Day 05 - Galilee: Mount of Beatitudes, Mount Bental, Caesarea Philippi, Tel Dan, Jordan River

Today our group adventured out to the wilderness of Tel Dan to see the ancient ruins, Caesarea Philippi to get a glimpse of how the old world worshipped their gods, and Mount Bental to experience the remains of war in our present world. Israel is a land full of stories and they are really a story of us. These stories can be at times very heavy on my heart which is why I am so grateful that Michael has been able to put things in perspective for me daily on this trip at every site that we went to.

We started the day with our group worshiping together by the Sea of Galilee with the song New Wine which totally re-centered my heart into a place of worship and praise. At the site of Caesarea Philippi, Michael referenced Matthew 16:13 which was the very place that Jesus asked Peter “Who do you say I am?” and Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” What Jesus then said really got to me at the following verse. He said that this revelation from Peter is from the Father and not from the spirit of man.

Often times in my walk with Jesus, I have the inclination to use my own knowledge about God to take my next step in life’s decisions; but whenever I surrender my will and fully trust in the Lord, I experience life that is beyond my own imagination and it is often far better than I ever could imagined! It is true what He promised in John 10:10 that He will give me life to the full. This full life that I have experienced through trusting in Jesus is often more exhilarating, more real in meaning and the joy that comes through this full life, this world can never fabricate.
- Susan Cheng