When Jesus asked the disciples what people were saying about him, they gave a laundry list of responses.
But then Jesus turned the question on them:
But what about you? Who do you say that I am?
Matthew 16:15
For Jesus, what other people say never has the final word. And so the question He’s always asking us in the midst of conflicting messages that we hear about God and ourselves is, can you see beyond what people say? Can you look past that to what God has said?
Peter could:
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
And his life was never the same. He became the leader of the early church and left his mark on the Kingdom and the world forever.
Similarly, if you’re going to accomplish great things for God, you’ve got to see beyond what people say.
Can you see beyond what people say about God to what He has actually said about Himself?
Can you see beyond what people say about your limitations to the fact that you serve a God who doesn’t even have that word in His vocabulary? To the God whose capability doesn’t rise and fall with your own inability?
Can you see beyond what people say about your dreams and plans to the God who has actually given them to you and is fully competent to bring them to pass?
Can you see beyond what your own insecurities are saying about you to the God who has given you everything you need to accomplish everything He’s asked you to do? To the God who knew about your weaknesses, hangups, fears, and baggage long before He ever called you, but called you anyways?
Can you see beyond what people say?
Answer carefully. Your response to that question will determine the entire trajectory of your life.
