14They replied, ˝Some say Joh...

14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

- P118

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."

24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

- P119

The disciples confirm that there are many rumors about who Jesus is, but Simon Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God and the saving Messiah that the Jewish people have been waiting for. Jesus says that Peter is blessed to have received this revelation from the Father in heaven. He also prophesies that Peter, whose name sounds like the Greek word for "rock," will be a foundational figure for the church. Jesus promises to build the church, and the enemy will not overcome it. - P120

Although the church has faced and will face opposition and persecution, followers of Jesus continue building up the church. We who live today are likewise called to use our gifts and abilities to strengthen God’s people. - P120

yetJesus does not want His disciples to tell anyone that He is the Messiahbecause this will draw more attention-both good and bad to Him. Jesusexplains to His disciples that He will suffer at the hands of the religiousleaders, die, and then be raised back to life. Peter is disturbed by thesewords, so he takes his teacher aside to rebuke Him. In a short time, Petershifts from being called a rock of the church to being a stumbling block fo-cused on human concerns.  - P120

Jesus‘ words remind us that His disciples shouldalways look beyond human concerns to the concerns of God. This requiresself-sacrifice and the willingness to focus on following Jesus, no matter whatsuffering or loss it costs. - P120

Dear God, thank You for equipping me with gifts and abilities so that I might help build Your church and strengthen Your people. When I am distracted by human concerns, guide me to focus on You and see from Your perspective. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P121

5When they went across the la...

5When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.

6"Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

- P114

11How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

12Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. - P115

Even after Jesus miraculously feeds a large crowd, the Pharisees and Saddu-cees come to test Him and ask for "a sign from heaven." They are not satis-fied with Jesus‘ claims of authority or His miracles. They want Jesus to proveHimself on their terms, almost exactly as Satan did when he tested Jesus inthe wilderness.  - P116

Jesus refuses to use His power to satisfy their demands. Jesuscannot be tamed or goaded to act. We cannot demand that He conformto our expectations. We can trust Him exactly as He is. Idols are made byfashioning a god in our own image to satisfy our own desires. Be careful notto adopt the mindset of a Pharisee when you make your requests to God.
Let Him decide how and when He chooses to act and  - P116

trust in His love,
knowing that His plan is perfectly designed for His glory and our good. - P116

Dear Jesus, thank You for warning us about the yeast of sin. Help us guardour hearts and renew our minds in You each day. May we see You clearly andfollow You faithfully. In Your name, amen. - P117

31The people were amazed when...

31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."

- P108

34"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied, "and a few small fish."

35He told the crowd to sit down on the ground.

36Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.

37They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

38The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children.

39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

- P109

The crowd coming to Jesus swells as He heals the sick, the crippled, the blind, and many others. This takes place over three days, and Jesus knows the people must be hungry. Jesus’ compassion on the crowd’s hunger shows us we can trust that He knows our needs. Then He tests the disciples’ faith in His ability to provide the food the crowd needs. But all the disciples can find are seven loaves and a few fish and reply with a logical question from a human perspective: "How can these feed so many people?" From your perspective, your problems may seem too big and your resources too small, but God knows your needs and He cares about them.
- P110

God, I admit that sometimes, out of fear or lack of faith, I hold on too tightly to the things You have given me. Give me the faith to believe that whatever I give You, You can multiply to do more than I can imagine. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P110

21Leaving that place, Jesus w...

21Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly."

23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."

24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

- P104

25The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

- P105

26He replied, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs."

27"Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table."

28Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that moment.

- P105

A Canaanite woman approaches Jesus and asks Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. The woman is persistent, and the disciples urge Jesus to send her away. They see this non-Jewish woman as an outsider and a nuisance that is interrupting their day. Jesus uses this experience as an example to expand the disciples’ understanding of who is worthy of His attention. We should never impose limitations on who we think is worthy of God’s help or who deserves to have their prayers answered. - P106

The truth is, none of us is worthy of God’s help or deserving of His grace. God extends His free gift of salvation to all who recognize their need and come to Him. - P106

Jesus‘ answers to the woman‘s repeated pleas seem harsh. This does not deterher, however, and she continues to look up to Him for help. His seemingly *cold answers draw out her faith and Jesus responds to it by healing herdaughter.  - P106

Jesus uses the woman‘s persistence to teach the disciples whatthey failed to understand: God‘s mercy extends to all who come to Himin faith. Jesus has a masterful way of humbling the proud who think theyare special and elevating those who are overlooked by society and comHim forWhenmercy. we see others through the eyes of Jesus, we begin tounderstand the depth of God‘s love for all people.
- P106

"God is not looking for polite pray-ers-he is looking for persistent, prevailingpray-ers."-Jon Bloom - P106

Jesus was a master teacher. He often used the power of parables to conveycomplex truths in a practical way that even children could understand.
Other times, like with the Canaanite woman who came to Him for help,
He turns a real-life situation into an opportunity for His disciples (and us!)to learn a lesson they would never forget. When Jesus draws out the answerHe is looking for from the woman, the disciples have their "aha" moment.
They see that someone who was neither an Israelite nor a man, and whowas marginalized from society by her daughter‘s condition, was not beyondredemption. The woman exercised faith and Jesus commended her for it;something none of the disciples would have expected. - P107

God, You humble the proud but give grace to the humble. You ask me to be persistent in prayer. Provide me with the strength to do so. - P107

When I feel like giving up, remind me of Your grace that is ready to meet me. In Jesus’ name, amen. - P107

It Started at Church!
Young Mother Is Grateful for Compassion‘s Survival Intervention. - P12

"From my first time attending Promised Land Baptist Church,
I decided to go to church regularly. I started to feel there was apurpose in life and that my being a motherwas not an accident." - Rhenzel - P13

 He is not honored by lip servicebut by heartfelt obedience. It is easy to say we love God, just as the religiousleaders that opposed Jesus did. It is another thing entirely to obey God byserving Him, and serving Him is often done by serving others. - P61

3Jesus replied, ˝And why do y...

3Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?

4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’

5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’

6they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8"‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

9They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’"

- P100

12Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?"

13He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.

14Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."

- P101

Jesus teaches the crowd that, unlike what the Pharisees teach, it is not whatgoes into a person‘s mouth that defiles them but what comes out of theirmouth. Jesus calls the Pharisees blind guides because they claim to leadpeople to God when they themselves do not know how to relate to Him.
The Pharisees relate to God through rigorous rule-keeping while ignoringthe deeper issue of the condition of their hearts.  - P102

When our outward displaysof righteousness are not in line with the condition of our hearts, we havefallen into a pit from which we will never emerge until When our outward displaysof righteousness are not in line with the condition of our hearts, we havefallen into a pit from which we will never emerge until we allow Jesus tofirst cleanse our hearts and align our lives to Him. allow Jesus tofirst cleanse our hearts and align our lives to Him. - P-1

When our outward displaysof righteousness are not in line with the condition of our hearts, we havefallen into a pit from which we will never emerge until we allow Jesus tofirst cleanse our hearts and align our lives to Him. - P102

The Lord isn‘t looking for somebody who pretends to have it all together;He is looking for honesty, integrity, humility, and surrender. In 1 Samuel16:7, Scripture reminds us that "the LORD does not look at the thingspeople look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looksat the heart." I am still a work in progress, but God in His faithfulness hasbeen healing my heart and changing my character as I spend time in HisWord and in His presence. And He will do the same forWhen wesubmit to the Lord and seek His will above all else, we will be transformedby the renewing of our hearts and minds; then we will experience truechange from the inside out. - P103

Lord Jesus, draw my heart closer to You so that I may follow You from the inside out. Search my heart and take away whatever sin tries to take root in me so that my thoughts, words, and actions may truly please You. In Your name, amen. - P103