The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Lack Nothing

PSALM 23:1-4
“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.
”‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1-4‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://www.bible.com/114/psa.23.1-4.nkj

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David, in describing Jesus as a shepherd, wrote out his personal experiences because he himself had spent much of his early years caring for sheep (1 SAMUEL 16:10-11).
Just like sheep are completely dependent on their shepherd for their provision, we believers ought to be dependent on Jesus, for He is our shepherd.
The New Testament Scripture describes Jesus as the good shepherd (JOHN 19:11) the great shepherd (HEBREWS 13:20), and the chief shepherd (1 PETER 5:4).
Since the Lord is the good shepherd, we are his sheep-safe in His hand of protection.
Though sheep themselves tend to follow the flock regardless of where the leaders take them, we are not supposed to be frightened passive animals, but loyal, obedient followers of Christ.
We believers need to be mindful of where our church leaders are taking us, and that Christ is the only head.
Jesus said, ““I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.””
‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
When we humbly allow Jesus to guide us, we will have contentment, for He is our creator; He knows us better than we know ourselves. But when we go our own way, walking in the flesh, we shall naturally resort to sin (GALATIANS 5:19-21) and lead ourselves into a life of stress, strife, and eventual death and destruction.
My beloved, the truth is, anything that opposes God’s will is sin, including many of the money making projects that are put together by church leadership.
There is no place for the prosperity preaching in God’s kingdom.
Many say, “women must not preach,” but the truth is, nor should men, but Christ in them should do it.
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭26‬-‭29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
We cannot blame God for the environment we have made for ourselves by our own foolishness.
If we choose to follow stray sheep, they will lead us to the pits of hell.
But our shepherd knows what is good for us; He leads us to the “green pastures” and the “still waters” that will give us rest, and restore us.
But the truth is, we can only reach these places of contentment by obediently walking in the Spirit (GALATIANS 5:16-26) and being part of Christ five fold ministry (EPHESIANS 4:12), apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelist.
Many church leaders oppose apostles and prophets because their instructions conflict with their man made projects designed to bring in money and expand their business.
But apostles and prophets are needed and must be accepted to keep the church on track.
“”For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.””
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing good, for He is your helper who shall be with you and in you.
Jesus said, ““If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 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. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
When we rebel against the leading of the great shepherd, we are rebelling against our own interests and lose the protection God gives us.
But when we remain loyal and obedient, we will keep our peace, even when walking through the valley of the shadow of death.
We may be able to struggle with all other enemies: pain, suffering, sickness, injuries, but no matter how much strength and courage we might have, we cannot overcome death. It always has the final say.
Only Jesus can walk us through shadow of death and bring us safely to the other side. He is the chief shepherd! He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Only through His sacrifice and resurrection can anyone receive the gift of life everlasting.
There is no other way, only Jesus can save you. He said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10:10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Put your trust in the good shepherd, the great shepherd, the chief shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.
He suffered and died on a cross that you might receive the gift of life, and have it more abundantly and forever.
Truly I tell you as I have told you before, ““Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
But my brethren, do not become complacent, for ““The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
One’s heart is of the flesh and shall if allowed by its very nature, drag him into sin and death.
Therefore my beloved, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
My beloved, “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.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
This psalm is the testimony of king David, let it be yours too. With Christ, he took down Goliath (1 SAMUEL 17) and you too, can take down the Goliath’s in your life.
He picked up five smooth stones from of the brook (1 SAMUEL 17:40), the waters of Christ, which represent Christ’s five fold ministry of today.
Though He slung just one stone, he had to involve all five. Therefore, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Give your heart to Jesus and follow Him along side the still waters of Jesus Christ with a restored soul, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ (PHILIPPIANS 4:7)..
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.