The Lord is my Shepherd – Peace

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Psalm 23:2

He makes me lie down in fresh tender green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

We will start with the original Hebrew for a couple of these words.

Still – menuchah (men-oo-khaw’): peacefully, comfortable, ease, quiet, resting place

Pasture – na’ah (naw-aw’): pleasant place

In verse one, we talked about the comparison of God as the Shepherd and we are His beloved sheep. We talked about not straying and remaining in His pasture.

Well, today we learn another benefit to remaining in Him. When we submit to Him and live a consecrated life, we receive His peace. He leads us to peace. He leads us to a quiet comfortable resting place.

You see, when we step away from a life of obedience and go our own way, we have no peace. We feel a deep hole without God. We feel lonely and have no peace. The reason for this is because there is a place deep within us that only God can fill. When we are walking with Him, peace is one of our rewards. And when God makes a promise, He keeps it.

You would think that a life with peace would be enough to make us want to keep close to our Shepherd. Unfortunately, many of us have one foot in the world and one foot with Christ. And that does not equal peace. You cannot mix Light and darkness and expect to have peace.

So, make a decision to let your flesh die and remain close to your Shepherd.

Let’s pray,

Daddy God, thank You that You have made a way for me to have peace in this chaotic world. Thank You for always finding ways to bring happiness and wonderful things into my life. I love You, Daddy. And I want to remain close to You always and have Your peace forever. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

The Lord is my Shepherd – Our Shepherd

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Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

The original Hebrew word for shepherd is ra’ah (raw-aw): to tend a flock, to associate with as a friend, companion, make friendship with.

A shepherd takes loving care of his sheep, and they follow him where ever he leads them. He feeds them. He protects them from hungry wolves. He searches for them until they are found when they are lost. He cares for them when they are hurt or sick. And he even helps them come into the world.

God is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. He wants to take care of us the same way. Unfortunately, we often jump the fence and go our own way. When we do that, our Shepherd is unable to give us all the protection, peace, and comforts we have while in His pasture.

God loves us so much. He desires our friendship and companionship. He wants us to be obedient and stay within the parameters of His pasture. He will never force us to, He wants us to stay willingly, because we love Him.

This first verse of Psalm 23 is a promise of God. However, there is a clause in the promise…. we must remain….Of course He still loves us even when we stray, but like any parent, He must allow us to go our own way if we so choose. And He also allows the consequences that come with straying to manifest. You see, when we are out from under His protection, we lack peace, joy, and all the other benefits that come with remaining in His pasture.

So, when the wolves of this world try to pull you away from the safety of a consecrated life, remember all the protection, provision, peace, love, and joy that you will be losing.

Let’s pray,

Daddy God, thank You for always taking care of me and providing for me. Thank You for all of You love and mercy. I love You, Lord. And I want to remain close to You and receive all that You want me to have. Help me to never stray. And if I begin to, please show me so that I may change my course and remain in Your loving pasture. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

The Lord is my Shepherd – Only the Very Best

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Psalm 23:6

Surely only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord and His presence shall be my dwelling place.

This verse is so encouraging to me. God wants only the best for us. He sends His angels to watch over us and makes sure that we have the best opportunity for a wonderful life. His love NEVER fails, and He is always with us. We need to remember that and take the time to receive His Mercy and Love.

David knew all of this and made a choice to make God first in His life. He made a commitment to walk with the Lord daily and keep Him in the first position in his life. He learned this the hard way. He walked a few roads on His own and paid the consequences. However, when he learned…he remained!

When we get to a knowing place like David did, then we will have all the peace and joy that God wants for us. We will never want to be out of His presence or will…no matter how tempting the world or our flesh may be.

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, Thank You for loving me and giving me peace, goodness, and mercy all my days. Thank You for Your unfailing love and compassion. I love You, Lord. And I want to walk with You every day of my life throughout eternity. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

The Lord is my Shepherd – He Goes to Battle With Us

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Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my brimming cup runs over.

I just love God’s Word and the treasures that it holds for all who are willing to dig for it. We will start with the original Hebrew meanings and words for this Scripture.

Prepare – ‘arak (aw-rak’): arrange, put in order, expert in war, join battle

He, the Only true expert in war, sets us up for victory by preparing us for battle with His Mighty, Life giving Word. And He doesn’t just stand back and watch, He joins us in the battle!

Anoint – dashen (daw-shane’): accept

He accepts us and loves us just the way we are. No one will ever love and except us the way He does…NO ONE!

Runs – revayah (rev-aw-yaw’): satisfaction, runneth over, wealthy

Knowing all of this should bring great satisfaction and happiness to us just as it did David. Having God with you in the midst of the battle is more valuable than any earthly wealth could ever buy.

Yesterday was the preparation for today. We found out that we have nothing to fear and that God not only loves us, but He is for us.

Today, we find out that He walks through the battles with us and gives us the ammo and support we need to have victory in every circumstance! All we have to do is grab hold of it and believe it!

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, I just love You so very much. You are an Awesome and Mighty God. You are a Kind and Merciful God. You never leave me. You are always with me and always making ways for me to have victory and overcome my troubles and trials. Thank You for loving me and calling me from my Mother’s womb. I am Yours my Beloved and my life is Yours and Yours ONLY! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

The Lord is my Shepherd – Fear

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Psalm 23:4

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. (NIV)

Many of us deal with fear on a regular basis. We are afraid of death, loss, heights, snakes, spiders, water, crowds, failure, punishment, rejection…I could write a book.

We have NOTHING to fear. No matter what trial or troubles we are experiencing God is with us always and protecting us through it all. And His Word will bring us comfort if we would just wipe off the dust and actually open it up. There is not a demon in hell or a person in this world that could ever separate you from the love of God, or harm you in any way.

If we would just grasp this and own this, there would be a lot less Prozac prescriptions, and a lot more victory and peace in the Body of Christ.

Hebrews 13:6 – So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be seized with alarm, I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What can man do to me? (Amplified)

Nothing!

I encourage you to study the word fear in the Word and find as many Scriptures as you can that remind you that you are a daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords….That NO weapon formed against you shall prosper…That you are more than a conqueror…That God will NEVER leave you or forsake you…That you have authority over every demon in hell through the power of the Blood of Jesus Christ that surrounds you!

Think about it…if God be for you, who can be against you?

Let’s pray,

Daddy God, thank You that I am Yours. Thank You for protecting me always and leaving me with the Power of the Blood and Your Mighty Word. Thank You for your peace and comfort. I love you, Lord. Please help me to realize who I am and Who I belong to. In Jesus Mighty name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

The Lord is my Shepherd – Coming Close to God

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Psalm 23:3

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. (King James Version)

Leadeth in the original Hebrew is nahag (naw-hag’) and means to drive forth.

God not only wants to bring peace and restoration into our lives and circumstances, He also wants to drive us towards a good life. Just like the shepherd leads his sheep to safety, water, and green pastures…Our God wants to lead us to a life of peace and happiness.

How does He do this?

Well, like I’ve told you in the past…it all starts with developing a personal relationship with Him. And the only way to do that is to study His Word. You can’t become close to someone if you rarely spend time with them. It takes time and effort to develop and maintain any close friendship. And God my dear sisters, is the One friend that you want to always be close to. Take the time to get to know your Mighty God, your friend that sticks closer than a brother, your Savior, and your Daddy Who loves you very much!

When you do, you will know His voice when He calls to you and tries to lead you to where He wants you to go. You will recognize His voice because you took the time to know Him.

Let’s pray,

Daddy God, I love You and want to know You deeper and more closely than I do. My soul longs to walk in the green pastures hand in hand with You. Help me to develop a special time to spend with You daily. Show me Your Love and Glory. Thank You. In Jesus Mighty name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Psalm 23 ~ The Lord is my Shepherd – Series Devotional

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Psalm 23 is a wonderful chapter of the Bible. I am certain that every Christian has heard the words “the Lord is my Shepherd.” What does it really mean? In this series, we will dig deeper into Psalm 23 and learn about our Shepherd.

Psalm 23 ~ The Lord is my Shepherd  Series Devotional at a Glance:

• verse 1: Our Shepherd
• verse 2: Peace
• verse 3: Coming Close to God
• verse 4: Fear
• verse 5: He Goes to Battle With Us!
• verse 6: Only the Very Best

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, Thank You for always wanting the best for me and always being with me no matter where I go. Thank You for Your great love. Help me to remember all that I have learned. Help me to always remain close to You and recognize my position. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved