There are two things we are supposed to be doing in this world if we love God. We should talk about God and talk to God. They're both important.
As you read the Psalms, you'll notice something revealing.
In one verse or two verses, the writer will be testifying.
Then, other times he'll just be talking to God. It's seamless.
I think that's how God wants our internal conversation to run. Thoughts come into our mind. We praise God for something. Somebody is next to us. We tell them something God did. Then we talk to God.
That's what it means to pray without ceasing. It's not a ritualistic kind of thing. It's a spiritual breathing process.
"Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound...and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality...then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, [who gives] us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Corinthians 15:51-57 KJV)
What is fear? There's a good fear. There's a lot in the Bible about fearing God. There's a good kind of fear that keeps you from doing stuff to damage yourself or others. But most everyday fear is rooted in the Greek word, phobos, from which we get our word phobia. When we think of fear in a negative sense, that primal emotion, it's very paralyzing.
It immobilizes us and sometimes even tortures us.
"Fear hath torment..." (1 John 4:18 KJV)
I like this acrostic for fear: False Expectations Appearing Real.
Bishop T.D. Jakes says: "Resist your fear. Fear will never lead you to a positive end. Go for your faith and what you believe."
The twenty-third Psalm gives three key thoughts.
"You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
This speaks of three things absolutely essential for the conquest of fear.
God's presence. "You are with me." One of my favorite words in all of the English language and in the entire Bible is that simple little connector, that little word with. Think of that. That word says so much. It makes all the difference in the world.
God's protection. He protects us. During David's time the rod was like a club and shorter than a staff. The purpose was to ward off enemies or prepare the way it was designed as a tool for protection.
God's pressure. That's the staff. It's used for discipline. There's some pain. I mean, you get a crick around your neck and it's probably going to hurt a little bit, but it's better than wandering off a cliff.
Sometimes in order to get us to think straight, God will deliberately allow us to go through pain because it's the only way we can learn. The staff is about discipline like we discipline our children. We do it in love. We do it gently.
Clean, clear, closethree words that make all the difference. Life is better when we are clean before God.
Your life is better when we are close to God. That is when life becomes more clear-things make sense. There's a direct relationship between intimacy, purity, and clarity. If you want to see more of God working in your life, look at those two other things: intimacy and purity in life.
The simple life is a godly life. I don't think there's any disputing that we ought to try to live good lives. Good works do not save us, but they have their place. They are not the root of salvation, but they are the fruit of salvation.
They are not the cause of salvation, but they are to be the effect of salvation. You can't work your way into heaven.