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Who do you say I am?

2 Samuel 22:47 (AMP) The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.

Psalms 46:10 (AMP) “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”

While in prayer yesterday, I kept going back to “I exalt You, Lord.” There is a reassurance within yourself when you are rooted and grounded in the knowledge that He is our Rock. Why not exalt Him? It comes from what we say He is. We often limit the greatness of God in our lives by filtering His awesomeness through the lens of our view of the world. How can you tell? It is by the words that we speak, by our actions and by the way we respond verbally or non-verbally (your attitude).

Luke 6:46-49 (AMP) “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not practice what I tell you?  Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a [far-sighted, practical, and sensible] man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock. But the one who has [merely] heard and has not practiced [what I say], is like a [foolish] man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against it; and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

We are going to have times when the waters of life comes against us. We can either collapse under the pressure or be secure in who we are in Christ. Christ is our Rock. Be still and know (recognize and have a deep understanding) that He is God. We often want God to take us out of the storm or to cancel the storm. How can we exercise our faith or our peace if we never have to use it?

When I read the word foundation, and remembered the rock that it was lain on, I had to go back to Jesus’ question: “who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:15-19 (AMP) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus answered him, “Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, favored by God] are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood (mortal man) did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ]. I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”

The word rock is not singular in meaning throughout these verses. In Hebrew, as referred to in the old testament verses, it is tsur, meaning a word that describes God’s constancy, strength, power and presence. In Greek, it is petros, sharing origins with Petra and Peter. Often we reference “rock” here as revelation knowledge (knowledge that you now live by because you understand it). If we are referring to Jewish tradition, they often referred to Moses, so Jesus being the Rock would be God’s provision for us (the grace and goodness of God flowing through Jesus as released through the Holy Spirit).

So which it is? It is all of it. When we try to make the definition singular, when we try to limit to just one aspect, we limit who God can be in our lives. Jesus is asking, “who do you say I am?” If He is Lord, then act like it, stop running the show. If He is your Savior, do you really know what that means? “Sozo” is the greek word for salvation, but it is way deeper than the forgiving of sins. It means wholeness of spirit, soul and body. Is He Immanuel, God with us, then invite Him in to every part of your life. If He is your Prince of Peace, then lay down the anxiety and worry. Can He be your Everything? Can He be the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Immanuel, our Rock, Prince of Wholeness, our Healer, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father…Everything? If you are not ready to take it all in, I understand, it can be so much. I made up my mind a long time ago that I wanted everything God had for me, so that meant I could not limit who He was in my life. I want that for you life too. Be still and know is the confidence in me to do the hard things. He is my Rock, a firm foundation.

Abba, Father, Creator, God, You are so Marvelous, You are so Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy is Your Name. Thank You for sending Your Son. Thank You for providing the Rock of our Salvation. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Thank You for our Wonderful Counselor. We repent for not laying the correct foundations in our lives. We are sorry for the times we put in our own reasoning along with Your Goodness and Mercy. We repent for the times we have allowed bitterness, unforgiveness and self pity to take part in who we allowed You to be in our lives. We are sorry for limiting You. We want Your fullness, You make us whole. Our redemption is not just for ourselves, it is for all. Give us the courage today to step out in boldness and proclaim Your Great Name. You are our Everything. We are secure and grounded because of You. Let us not speak anything contrary through our lips. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Live and Love like you believe God is Good

James 1:17 (AMP) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].

I celebrate the month of November by posting one thing a day that I am thankful for. It is something I have done for the past few years as it helps us become aware of the goodness of God. God does not bring calamity, temptations (James 1:13) nor sickness into our lives. If we view God as a punisher in our life then how can we see Him as wanting to see the best for us. Is that not why He sent His Son (John 3:16).

Preceding this verse is another: “Do not be misled, my beloved brothers and sisters” (James 1:16). We can still be misled. How? Through our mind, will and emotions. Paul talked to the Corinthian church about such, “But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). We have to align our minds with the truth found in His Word.

James 1:19-22 (AMP) Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; for the [resentful, deep-seated] anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God [that standard of behavior which He requires from us]. So get rid of all uncleanness and all that remains of wickedness, and with a humble spirit receive the word [of God] which is implanted [actually rooted in your heart], which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].

There is never a reason for those of us in Christ to walk around holding onto unforgiveness. Just because I have pain from a situation does not mean I have not forgiven. It is whether or not I dwell there that makes the difference. Many times we like to dwell on a feeling, on a thought, on an emotion and it effects our will to serve for Kingdom purposes. It becomes “me” center focused. I have been around many types of people in the church these past 25 years that I have been saved. My age, and the fact that they were “saved” before I was, makes it difficult for them to see me as a leader in their lives. Then there are those that are close to twice my age and love to glean from my growth. I am constantly directing them to the Christ that changed me and encouraging them to abide in Him. Then there are those that think their talent is so great that they should not have to serve anywhere they are not seen. These are the ones that keep us in leadership having to walk on tip toes. I have to be honest that I have allowed them to suck the joy out of serving. Nothing we can do can change that heart, only the Holy Spirit can. I cannot allow them to affect my willingness to serve. “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the best of the land” (Isaiah 1:19 AMP). Obedience deals with our actions; willingness deals with our attitude. Faith is the decision of my will. I have to keep making that decision each and every day.

Do you know what the deluding ourselves by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth is? That we are against each other and God is against us. “You are looking [only] at the outward appearance of things. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, he should reflect and consider this, that just as he is Christ’s, so too are we” (2 Corinthians 10:7 AMP). We are to believe the best in and about each other (Philippians 4:8).

Do you really believe that God is good? We can believe Him to be our Creator, but have you believed Him to be your Sustainer? You believe Jesus to be your Savior, but do you believe Him to be Lord over your life? Do you visit with Him on occasion, or do you abide in Him? A confession without repentance (a heart change) will leave us empty. A mind not renewed in the Word can be easily deceived. A mind focused on everything about myself has to be renewed. I am to love Him with all of my mind. It is when I am rooted and grounded in that love that I can believe that He is a Good God! There is not a day that does not go by that I do not speak thankfulness to Him. He never changes in His Goodness, do not be misled. Live and love others like you believe He is Good.

Abba, our Creator, our Sustainer, we honor You today with our praise and thanksgiving. You are a Good God. You are full of Mercy and Grace. You are Love. You sent Your Son as a Perfect Sacrifice to redeem us. Thank You for Your unselfish Love. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit that now dwells in us. We have been empowered to walk in the fullness that You originally planned for us. We repent for being misled and deceived by circumstances and/or thoughts. We repent for walking around with unforgiveness allowing it to plant resentment and bitterness in our lives. We acknowledge that by the renewing of our minds with Your Word that we humble ourselves to the Truth. We cannot be deluded that freedom is found anyplace else. Our desire is to see Your Kingdom established here on earth as it is in heaven. That is because of Your Goodness that we can see it happen. We desire to be a part in Your Presence. We desire to see Your Name glorified. Forgive us for the times we have made it all about us. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. We choose hope today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.