Words have power. It is through words that our thoughts are made manifest. Words carry the power that our thoughts convey. Anything that happens in our thoughts that translates to WORDS UTTERED -- sets the power of that thought into motion.
Once uttered, words thats coupled with action leads to results. So our words carry the power from our thoughts that can change the course of our destinies. Of all the creation of GOD, we as humans have been given the unique ability to speak words. It is what makes us different.
But oftentimes we take it for granted. With the same mouth we speak words that praise GOD in Sunday service, and through the same mouth we speak words to curse people in the weekday. The same mouth we utter words to encourage people and with the same mouth we judge them with words. These are just signs of a mind that is not yet surrendered to GOD.
Today, my goal in this teaching is to remind us of the power of our confessions. And we’ll refer to Psalm 23 as our guide and look at how King David used powerful confessions to bring about change in his circumstances.
Are you ready! Alright, Lets get started. Psalm 23:1
The Lord is MY Shepherd, I shall not want.
This first verse is full of weight. Here David confesses truth about GOD. And HE makes that truth personal. What do I mean, well he said the LORD is MY shepherd. Not the LORD is A Shepherd. It’s personal to DAVID. My Shepherd – a real personal, existing, shepherd.
Why Shepherd? When David wrote Psalm 23. He was already KING DAVID. A King, who had everything he ever needed – Riches, Power, Wealth, Honor, Respect. He was King of a Kingdom that was feared throughout the earth. So he had reputation as a good KING.
Anyway, in this Psalm David looks back at his humble beginnings as a shepherd tending to his flock when he was just a teenager. About 16 years old. He looks back and remembers God as HIS Shepherd.
A Shepherd is one who takes care of His sheep, He tend to the sheep when they are injured so….
he is Healer,
He is protector,
He is provider,
He is PRESENT,
He knows the sheep personally, He know them by name,
and the fact that the Sheep follow the shepherd simply means
He is trustworthy.
We might think that KING David who had everything in this world, would instead declare. I am the king of the world. There is nothing I shall ever want. Instead he Professes with his mouth, he declares the first verse: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.
In this very short sentence David confesses - The Lord is my protector, my provider, the Lord cares for me, He is my healer, He is present in my life, so the LORD is with me. The Lord is trustworthy. When we declare with our mouth the truths about GOD, when we confess with our words the truth about GOD, we acknowledge HIM as Shepherd.
Say the Lord is my shepherd.
Now, recognizing that God is our shepherd then means one thing. What is that – that we are his SHEEP. David, despite being KING, ruler of the great kingdom of Israel, recognized that despite everything he had – THAT HE WAS A SHEEP and that GOD is his shepherd. He is submitted to GOD. Completely and utterly dependent on GOD. How about us? Do we recognize GOD as the one in control of all things? Oftentimes we want to be in control, we want to control our own narrative, we want to write our own story, our own destiny. Oftentimes we DESIRE to get what we want!
So David finishes the verse with I SHALL NOT WANT. This is a confession of contentment. And contentment in this day and age is very difficult to achieve because we compare ourselves with others most of the time.
We compare ourselves with others and desire the things that others have. Here David is declaring I SHALL NOT WANT. LORD, my shepherd you are SUFFICIENT for me. You are my all-in-all.
And you might be thinking, its so easy for DAVID to say this because he was KING after all, he had everything he needed. That’s wrong thinking dear Friends.
He didn’t become KING because He desired to be KING. Being KING was not in his thoughts – He wasn’t content because he was KING, he was content because he had GOD as his shepherd.
God made David KING because of the condition of DAVIDs heart. David knew that GOD did not promise to GIVE us what we want. BUT God promised to give us what we NEED!
This is what separates wrong declarations, wrong confessions from truth and self-gratifying, self-exalting words. When we declare what we want, GOD is not obligated to fulfill it. People say I AM a Millionaire, I am a billionaire, even though it is not true. They fake it till you make it! Fallacy will never lead to authenticity. I decree and declare that by next week, I have 2 million in the bank. It’s not gonna happen, unless that’s what you need. BUT who determines what you need? Well GOD does. There is a thin line between what we need and what we want. Oftentimes our prayers contain utterances of what we want and not what we need.
We are the ones declaring what we want, we are confused. And since GOD knows what is best for u – HE will to give us what we NEED. Remember church, GOD is not obligated to give us what we want.
So David said I SHALL NOT WANT. My Shepherd is sufficient for me.
And then verse 2:
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
To lie down is to rest right? Lying down gives rest and comfort – and it is only the LORD that gives that! Only the LORD can give us REST. David confesses with words that despite all the challenges in his life, despite all the problems he was facing, despite losing many of his friends in battle. Inspite of all the trouble in his family and relationships. He confesses that GOD is the one who gives HIM rest in Green Pastures.
I don’t know about you, but have you every tried lying down in a lush green garden looking up to the sky without a care in the world? I have done this several times and well, I must say it is such a peaceful experience.
Philip Keller in his book, in “A Shepherd Look at Psalm 23” writes that sheep do not lie down easily and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid, they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are social animals, they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If flies or parasites trouble them, they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry, they will not lie down. Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine.
Then he moves on to the next positive confession: “The LORD leads me beside quiet waters.”
What comes to mind when we talk about quiet waters? Isn’t it that sound of gentle waves crushing to the shore? Or the sound of a calm river flowing through a stream? What do you feel as you hear it? Don’t you feel peace? Verse 2 talks about rest and peace and GOD guides us toward peace. He knows where quiet waters are. But there is a requirement here, and that is we should OBEY. When the LORD guides us toward quiet waters – we should obey for there we will find peace!
Verse 3:
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
HE REFRESHES MY SOUL – this positive confession gets deep down to our spirit. Only GOD knows how to refresh us! Rest and Peace is great, and now The LORD gets inside and refreshes the tired and weary. Ever felt really tired after a long day, and when you get home, you feel like there is no more energy to spend time with the kids or energy to workout. This term “refreshes” is the supernatural energy and strength that comes only from GOD.
When our souls are refreshed, we are recharged. Ready to conquer whatever comes next.
The other version of the bible says He RESTORES my soul! Restoration is through JESUS CHRIST! When we go astray, The LORD comes to our rescue! HE IS OUR Redeemer. IN Our brokenness, our emptiness our baren-ness, GOD restores us! HE refreshes our soul. Halleluyah
HE GUIDES ME ALONG THE RIGHT PATHS.
Let me ask you a question –
who is the only one who knows your future? GOD.
Who is the only one who knows the outcome of your decisions? GOD,
who knows the roadmap to success? GOD!
Who knows what career will give you joy and peace? GOD,
Who knows which business or project will bring you blessings? GOD.
So when we confess with our mouths that GOD Guides us along the right paths, we are declaring that GOD is NOT only pointing to the right direction BUT HE IS WITH US ALONG the WAY! Underline Along the right paths in your bible.
• When the LORD tells us to say NO to something we desire. It’s because he is leading you towards the right path.
• When the LORD guides us when He says NO to a relationship that we want to have, its because the LORD knows that it will not bring us peace.
• When the LORD tells us not to enter into this or that business, it’s because it NOT WHATs PLANNED OUT FOR YOU!
On the flipside when GOD guides YOU to a company you should apply for work, then YOUR answer should be YES, LORD.
When the LORD tell you to take on a project. that because there will be GREAT SUCCESS THERE! WHY? Because HE is our shepherd!
A shepherd goes before the SHEEP, HE prepares the way before we walk into it! And so when HE guides us all we have to do is obey.
And the verse ends with FOR HIS NAME’s SAKE! Why does GOD delight in guiding us to the right paths? So that when we get there, the GLORY belongs to HIM, the HONOR is due HIM, The Praise, the worship is lifted up to him.
Verse 4:
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
Here is a powerful confession that many Christians don’t want to make because it involves pain, suffering, persecution, sorrow, anguish. You name it all the negative experiences in life! The darkest valley represents all that. What we often forget is that JESUS CHRIST already told us all people will go through troubles, everyone. That’s because we live in a fallen world! There is no way around it.
So what do we do! WE profess that even though we walk through the darkness, that we will NOT FEAR. We come prepared. FOR GOD IS WITH US!
And then he confesses – YOUR ROD and your STAFF, they comfort me. The rod and the staff serve 2 different purposes. The ROD is a cudgel worn at the belt. The shepherd uses this to protect the sheep from the enemies while the staff is used to correct the sheep. The ROD is also used to disciple the sheep
The staff has an elongated hook at the top to pull back the sheep that is going astray.
You see, the LORD doesn’t want us to go astray, His plan is to prosper us and give us hope, to give us a future – but our stubbornness is no surprise to GOD and so he uses His staff to pull us back to HIM! He seeks us out, out of His love!
And so we welcome the correction, we welcome the protection and we welcome the pursuing of GOD!
Verse 5
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Friends, read intently. This is a powerful positive confession right here.
Now Who prepared the table? GOD,
Who is the host of this banquet feast? GOD.
Picture God preparing something, this simply means before you even knew it, before YOU walk in to your appointment, before you walk into a business meeting, before you walk into your classroom, before you walk in to your office, before you make a deal, GOD prepares a TABLE for you.
This right here dear friends, is a picture of GODS WARRIORS. You must understand one thing brothers and sisters. Church is not meant to entertain you. Church is not a theater where we get to experience the spectacle of lights, the sound of worship, or the entertaining preacher – NOT at all.
Church is a where the warriors of GOD are being equipped and encouraged to face life that is surrounded with opposition, persecution, and people who does not like the truth about JESUS.
So when we declare with our mouths, confess with our tongues that GOD prepares a table before us, in the presence of our enemies – it simply means, I will feast in peace knowing fully well that the GOD of host is in full control of my life and my destiny.
And then he declares. He confesses this powerful phrase You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
When you declare this – you receive the anointing of the host of hosts. AND THEN He sets you apart. Say I AM SET APART. Wow. Set Apart means, you are handpicked by GOD for His great purposes. You are set apart means you are chosen among many, You are chosen infront of all you enemies, you are chosen by GOD. Infront of those who oppose you, you are hand-picked by GOD.
As the oil is poured out on your head - God's GRACE, God’s power, God’s presence and healing, God’s consecration is poured upon your life.
Then David declares: MY CUP OVERFLOWS . This means whatever you have received from GOD overflows so that it can be extended to others. Say My Cup Overflows…..
Extended means freely given to others. Grace given to you by God should be extended to others. There’s a very simple practical application to this – when you are on the road, and you driving, oftentimes, it is easy to get so hot headed with kamote riders am I right? Believe me, they too, get hot headed about kamote drivers too. So instead of fuming with fury and releasing it with you loud horn or busina. Declare MY CUP OVERFLOWS to you brother, God Bless You. Freely received, freely given.
And finally we come to the last verse. 6
NIV
Surely your GOODNESS AND LOVE will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
NKJV
Surely Goodness and Mercy will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
So which is right? Will take both! For Mercy is Gods Lovingkindness anyway.
The verse starts with the word SURELY or MOST ASSUREDLY. Surely without question, guaranteed, without a doubt, THAT Goodness and Mercy shall follow you.
When you confess this as you wake up in the morning. You are setting you day right. Gods goodness and mercy is not only waiting for you to wake up to face the day – it will pursue you for the rest of your day. The bible says God’s mercies are new every morning. Proclaim that MERCY, Proclaim HIS goodness in your life!
And finally he ends with this declaration: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Wow! This is the blessed assurance we have with GOD. Enjoying His presence – NOT only here on earth but for all eternity.
Who wants to dwell in the house of the LORD forever? AMEN!
Today, I feel in my spirit that there are some of you who wants to experience the presence of GOD in their lives today and for eternity.
That this is the day that you are deciding – I want change to happen in my life – change in my thoughts, my words, my deeds. Change to happen in my circumstances, change to happen in my ultimate destiny.
Romans 10:9 says this:
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
If that is you, raise up your hands. Even those who are online watching us right now. If you want to experience the goodness and love of GOD in your life today and for eternity.
Raise up your hands. For those who raised their hands. I invite you to close you eyes and we’ll do as Romans 10:9 says. LORD, I surrender my life to you today. I am a sinner in need of your help. Forgive me LORD for my sins and I confess that only you LORD JESUS have died on the cross for me, and rose from the dead for me. Thank you Jesus for reconciling me back to GOD. Thank you JESUS for the gift of eternal life with GOD. Amen!
Welcome to the kingdom of GOD! Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life.
Praise Be To God!
