“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep”. This is Jesus speaking to the people. He laid down His life for all people. A true shepherd or overseerer will protect and guide that which is his. The life of Christ in us will bring us to a realization of His great stewardship over us His people. He takes care of that which concerns us, and is an ever ready help in time of need. Just like sheep in the field, there’s always a chance of a wolf coming in to kill, steal, or destroy our life. The enemy can disguise himself as a sheep before the kill. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”. This message is for anyone dealing with people or a particular person that you may have an uneasy feeling about in your gut, knowing something’s off about them. It could be a wolf in sheep clothing out to get you. Very stealth in their approach talking the right talk and walking the seemingly right walk. But they’re still a wolf, whether the person realizes it or not. From such, turn away for your own survival. Anyone coming against God’s anointed for any reason will answer to God, no matter who you are, God’s not a respecter of persons. Recognize the wolf and treat him accordingly.

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord and He will give a reward to the lender”. When we have pity on the poor and give anything to help them, that gets the Lord’s attention. When we help the helpless we are acting in God’s stead. Sometimes we change a person’s entire outlook on things by showing them kindness. God shows His love many times through people, He uses people to get things done because we have the dominion on the earth. He’d be like the devil if He were to force or make us do anything, that’s the devil’s way. Most people don’t know or truly understand they have the authority on earth to rule and reign in total victorious living. Satan knows you don’t know, and uses your words against you, the power is in your faith filled confession, (your words of belief in a thing, good or bad). That’s why we must be deliberate in our choice of words. Our thoughts form words of encouragement or discouragement. Don’t allow the negative out of your mouth. Give to the poor when you can. Even a strong word of encouragement, if it comes from your heart, the power will be there to help.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (curing their pains and their sorrows)”. This promise from God is for all who will come to Him. We are a people from a broken, fallen state of being. Our way of life is all but perfect. Living in an imperfect world with imperfect people can cause much unwanted hurt and pain. The healer can put us back together again when we are broken. Jesus is the maintainer of souls, or at least He wants to be. He knows the struggles we face everyday because He Himself walked the earth to have the necessary experience to genuinely be able to relate. He had first hand experience in fighting the good fight of faith and has totally overcome all Satan could throw at Him, and He did it as a man working God’s word not with His deity power. It is by faith we receive healing of any kind, in your soul, your body, your relationships, He covered it all. “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge”. These are God’s words concerning us. Sorrow not my friend, there’s a way out. Learn of God, keep His teachings close to the heart, and lean not to your own understanding. Ask Him for help and trust it’s being handled the minute after you ask Him, that’s faith, the hand that takes from God.

“…….Our salvation is due to our God, Who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb (to Them we owe our deliverance)”. Deliverance from habitual wrong doing has been made available to the entire world. The challenge today is we live in a world not interested in our eternal lives, but wants our attention constantly in the moment to distract and keep our minds off the fact we are all going to one day leave this earth. Where you stay after death is dependent on your decision making today. Salvation is of the Lord, He’s all about deliverance and freeing us up of the constant struggles sin brings into our lives. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life, we gain a place in heaven, and according to Jesus, He said, I go away now (to heaven) to prepare a place for you after you die on earth. It’s for all who received Him as Lord and Savoir while still breathing on earth. To not accept the work at Calvary Jesus went through, being beaten, whipped till His skin was ripped off of him, nailed to the cross naked, and you don’t accept what He did for the wrong doings (sin) you committed, you will have to pay the price of it yourself by spending eternity in hell. The bill comes due, no one can afford it, but God.

Where does your integrity and character meter point to? “Be quick to listen slow to speak and slow to anger”. If you are good at this, you’re in the ballpark. Without understanding it’s much harder to be slow to anger. When we understand another person’s hardship or the fact they’re just not capable of comprehending, and or digesting different perspectives, a person of integrity and character will walk away from what could be an accelerated overheated moment. When we are reactionary to offenses we leave the area of being slow to speak behind, you’ve just come down a few digits on the integrity and character meter. This isn’t for new converts or novices, but for those who’ve made a decision to grow up in this area. Smart people are drawn to others of like mind. Maybe it’s time to change your circle of influence and get free and in a position to live above a lot of the nonsense in this world. There is a place in the kingdom of God for you to flourish.

“Therefore be imitators of God (copy Him and follow His example), as well- beloved children (imitate their father).” Taking on God’s example means walking in love. Following Jesus all the way, (to the best of our ability and God’s combined) will bring you through whatever comes your way victoriously. There’s no law against love, love overrules man’s morals, man’s negative thoughts, shortcomings can turn into long-term victories. God loved mankind while we were His enemies, and He acted on it by sending His only begotten Son to die for something He was never guilty of. Mature love gets over offenses a lot faster than natural human love. Most of the world and christians operate under the lower level of love, not agape, (the God kind of love). Our feelings are very real with raging emotions and having been trained all our lives to react with that eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth response without considering the bigger picture. This is an imperfect world with imperfect people in it. There will always be another bad situation coming. This isn’t a negative statement, but a reality of God’s training program for your life.

It’s not difficult to become a christian, to get saved, to be born again, to know once your body dies that you’re gonna go to heaven and not the other place. It would be an eternal, never ending mistake to find out heaven and hell are real after you die, when it’s too late. If you don’t choose Jesus here and now, with all the distractions of this life, (which are designed to keep you from God) there’s no other chance. We have free will, we can choose what we want or don’t want in this life. The Lord wants us free agents of choice, to choose Him even though there’s no sense of urgency for knowing God pumped on the news in a strong convicting way, but there is the church, which could use more encouragement in doing the job. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Because you go to church that doesn’t mean you’re automatically a christian. It’s a personal relationship you must have for yourself. Can’t get in on momma’s good merits, or grandma’s hallelujahs. This time on earth is not all there is, choose life my friend.

“Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against you”. As we learn of the Lord’s teachings and precepts, we have the opportunity to allow those words of God, which are alive and will produce positive change wherever sent, to direct our every move in life. All of the promises of God to us, are life changing, it’s our job to find out what the promises are, and then put them into use in our everyday lives. His words are spirit and they are life, able to discern the deep motives of a man, or woman. Once the word of God is in your heart, it will begin to come out of your mouth, which when confessed in faith believing, has the power to change things. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak. If you’ve got a lot of garbage in your heart ( negative stuff you’ve heard all your life) that’s going to eventually come out of your mouth towards others. God’s word operating in you, stays the heavy hand of wrong doing. As christians we still mess up from time to time but the word says God forgives us when we confess it, come to terms you missed it, ask for forgiveness and let it go in your mind. God forgives you, believe it, it’s a promise.

“Come to me, you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. (I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls)”.God can cause us to rest. That can mean a few things. He can allow our circumstances to become so overwhelming that we have no choice but to rest, and then He’d have your attention. He can supernaturally cause us to rest if He sees that’s the only way to slow us down, similar to how He caused Adam to go into a deep sleep so He could operate on him to create his wife. Eve came from Adam’s rib, or his blood cells to create the perfect mate. Because of disobedience we can’t enter into God’s rest. The rest of God is a rest that will revive the spirit, soul, and body of a person. Through God’s mercy and grace the door is always open to those that come to Him broken and on the edge. God leads us to His green pastures where the still waters run deep, the still waters of peace and confidence which bring us back to our right state of mind and purpose.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs”. Not only should we do as the Lord prescribes with singing and praising Him, but in our everyday lives we can worship Him with our lifestyle before others. As we live a holy consecrated life before the Lord, it brings attention to others that He may be trying to draw to His family. God uses us who are steady and rooted in the things of God to grow His family. “….I wish that all men would be saved and come into a saving knowledge of the truth”. Our lifestyle of worship will do the job in assisting God’s plan of reconciliation. No hypocrites allowed in the unadulterated lifestyle of God’s elite forces out to harvest His called ones into the fold. Our attitude is very important while doing whatever we’re called to do. Two people with the same abilities for a job, same education, same potential, etc. But one of them has a not so desirable demeanor, and the other person is upbeat, delightful, and pleasant in attitude. Which one would you hire? Worship the Lord with gladness, come before Him with singing, and you’ll have His undivided attention.