Daily Bible Study for Friday July
29 2016
By: Hanny Lynn Stearns
Fish N
Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying
God’s Word Around The Globe”
Chapter Reading
for Today: Please read in
your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered
paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate
translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful
for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their
wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version,
that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I
will keep it with the New King James Version.
One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my
own writing. I am adding red to the letters when
it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.
Bible
Gateway Verse of the Day
Psalm 119:93
I will never forget Your precepts, For by them
You have given me life.
Psalm
100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name.
Song: Yes and Amen By: Hillsong
Psalm 23
The Provisions of our Great Shepherd
In this all-time favorite Psalm of millions, there are
numerous promises and blessings for the born again child of the Most High and
awesome God. Many have quoted these verses over the years, especially in times
of great trial. It has long since been a comfort to so many as folks walk
through the darkness of a sin cursed, death filled world. What will the Lord
reveal to us further in this beautiful Psalm today? Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father;
Thank You for the beautiful words in today’s Psalm. It brings
us great comfort, peace and hope in our one true Shepherd – Jesus. Lord, we ask
You to light our way in the path of righteousness that You would have us to go
as we walk beside You through these verses. Father, I ask You to comfort and
encourage every heart that reads this lesson, today or in the future. Show each
person the wonderful truths of Your promises laid up just for us. Help us all
to remember them as we traverse the roads of this life with joy in Your
presence. Father, I ask You to bring this message to us unhindered and
unchecked by any outside force or my flesh. Help us to be doers of Your word by
the power of Your Holy Spirit, and not forgetful hearers. Thank You for always
watching over Your word to perform it in our lives when we trust and obey You
in Jesus name. Amen.
Don’t you wonder sometimes if we say these words out of
memory most of the time rather than from a heartfelt experience? How often do
we quote the word of God like we were rattling off a shopping list – proud that
we know the words by heart and where they are located in the Bible? To be proud
is of the devil, and that needs to be removed, both from our heart and our
vocabulary. But apart from that, how often does this much appreciated Psalm get
glazed over by the tongues of those professing the words without ever really
grasping the meaning of them down deep in our soul and spirit? What the Lord
has provided for us here is a beautiful list of promises and assurances from
His word of the leading, guiding protective and loving hand of our Great Shepherd
– Jesus.
Let’s go along line by line and meditate on them as Holy
Spirit reveals the heart of the Lord in each one. Maybe we will never look at
these versus the same way again. Perhaps the full flavor of their intent will
trickle down deep on the inside of us until we finally begin to overflow with
these promises actively working in our lives – hallelujah!
The Lord is my Shepherd
What is a Shepherd anyway? In the Bible we see a lot about
the shepherds in the fields tending their sheep. They had to watch over their
sheep very closely. Sheep have a mild temperament and are timid. They are not
known to be very bright, so they need a lot of help. Sound familiar? Smile. A shepherd’s
job is to feed the sheep, guard and protect them and tend to their overall
needs. Jesus talked a lot about sheep in His illustrations while He was here.
He referred to God’s children as His sheep.
He told Peter, His beloved disciple to feed His sheep. Jesus
knew He was leaving the earth soon and He needed people, like Peter, and many
others to feed His sheep so they would not starve. Yes, even Jesus needs our
help to get things done in the earth.
John 17:21b
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”
As God’s children we
need to be fed the word of God regularly so we can grow up in the Lord. We need
His word even more than our necessary food each day. Without it, we will surely
perish. We also need to be guarded from the forces of evil. Sheep had to be
protected from wolves. As God’s children, we do too…
Luke 10:3
Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
Acts 20:29
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock.
There’s
a lot of bad things going on around us and we need to be protected. There are
many ways that the Lord provides His protection for us. He has given us
“under-shepherds” to guard us – people like our pastors and other ministers. Jesus
made sure that when He left, His work as a shepherd would be extended to His
disciples. That is also you and me when we minister to others. We are allowing
the Lord – the true Shepherd, to use us to help the flock.
The
Lord tends to us every day as we spend time with Him. He knows exactly what
each sheep needs every day to be well nourished in their walk through the green
pastures of life on this earth. He supplies that every need as our Shepherd. He
cares for us, and bears us up. He knows us, and we know Him and follow Him. So
much is captured in all of this…
Psalm
28:9
Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also,
and bear them up forever.
John
10:11
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the
sheep.”
John 10:27-28
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they
follow Me. And I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out
of My hand.
1
Peter 2:25
For you were like sheep going astray, but have
now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 5:1-4
The
elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be
revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as
overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain
but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those
entrusted to you, but being
examples to the flock;4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Many
people have been called upon to shepherd God’s people until Jesus comes back
for us. Some have been faithful to that call while others have not. Still, our
Shepherd watches over us and where people fail, He will not. Hallelujah! Isn’t
it comforting to know that He is watching over you like a tender little sheep?
He is so loving and caring in His heart toward us. Oh that more people would
see the Lord this way – the way He really is and not like some mean judge
sitting in heaven slamming down the gavel every time they make a wrong move,
amen?!
I shall not want
It is really neat to look all around the Bible and see the
many ways that the Lord has provided for His people. Before we go any further,
we must remember that there are requirements in order to see God, our Great
Shepherd meet all our needs. We always have a part to play. Just like there are
certain rules to abide by in getting our prayers answered, there are also
certain rules that we must adhere to in order to see the Lord provide for our
every need like the following verses indicate. We cannot disregard the Lord or
disobey Him and expect Him to come through with His promises to those who do
obey. He wouldn’t be fair then. The Lord is always 100% fair.
When His people walked through the wilderness in the desert
near Mt. Saini all those years ago, He provided for them every step of the way.
He fed them, even bread from heaven, and meat. Their shoes and clothes did not
wear out – now that’s a miracle. The Lord is well able to take care of His
people – then and now.
Deuteronomy 2:7
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the
work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These
forty years the Lord your God has
been with you; you have lacked nothing.”’
Today many think that because they are in a state of want
that it is God’s fault and that He is not who He says He is. But the thing is,
those same people do not read the Bible in its entirety. They do not see that
they have a part to play. Folks just want to have someone to blame for their
lack, but so many do not want to do their part. So they struggle and complain,
and go on and on, struggling and complaining. It gets them nowhere. That’s why
the Israelites ended up in the desert wilderness for forty years, by the way.
It was because of their incessant whining and complaining. What could have
taken 8-11 days ended up taking 40 years, and many never made it because of a
lack of faith in God. That did not please the Lord at all.
The following scriptures show a great example of what God expected
His people to do so that they could enjoy the blessings of having their every
need met…
Deuteronomy 8:1-10
“Every commandment which I command you today you
must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and
possess the land of which the Lord swore
to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember that
the Lord your God led
you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you
would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled
you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor
did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by
bread alone; but man lives by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your
garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty
years. 5 You should know in your heart that as a
man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.
6 “Therefore you shall keep the commandments of
the Lord your God, to
walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into
a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out
of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley,
of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a
land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a
land whose stones are iron
and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When
you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land
which He has given you.
So if we really do want to have the best, eat the best, wear
the best and live in the best, being able to give to others our best, we have
to play by the rules – amen?! Look at these additional promises from the Lord…
Psalm 34:10
The young lions lack and
suffer hunger; but those who
seek the Lord shall not lack any
good thing.
Remember
this promise is only for those who are seeking the Lord and obeying His rules.
It isn’t for everybody. Some people would rather live in a cardboard box on the
street than to have anyone tell them what to do. So they lack. But that’s not
you and me, is it? NO! Below is an event that took place between Jesus and the
disciples. He sent them out to do His work. In this particular case, He advised
them to take nothing with them. He didn’t want them to do without, but He
wanted to show them that as they did His work, their every need would be met.
We see in other scriptures a different occasion where He sent them out and did
tell them to take provisions for the journey – but not this time.
Luke
22:35
And He said to them, “When I sent you without
money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?”
So they said, “Nothing.”
No matter what our calling in life is, whether
to clean house for a preacher, to be a preacher or to be the president of a
large corporation, we will lack nothing when we make the Lord our Master. He
will make sure that we have more than enough to do everything He is calling us
to do as we serve Him. How is that for a promise? We just have to trust and
obey. He will not withhold anything; grace, glory, provisions…
Psalm 84:11
For the Lord God is a
sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those
who walk uprightly.
Friends, this Psalm should encourage all of us to know that
we never have to do without a single thing when we follow after the Lord and
His ways. That’s worth shoutin about saints! Glory to God! When I came to
Florida and had only my car filled with all the belongings I had left in the
world, I saw the Lord provide for me on every level. The car payments were
behind. There were other overdue bills. I needed a job, a place to stay, and
clothing. Sure enough, as I focused on Him, He brought it all in. The car was
paid off, the debts were paid off, the clothes came in. Soon my career as a
licensed insurance agent was restored. It was amazing to behold – and it’s
still working for me today. I do not lack a single thing – praise His name
forever!
He makes me to lie down in
green pastures
What do you think of when you imagine a green pasture? I
placed a picture for us to look at. Sheep graze in lovely pastures of green
grass. When we look out at the view, it is calming, isn’t it? I have always had
a passion for the country. Even though I grew up in the suburbs of metropolitan
Detroit, I longed for every chance I could grab to get to go out to the
country. When I would drive away from the city, I would begin to see larger
fields of green sprawling out before me. My heart would suddenly become more peaceful.
I felt calmed and relaxed. I would even drive below the speed limit to take it
all in. I wanted to look at every blade of grass it seemed. It like medicine to
the soul.
I always felt so rested after spending a day in the country.
All of the chaos of the city life seemed to just melt away in the country
sunshine. The animals grazing, the picket fences and long yards with cute
country homes just blessed my heart. The Lord wants us to live in quiet resting
places like this in our daily lives, no matter where we are planted or what is
going on around us.
The Lord wants us to live in peace and quiet. So many times
our lives get so busy and hectic, and we scream out for a chance to stop and
rest, many times finding none. Martha was driven by the need to be constantly
at work arranging the meal for Jesus’ visit, while her sister Mary wanted to
just sit and rest with Jesus and listen to Him…
Luke 10:41-42
And
Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many
things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which
will not be taken away from her.”
If anyone understands what this feels like – I do. Not only
was I addicted to food, but busyness was a real issue for me. I still have to
work at sitting down and just getting quiet. The thing is friends, when we see
ourselves struggling to sit down and just get quiet, it means that there is
chaos going on in our souls. I notice many times that when I just sit down and
turn off the “to do” lists, and the pressures of life, I will start to cry.
It’s like the Lord is releasing the pressure valve in my heart. We get so busy
doing this and that every day and it will wear us down like an overused set of
tires. If we keep driving on a set of tires for too long, eventually the tread
will wear out and the tire will blow. It’s the same with us. We have to come
aside in life and just rest. Even Jesus called His disciples to do that…
Mark
6:30-32
Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him
all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to
them, “Come aside by yourselves to a
deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they
did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed
to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.
When we
take the time to sit with the Lord and get quiet, He can quiet us with His
love…
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty
One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice
over you with singing.”
So many times we spend our
lives running like little hamsters on a wheel, round and round we go, but
really going nowhere. This “spin cycle” causes our “fuses” to blow. We get to
the place where we just can’t take any more. When that happens, people do all kinds
of crazy things. Ask me how I know. That is really the base of why I fell apart
back in 2003, left my husband and children and ran off acting like an
18-year-old at age 47! I never really took the time to sit down and rest with
Jesus. I stayed busy constantly. It was rare when I would just sit, and even
then I had to have to a TV going. Most of the time I could not handle just
being quiet. But my circuits finally blew, and everyone in my path suffered as
a result – it was awful! Jesus calls us to come sit with Him and He will give
us rest for our souls, where all the confusion lies.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
When was the last time
you took the time to sit and get quiet with Jesus? He will guide you to your
desired resting place…
Psalm 107:30
Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He
guides them to their desired haven.
He leads me beside the still
waters
Along those same lines, the Lord wants to take our hands and
lead us beside calm waters. What does that mean? Again, let’s think of a
peaceful bed of water, like a small country lake. When we wake in the morning,
the water is as “smooth as glass” while it reflects the beauty of everything
around it. Looking at it makes us immediately feel peaceful and serene, doesn’t
it? Maybe you live by such a lake and you know the peace it brings. Jesus is
the One who can calm any stormy sea. He taught the disciples how to calm the
storms they would face in life by speaking to them! Look at this…
Mark 4:39
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there
was a great calm.
Friends, this was not just a
story about how Jesus, who is the Son of God, showed up on the water when the
disciples were flipping out about a raging storm. It was put in the Bible so
that we could learn from it. How do we speak to the storms in our lives? Be
telling them to be still in Jesus name – that’s how. We have authority to do
that. Jesus told us how to speak to the fig trees (things in our lives that are
not bearing fruit), the mountains, (obstacles that come our way in life) and
the raging seas (the storms that rise up against us).
When Jesus talked to these
items in nature, He was giving us all an example of how we can speak to every
situation we face in life. These illustrations from Him were to show real life
examples of how to deal with the things in our lives that would rise up and try
to bring trouble. Oh how long it has taken me to realize this. If more people
actually knew the authority that we have been given by the Lord, we would see a
lot more joy filled prospering Christians running around on the planet. He did
everything necessary to teach us all we would need to live and fight
successfully in this life. Sadly, many do not believe it, or they are too lazy
to apply it. That’s really SADD-U-CEE!
Look at what the Lord promised
us back in the book of Isaiah…
Isaiah 43:2a
When you pass through the waters, I will
be with you; and through
the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
God is with us when we walk through the waters of this life, whether it
is ankle deep or over our head.
Psalm 65:7
You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of
their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.
We need the Lord to calm us on
the inside, and we must take authority over that which is raging around us on
the outside. Hallelujah!
He restores my soul
God alone is the One who can restore our souls. He restores
everything in our lives when we turn to Him. Friends, I share with you all the
great things that the Lord has restored to my life when I surrendered to Him
and started living for Him instead my own selfish self. He has restored to me a
husband, my children, even a new dog, with more on the way. He has restored my
family relationships, my finances, my friendships, and my reputation. All the
things that I lost from that terrible trial I went through starting in 2003.
Not only that, but He has given me so much more than I ever imagined, and He is
just getting started. Hallelujah! That’s shoutin ground saints!
Of all the things I lost in life, it was the wounds in my
soul, deep down on the inside that needed the healing and restoration that only
Jesus could give. When we think of how He restores our soul, it is so much more
than we think on the surface. The wounds in our soul from the many things that
the evil one brings our way in life can only be healed by the Lord. These are
wounds from abuse, neglect, trauma, and they come in all shapes and sizes.
People hurt us folks. It is a fallen world. In this life we all get hurt
somehow – some much more than others.
We are spirit beings. We have a soul and we live in a body
while we are on the earth. But when we get hurt, it inflicts a wound deep in
our soul. While the spirit is regenerated and made perfect when God’s new birth
occurs for the Christian, the soul needs to be healed. You all know what I am
talking about. Some things have hurt us so deeply that we find it hard to talk
about them without great tears welling up in our eyes. One of the ways we know
that the Lord has healed it is that if we have to talk about it, or even if the
thought comes to our remembrance, the sting is gone. We no longer cry about it.
The Lord has healed that pain.
Too often people hang on to those soul wounds like a baby
bottle. They nurse them by talking about them over and over. In doing this they
are reopening the wounds. Then the Lord has to start all over. Glory to God –
so many of the things that used to hurt in my soul have been healed. And I
certainly do not know all that is there. I still get moments of healing when I
spend time with Him. A full lifetime of pain can take some time to be healed as
we make it a point to spend time with the Lord and allow Him to do His work in
our hearts.
He heals us from the inside out. I used to say the “Humpty
Dumpty” story over myself when all my healing was beginning. I would say,
“Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s
horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again – only the
King can.” But instead of the name Humpty Dumpty, it was Hanny Lynn who had a
great fall. Nobody but the Lord could put me back together again! Hallelujah! And
He wants to do the same for you!
Jeremiah
30:17a
For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
Psalm 107:9
For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the
hungry soul with goodness.
Only the
Lord can truly satisfy our souls and heal them. He is so good!
He leads me in the paths of
righteousness – for His name’s sake
What do you think of when you read and say this part of the
Psalm? In what ways does He lead us? What does it mean, “paths of
righteousness?” First of all, He leads us by His Spirit. It is the number one
way that the Lord will lead us – the inner witness, the still small voice and
the authoritative voice of the Holy Spirit. Those are three ways that born
again Christians are led by the Holy Spirit. The next way is through His
written word. The Bible is our guide for how to think, walk and talk right in
our lives. The Holy Spirit will never lead us to do anything that contradicts
the word of God.
Many Christians do not listen to the Holy Spirit and it gets
them into trouble. He can help us to avoid accidents that can be fatal. He can
help us decide which route to take to work. He wants to help us with each thing
we do throughout the day by leading us along. But many don’t listen. They just
listen to the flesh. Look at this…
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Learning to listen to and
follow the leading of the Holy Spirit has been the single most wonderful way
for me to live since I began to realize the importance of it. He is always
there to show us the way to do something, give us ideas, tell us to avoid this
or do that. We are so blessed to have the one who knows all things living on
the inside of us. He always leads and guides us in the right things to do…
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and
teach you in the way you should go; I
will guide you with
My eye.
John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;
for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;
and He will tell you things
to come.
Proverbs 3:6
In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
As long as we will look to the
Lord to guide us in life – we will have good success. It took me almost 50
years to finally get over trying to do things and figure them out on my own.
Ask me if I am so glad that the Lord was patient with me – hallelujah! The sad
thing is, people really think that doing things the Lord’s way is going to be
dull or boring and that somehow they are going to miss out on all the full. But
what they don’t know is that we are the ones having all the fun! Praise the
Lord!
I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death
Friends, we all know this world is full of darkness. But when
we are walking with the Lord, we are walking in the light, and light always
dispels the darkness. The valley of the shadow of death is all around us. When
people see us at peace and full of joy as we go along through our daily
routines, they are going to want to ask us what we are taking. They will wonder
if we are on some new drug. And why? They are listening to the news which is
always doom and gloom with an occasional happy story thrown in for good
measure. They are always planting fear into people’s hearts and all the “what
ifs” that could happen. Folks look at the economy and their hearts melt. They
see the hunger and the crime and all the bad stuff. They focus on it. So that’s
what they get – darkness. But that’s not us saints, is it?
We stay in perfect peace when our minds are focused on the
goodness of God, and what His word says about us. When we stay in step with Him
all day and all night, we can’t possibly be sad, worried or depressed. And then
people see it and want to know how we are doing it. Oh friends, what a great
witness it is for people to see us happy (full of real joy) and rich - out
there blessing people.
When they see us never complaining and always walking in love
toward our fellow man, they will think something is up. And to that we can
reply, “You’re right – something is up! God is up on the throne in my heart and because of Him I always prosper in
whatever I do. I have favor with God and man and I lack nothing. I have more
than enough to do everything I need to do and I am a blessing to many people
because of what the Lord has done for me. How about you? Would you like to have
a life like this too?”
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
And because we have Jesus, we are able to walk in the light…
John 8:12
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the
world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of
life.”
Psalm 18:28
For You will light my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
I find it hard to believe now
how much darkness I was walking in during my life before I surrendered to the
Lord in 2005. I knew so little about all of God’s wonderful promises that could
sustain me in this dark world. Jesus said the days were evil and things were
going to get pretty bad before His second return.
When I look at unsaved people
who do not know the Lord, I see such darkness in their faces – and especially
in their eyes. They look so dead. It’s like they are “flat lining” right before
my eyes. It breaks my heart. It really breaks God’s heart because He never
wanted any darkness for the people He created. And some people just give a
blank stare when we talk about the Lord. They just do not get it. But you and I
can walk in the light of His countenance each and every moment that we live
without a care in this world. We have things that we have to deal with, but
when we cast all our cares on Him, we can be free of worry, fear, and anxiety.
I want to live like that, don’t you?
I will fear no evil
While we are walking in the light in the midst of a dark world,
we do not have to fear any evil. The Bible has a lot to say about not fearing,
but I will try to keep this short. God is love and there is no fear in Him. Nor
would any fear ever come from Him. His love in us casts out fear…
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear
involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
The devil is the one who tries
to bring a spirit of fear into our lives. If he can get us to fear, then he has
an open door to come into our lives to bring destruction. Every one of the
points in this Psalm could warrant a full blown teaching. It is challenging to
try to keep it short. This fear thing is a big subject. Too many professing
Christians today are walking in fear instead of faith. The devil has nothing on
us. He cannot do anything to us or in us – that is, unless we let him. But if
we allow him bring the thoughts of fear and we camp on them, then we have left
the faith realm and entered the reasoning realm where the enemy works, and he
has us, hook, line and sinker.
God tells us over and over in
His word to trust Him and not be afraid. Psalm 91 talks about not fearing the
terror and the pestilence, etc. We could go from Genesis to Revelation and
study the topic of fear verses faith, and what we would find is that faith
overcomes fear every time. Addictions are rooted in fear. People are afraid of
lacking something they need, so they grab onto something tangible that will
make them feel good (for the moment). And when the good feeling goes away, (and
it always does) they have to go back for another dose. There are literally
hundreds of verses from the Lord (hoping we will get it) telling us not to
fear…
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with
you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes,
I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
There is only one kind of good fear, and it is the fear of
the Lord. Having a holy, reverential awe of God is a good thing, and a
necessary thing. But we are to fear Him in a frightful way. The wicked and
unsaved folks will fear Him that way on Judgment Day, but we don’t have to.
He is a good God, and He will take care of us when we trust
in Him. So from now on, let’s make up our minds that we will not fear anything
– even death. Dying is a simple thing, like a hand slipping out of a glove.
When we breathe our last, our spirit will slip out of our body and go to be with
the Lord; at least those of us who are saved. And we will feel really good. Hallelujah!
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal
has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we get to the place where we are ready to die at any
moment, then we will not fear anything else in this life either. Praise the
Lord. Dying is a glorious thing for a child of God. But it shouldn’t happen
before a person is good and ready to go, having a sense of accomplishment that
they have completed the work on the earth that the Lord had asked them to do.
Then, like Moses, we can have a chat with the Lord and say, “I believe I am
ready to come home Lord.” And it does not have to be through sickness. So let’s
get rid of all fear right now and make it our goal every minute to walk in
faith and trust God. He is faithful. He will never let us down.
You are with me
Like a little child who finds comfort in knowing that mommy
and daddy are in the next room, we can find comfort in knowing that our
heavenly Father is with us – at all times. I never knew that growing up. Even
though I saw Jesus in my bedroom at the age of 13, I never even began to really
develop a relationship with Him until I turned 50. All the years I wandered
around feeling lonely. Even when I was with people, I still felt lonely.
Granted, we need human companionship, but I felt alone when I was alone, and I
felt alone even with people. Not until I started to get to really know the Lord
did I begin to understand that as a born again child of God, He was always with
me – living inside me. He would be there to talk with. He would talk with me
and I could talk to Him. It’s a glorious thing.
Here is what He said about being with us…
Matthew 28:20b
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And
I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide
with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know
Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I
will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
When
Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure from this earth, He was
telling them that He would send His gift of the Holy Spirit. He was not going
to abandon those who were His. By having Holy Spirit living in us, it is the
same thing as having Jesus Himself living in us. Yes, He is sitting in heaven
with the Father for now, but His Spirit is part of Him – all three are one in
the same God. The greater One is in you and me – so we are never alone. And the
more we draw near to the Lord, the more we sense His presence. There are places
we can go in this world where it is difficult to sense His presence because
they do not honor or love the Lord. But He is still there. He is everywhere at
the same time. But when we go someplace where people love and respect the Lord,
we can sense His presence even stronger. I just left church a short while ago.
We have a Friday night service at 7:30 PM. It is always such a blessing to go.
As we worshiped the Lord, we could sense His presence very strongly. And He said
this…
Matthew
18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the
midst of them.”
So friends, we never have to feel alone – ever. Praise the
Lord!
Your rod and staff, they
comfort me
Some folks do not like the “rod” of correction, but in
reality, it is comforting. If we are not corrected, we are actually hated. The
Bible says so, and it is evident in our world today. Many children have grown
up with no discipline or correction whatsoever, and their lives are a complete
mess. It is a good thing to be corrected, and here is what the Bible says about
our Father correcting us…
Hebrews 12:16
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
Again, we could do a several
week study on these 6 short but very meaningful verses in the Bible. I am
trying to keep it as short as possible for you, so thank you for bearing with
me. For me personally, I would look back now in great appreciation had I had
been privileged to have two loving, stable parents who chastened me and kept me
out of the trouble I got myself into. I can’t blame them for all my mistakes,
but I can know that if someone had been paying attention, I could have been
spared a great deal of grief by having the right instruction when I was growing
up. For those that are like me and didn’t, the Lord is happy to do all the
parenting we will ever need, and all the while He will comfort us along the
way. He is the BEST Father! Hallelujah!
The Shepherd’s staff was used
to guide the sheep and keep them on the right path. We have already talked a
bit about staying on the right path. Holy Spirit acts as a “staff” for us. He
guides us by His gentle prodding in our inner man. He is the still small voice
that tells us what to do and which way to go. That’s all I will say about that
since we have already covered it. There is great comfort in knowing that no
matter what, we have a Great Shepherd who loves us enough to straighten us out
when we need it and also show us the ways to go to keep us moving in the right
direction.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies
This is a wonderful thing to experience. When the enemy is
breathing down our backs, we can be enjoying the blessings, protection and
benefits of fellowship with our Savior. It is surely enough to make them “gnash
their teeth!” When people who have come against us suddenly see us prospering,
it will make them wonder what happened. Again, this is a great evangelistic
tool. We don’t fight against flesh and blood. We fight against the spiritual
forces that are working in and through people. But when those same people suddenly
see the tables turn and they are the ones in trouble while we are flourishing,
it can really be a remarkable voice in the darkness that there really is a God
who helps His people.
I experienced this at my workplace several years ago. While
others were not getting raises, I was. I was getting favor in front of the very
people who had mocked and ridiculed me. I didn’t ask for any harm to come to
anyone, I just asked the Lord to help me in the situation, and He surely did.
It was like having a holy feast right before their very eyes. God’s takes good
care of His kids! Hallelujah!
You anoint my head with oil
In the Bible, oil is a representation of the Holy Spirit. In most
every passage where we see oil being used, it is for good purposes, like being
anointed with the oil of gladness, or anointing someone for a commissioning of
a particular job, like that of a king or priest. It was also used to heal
people. They would lay hands on the sick and anoint them with oil. In this
particular scripture, to be anointed with oil is to be covered with the Holy
Spirit. Remember they did not have the Holy Spirit in them before Jesus came. To
be covered with the Holy Spirit is a blessing on the head of God’s people. Oil
is fragrant, it causes the face to shine and it is to lubricate. The Holy
Spirit in us makes our faces to shine, doesn’t He? And He can soften a hard
heart too!
Maybe the next time you think of the oil being poured over
your head, you might picture Jesus pouring His oil over you. Just stop and
think of it running down…
Psalm 133
Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
3 It is like
the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded
the blessing—
Life forevermore.
My cup runs over
What does it mean to you when you think of your “cup running
over?” Some people have a “cup half full” mentality. But those of us who
believe God is a “more than enough” God, know that He wants to give us “too
much” rather than not enough. He fills our lives with good things, plenty of
them, and in abundance…
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently
obey the voice of the Lord your
God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that
the Lord your God will
set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And
all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the
voice of the Lord your
God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in
the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground
and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring
of your flocks.
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed shall you be when
you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 “The Lord will
cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they
shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 “The Lord will
command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set
your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
9 “The Lord will
establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you
keep the commandments of the Lord your
God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the
earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And
the Lord will grant you
plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock,
and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give
you. 12 The Lord will
open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in
its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many
nations, but you shall not borrow. 13 And the Lord will make you the head and not
the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the
commandments of the Lord your
God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 So
you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go
after other gods to serve them.
And as if this were not enough to convince a person that God
enjoys prospering His people and giving to them until they overflow, there many
more scriptures to back up His desire to do this.
For now, we will look at a couple. Again, this could be a
several week study. There is much to discuss about this. Many Christians think
that to be like Jesus they have to live in poverty. It is a lie from the pit of
hell. There is nothing in scripture which a person could ever use to back up
such a statement – nothing!
Proverbs 3:10
So your barns will be filled with plenty, and
your vats will overflow
with new wine.
Malachi
3:10
Bring
all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the Lord of hosts;
12 “And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
Friends, I hope this helps every one of you to see that God
is an abundant giver. Later on, at the end of this I will talk about how you
can have all the abundance that God wants to give you so that you can prosper
greatly and do the work He has designed you to do in the earth for such a time
as this.
Goodness and mercy follow me
all the days of my life
Have you ever considered what it really means to have
goodness and mercy following you everywhere? How many times have you said this
verse but maybe didn’t realize the fullness of its meaning? Like most of us, we
have allowed religion, (used by the enemy to draw people away from the truths
of God) to glaze over the depth of what His word is really saying to us and for
us. We have missed the way to really use it to our advantage so that we can
rise up high above adversity and have all that we need to do everything we need
to do. We can walk the paths of our lives and see God’s goodness following us
everywhere we go – what a deal!
Psalm 31:19
Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have
laid up for those who fear You, which You
have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!
Psalm 33:5
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Psalm 107:9
For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
Jeremiah 31:14
I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people
shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”
Galatians 5:22-23a
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Friends, if we look back even as far as our own shadow, we
have looked too far. The goodness of God is within us when we are born again.
It is a fruit, (or a product of) His Spirit. His goodness is in us and goes
with us every place that we go – it is never apart from us. And it is all around
us. Oh that we would thank Him for this saints…
Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
And what about His wonderful
mercy, always following us around every day of our life? Who doesn’t need His
mercy? I, for one, have needed a major dose of it on many occasions, and I am
so grateful for it – how about you?
Psalm 136:1
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
In this Psalm, this statement
is repeated 26 times. Do you think He wants us to get it? LOL! Smile. His mercy
always goes with us – and that’s a promise we can take to the heavenly bank
friends. Hallelujah! I don’t ever have to wonder if His mercy is on me – I know
it is.
I will dwell in the house of
the Lord forever
Forever will be a long time, won’t it? Where do you want to
live in your forever? I bet you said, “Heaven!” That’s the only place to be.
The other choice is no option as far as I’m concerned and we don’t want to see
anyone decline the beautiful joy of living with God forever. And our forever
starts right now, even while we are on the earth. Eternity does not begin after
we die.
We get eternal life the day we accept Jesus Christ as our
Lord, and the eternal life promise begins right then. I used to say something
really stupid out of ignorance. I would say, “Lord, if I could just have a spot
in the corner of heaven with You when I die, I will be happy.” How foolish that
was! He is building my mansion right now - every detail. While I am busy taking care of His
house in this life, He is busy there in heaven building mine. And the same is
true even while I am here – glory to God. The more rewards I get, the better. I
want to dwell with Him here, and there. Don’t you get excited at the thought?
There’s no better place to be. It’s what makes living among all this darkness
here bearable. We will get to be with Him in glory one day, and we will never
know darkness again. It is better to be with the Lord, but for now, we have
work to do.
Psalm 26:8
Lord, I have
loved the habitation of Your house, and the place
where Your glory dwells.
Psalm 27:4
One thing I
have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.
Psalm 92:13
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish in the courts of our God.
Psalm 84:10
For a day in Your courts is better than a
thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than
dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Friends, these verses, like Psalm 91 are actual words that we
can proclaim over our lives. Any word of God that we speak over ourselves in
faith will surely come to pass. Remember that Jesus is the High Priest of our
confession. He is waiting for us to agree with and speak God’s word so He can
bring it to pass for us – glory to His name forever! That’s the key to success –
faith in God’s word. And we keep saying it until it comes to pass, no matter
how long it takes. We do not listen to what people say, or what the devil says.
We say and agree with what God says. So the next time the devil tries to tell
you a lie, look back at him and tell him what God says about that and go on
down the road. Leave him to lick his own dust! Ha!
I will attach a magazine article from Kenneth Copeland’s free
monthly magazine. This article may be very eye opening to many – and I hope it
is. It will teach everyone how to have whatever they need in life and never
experience sickness or lack again. Kenneth is a grandfather in the faith and I
have very high regard for him. At age 79 he is healthy and going strong as he
preaches the word of God all over the world, leading many to righteousness –
praise God.
He can be seen on Roku, the internet, DISH, and other forms
of media. If you haven’t listened to him, I highly recommend it. You will be
glad you did. I close with this: the next time you read this Psalm out loud for
yourself, I hope you will take the time to really allow the depth of it and the
truth for your own life to sink down deep into your soul and spirit. As you
build yourself up on your most holy faith, your spirit will grow stronger and
stronger. Then the devil will get to a point where he is sorry that he ever
messed with you – praise God!
Questions:
What about this Psalm encourages you the most?
Briefly describe what each verse means to you personally after
reading this study. Ask God to help you see things in it just for you.
When was the last time you spoke, or professed God’s word out
loud over your life?
What changes will you make in your routine because of what
you learned today?
Make a list of things that you want to profess over your
life. Write them down and say them every day. Agree with God’s word so that you
can see it come to pass for you.
There are three main points to
consider from today’s study…
This Psalm is for you personally –
Your Great Shepherd has provided it for you
This Psalm will work for you when
you put your faith to it
Jesus is our Great Shepherd who
provides our every need
Let’s
pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Jesus – our Great Shepherd! Thank You for the
many good things that these verses promise for me. Help me to remember that all
I need is to work my faith on each verse and speak them out loud. Father,
according to Your word, it cannot fail. From this day forward I am putting my
trust in Your word and faith in Your promises for my life. I refuse to fear, doubt
or worry any longer. From now on, with Your help, I will walk out of any pit I
have been in and I will live the rest of my days in the house of the Lord where
Your goodness and mercy shall follow me forever in Jesus name. Amen.
Did you know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
Isaiah
40:8
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands
forever.”
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