Monday, February 4, 2008

We Got The Power!

According to David in PS 23 we do have the power. As I was reading this PS. yesterday, I was suddenly blown away by the words. We read this over and over, this is probably the second Bible verse we memorized as a child after John 3:16. As a child this verse would scare me when I read it, because then I didn't fully understand what it was saying. And then even as I grew into an adult and was not yet saved and living for Christ, I would still avoid reading this PS. I mean if you think about it, if you just read this to a kid or an unsaved person, it could easily be mis-interpreted, and make you only think of death. Or the first part saying, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
You could read this, and I did for a long time as I do not want the Lord. Don't you know the devil was having a hay-day with me and others like me who read this verse this way. Then next thing you know you are walking through a valley of death. Who wants to walk through a valley of death? Especially, if you are a kid. You are thinking, I don't want to die! And as an unsaved adult, you are probably thinking like me, well, that's it, I have done it now, the Lord is telling me I am going to walk through this valley of death for all my badness. I mean really stop and think about it. How many times have you shared this verse with a new Christian or a child in Sunday School and not took the time to break it down for them, and explain it's wonderful meaning, instead of just teaching them to memorize it. Ok, I might be the only one out here who didn't understand this verse, but I doubt it. So Sunday school teachers, and all you who are sharing this verse with someone, please take time to explain the meaning.

PS 23. vs 1...The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want....
This verse is saying you shall never want for anything as long as you are following Him. He will meet your every need in life..
vs 2...He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters...
You know what they say, the grass is always greener on the other side. In this case, if you stay on God's path the grass will be green and fruitful. If you are following Him, you will not be toiling with hard soil (a hard heart), you will have a heart that is ready to receive. In other words good soil. The still waters is like the calm that He gives you in your storms (trials).
vs. 3...He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake...
It doesn't matter what you have done, He cleansed you with His blood when you repented and accepted Him as your Savior. And if you will stay focused on Him, He will keep you on His path.
vs. 4...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 do not have to fear any longer, because He did not give you a spirit of fear, and He has already conquered death, so you will not feel the sting of death. When you go through your trials, and tribulations, He will be right there with you to bring you through them. He will not leave you in the middle of the valley, No, He will bring you all the way through to the other side. There is no darkness when you follow Him.
vs. 5... you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over...
He has already made an escape route for you, when the enemy tries to attack you, you have the anointing of God on your head, (the AUTHORITY we talked about ) the power to defeat whatever this world throws at you, because He has already conquered all evil and sin. You are full of the Holy Spirit if you are a child of God and your power is running over. You do not have to worry about running short on power.
vs. 6.. surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever...
When you are a child of God, and you follow in Christ footsteps, and live your life for Him, you cannot help but have goodness and mercy surrounding you. Evil does not come from God, it comes from the devil, so if you stay in the word, and stay on Christ's path, you will have goodness and mercy. You will have more than enough. You will be blessed above and beyond. And you will dwell in the house of the Lord FOREVER. Pay attention to that last word. If you are a born again Christian you will live with the Lord in His House FOREVER. So quit questioning your salvation. If you are living like Christ instructs you to live, and you have accepted Him as your Lord, and Savior you will live with Him and the Father in their Kingdom FOREVER!!! And if you are still questioning your salvation, then maybe you need to look at how you are living, because Christ left you with Peace and a sound mind, you can not have these if you are questioning your salvation. Quit putting so much thought on the saying "once saved always saved", you would not even be thinking about it if you truly are living for Him. The question would not even come up in your mind. When people try to attack you with that saying, (and that is what they are doing) then they are judging you and your relationship with Christ. No one knows your heart but the LORD. So get with Him, and pray for forgiveness and ask Him to show you what it is you need to do to have His Peace dwell in you. We all make mistakes, but that is not the end of our salvation. God is not so fickle, as to say OK you're saved, ooops you messed up, now you are not saved, ok, you did good again, you are saved again, ooops no you're not, you messed up again. Can you imagine trying to think of God as having that sort of mind set? Really, if that is what people think, then they have not got a clue as to who our God really is.

Remember, WE GOT THE POWER, and we got if from HIM!
Neta

No comments: