The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not "lack" Ps. 23

Dear Friends and family,

It has been such a very long time since I have updated my blog.  I think to begin with I really didn't understand how to utilize one; but I am increasingly convinced that God wants me to be much more open with the lessons He is teaching me throughout this daily walk with Him.

Today a very dear friend of many years told me a kind of joke, that to tell the truth we both thought was more truth that joke.  She is Brazilian, so all of this conversation took place in Portuguese but perhaps this will still "come through" in English.

She was quoting part of the 23rd Psalm to me..."The Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want"...now in Portuguese the word for "not want" is more the idea of "I shall not lack"...then she added, I shall not lack strength, daily provision, healing....trials, sicknesses, distresses, weakness...but He will grant me all of the provision that I need for healing, strength, encouragement and direction.  

Now the point of this is that we wouldn't really recognize any of the good things that God provides as our  Shepherd if we didn't first experience the negative parts of needing this provision.  In other words, if I [lack] opportunities for healing, (sicknesses or injuries) I will not recognize that the Good Shepherd provides healing.  If I lack opportunities for provision (daily bread, housing, clothing) I will not recognize that the Good Shepherd provides for these daily needs.

How often recently I have heard teachings that refute the concept that as a Christian I will have any difficulty, distress, disease or need.  If this is so, why would I need to call on the Shepherd?

Since we have been here in Brazil we have had to face so many challenges that it would be impossible to relate them all.  As a result we have had to fortify ourselves with far more prayer than in recent years.  We have had to constantly and consistently pray about EVERY detail, every day.  There was NO way to just breeze our way through things...we had to "put up a spiritual fight" on every issue of life and ministry from the largest to the tiniest, in order to move forward daily.  If we entered into a day hurriedly and thought that, "Oh, we will get to prayer later," we would just experience closed doors at every turn.  Slam, slam, slam...until we realized that prayer "now" and not later was what had to happen; and this prayer was not just repetitious prayer...we had to re-learn how to discerned what to pray, how to battle, how to remain firm, how to stay under the burden until a breakthrough had come.

Oh we have not finished this "course on prayer", dear ones, it has just begun.  I pray that God will reawaken our discernment to literally arm ourselves daily ahead of time; not be lazy or presumptuous, and recognize that this will never be any easier; the battle will only intensify as the boundaries of Satan's illegal occupancy are challenged.  Let us awaken one another from our slumber and challenge the condition of our cities, families, churches and personal lives.  

I Peter 5:6-8  


⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
 ⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Be encouraged and strengthened,

Patti :)