Date: 31-Jan-2025
Name: Eddy Aigbologa
Topic: MORE THAN A SLEEP
Content:
Psalms 23 creates a picture of a shepherd and sheep relationship. The Lord, being the shepherd, and we His children, are the sheep. We could see the benefits of such a relationship which includes the ability of God to satisfy our needs, provide, protect and restore us when we're down and out. The shepherd further leads the sheep in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. When the sheep is taken through paths that should otherwise be very terrifying, the sheep exercises no fear because the shepherd is right there with the sheep. What great comfort the shepherd provides the sheep with the shepherd's rod and staff of authority. Preparing a table before the sheep in the presence of the sheep's enemies.
But there is a slant from verse 5 of Psalm 23 where the sheep is now elevated to provide the functions of a shepherd by anointing the sheep's head with oil. There is an overflow from the cup of the sheep through the anointing of the oil. David was able to see in his time what the anointing of the Holy Spirit would transform us into. No longer living from the outside in but from the inside out, elevating us to function as shepherds, living beyond ourselves as sheep, our cups run over to satisfy not just our needs but also the needs of others through the abundance of His grace, protecting others through our intercessions and restoring the souls of the downcast through the same comfort the Lord has comforted us with.
We need to transform our minds from sheep to shepherd mentality to be effective in territorial transformation. We could see how such a mindset transformation changed the ministry of Peter and the other disciples in the bible. While Jesus was with them, they were pretty much reliant on Jesus for everything just as the sheep rely on the shepherd. But after the pouring of the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, their cups started running over. The disciples no longer waited for the shepherd (Jesus) to provide them with goodness and mercy, rather goodness and mercy followed them. In other words, goodness and mercy became a part of them. They dispersed goodness and mercy as they went about their ministrations.
The anointing of the Holy Spirit in our lives elevates us to function like God. I John 4:4 says, you are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. II Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
PRAYERS
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