BESIDE STILL WATERS | Psalm 23:4 | Valleys but No Fear | Philip Anthony Mitchell

welcome to the victory broadcast if this ministry has impacted you in any way please consider supporting the spread of the gospel by visiting us online and choosing the giving option that works best for you now we pray that this message will stir your heart and build your faith get ready to receive the word of god [Music] grace and peace to you victory family so glad to see all of you today right here at victory church online to all of our friends watching the cities around the country we welcome you to week three of our series besides still waters we are walking through the most memorized the most beloved probably the most well-known passage in all of scripture a passage that has brought comfort to the hearts of believers for generations we are traveling through that great passage psalm 23 uh together you already are aware that david is the writer and the time that he wrote this was a difficult season in his life and looking back over where god has brought him uh he sat down and he penned for us this beautiful psalm called psalm 23. we're going to go a little bit deeper in the psalm in this message and the psalm takes a turn in this message from pastures and still waters and and paths of righteousness to that first brush with darkness that first brush with areas we do not like to go but yes it is necessary and um and so david writes to us the lord is my shepherd and i pray that he will also be yours we shall not want he makes us to lie down in green pastures he leads us beside still waters he restores our souls [Music] he leads us in the paths of righteousness for his namesake [Music] for our good and for his glory yea do i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil because you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil and my cup it runs over surely your goodness and your mercy that will follow us all the days of our life and my heart's desire for myself for my church family for my wife and for my children for all those who my voice would reach for all those who would wash their robes in the blood of the lamb we would we would make it through this life and arrive in glory my prayer for my wife and my children for my team for everyone in my church all those who my voice would touch in this nation and around the world is that we would dwell in the house of the lord not for a period of time we would not fall off the train we would not get deceived and shipwreck our faith by the devil but that we would dwell in the house of the lord now and [Music] forever i'll text for this message um that dark area of psalm 23 verse 4 yea though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil [Music] and david goes with a personal pronoun for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me i want to use this verse for this week in our series week three and just want to talk to you about valleys but no fear valleys but no fear uh eternal god and otherwise father our shepherd and our god you who [Music] makes us to lie down in green pastures you who leads us besides still waters you who restores our soul you who leads us in paths no matter how difficult or how long of righteousness for your namesake your reputation is on the line of our guidance father this dark area of the psalm this short verse this short time we'll spend together there's so many people listening who are in difficult places they are dealing with fear and anxiety and and i pray uh that you would meet them right where they are and for those of us who are in a good place you would remind us of our need for this word in another season spirit of the living god minister to your people as the word is proclaimed we feel your presence in the studio we feel your presence in these virtual spaces maybe be encouraged and inspired from the proclamation of your word we ask this in the mighty and majestic and matchless name of the lord jesus christ our shepherd amen valleys but no fear valleys but no fear a family uh for those of us who live here in atlanta we know that one of our most recognized monuments or landmarks in our city is that large granite rock uh called stone mountain it is the largest freestanding granite rock in the country it might be in the world and for those of us who live and move around the city from various highway points we can see that large granite rock that we call stone mountain for many of us who've had the opportunity to like myself my wife and others we have climbed to the top of stone mountain or taking that cable car to the top of stone mountain and for a lot of us we have stood on top of stone mountain and standing on top of stone mountain and staring out from that majestic peak you can see downtown atlanta and see parts of our city and as you stand on top of a mountain there is this sense that it is majestic in a sense you are closer to the presence of god physically in a sense and i don't know about you but i'll speak for myself there have been times when i've stood on top of stone mountain and just standing there staring out into the far expanse of our city high above the ground there is the sense of hope that i have standing on top of stone mountain there is this sense of awe of the presence of god standing on top of stone mountain there is this sense of vision um this sense of freedom for a lot of people there is a sense of happiness a sense of wonder there's a sense of life as we stand on top on top of stone mound there was something about standing on top of high mountains and peaks that causes us to be in awe of almighty god and all of his creative power and all of his genius and there is something about standing on top of mountains that just gives us this sense of vision it helps us to think about the future it helps us to meditate there is a sense of hope and majesty that we feel on top of stone mountain on top of any mountain for that matter there are times in our life where we would enjoy those type of mountaintop experiences um most of the times we enjoy experiences like that that are ethereal whenever we have something that is new um the birth of a child a marriage uh we feel that way a new career a new opportunity we've moved to a new city or a new place whenever something new comes into our lives sometimes we we feel that sense of what it feels like to stand on top of a mountain a huge accomplishment we've reached some goal um we've made it to some place we've always believed would be we acquired something we've prayed for god came through in some special way a good vacation where you know we're sitting on some white sand some clear blue water nothing like that in new york um or we we have a business that's flourishing our ministry is flooded we feel god's favor um there is a brother in the studio with me right now one of my team members in the gospel son in the faith who said to me the other day in the text he feels like in this season of his life uh somebody could just pinch him it feels unreal he's getting to do a lot of the things god spoke to him about things that he loved that's a stone mountain top experience that's a mountaintop experience but family if you've ever been to stone mountain park there is also another reality and it is this you can't stay on top of that mountain at some point in time that park will close and you will have to watch come down from stone mountain you may enjoy that peak for a few hours you may enjoy that peak for an entire day but at some point in time the sun will go down the park rangers will make an announcement and you will have to come down from that mountain and for those of us who have lived life longer than five minutes we can testify to the reality of this experience why because if we've been saved longer than five minutes if you would be honest you can testify to what it feels like to be on top of a mountain in one season somebody talk to me and being dragged down that mountain in another season you can testify to what it feels like to be in a season of joy and everything is working and falling into line and things are flourishing and then you look up and the devil has punched you in the side of the face without you knowing you can testify as to what it feels like being excited about something that all of a sudden you're dealing with troubles and worries we can testify to what it feels like feeling the breeze from the mountaintop and then all of a sudden we're dealing with the heat of demonic attack problems disappointments or trials hardships disappointments trials losses uh unforeseen setbacks betrayals even god himself through testing will oftentimes walk us down a mountain all these things in this life you just keep living and if you're in a good place i'm not trying to scare you but if you just keep living all these things i just named hardship trials disappointment setbacks unforeseen challenges betrayals loss all these things even god himself through testing will walk us down mountains hurt fear anxiety worry fatigue all these things will walk us down mountains and when you get to the base of a mountain you find yourself in a valley if anyone knows what it feels like to be in a valley just say amen yeah this was david's experience when he came to the verse psalm psalm 23 he's writing this in his old age he's talking about the lord as the shepherd talking about where the lord leads him but then in verse four we get a sneak peek of where david is in the passage in verses one two and three he's looking over his shoulder to where god has brought him and verse four it is a present tense for what's happening right now though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff your company this is a present tense text that is whatever is happening in david's life right now he is not on the top of a mountain he is not dealing with a season that is majestic he is not looking around and running through fields of lily and roses this is a present tense text the verbs and intents of verse four is present tense that is verses one through three i'm looking back on what he has done to me and i'm telling everybody else where he will be or what he will do for you now in verse four i'm telling you what's happening in my life i have found myself in a valley and three specific phrases david makes in verse four that i want to unpack for us because if you just keep living if you're in a good place just keep living you will find yourself in a valley they are inevitable you cannot avoid them you cannot circumvent them you are not going to travel through this life and not find yourself in valleys they are watch inevitable so you should just watch enjoy your mountaintops don't let anybody make you feel like it's wrong to celebrate victories or celebrate your mountaintops don't let nobody hate on you when you're on the top of a mountain when you know you're on a mountaintop listen to me celebrate that enjoy that drink the drink the wine eat the steak have your cabin stay do whatever you like to do enjoy the top of that mountain because you're not gonna be there always celebrate it enjoy it take it for all that is worth but just know if you keep living you will find yourself in another valley three parts of verse four i want to unpack first the first part part four of verse four part a yea though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death valleys here in the words of david are a metaphor for watch difficult places difficult situations and sometimes unfortunately difficult seasons valleys is a metaphor for difficult places difficult situations unfortunately sometimes difficult seasons a lot of us can testify to being in valleys we could know what it is like to be in a valley in one moment we could be in a valley for a couple weeks a couple months some of us unfortunately we could testify to being in valleys for years years some of us have been going through things for years have been walking through valleys for years we can be a mountaintop and one expert one phone call can take you for a mountain time one betrayal of a friend can take you from a mountain top one loss of a loved one can take you down from a mountain town we can testify what it is to be sometimes abruptly thrown off a mountain or sometimes dragged down to the bottom of a valley david said yay though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death so now he's talking about valleys a metaphor for difficult places difficult situations even difficult seasons i want you to notice these words in the text he says even though very important words in the text even though i walked through this valley meaning this was not my choice this was involuntary even though i have to deal with this even though i have to go to work even though i gotta handle situation even though i gotta have this tough conversation that is if i would choose to i would rather not be in this valley if i would choose to i would rather circumvent this valley if i would write my own story i wouldn't write this valley into my story how many valleys have we been in that if we could we would rip that valley out of the pages of our story even though means i did not choose it i did not want it this was not what i wanted for myself it was involuntary whatever was going on in david's life it was probably undesirable theologians believe we're not sure that he wrote this psalm when he was being pursued by his son absalom who was trying to snatch his kingdom from his hands he had become an enemy of his own son he was on the run from his own son and it is believed that this is when he wrote that psalm that is he is off his throne he has beef with his own child the one closest to has become an enemy anybody knows what it is for a close friend to become an enemy you ever heard keep your friends close and your enemies even closer and so if he wrote this psalm during that time and we don't know but is believed that means watch he's no longer in a comfort zone he's no longer in a mountaintop he's no longer seated on that throne now he's on a run from his life not from someone that he did not know but from one that came from his very loins you know how painful it is to take wounds from someone you're supposed to love someone that's supposed to have your back and now you're outside of your comfort zone because leaving a comfort zone can be a valley undesirable involuntary unforeseen david would have never imagined that his own child would rise up against him and we understand this truth right we understand this truth not wanting to endure walking through a valley look right at me come on come on look right at me don't be all hyper spiritual and want to be a super christian i will put bets that no one in this chat right now enjoys and is praying every day god keep me in the valley that's not a prayer we pray every day no we american christians we pray for mountaintops we pray for blessings we pray for ease and comfort and favor we pray for lilies and starbucks [Music] we don't pray for valleys i don't see people getting up in the morning and fasting for pain and torment ain't nobody begging god for suffering and pain we generally don't pray those kind of prayers we don't want valleys they're undesirable we don't want nothing to do with them we don't want to go through them at all most valleys are involuntary rarely do we desire them listen an unforeseen circumstance can walk us into a valley a uncontrollable circumstance can walk us into a valley the loss of a job abruptly can put you in a valley now you can't pay your bills a doctor's report will put you in a valley watch bad decisions would walk us into valleys watch sometimes even good decisions will walk us into valleys the pastor i don't get it you make a decision not to compromise or stand for truth even that can walk you into a valley sometimes making the right decision will walk you right into a valley we lose friends because of right decisions we get haters because of right decisions sometimes just doing the right thing will walk us right into a valley god himself will walk you into a valley why for the perfecting of your character for the testing of your faith watch for the purging of your soul watch sometimes he'll put you in a valley just to brag on you i'ma walk my son or my daughter off this mountaintop into a year of trouble just so i could show the devil watch how they won't give up on me watch how they won't stop praising me watch how they won't stop going to church watch how they won't stop serving watch how they remain faithful watch how they get down their knees and pray and won't have a word to say but they shed tears but they're still with me sometimes god will put you in a valley season just to show the devil look what's really in my son look what's really in my daughter i'ma let you afflict them just a little bit and i promise you they won't curse me i promise you they won't walk away from me i promise you or some of you you're going through stuff right now and it's not that god has forsaken you that god is bragging on you some of us are in valleys because god is bragging on you he knows exactly where you are he walks you into that valley sometimes we blame ourselves for something that got nothing to do with us remember he's a good shepherd so if he let something get through he allowed that to happen as long as we was following him we was in the flock we didn't do anything wrong sometimes he lets things get through to test us perfect us purge us bless us and some of you right now are in valleys wondering where is god why am i going through this why am i dealing with this in the season why am i dealing with this like why is that prayer not answered he might be bragging on you perfecting you strengthening you purging you we don't get purged on a mountaintop character don't get shaped on a mountain top you don't grow strong on a mountain top god can't purge your soul on a mountaintop we eating too much cake in starbucks on a mountain top it's in the valley where we shed tears bruise our knees it's in the valley when we cry out for him the most because on mountaintops we have a tendency to forget god and sometimes god in his love i know you don't want to hear this he wants to be with you so bad he got to let you go into a valley just to get your attention again gosh sometimes he got to let you go into a valley just to get your attention again he wants to be close to you so much he said uh uh-uh you got idols on that mountaintop i gotta walk you through this valley just so i can get you let me remind you that i am your source i am your strength i am your help and some of you right now you're going through valleys not because you did anything wrong maybe god is trying to just get you close to him again somebody should say amen to that in the chat you didn't do anything wrong he just got you in that valley because he's working on you sometimes valleys bring pain they bring discomfort they cause us to feel hedged in but remember valleys are not our destination or our dwelling pace valleys are not our destination nor is it our dwelling pace we don't dwell there in valleys that's not our dwelling place we walk through valleys we walk through valleys we go from one mountaintop through a valley to another mountaintop we don't dwell there it's not our final destination so if you're in a valley there is hope that eventually a bump into the base of another mountain so that's why i could say things to you like hold on and don't give up or don't quit keep shedding tears keep praying keep believing keep showing up keep pressing i know you seem he feels like he's far from but just keep pressing through because we walk through valleys we don't live in valleys we don't park in valleys it's not our destination we don't make a home there we are passing through them to the base of a mountain another mountaintop and as shepherds lead sheep from one pasture to the next or mountain top to the next they will inevitably pass through valleys and dark places look right at me i want to tell you something because i've been in israel when i was in israel i saw plenty mountains and between mountains there were a lot of valleys and i saw shepherds leading sheep from green places to other green places and here's something i learned when i was in israel sometimes the still waters god wants to lead us by is at the bottom of a valley sometimes the still waters that restores our soul is actually at the bottom of valleys and sheep often times because they have oh my god poor eyesight because sheep have poor eyesight is dangerous for them when they're walking through valleys if they don't have a guide so as they're going down the valley and it gets more dark because sheep have poor eyesight they can't see well in the valley and that's why they have to trust the shepherd as they're going through valleys because he will ultimately lead them down that dark steep cliff besides still water sometimes at the base of a valley notice also too david said that he walks through the valley of the shadow of death he did not say he walks through the valley of death but he walks through the valley of the shadow of death now family the last time i checked shadows caused fear but not harm [Music] look right at me family i'm talking to you the last time i stood outside and i checked shadows may cause fear but they don't cause harm the shadow of a snake may scare you but it cannot bite you so david said though i walk through the valley keyword of the shadow of death that it may be it may look like death but it shall not be death it may look like the end but it shall not be in the last time i check a shadow may frighten you but it cannot hurt you the shadow of a dog may frighten you but it cannot hurt you but we know that watch wherever there is a shadow then physically the sun must be shining somewhere for there are no shadows without the s-u-n and so wherever there is a shadow the s-u-n it must be shining somewhere and if i just look hard enough i'll find the sun blazing through a cloud creating a shadow even in a dark place as it is in the natural oh help me holy spirit so it is in the spirit that even though we walk through dark places if we look hard enough the sun the s-o-n is always shining somewhere that even in the darkest valleys in the darkest places in the middle of our most difficult trials and tribulation if we look hard enough we'll see the rays of the sun the s-o-n shining through that dark place into our valley why because no matter what valley we work through no matter what valley we're going through no matter what your troubles your fears your anxieties your problems your worries your financial like your whatever fill in the blank the s-o-n is shining somewhere and if we just stay still long enough and look for him we see the rays of his grace shining into my dark place i'm still alive we see the rays of his grace shining into that dark place he's still keeping me we see the rays of his grace shining into dark places he is still with me even in our i listen i i tell my kids and i tell my wife i tell people this all the time no matter what you're going through if you sit still long enough and look for something to be thankful for you'll see the rays of the s-o-n shining into that dark valley i've made a habit in my personal life in this fourth decade i have a habit no matter what i go through no matter what i lose no matter who no matter what i endure i always sit long enough to god where can i find your goodness in this somewhere where can i find your grace in this somewhere you know what it does to a human being that always finds the grace of god in everything that you go through no matter how difficult that is i find something to be thankful for because even though i'm passing through the valley of the shadow of death i know somewhere the s-o-n is shining somewhere in this valley that is his abiding presence is with me even in the darkest valley i can testify me personally the person with the microphone of what it is to be going through painful seasons and feel like god is far from me anybody know what this feels like i can't get a prayer through anybody always feel like watching this i don't feel like praying you know what that feel like i don't feel like going to church i don't feel like praying i don't want to take anybody's phone call i'm not praying for you i don't feel like opening my bible i'm in a really bad spot anybody know what that feels like say amen if you know what that feels like i'm in a really bad we we if you live you know what this feels like and yet even in the listen even in the darkest place where you feel like you're far away from god when you feel like either you failed him or he's not listening or you haven't heard from him intimately in a very long time it's still a shadow it's not death it's not the end the s-o-n is shining in that valley that is his abiding presence is with you in that valley and because the sun s-o-n is always shining always present in every valley david can say with confidence i will fear no evil right why does he say that it's human nature to have faith look right at me you are a human being there's no one watching right now that's never felt fear there's no such thing as a fearless person doesn't exist there's no such thing as a fearless person never exists every human being has felt fear it's a natural physiological response to things that change abruptly or losing comfort or something we don't want to deal with it's normal to feel fear but it is sinful to stay there it is normal to feel fear and i want to help somebody listen to this word it's actually a sin to remain in fear it goes against the commandments of god to remain in fear this is why god would tell us almost 365 times in the scriptures or some derivative of it fear not do not be afraid he addresses fear to people over 360 times in the scriptures almost one for every day of a calendar year it is the number one commandment in the scriptures in terms of frequency do not fray do not be afraid have courage god deals with the fear all the time why would he say this to us so many times because he knows that we are fearful human beings we are timid creatures like sheep always afraid always afraid always dealing with fear all the time but david says watch i will fear no evil why because he's bad no he fears no evil because he knows that the s-o-n is shining into that dark valley it is the presence of the shepherd that takes away the fear from the heart of david it is the presence of the shepherd that removes fear from the sheep i will fear no evil washes is a decision that david made it's a decision that you and i have to make to watch overcome our fear and our anxiety the evidence that the sun is always shining in the valley the next part of the verse look i'm almost done for you are with me your rod and your staff they come from me this is the last part of the verse family for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me david says i will dispatch fear from my heart no matter what i'm going through i will find some confidence in it because you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me everybody look right at me because i'm i'm i'm finishing look look right at me the lord let me talk to all my american brothers and sisters uh the you better watch who you listen to let me let me i gotta uh trolls trolls trolls you you you you you i got more trolls now than ever before i don't care uh you you better watch who you're listening to and you better be careful about giving a claim to men just because they have platform or status fame does not mean they're good bible teachers large followings does not mean does not equate to good bible teaching because we put that on men because of following and because of following or fame we automatically ascribe bible teaching or sound doctrine do you know how many big platforms are spewing bad doctrine so let me address this in the american church look right at me the lord never promised you and i a life without problems he never promised you i like this this is the nonsense we tell people when we try to win them to jesus we lie to them and we say if you come to the lord uh you ask jesus into your heart and everything will be okay and you'll never have problems and you're gonna be this is the lies we tell people to bait them into a relationship with the lord never come for repentance never address sin never tell them the promise of what jesus said that in this life you know the rest of this you will have the promise tribulation can't get around that he never promised you and i an easy flight he said on your flight you will have turbulence so you buckle up with the presence of the holy spirit you buckle up with the word of god you buckle up with community you buckle up with prayer because you're going to have turbulence in this life who told you you was gonna walk the christian walk and never have a problem you've been on that mountaintop too long i don't know what you're sniffing on that mountaintop but you will get dragged into a valley we got to stop listening to these false preachers that all they want to do is move you in your emotions and make you feel good every single sunday and never prepare you for the reality of this life all you know how to do is shout out but we don't know how to pray all we know how to do is shout and have church but we don't know how to endure all we got to do is shout and have church but we don't know how to consecrate it half church we we have church good and as soon as the wind blow the church because we don't have shepherds that prepare us for hardship like suffer well and live well the lord never promised you or not a easy trip david shouldn't be surprised that he's walking through a valley you shouldn't be surprised that you're in a valley and you shouldn't be surprised that your mountaintop is not going to last forever you will be on another one but before you get to the other one you got to pass through a valley every mountain to oh thank you holy spirit every mountaintop you're praying for requires a valley because you can't get to a mountaintop until you pass through a valley no one hops from mountain top to mountaintop i'm rapping no one's hops from mountain top to mountaintop did he say that no one hops from mountaintop there is no jump from one mountain to the next there is a walk down one through a valley up the next one every mountaintop you praying for requires a valley there is a backside to every blessing every open door you praying for requires one to close every new thing you praying for requires you to put something else down every new place you're praying for requires you to leave everything you asking for requires a valley god make me stronger a valley's coming wisdom all these things we pray for whether it's blessing or intangible blessings they come with values he did not promise us an easy trip but he did promise us his presence what did he say i will never anybody know the rest of this leave you nor forsake you yeah he will never run off like that hireling i read to you last week in john 10 10. he is the good shepherd he does what he lays down his life for the sheep watch he already did that he laid down his life for the sheep i love how david says i'm done i don't have fear because only he's with me but my shepherd is packing he has equipment with him his rod oh my god and his staff to watch my shepherd is not empty-handed right like he's packing he got a carry concealed license right he carries he got a carry concealed light he carries two things whipping he's with him his rod and his staff he's a pastor what is that you ever seen shepherds they walk around with this long rod it's a tall stick and it's curved on the top side it's blunt on the backside watch this and what do shepherds do with those rods when sheep get stuck they graciously use that rod to push them forward right to keep moving them forward man i'm stuck in fear but the rod moves you forward i'm stuck in anxiety but the rod moves you forward i'm stuck with not knowing what to do but the rod moves you forward lord i don't know if i should take the step but the rod moves before i don't have faith to take this leap but the rod the rod moves you forward and what does he do with the other end of the rod the hook when the shepard sees sheep going astray he puts the hook around their neck and pulls them back he pulls them back from walking off a cliff he pulls them back from walking into danger because they have poor eyesight they can't oversee well so when a shepherd sees the sheep going straight he just throw the hook around the neck of the sheep and then he'll pull them back to safety see sometimes some of us we got pulled back he's like god how come this didn't open up how come this door because that was the shepherd with the rod around your neck pulling you back to a place of safety i know you wanted to run through that door but as soon as you ran through the door he was gonna fall off a cliff so i had to pull you back to a place of safety i know you've been praying for that boy but you're not ready that boy so i got i gotta pull you back sometimes he'll break up a relationship to pull you back he will close the door to pull you back he will answer a prayer to pull you back he will move you from one place to another place to pull you back i know that's what you wanted but you don't know what's on the other side of that clip so i'm gonna use this rod to pull you back his rod and his staff was a blunt object with bone on it and he would use it to beat animals that try to run up on the sheep for us today that rod and that staff can be a metaphor for the word and the spirit that word that pushes us when we need that encouragement and exhortation that rod of the spirit the holy spirit that conviction of the holy spirit that said don't go there don't do that don't make that move don't quit that yet i didn't tell you walk away i didn't tell you do this that pulls you back the word in the spirit [Music] it's a metaphor for encouragement and correction that's another thing we don't want to hear right so metaphor fun coverage the rod and the staff is a metaphor for encouragement and correction david expressed comfort in these instruments of the shepherd to do what to guide him to correct him to protect him can i ask you a question rod and staff how many times has the lord moved you forward when you were stuck you know what that feels like how how many times has he graciously corrected you when you were wrong you know what that feels like how many times has he put a hook around your neck and slowed you down from making a bad decision oh watch this how many times has he beat off the attacks of the devil with his his staff how many times have we been under pressure from the left and from the right and we cry out to god and he just sends the host of heaven to help us how many times how many times [Music] in this life we will walk through valleys but we don't walk through them alone [Music] the worst thing you will ever face in a valley look at me look right at me is a shadow and and not even let's go to the furthest extreme not even death itself is going to take you out because even death itself for the believer is still a shadow it's just a transition into the radiant beauty of life eternal why because jesus even that he defeated for us as a good shepherd so if we don't even have to fear death then what should we fear if we don't even have to fear death then what should we fear man i don't live with fear i i know some people i don't i'm just not talking to my wife i'm not like that i don't live with faith i'm not going to live my life panicked and what i'm if we don't have to fear death what should we fear there is one thing i do fear in reverence the lord god almighty and i just want to say to somebody right now maybe maybe you're on a mountaintop good enjoy it but for everybody else who may be in a valley or headed to one i just want to encourage you right now wherever you are that the lord is with you in that valley the s-o-n is shining in that dark place your valley may be older age maybe you feel like my body's not moving it can't do whatever that valley is it can be just a difficult season a difficult place trouble in your mind your heart a marriage that's on the rocks a business that's about to crack whatever your valley is right now your valley could just be i'm tired i just want to encourage you that the lord is with you in that valley his rod and his staff will comfort you in that valley the s-o-n is shining in the shadow of that valley he is a good shepherd [Music] he guides us to green pastures he leads us besides the waters he restores our soul he leads us in the path of righteousness for his namesake and though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death whatever that looks like in whatever season we will fear no evil why because you as personal now are with me somebody just say that you are with me somebody just put that in the chat you are with sometimes you just need to be reminded that god is with you and i want to say to somebody right now god is with you although you can't see the end of this path you're on you don't know how you're gonna get out i know it's uncomfortable i know it's dark i know it's painful i know you're shed in tears i know you have need i know i know i know but he knows he sees he cares and sometimes you just need to remind yourself in the middle of the night and he's with me you need to say it to yourself sometimes you just talk to yourself while i'm stressed out and leaning on the window in the middle of traffic because my heart is hurting and i don't know where to go i don't want to go home i don't know where to drive you got to just stop and remind yourself shokoba that you are with me lord not he is with me you lord you talk to her personally who are my shepherd you are with me right now while our church has no building together you are still with us while we cannot meet in a room you are still with us [Music] while some of us are hurting and in desperate need together we so desperately want to be together while we have no place to call home yet you are with us and no matter what you're going through no matter how heavy your heart is [Music] he's with you [Music] because he's with you [Music] you know that song i will not fear you know that song because he's with me because he's with me because he's with me i will not fear we're gonna sink to you in the studio because you're with me sing that to yourself because you're with me [Music] because you're with me i will not fear wherever you're watching this message just sing that with me sing it with me because you're with me because your with me because you're with me i will not feel i want you to prophesy that to yourself one more time we singing to you because you're with me because you're with me because you're with me i will not fear y'all know how the rest of that song go my hiding place my safe refuge [Music] anointed one more my hiding place my safe refuge my god [Music] leave [Music] don't log off [Music] cause you with me i will can we prophesy that one more time before we check out because [Music] because of that i will not fear father we thank you that you are with us in the deepest valley and the darkest night in the most difficult place remind us even right now that no matter what we are dealing with or will deal with [Music] we will not fear because you are with us even while we have no place to gather you are with us even while we're facing real challenges as a church you are with us i pray for all of my flock the sheep you have entrusted to me the shepherd wherever they find themselves at the preaching of this message [Music] on a mountaintop or even in a valley remind them that you are with us and may we be ever thankful for your abiding presence in all things that we go through that you allow we will not fail we will not bow our need to anxiety and worry and we're not going to keep losing sleep [Music] we will trust you as a good shepherd you are with us i pray that over your your sheep [Music] and the mighty [Music] i pray that over our church in our time of need in the mighty and majestic and matchless name of the lord jesus christ amen and amen and amen if you receive that family just drop an amen in the chat wherever you're watching this message if you receive that dropping amen in the chat if you have confidence in the good shepherd that he is leading us and guiding us in paths of righteousness for his namesake just dropping amen in the chat family if you know that he's a good shepherd dropper amen in the chat if he's breaking fear off you right now and driving away anxiety and worry if he's reminding you that you have nothing to lose sleep over that he knows exactly where you are just dropping amen in the child if you know that he's good even in the middle of things that you need would you drop an amen in a chat if you know that he is a good shepherd was laid down just dropping amen for us in the chat if you know that he will not disappoint you or fail you dropper amen in the chat and if you know that he knows exactly what he's doing even when you don't understand [Music] would you drop an amen in the chat family we have a [Music] two weeks left of groups and uh they're about to go on break come june and i just want to call on as many of you as possible let's have a conversation about psalm 23 together let's pack out some of these zooms there's room in the zoom for you even if you jump in a small group for just two weeks man jump in one let's talk about psalm 23 together i'm asking you let's have a conversation as a church even if it's just the last two to three weeks you can do that by just texting v groups to 97 000 and we'll go on our website and sign up i'm asking as many of you as possible let's have a conversation about psalm 23 verses 1 through 4 at least let's talk about that together this week we'll be talking about the last two verses next week let's do that and have conversation as a family if you are a displaced sheep searching for a good flock not a perfect one but one where we're following after the good shepherd to the best of our ability and we invite you to be a part of this flock again not a perfect flock we got fleas and parasites and we got sheep that got issues but we're following the good shepherd and uh we invite you to be a part of this flight just keep logging on to this stream you can sign up for a group if you want i don't even matter what city you're in you can jump in a group and have these conversations with us even for the next couple weeks and you could be a part of our online family we're gonna keep the stream going even when we return to in-person gathering notice i'm saying that very soon by faith in jesus name and you can be a part of our virtual family for everyone i can't stop saying this because we would not be here without you for everyone has been generous you've been giving faithfully tithes offering sacrifice and i am not here without that sacrifice we're not in the studio without that sacrifice we're not doing outreach we have we we have not survived the pandemic without so thank you on behalf of my wife and i for your generosity it means everything to us and if you want to be a part of what we're doing moving the gospel forward you can do all of that i'll announce is coming to tell you all that and after my empty comes we're gonna hang out in the chats for a few minutes and just love on each other i want you know that i love you i'm praying for you don't abandon the flock in this season follow the good shepherd and meet me here next week for the next message in this besides stillwater series i love your family go in peace in jesus name thank you for listening to the victory broadcast we prayed that message was a blessing to you if you have a story or a testimony to share we want to hear all about it send us an email to share at victorychurchatl.org or visit us online under share thanks for listening go in peace you

Channel: Victory Church

Views: 980

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Psalm23, Besidestillwaters, philipamitchell

Id: 6scLxeDxfiE

Length: 55min 21sec (3321 seconds)

Published: Mon May 17 2021