Facing the future without fears

A lot of people spend so much time worrying about tomorrow that they never enjoy today.

As David concludes Psalm 23, he is not afraid:

Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord forever."

You too can be free of anxiety, fear and worry about the future. Here's why:

1. God is watching over you.  When we have a personal relationship with God, then we have a God who is concerned about us. He loves us.  Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

2. God's Grace is working in you. Not only goodness will follow you.... "mercy will follow me all the days of my life." What is Grace?  Grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace is the fact that God gives you what you need, not what you deserve. Mercy is Grace in action.  Why do we need Mercy?  Because we make mistakes, we falter, we sin. We're not perfect.

So in the future, you not only need God's Grace, you will also need His Mercy.

3. Heaven is waiting for you. "... and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  God says "I have this life planned for you and surely Goodness and Mercy will follow you through it..... but that's not the end!"  God builds it to a crescendo!  And David ends this Psalm with "We are going to Heaven!"

Who is Heaven made for?  Not everyone.  It is made for those who say "God, I want to be a child of God. I want to follow You."

It isn't up to you to make sure you get to Heaven safely.  Once you commit your life to Christ, He will make sure you get there safely because you are truly trusting Him.

How do you know you're going to Heaven? Jesus says "my sheep listen to me and follow me."  Are you listening to what God says to do with your life? Are you following Jesus Christ? Is He your Shepherd and your Savior?

If you say, Yes, I'm listening to God and I'm trying to let Him lead my life, letting Jesus Christ be my Savior; I know I'd never get to Heaven on my own and I'm trusting Him.  Then you can say with absolute confidence, Surely I know I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This concludes my writings on Psalm 23.  If I were to sum up what we've learned, I would say this:  The good Shepherd provides protection, provision, peace, providence, companionship (His presence), and paradise. Jesus is all you need.

God's Antidote to your Hurt

Psalm 23 verse 5 says:

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows.

How do you handle your hurts? Many times we handle hurts in the wrong manner. Today I want to talk about some WRONG ways to handle hurt and then I’ll talk about the RIGHT ways to handle hurt.

Four wrong ways to handle hurt:

 1. Ignore it. – We say, “That didn’t hurt me;” I’ll deal with it later;” “It’s no big deal.” Ignoring your hurt never heals it.

Look at what Psalm 39 says about trying to ignore hurt:  “But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased. My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned…” (v.2, 3)

2. Run from it.  We find activities to take our mind off the hurt. But when we return, the problem is still there.

3. Hide it. We might wear a mask and say “everything is fine.” Revealing your feelings, however, is the beginning of healing. Sometimes it helps to talk to a Christian you trust.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, so that you may be healed. - James 5:16

4. Worry over it. If Christ is really in charge – why should I worry? Worry never solves problems. It never heals hurts. The more you worry about it, the bigger it seems.

Three right ways to deal with hurt:

1. Let Jesus PROTECT YOU. Sheep have many enemies – wolves, coyotes, bears, snakes. Sheep are defenseless animals. They don’t run fast. They don’t have sharp teeth. They don’t have claws. They need protection and only the Shepherd can provide that. The job of the Shepherd is to lead, feed, and protect.  Romans 12 says:  Repay no one evil for evil…If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Romans 12:17-19  Part of having faith in God, is trusting that He will protect you – even from your enemies. The longer you try to get revenge, the longer you are not trusting God.

2. Let Jesus HEAL YOU.   Shepherds used an oil mixture on their sheep to protect their flock from enemies (flies, mosquitoes, etc). Sometimes He heals by sending people to help us – that is called fellowship. Sometimes He heals by making His presence known in our lives.  Sometimes the healing takes place right away and sometimes it takes time. But God always heals if we trust Him. He heals the brokenhearted – it is a promise you can count on.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. - Psalm 23:5

3. Let Jesus BLESS YOU. In the Bible an overflowing cup is a symbol for total satisfaction. It represents that all our needs are cared for. We are totally taken care of… totally blessed. If you have Jesus as your Savior, you can say “My cup overflows. My life is spilling over with His blessings.”

God never stops filling your cup. You are always welcome at His house. He even says, “I’ll prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies; I’ll anoint your head with oil; your cup will always be overflowing.”

God has caused my cup to run over with hope, love and joy. What does your cup overflow with?

Have a wonderful week.

Dark Valleys

"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."

There is an old Arab parable that says: "All sunshine and no rain makes a desert." If you never have any down times, dark times, gloomy times in your life, you'll be dried up. You'll have no depth to yourself, no maturity. It takes good times and bad times to make a mature person. Life is a mixture of pain and pleasure, of victory and defeat, of success and failure, of mountain tops and valleys.

Even in our darkest valleys, our darkest days, God is there. "Even 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." Psalm 23:4.

In Israel there is a real Valley of the Shadow of Death. It's a steep, deep and narrow canyon. The sun only hits the bottom of it when it's directly overhead at high noon. The rest of the time the bottom of the canyon is dark. David probably led his sheep through the valley of the shadow of death as he was growing up.

There are five facts about valleys that you need to remember whenever you go through a tough time:

1. VALLEYS ARE INEVITABLE
2. VALLEYS ARE UNPREDICTABLE
3. VALLEYS ARE IMPARTIAL
4. VALLEYS ARE TEMPORARY
5. VALLEYS ARE PURPOSEFUL

Remember that the passage says "through the valley of death."  It doesn't say "to the valley" or "detour around the valley" or "into and stop in the valley."  The darkness or rough times or trials are temporary. You go through it.

God has a reason for taking you through the valleys. Whether it's doubt, depression, despair, discouragement, defeat -- He's got a reason behind it.

What do you do when you go through dark valleys?

1. Refuse to be discouraged. Focus on God's power rather than your problem. Col. 1:11 "God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient."

2. Remember that God is with you. God not only promises us His power in the valley, He promises His presence. You will never go through a valley in life by yourself. You will never go through a dark day alone. God has said, "I will be with you."

3. Rely on God's protection and guidance.

The rod and staff were the two basic tools that a shepherd used to protect and guide the sheep. A rod was basically about two feet long; at the end of it was a heavy knot. Shepherds were very skilled at hurling the rod, like a missile, at anything that would attack the sheep. A staff was a long stick with a crock at the end of it. The shepherd uses a staff to guide and comfort. He will use the staff to draw the sheep in close to him. He will use the staff to lift them up when they're down.

God uses his rod and staff to protect, guide and comfort you. Remember: the valleys are temporary but necessary. But you will never have to face the rough times alone. Trust in God to help you through the valleys.

I hope you have a wonderful week.