Matthew 16:15-16

Matthew 16:15-16 Then he asked them, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

"Who do you SAY I am?"
It is safe to say that we testify to who Jesus is with more than just our words. Let's examine today what our lives say about who He is?
The Bible says, narrow is the gate inot His Kingdom, so let's all agree that checking a demographic questioin on some paperwork for anything at all as "Christian" doesn't exactly confirm it for us as being "saved."
The Bible says in Romans 8:16 For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children.
In Romans 10:8 it says Salvation that comes from trusting Christ - which is the message we preach - is already within easy reach. In fact the Scriptures say, "The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart."

Let our lives "scream" Jesus is Lord. The evidence of his love, grace, mercy and power in our lives speak in more volume than any words we can muster up on our own. Let us confess to all that Jesus is Lord with our lips, our hands, our feet, our hearts.......with our LIVES!
Nobody has to be beat over the head with our Bibles to see God. But that doesn't mean we should keep this blessing of all blessings to ourselves, as if it's ours to bottle up in the first place, either.
Let us not miss a single opportunity to tell of Jesus's amazing love, to testify that Jesus is real and HE IS THE DIFFERENCE; and let it be eveident all over our lives!

Isaiah 14:26-27

Isaiah 14:26-27 "I have a plan for the whole earth, for my mighty power reaches throughout the world. The Lord Almighty has spoken - who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?"

Our faith in a limitless God, knows no bounds itself. When we truly seek to submit to His will, His plan for our lives; NOTHING can stand in the way.
The Bible says, Take heart, I have overcome the "world." In these verses He declares a plan for the whole "planet," that his power streches across the entire "world." We're told nothing can seperate us from His love, death can't and life can't, angels can't and demons can't, our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. It goes on to say no matter where we are at (in this entire world) nothing in "all creation" can seperate us from all that God has made available to us through Jesus.
And with all these promises, and so many more, we still lose focus of this assurance at times.
The Bible says he knows the number of hairs on our heads. If we are that precious to Him, that in all that He has created even our tiny little hairs are noticed; how could we ever doubt his control over things. Who else would we rather have in control?
Let us stand on the truth, even when we don't understand and it seems to hurt too bad, that God's is in control. Heartwrenching circumstances play out every minute of every day in lands foreign to us, and even here around us, and as hard as it is for us to comprehend; God is in control. There isn't a place in existence that His mighty power doesn't reach.
Let us not just seek to glorify Him in our immediate surroundings, but let us pray for those glorifying his name across this world. That we may see his hand everywhere we look, a bold prayer yes, but a prayer to see more and more of this same limitless and unstoppable power that dwells inside those of us that call him Lord sweeping across all of creation!
Why would any of us want to change his plans? Why would any of us want to try to stop him?
Lord, make us all you created us to be. Plant our feet firmly on the paths you have laid out for each and every one of us. Use us for the carrying out of your will here as it is in heaven. Open our hearts up to joyfully placing all our trust in your plans. Plans that are for so much more than us, but yet we are blessed to be in on.
Takes this day and make much of you!
The Lord Almighty has spoken. The Lord Almighty Speaks. The Lord Almighty will always speak! And nothing can EVER silence Him.
Figuratively speaking may we be all ears!

Matthew 11:29-30

"Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

"Let me teach you," it says. We can choose to carry heavy burdens. We can choose to go through life with a load that can easily, and quickly, become too much to manage. With a "yoke" that just doesn't seem to be possible to cart around with us, a yoke that can just seem to get bogged down with more weight and baggage hooked up to it all the time.
Surrendering to Christ doesn't make life easy, we're well aware of the Bible telling us to fight the good fight; but rest for our souls even in difficult times is still a promise made available to us if we seek His guidance on the matter.
With Christ in us we carry a yoke that carts around a relationship with our Savior and a deep desire to make much of Him, that is all. Everything else is trusted to Him, or laid down at His feet. Without Him, we carry around all our worries, all our stresses, all our hurts, pains, scars, wounds, bitterness, anger, jealousy, etc. and it is HEAVY! We can often times feel like we just can't pull it all around with us and understandably so. Jesus's invitation is for us to dump it all out and trade it in for what we were designed to carry around with us; HIM.
Let us not lose sight of this, when things try to jump back on and weigh us down. Dump it right back out and declare, "No no no, this ride is not for you!"
Peace and joy even in the midst of the most challenging and even painful times is found when we allow God to keep us and our "loads" focussed on our relationship with Him and prepared to glorify His name everywhere we go. As insensitive as that may sound to some that experience pains others of us can't imagine, and I apologize if it sounds so; but that still doesn't remove Jesus's invitation to exchange "yokes". It might make it a tougher process, Im not pretending to know how hard it would be. But He does. And He is waiting, ready to help us unload our mountainous piles of baggage for His perfectly fitting lighter load. A load He even helps us carry down the paths He has laid out for each and every one of us, as it says, "Let me teach you!"... See More
Thank you Jesus for all that you have given us. If not for you and your love for us we would be stuck with all our "junk" and destined for death. Keep our hearts fixed on an adoring appreciation for our undeserved relationships with you. Take us and make us everything you died for us to be; YOURS!

Matthew 10:16 "Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves."

I heard it said before, that we are called to find the sweet spot between wisdom and vulnerability. We certainly don't lay down and become a doormat, but yet we wholeheartedly love and serve others. That can be confusing at times, especially in times like this verse where Jesus was speaking to the disciples about persecution.
How do we handle the ... See Morepressures people and circumstances put on our faith?
Only when we are putting the Spirit driven love into action can we face challenging times, especially times that challenge our very faith, with the warryness and compassion that can seem so hard to engage at times. If the scale is tipped too far to the compassion side we seem "weak" if its too far to the warryness side we appear "anxiously frightened!" And if we lose sight of this stance altogether, even for a moment, we are viewed as "hypocrites" with tempers, bitterness, anger, etc. We may even seem judgmental and/or self-righteous.
Don't get me wrong I'm a firm believer in the, "Let's spend more time being good than looking good," school of thought but these times are still opportunities to be used to show the difference in a life lived for Christ. A life lived in relationship with our Savior that when lived in obedience to, tells us in verse 20 that the right words will be provided at the right time, and the right actions too for that matter, by the Spirit speaking through us. But if we aren't looking to this counsel, how can we expect to handle anything in Christ-like ways? The Bible says we are to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance in every area of our lives. Let us not forget that for a second, and let us stand guard ready to love through all circumstances.

Matthew 5:14-16

Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world - like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father


What is it that people see when they examine our lives. What do our friends see?....Our kids?....Our loved ones?....Co-workers?....Strangers?
No amount of good deeds gets any of us into any higher level of heaven, but is it evident in our lives that our faithful love of God spills out into our love for others?
Does our "active" faith lead people who witness His hand on our lives praising our Heavenly Father; or is it evident that our deeds are done in attempted efforts to "establish" ourselves?
Jesus paved a way so that by the power of the Spirit in us, we can join in on the standing out in this world to glorify God.
If our lives are viewed as out on a mountain displayed for all to see, let us pray they would see the glory of God; even through broken vessels like every single one of us. That our lives could be transparent and displayed to make much of Him.... See More
Let us not forget; to be the light of the world we cannot blend in with it!

Isaiah 2:22a Stop putting your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath.

Isn't it crazy how shocked we can be when we are let down by others? Or how hurt by and/or angry with them we can get; and so easily? In these moments when disapointed emotions can attempt to take over, we must rest on verses like this. It wont necessarily remove the temporary sting, but it will cheapen it's impact if we truly stand on the truth that God is the only one we will ever have a relationship with that we can be sure we can ALWAYS put our trust in.
We trust our friends, we trust our spouse, we trust our co-workers, etc; and we should. But should we really be as hard on them for it as we tend to be when they fail to live up to all the complex levels of ways we trust? Should we be so grudge-holding & bitter? Do we not let others down? I know I probably do more than I even realize. Do we not hurt others? The truth, as hard as it may be to admit, is that even if we feel we've been wounded more severely than we've ever wounded others; that doesn't make us any less "frail as breath," as this verse states.
Let's not let disapointments ever stop us from reaching out with the love of Christ. But if we truly value all that God is over anything another person may seem to be; and all that He provides us (including love & forgiveness)then shouldn't it be evident in our lives that we do not seek or expect ultimate satisfaction of any desire to be fullfilled by others? Or things either, for that matter?
There are voids in us only designed to be filled by God's presence in our lives. Voids people and things will fail to satisfy time and time again, and we will fail them too if others are looking for us to fill these voids in them.
Let us put God in the middle of every relationship, and let us look only to Him to complete us.... See More
Tom Cruise's line in Jerry Maguire, may have made some tear up and who know's how many guys have stolen the line to try to reel in a lady's heart; but, "You complete me!" is a line we truly cannot expect to be lived up to by anyone or anything. Jerry Maguire, not only got the girl, but even melted the hearts of the "Man Hater Club" that got to witness the romantic encounter in the movie, but in life let us look ONLY to God to be completed!
Thank you Jesus that a way was made, by your loving sacrifice for us; that we may come to God instead of relying on human relationships & material things to experience true joy.

Psalm 119:37-38 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, which is for those who honor you.

v.105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
v.114 You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope.
v.133 Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil.
v.143 As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.

Let us not neglect the importance of time in the Word. If we believe, by where it tells us, that it is good and perfect and used to FULLY equip us for all He has in store, then let us not let any priority take a place in front of time spent in the Word. To truly be a vessel for God, taking the love of Christ everywhere we go, it is necessary that we seek to know Him more every day than we did the day before.
Let our time in prayer and in our Bibles not be neglected, but instead what we look forward to the most.
Let's examine our priorities today. Not what we say they are, but how they're lived out. Where is intimate time with Lord? Where is studying the Scripture?
If this is making any of us uncomfortable then let's pray about, let's dust off the Bibles and even take them to work to read on breaks if need be. Lets not just try to squeeze it in when we can, center our lives around it and squeeze in whatever else we can, if it's truly something we need to squeeze in.