The Lord My Shepherd

I am leaving today on a two week missions trip. For security reasons I will not be able to post while away, and I can give little information here. I am trusting God to minister LIFE through us during this trip. Thank you for your prayers for our safety. Feel free to look through the past weeks of my blogs and be encouraged. I'll post again either February 4th or 5th, and will try to prior to this as security permits. May our Shepherd Lord hold you in the palm of His hand!

The Lord My Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever (Psalm 23).

 

The Father sees us as sheep, and He has the role of a shepherd in our lives. Here are some practical truths about sheep and shepherds that apply to our relationship with the Lord.

  

A shepherd knows his sheep by name and the sheep train themselves to know the shepherd’s voice. Sheep are helpless to defend themselves against enemies, and easily wander into danger.

  

The Father makes us to lie down in green pastures. A good shepherd will give his sheep the best food, and will lead them for miles to the greenest, most lush pastures. Good food means a healthy flock. Life is sustained by water, and the shepherd always looks for an abundant source near the grazing field. The Father is Jehovah Jireh to us. He provides us with everything we need to live in blessing. He’s always looking for the best supply for all of our needs!

 

The Father restores our souls. A shepherd looks after each sheep, and seeks to make it feel secure and cared for. The Father wants to minister to us and heal the emotional wounds that life brings. The Father as our shepherd restores our soul. He leads us to partake of the engrafted Word that will renew our minds and release pain from our emotions (James 1:21). He will lead us away from the activities of the flesh that rob us of peace and inward rest, and He urges us to spend time with Him so that He can brush away our fears with His comforting Word.

 

The Lord our shepherd is with us in times of danger. The valley of the shadow of death is a gulley on the side of a mountain that the shepherd and sheep must pass through to get back home. Animals of prey watch from the surrounding hills for sheep that stray. The shepherd has a rod to defend the sheep from the prey. On the other end of the rod is a hooked end that the shepherd uses to grab the sheep by the neck when they are about to leave the fold. Sheep feel secure from danger as long as they know the shepherd is nearby to defend them.

  

The Father prepares a table before us in front of our enemies. A shepherd will look for a flat place in a field where the sheep can lay down, eat lush grass, and rest. As the sheep eat and rest, the shepherd is ever watching for the prey that seeks to harm his sheep. The sheep eat and rest in security as long as they can look up and see their shepherd.

  

The Father anoints our head with oil. A Shepherd will anoint his sheep on a hot, dry day. Oil soothes the parched skin and brings refreshment in arid eastern countries. Wounds from brier scratches or snakes bites are cared for by being dressed with oil. The Father ever seeks to bring healing, health and restoration to our parched lives.

 

Our cup runs over. It’s one thing to have a full supply, but it’s quite another to have so much that your cup runs over! That’s what our shepherd desires for us as His sheep. He wants us to have more than enough!

  

His goodness and mercy are extended to us every day of our lives. His mercies are new every morning! Blessing chases us every day! Allow the Lord to be your shepherd today. Listen for His voice. Watch for the guidance He brings through His Word to you. Expect Him to nurture you and care for you spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. He is a good shepherd!

 

   

No Fear

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7 – Amplified).

A fear based life is an unsettled life. What’s going to happen in my future, in my home, in my travels, in my body, in my finances? A faith based life expects God to act in every circumstance and situation that life brings.

  

A fear based life is based on feelings and circumstances. A faith based life is a life that is lived by the Word! What God says settles everything to the faith based life. A calmness, a rest, a hope, a security, and great joy accompany the faith based life. Depression, gloom, irritability, dread, hopelessness, and tiredness accompany the fear based life.

 

Make the switch today to be a person who lives by faith and not by fear based sight! Each day will become an adventure as you and the Father go through the day talking with one another, strategizing with His Word about the details of what you’re doing. Faith based living does not consult with the flesh, circumstances or opinion. Thus says the Lord rules the faith based life.

  

Fear attracts satanic activity, and draws a person into difficulty. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25). Job ascribed his troubles to his fear that opened the door for the enemy to attack him. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me (Job 3:25).

 

Don’t allow fear to rule your life. Fill yourself with the Word. Ask yourself what the Word says about every area of life. Refuse fear and the emotional baggage it brings. Lift your hands, praise God, and declare the Lordship of His Word over your life! Speak the Word and run fear out of your life today!

  

The Life Changing Word

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

  

The Word contains God’s very life and nature. Feeding on the Word is not like reading Shakespeare or classic literature. These contain no power to change. But God’s Word is the power of God unto salvation for spirit, soul, and body (Romans 1:16-17).

 

Time in the Word is time spent in the presence of the Father. And just as you take your car into the mechanics shop for a tune up, so the Word tunes us up spiritually. It rids us of the habits and attitudes that hold us back. It makes adjustments in all areas of life; our home, our business life, our private world, and has to power to break engrained habits of conduct.

 

The Word provides spiritual nutrition so that we grow into the likeness of Christ. The Word is spirit food. Keep your spirit richly fed with this manna from heaven.

 

One Word of caution though. Just reading the Word with no purpose to change or act will do no good. Spiritual growth will be stifled, and personal progress will not be realized. It becomes self-evident over a period of time whether or not we are submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus through the Lordship of the Word.

  

Notice again James 1:22-25 (NIV): Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.

 

The author of Hebrews likewise gives us this warning: Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV).

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

  

Be sure to feed on the Word daily with the attitude of acting on what you read. Be determined to change any action, word, attitude, motive, or conduct that disagrees with the Word. Keep a sensitive ear to the Holy Spirit by consciously asking yourself what the Word says about what you’re doing throughout the day.

If you’ll practice this for 21 to 28 days, you’ll begin to form a habit of walking intimately with your Father. This time next year, you’ll not be the same person!

Pray in the Spirit!

For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries (1 Corinthians 14:2)

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful (1 Corinthians 14:14). For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11 - NIV). Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:27).

 

So many Spirit-Filled believers underestimate the power of praying in the spirit every day. With the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the Father has given us an ability to pray for things ahead of time. When we pray in tongues, we are praying out the perfect will of God for our lives.

 

It is not necessary to know what you’re praying about in tongues for it to be effective. That’s what keeps many believers from spending more time praying this way. Your mind will tell you’re that you’re wasting your time while you’re praying in the spirit. And many times the benefits are not immediately recognizable.

 

Often, I have thoughts come to me, or a reoccurring impression deep inside about things I need to do or things I need to change. These impressions come about because I pray in the spirit daily, allowing spirit to pray about what mind doesn’t know that needs prayer.

 

If you pray in the spirit daily, you’ll find that things in your life are already prayed about before they come up. I have things happen in relating to people regularly that I knew would occur simply because I pray in the spirit and it’s prayed our well in advance.

  

I have a habit of planning ahead and not doing things suddenly with natural things. Now, since I’ve learned the value of praying in tongues, I know that I must also pray daily in the spirit to prepare for my tomorrows.

 

Don’t allow Satan or religious tradition to talk you out of using this valuable prayer tool of praying in tongues. Satan’s kingdom so hates this that he’ll do all kinds of things to convince you not to take the time. Don’t listen to him. Begin today to set aside time to pray in tongues. It will become your most productive time. Your life will change.

Spirit Power

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live (Romans 8:12-13).

 

I was not able as a teenage to control the desires of my flesh until I received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. I had the desire to do the right thing. But day after day I was waylaid by the flesh, the world, and the devil. With the baptism with the Holy Spirit several things occurred.

 

First, spiritual things took on a new dimension of importance. Instead of having to think about how my spiritual life related to my work, my friends, my family, my inner life, I found an almost automatic connection. The job of the Holy Spirit is to make Jesus real and manifest to the believer. When He comes in the baptism with the Spirit, He in fullness does His job, if allowed.

 

Second, The Bible become a book I craved. I wanted to read it a lot. Then, I noticed that what I read would come back up in my thought life over and over. I found later that the Holy Spirit will remind you of the Word you read and store in your thoughts (John 14:26). When my flesh rose up, I found scripture would rise up too. And with the scripture came conviction. Then things that enticed me just weren’t as enticing anymore.

 

Thirdly, I prayed in tongues every day. I found that a strength would buoy up inside me when I prayed in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 20). My spirit was receiving a Divine charge! When temptation knocked, it seemed that a power beyond my own kept me from yielding. The times I did yield I was most miserable and I repented immediately. Sin had lost its grip.

 

If you will allow Him control, the Holy Spirit will lead you right into intimacy with Jesus. Let your walls down. He loves you. Some of us won’t let anyone close because others have harmed us in some way in our past. Don’t allow the fear of intimacy to keep you from this wonderful person, the Holy Spirit.

 

If allowed, the Holy Spirit will lead you into a deeper experience in the Word. Then, He will talk to you about adjustments you need to make to follow the Word more closely in your personal life. He will tell you who to befriend, and who to keep at a distance because of their lifestyle. He will speak to you throughout your day, and pull to the Word. He will keep watch and guard you when the world, the flesh, or the devil rise up.

 

The key is spending time with the Father and Jesus through the Word and in prayer. If you do, the Holy Spirit will help you put to death the negative habits of your flesh!

Praise is Powerful

But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the holy place where the praises of Israel are offered (Psalm 22:3 – Amplified).

  

Believers have several weapons at their disposal as they fight the good fight of faith. They have the Word of God, the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and praise and worship!

 

The Father watches over His Word to make it good as the sword of the Spirit comes out of our mouth from our hearts in faith (Jeremiah 1:12). Demonic forces tremble when the command of faith is given in the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2: 9-11)! And we overcome Satan forces by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).

 

But of all the weapons in our arsenal, perhaps praise is the strongest. When praise is offered, God Almighty shows up in the atmosphere! The weightiness of God, the power of who He is, manifests when praise is uttered. The power of God’s kingdom is aroused when our praise and worship are expressed.

  

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were praising and worship so loudly that the other prisoners heard them as they were held in chains in the dark prison. Instead of the atmosphere of the prison invading them, they decided to invade that atmosphere of darkness with the presence of God! And their chains fell off, the prison doors were opened, and they were set free! God responded to their praise, shaking the ground under their feet, and shaking the unbelief around them that threatened their lives!

  

During battle, the Israelites were instructed to put Judah (praise) in the forefront of the combat They would sing, for the Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever!  Israel’s enemies would be defeated time after time by an unseen host of angels as Israel fought with the weapons of a new type of spiritual warfare, praise and worship!

 

God has not changed. He still responds to praise by pouring out the weightiness of His presence, causing unseen enemies to flee. Don’t cower down to circumstances today. Pull out that weapon of praise, and allow the Lord to fight your battles. The battle is the Lord’s. The victory is ours to enjoy!

Don't Get Too Busy

He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak. Even the youths shall be exhausted, and the young men will all give up. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31- Living Bible) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

 

Strong fellowship with God brings light into your daily life. The stronger the fellowship, the stronger t he light. It’s the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that sets us free from the law of sin and death.

 

Time spent in the presence of the Father waiting in prayer lifts us out of the mundane flesh into a place where we experience the inheritance the Father has for us as saints.

 

We’re to live in the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This frees us from the law of sin and death. Just as the laws of aerodynamics and the laws of lift and thrust work together to override the effects of the law of gravity; causing a large aircraft weighing hundreds of tons to sail into the air, so the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus will free us from the habits and weights that keep us from God’s highest and best.

Someone has said that an acronym for BUSY could be Being Under Satan’s Yolk. Satan wants to nickel and dime your time today so that you have little time to spend where it matters most; in God’s presence in the Word and in fellowship with Him in prayer.

If you decide to put God first in your day, Satan can’t attack you with busy! You’ve already prepared yourself for anything that comes that day by being strengthened in His presence.

Take time with your Father today. He wants to hear you. He wants to speak to you. He wants to minister His peace and His calm to you. He has the answer for every issue of life. His power in you is greater than any force or opposition you face today.

 

Take time to dwell with Him in that secret place of fellowship today. It will show on you!