The Lord Is My Shepherd...

The Lord's prayer is one of the Bible chapters that most of us with Christian background remember so easily and to some it is almost like a recital they say impassively. However, it is important that we attach our entire emotions and mean the words that used in this chapter 23 of the book of Psalms for they are powerful word of prayer...

Psalm 23...
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ 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.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Do you know what it means for the Lord to be your Shepherd?  A Shepherd is the person that tends, nurtures, guides and leads his livestock or even people to a place of complete rest and peace. A Shepherd protects, watches over his flock to make sure that no harm befalls them and also that they do not stray.

If God who is the Creator of the entire universe, who is Almighty and All Powerful and who is Love is your Shepherd, you just know that you have it made. What else can you ask for? The problem is that most people don't even believe it, some allow the challenges of life to overwhelm them that they forget that the Lord watches over them lovingly.

The Psalmist by the power of the Holy Ghost prayed this prayer. Look at the verse 2, God will make you, that is cause you to lie down in green pasture..A place of abundance...and still waters. He will make sure you have peace all over and with quietness and assurance. He will always refresh your soul with good things, with new things.

God will cause you to walk in His Righteousness...remember God fulfilled this when He made us His Righteousness in Christ Jesus; this was why Jesus came...to make us the Righteousness of God in Him. He does this for His name sake why? Because we are God's product.  His name is upon us, we are created in His image and glory.  "...For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."  Ephesians 2:10 NLT.

The name of Jesus is named over us..we are not of this world, we hail from God..We are His offspring.

Yea, sometimes, you find yourself going through challenges in life..some of them may seem overwhelming, but you should know that God is with you, His rod and His Staff will always be there to protect and comfort you.  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you."  Isaiah 43:2.  You can take this Scripture both literally and figuratively. God's loving arms are always stretched over us in protection and in love..but in other to enjoy His love, we must first believe in His love...God is not mad at us, if it's sin, Jesus paid for our sins already.  We must take advantage of His love and draw nearer to Him receive help in time of need.

Nobody can successfully harm you if you are with God. He has prepared a table for you in the presence of your enemies. Breaking bread is another way of looking at this verse 5. God gave us the powerful tool in communion. His body to eat and His blood to drink. Read Corinthians 11 verse 23-26.  (I try to break bread everyday).  In another view, anyone that makes himself or herself your enemy is in trouble for God will fight for you.  "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish."   Isaiah 41:11.

God has anointed us with His Oil..Yeah!! We got the Holy Ghost! He lives inside of us. We are King-Priest. There are two people that are could be anointed with oil, King or Priest....And God has made us to be both of them. We are kings and priests..that's why we are anointed with oil.  "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."  Revelation 1:6.  Moreover, God's Goodness and Mercy will follow us, pursue us and haunt us down all the days of our lives and we know we are forever in His presence. What else can we ask for? So next time, when you are saying the Lord's prayer, let every word of that prayer roll off your tongue with meaning, with power! It is not an empty prayer, it is a power-packed prayer. Mean it from your heart and watch your life turn around. Revelation brings power, which brings a change.  God bless you good.

Our Weapons Of Warfare!

Google image.

As a child of God, you may find yourself in situations that are not quite favorable to you. Challenging and seemingly impossible situations. Truth is that there's a solution to every problem, but first we have to find the root cause of problems. Man is a spirit and his problems starts spiritually before manifesting in the physical, that is why the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6 : 12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
Our fight is not physical although the manifestation is in the physical. The Christian however has the ability in God's Word to change any situation.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
See, our weapons of warfare here means the tools.  The tools we need to fight our battles are not in the physical realm. It's not guns, nor machete, nor clubs etc. This is because the root cause is from the devil and you can't see the devil with your physical eyes, so you can't use physical tools to overcome your challenges. What you need is faith in God's Word!
Watch the the word WEAPONS..it is in the plural, we have to find out what they are and how to apply them because they are all in the Word of God. When we do ours, God will also do His. The Bible said, "...having done all to stand."  Ephesians 6:13. We must learn how to apply and use all that God has given us because the devil is not playing. It's called a fight of faith. This is a guaranteed victory if we stick to the rules because God is on our side..that's why we are called overcomers.


Below are some of the weapons we have for our warfare...

1) Faith:  Hebrews 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."  Without faith, you are on your own, God is not there with you.


2) Using the name of Jesus:  Mark 16:17, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues."   The name of Jesus is an instrument of power and authority given to us freely by Jesus Himself to use.

3) The Word of God on your lips:  Romans 10 vs 10, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  Words are powerful and the Word of God works when we speak it forth.

4) The Holy Spirit dwelling in you: John 14 vs 16-17, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."


5) Prayer/Fast (fast conditions your spirit to hear from God): Acts 13 vs 2-3, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."


6) Speaking in Tongues:  1 Corinthians 14: 2, "For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. Verse 4a 'Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves..."

7) Seed: Psalm 126 vs 5-6, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."   Genesis 8: 22, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."  Also read Ecclesiastes chapter 11.


8) Soul Winning, telling others about Jesus:  Proverb 11 vs 30 says that he that wins souls is wise. Daniel 12 vs 3 says "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."


9) Walking in Love, e.g forgiveness:  Mark 11 vs 24-25.."Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."  Also read 1 Corinthians chapter 13.


10) Renewing/Changing your mindset with the Word of God:  Romans 12:2  "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."   We must change our mindset, renew it with God's Word. It is not profitable to think like the world does. God wants us to think the Word.


11) Communion:  Revelation 12:11, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."  Also 1 Corinthians 11: 26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." There's a reason why Jesus asked us to break bread. It is a weapon!

12) Prayer of agreement:   Matthew 18:19-20, "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."  God dwells in an atmosphere of love. Be in agreement with someone and make that request as get your desired result.

13) Praise and Worship:  Psalm 22:3, "God inhabits the praises of His people."  Singing praises is an expression of your faith. It takes faith to praise God when you are in trouble.  But it does show that you believe that your prayers and petitions have been granted. Philippians 4:6.

There are so many other verses in the scripture that support these points listed above, there are also many other weapons of warfare, these are a just few of them. However, we must start somewhere. It's time we stopped crying in despair and helplessness and look into God's Word , abide by the principles God has given to us and change things.  
Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:19, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."   It didn't say key, but KEYS..meaning they are many.  So we will find the key that unlocks the door we want to unlock.  It also didn't say keys to the kingdom, but keys OF the kingdom, meaning these keys are given to you to unlock any door. Whether it is the door for healing, success, prosperity, peace, joy etc. 
Remember, if you speak negatively, it will nullify your prayers, your seed and it will affect your faith. God's Word never fails, no matter how long it takes, it will come to pass..wait for it patiently.
God wants us to get up, wipe our eyes, square our shoulders, pick up our Bible, read it and start doing what it talks about for in God's Word lies our victories and this is our month of Victories. God bless you.