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 meditated on the Word of God today, something filled my heart that intrigued, challenged, and inspired me.   What was that – “The Door to Demonstrated Authority.”

Jesus told Peter (and, by inference, us), “I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.”   What are the keys for?  To lock or unlock doors in the natural.  In the spiritual keys are clues that unlock or unveil hidden truths and revelations.

He then said (explaining the usage of those keys of truth), “Whatever (how much is whatever?) You bind on earth Will Have Been Bound in Heaven, AND whatever you release on earth Will Have Been Released in heaven.”

Those keys available for believers were founded upon a particular revelation.  “Who do you say I am?”   Who is Jesus to you?  Peter said, and we must see and confess – “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”   Unless we comprehend the Cross and the Christ of the Cross, we have no spiritual authority.   But if we know who He is.   If we know Him as both Savior and Lord, we have the spiritual keys of Demonstrated Authority to bind and loose.

If we have that authority, why don’t we consistently use it?  Rather than making excuses like “God is Sovereign” or something similar, if we see the Revelation and Victory of the Cross and the Christ of the Cross, we realize that the “keys” of authority granted to us are not intermittent but continuous.

What we bind or loose on earth Has Already been bound or loosed in Heaven.  The Completed Work of the Cross means healing is done.  Deliverance is done.  Provision is done.  Guidance is done.  Wisdom is done.  What was not provided through the Cross?  Therefore, when we see and believe the completed work of the Cross, we know we have authority that is demonstrable in Jesus.  We have access to whatever has been bound or released in heaven.  We can call it into reality in Jesus’ Name.

The fact that we exercise this authority intermittently reveals that we either do not see or do not believe the completed work.  We doubt ourselves and, in that state, doubt God.  So, “Lord, help us to have eyes to see spiritually, ears to hear the divine, and hearts to believe, embrace, and implement the Provision of the Cross.”

We allow the devil to win through our inconsistency.   Peter said, “Such as I have, I give.”   What did he have?   Faith?   Yes, but more than faith.  He had the keys of the kingdom of heaven and knew he could unlock the door that was already unlocked in heaven and release healing to the lame man.

We have the keys.   We need to see it, believe it, and exercise it.  The devil can only win if we fail to exercise our authority.  Let’s exercise it consistently!

May your day be victorious, and may you fully utilize ‘The Keys of the Kingdom.”

Psalm 116:1 –  I love the Lord because…”

As I began reading, praying, and musing on the Word of God today, I heard a question in my spirit that made me shut down and think.  The question was, “Why Do You Love the LORD?” Think about that.

Psalm 116:1 – “I love the LORD because…”   Before reading the Psalmist’s reason, ask yourself, “Why Do I Love the LORD?”   Is it because of what He does?    Is it the blessings we receive?  Is it because of what He does or because He Is?  For me, it is Who He is?

The Psalmist said, “because He heard my plea for mercy, AND listened to me.”   Those are valid reasons, but are they the best reasons?   He is our provider, but the greatest provision was salvation and loving us.

The Psalmist asked in verse 12, “How can I repay the LORD for His acts of kindness to me?”   If that is an action based on gratitude, it is honorable.  If it is action, trying to reach a position of deserving God’s blessings, it is not.

He said, “I will celebrate my deliverance and call on the name of the LORD.”  (Verse 13).   “I will fulfill my vows to the LORD before all His people.” (Verse 14)  In verses 17-19, he listed three places where he will fulfill his vows to God.   

• Before the people (publicly).  
• In the Courts of God’s temple.  (Church). 
• In God’s presence.

If we truly love God, we will seek to do His will, proclaim His Name, extol His acts of blessing, and desire His presence.   We cannot earn His favor.  We do not earn salvation by works or deeds.  It is by grace through faith that we enter the kingdom.  However, our love for God should propel us to be doers, not just hearers.  Rewards come by works, Salvation by grace.

But the original question reveals the true condition of our hearts and can be seen in Satan’s challenge to God about Job.   Is it what God does for us that elicits our service?  Is it the answer to our prayers and giving us our desires?  Is He alone enough?  Is His love for us enough to draw our love?  If He never answered another prayer, would we love Him?

In Psalm 119:15, the Psalmist reveals a key to victory.  “I will meditate on Your precepts and focus on Your behavior.”   Think about that.  The dual focus is on what God says and who God is.   That’s how we become transformed, the Word and Person of God.  The cliché “WWJD?”   It is germane to consider what Jesus would do in any situation!   We learn His precepts and see the application in His behavior, enabling us to always live victoriously.

Why do we love the LORD?   The truly legitimate reason is Who He Is!  What He does is the outflow of who He is.   Who He is in us transforms us, and as He lives His life in us, He enables us to model our behavior after Him.   We love Him because He first loved us, because of who He is, because He is love, and His love gives us life.

I have inadequately addressed the question, but I hope the Holy Spirit will challenge you to consider it personally.  Why Do You Love the LORD?

May the Love of God flood your hearts today and every day.

Psalm 111:10 – “To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. 
He will receive praise forever.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, two thoughts gripped my heart: obedience and the Fear of the Lord.  I know the modern message is not to fear God because God is love, grace, and mercy.   HE IS!

However, without the reverential awe of the Living Sovereign God, we tend to ignore His precepts and commands, allowing self to surface as the center of our lives.

Sin should shock us and produce a holy anger in our hearts.   We should be crushed when we violate God’s laws because we are breaking His heart and disrespecting the sacrifice of Jesus.   Tolerating sin in the family of God (church) opens the door for deception, disease, demons, and destruction.

Jesus conquered the devil, and if we do not have a healthy awe of God and a reverential fear of Him, we will wink at sin.  That produces a condition where what once made us cringe has no impact.  Words, deeds, and visuals that once made us feel dirty and polluted are now ignored.  Why?  We seem to have replaced the fear of God with an attitude of tolerance.

When Israel sinned and co-mingled (in immoral behavior) with the surrounding nations, God sent a plague, which stopped only when Phinehas acted.  The fear of God produces a desire and willingness to obey God.

We develop attitudes and actions that are entirely different from the heart of Jesus, and excuse them.  God does not say, “Well, they are only human!”   No!   It is Christ in us, living through us and transforming us, that is our gift and our goal.

Psalm 111:10 is a powerful verse we need to read and heed. “To Obey the LORD is THE fundamental principle of wise living; ALL who carry out His precepts acquire good moral insight. He will receive praise forever.”

As I consider the life of Jesus on Earth, I see it was one of purity, complete obedience, and action.  He demonstrated a life of total surrender.  Actions have a greater impact than words.   I long for more of God’s demonstrated power than the ability to orate and preach.  If we allow anything of the flesh to flourish in us, we limit the flow of power.  Power without purity produces pride and creates idols of the heart and mind.

We must never be judgmental, but we must seek purity. Psalm 106:3 – “How blessed are those who promote justice and do what is right ALL THE TIME.”

My cry is, “LORD, help me never to lose the deep reverential fear and awe of You. It will guide, guard, and keep me on the narrow path. It will cause me to be crushed by any sin in me and compel me to the altar of repentance. It will enable me to know You intimately and follow You wholeheartedly.”

The Fear of God and Explicit Obedience are needed and required!

Have a Great Day in Jesus!

Psalm 78: 35-39 – They remembered that God was their protector, and that God Most High was their deliverer.  ³⁶ But they deceived him with their words, and lied to him.  ³⁷ They were not really committed to him, and they were unfaithful to his covenant.  ³⁸ Yet he is compassionate.  He forgives sin and does not destroy.  He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.  ³⁹ He remembered that they were made of flesh, and were like a wind that blows past and does not return.”

Several things tugged at my heart as I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today.  God’s presence, purpose, and provision filled my thoughts.  

The presence of God is a double-edged sword.   There is peace, power, and provision in His presence (for the lovers of God).  However, for the unbelievers and disobedient rebels, there can be devastation.

In Psalm 78, the recounting of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage included the declaration in verses 35-39, which amazes me.  They were in need, and they recognized God as their deliverer, “But they deceived Him with their words and lied to Him.  They were not really committed to Him and were not faithful to His Covenant.  Yet He is compassionate.  He forgives… He remembered they were made of flesh…”

Deceived God?  Not literally, but they tried and lied, deceiving themselves.  God became inactive as though He were asleep, not helping them.   In verse 65, “But then the Lord awoke from His sleep; He was like a warrior in a drunken rage.” When God is stirred up, nothing can stand before Him.

In Psalm 84:9, we are reminded of the value of God’s appointed and chosen human leaders.   It calls their king (likely David) their shield.  The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart and mind the power of the government appointed by Him.   David’s heart was to do what was right.  He sought to wholly follow God.  When God’s appointed leader is in place, the people rejoice.  When the wicked rule, the people groan.

Today, people are deceiving themselves and lying to God.  God is calling His remnant to repentance and seeking someone to stand in the gap and intercede.  We need to make the plea or prayer of Psalm 87:11 our prayer: “O LORD, teach me how You want me to live.  THEN I will obey Your commands.  Make me wholeheartedly committed to You.”

Revelation 22:14 – “Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access to the tree of life and can enter the city by the gates.”

• God’s presence brings peace to the pure and confusion to the impure.
• God’s presence provides protection to those whose hearts are committed to Him.
• God’s presence is our solace and refuge, making Psalms 91 and 23 our daily reality.

My heart cries today for God’s presence to be perpetually permanent.  Let us live in Your realized presence and go before us in all things.  LORD, make us conscious of Your presence, person, power, provision, and purpose.  I surrender all to You.

I pray that your day will be filled with His Presence!

Psalm 73:1-4 – “Certainly God is good to Israel, and to those whose motives are pure.  ² But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me.  ³ For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked.  ⁴ For they suffer no pain; their bodies are strong and well fed.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, Psalm 73 became my focal point of meditation.   In it, I was drawn to consider a not uncommon condition experienced by many, if not most, people: the questions about life, fairness, and God.

In our heads, we readily acknowledge the opening decree of the Psalmist.  “Certainly, God is good to Israel, AND to those whose motives are pure.”   The goodness of God is a foundational tenet of Christianity.   We confess that even if we harbor questions about His willingness to be so to us personally.

The flawed mindset of the Psalmist is not uncommon for many believers if or when we focus on what we see rather than God’s precepts.

He said, “I almost lost my faith because…”    Because is the cause!  He said, “I envied the proud (wicked, non-Christians) because they were prosperous.   They were not facing the trials (visibly) that he was facing.   Most have done that.   We have said, “Look at them; I’m trying to live right and have endless problems.  They live wickedly and prosper.  They aren’t sick and have plenty.  It is not fair!”

It got so bad that the Psalmist concluded verse 13, “Surely in vain I have kept my motives pure and maintained a pure lifestyle.”     In verse 14, he laments, “I suffer all day long and am punished every morning.”   I do right; don’t drink, cuss, chew, play around, lie, steal, or cheat, and what does it get me?   If people knew what I truly thought, they would consider me a traitor.  I’m discouraged and ready to quit.  It’s not fair.  Why me, Lord?

In verse 17, something transformational happened.  He encountered God in God’s house.   In light of the revelation of the Word, the light came on inside his heart and mind.   He understood that there is truly a payday someday, and what we reap, we will sow.   He understood that even if, in this life, he endured difficulty, an eternal reaping and harvest was coming.

In verses 22-28, we see his revelation and deliverance.   His faith was restored, and his thoughts were transformed.   He said, “I was ignorant and lacked insight.”   If we focus on what we see and the perceived inequities of life, we will also become discouraged, blind, and lack insight.  We will lose our confidence and faith.  It’s not what is happening to another, but who God is that must hold our hearts and minds.

He realized that God is always with him, guiding him, and his eternal destiny is in God’s hands—the God who does not fail and whose love is unfailing.

He cried out, “My flesh and my heart may grow weak, BUT GOD always protects my heart and gives me stability.”    That is what Paul learned in his ability to be content in God, no matter what.

In verse 28, he makes the declaration that we need.  “But as for me, God’s presence is all I need.  I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter (abode, hiding place) as I declare all the things You have done.”  An attitude of gratitude is always expressed, never silent.  It overflows from the heart to the lips.

If we focus on God, we realize that He never fails.  We realize that our relationship with Him is uniquely personal and has nothing to do with what is happening to other people.

Look to God, care about people, but never compare yourself to anyone else, and never equate their seeming blessings and ease as a sign of special favor or God’s unfairness.    Life is complicated.  Don’t complicate it more by focusing on people.   They do not control your eternity.   But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.    God is never unfair or unjust, and He never fails.

Focus on God and enjoy this beautiful day!