Weekly Message: July 20

Living Lesson —

"He Leads Me"

One of my absolute favorite places to spend my time is reading the book of Psalms. And one of my absolute favorite Psalms is Psalm 23. It may even be the only one you know by heart, or at least one you probably have heard.

Psalm 23 (King James Version)
 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

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.

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.

The 23 Psalm from the KJV "King James Version" bible version is very poetic in the book of Psalms and is the one I have often written on my index cards.

Next, though there are endless Life Principles, hidden gems, in these six lines of Psalm 23, there are THREE simple words that you need to focus on this week:

HE LEADS ME.

The way to develop a close and intimate relationship with the Lord is when you realize just how close He is to you. And by simply saying these THREE words: HE LEADS ME, you will begin to experience a new way of life.

Here are 2 more verses that confirm the Living Principle that I am teaching you this week that you need to add to your target verses that you meditate on day and night.

Isaiah 30:21

Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

John 10:27

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me..."

This week's assignment is to continue adding to your "target" or "key" verses that you FAITHFULLY keep right next to your bed; reading them FIRST when you wake up, and also AGAIN right before you go to sleep at night—in other words—meditating on them day and night!

And, even more delightful: my "delight is in the law of the LORD" instead of "self talk" that is useless and I believe is silly (since how can we know the answers we need?), you ASK the Lord to guide you by saying these three words each time you set out to do the simplest or most complex task today and every day this week.
 

"HE LEADS ME"

~

July 20

Since we have a great high priest . . . , Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.... Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16)

Our great Helper in prayer is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Advocate, ever pleading our case before the Father. He is our “great high priest,” whose primary ministry has for centuries been intercession and prayer on our behalf. It is He who receives our imperfect petitions from our hands, cleanses them of their defects, corrects their error, and then claims their answer from His Father. And He does so strictly on the basis of His worth and righteousness through the sufficiency of His atonement.

Believer, are you lacking power in prayer? Look to Christ, for your blessed Advocate has already claimed your answer. And if you give up the fight just as the moment of victory approaches, you will grieve and disappoint Him. He has already entered “the Most Holy Place” (Ex. 26:33) on your behalf, holding up your name on the palms of His hands. The messenger is now on his way to bring you your blessing, and the Holy Spirit simply awaits your act of trust, so He may whisper in your heart the echo of the answer from the throne of God, “It is done” (Rev. 21:6).

A. B. Simpson

The Holy Spirit is the one who works to make our prayers acceptable, yet we often forget this truth. He enlightens our mind so we may clearly see our desires, then softens our heart so we may feel them, and finally He awakens and focuses those desires toward godly things. He gives us a clear view of God’s power and wisdom, provides grace “in our time of need,” and strengthens our confidence in His truth so we will never waver.

Prayer is a wonderful thing, and each person of the Trinity is involved in every acceptable prayer. J. Angell James