Who/What is your shepherd?

A few years back our small group did a study on Psalm 23 and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t too excited about it, “Psalm 23, so cliché, I want some meat and potatoes” I thought. Little did I know it would become one of my favorite and most meaningful studies to date.

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.4 Yea, though 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.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

What encouragement. The psalmist, David, wrote Psalm 23 while in the Judean wilderness. I don’t know if you know much about the Judean wilderness, but it’s not filled with plush green pastures and still waters; it’s a dry, barren, desert land. David knew that regardless of his circumstances, when He was allowing the Lord to shepherd his life he didn’t have to worry, he could live from a place of rest and restoration, a place of comfort and confidence, knowing that not only would he be taken care of and provided for, but that the Lord would restoreth his soul and lead him in paths of righteousness for his own namesake. What encouragement, the Lord is never going to go against his word because he cares too much about his namesake; that to me is extremely encouraging and something to stand firm on. David knew that even though he might walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he wouldn’t fear because his Shepherd was providing for and protecting him.

Do you feel like you are living from a place of provision and rest? Do you feel like you are in plush green pastures, beside still waters? Or do you feel like you’re weary, exhausted, and living in a dry and barren desert land? Do you feel like your battery is on overdrive, unable to tell up from down with no time for genuine renewal?

Very quickly into this study, I realized I was not living from a place of restoration in Jesus, I was exhausted, spent, and quite frankly at my breaking point in almost every aspect of my life. I came to realize that in that season, the Lord was not my shepherd. Work, kids, expectations, and performance was not only shepherding my life, but it was sucking every ounce of life out of me.

As we prepare for the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let me ask you, who or what are you allowing to shepherd your life? Let’s not allow the expectations of modern-day life to Shepherd us, let’s be intentional about allowing the Lord to Shepherd us. When the Lord is our Shepherd, not only are we able to live from a place of rest and restoration in Jesus, but there’s protection, provision, and confidence in the person and work of Christ.

Written by Britnee Barnes

“In him [Jesus] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ 

The Lord has been speaking to my heart about the inheritance He has given us in His Kingdom. A few weeks ago, I read “The Parable of the Two Sons” found in Matthew 21:28-32 (if you have time, go read it!).

The sons were asked to work the ground of their own inheritance, to better their own future! As sons and daughters of God, through Jesus, we have been given an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, and we can choose to work the ground of our own inheritance.

It’s both a future and a present reality! We haven’t reached the full inheritance, but Ephesians 1:14 tells us that the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a “down payment” of our inheritance. How do we “work the ground” of our inheritance? Read the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5, 6, and 7! Jesus lays out the reality of His Kingdom on earth—a Kingdom that seems upside down to the world. A Kingdom where the least is the greatest, where we turn the other cheek, where we die to ourselves to truly live.

I don’t deserve His mercy or grace, I don’t deserve His love, but still, He chooses to not only love me but to give me a part in His Kingdom. 😭🙌

The word intentional means “ done on purpose; deliberate.”

I looked up what it means to be intentional, and this is what google told me: making deliberate choices to reflect what is most important to us. 

For Christians, what does this mean? 

Let’s first ask, what is most important to Christians? 

I would guess the Bible, prayer, worship, community, family, relationships, serving, stewardship, etc.

So if these things are assumed to be most important to Christians, according to what we can know from the Bible, then these are also things Christians should be intentional about, right? 

Well, Christian, are you? 

I can say that I fall short often, very often. I do love my Bible and prayer and worship, all those things, but in the day to day am I really being intentional about it? 

Am I really being intentional with my Bible time? 

Am I really being intentional with my prayer life? 

Am I really being intentional in my relationships?

Am I really being intentional in my serving, giving, stewardship? 

Ask yourself the same question, and be honest.. 

In this world we live in it is so crucial to be intentional in these things. Because what does being intentional produce? It produces a strong believer, and that produces a Gospel sharer, who then produces a disciple maker, who then produces a seed planted in so many people. And that produces a lot of people worshiping our God. 

Christian, be intentional, all for the sake of the Gospel. 

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:1-2 

Have you ever felt like you’re just on the verge of a breakthrough? You dove in head-first propelling yourself in the right direction, and now you’re teetering just on the edge. You can feel the pressure building as you approach your next step and something happens to interrupt your momentum. Maybe something unexpected happens in your life, you start to grow weary, or you begin to let doubt creep in and cause hesitancy.

As liquid is poured into a container and approaches its maximum capacity, the molecules will hold tightly together creating a natural resistance called surface tension. The more the container is overfilled with liquid, the stronger the surface tension needed to contain it.  At the most basic level, surface tension can be broken by two things: continued movement, and a greater external force. 

The pressures of the natural world will try to keep you contained in a place you’ve outgrown. Let facing resistance serve as confirmation that you are right where you need to be and headed in the right direction. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance”. 

Keep pushing! Keep moving in faith, and keep praying! Your breakthrough is just on the other side. There is no limit on heavenly things, God’s supply can never be exhausted, and He will never fail to supply enough and more. 

2 Corinthians 9:8 says “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”. Just like David in Psalm 23, acknowledge that God is greater than the resistance you face, and let His abundance overflow your cup. 

Lately, God has been revealing strategy to me as part of His character. The things He purposes are part of His game plan because He sees the end from the beginning and therefore He isn’t just a step ahead but rather (at least) ten steps ahead! His focus is not on simply that present moment or even months in the future but years and years and years ahead.

Hallelujah! 

And this is a character trait of His that runs all throughout the Bible. God uses strategic moves in hearts, placement of people, and even in situations or circumstances.

I was really aware of it while I was reading through Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther a few weeks ago. It was reminding me just how strategic the Lord is when it comes to His plan and faithfulness. In the context of time for when these books are taking place, this is after captivity to Babylon. God strategically moves in the heart of king Cyrus to allow the rebuilding of the temple. Nehemiah is strategically placed as a cupbearer to a king that God grants him favor with to allow him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then we have Esther; Queen Vashti gets dethroned which allows Esther to come in as queen at such a crucial time for the Jewish people as there would be a plot against them. While reading through Esther, there was a certain moment that really stood out to me that I had not paid any attention to before: Haman had it in his mind and heart to get rid of Mordecai – Esther’s family member – but before he could go forth with this plan, there is a night the king is unable to sleep. As sleep eluded the king, he has records read to him and Mordecai’s mindfulness of the king in preventing a plot against his life is mentioned. The king then wonders if anything was done for this act and it’s revealed Mordecai had not yet been honored which allowed for the king to then be ready to put it in place.

God was strategically looking out for Mordecai, defending him from a plot for his life, and also allowing for perfect timing.

THIS is the God we serve. One who intentionally and strategically has delays, places people, defends us, and orders every moment of our lives for a future only He can see. We may not understand why some things are happening right now, why God is moving us or allowing pain, discomfort, or simply a less than ideal situation in our life (and that’s probably a definite understatement), or struggling to be patient and frustrated with timing but God is actually setting up the scene for His future glory. “Let Him cook” so to speak haha. But in all seriousness though, trust His heart…and strategy. He’s got the victory!

“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.”

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

GOD IS GOOD … We say it .. a lot. We “post” it, we paint it, sticky note it, meme it, tattoo it. Do we believe that very statement ? In every moment ? That season or day? Month? Year? CIRCUMSTANCE? The place where you feel your darkest, loneliest, saddest? He is there – AND- HE really IS good. He can be nothing else .
“No one is good but ONE, that is, God.” Mark 10:18
Friend, there is no where we can be physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally- that changes the very FACT that God is good. He is “The Good”. It’s not something changeable. God’s character IS His goodness. It is not defined by our good days, or bad days, easy days – or HARD, messed up, bottom of the pit days. He is GOOD- All the time. I can’t say that because my life has been easy . The heartache, fear, ups and downs of life have taken my breath away – and knocked my knees out from under me. But, those moments in this sinful world don’t change Who HE is. His presence was and is still with me – even when I was not in a spirit of seeking Him out. He is our ONE , True, PERFECT AND HOLY GOD. We (His very creation) are flawed and imperfect, and we put God in this “box” with limits- declaring His goodness when things go our way, implying…. He is good because we are “doing good”? What about when we are drowning in life and circumstances? Or when those we love and hold close are struggling and suffering ? He is STILL GOOD. No failure, or tragedy, or illness, or sadness, or fear, defines HIS character. ❤️ He is “The Good”. And, when we hold on tightly to that Truth, in all the things- others see the GOOD in us. God uses all the sufferings and heartache – all the muck in our lives , so that others see Jesus. His love and mercy, and oh His grace.
Ya’ll, life is hard. And everyone’s hard looks different. But even in our hard He is so good.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love good and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
Trust Him in the hard stuff- KNOW that He is good no matter what. Know that others will see that GOOD through you. Your hard, you joy, hills, valleys, and everything in between – it doesn’t change WHO HE IS. God is GOOD.
“Jesus has been good to me.” Psalm 13:6

I don’t know about you, but I like buffets. I love getting to indulge in a wide variety of foods, especially the desserts. I always leave feeling so full and content like I won’t need another meal ever again. But honestly, it doesn’t take too long for that satisfaction to dissipate and I do, in fact, get hungry again. This is a literal example of how the things of this world will not permanently fulfill us.  Although participating in worldly things can be innocent, enjoyable, and in the case of eating, necessary, they are never enough to place our hope in for life and true satisfaction. Jesus is enough. Yep, it’s that simple. What Jesus did is enough and what He provides for us is more than enough. 

When we trust God to fulfill our daily needs, His provision is abundant. We have a choice: we can either place our focus on the constant need for physical things, or we can be content with the blessings God has provided.  The Lord supplies for the needs of His people. We all know that some people have more material things than others. When we get caught up with comparison, that gives way for sin to creep in and fill our hearts with discontentment. The Lord has a plan of using our exact circumstances to grow His kingdom in ways that we may not even understand right now. That’s where faith comes in; trusting God’s way is above my own. I have all that I need if I have Jesus. 

We need to focus on the big picture; Jesus died on the cross so that we could escape the wrath of sin. That alone is enough. One of my favorite Bible stories is when Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Picturing that little amount of food to feed such a large group seems impossible. Yet as we read further, we find that everyone was fed and satisfied; there were even leftovers! What a wonderful testimony to represent the way Jesus meets our physical and spiritual needs. Enjoy all the buffets, but trust in the Lord for that permanent satisfaction. Jesus is enough. 

“Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭

Nothing has torn down my illusion of control 

like my strong-willed, four year old boy.

Nothing has exposed my deep desire

to control all things like my marriage. 

Nothing has made me surrender like watching my stepdad battle cancer. 

You see, unforeseen circumstances have a way of testing our surrender. They sharpen our senses, open our eyes, and give perspective. 

I’ve learned through these things 

a tough, but freeing truth:

I’m not in control, but I do have a role. 

And all the fixers, control-freaks, and 

people-pleasers said AMEN 🙌🏼

“I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬ ‭

“You can make many plans, but 

the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬ ‭

Our role isn’t to control. 

It’s not to carry the whole burden, fix every problem, heal everybody, or do everything. 

Our role is to honor the One in control. 

To move over and let Him move. 

To worship and watch Him work. 

To fight in prayer and follow. 

I cannot control my son’s behavior,

but God has a plan for His life. 

My role is to love and lead. 

I cannot control my entire marriage,

but God has a plan for us. 

My role is to love and honor. 

I cannot control my stepdad’s health,

but God has a plan for Him. 

My role is to pray and support. 

When we remember Who IS in control

and recognize our role, things happen. 

Freedom seeps in.

Joy is restored. 

Peace is found. 

Lives are changed. 

If I’ve learned one thing while working on a marriage and raising a wild child, it’s this:

GOD IS GOOD AT BEING GOD. 

This week, I challenge you:

Relinquish control and reassess your role.

In my current season of life I’m preparing for a marriage. I’m freshly engaged and very excited for the next phase of life. But my partner and I weren’t committed to the Lord though, we wouldn’t be where we are right now. 

We have to invite God into every single aspect of our lives. Because if we didn’t then we would be fixing our own problems, problem after problem on our own and not the Lord’s way. 

And we all have problems, don’t lie, Jesus knows. 

Life can be hard, I know. But it’s easier when we recognize the absence of Jesus, and fill it with only Jesus. 

When we realize that every problem that arises in life is because of the absence of Jesus in your life we can start to mend and heal what is broken. This is only by God’s doing, not your own. 

All it takes from us is obedience to the Father, and allowing Him to take full control of our lives. 

When we devote everything to the Lord we can start to fully experience the joy and freedom the Lord can bring. 

Anything that feels empty or broken that you might be avoiding, or filling with the things of the world, I encourage you to just give it to God. 

Find where you are letting Him be absent in your life, and let Him be fully present. 

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11

Do you feel like you are in a constant battle? What is the first thing you think of when asked this? I bet it wasn’t hard to come up with something. We live in a world full of troubles that can come from every direction on a daily basis. I think we begin to believe these battles are from a physical standpoint. We think attacks come from people and things of this world, but they don’t.

“Be sober-minded;be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

We have a true adversary that wants to destroy our faith, cause division among God’s people, and do anything he can to stop our influence for God. He is the great deceiver. 

Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, we have inherited a sin nature which can make it easy for us to fall into his traps. He wants us to believe our battles are with each other by using people to hurt each other. 

When we attack fellow believers we are completely out of the will of God!  He wants us to doubt God’s grace in our lives. He wants our focus to be on our sufferings and the persecutions we may face. He wants us to be weak and feel alone, cut off from other believers and to doubt our faith.

“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:9

We need to remember during our times of sufferings we need our fellow believers in the faith. We have to learn to let offenses go. God does not want us battling each other but to stand with each other in faith. He wants us to defend and strengthen each other. We need to walk in joy and confidence that we know God has won any battle we face. Yes, God is our Defender, not against each other as fellow believers, but against the darkness of the world. We are to stand together to be strong when others are weak. Let’s do our best to be the army of God that He has called us to be.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12