Jesus asked his disciples a very important question, and Peter seemed to be the only one courageous enough to speak up and answer this critical question.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”  So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:13-18

There were many opinions about Jesus. Some considered him a Jewish Rabbi, and others saw him as their healer. The religious people saw Him as one having demons and were offended by him.  Therefore, Jesus asked His disciples about their understanding of Him. Jesus was not looking for admiration or a pat on the back.  He was testing them like a teacher tests his/her students. He was evaluating their understanding based on everything that they had learned and observed. 

Peter accurately proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ and that he was the son of the living God. He had the right answer, but He still didn’t understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Christ. He had his own ideas of Christ that were religious and cultural, but they were not the complete truth. This was clear when Jesus declared the following:

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and He was going to be killed and then be raised on the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:21-23

When Jesus told His disciples about his death and resurrection on the third day, Peter was quick to rebuke Him. If Peter really believed that Jesus was the son of God, don’t you think he would have refrained from rebuking the son of God!? Then Peter went on to tell Jesus that this was not going to happen to him! While Peter was accurate in calling Jesus the Christ, he was rejecting the work of Christ. Jesus told Peter that he was mindful of the things of men rather than being mindful of things of God.

Peter was a mixture of  the new and the old nature.  We can also be a mixture of great revelations and worldliness at the same time. Peter had a wrong view of the role of Christ in his life. We can also have a wrong view of Jesus based on our upbringing, culture, or past denomination.

The areas that do not line up with the Bible will cause great confusion and disappointment in our lives. We need to reassess those areas of conflict and find out if our views are based on scripture or some worldly viewpoint that is familiar to us. Can you challenge your assumptions about your faith and look to the Bible to realign your expectations to the Bible? In what areas do you need an adjustment? 

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 1John 4:18

The scripture reminds us that fear is tormenting, and it beats down the believer. Fear feels like punishment. Why do then we put up with fear? Fear gives us a false sense of safety and security. When fear is coupled with worry, it makes us feel in control, but sadly, it is really the fear that controls the believer. We forget that fear warps our reality.

Fear bombards us with negative thoughts about ourselves. It makes our problems look bigger than our God. It shuts down our faith, and it causes us to forget God’s love for us. We then move into self-preservation. Being fearful is really a pathetic state for a believer.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2Timothy 1:7

The above scripture shows us that fear can also be a spirit. The enemy tries to take advantage of the believer by lying about the facts and exaggerating them in order to paralyze him/her. He knows that when we are oppressed by the spirit of fear, we will less likely be able to feel powerful, loving, and in control of our thoughts. Hence, we will not be effective as believers to fulfill His will on the earth. This is very important.

Love and fear are archenemies. If we desire to walk in love and in the authority God has given us, we must get rid of fear.  Most of us would like claim that our goal is to honor and glorify God with our lives. However, we dismiss the hindering affect of the spirit of fear that has on us.

The good news is that we don’t have to continue to be oppressed by fear. We can rebuke the spirit of fear in Jesus’ name. Submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and the scripture tells us that the devil will flee (See James 4:7).  In times of fear, instead of feeding our fears, we need to run to the Lord.  We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we allow His love will comfort and strengthen us. When faced with fear, we should turn to worshipping the Lord and magnifying Him. This will cause our fear to dissipate, and we will begin to feel free and hopeful.

Here is a song ( by Jesus Culture) that talks about the spirit of God is an ocean deeper than fear. Enjoy and be blessed!

Many Biblical characters received encouragement from the Lord not to be afraid.  God spoke to Abraham telling him not to be afraid because He was going to bless Abraham with a child. He told Moses not to be afraid for He was going to release the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.  The angel spoke to Mary telling her not to be afraid because she had found favor with God and that she was going to be with child. The angel spoke to Joseph about not being afraid to take Mary home and marrying her. Jesus spoke to His disciples about not being afraid. Instead He promised them peace. Faithful people in the Bible experienced fear in their lives, and God had to reassure them of His provision, His deliverance, and His presence to relieve their fear.

Whenever we are faced with a challenging or a new situation, we have a tendency to feel inadequate or powerless to handle it. This causes fear, anxiety, and discouragement in our hearts. Feeling the emotion of fear is natural, but if we allow it to rule us, we can operate in self-preservation. This is what we see in Saul’s life. 

What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 1 Samuel 13:11-12

In fear of getting killed by Philistines, Saul felt compelled to offer a burnt offering. The problem was that it wasn’t Saul’s job to offer a burnt offering. That was the priest’s duty. He crossed the boundary line and disobeyed God in order to preserve himself. When Samuel the prophet found out, he told him that his action was foolish. This was one of the reasons that God rejected Saul as the king of Israel and picked David instead. 

In this situation, fear compelled Saul to do something that he was not authorized to do, and he created a bigger problem for himself. When we allow fear to take control, it either has a paralyzing affect, or it can pressure us to do something that we shouldn’t. 

Can you think of a situation when you were faced with fear? Did you cross a boundary line in order to preserve yourself? Or did you inquire of the Lord about it first? Were you able to hear His voice in the midst of the anguish? Did it produce good fruit?

We can be impacted emotionally and spiritually by fear. Our thoughts can be controlled by circumstances leading us to feeling fearful. When we entertain negative thoughts, fear enlarges the problems to the point of causing great anxiety.

Fear can also be spiritual. The enemy tries to move us of out of our position. Fear causes us to avoid taking risks, so won’t look foolish. At other times, fear makes us forget God’s love, leads us to question our identity, and makes us surrender our God-given inheritance. 

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

The above scripture tells us that fear takes away the freedom that Jesus bought for us. We forget that we are God’s beloved children. We allow the enemy to oppress us and steal our peace.

If fear wasn’t so harmful, the Bible would not have had so many scriptures about it. In addition, if fear had any positive value, the Lord would have included it in His Word. Therefore, fear is something to be avoided, and the scripture tells us why we should do it and how to do this. This is the subject of the next devotional.

Much of the today’s church revolves around people’s individual purpose. This focus could be stemming from the notion that each person gets to make and develop their own personal relationship with Christ. However, as I shared in the first part of this devotional series, the book of Acts does not show disciples seeking their own personal destiny and purpose.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:….

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 20

Paul likened the believers to a body. The body of Christ will be healthy when each part submits to Christ’s vision and follows the plan established by the head. If each part pursues its own purpose or dream, the body will not remain united. In addition, it is in danger of getting corrupted due to selfish ambitions.

The scriptures do not show that the Biblical characters were concerned about their purpose. David was chased by Saul for years, but his focus was not to ensure that he gets the crown. If his focus was his personal purpose, he could have killed Saul when the opportunity presented itself. Joseph had a dream about God using him as a leader. However, he did not complain when things didn’t turn out as he might have imagined neither did he get angry when his purpose was blocked. Daniel served three kings for over sixty years while in captivity, but he never spoke about his purpose.

Could it be that we have put spiritual clothing to our own dreams and ambitions and tried to call them our God-given purpose!? The Lord has invested gifts and abilities in each of us for His purpose. We are called to use them corporately to honor God, to strengthen the body of Christ, and to fulfill the Great Commission.

Is this a significant call for you? If it isn’t, it could cause much frustration and possibly division in your life. Can we offer ourselves to God and be secure and content that He is going to use us as a member of the body of Christ?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

God had selected Jeremiah before he was born. To be a prophet to the nations was God’s purpose and plan for Jeremiah’s life. Jeremiah was not looking for a purpose, but God chose to reveal it to Him.

God creates each of us with a specific design and purpose. He has uniquely fashioned each person with certain, gifts, abilities, and talents. Everyone’s purpose is to reflect the glory of God on the earth, but God’s purpose has a new level of intensity in today’s church.

It seems that individual’s dreams and aspirations have taken on spiritual clothing and are called God’s purpose. While there is nothing wrong with having dreams or aspirations, calling them God’s purpose makes them irrefutable and nonnegotiable. People strive to seek God’s purpose. Some people’s lives gets out of balance because they are serving God’s purpose. For others, it makes them feel inferior, lost, or frustrated because they have not discovered their purpose yet.

I was listening to a Christian radio yesterday and a college student was on the line. She shared that trying to figure out God’s purpose for her has caused her to go into depression. Then she went on to say that knowing she is God’s beloved had calmed her anguish. I wonder if the expectation was created by people around her telling her that God has a great purpose for her. 

I sought the Lord for my purpose several years ago and drove myself crazy. Crying and begging God did not make my purpose any more clear. All I could do was to take one step at a time and do my tasks/ministry with diligence. At times, my activities seemed random or fruitless, but in faith I committed them to the Lord.

There is no formula for knowing God’s purpose. God has a unique path for each of us, and we can only do what we feel led to do without knowing how it fits into the big scheme of things.  Much of God’s plan is discovered along the way. If God has something specific for us to do, He will certainly communicate it to us. However, if He is not giving us specific instructions, it does not mean that what we do is not important.

If we are waiting for something specific, we may set ourselves up for disappointment and disillusionment and feel cheated because we haven’t heard anything. Instead of waiting, we need to take steps in the direction that we  are led and stay flexible and open for God’s change of direction. He has given us abilities that we can use to impact the world. Whether it is something specific or not, it is significant because we belong to Him and represent Him.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

According to Matthew 28, Jesus plan for His disciples was as follows:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Every one of us has the same mandate. Just as Jesus called the disciples to go out into the world, He calls us into the same ministry. Jesus specified what discipling others looked like, but He did not provide them with any specific titles/functions to accomplish the Great Commission. When the church was formed, as seen in the book of Acts, the disciples became a team and took on different roles to accomplish God’s plan. However, God’s plan for our lives is perceived differently nowadays.

Generally speaking, the believers are looking for their God-given purpose. In addition, those who know their God-given purpose, zealously are on a mission in trying to fulfill it. This kind of focus does not line up with the Biblical accounts.

Many use Jeremiah 11:29 to support that God has specific plans for their lives.

Some claim that we should seek God’s purpose for each of us individually. This is not in complete agreement with the scripture. If you read the entire Jeremiah 11, you will find that it refers to the nation of Israel, as a whole, while they were in captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah 29:11 was not referring to individuals. God spoke to Israelites giving them specific instructions about refraining from listening to false prophets. He gave them conditions as to how they should seek Him. Finally his great plan was to free them from Babylonian captivity if they sought Him.

God expects us to seek Him in humility and refrain from listening to false prophets. This will produce good fruit in our lives, and God can deliver us from our bondages. However, to use  Jeremiah 11:29 out of context is misleading and produces false expectations for believers.

 I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

The Lord expects us to act justly and do what is right. How do we ensure we are standing in the gap for others rather than fighting for our own cause?

First of all, we should ask ourselves if the outcome of this situation would benefit us personally. If the outcome is of a greater benefit to us rather than others, then we are fighting for ourselves rather than standing in the gap for the injustice faced by others.

Secondly, does the injustice cause us to get offended to the point of anger and hatred towards others? Then we are either fighting for ourselves, or our soul is not purified enough to hear God clearly on the battle plan. The scripture clearly states:

for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:20

If we want to fight for justice, we need to allow God to purify our hearts otherwise, our battle stems from our self-righteousness rather than God’s righteousness.

Thirdly, we should determine if we are jealous of the perpetrator? Many times, injustice causes us to be jealous of others. We feel those individuals  are getting away with their oppression. The scripture tells us:

Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; Proverbs 3:31

If we envy the oppressor, our focus has shifted from God to man. When our focus changes, our ways will begin to change as well. The scripture commands us not to envy the oppressors. That means we have much work to do with God in order for Him to soften our hearts and even fill our hearts with love rather than envy and jealousy. 

When we are fighting for ourselves, the injustice feels very personal and makes us almost jealous of what others have done. When we are fighting for others, our hearts are guarded, and we are not as emotional about it. We can speak and act with the sober mind and soft hearts, and we can allow things to play out according to God’s time-frame.

If we desire to do what is right, we need to get the mind and the heart of Christ. We study the scriptures to find what God says about every situation. We also need to examine our motives and the condition of our hearts. This allows us to represent the Lord in the injustice rather than ourselves.

Do you see the injustices around you? Do you have opportunities to stand for justice for others? Are you certain that you are fighting for others rather than yourself?

This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the one who does this—the person who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps their hands from doing any evil.” Isaiah 56:1-2

The Lord tells His people that His righteousness is revealed when His people preserve justice and do what is right. To find what is right in God’s eyes, we need to go to His word. The challenge in going to His word is not to take scriptures out of context. We need ensure that we apply them correctly in the light of other scriptures.

For example, God’s word tells us to help the poor and the needy (see Deuteronomy 15:11). There are also scriptures that tell us that debt is bondage (See Proverbs 22:7). Therefore, we are to have an open hand towards those who are in need, but do it with the money we have. It may look like a compassionate thing to do to help the needy unconditionally, but the scripture does not support borrowing to help the needy. Unfortunately, some people jeopardize their own finances by borrowing to help others. God tells us to do right with what we have.

Another example about doing right is a woman who desires to serve in her church, but her husband is not interested in getting involved. There are many scriptures about loving God and serving God, but some people equate this with serving in the church. The wife thinks that the husband should love serving in the church, and if he is not, then they are not equally yoked. This causes some women to choose service in the church over their marriage, and they begin to grow apart and develop serious marital issues.

The scripture tells us that we are to love God with all our hearts, minds, and strengths, but this can look very differently for every person and every couple. The primary work of service should happen in our spheres of influence and should not be narrowed down to church activities. In addition, God created marriage before there was ever a church. Our marriage is supposed to reflect our relationship with Christ. If we have to jeopardize our marriage in the name of service at church, is definitely a misunderstanding of the scriptures and God’s heart. Doing right requires a proper application of God’s word!

Do you have a balanced view of the scriptures? Do you have an understanding of God’s heart regarding acting justly and doing right?

The Lord cares very much about justice. The book of Isaiah tells us the following:

This is what the Lord says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the one who does this—the person who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps their hands from doing any evil.” Isaiah 56:1-2