Daily Huddle - Fri Jan 8, 2021 Shall Not

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word…  It keeps on giving.  Every time you come back to it, you find more.  It never runs out.  God said His Word will never return void, or come back empty, or produce nothing, even if you have read the same thing before.  It is the never-ending truth, wisdom, power, and love of God – for you.  That’s another reason why I am so thankful for PRISM – those five things you can do each day in God’s Word.  It’s not a checklist, it’s a joy list! It will keep you coming back for more, it will increase the time you spend with Him, it will position you to receive, improve your hearing, it will give you discernment, and wisdom and direction, and it will filter what you hear from others.  The preacher won’t just be telling you something new, He’ll be telling you something that God already told you – cause you just talked to Him this morning!  God will confirm it to you, not just introduce it to you.  Praise God!  In Moses day, God spoke to Moses, and Moses spoke to the people.  But when Jesus came, He was the One and Only sacrifice for the sins of all, and through Him, when the Holy Spirit came, everyone gets to hear the voice of the LORD!  You don’t have to wait to hear Him from someone else.  That’s why Jesus told His disciples – it’s good for you that I am leaving (going back to my Father) because He will send the Holy Spirit (who will come alongside you), He will lead you into all truth.  There was an interesting command that God gave the Israelite landowners.  Don’t harvest the corners of your fields, and don’t go back through twice.  It was because God wanted the poor, those who didn’t have enough food, if they would come and glean, they could pick up the extra ears and sheaves left over from the harvesters.  That’s what Ruth did in Boaz’ fields.  It was hard work, but God’s heart is for the poor, not only the poor in life, but the poor in spirit, the humble in heart.  With God’s Word, you can harvest and harvest again.  You will never run out of ‘leftovers’ there’s always more there, always more that He gives.  A recent Daily Huddle – “Surely” was about the gift of Psalms 23 for us to declare over me!  Psalms 23:1 – The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  God brought me back to that same verse this morning…  There are often two meanings, or multiple truths to be gained from the same word or command.  Two-sides of the coin - applying in the spiritual realm and the natural realm.  Parables are the perfect example.  Jesus gave stories of natural things, that had spiritual meaning.  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  First, if you were ever to have a shepherd, that’s the One you want.  The LORD – which means “Supreme in Authority.”  That’s the Shepherd to have.  Praise God – He is the LORD of all – of Heaven and Earth, and He is your Shepherd!  But only if you follow.  He’s not your Shepherd, of you don’t follow.  Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, another shepherd they will not follow."  He’s only your Shepherd, if you hear and heed.  You have to recognize His voice, because there are many voices – trying to sound like Him… And you have to heed, you have to obey what He says, you have to follow where He leads you.  That’s why PiVAT before dinner is so important – it’s Shepherd practice – following the right voice practice…  It lets the Good Shepherd give you the best plans for you for tomorrow, they’re not yours, they’re His…  If you don’t ask, you won’t know, and if you don’t obey – you won’t go.  You have to hear and heed, which means you have to be humble.  That’s how He can raise you up.  Sheep always want to go their own way, but those who hear and obey the shepherd, get to go where He leads them.  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  Those two are closely associated,  (Because) the LORD is my Shepherd I shall not want.  That means one thing – I will never be in need.  Because God promised to provide for your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  All needs are met in Jesus (His Word) and His provision is infinite – He never runs out of what you need.  Shall and want – are true of ‘never be without, never be in need or lack.'  But “shall” also means a determined decision… and “want” also means ‘desire.’  John Paul Jones – an American Naval commander in the Revolutionary war… engaged in a 3 hour battle with a superior British ship having just pounded his poor under-matched vessel, the Bonhomme Richard, to smithereens… when given the order of surrender,  shouted these famous words.  “I have yet begun to fight!”  I love this guy.  Surrender?  I shall not! What are you talking about?  We haven’t even started fighting yet…  after getting pounded for three hours straight...  He was saying "I Shall Not."  That ‘shall not be in want’ can be a statement of God’s end result for you… but it’s also a statement of you. I shall not surrender to want.  Want is lack, but it can also be earthly desires.  Have you ever seen a small child ask Mommy for a cookie?  “No, you may not.”  “Pleeease,” Mommy said “No,”  “But I really want one,”  “Honey you’ve already had three, the answer is no.” I shall not want, is a choice.  It’s something that If the LORD is your shepherd, you should not do.  Wanting things God doesn’t have for you… it’s easy to fall into…  Choosing to let yourself want things, that your Shepherd isn’t leading you to.  Sheep who hear His voice, don’t let their desires override His desires for them.  He knows where He’s going, and taking you, He knows where all the quiet streams and green pastures are… you don’t.  Praying that the LORD is your shepherd, because you choose to follow His voice, and choose His desires, not yours.  Praying that through PiVAT you will hear His voice regarding your travel plans for each day – that what you do – is what He has planned for you…  And praying that through PRISM your mind will be transformed, so your desires will be conformed to His desires for you… so you shall not want, not lack any good thing, and not want anything else. 
 
Love you all,
dad