"I have told you
these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33
NIV).
"These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 KJV).
What
you are hearing is the voice of your heavenly Father. Here are the
words of Jesus from the Gospel of John, indicating the spiritual level
at which he was thinking and living. The Last Supper is over and Jesus
is counseling the remaining 11 disciples about what is going to happen
in a few short hours. He is also forewarning them of some of the
challenges they are going to face in this material world. These precious
words of comfort and cheer came from His loving heart and lips.
Therefore, he says to them, "be of good cheer" Why? Because he has
already overcome the world, the atonement was about to be accomplished.
Death would be irrevocably defeated! Satan would have failed to stop the
unfolding plan of salvation.
Now, Jesus is about to be crucified, so he comforted his disciples. Jesus said,
"In this world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer..." (John 16:33).
Most of us, though, have positive expectations for
the future. But what if life is not as we had hoped it would be? How do
we manage the unexpected, and the undesirable turn of events? We cannot
know the future, but we certainly know this — we will have unforeseen
difficulties that take us by surprise. This happens to everyone. When we
face all these challenges, we may have no special passion from which to
draw strength. Now, at this point, what do we do? How can we overcome
these challenges? Jesus has the answer,
"... be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
The phrase, "be of good cheer" means to exercise
courage, to be bold and to be confident. It is a command from the Lord
(not a suggestion) to continually be of good courage, to constantly be
bold enough and forever be confident that the Lord will bring you
through. Jesus was not merely telling us to cheer up, put a smile on
our face and hope for the best. He was telling us to take an active and
courageous position of faith instead of passively acquiescing to the
problem. He was telling us to get on the offense side, to become
pro-active with our faith instead of merely reacting to our problems.
Why? Because the believer will never escape the tribulation that is in
the world. The word "tribulation" means pressure, affliction and
trouble. Tribulation can come to you through people, through
circumstances and through evil spirits. It is a pressure that comes to
you from the outside and tries to fill your heart and mind with
burdensome and fretful thoughts. If you let it, tribulation will cause
you to take your eyes off of Jesus and to focus totally on the problem.
But Jesus says, when tribulation comes .... Be of Good Cheer! Take
heart! Do something courageous.
We need
to be courageous in the midst of adversity. Courage is the attitude that
faces and deals with every difficult and painful problem instead of
withdrawing from it. Boldness shows a readiness to take risks and face
danger. Confidence is a certain feeling of assurance and faith in the
Lord’s ability to see you through every trial and every attack of the
enemy. The history of the Church is replete with the experiences of
those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good
cheer as they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their
lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our
way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us
to face our challenges, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious.
Too numerous examples of individuals were mentioned in the Bible that
faced difficult circumstances, and yet persevered and prevailed, because
their faith in the gospel and in the Savior gave them the strength they
needed. So, take courage ... be confident ... and never lose heart. The
Lord will show you how to overcome the trials and tribulations in your
life. There is a way out.
Always, we do have a
strength for living that counter-balances all our unforeseen challenges
and disappointments. How?
1. If we have obeyed the word of God
2. If we are living with sincerity and diligence.
3. If our mind is set on heaven as our primary objective.
None
of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges, and
sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are
here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there
are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be
saddened. However, the Lord said,
"In this world ye shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
I testify to you that our promised blessings are
beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may
pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and love of our Heavenly
Father and His Son, will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our
hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be
nothing in this world that can defeat us. Beloved, child of GOD, fear
not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. I declare
that God lives and that He hears and answers our prayers. His Son, Jesus
Christ, is our Savior and our Redeemer. Heaven’s blessings await us. In
the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Rise up
now! Begin to talk to GOD. In your prayer, ask GOD to increase your
faith. Remain blessed in the LORD. Keep on reading and following the
LORD, JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc.
"Judge not, that ye be not
judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why
beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy
brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam
is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of
thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brother's eye" (Matthew 7:1-5).
What you are hearing is the voice of your heavenly Father. We
must have a different kind of righteousness from what the scribes and
Pharisees had. They wore theirs on their sleeves; it was superficial.
Ours must grow out of a heart committed to the Father. Jesus, here in
the Sermon on the Mount, deals with two different extremes of the
problem of human judgment. The first extreme is a harsh, critical
spirit. The second extreme is permissiveness. As Jesus looked at the
religious situation of his day, he saw that judging others had become a
great religious problem. The Pharisees and scribes sat in the place of
the critic. They were quick to pass judgment on those who didn’t live up
to their expectations. The Pharisees, in their self-righteous
arrogance, had created a special class of people called "sinners," as if
they themselves were righteous or holy. The Pharisees were used to
judging others self-righteously.
Did Jesus mean
that other Christians are not to confront us when we stumble into sin?
Did Jesus mean that we are to be tolerant of the sinful practices of
others because we may have sin in our lives? Did Jesus mean that to "not
judge" was to forsake being involved in the moral aspects of other
people's lives? What, then, did Jesus mean when he said, “Judge not?”
The word translated “judge” often means to condemn. It means to come to a
negative conclusion about another person and then to condemn, and even
excommunicate him. That is what Jesus is forbidding. Let me be a little
more specific about this. First, we are not to pass final judgment on
any person. Final judgment belongs to the Lord. We are not in the
condemning business. If anyone needs to be condemned, God himself can
take care of that. We should have no part in it. Second, we are not to
judge the motives of others. The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Often we are quick to come
to negative conclusions about others based on why we think they did
something. But try as we might, we see only the outside. God alone sees
the heart. We can judge what people do; we cannot judge why they do it.
We can judge what people say; we cannot judge why they say it.
Only God can judge the hidden secrets of the heart. Leave
that judgment to him. You don’t even know your own heart, much less the
heart of anyone else. “The heart is deceitful above all things and
desperately sick. Who can understand it?” All of us can remember times
when we did or said something foolish, and looking back we can honestly
say, “I don’t know why I did something stupid like that.” But if we
can’t understand our own heart, how can we ever presume to understand
another person's heart? Third, we are not to be faultfinders.
Faultfinding is the “venom of the soul.” It destroys our joy, drains our
happiness, and prevents us from having close friendships. No one likes a
faultfinder because no one likes being around a nit-picking critic.
This sin comes partly from spiritual pride and partly from disguised
envy. We criticize others in order to bring them down to our level. Or
worse, we tear them down to prove they are really beneath us.
Faultfinding is a deadly disease because if not kept in check, it turns
us into cynics who expect the worst from others. The faultfinder expects
failure and secretly gloats when he finds it. Is it any wonder that the
faultfinder almost always is a gossiper and a talebearer? First we spot
the flaws of others and then we can’t wait to spread the news. Like the
vultures of the air that live on dead bodies, rotting flesh, these sad
individuals thrive on the mistakes and sins of others. They fly across
the landscape, keeping a close eye out for the failures of others. Then
they swoop in for their daily feast. We see husbands going hard on their
wives. Wives mercilessly criticizing their husbands. Parents tearing
down their children and striping away every vestige of self-esteem.
Friends attacking friends, Christians criticizing each other, and many
families are held together by the glue of mutual disdain. Why is it that
we are so hard on those we say we love the most? But if a person we
don’t know offends us, we’re quick to let him off the hook. It makes no
sense. If I am honest with myself, I know that I’m far too quick to pass
judgment on others.
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know
my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting!” If we would pray that way and mean it, we would
do a lot more confessing and a lot less judging. We are to judge
ourselves first by asking God to show us our sins. We sit and wait and
pray for the Holy Spirit to show us our weaknesses, our faults, our
mistakes, our bad attitudes, our foolish words, our pride, our
arrogance, our need to be in control, our need to run the world, our
need to tell others what to do, our desire to have our own way, our
anger, our bitterness, our lack of mercy, our lack of love, our lack of
compassion. Let me tell you something from personal experience, if you
wait long enough, the Lord will always show it to you.
Did you notice
what Jesus called the judgmental person in verse 5? He called him a
hypocrite. What a terrible word that is. That’s what we are when we
judge and condemn others without first judging ourselves. First, we ask
the Lord to show us our sins. Once we have allowed the Holy Spirit to
do his painful surgery within, once we have confessed and repented and
mourned over our own sin, then and only then are we ready to do surgery
on someone else. This is how you will know you have reached that point:
Your own sins will bother you a lot more than the sins of others. And
the failures of others won’t seem so huge to you. You’ll know you’re
ready to talk to a brother or sister when you don’t want to commit sin
any more. To simply gaze on the sins of others is vain and empty and
wrong. It turns us into judgmental Pharisees who are quick to condemn.
But once we are cleansed and humbled by the Lord, then we are ready to
remove the tiny speck from a brother’s eye. And he will be glad for us
to do it because he knows we are not there to condemn but to help. I
have found that those most critical of others tend to have the most
sins. And those closest to God tend to be the most charitable. They are
the quickest to forgive, quickest to restore, and the quickest to help
someone who is struggling with sin. We have no time to hate, no time to
condemn, no time to live in bitterness.
As you
read and apply this message to your heart, God will richly bless you.
Remain blessed in the LORD. Keep on reading and following the LORD,
JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc.
"Now it came to pass in the days when
the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man
of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his
wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the
name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion,
Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab,
and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was
left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab;
the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they
dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of
them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Then she
arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country
of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had
visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of
the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and
they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said
unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house:
the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with
me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house
of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice,
and wept. And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto
thy people. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go
with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your
husbands? Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to
have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an
husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for
them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands?
nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand
of the LORD is gone out against me. And they lifted up their voice, and
wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people,
and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said,
Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee:
for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest,
will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more
also, if ought but death part thee and me. When she saw that she was
stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. So
they two went until they came to Bethlehem" (Ruth 1:1-19a).
What
you are hearing is the voice of your heavenly Father. We all know very
well the story of Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. It's a story that
shows how "God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform." It's a
story for people who wonder where God is when there are no dreams or
visions or prophets. It's for people who wonder where God is when one
tragedy after another attacks their faith. It's a story for people who
wonder whether a life of integrity in tough times is worth it. And it's a
story for people who can't imagine that anything great could ever come
of their ordinary lives of faith. It's a refreshing and encouraging
story, and I want you to be refreshed and encouraged this day. Ruth and
Naomi teach us how to handle adversity through our trust in God’s
ultimate plan for our life. Ruth’s pledge to Naomi has such a powerful
effect on us that many include her words in their weddings and on
jewelry. God also regards her commitment as the basis of true love.
Today's message shows us some practical ways that Ruth expressed her
love to Naomi. 1. She stuck with her. 2. She adjusted to her. 3. She
reached beyond her comfort zone. 4. She offered encouraging words. 5.
She put Naomi’s needs above her own. Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi appear
amazing. Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye but Ruth cleaved to her. Not even
subsequent entreaties can get Ruth to leave. This is all the more
amazing after Naomi's grim description of their future with her. Ruth
stays with her in spite of an apparently hopeless future of widowhood
and childlessness. Naomi painted the future black and Ruth took her hand
and walked into it with her.
A look at Ruth’s commitment to go
with her mother-in-law can help us in learning how to better commit to
God. How? By holding on to our confession of faith without wavering or
doubting even unto death. Now, let us go back to the amazing words of
Ruth found in 1:16–17, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from
following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou
lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my
God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD
do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." What a
decision! What a courage! What a great faith! Indeed, it is very
exciting. The more you think on these words of Ruth the more amazing
they become. This is a very brave, outspoken confession of faith made by
a woman, a young woman, a poor woman, a widow woman, and a foreigner.
Remembering all that, I should think there is no condition of
gentleness, or of obscurity, or of poverty, or of sorrow, which should
prevent anybody from making an open confession of allegiance to God when
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has been exercised. If that is your
experience, then whoever you may be, you will find an opportunity,
somewhere or other, of declaring that you are on the Lord’s side. Ruth's
commitment to her destitute mother-in-law is simply astonishing. First,
it means leaving her own family and land. Second, it means, as far as
she knows, a life of widowhood and childlessness, because Naomi has no
man to give, and if Ruth marries a non-relative, her commitment to
Naomi's family would be lost. Third, it means going to an unknown land
with a new people and new customs and new language. Fourth, it was a
commitment even more radical than marriage: "Where you die I will die
and there be buried." In other words, she will never return home, not
even if Naomi dies. But the most amazing commitment of all is this:
"Your God will be my God." Naomi has just said in verse 13, "The hand of
the Lord has gone forth against me." Naomi's experience of God was
bitterness. But in spite of this, Ruth forsakes her religious heritage
and makes the God of Israel her God. Perhaps, Ruth had made that
commitment years before, when her husband told her of the great love of
God for Israel and his power at the Red Sea, and his glorious purpose of
peace and righteousness. Somehow or other Ruth had come to trust in
Naomi's God in spite of Naomi's bitter experiences. Here we have a
picture of God's ideal woman. Having such great faith in God that sees
beyond the present bitter setbacks. Possessing courage to venture into
the unknown and the strange. Without securities and comforts of the
world. With radical commitment in the relationships appointed by God.
You can't have great things or do great things until you are a
great person, and great faith will make you great. How to know that you
have GREAT FAITH: 1. Great faith has great persistence. 2. Great faith
is undeniable. 3. Great faith must be tested. Beloved, work on having
great faith today. Work on believing what God says, and when it becomes
great faith, you will have it. Great faith isn't great faith until it
touches the life of another person - when it does something good for
someone else. I wish we could affirm that wherever christians love each
other and are true to each other and take risks for each other, God is
with them and for them and they are doing God's will. As you read and
apply this message to your heart, vowing to remain faithful to God in
the face of all odds, God will richly bless you. Remain blessed in the
LORD. Keep on reading and following the LORD, JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem,
#fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc.
"He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my
God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of
the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with
his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be
thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by
night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that
walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;
but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold
and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which
is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil
befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he
shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a
stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the
dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon
me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he
hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will
be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long
life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation" (Psalm 91:1-16).
What you are hearing is the voice of your heavenly Father. One of the
great themes of the Bible is, "Fear not … do not be afraid." For
example, Angel Gabriel made the same statement to Mary when he told her
that she would bear God's son. And the angel said unto her, "Fear not,
Mary:..." (Luke 1:30). Also, when Jesus and his disciples were caught in
a storm on the Sea of Galilee, he repeated the same statement, "It is
I; be not afraid" (John 6:20). Here, the psalmist or writer of Psalm 91,
as we all have seen, laid much emphases on the blessings of dwelling in
the secret place of the Almighty. There are many powerful principles as
contained in Psalm 91 that will enable you to come through any trouble,
trial or tragedy. In psalm 91, there is assurance and security of
lives for those who make God their refuge and tower. The setting of this
Psalm is interesting enough as we see the Psalmist describing the
ongoing sovereign protection of God's people - that God is ever
protecting them in all dangers and terrors which surround them day by
day. Psalm 91 is the Psalm about refuge, about God’s protection and
safety, which is something I pray that we all might have this day,
wherever you may be...a refuge, a place of rest and God’s protection and
safety. Psalm 91 is a fascinating Psalm. It promises a number of
awesome blessings in it, while at the same time it contrasts the huge
difference between the permanence of God on one hand, and the absolute
mortality and frailty of man, on the other hand.
The same principles of
danger written about in this Psalm, can be applied to the dangers and
trials that we face today; and we can therefore in turn choose to abide
in God, and to trust in God, just as these saints did, so many years
ago. But there is a real danger here in mis-interpreting this Psalm as
so many of the Word Faith teachers do. They claim the passage to mean
that Christians should never go through any trials or troubles, they
should never get sick or face any danger. If you do face trials, it is
because of sin in your life; if you do get sick, it is because you do not
have enough faith. But to interpret it this way would mean missing the
entire point of this Psalm. Therefore, the Psalm did not say, nor does
the Psalm mean that you will not go through trouble in your life. But
the basic theme of this Psalm is this: That when we go through trouble,
not if, but when we go through trouble, God is with us, if we abide in
Him. Abide in God, dwell in God, dwell in the secret place of the most
High, abide under His shadow, trust in God, live in God, make God your
habitation and God will be with you. He is the safest place for us. As
you read and apply this message to your heart, God will richly bless
you. Remain blessed in the LORD. Keep on reading and following the LORD,
JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc.
"If it had not been the LORD who was on
our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the LORD who was on our
side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick,
when their wrath was kindled against us: Then the waters had
overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters
had gone over our soul. Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a
prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of
the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the
name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124:1-8).
HALLELUYAH!!! What a wonder! What a great deliverance! What a great
testimony! The snare is broken, and we are freed. Why? Because the Lord
is on our side, Halleluyah! Know that If it had not been the LORD who
was on our side, evil men and wicked forces would have swallowed us up
quick. We all would have been messed up. But, because the LORD was on
our side, He said to our enemies, NO. Praise be to the Lord, GOD
Almighty who has triumphed over our enemies before us. As it is written,
"If God be for us, who can be against us?" BELOVED, today is a day of
jubilation, and giving of thanks to the LORD. A day in which the right
arm of the LORD has gotten us victory. The right hand of the LORD is
exalted: the right hand of the LORD has done mighty things. He has
lifted up a standard against all the enemy forces that came in like a
flood. Because the LORD is on my side, I shall not die, but live, and
declare the works of the LORD. The LORD has not given me over unto
death. People of GOD, because the LORD is on our side, let us sing unto
the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let
us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise
unto him with praises. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King
above all gods, Halleluyah! Rise up now! Begin to give thanks to God for
all the battles He had fought for you. Thank GOD, as many times as you
can, for every other gift or blessing you have received until this day.
Remain blessed in the LORD. Keep on reading and following the LORD,
JESUS CHRIST...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com/, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com/, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com/, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com/, http://fasuchem.blog.com/, http://fasuchem.tblog.com/, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem/blog/, http://twitter.com/fasuchem/, http://facebook.com/fasuchem/, etc
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his
name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (Psalm 23:1-6). Psalm 23
is probably the best known passage in all the Bible. Since this psalm is
so familiar, we are in danger of missing the depth of its meaning. The
LORD is my SHEPHERD, a shepherd giving care to one or more sheep, a
flock of sheep as such as He has, not just one sheep but a flock. We
that are saved are among His flock and He watches over us. He keeps the
WOLVES away from killing His sheep. Even when you choose to go through
dangers and difficulties, the SHEPHERD goes through them with you to any
height or depth or breadth. Obviously, GOD wants us to be a happy,
satisfied people. We should not be restless and jealous, always troubled
and worried about what we don't have. Why? Because He is the Lord that
heals, leads, provides, protects, preserves, etc. There should be a
spirit of thankfulness in us that brands us as belonging to Him. You
will know more satisfaction with the shepherd than with anyone or
anything else in life. You will have all the spiritual food you need
when you have proper relationship with the SHEPHERD. When you emerge
from the valleys of life, a table of food will be waiting for you that
demonstrates to your enemies the provision of GOD...HALLELUYAH! Here,
you have all the blessed promises from the GOOD SHEPHERD. Are you facing
trials today? All the keys are now in your hands, the keys to making it
through the many trials life has to offer each of us. GOD bless you all
(all of you that have been following and reading my blogs). I pray that
none of you will ever lack. The Lord, God Almighty whom I serve will
surely supply all your needs, in the name of JESUS CHRIST, Amen! Keep on
reading and following the LORD, JESUS...@fasuchem, #fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com, http://fasuchem.blog.com, http://fasuchem.tblog.com, http://my.opera.com/fasuchem, http://twitter.com/fasuchem, http://facebook.com/fasuchem, etc.
“I am THE VINE, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing” (John 15:5). Friend, you need GOD to succeed in this world. It
is God who created you in His own image and likeness. Your DESTINY is in
the hand of God to fulfil or perfect. While putting God out of your life
makes you nobody, bringing God into your life makes you somebody.
Remember, the word says, “he that ABIDETH in me.” Know that a quitter
will never win, whereas a winner will never quit. Let us remain and
yield to His service. The Lord will surely come. Whatsoever He has SAID
or promised, that He will do. If you abide in Him, if you continue
serving Him, he will make you a GREAT being on earth. Beloved, keep on
TARRYing. God bless you all…@fasuchem, http://fasuchem.blogspot.com, http://fasuchem.wordpress.com, http://fasuchem.livejournal.com, http://fasuchem.tumblr.com, etc
