2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
One more force from which Jehovah Raah, the Lord is my Shepherd, can free us is pests. There is an analogy here between what an ordinary shepherd must do for his sheep and what Jehovah Raah does for us as His sheep. Ordinary sheep are vulnerable to a terrible pest known as the nose fly. This nasty little pest seeks to lay its eggs on the mucus membrane of a sheep’s nose. When the eggs hatch, small larvae, like worms, work their way up the sheep’s nose and into their heads. As they work their way into the sheep’s flesh, they irritate it tremendously, causing the sheep to thrash and beat its head against anything it can find. The sheep can be driven to such distraction if this goes untreated, it will actually kill itself by smashing its head against a solid object to get rid of the source of aggravation. This is not a pretty picture, but it is one that doesn’t have to run full course. There is an oil which the shepherd can put on the sheep’s nose to protect the sheep from this nasty pest and prevent it from following the unpleasant course described above.
In the case of the human side of this analogy, the pests are tormenting, negative thoughts. Almost always these thoughts have their basis in lies and negative self-talk conditioned into a person’s mind over a period of time, maybe even from as far back as his childhood. These are thoughts like “I’m worthless,” “I’m afraid of this,” “everyone rejects me,” “all I feel is bitterness,” “I hate this person,” “I’m a failure,” “I’ll never learn how to do this,” “I’m always thinking about sex,” “If only I had what he has,” and “the only thing that matters is what’s in it for me.” When negative self-talk like these messages get ingrained in a person’s mind, they become fixated on themselves and block out any thoughts of the needs of others. Even more tragic is the way thoughts like these keep the mind from focusing on Jehovah Raah, the Lord is my Shepherd. These thoughts are the work of the adversary and can lead to some pretty terrible behavior.
Because Jehovah Raah has the power to equip us to be victorious in spiritual warfare, we do not have to be captive to this negative self-talk. 2 COR 10: 3-5, “It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. The weapons we use in the fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments. We pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” It must be understood that God’s weapons have always been more powerful than the devil’s. We often forget that when we are “in the belly of the beast” amidst a battle of spiritual warfare. One of the adversary’s favorite tools is to throw up a spiritual smoke screen in an effort to shroud the truth. Whenever I think about spiritual warfare, I’m encouraged by reviewing EPH 6: 10-17, which surely bears repeating here. “Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of His mighty power. Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the devil’s evil tricks. For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground. So stand ready, with the truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Gospel of peace. At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil one. And accept salvation as a helmet, and the world of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.”
In very simple language, what is being said in these two verses is that if we are willing to keep in the word every day of our lives and we are willing to quiet down enough to engage in two-way communication with God through prayer, we will have the truth. The truth is the weapon which will defeat all the lies that Satan tries to tell us. This weapon is good to go for lies from within and lies from without ourselves. I was quite interested in Dr. Wm. Backus’ comment that it is not always appropriate to go back to an analysis of our childhood in dealing with negative self-talk. He went on to say that as adults, we have the God-given ability to take responsibility for our thoughts and actions. That means we can update old childhood negative interpretations in the light of an adult’s perspective. It also means that we can not only do that, but we can look at these attitudes and internal negative messages in the light of God’s word. PHIL 4: 6-9, “Do not worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking Him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. In conclusion, my brothers, fill your minds with those things that are good and deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. Put into practice what you have learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God Who gives us peace will be with you.”
PRAYER: O Lord, You lead me to repeat the words which You gave to David in PS 23: 3-6, “He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of rightousness for His name’s sake. Yea, thought 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 forever.” [KJV]. You lay before me and anyone reading this prayer the remarkable list of promises, which we know You keep when we are faithful. This is done to remind us that Satan does not have to win, not do we have to be captive to his dirty work. The oil with which You anoint our heads is analogous to the oil which a shepherd uses to rid his flock of nose flies. Your powerful Gospel lays waste to the lies which plague our lives like pests, granting us a heady freedom and serenity never before imaginable. The model of the love that You as our Jehovah Raah have for us shows us the way that we can approach our own self-talk, our friends, and our enemies. It is a powerful weapon indeed against the work of the adversary, one that carries us to ultimate victory over him. We approach You in great humility to offer Your our adoration, worship, trust, obedience, loyalty, honor, glory, praise and utmost thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
The Lord leads me to begin tomorrow a series of messages that reveal Him as Jehovah Tsidkenu [prounced “sid-canoe”], the Lord is our Righteousness. When we are justified, that is God deems us acceptable, at the time we have repented and come to faith in Christ, righteousness is imputed to our spiritual accounts. It deems us “innocent” and forever grants us forgiveness from the sins of our past life. It is only the first of many gifts given to us by our loving Abba. Take comfort in knowing that He is always there for us wanting us to qualify ourselves by strength and courage of faith to be showered with His grace. Peter and I also send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn