Matthew 16:13-20 –  ^“When Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.”

As I prayed, read, and mused on the Word of God today, I had a sense of newness!   Something new is in the air.   Something not previously experienced (by us) forming like the cloud Elijah saw on Mt Carmel.  It may begin small and then become a full-blown, torrential flood of the Spirit.  It’s beginning to rain! Heavenly rain.  Life-giving rain. Listen for the sound.

But dangers are lurking in the shadows, hoping to steal our joy, hope, and vision.   In 2 Chronicles 26:16, King Uzziah became powerful.  He had success.  That’s desirable, but he succumbed to a threat to each of us.  He became proud.  

Pride begins as a tiny seed and grows into a consuming, choking plant that destroys.  Pride blocks the sunlight of God.  Pride focuses on self, elevating the self to the center and pushing God out. “But once Uzziah became powerful, his pride destroyed him.”   As long as we remain humble, we are usable!

We must also guard against becoming so tiny that we lose sight of God’s promises and see ourselves as unusable. When we are little in our own eyes, God can fill us and make us mighty warriors. Because it’s not us, but Him!

Matthew 16:13-20 provides a plethora of mineable treasure to bring us to fullness, guard against Pride, and bring liberty to captives.

The question each of us must definitively ask, and answer, is – “Who is Jesus to us?”   This is the key to the kingdom that Jesus spoke about to Peter.  The revelation of Jesus!  That revelation (rightly understood and applied) opens the door to power and authority that is beyond human comprehension.

Who is Jesus to me?  Is He the historical Jesus?  Is He the theoretical Jesus? Is He the mythological Jesus?  Is He the Living, Loving, and Reigning King of kings and Lord of lords?   Hebrews 13:8 declares Him to be eternally the same.  The same in person, power, position, purpose, and presence!

The revelation of Jesus as The Christ opens the door.  The revelation given to the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20 empowers us to live and function as one with that Living Jesus!   Christ IN us, living His life THROUGH us, releases us from ALL bondage! ALL, not some, but ALL.

Who is Jesus to me?   Who do I say He is?   Who do I see Him to be?  WHO? I reveal that by my consistent actions and words.   If those reveal something other than The Living LORD, then run to the Cross and refuse to get up until that revelation becomes a reality!

Thou art The Christ, the Son of the Living God!    Jesus said in John 14:12 that if we see this revelation and believe what He did, we will do, and even greater things!  Forget the greater works or even the works and focus on Him!   If Christ is IN us, living His life THROUGH us, the natural byproduct is The Works!

To receive ALL He is, we have to give Him ALL we are!

LORD, help us to live in the newness of life in Jesus!