Good Afternoon Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Psalm 23 is well known to almost every Believer. We’ve heard it since childhood. In fact, we’ve heard it so much, it’s easy for us to unconsciously speak each word without giving much, or any, thought to it.
Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou [God] art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
As we examine Psalm 23:4, we see the mention of the “valley of the shadow of death.” Hell and death were prominent in the Old Covenant because Christ had not yet overcome Satan and taken the keys to hell and death (Revelation 1:18) through His redemptive acts of the scourging, the crucifixion, death, hell, and resurrection. Satan was lord of this earth, hell, and death. Therefore, there was the shadow of death that loomed over all the earth and mankind.
Today, under the New Covenant, purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no longer a “valley of the shadow of death.” One day as I was reading Psalm 23, the Holy Spirit said to me, “there is no longer a valley of the shadow of death” and proceeded to teach me why. This is not a new revelation given to me. The Disciples of Christ, after Pentecost, and Paul and other Brothers and Sisters to come of the first church, knew this as part of the foundational teachings of the New Covenant. Somewhere through time, Satan managed to get religion to continue to acknowledge the Old Covenant fear of the shadow of death. Why? Because Satan knows that fear is the anti-Christ to faith, and if he can get us in fear, doubt, and unbelief, he can keep us trapped in bondage.
Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father [my Father, The Father].
II Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The two verses above, both New Covenant verses, acknowledge the New Covenant released us from the “fear of the shadow of death.” We must remember in the Old Testament there were no demons cast out and everything was done through miracles. Why? Because Satan had the title deed to the earth. He controlled everything in the earthly realm. He was the god of this world – not man who gave up the title deed. But God, through Jesus Christ, changed this through Jesus’ redemptive acts which freed man, not the earth, but man from the curse. The earth is yet to come.
The Holy Spirit taught me when we believed in our hearts and confessed Jesus is the Son of God, that He paid for our sins, that He arose from the dead to give us life eternal, and we made Him Lord of our lives, we were infused and sealed with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13), the fullness of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)(Colossians 2:9, John 1:16). We learn in I John 1:5 that God is light. This light is the same light God spoke to create all the universe in Genesis 1:3. The Holy Spirit took me to Psalm 37.
Psalm 37:3-7
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.
6 And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
There is SO MUCH that can be taught from the above verses. However, let’s focus on verse 6. I’ve already written, and will write more, about “righteousness.” Righteousness is not your conduct or behavior, that’s holiness. Righteousness is your “right standing.” Your right standing is to be healed and walk in divine health, prospered materially and financially so that you have a great abundance, and protected and delivered from the enemy, Satan, so that nothing that comes against you prospers or judges you – you always win. That’s “righteousness.” Study verses 3-5. If you are willing and obey verses 3-5, you will have verse 6. Notice verse 6 says, “thy judgment as the noonday.” Judgement, as used here, means “justice.” God will bring forth your justice as the noonday. “Justice” is God ensuring you receive everything due you as part of your salvation. However, as I’ve written before, we, as Believers, must participate by accepting everything freely given us of God by believing, decreeing, and receiving all The Blessing meant for us, all The Blessing already given us (Ephesians 1:3).
Since we have God’s light in us, which shines brighter than the noonday sun (Revelation 21:23, Psalm 84:11, Matthew 17:12, Revelation 22:5), there are no shadows where we walk, Spiritually speaking. If you stand outside in the noonday sun, you cannot cast a shadow. The Holy Spirit taught me this applies to us in our walk with Jesus Christ in the Spiritual realm. He instructed me there are no shadows in Heaven. Why? Because a shadow, by nature, must have darkness in it. Where a shadow is, there is an absence of light. This means there is darkness.
I John 1:5
This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
If there is no darkness in God, not even a hint because He is absolute light, there is no darkness, not even a hint, in Heaven. It also means when we walk in God’s righteousness for us, there is no darkness, no shadow – and NOTHING around us can cast a shadow because of God’s light emanating from us. We understand this is speaking in the Spiritual realm. Shadows create fear in people. The shadow of death and all it brings from Satan creates fear in people. Only those unsaved should experience this shadow. However, if we, as Believers, walk as an unsaved person walks through life, in fear, then you quench the light of God in you, and you will see and experience shadows or an absence of light. We quench the light through fear, unbelief, and doubt of God’s promises to us. This should not be so.
In closing, remember, and remind yourself through Scriptures, you are greater than the darkness of this world because of Christ in you. Remember I John 4:4.
I John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He [Godhead] that is in you, than he [Satan] that is in the world.
Don’t allow yourself to harbor darkness through fear, doubt, and unbelief. If God said it, then it is so. End of conversation. Period. Instead, walk freely and liberally by confessing His Word over you daily. Rather than esteeming your problems by continually talking about them, esteem the Word of God and be delivered from your problems by continually confessing God’s Word over your family, you, your job, your business, your health, your children, your grandchildren, your finances, your material possessions, your marriage, your ministry, your emotions, your memory, etc.
Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Matthew 12:37
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Your words create your environment and your standing in righteousness. You are your own prophet. Your mouth makes prophetic declarations over you, your family, and your circumstances – whether good or bad. Choose to hear and obey the Word of God. Decree God’s promises over you in faith. God so dearly wants to make His promises come to pass in your life.
Much love in Christ,
Larry