Who Do You Say That I Am?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heave, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." [Matthew 16:13-19]

God has been calling me to push my limits of my understanding of who He is. As I ponder who I say that He is - I fear that I fail to utterly grasp the nature of God. I have structured my conception of Jesus to fit within the parameters of my own expectations and desires. I am quick to confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but then I proceed to try to force Him into some opening that represents my own image, perspectives, and needs. My human nature wants to make Jesus palatable to this modern culture, rather than allowing Him to shine forth before the world as the crucified and risen Savior! I realized this morning that by doing that - I am doing the work of Satan...Satan wants to sensitize Christ so that Christ's people will not understand the power they hold, the freedom they possess, and the righteousness they have been clothed in. Beloved, God wants to entrust us with His power - but He will only do that when we KNOW who He is!

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus says whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. He wants us to BELIEVE WHAT HE HAS GIVEN US - power to bind the enemy, and loose the Holy Spirit on this earth! Oh how I want to believe Him to the absolute limit that He will allow me to! Increase my faith Lord, help my unbelief!

I have come to realize that we are directly affected by who we believe that He is and our faith (or belief) will never be stonger than the God that we perceive Him to be. Too often, I have trusted what other people have told me of who God is, rather than letting HIM tell me - and experiencing Him for myself. We are reflections of the God that we perceive...Oh how I pray that God is not a God cast in my own image or something I have conjured up - but the God of the universe, the maker of Heaven and earth, the Alpha and Omega, the King of all kings, the Lion of Judah!!! I don't want the King of my heart to be something that scares away the demons like a scarecrow in a melon patch (Jeremiah 10:4-5) - I want the King of my heart to be the Living King, who entrusts the keys of His Kingdom to me because I KNOW who He says He is, and I believe it with all my heart! Increase my faith Lord, let my life be a reflection of who You truly are, help me to believe and release the power you have entrusted to me!

He is looking for people who believe He is who He says He is - in order to release the power of the heavenlies on this earth! Who do you say that He is...