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Freedom Voice Newsletter
The Lord is my sheppard-an exposition on PS 23
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God feels the Universe as His own Being
March 3, 2008
Attachments: The Lord is my Shepherd Ps. 23 [Printable][Html]
The Lord is my Shepherd
The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want or lack! He makes me to lie down in pastures green; He leads me besides the still waters. "Waters of rest".
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
We all used to read Psalm 23 and the reaction upon us was exactly the way we were taught in our cultural upbringing. We knew that the Lord was a Shepherd, we would hear about it at a funeral or in Sunday school or Church Service, but we really did not know what it meant. While we were listening, it would make us feel good but that never lasted for long. After this wonderful feeling of His Presence, while His Word was read, it would soon disappear when we would be back in our own environment. Let us see what we have learned in our previous religious beliefs.
The way this Psalm was understood by orthodoxy was that we have a Lord and Shepherd somewhere up in the sky , Who leads us somehow by His Spirit into the experience of life, good and evil alike. The Lord knows, we would say, thinking we had to suffer a little to be in God’s will.
Our human thoughts were to live to the best of our ability and at the end of it all we would go to the house of the Lord forever in the sky, maybe. Ok, it is all right that we first interpreted it that way. However, because when we are babes in Christ we seem to see God as a Sovereign Being, leading us over situations, we had no control and that seems to give us the ability to relax. Moreover, we used to think the Lord knows what we need; He will lead me in the way of his purpose for me. But we have now come to a wonderful awakening where we are beginning to realize that THE LORD wants us to know HIM and OURSELVES the way it truly is, as ONE BEING.
- "Behold, what manner of Love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God.
Beloved, NOW we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, (But it is now being revealed what we shall be, it is now being revealed what HE IS, so are we, may we have ears to hear and eyes to see) but we know that when reality is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall know Him as HE IS. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as He is pure." 1John 3.
- So then, if we read the Psalm in the light of what Jesus taught, we see that it is the Father who is in us that is doing the work.
- The Sheppard of our Soul works Grace in us when we consciously realize it, that is the difference
We then are not leaving it to an unknown God up in the sky, ----- somewhere in the never-never. Or in the future of things to come. Does God come in the future? NO! God is in the HERE and NOW and when recognized, IS OUR FREEDOM FROM THE BONDAGE OF MIND FORMED BELIEFS.
In the New Creation realm, we have Father, Son and Holy Spirit come within as our Sheppard, which leads us. The whole of the God--head is now come into our Consciousness (awareness), They have made their home in us. John 14:17-23. Now we can intuitively hear His Voice are led by faith, no longer thinking that God will Shepherd us into and out of all situations like puppets on a string.
Now we must depart from the immature orthodox concepts we hear in religion today. The Holy Spirit must lead us, for the Holy Spirit leads those are the Sons of God. In other words, if we desire to be lead by the Shepherd of our Soul we must first learn the Spiritual language Jesus spoke of in His Oneness with the Father. When we intuitively hear the Voice of the Son of God and obey His leading as our Sheppard, will we find out what God's Will is for our lives? We will find that in this new mind (mind of Christ), there is no out-side Lord to lead me and guide me into green pastures or beside the still waters, we are led by the inner Fathers Voice, it is wonderful.
All guidance comes from the Inner Christ which is Lord, can you hear this? The Gospel reveals that The Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is realized as our total sufficiency we know the Truth and the Truth then makes us free from all fear in whatever form it may come.
The LORD IS my Shepherd!
This IS, is the realm of NOW, a presence in which all things are and this IS realm is your total life and being. In Christ Jesus you and I are complete in this realm of IS or Being. This is our experience when we awaken out of the dream of separation.
Harmony IS, Peace IS, All already IS, HERE AND NOW! Be still and know that I AM with you always.
Tony and Martha den Hartog.
PO BOX 215 EMERALD 3782 VICTORIA AUSTRALIA.
Light of the World Ministry
Freedom Voice Network
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