Faith Walker

Arise

JOY

Who do you say I am?

Mark 8:27-30 ²⁷Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" ²⁸They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." ²⁹"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah."

As Jesus and his disciples are on their way from village to villages around Caesarea Philippi; Jesus ask his disciples two questions. First, He ask them who do people say I am.

Sadly, some people only view of Jesus is based on what others have told them. They have no personal relationship with Him. Their whole experience or knowledge of Jesus is based on what friends, families, and leaders in the faith have told them.

Therefore, the second question Jesus asked is so important. Who do you say I am?  Now it is personal. Now He is not looking for what others have said but who am I to you.

It is odd then when asked who do people say I am the bible says, “they replied” meaning more than one person responded to the question. Most of us can think of what others have said about who Jesus is.  However, when asked who do you say I am, Peter alone was the only one who responded. To answer this question, you cannot rely on friends or families, but you must have your own personal experience.

My question to you is who do you say He is? Is He your savior, your Lord or are you unsure? Is your experience with Jesus solely based on what others have said?  Do you have a personal relationship with Him?

Today it is my prayer that each an everyone who reads this post come into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. They would experience God’s mercy and grace so that along with myself and many others they can boldly declare Jesus you are the Messiah, the Christ the, son of the living God.

Freedom

Galatians 5:13-14New King James Version (NKJV)
¹³ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”^[

Christ came to not only free us from something, but He came to free us to something.

We are free from sin and free to have eternal life with Christ.  We do not have to live in bondage to sin for Christ came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

We are also free from opinions of others. When we choose to see ourselves based on the opinions of others; then we neglect to see ourselves the way God see us.  When we accept Jesus as our personal savior God sees us through blood filtered lens. God sees us considering what Christ did, He sees us based on His plans and purposes.  We are free from the opinions of other and free to be who God declares in His word we are.

We are free from fear and free to trust God. The Bible lets us know that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. {2 Timothy 1:17}.We are free to live in full confidence in the Lord. When we truly understand what Jesus has done for us then we stop trying to get to a place of victory but operate from a place of freedom and victory in Christ Jesus.  Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ {2 Corinthians 2:14}. We are free from fear and free to trust the Lord.

Today we have a choice. We can choose to live in bondage or we can choose to live a life of liberty in Christ Jesus. What will you choose today?