Psalm 23:1-3 ESV
The Lord Jesus is the true shepherd of his sheep. And, his sheep listen to him attentively, and they follow (obey) him, and they will not follow strangers.
Those who are strangers, who are not of his true sheep, but who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, they will not follow because they do not know the voice of strangers. In fact, they will run away from them. And, who are these strangers? They are the liars, thieves and robbers who have come to steal, to kill, and to destroy the sheep (Jn. 10:1-30).
And, how are these false shepherds doing that? In many different ways, but primarily through deception here in America. Yet, Americans are not the only ones being deceived. Deception is world-wide.
For, these liars and thieves who are out to destroy the Lord’s sheep are very clever enchanters and actors who can be extremely convincing with their lies. For, they are not working alone, usually, but they are often part of a much larger network. So, there are many of them telling the same lies, and thus people believe them.
Some lies are easy to spot for students of the Word of God, because the strangers’ lies are in direct opposition to the truths of scripture. But, other lies, which have no apparent opposition to scripture, but are still lies, must then be spiritually discerned by those who are walking in fellowship with the Lord.
For example, a politician, an actor, and/or a famous athlete, etc. may appear on television and tell us something they want us to believe and to follow. Do we automatically jump on the bandwagon and buy into whatever they tell us, just because they say it is so? No, we shouldn’t! We should pray, asking the Lord to give us insight and discernment, and to help us to recognize the truth from the lies, so that we don’t believe the lies.
Thus, the true sheep will need to have spiritual discernment to test the spirits to see if they are of God. And, the Lord will give them guidance in knowing what is a lie and what is truth so that they don’t end up following after the lies cleverly disguised as truth and thus fall into a trap.
For, the Lord, who is the true shepherd of his true sheep, is not going to lead us astray. He will warn us when danger lies ahead, and he will rein us in if we are beginning to be led astray. But, we have to be listening to him intently, calling on him in prayer. And, we have to follow his lead. And, we have to believe him. And, we have to submit to him and do as he says.
Now, we need to test all voices speaking to us, and so we need to make certain the voice we are hearing is the Lord’s, but if we are his true sheep, the longer we get to know him, especially, the greater our recognition of his voice will be immediately. But, we have to recall, too, that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light in order to deceive the true sheep, so this is why we need to be discerning and not easily believe what people tell us.
No Fear
One of the tactics of these strangers and of Satan is to instill fear inside our hearts and minds, and to instill confusion, too. They will try to get us afraid of all sorts of things like of being sick or of not having food, or of running out of the essentials of life. And, they will incite panic in people’s hearts.
But, what does this say here in v. 1? It says, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, or I shall not be in want. He will provide what we need, not necessarily what we think we need, but what he knows that we need. And, he will carry us through every difficult situation in our lives, too. For, he has not promised us a life without suffering. But, he has promised us that the Christian walk is a life of suffering for the sake of righteousness.
So, we need to not listen to those voices which tell us to be afraid. We need to be sensible, yes. We should always exercise reasonable caution. But, we don’t have to be afraid, for our Lord is with us wherever we go, and he will take care of us because he promised he would. It just may not go the way we had hoped, but it will go the way he has planned, and for his purposes.
Psalm 23:4 ESV
From all appearances, the world at large seems to be distraught over this purported novel virus which is said to be infecting many people and which is reportedly killing human lives. The fear factor is huge.
As a result of this purported virus, entire nations are shutting down. Schools are closing. Restaurants are being deserted. Entertainment industries and sports industries are also closing their doors. Companies are sending their workers home to work from home, if they have jobs that can do that. And, people are being quarantined in their own homes.
Social gatherings are being disbanded, including gatherings of the church. People are afraid to gather together with others out of fear of contracting this novel virus. Economies are crashing. People are out of work because industries are closing their doors. And, the world is in chaos, from all appearances. Greed is setting in, and people are beginning to fight with each other, too, and if this continues, it is only going to get much worse.
So, why do I question the legitimacy of this virus? I believe the Lord is giving me discernment that direction. Could they do a switcheroo and all of a sudden what might now be fake become real? Absolutely! So, I am not hanging my hat on this being fake, but I have yet to see any real substantial evidence that it is true. For the symptoms are no different than that of the common cold or flu, and their overreactions to the severity of it, at least here in America, was and still is suspicious, at best.
Why else? Because the Lord Jesus has been helping me to see our US government for what it is for the past 15 years, and so I know their agenda, and I know where they are headed with all of this, and I assure you that it is not for the good of the people, for they are serving the beast. If good information about this is still available on the internet you can read about their agenda by researching “Agenda 21,” which is the agenda of the New World Order and that of the conquering of the world by the beast.
But, even if this is where we are right now, and the beast is conquering America, and it is bringing us down, which is part of the agenda, we still don’t have to be afraid. No matter how dark the darkness gets, we don’t have to be afraid, for our Lord is with us wherever we go.
We just need to trust him and not give way to fear or intimidation. Always obey the Lord, too, and remember that you are allowed to resist Satan and you can say “No” to governing authorities if they ask you to disobey God.
Psalm 23:5-6 ESV
Our enemies may be able to kill our bodies, but they can’t kill our souls. They may be capable of mass confusion, discord, chaos, panic, lies, deceptions, and physical destruction of property and human lives, but they can’t do anything to us that God does not allow, and that he will not accomplish his purposes through it. For, God is still sovereign. Nothing that is presently going on in the world comes as a surprise to him.
The Lord is accomplishing his purposes in human lives through it all. And, his biggest purpose, I believe, is to save human lives and to turn the hearts of his adulterous church back to him in repentance and in walks of obedience. For, so much of his church has gone astray and has gone the way of the world, and so as the true Shepherd of his sheep, he is bringing them back.
No matter the outcome of all of this, too, we have to remember that this world is not our permanent home. We are just passing through. Our home for all of eternity, if we are truly HIS, is with our Lord. So, all of this is temporary. One day all of this will be over, and we will be forever with our Lord, if we are his true sheep who listen to him and who obey him.
But, if you are not his true sheep, I pray you will surrender your life to him today.
We’re Marching to Zion
Hymn lyrics by Isaac Watts, pub.1707
Music by Robert Lowry, 1867
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.
The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less.
Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heav’nly King
May speak their joys abroad.
The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.
The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground
To fairer worlds on high.
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.
*copyright status is public domain
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.”
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.”
The Lord Jesus is the true shepherd of his sheep. And, his sheep listen to him attentively, and they follow (obey) him, and they will not follow strangers.
Those who are strangers, who are not of his true sheep, but who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, they will not follow because they do not know the voice of strangers. In fact, they will run away from them. And, who are these strangers? They are the liars, thieves and robbers who have come to steal, to kill, and to destroy the sheep (Jn. 10:1-30).
And, how are these false shepherds doing that? In many different ways, but primarily through deception here in America. Yet, Americans are not the only ones being deceived. Deception is world-wide.
For, these liars and thieves who are out to destroy the Lord’s sheep are very clever enchanters and actors who can be extremely convincing with their lies. For, they are not working alone, usually, but they are often part of a much larger network. So, there are many of them telling the same lies, and thus people believe them.
Some lies are easy to spot for students of the Word of God, because the strangers’ lies are in direct opposition to the truths of scripture. But, other lies, which have no apparent opposition to scripture, but are still lies, must then be spiritually discerned by those who are walking in fellowship with the Lord.
For example, a politician, an actor, and/or a famous athlete, etc. may appear on television and tell us something they want us to believe and to follow. Do we automatically jump on the bandwagon and buy into whatever they tell us, just because they say it is so? No, we shouldn’t! We should pray, asking the Lord to give us insight and discernment, and to help us to recognize the truth from the lies, so that we don’t believe the lies.
Thus, the true sheep will need to have spiritual discernment to test the spirits to see if they are of God. And, the Lord will give them guidance in knowing what is a lie and what is truth so that they don’t end up following after the lies cleverly disguised as truth and thus fall into a trap.
For, the Lord, who is the true shepherd of his true sheep, is not going to lead us astray. He will warn us when danger lies ahead, and he will rein us in if we are beginning to be led astray. But, we have to be listening to him intently, calling on him in prayer. And, we have to follow his lead. And, we have to believe him. And, we have to submit to him and do as he says.
Now, we need to test all voices speaking to us, and so we need to make certain the voice we are hearing is the Lord’s, but if we are his true sheep, the longer we get to know him, especially, the greater our recognition of his voice will be immediately. But, we have to recall, too, that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light in order to deceive the true sheep, so this is why we need to be discerning and not easily believe what people tell us.
No Fear
One of the tactics of these strangers and of Satan is to instill fear inside our hearts and minds, and to instill confusion, too. They will try to get us afraid of all sorts of things like of being sick or of not having food, or of running out of the essentials of life. And, they will incite panic in people’s hearts.
But, what does this say here in v. 1? It says, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, or I shall not be in want. He will provide what we need, not necessarily what we think we need, but what he knows that we need. And, he will carry us through every difficult situation in our lives, too. For, he has not promised us a life without suffering. But, he has promised us that the Christian walk is a life of suffering for the sake of righteousness.
So, we need to not listen to those voices which tell us to be afraid. We need to be sensible, yes. We should always exercise reasonable caution. But, we don’t have to be afraid, for our Lord is with us wherever we go, and he will take care of us because he promised he would. It just may not go the way we had hoped, but it will go the way he has planned, and for his purposes.
Psalm 23:4 ESV
“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.”
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.”
From all appearances, the world at large seems to be distraught over this purported novel virus which is said to be infecting many people and which is reportedly killing human lives. The fear factor is huge.
As a result of this purported virus, entire nations are shutting down. Schools are closing. Restaurants are being deserted. Entertainment industries and sports industries are also closing their doors. Companies are sending their workers home to work from home, if they have jobs that can do that. And, people are being quarantined in their own homes.
Social gatherings are being disbanded, including gatherings of the church. People are afraid to gather together with others out of fear of contracting this novel virus. Economies are crashing. People are out of work because industries are closing their doors. And, the world is in chaos, from all appearances. Greed is setting in, and people are beginning to fight with each other, too, and if this continues, it is only going to get much worse.
So, why do I question the legitimacy of this virus? I believe the Lord is giving me discernment that direction. Could they do a switcheroo and all of a sudden what might now be fake become real? Absolutely! So, I am not hanging my hat on this being fake, but I have yet to see any real substantial evidence that it is true. For the symptoms are no different than that of the common cold or flu, and their overreactions to the severity of it, at least here in America, was and still is suspicious, at best.
Why else? Because the Lord Jesus has been helping me to see our US government for what it is for the past 15 years, and so I know their agenda, and I know where they are headed with all of this, and I assure you that it is not for the good of the people, for they are serving the beast. If good information about this is still available on the internet you can read about their agenda by researching “Agenda 21,” which is the agenda of the New World Order and that of the conquering of the world by the beast.
But, even if this is where we are right now, and the beast is conquering America, and it is bringing us down, which is part of the agenda, we still don’t have to be afraid. No matter how dark the darkness gets, we don’t have to be afraid, for our Lord is with us wherever we go.
We just need to trust him and not give way to fear or intimidation. Always obey the Lord, too, and remember that you are allowed to resist Satan and you can say “No” to governing authorities if they ask you to disobey God.
Psalm 23:5-6 ESV
“You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
Our enemies may be able to kill our bodies, but they can’t kill our souls. They may be capable of mass confusion, discord, chaos, panic, lies, deceptions, and physical destruction of property and human lives, but they can’t do anything to us that God does not allow, and that he will not accomplish his purposes through it. For, God is still sovereign. Nothing that is presently going on in the world comes as a surprise to him.
The Lord is accomplishing his purposes in human lives through it all. And, his biggest purpose, I believe, is to save human lives and to turn the hearts of his adulterous church back to him in repentance and in walks of obedience. For, so much of his church has gone astray and has gone the way of the world, and so as the true Shepherd of his sheep, he is bringing them back.
No matter the outcome of all of this, too, we have to remember that this world is not our permanent home. We are just passing through. Our home for all of eternity, if we are truly HIS, is with our Lord. So, all of this is temporary. One day all of this will be over, and we will be forever with our Lord, if we are his true sheep who listen to him and who obey him.
But, if you are not his true sheep, I pray you will surrender your life to him today.
We’re Marching to Zion
Hymn lyrics by Isaac Watts, pub.1707
Music by Robert Lowry, 1867
Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.
The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less.
Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heav’nly King
May speak their joys abroad.
The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.
The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground
To fairer worlds on high.
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.
*copyright status is public domain
