02/16/2022
This Is Us: What I Know for Sure
“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 I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are The Messiah, The Son of The living God.”” (Matthew 16:13-16 NIV)
We can’t know everything. There are a lot of things that we will never know. But there are some things that we can come to some sort of conclusion about based on:
- our experiences - our experiences develop us from one situation to the next
- what we prioritize - we can never fully mature if we don’t prioritize our faith. When we prioritize our own pleasure and people, they become what matters most to us. Our personal journeys are impacted by what we know about Jesus. This time of social distancing may be challenging, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t/won’t grow spiritually. Sometimes our greatest growth comes when we’re facing our own personal journey.
We can’t allow where we are to determine what we believe. We need to let what we believe minister to where we are. Going through difficult situations or seasons doesn’t mean that God isn’t present. The goodness of God isn’t affected by the difficulties we face.
Because Jesus is with us wherever we are, we can grow in our spiritual lives in whatever place or circumstances we find ourselves.
Where we are right now isn’t a holding patter. It’s a place where God is expecting us to continue to gain revelation about who we are and Who He IS in our lives.
What we’re currently going through will come back later to inform how we have walked with God. While it hasn’t been easy and has even been difficult at times, God has NEVER failed us before and He WILL NOT fail us NOW!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
Don’t allow what others say/are saying to dictate/determine how you think! Be very careful about believing what you’ve heard! The things that we hear can often have very little truth in the end. Be careful allowing “the grapevine” determine the confidence you have in your life and your faith. (vv 13-14)
Some things we hear do have some validity to them. However, the issue isn’t what “THEY” believe, but what WE believe. We all have a personal responsibility to examine our relationship with God. (vv 15-16)
What we learned in the past can’t/won’t sustain us in the present or get us to the future God has planned for us. We have to CONTINUALLY investigate how we’re responding to God’s requests and relating to His Word. The journey we’re on is a consistent examination. It’s when we take a closer look, we find the things we’re short of.
We all come to our public gatherings with our own personal stories filled with trials and troubles. God is present in each of our lives helping us to resolve our own personal trials and troubles, and MOST IMPORTANTLY to help us SERK His Presence. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
Everything we go THROUGH is so that God can draw us CLOSER to Him. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
Every challenge we face is so that God can reveal His promise and Presence in our lives. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
The things we go through aren’t by chance, they’re by choice...God choice. He’s choosing to let us see that He promised to NEVER leave us and He WILL NEVER LEAVE us ALONE! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
How does our journey inform what we believe?
1- Our Perspective Shifts
How we SEE things NOW differs from how we SAW things back THEN.
How we saw this pre-pandemic are different than how we see things in the pandemic. How we see things in the pandemic will change how we see things post-pandemic.
Through all the changes of life, God is giving us insight and eyesight. When God walks WITH us and The Word SPEAKS to us, He helps us to SEE how He GUIDES us.
He gives us insight to help us understand that things aren’t always as they APPEAR. (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20)
When we allow the light of God to shine in the dark places/seasons of our lives, He helps us to see things from a different perspective.
It’s time for the children of God to take back our identities and what we’ve lost in our dark places/seasons of life by shining His Word (Psalm 119:105) into our dark places!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
2- We Change Personally
EVERYBODY goes THROUGH changes. NONE of us are who we USED to be BEFORE we met Christ.
When people begin to treat us differently because of the familiarity they lose with us when we meet Jesus, we MUST remember that our obligation ISN’T to people, our obligation IS to God.
God offers the change that ALL us NEEDS that sends us UP and NOT DOWN. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
As we experience growth in our lives, Jesus SEES us for WHO we ARE BECOMING. Our walk and our hope in Christ changes us! (vv 17-18) 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
With each challenge we face, God is shaping us and giving us a sustaining power that informs who we are. He’s solidifying our identity and our nature. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
Others try to discern who we become, God SPEAKS to the TRUTH of WHO we ARE. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
When we know that God has changed us, it lessens the impact of the criticism of others about our journey path. They don’t know who we USED to be, they don’t know how far we’ve COME to get where we are, and they have no idea of what it’s taking to shape us in this season.
DON’T allow social distancing, feelings of loneliness, or the uncertainty of tomorrow to change your confidence in Christ!!! HE’S the same YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER!!!!!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
WHEN God takes us THROUGH a change, He allows us to partner WITH Him to influence others. Others are learning by watching us that they DON’T have to give in to the unfortunate circumstances of life. They’re learning that the challenges they face DON’T have to dictate or define their NEXT!!! Because what we KNOW for SURE is that ON Christ The Solid Rock we STAND, ALL other ground IS sinking sand!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
Even in seasons of uncertainty, God gives us the confidence to stand STRONG!!!
3- We Gain Confidence Spiritually
As we move forward we realize we don’t have to walk in timidity. We don’t have to wonder how things might turn out or what they might look like. Our confidence in Christ gives us access to the keys of The Kingdom of Heaven. What we bind on earth WILL BE bound in Heaven and what we loose on earth WILL BE loosed in Heaven (vv 18-19). 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
This doesn’t mean that we won’t still face challenges or tests and trials. It means that God’s Word WILL GIVE us the ABILITY to STAND. Jesus Christ IS our strength!!! God gives us the ability to stand in uncertain places, because our hope isn’t built on us, it’s built ON Him and IN Who He IS!!!
GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ HE WILL ALWAYS BE PRESENT!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ HE’S A KEEPER!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ HE’S A HELPER!!! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
BE HONEST WITH WHERE YOU ARE, BE HONEST ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE EXPERIENCING, AND LET IT INFORM YOU NOT DISCOURAGE YOU. EVERYTHING we’ve been THROUGH WITH God IS a building block for our present to REMIND us that we’re NEVER ALONE. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ He’ll NEVER turn His back on us. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ He ALWAYS has a resolution! 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️ And it’s typically something we’ve NEVER thought of. 🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️🏃🏽♀️
KEEP THE FAITH, THIS TOO SHALL PASS!!! THERE WILL BE GLORY AFTER THIS!!!
🎶💃🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙏🏾🏃🏽♀️
