you strike out on what you think would please Him, but you speak and do whatever pops into your mind.”

“I know. But I’m trying,” I said.

“Did you ever think that your wife just may be trying, too? In her own way. Maybe doing the household chores is the only way she knows how to show her love. Let me ask you a question. How has God treated you lately even though you have not been dependent upon his true direction for your life?

The cold heat of pride began to exude through every pore of my torso. I know my face was red, and my cheeks were beginning to twitch in the steam. “Well, He has been patient with me.” The temperature began to lower a bit.

“Yes, patience is part of His divine nature. And we are to add patience to our faith. Patience is endurance. When we endure the spiritual growing pains in each other, then His Spirit is manifesting Himself in us. Now you are to add patience, and God is using her to show you that you need to add it. For with great mercy and patience he has loved, and, yes, endured your meanderings.  And now He is requiring you to show forth the same degree of patience with her as He has had with you. ”

“That is great, but I can’t do it. I have tried.”

“Of course, you can’t do it. That is the whole point. It will have to be “Christ in you” doing it. That is the great lesson that wives teach husbands, and very few husbands are spiritually attuned to be able to receive it. Husbands get frustrated and throw up their hands, and say, I just can’t live with this woman.”

“I have felt that way, I have to confess,” I said smiling.

The Seer paused. “The revelation is this: you don’t have it in your old nature to love her as you should. It is only the Spirit of God in you that will bring forth the patience and the love to really meet her need. For a wife’s heart is crying out to be loved the way Christ loved all of us. They can tell. That is true love, the melting kind of love that softens the heart.”

“She would love to hear this.”

“She would rather hear your words, born of patience and mercy. And it will come to pass. But it won’t be overnight. Not until “Christ be formed in you.” Not till your thoughts to God and to her are pure. When she feels the purity of your intent, then she will look inside her own heart and see a bit of the vacuum created by not trusting you now in your regenerated state. She will then come to you and long to be close to you, and she will realize that you are her life. All those other things that she had put before you–they will fall away in importance and will be seen a bit trivial when compared to the great love you share.”

Another seeker came to ask questions of the Seer. So, I got up and thanked him and left, thanking God for a revelation that would not really come for another twenty years.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Leave a comment

Filed under body of Christ, husbands and wives, marriage

Tagged as , , , ,