Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Matthew 16:13-17 NLT“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 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.”There was confusion amongst the people early on, even among his own disciples, about who Jesus truly was. Was He John the Baptist returned from the grave after his execution? Or was He one of the Old Testament prophets coming back for “round two?” Men were trying to identify Jesus as another man, when He was actually God.Is your faith your own? Do you feel you inherited it from someone or maybe felt pressure at some point in your life to believe?Listen closely once again: “Jesus … asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16 NLT) Courage is making your own decision about Jesus and sticking by it. Each person must make their own choice and “own” their own faith. No one should be talked into a relationship with Jesus, so no one can talk them out of it either. As Jesus told Peter, “You didn’t learn this truth from a human, but from God. He reveals the truth to hearts.”Today, for you, all that matters is who you say Jesus is, to you, for you.Let’s pray: “Lord Jesus, You are who You said and say You are—the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. As above, so below. Amen.”