September 5, 2013 - Sheep Facts, Pt. 1

Good morning fam - I am praying that you are starting your day filled with the joy of knowing that you are chosen. I would rather be filled with that knowledge as opposed to being filled with jelly doughnuts. How about you? (wink) Also, if you are planning to come Sunday night please prepare a small dish to share and bring your recipe. (if you are getting started and don't know what to prepare, come anyway. We will teach you.) Also, come with your prayer requests. Can't wait to see you. We will start at 6. I taught last night using Psalm 23 as my text and I wanted to share some insight this morning from that teaching. As some of you know, King David wrote this Psalm. He was quite in years as he wrote and spoke from such a place of understanding about how sheep are cared for. His wisdom and insight radically dropped into my heart and certainly brought a level of joy as it "re-opened" this psalm and renewed in me that love of God for me. I truly believe that if the body of Christ could see God's individual plan and individual love for them, so many lies could be shattered. It seems easier, sometimes, to see that "God so loved the world," and miss the individual attention God lavishes on each of us. SOMETIMES, as I was struggling with critical health issues, I certainly was very distant from the fact that God knew and God cared that I was suffering. Let's see some truth in the facts about sheep. Sheep are non-agressive, "go with the pack" animals. They have no sense of direction and left to themselves will wander off and risk the possibility of never finding their way home. That's why they are in need of a shepherd. Sheep need someone to tell them where to go and what to do. They need a clear plan as well as guidelines to follow to avoid falling over the cliffs or being lost. Two and half year ago when I decided I wanted to live and break free of my addiction, I needed strict guidelines and a plan to keep me on the path. I knew that left to my own way (as I had done for 54 years of my life) I was doomed. I started listening and following an EXACT plan with an EXACT journey. For the first time, I began to experience hope again. I had a real since, however, that if I didn't stick close to the plan (meaning never deviate) I would fail again and this time I might not find a way to "try" again. That fear has kept my ears and attention attached in a way I have never experienced before. Joy returned to my journey. This is a critical component to the journey of sheep. For them to be successful, they have to listen and trust that the shepherd knows and cares for them INDIVIDUALLY. Let that renew you this morning as we glean from the sheep for the next few blogs. God has a plan for you, your life, your health. Yes He does. Find the health plan that really works for you and NEVER deviate. The right plan is critical to our survival. Listening to that leading voice keeps me from falling. Trying and going my own rout and restarting is dangerous to my long-term survival. Let's chew on that today. More on the life of sheep tomorrow. Much love, PK