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 read, prayed, and pondered today, something refreshed my spirit as I read Matthew 16 and beyond.  Jesus asked, “Who am I to the crowds?”  Then He asked, ” Who am I to you?”   That’s the key!

Peter’s response should be our response.   Out of that revelation, Jesus informed Peter and us that Who He Is provides the basis of our spiritual authority.  

THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM

Keys unlock and lock doors.  An unused key is a worthless piece of metal.   A used key is a mighty tool used rightly.  Through the revelation and embracing of Who Jesus Is, we can access the Kingdom provisions.

We can bind because we have the key and can unlock the door.  We can reach into the kingdom, see what is bound, and bring it into our present.   Likewise, we can see what is loosed and bring that reality into our present.  There is more to operating in that authority than just believing He is the Christ.  There is dying to self and becoming childlike in faith and trust.

It involves purity of heart and complete forgiveness of Everyone and Everything!    It involves relationships with God and others in the body.

Matthew 18:18-22 is worthy of in-depth study but suffice it to say that unity with pure hearts, right motives, and total forgiveness opens the door to the miraculous.

Binding and loosing are connected to belief but also to complete forgiveness.  Agreement, in that context, allows us to exercise our spiritual authority and bring the kingdom and ALL its provisions into the present.   Nothing is impossible for that person or group of people. 

No self-centeredness can remain.

In Matthew 19, we have the story of the rich young man who reveals a dimension of this truth.  He wanted to “do” something to earn acceptance, but Jesus said “Be” something.  Jesus told him that he must Release that which you treasure and consider yours to me.  That can be possessions, or it could be a harboring of a hurt or anything else.  Release that which holds your heart and surrender totally to Jesus.  The keys will become functional, and the world of the supernatural will open to you.

You do not have to be the devil’s whipping boy.  You Have Authority.  Use it.

Have a wonderful day of rejoicing in Jesus!  You are Victorious!

Nehemiah 4:4-6 – “Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Return their reproach on their own head. Reduce them to plunder in a land of exile! ⁵ Do not cover their iniquity, and do not wipe out their sin from your sight, for they have bitterly offended the builders.  ⁶ So we rebuilt the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height.  The people were enthusiastic in their work.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word, a prayer of Nehemiah drove home a truth for Today!  In Nehemiah 4:4, Nehemiah prays for God’s help against the enemies, trying to prevent their accomplishment of God’s purposes.

“Hear, O God, how we are despised!  Return their reproach on their own heads AND give them up for plunder in a land of captivity.”

He was reversing the curse.   Israel had been in captivity, and these foes were pronouncing curses on them.  Nehemiah prays – “Let their curses be their lot.”  After he had broken and reversed the curse, verse 6 – “So we rebuilt the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, FOR the people had a mind to work.”

A truth we need to grasp is that reversing the curse frees the heart and mind to focus on God’s purposes. It enables right or correct thinking and focus and transforms. The curse can come from without or within. Both are belched out of the pit of hell, and both are paralyzing.

Curses have power through expectation.   We expect the worst, but Jesus came to reverse the curse and enable us to enter the Kingdom.

In the Kingdom, there are no curses.   Curses cannot operate without legal grounds.  Believing or expecting the fruit of the curse provides legal grounds for the devil to function.

• The question is – What do we do? 
• The answer is – Repent and return to the Lord. 

We choose to believe God and expect His Promises to become realities Now!   So, whose report do we believe?  What we say, think, and do testify to which report we believe.

Remember that Preparation Always precedes blessing.   We need to Plan and Prepare for God’s blessings, not the devil’s curses.   It likely will not be easy, but God’s Word is the true reality.   A curse without a cause (legal ground) cannot alight (operate).

Matthew 6:33 directs us to Seek God and expect His help. The Bible reminds us that we are more than conquerors, and Jesus has redeemed us from the curse. We need to reverse the curse orally and declare God’s promises. Victory is for the taking, so take it.

Have a great day of victory in the Finished Work of Jesus!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – “ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 we are given some powerful instructions, “Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.”

As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day, it would be beneficial to consider the Power and Authority of “Thanksgiving!”  God desires that His children live victorious lives.   He desires that we grow in His Grace and mature to the place where we are no longer intimidated by the enemy.

Thanksgiving is a reminder of our Spiritual Authority as well as our material blessings!   We have the authority to speak to the devil and tell him to “shut up.”  We have the authority to tell him to “begone devil.”  We have the authority to “Resist the devil in submission to God and watch Him run like a scared jackrabbit.”   That is something to be Thankful for!

Let me suggest to you that “Thanksgiving” is a manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit, and Thanksgiving Day should be a day of Thanks Giving as we manifest the Spirit’s Fruit.   Ephesians 5:17-20 reveals to us God’s Will and His desire for us.  The Bible reveals that a Thankful Heart will be present in a Spirit-Filled Life!

We can lament our lack or rejoice in God’s Greatness!   Some complain and even express anger toward God, accusing Him of not coming through in their hour of need.  But many of those people do not ‘Do’ what He has instructed. 

We Enter God’s Gates with “Thanksgiving” and His Courts (or courtroom) with “Praise.”  Thanksgiving opens the Door; Praise presents our case.

Thanksgiving should be the earmark of all that we do!  We will view life differently if we live with an “Attitude of Gratitude” and express our “Thankfulness” to God.  We will no longer look “at” the problem; we will look “through or beyond” the problem to the solution.  When we learn to SEE into the Invisible Realms, we will find that ungratefulness is virtually impossible.

• Thanksgiving Strengthens Faith.
• Thanksgiving Triggers the Miraculous.
• Thanksgiving is the Doorway.

I suggest that you make a list of the things you have in which you can truly be Thankful.   Make a list of all that God has done for you in the past.  Then, begin to voice your Gratitude before you make your petitions.   Enter the Door with the Key – (Thanksgiving), then move to Praise and present your case before the Throne!

Victory is yours, and you have much to be Thankful For!  Happy Thanksgiving Day! 

Matthew 27:45-52 – “Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split apart. ⁵² And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised.”

Several things captivated my heart and mind as I prayed, read, and pondered today. Today, I am focused on Matthew 27-Mark 3.

When Jesus died on the Cross, it sent an echo through eternity that IT IS FINISHED!   The Purchase Price has been paid for Salvation!    Divine Justice was satisfied, rendering the devil without authority.   The devil’s legal standing was broken.    The verdict in the Courts of Heaven was issued.

When Jesus died, the veil of the temple that separated the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was torn in two from Top to Bottom. That signified many things, including that the Old Covenant was over and the New Covenant was now in effect. Salvation by Grace through faith was a reality.

Also, being torn from top to bottom signified this was God’s work and that He was opening the way it was unearned access.  It signified heaven reaching down to man. It signified that mankind’s entrance into the Kingdom of God was now accessible. It signified that All God has and is now available to those who believe and receive.

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said All Exousia (power) has been given to Me.  His death satisfied divine justice and decreed that the Authority was His.   It was effective in heaven and on earth.   He has granted that authority. Therefore, there is nothing unavailable to us through faith.

In Mark, we find numerous references to “Immediately!”  Ten times in the first two chapters, “immediately” is used.  God is a God of immediate.  Maybe it won’t be visible immediately, but it is done in the heart of God immediately.  We need to embrace the immediate.

GOD is the God of Grace, Mercy, and Miracles.  We receive the first two but complacently lack the third.

Three thoughts:

• People really want to believe.
• People are fascinated by the supernatural.
• People are bored with religion.

New Covenant Christianity is other than typical religion.  It demands that we die to ourselves.  That we crucify the me in us!   It requires total dependency on God and total surrender to Him.  It requires the boldness to dare to bring heaven to earth. It is living life in the immediate, knowing that the door to the Kingdom is now open and that all God has is to be embraced and used for His purposes now!

I have laced several thoughts into this, but the link, to me, is that the Veil of the Temple has been removed, and as New Covenant Christians, anything less than Kingdom Living in the present should be unacceptable to us.

We have been granted full access to God in every dimension of life, which is our heritage.   The question is, “Why Not Now, and Why Not Us?”  Embrace the Victory of Calvary and live in the fullness of the Victory of Jesus.   He is our hope!

You are Victorious, so live victoriously.  Have a wonderful day in Jesus!

Mark 4:1-9 – “Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ² And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³ “Listen! Behold, a Sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸ And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Good morning.  I pray for each of you to have a great day and that every project will find favor and acceptance, leading to the fulfillment of God’s purposes and opening the door to His purposed blessings. 

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word, I was greatly encouraged by something in one of Jesus’ parables related to the Book of Job.

Mark 4 – the parable of the Sower.  Jesus broke it down powerfully for us.  The Sower Sows the Word.  The Word of God, the Gospel preached to people, is the understanding.   The seed beside the road are those who hear, but “immediately,” the devil steals the Word, and they are unchanged and unmoved.

Those on rocky soil (a picture of life) are those who hear and “immediately” receive it with joy, BUT…  But?  They are superficial, theoretical followers of religion.  They expect ease once saved.   God’s impenetrable protection and provision.   But when the going gets rough, they turn back.  They think it’s not working, and false and unfulfilled expectations shipwreck their faith.

Those in the thorns (life’s problems and demands).  They hear, they receive, and they believe, BUT… But?  The worries of the world (problems), the deceitfulness of riches (money becomes the focus), AND the desire for other things (everything else) enter and choke out the Word, rendering it unproductive.  They hear but not the Word. Therefore, no faith is present, causing them to lose their faith.

Then, the good seeds in good soil are those who hear, receive, believe, and bear fruit.  They were changed at the core of their beings.

How does that relate to Job?  In Job 1:21, when Job received all the bad news, including the loss of his children, he demonstrated the seed of the good soil principle.

“AND he said, Naked I came from my mother’s womb, AND naked I will return there (not the womb but the presence of God).  The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.   Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

John 1:22 – “Through all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God.”

Good seeds in good soil produce a good harvest!  That’s the key!  What do we do when trouble and difficulty hit?  Do we directly or indirectly blame God?  Do we exhibit trust in Him or shift into Why Me Mode? 

Jesus said in Mark 4:24 – “Take care what you listen to…”  He indicated that what we listen to determines the harvest of our lives.   Mark 4:22 is revelatory – “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed…”     Then, in Mark 4:28, He makes a declaration or revelation that will liberate us from worry.  “The soil produces crops by itself…” 

A seed planted will grow.  It does not require us to do anything.  It grows (Law of Sowing and Reaping).  It is a process rooted in Trust.  It is a matter of focus.   Are we focused on us or Him?  Are we looking at our lack or His abundance?   Are we focused on our troubles, or are His Victories stored up for us?

Job got it right.  He trusted God and refused to blame God.  God may allow evil but does not cause it.  He wants us to totally trust Him.

Let me add Roy’s thought: if you have been roadside, rocky, or thorny soil, ask God to transform you into good soil.  That can happen by the Word – Hear it. Heed it.  Receive it.  Voice it.  And watch God do what God does.   He never promised a problem-free life but to go through it with us.  If God is for us, it doesn’t matter who is what is against us.  We have the Word.

Trust God completely and immediately!   He never fails and never will.