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.

He guides me in the path of righteousness

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Life is a series of choices, of decisions. Because every decision has a consequence, because we're human beings, (which means we will make mistakes) decision-making can be very stressful because you don't know what's going to happen. Have you ever been afraid of making the wrong decision? We all have.

Worrying about decision-making can be extremely stressful. But it doesn't have to be. God wants to help. He wants to guide us. To receive His help you must do these things:

1. admit you need guidance
2. ask in faith for direction
3. listen for God's response
4. trust God when you don't understand

A sheep cannot see very far ahead. That's why, on a path, they don't know if that path is going to go off a cliff or lead them into a fire. They need a shepherd, someone to guide them. Likewise, you're like a sheep. Human beings can't see the future. They don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, much less next year or ten years from now. You don't even know what's going to happen this afternoon. God made you so that you don't see into the future no matter how much you try. Why did God do this? So that you would depend on Him. So He could be your guide.

To ask for guidance in faith means that you expect an answer from God, that you believe you will receive His help.

Some people say that God doesn't talk to them, that they don't receive His answers to their prayers. God speaks all the time, we're just not tuned in. Job 33:14 "God does speak -- sometimes one way and sometimes another -- even though people may not understand it."

You say God never speaks to you. Are you reading the Bible everyday? If you've never memorized any verses in the book, God can't bring them to your mind. If you've never put anything into your mind, how can He bring it out at the right time? You need to read this book and fill your mind with it so you can know God's will. God's will is found in God's word.

Never judge the path God leads you on until you get to the end. Don't criticize an unfinished plan. Have patience. One day you'll realize why it was all happening. You'll see that God knows what He's doing. God does not make mistakes. He knows what's best for you. You cannot see what He sees: He sees the future. He can see the end result. You can't. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays, thorns in the flesh, physical ailments, all the things you ask "why" about, one day it's going to be clear. In the light of God's love. But in the meantime, lean not on your own understanding. Trust God.

So why should you follow God's path?

"In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality." Pr. 12:28 God says, you go My way, you get the good life on earth and eternal life in heaven. You go your way, the way that seems right unto man, but it ends in death. It's your choice.

I wish you a wonderful week.

He restores my soul

We are studying Psalm 23 and how God relieves stress in our lives.

He restores my soul.

This is good news; we all need to have our soul restored periodically.  We get hurt -- life's tough.  We get beat up by discouragement, depression, despair.  We have fatigue, failure, frustrations, and fears.  We all have hidden hurts from our past.  We carry wounds, battle scars, and emotional garbage.  God wants to take away this stress.  He wants to restore your soul.

How does He do that?  He does that when you allow Him to relieve you of three things that cause emotional instability:

1.  Let God remove your guilt.
2.  Let God relieve your grief.
3.  Let God replace your grudges.

You cannot get rid of guilt by yourself. You cannot pretend that guilt doesn't exist. You cannot "rationalize" it by saying "everybody feels that way." You cannot blame other people.

You must give it to God to take care of. He is the only one who can remove your guilty feelings.

You must understand this: God relieves you of this guilt the first time you ask. And He does it immediately. God forgives and then He forgets. And this you must do as well.

Sometimes we suffer grief. Sometimes our heart is broken. What do you do when your heart is breaking? What do you do when the grief overwhelms you in life? Throw a giant pity party? Play the "if only" game? Withdraw into a shell, hide in a cave, isolate yourself from humanity and say "I'll never let another man hurt me!" Do you just pull back and resign from life and be miserable the rest of your life? There are other options. You can let Jesus restore your soul.

Please remember this. To get rid of the guilt, you must:

1. Accept what cannot be changed.
2. Focus on what's left ... not what's lost.
3. Pray it up!

Don't exaggerate it, dedicate it. Give it to God. You're going to be hurt in life. Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. The Bible says, "Blessed are those that mourn," but too long we take our mourning and hold onto it and turn it into moaning. The Bible says, play it down and give it up. Give it to God. Psalm 37, "Commit your way unto the Lord." Instead of saying, "This is devastating to me!" say, "God, help me make it through this situation!"

When you hold a grudge, who does it hurt? It doesn't hurt the other person. They probably don't even know you're thinking about them. It only hurts you.

How do you rid yourself of grudges? Give it to God. It's as simple as that.

Romans 12:19 "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for He has said He will repay those who deserve it."

You will never be healed from your hurt until you accept God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ and then you offer that same forgiveness to other people. Jesus Christ can remove that guilt and nobody else can. He specializes in new beginnings. It's called being born again. He can wipe the slate clean. There is no reason in the world for you to go on with a guilty conscious when He offers forgiveness. Just accept it. Stop punishing yourself for the past.

Jesus Christ wants to heal your damaged emotions. He will restore your soul if you'll let Him.

I hope you have a wonderful week and I hope you feel better already!

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd

Psalm 23:1  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”  In other words: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need."  

We begin a new series I'm calling Stressbusters. We're going to look at the seven greatest sources of stress.  They are all found in Psalm 23.  And the antidotes are also found in Psalm 23.  Psalm 23 is the most beloved psalm of the Bible.  And it tells us what God is really like.  It's a picture of God.

The first cause of stress is Worry.  We all have pet worries:  finances, jobs, relationships, marriage, kids, health...  There are three problems with worry.  Worry is unhelpful, it's unreasonable and it's unhealthy.

It's unhelpful because it never accomplishes anything, it never solves anything.  It is stewing without doing. It's like racing your car engine -- you create a lot of smoke and noise but you don't go anywhere.  Worry has never solved a problem. It's unhelpful; it doesn't work.

It is unreasonable.  It exaggerates your problems and makes mountains out of molehills. It just makes problems seem bigger and bigger.  The more you review something when you're worried about it, the bigger it gets.  To worry about something you can't change is unreasonable.

It is unhealthy.  The body was not made to worry; it's unnatural.  When you worry you get ulcers, backaches, headaches, insomnia.  Our bodies were not made to worry.  Worry makes us unhappy.  Worry strangles the life out of you.  It's unhealthy.

You weren't born worrying.  You have to learn to worry.  You have to practice to be good at it.  The good news is that if worry is learned, it can also be unlearned.

What is the antidote for worry?

Psalm 23:1  "The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need."  If I believe that God is going to take care of me, I'm not going to worry.  How does making God my shepherd show the antidote to stress in my life?  If I let the Lord be my Shepherd, how is that an antidote to worry?  You have to know what shepherds do. 

§  A shepherd provides.  He provides food, shelter, the basic necessities for his sheep.

§  A shepherd protects.  He defends against enemies, harm.

§  A shepherd guides.  He leads sheep when they're confused and don't know which way to go.

§  A shepherd corrects.  Any problem that comes along, he corrects it.

The amazing thing is this:  God has promised to do these four things in your life if you'll trust Him, if you'll let Him be your shepherd.

Isaiah 40:11 "God takes care of his people like a shepherd."  God says, I'll take care of you, I'll guide, protect, correct.  I will help you, if you'll let me be your shepherd. 

He even gets more specific in Phil. 4:19 "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  This doesn't say, God will meet all of your wants. There's a difference between needs and wants.  If God met all of your wants, you'd be the biggest spoiled brat in the universe.  He's not going to give you everything you want.  It would be like the Midas touch.  Soon you'd be miserable.  But He has said, "I will meet all of your needs."

How Do I Make God My Shepherd?

God is not the Shepherd of everybody.  He's only the Shepherd of those who let Him be the Shepherd.

Accept Jesus as My Lord

"The Lord is my Shepherd."  -- The Lord can't be your Shepherd until the Shepherd is your Lord.  The two go together.  You can't ask Him to be the Shepherd without allowing Him to be your Lord.

Jesus Christ is Lord in your life if He's calling the shots in your life.  If He's not calling the shots, He's not Lord. And if He's not Lord, He's not Shepherd.  Because the Lord is my Shepherd.

To accept Jesus as Lord means three things.  John 10:14, 27 "Jesus said, `I am the good shepherd... my sheep know me ... they listen to my voice, and they follow me.'"  These three words are what it means to have Jesus as Lord:  You know Jesus, you listen to Jesus, you follow Jesus.  You put Him in control.

Who's in control of your life?  God gives you the option.  He doesn't force Himself on anybody's life.  You have two options -- either you can be in control of your life or you can let God be in control of your life.  God doesn't co-pilot.  God is not going to force it on you, but either you can be in control of your life or you can let Him be in control of your life.  He made you.  He knows what will make you happy more than you do.  He has the power to bring those things to pass.  But He's still going to give you the option.

If God is running your life and He's your Lord and your Shepherd, you know He can control anything so you don't sweat it.  Make Jesus the Lord of your life.

Begin Praying About Everything

Pray about all the stuff you usually worry about.  Just talk to God.  He wants your friendship, your relationship.  Prayer gets in touch with God who can change it.  Whenever I'm worried I have two options -- I can panic or I can pray.

Phil. 4:6 "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything... if you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand."

Pray about everything.  Don't just pray about religious things.  Most people, when they pray, pray prayers they think God wants to hear.  Pray about everything.  If it's big enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about.  God's ability is greater than your anxiety.

"Cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."  I Peter 5:7

What's got you worried?  What is it that causes you to fuss and fume, toss and turn, wondering "Is it ever going to work out?"  What is it that when you think about it you get that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach?  God knows exactly what you're going through.

"Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need, and He will give them to you if you give Him first place in your life and live as He wants you to."

I invite you to take the first step by opening your life to Jesus Christ if you've never done so.  Ask Jesus Christ to become your Lord -- your boss, manager -- and Shepherd, as He's promised to do. 

Have a wonderful new week. Ask the Lord to be your Shepherd.