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“Here I Stand”
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Matthew 16:13-19 NKJV — When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
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*A Tourist Tale*
“The vacation started with the usual chaos of last minute details and loose ends being tied off. When we finally landed at our destination, the adventure was on! With the atmosphere of an amusement park, the first three days were filled with twists and turns that excited everyone who participated in the daily events. The fourth day began like the other three but this time the weather forecaster informed us about a storm brewing out at sea. According to the data and the charts the forecaster obtained, he expected the storm would follow its current path, bypass our vacation spot and give us four more days of fun in the sun.
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The fourth day began with so much excitement and anticipation we could hardly contain ourselves. We were scheduled to hike up a mountain of solid rock. When we were able to reach the summit, we would be granted to a spectacular view of the valley below. As we continued our hike, the unexpected happened.
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The storm that was supposed to pass our location made a sudden turn. It was now headed directly for us. We had already committed to the hike but we knew if we made it to the top there would be shelter and provisions waiting. We also knew we would be safe, so we pressed on.”
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The Relentless Storm
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“The storm hit with such virtuosity that we could barely see what was in front of us. We were divided into five groups and we agreed to meet on the summit at lunchtime but the storm was relentless and getting stronger by the minute. Fear began to surface among the groups and many decided to abandon the hike and head back to the resort. The path to the summit became difficult but our tour guides encouraged us to keep climbing. The climb to the summit became a matter of life and death and one by one people lost hope, sheltered in place and for some the storm overwhelmed them.”
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An Uncertain Outlook
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“We had reached the summit but the view of the valley below was covered by the clouds of the storm that continued to rage below us. The rock we were standing on was solid and gave us the feeling of safety, reassurance and peace. The storm was dissipating and soon we would have to reassess our journey and make plans on how to recover our losses and rebuild. Reaching and standing on that solid rock was a victorious effort of human perseverance but it was also a testament of faith knowing the rock would provide all the necessities that we would need.”
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A New Year Begins
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The journey we all experienced in the year 2020 was like the treacherous hike that was made up the mountain by the tourists. Scandals, lawlessness, questionable, suspicious elections and COVID-19. It was enough to make us want to find the remote and turn it off. Go outside and breathe some fresh air but wait, we were told we couldn’t do that either. All of sudden, the planet that God created for us to live in was no longer a safe place. Forget going to Mars and terraforming the planet to support human life. “COVID-19 will be the end of us all!” – or so the globalists and their handpicked medical experts tell us. We have political leaders, who just a few years ago, were bartenders and short order cooks, telling us that liquor stores, casinos and gentlemen’s clubs were essential. Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship were deemed unsafe and a menace to society. Somehow worshipping God and Jesus Christ have become the “forbidden fruit” and must not be allowed. The governors of New York, New Jersey, California and Oregon are all in agreement with this and are demanding that the rest of the country submit and follow their decree. – 2020 was a bust but what about 2021?
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What Lies Ahead?
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Proverbs 27:1 NKJV — Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
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There is no doubt that 2020 will go down in the history books as one of the most challenging and troublesome years. Of course, in the current climate we are in, revisionists and the cancel culture will bend the truth and obscure or omit the facts to align the narrative in favor of their ungodly agenda. The clouds below us make it difficult to see what’s next. Like December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001, the world has changed again. Our faith in whatever we believe in is being tested and many have fallen away. Christians on many levels have walked away from God and have decided to put their trust in a system that has proven to be unstable. World leaders, mates, friends and even family want us to step off the solid rock we stand on, which is Jesus Christ, The Rock of our Salvation, and dwell on the foundation they have provided. A foundation that looks a lot like quicksand.
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Luke 6:43-49 NKJV — “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. “For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
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Who we are, our character, our demeanor, our hearts and our humanity are being put to the test. Will we continue the climb to stand on the Rock like the tourists did on their vacation? Or will we give into fear and rely on false promises from leaders and teachers who constantly tell us that God Jehovah is irrelevant and that their “Tower of Babel” is more powerful than anything God can create. In the passage above the Lord reminds us that we are judged by others, justly or unjustly, by the fruit we bear but also informs us that if we don’t adhere to His Word and instruction then we are bound to fail.
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A Solid Foundation 
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The days ahead will bring many trials and may even push us to the limit of our understanding. We need to “double down” – a term that is very En Vogue at the moment – and pray, fast and put our trust and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ so that we can get through these turbulent times (Matthew 24:12-13). Jesus is the solid rock in which we all should stand. All else is sinking sand.
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Matthew 16:18-19 NKJV — “…And on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
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