Jesus replied,
"You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my
Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this
from any human being. Now I say to you
that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and
all the powers of hell will not conquer it." Matt
16:17 In the past whenever I’ve
read these verses I’d always centered in on the part about the rock.
And I’ve heard preachers preach along the same lines. But this time
as I read this passage these words stood out "Blessed
are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." I
sat and pondered this asking the Lord, "What are you trying to tell
me?" This is what He so wonderfully
began to show me. I saw where Jesus was telling Peter “you are blessed
because you are hearing from God." Then Peter makes a few comments
that have Jesus telling him that he is being mindful of the things
of men. Jesus so wonderfully illustrates
here that it is “the revelation of who Jesus is.” The revelation that
has the power to change our lives. This is the revelation (the rock)
that He will build his church on. Peter's name meant rock
(a small piece of a larger rock) and Jesus said upon this rock (the
large rock) He will build his church. Jesus is that large Rock. He
is the rock of revelation. Revelation, of God's will changes our lives
and when we move out to do these exploits led by the Holy Spirit the
gates of Hell will not prevail against us. When the word of God is
revealed to us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word
of God. This revelation didn’t come through flesh and blood, thoughts
or reasoning's, or what we perceive a situation to be, but God revealed
it straight from His heart. The Jews had the laws of
God; they studied very thoroughly what was written down. From a young
age they were taught to be able to argue the scriptures one way and
then turn it around and argue from the other side. When the Lord speaks
to our hearts it’s like getting a large dose of joy and strength.
Suddenly what seemed impossible is now possible because Gods has shown
us Heart. He is building in us a house that is built on the
rock, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. God wants us to stop assuming
that we know what He wants and start seeking Him for His direction.
Know what God wants for today, don’t depend on what happened yesterday
to sustain you and feed you. Be lead by His Spirit. Don’t try to duplicate
the good things that happened yesterday. You can’t eat food today
and expect to regurgitate it and eat it tomorrow. That’s like eating
heartburn. The Israelites were told to gather enough manna only for
that one day. When they tried to gather more than that, what was left
over turned wormy. People - think about
it! Everyday we need it, we crave it, we long to hear the voice of
the Lord speak to our hearts. When the Lord told the children of Israel
that He wanted them to know that man does not live by bread alone, He
wanted them to get the truth that it is by every word that proceeds
out of the mouth of God. We share the bread of the word. The Holy Spirit is compared
to water flowing, always moving. When water doesn’t move and is not
added to it becomes stagnant; bitter and unpalatable, that is
why we need to be refreshed on a daily basis. What does God say to you
for your life today? When you face what goes on in your life
do you face it with the revelation of Christ “alive” in your heart? Father I pray that You
would reveal Yourself to us, for it is in that revelation that we
are made alive. In You, we have life that is worth living. How I
praise You for the life of Jesus Christ that lives in me, by the
power of the Holy Spirit which enables me to know You. In His Love,Rock of Revelation
Karen Trevino
