RECAP 03.04.20

Good Morning Sisters,

RICH, DEEP and highly ANOINTED with fresh revelation! We will never look at “I Shall Not Want” in the same light! The Holy Spirit ministered to our deepest spiritual needs. God’s words penetrated our souls with such ease, giving our souls a peace and contentment not found in this world.

We started our evening with prayer and devotions. The devotions set the foundation for our teaching. So many of the problems we face in our lives have a root of fear. A shining example of how fear can rob of us our destiny can be found in the life of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son. Being the first born he was first in line for the kingship, the priest hood and the double portion. Because of his decision to commit incest he lost it all. (He slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah) The kingship went to Judah. The priesthood went to Levi and the double portion went to Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph’s sons. In Hebrew the name “Bilhah” means “to fear, to be troubled, to be terrified.” Reuben abdicated his high position to go to bed with fear. As long as you look to Jesus you’re at a high place. Don’t go to bed with fear! The Hebrew word for “fear” means “to be hasty.” At the root of haste is some fear that is troubling your heart. We need to slow down, breathe and enjoy our lives. People who are always rushed, always in a hurt have a root of fear.

Is your life being tossed by a sea of turbulence? What can we glean from the story found in Matthew 14:24-32?

“Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves.  At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid."  Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come ahead." But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"  Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?" The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down.”

In those days the night was divided into four watches. 6pm-9pm was the first watch, 9:00pm-12:00am was the second watch, 12:00am-3:00am was the third watch and 3:00am-6pm was the fourth watch. The fourth watch was the darkest time as it’s always the darkest before dawn. The darkest time in the disciples’ lives was the 4th watch.

In your darkest hour Jesus does not leave you alone. He comes to you. Look at the style in which He comes. He comes walking ON the sea. He was walking ON the very problem that was threatening to overwhelm them. He comes walking on top of the sea towards them. The sea that was threatening to drown them He comes walking ON TOP OF IT towards them. It’s like walking on Satan’s head toward you. Walking on your financial troubles towards you, walking on your disease toward you. Walking on your depression. The Lord on high is ABOVE the waters! He does not abandon you in your darkest hour. HE IS OUR SHEPHERD AND WE SHALL NOT BE IN WANT!

After devotions we plunged into Chapter 2. WOW!!! I have been reading this psalm for many years and NEVER saw what I saw this week. My eyes were opened! A deep perspective that gave fresh new meaning to the verse. It cleared up so much confusion that I had in my heart that I didn’t even know was there. I literally saw it in a whole new light! I find that studying God’s word can be compared to that of a diamond...so many beautiful facets and the more you look the shinier and more radiant it becomes. You start seeing the sparkle and brilliance that was always there but hidden in plain sight. It’s remarkable and utterly amazing to see all ALL of the fresh manna God is giving our generation. Oh how we ALL need the stress relief. Oh how we ALL need peace and contentment in our lives. The stress and anxiety are rooted in fear, fear of surrendering control of our lives to our shepherd. A control that we never really had. We’ll never be secure as captains of our own ships. Like the Titanic we will always hit an iceberg.

It was very humbling to learn why God compares us to sheep. I knew nothing about sheep until this study. They are not the smartest of animals and will not thrive or survive without their shepherd. As you read my notes below I pray that will spend some alone time with the Lord and allow Him to minister to you. It is no accident that we have been led to this study. The Lord wants to position us for the harvest of 2020. We must be at REST to receive.

Today, as a ministry, we are FASTING food until noon. As we fast we pray in the spirit for the needs of our ministry, our families, our communities and our nation. As we get closer to the return of our Savior the warfare will continue to increase. Our weapon is God’s Word. We must be fasting, praying, speaking and resting in the arms of our shepherd.

THANK YOU for the love and support of this ministry! We are in a great season of sign, wonders and miracles! 2020 is the year we will SEE ourselves and our circumstances through the eyes of our King! We are living in exciting and unprecedented times! It is a blessing and great privilege to be taking this journey with you. Our greatest days are ahead!

Next week we’ll dive into Chapter 3 “He Maketh Me to Lie Down in Green Pastures”. Please invest the time this week to read and meditate on the meat of this chapter.

Everyone is LOVING this study...the Lord knew exactly what we needed for this season of life.

May God Bless you and keep you my beloved Sisters in Christ! I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday!

Love,

Sherry :-)

My Notes on Chapter 2 “I Shall Not Be in Want”

Psalm 23 ministers to our deepest spiritual needs. Many memorized this psalm as a child but have never studied it in detail. This is a psalm for people who, like David, are experiencing a major upheaval in their life. Do you have children who are rebelling? Is your home in turmoil? Going through a long term relationship breaking up? This psalm is written for you.

It is a psalm for people who are shaken and in turmoil.

If your world seems chaotic or unfulfilling, ask yourself, “Am I allowing God to lead me?”

If God is our Shepherd, that means we give Him control of our life. When we do, look at what there is to gain. God will meet our needs. Dr. Caroline Leaf said “You are afraid of surrender because you don’t want to lose control, but you never had control: all you had was anxiety.”

God is sovereign and is always in control of what is happening, but He has also given us free will. That means we can choose to let God lead our lives or we can choose not to. When we choose to be the captain of our own ships, it’s the same as choosing to be led by our own selfish desires.

Keller starts by describing what it means to “not want”. He describes it as not only lacking anything but also trusting in the shepherd and not desiring anything more than he provides.

“I shall not be in want.” Isn’t this a strange statement for a man like David to make? That is, if we only think in terms of physical or material needs. Not only had he been chased repeatedly by the forces of his enemy Saul but also estranged from his son Absolom, who rebelled against him and toppled him from the throne. He was obviously a man who knew deep personal pain, hardship and poverty. Therefore we know from David’s life that as sheep in our shepherd’s care does not mean that we will never experience lack or need. Look at the lives of Elijah, John the Baptist, and our Lord Jesus. All of them experienced great personal lack. hardship and adversity. Jesus even warned his disciples of it before His departure…”In this world you will have tribulation...but be of good cheer...I have overcome the world.”  One of the lies that many modern Christians believe is that if a man or woman is prospering financially it is a sign of God’s blessing upon his or her life. This is simply not true. Do you know of anyone in the Bible that did anything for the kingdom that did not experience hardship?

Revelation 3:17 says “Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked…”

Therefore, we can conclude (based on the teachings of the Bible) that David was not referring to material or physical poverty when he said “I shall not be in want.”

Are you a sheep utterly satisfied with its owner, perfectly content with its lot in life”?

The definition of “content” is: satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else. What does it mean in your life to be content?

Contentment should be the hallmark of the person who has put her faith in the hands of God. This especially applies in the affluent age we live today. The age when people are looking for the material things of the world to satisfy their souls. Next new Iphone, bigger house, newer car. They are searching for security and contentment in all the wrong places...safety beyond themselves. Our culture is restless, unsettled and greedy...always wanting more yet never satisfied in spirit.

I have a friend who recently traveled with missionaries to Uganda. The experience has transformed her. She couldn’t believe how kind, thankful and gracious these people were. They had nothing in the physical sense yet seemed so content.

She was humbled to go into the homes where men and women were rich in spirit, generous in heart and large of soul.

When you know that you are under God’s care and when you have entrusted yourself to Christ’s control you will find contentment. We must be satisfied with His management of our lives.

How can you apply these scriptures to your life?

Revelation 3:17 “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

Mark 10:21 “Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Have you allowed the Lord to manage your life or are you managing it on your own? If you have, are you satisfied with His management?

Characteristics of a good shepherd:

*A shepherd is on the job 24 hours a day, making sure that his sheep are properly provided for in every detail.

*He is the owner who delights in his flock. For Him there is no greater satisfaction than that of seeing His sheep contented, well fed, safe, and flourishing under His care. He gives ALL He has to it. He literally lays Himself out for those who are His.

*He supplies them with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed, and clean water. He spares no pain providing protection from predators and shelter from storms. It is no surprise that Jesus said…”I am the Good Shepherd...the Good Shepherd that gives his life for the sheep. And again, I am come that ye might have life and that ye might have it more abundantly.”

*He repeatedly throughout the day casts his eyes over the flock to make sure all is well. From early dawn until late at night the selfless Shepherd watches over His flock. He sleeps with one eye open and both ears open ready at the least sign of trouble to jump up and protect his own.

Some Christians are not comfortable with His control . They become dissatisfied thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. These are carnal Christians…”fence crawlers” who want the best of both worlds. Mr. Keller had a sheep like this. Her name was Mrs. Gad-about. He said that she produced more problems for him than almost all of the rest of the flock combined. No matter what field she was in she was always searching for a way to feed on the other side. She was restless, discontent and a fence crawler. She was never content with things as they were. When she managed to get under the fence she would end up feeding on brown, inferior pasture. She never learned her lesson. She eventually taught her lambs to do the same thing. She led them through the same holes and over the same dangerous paths down by the sea. Her discontent led to her demise. In spite of all that he had done for her she still wanted something else. This is a warning to the carnal Christian...the back slider...the one who wants the best of both worlds.

Because the Lord is my shepherd, I do not lack anything. He satisfies my needs. That is the place to which God wants to bring us. He wants us to be independently dependent upon him, to need him alone. There are really only two options in life. If the Lord is my shepherd, then I shall not want; but if I am in want, then it is obvious that the Lord is not my shepherd. It is that simple. If there is emptiness, loneliness. despair and frustration in our lives, then the Lord is not our shepherd. Or, if anyone or anything else is shepherding us, we are never satisfied.

If our career shepherds us, then there is restlessness and feverish activity and frustration. If education is our shepherd, then we are constantly being disillusioned. If another person is our shepherd, we are always disappointed and ultimately we are left empty. If drugs are our shepherd, as one rock artist said recently, then "we are wasted". But if the Lord is our shepherd, David says, we shall not want. Is the Lord YOUR shepherd?

If Jesus is to be our shepherd, then we have to begin by recognizing that we are sheep. Why sheep? Sheep are, beyond question, the most stupid animals on the face of the earth. They are dumb, dirty timid, defenseless and helpless. They are always getting lost and hurt. They literally do not know enough to come in out of the rain.

And then to have God tell us that WE ARE SHEEP! Does that hurt your feelings just a little bit? If we’re honest with ourselves we know it’s true. Without Christ we lack wisdom and strength. We’re inclined to be self-destructive. As the song says, "I'm prone to wander." Isaiah said it best: "We are all like sheep who have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way," (Isaiah 53:6). We all have a tendency toward self-indulgent individualism, going our own way and doing our own thing. That's you. That’s me. We’re sheep. And if Jesus Christ is to be our shepherd, we have to admit that we need one. It is difficult, but that is where we must start. Once we admit that need we discover the truth of what David is saying. We shall not want.

How does He meet our needs?

The first thing he does is to meet the needs of the inner man, the basic needs that we have for nourishment within. The basic needs of a flock of sheep are grass and water. Here we see the picturesque scene of sheep bedded down in grassy meadows, having eaten until their bellies are full and are now totally satisfied, and then being led by still waters. Did you know that sheep are afraid of running water? They will drink only from a quiet pool. A good shepherd, particularly in a semi-arid region such as Palestine, knows where the watering holes are. He knows where the grassy meadows are. And so he leads the sheep into places where they can rest and feed, and where they can drink. The picture is one of calm and tranquility, because the basic needs of the sheep are met.

This is true in our lives too.  Our basic need in life is PEACE. Without it we can find no joy in this life. The opposite of peace is anxiety which is running rampant in our world today.

We find our peace and tranquility through HIS WORD. When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert Jesus said “man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)  It is God who restores the inner man through His word. As we feed upon the word of God we see the Lord Jesus there. We draw upon him and our inner man is satisfied.

The Word of God does this for us. It brings us, first, to the person of Christ. "Beyond the sacred page," the hymn says, "we see thee, Lord." We see him, and we eat and drink of him, and we discover him to be the resource that we need. As Paul says, "Though the outward man perishes, the inward man is renewed day by day," (2 Corinthians 4:15 KJV). Our souls are restored. How? As we feed upon him. As we come to know him, believe what he says, and act on his word, we discover that the inner man is fed.

Have you discovered that access? In our dark hours of need, when we cast about for help, it is no farther away than God's word. Everything we need to nourish our inner man is right there. As Peter says, "In Christ all things are given unto us that pertain to life and godliness," (2 Peter 1:3). Everything we need which relates to life and to living godly lives in the world is available in Him.

Do you find that you struggle between “two masters”? If so, what are the “two masters” in your life and what will you do about it?

Matthew 6:24-34 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Take time to dwell on this and ask God how you can apply it to your life.

Mr. Keller states in the book, “It is the boss – manager – the Master in people’s lives who makes the difference in their destiny.” Do you agree with that? Why or why not? What is your destiny?

We read the sad story about “Mrs. Gadabout.” She had so much potential, but refused to be content with what her master gave her. Not only did she refuse to be content, but she chose to lead others astray. Is there any part of your life where you are a Mrs. Gadabout? Have you ever led others astray? The Lord can redeem those reckless times in your life. Pray about it and see if you need to talk to that person and make it right.

Philippines 4:11-13

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Is this the attitude of your heart? Write a prayer out to God, confirming that He is enough and that you will be satisfied with whatever lot in life He gives you.