Im Going Home - Tim Timberlake · Faith and Flow Bible Community

Amber Cruz

Jul 19 • General discussion

Im Going Home - Tim Timberlake

Psalm 23 Breakdown

Often times, we assume that we already know what God wants to say.

And when we do that, we lose the opportunity to revive a revelation.

Listening to God and hearing Him are two different things.

We’re not blessed by what we receive, but we’re blessed by what we attain.

When we look at the Word of God and assume what it’s going to say and how it’s going to make us feel, then we stop ourselves from receiving the blessing.

Faith is built by hearing.
But doubt, insecurity, and lack are built by not hearing.

Psalm 23:1

“The Lord is my Shepherd.”

He doesn’t say the Lord is a shepherd.
He says MY Shepherd.
He is saying, as a shepherd, I need a Shepherd.

“I lack nothing.”

It’s because who he belongs to has everything he needs.
When you are being led by the Shepherd, you have no want. He doesn’t say you won’t have needs.
Sometimes what you want will lead and guide you to become someone different than who Jesus desired you to be.
When we follow the Good Shepherd, He says He will supply all of our needs.

1 — When God is enough, need loses its power over your soul.

He is all we need and so much more.
We do not have the power to transform ourselves. Only the Divine does.

Psalm 23:2

“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

He is referring to sheep.
Sheep only lie down when there is no fear, and because there is no fear, we have an understanding of who’s leading us.
Sheep only lie down when they feel safe. They can’t force themselves to rest.
Rest is evidence of trust.

And the reason we don’t rest is because we don’t trust Him.

You never see a restless person who’s hopeful, and you never see a person who’s hopeful not restful.
Rest is the evidence of trust.
Some of us believe in God, but we trust in our abilities and try to make things happen on our own time.
God has us wait because He knows we’re not mature enough for certain wants.
So He tells us to wait and receive rest.

The purpose of Psalm 23 is to see the need to trust the Shepherd.

The desert season you are in isn’t because God left you, but rather that the Good Shepherd is leading you.
God doesn’t always remove the wilderness. Sometimes He sustains you in it.

2 — God’s provision doesn’t always look like plenty. Sometimes it looks like just enough.

Sometimes God multiplies our life when He removes certain things.
You continue to grow, and those who don’t will fall off.
Don’t be focused on everyone. Focus on the Shepherd.

Psalm 23:3

“He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.”

How is your soul today?
If He has to restore your soul, He has to bring you back to a place of origin because your current condition won’t satisfy you.
He restores your soul. Why? Because life can poke holes in your soul, and then you leak out.
You may think you’re good, but your soul isn’t.
David says when he couldn’t get himself up or change his circumstances, God picked him up, turned him around, and placed his feet on solid ground.

3 — God’s reputation is attached to your restoration.

He restores you for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:4

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for You are with me.”

We lived through days we assumed we wouldn’t survive.
Days where we questioned if He was still there.
Shadows are only possible because light is somewhere near. If there is no light, there is no shadow.
You’re not dwelling in darkness. You’re walking through it.
David changes from speaking about God to speaking to Him.
A shadow can’t hurt or kill you. It’ll only do what it can do, which is scare you—but only when you don’t know who’s leading.

“I will fear no evil.”

Never be afraid of a shadow.
When you know who has your back, you can face tomorrow.

“For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

A rod and staff are not the same.
A rod is for protection. A staff is used to guide.
It comforts us because one reminds us that the enemy can’t do anything to us, and the other reminds us that the Shepherd is guiding us.

4 — The valley changes your vocabulary. In the pasture, you talk about God. In the valley, you talk to Him.

It’s not until you develop intimacy that you can talk to Him.
Some of us know about God, but don’t know Him.
We tell people about what we know, but not Who we know.
Some of us want God in the pasture, but not in the valley.

Psalm 23:5

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

God will bless us in front of our enemies.
God wants us to steward our blessings in front of our enemies.
Our cup overflows because God isn’t trying to get rid of us. He wants us to linger in His presence.
He will keep pouring and pouring and pouring because He wants us to stay around.

5 — The overflow is not God’s signal for you to leave. It’s for you to remain.

Psalm 23:6

“Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”