The Good Shepherd Makes Me To Lie Down

KNOWING IS GOD REAL: Have you ever had one of those moments where you questioned whether God is real or not? It seems that lots of folks do in our world. You can do an Internet search and literally find thousands of articles that address both sides of the thought. So, if you have ever had one of those moments you are not alone. You can search and find many deep and complicated answers to the question, but I’m basically a pretty simple guy and like the simple answers. Here is a simple little story that helps explain what I believe: It seems that there was a little boy flying his kite on the top of a hill one day. His kite was so high that the clouds sometimes hid it from view. A man walking nearby noticed the boy holding the string for the kite, with no kite in view. He asked, "How do you know that your kite is still there?" To which the boy answered, "Because I can still feel the pull on the string." Is there any of us who does not, from time to time feel that upwards pull? When you look around at God’s creation or perhaps sit quietly and listen to the sounds of nature. When you see how God paints a sunrise or sunset and you feel a little thrill in your heart at the beauty those things say to our hearts, "God is real". I believe that people have to be persuaded that there is no God that they don’t come to that conclusion by themselves. We were created with the knowledge that God is real in our hearts. Someone described this as "a God shaped void within the heart and soul of man," a hole that can only be filled by placing God there. What about you, is there something missing in your life? Could it be a longing that can only be satisfied by remembering and acknowledging what God build into your soul from the beginning? The fact that you will never be complete, never be whole until you welcome The God of the Universe into your heart. Do you feel the pull? Russ Lawson

The Good Shepherd makes me to lie down Psalm 23:2

As we know this as the Shepherd Psalm We will relate much to sheep. The one animal that Jesus uses to liken mankind to is sheep. As we talk about sheep lying down in green pastures we have found that it is impossible for sheep t o lie-down unless four requirements are met. They must be free from all fears, they must be free from friction among the flock, they must be free from pests and physical aliments and free from hunger. I would like to sum this up with four words, freedom from fear, conflict, irritation and hunger. Only a good shepherd can provide for these freedoms. It takes the shepherd to make sure that his flock does well. A flock that is restless, irritated, tense and uneasy does not do well. It is the same with people.

1. First we will conquer freedom from fear. When sheep are together just a stray jack rabbit can make them leave from lying down. There are also wild animals that disturb the sheep. When the shepherd knows that there is a cougar or wolf out he calms the sheep by being with them and he carries a gun and flash light at night to ward off the evil intruder. What is it in your life even this week that has disturbed your peace with God? Have you had trouble at work? Have you heard some bad news about a loved one? Has what the leaders of our country have done bothered you? If I would come and sit with you right now would you be able to share something that is bothering you? 2 Tim. 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” A sound mind is one that is at rest and not troubled, under pressure or gripped with fear of the future. This can only come as we know the Good Shepherd is with us.

One has written nothing in all my study of psychology helped me overcome fear. My studies had not given me anything I could use to test what was truly rational versus what was irrational-what was truth versus what was a lie. Since my early beliefs were grounded and rooted in religious doctrines, I turned to the Bible for answers. I made a decision to hold every belief to be false or corrupted until I could validate it in God’s Word. First, I humbled myself and decided that in order to overcome fear, I needed God’s help. Second, I made the decision that I would cast all my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns, once and for all on Him and trust Him to teach me what I needed to know to change fear into faith. Third, I began to overcome fear when I took a stand against the devil, declaring him to be the liar while choosing to believe God, accepting everything He said as truth!