The Lord In The Midst

A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 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 overflows.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23 NIV

It is The Lord who should be guiding us in all we do, not a man or a woman–those who are mere mortals.

It is The Lord who gives us courage to do all we need to do or say.

It is The Lord who strengthens us to stand against the evil that so easily pervades a nation.

It is The Lord who has determined that goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives.

It is The Lord who speaks through us when we speak truth to power for He is truth.

It is The Lord who gave Himself as a sacrifice for all mankind–not any man or woman–those mere mortals.

It is The Lord who will save us and not us in the midst of all the foolishness and chaos.

It is The Lord who walks with us and talks with us when no one else is around, guiding us to His Word.

It is The Lord who will ultimately see all the wrong righted and the evil defeated by whatever name it sows discord.

It is The Lord who will determine our eternal resting place–be it heaven or the lake of fire–based upon what we do, not what others do.

It is The Lord who will guide all who have a heart to hear Him and obey.

When The Lord is in the midst of our plans, He will bring it to pass.

Who is The Lord? He is the God of Heaven, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit walking in lockstep, watching all we do, hearing all we say, and loving us no matter what, yet correcting us when we disobey or miss the path He has designed for us.

The Lord is truth and light and there is no darkness in Him.

The Lord abhors lies and liars and has prepared the lake of fire for all who lie.

The Lord does not force His Will upon anyone, but allows us choice in all we do.

The Lord loves and imparts His love upon all who will receive, never allowing the darkness of hate to enter into His heart or ours.

In Him, we find all we need to inspire us to greatness and in doing great things, yet keeping us humble and our focus on Him. In Him, we have a shelter and haven from all the sick minds that promote hatred out of their own bitterness and anger. In Him, we find a gathering place where neither gender or skin tones matter. In Him, is our hope for peace on earth and eternal rest with Him.

I cast all my cares upon Him and I lean upon Him for guidance in my life for next three years and beyond as I journey into the political arena. I’m trusting Him to keep my integrity intact, my honor exposed for all to see and the love in my heart overflowing onto every Everyday American with whom I come into contact. He has promised in His Word that when we delight in Him, He gives us the desires of our hearts and I desire to serve all Americans with respect and dignity and to maintain the office of the presidency with all the sanctity it deserves. This I declare by Him who is Holy and all-knowing!

 

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As Long As God Is

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NIV

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,  he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 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 overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23 NIV

I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. 2 Corinthians 7:4 NIV

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. Psalm 37:3-13 NIV

This day and every day, we need reminding that as long as God is still on the throne, we can trust Him to keep His promises and we have no need to fear man. And while we have no need to fear man, we do need to be watchmen and warn others of the impending dangers. That is the role of the watchman and everyone who proclaims that Jesus Christ is Lord–is a watchman.

The Lord has encouraged my heart and reminded me that as long as I hear Him and obey, He will continue to bless me. Therefore, this morning after I woke up and before I got out of bed, I heard Him say, As Long As He Is…we can make it.

As long as God is the authority in our lives, we have no need to fear what man or woman should say or do.

As long as God is the Alpha and Omega in our lives, we have no need for mere man to guide us in anything.

As long as God is the light we see in the midst of darkness, our hope shall overcome anything the wicked attempt to do.

As long as God is the answer to every question, we shall continue to encourage one another in His love.

As long as God is hope of glory in the heart of every Believer, we have no need for anyone to control us or have any authority in our lives.

As long as God is the only self-existing, self-sufficient One in our lives, we have no need to depend on others who are dependent upon Him.

As long as God is the voice of reason to which we hear and obey, we shall not fear what the enemy does for our reward for living according to God’s Word is secure with Him.

As long as God Is, we have no need to depend upon the voices of others that waver and promote fear instead of love.

Though there may be clouds in our lives and darkness attempts to shut out the light, when we know our relationship with Jesus Christ is what it should be, we will survive and thrive, watching how God shows Himself so all will see.  He is the light in the midst of darkness; He is our hope and as long as we know, we are strengthened by His joy in us, we can make it!

As long as God Is not a man we know will never lie to us or mislead us, we can rest–assured of His love and His faithfulness.

As long as God is the Great Shepherd in our lives, we can trust Him and have no need for those who won’t do as He does.

Throughout the Bible, we are reminded of His love for us, His faithfulness to us, and His mercy and grace that are poured out upon us, daily! If we are more dependent upon His Word and a right relationship with Him, He will keep us from being misled by the words and works of the enemy.

We know He is love and will only promote love.

We know He is light and will not attempt to hide who He is in darkness or dark ways.

We know He is truth and cannot lie.

And we know that there is no other name by which we can be saved– other than Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

 

 

 

 

Know His Voice and Follow!

“But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. “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” (John 10:26-28 NKJV).

What would happen to children if they did not know their parent’s voice in the midst of chaos–in a crowd? What usually happens when children hear their parent’s voice and they recognize what’s about to happen because they know the “tone”of that voice?

In response to questions by the religious leaders of the day, who kept trying to determine who Jesus was, He told them–and basically what He was saying was this–“because I did not give you the answer you wanted to hear, you do not believe me.” But then He continues by letting them know–they did not really know or understand God by being in relationship with Him; if they did,they would have recognized that Jesus was only doing what the Father had instructed Him to do.

We cannot hear God or understand clearly what scripture is saying to us today, unless we have a relationship with God and know His voice above all the mindless, godless chatter that we hear. Not everyone who professes to believe in God–knows His voice. But those who have a relationship with Him–can commune with Him–and know His voice and follow the Great Shepherd.

The shepherd’s role in the natural is to take care of the sheep–feed, protect, and guide. The role of the Great Shepherd is the same–provide for us, protect us and guide us and we are protected from the enemy when we “hear His voice” and “follow” His instructions and directions.”

The enemy (sometimes in sheep’s clothing) deceives and masquerades as a ministering angel, but is role is to steal, kill, and destroy. He is a master of deception and the father of liars. The enemy today, attempts to thwart the Word of God by twisting and curling God’s Word into so many knots of deception that they really make themselves look foolish. Anyone who has a relationship with God is not deceived or fooled by the machinations of the enemy and God will not allow those who know Him to become fuel for the fodder that the enemy spreads.

If greatness for any nation is going to abound–it will be because of those who “know God’s voice and follow Him,” not the latest trends of treachery and political correctness. God is yet speaking, but many are  not hearing or believing because they do not know His voice.

Know the voice of God by comprehending clearly His Written Word and communing with Him on a daily basis. When we lack wisdom–we seek Him, not those who do not know the voice of God and we know them because of their lack of understanding God. Don’t put yourself in the position to be plucked out of God’s hand because of the enemy’s deceptive practices.  Remember–he wants to destroy every chance of happiness and joy that God has promised. The enemy will lie at every turn and try to use God’s Word to support his lie. When we know the Word, we cannot be deceived by those who manipulate the Word for their advantage. God knows who belongs to Him and He knows who the enemy is and those who are cloaked in deceptive practices.

Know God’s voice and do not follow the others who attempt to mimic Him!

Psalm 23 v 4

Psalm 23:4

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

In the first part of this verse, we understand that David was telling God that no matter where he went, he went with the confidence that God was with him and he had no need to fear. Although most of us are not walking through dark valleys, our lives sometimes seem to have been overtaken by darkness and all of the evil that encompasses darkness. But since we know that God has not given us a spirit of fear, we need not fear anything the darkness has to offer.  We are the light in a world of darkness—set apart so that all men and women would come to know Jesus.

The tools of the trade for a shepherd are indeed a rod and a staff.  The rod he uses to prod the sheep and to protect them; the staff (that has a hook on the top end) he uses to rescue them should they end up in treacherous situations—like falling over a cliff.  Imagine the rod and staff (through the Holy Spirit) that God uses on our behalf.  His Word is the rod that prods us to move forward and as a reminder to deflect the influences of satan. The Holy Spirit is the staff that rescues us when we end up in treacherous places and we are comforted by the knowledge that, “He will never leave us or forsake us.”

If you are fearful of dark alleys or dark days or evil in the ways of others, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you through The Word and know comfort and love from above.

Psalm 23 v 2

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters”

            In order to get a better understanding of this verse, one needs to understand the symbolic representation as well as the concrete.

“He” is referencing the Great Shepherd as continued from verse 1.

“Makes me lie down in green pastures” can be misleading to some if we attempt to take the word makes literally.  He provides us with opportunities—whether we take them or not, that’s on us—in rich environments, environments that are ripe with possibilities.  Are you dwelling in a rich environment, ripe with opportunities, just waiting for your unique touch?  We do when we follow His lead.  Like the old adage says, “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink it.” I can imagine that God feels the same way about us when we do not follow His directions in leading us.  We complain and wonder what happened, but we seldom look to self as the culprit.

Then after He leads us to the opportunity, He “leads us beside quiet waters,” provides us with the space (learning patience) we need to maintain peace—in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our country.  Before we can attempt to create peace outside of ourselves, we must know the peace of God and that peace should dwell within us.  We should not be so easily moved by every trial and tribulation that confronts with emotional irrationality. Emotional reactions to any situation will generally lead to miscalculations about what should be done and when.  When peace resides, calm, rational thinking can reign and the end results will be more harmonious and resemble godliness than without it.

Allow Him to bring you into the place where opportunities abound and peace resides richly wherever you go!