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!

2 Chronicles 13:14-15 – “The men of Judah turned around and realized they were being attacked from the front and the rear. So, they cried out to the Lord for help. The priests blew their trumpets, ¹⁵ and the men of Judah gave the battle cry. As the men of Judah gave the battle cry, God struck down Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, “The Power Of…” filled my thoughts.  The Power Of? Power of what? Thank you for asking.

1. The Power of Prayer.

In 2 Chronicles 13, Judah was being overwhelmed by the army of Israel. It looked bleak. They “cried” unto the LORD for help!   Then, out of faith and desperation, their natural instinct was to give a “War Cry!”   Their prayer and action moved God into action, and victory came.

2 Chronicles 14:11: Asa, King of Judah, was facing an army twice as large. In desperation and faith, he prayed the prayer of Solomon from which 2 Chronicles 7:14 comes. God moved, and victory came!

2. The Power of the Prophetic.

2 Chronicles 15:1-8, the Prophet Azariah gave a word and a warning to Asa, the king.  Then in (v 8), Asa was encouraged by the prophetic word and inspired to act.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we have Jehoshaphat facing annihilation, and he prays. God sends a prophetic word by Jachaziel. Jehoshaphat responded, saying to the people (v 20) – “Trust God and you will be safe. Trust the prophetic word, and you will win.” They did both, and God gave a miraculous victory.

3. The Power of Trust.

Matthew 7 is filled with enough life revelation to require a lifetime to digest. It is all about Trust! How can we persist in Asking-Seeking-Knocking if we don’t trust? Persistence requires faith and assurance that the one we are relying on is faithful and unfailing.

How can we follow the Golden Rule without Trust?  When wronged, having our egos bruised, and taken advantage of, the natural inclination is to withdraw or retaliate UNLESS we trust God! UNLESS we are 100% surrendered to God.

The Fruit of actions reveals the true condition of the heart.

4. The Power of the Word.

A Rhema from God transforms. Jesus wants the heart. He wants us to trust Him enough to become determinedly desperate!

If we realize the Power of Prayer, the Power of the Prophetic, the Power of Trust, and the Power of a Word, we will have a fountain for unshakable faith and a determination to persist. Victory will come!

Jesus made a perplexing statement in Matthew 9:37-38.  He saw the crowd and lamented that the Harvest was great, but the Laborers were few.  Think about that in the context of today.  We have churches on every corner (like Starbucks), yet the harvest is not being reaped due to too few Laborers. Why?  We have form but no power.  We are religious but not righteous.  We go through the motions, getting our religious fixes, but fail to take the message to the masses. We talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.  The actions reveal the heart.

We have the Power and Authority; why don’t we use it?  The victory is ours if we receive it! Time for action!

Have a victorious day in Jesus!

2 Chronicles 1:7 – “That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Tell Me what I should give you.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, my desire to live higher soared within.   Live higher?   I am not talking about having more stuff. I am not talking about having position and recognition.   I am focused on living on a higher plane spiritually, where doubt and fear find no home.

The dream of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 1:7 captivates me. God asked, “What do you want?”    Was that a loaded question?   Absolutely!  It was a test to reveal the heart.   In (v 10), Solomon’s response was a revelation of his true heart- a servant leader! Then, (vv 11-12), we see God’s response.   Exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or think.  But the key is the heart.  The heart enables us to live on a higher ledge!   The heart opens the door or closes it!

In 2 Chronicles 7:12-15, we see the heart and nature of God.  God gave Solomon and Israel a foundation for trust.   We quote (v 14) as a stand-alone verse, but its foundation is (v 12).   “I have answered you.”   We pray from that revelation: God Has Answered!   It’s done; the only thing lacking is for us to ask.

Living higher is revealed in Jesus’ life.   Matthew 4:1, the temptation (testing) of Jesus was engineered by the Holy Spirit.  We lament difficulty and scream for deliverance, failing to see the target.   Trials are opportunities for us to see ourselves as we truly are and God as He really is.   Only in rest can we pass the test!

Matthew 5 is powerfully revealing regarding the Higher Life! In (vv 21-26), we realize that anger is murder in seed form. In (vv 28-32), we are shown that God considers the heart more than the act. It is the want to, not just the do.

In Matthew 6:21, we are shown that what holds value holds our hearts.   The question is, what value do we give things?   Do they hold a higher place in our hearts than God?   We immediately say, NO! But actions and focus confirm or deny that declaration.

I want to live Higher!   I want to throw my hook over a higher ledge and climb higher in God.   I want permanent residence in His presence.   That is available IF I give Him ALL.   Give Him All, and you will never fall.

LORD, help us to aspire to live the Higher Life and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us!

Amos 3:3 – “Can two walk together unless they have agreed?”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, three words echoed in my heart. Repentance, Return, and Restoration. I heard progression.  In Joel 2:23-27, we see God calling to Repentance and to Return to Him.  In Amos 3:3, we read covenant words, “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?”  In verse 7, we realize that God’s desire for our Restoration is so strong that He announces His intentions before He acts.  That gives space and place to repent.

Repentance opens the door to return, and returning results in restoration.  God never leaves us to go in our own strength.  Not even Jesus had to do that. We must remember the humanity of Jesus.  He was our example.  He demonstrated the life that could be lived by humans who were filled with the Holy Spirit without measure!  The word filled in Ephesians means saturated or crammed full.  So full you overflow!

In the Garden in Luke 22, Jesus was praying.  In verse 42, He asked for relief but then submitted or resubmitted to the purpose.  In verse 43, we have a powerful revelation. “Now (at that moment), an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”   What a powerful encouragement.

We try to live this life and fulfill our purpose in our strength. It is Impossible!    So, we either justify our failure (I’m only human) or we give up.   Neither is the right path. Neither is the Jesus journey.

Repentance and return bring restoration.  Submission brings divine strength. Jesus said, “I will never leave you helpless.”   Our problem, too often, we seek the Living One in the dead tradition & ritual of religious ideology.   Christ In us, Through us, and With us empowers us!   It is Jesus acting like Jesus in us.

It is time to repent, return, and receive Restoration.  It is time to submit or resubmit and receive divine refreshing and enablement.  Grace enables us to BE who we Are!   Victory is Now!

LORD, help us to walk in agreement with You, Your Word, and Your Spirit!

Jonah 1:5 – “The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god, and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, a word from yesterday echoed again in my heart and head. Repentance and Restoration!  The account of Jonah gripped my heart and challenged me.  Jonah heard a word of prophecy for Nineveh but ran.  Why?  We find the answer later, but his nonchalance initially is shocking.

The escape ship endured a fierce storm.   Everyone was terrified and crying out to the god they believed in, not Jonah.   Jonah 1:5: Jonah was asleep in the belly of the ship.  He had no fear of God.   He was comfortable in his rebellion.  His later acknowledgment of God’s character was possibly a part of it. He, like multitudes, took God’s mercifulness for granted.  His rebellion did not bother him enough to change.

He had a supernatural experience in the belly of a giant fish.   He asked for mercy and received it.   God gave him a second chance, and he obeyed. Nineveh repented, and God relented, and Jonah became irate.

Pride (personal embarrassment) infuriated him.  He later confessed that he had anticipated God’s mercy, and his desire to see his prophecy fulfilled was more important than restoration.

When Jesus was at the well, He spoke two important truths to focus on. John 4:32-35, He spoke of true food – obedience to God. He spoke of the true harvest – people.   That was God’s focus in Nineveh. That was Jesus’ focus on the Cross. That is God’s focus – people! Jesus came to save whosoever!

John 3:4-4 reveals the KEY to Jesus’ life of victory. He had the Holy Spirit without measure!  He was saturated with the Holy Spirit.  He was sensitive to and obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit.   We try to be what only He can be in us and through us.  When will we give up, stop trying to produce righteousness, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit so Jesus can be Himself in and through us?   John the Baptist understood – He can only be who He is when I stop trying to be Him.  He can only increase in my life when I empty myself of myself.

So, give up and let Jesus take over!  We sing it; now let’s do it!

LORD, help us to make the right choice and walk in obedience!