Walking Through The Valley :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: January 30, 2021 by RR7 Category:General Articles, Ron & Nathele Graham

We all have favorite verses and passages in Scripture that we’ve memorized. The words of Jesus need to be written on our hearts, and some that come to mind have to do with His love and care for us. When Jesus walked among the people, it was a time when the sight of shepherds herding their sheep was common. Because He knew the needs of sheep and the love of their shepherd, Jesus used them as an example of His love for us.

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

When we choose to follow Him, we can trust Him to care for us and provide for our needs. The Lord being our shepherd isn’t a New Testament idea. Long before he was king, David was a shepherd. He understood the need to care and provide for his flock and likened the Lord’s love and care to a shepherd.

“[A Psalm of David]. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:1-6).

Many of us know this Psalm by heart. This beautiful poetry has given comfort in times of trouble and encouragement in times of need.

David knew from experience just how important the sheep are to the shepherd and how much care they need. He finds food and water for his precious flock, and he protects them from danger. Scripture discloses that when he was very young, David had killed a bear and a lion when they threatened his flock, and this prepared him to fearlessly face a giant. The sheep trust their shepherd, and they know his voice and follow only him. David likened the LORD to a shepherd and personalized the statement by saying “my” shepherd.

Here’s a question for you: Is the Lord your shepherd?

Green pastures and still waters give a picture of peace. As I read those words, I get a picture in my mind of a lovely lake with trees shading the green grass. Some sheep are grazing, while others are peacefully resting. They aren’t afraid of any danger because they trust their shepherd. If the sheep felt any fear, they wouldn’t be lying peacefully.

David knew he could trust the LORD to provide for his needs and protect him, and he fully trusted the LORD as his Shepherd. When David wrote these words, he couldn’t fully understand the peace and comfort of Jesus. David looked forward to the coming Messiah but was not indwelt by the Holy Spirit as Christians are today. When Jesus, who is our Good Shepherd, told His disciples that He was going to be put to death, He explained that this was necessary, but that He wouldn’t leave them, or us, without help.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven, but Christians have the peace of God living inside of us because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:12-14).

David recognized that the LORD does even more than provide peace and supply our needs. “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

Various Bible translations translate “restoreth my soul” as “He restores my Strength” (NLT), and “He refreshes my soul” (NIV). Perhaps David had led his sheep through a very hot, dry desert to reach this place of peace and safety.

How many times have you gone through a very rough time in life, such as disease or financial troubles, but when you were at the end of your strength, God led you to a peaceful place where you rested and regained your strength?

David’s words compare God’s care for us to the shepherd’s love for his sheep. Without God we cannot have any true restoration, renewal, or refreshing. We can trust Him to only lead us along paths that will keep us safe… the paths of righteousness. When you face a choice and must decide upon a path to follow, stop and pray. God won’t lead you into sin or into a situation that will cause disgrace upon His name or upon you. We can trust Him and His word to guide us.

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5).

Our true enemy is Satan. He uses people, but people aren’t our enemies. Satan’s desire is to destroy us and separate us from our Lord.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11).

We who follow the Good Shepherd are under His protection. Whether we face a physical battle or a spiritual one, the Good Shepherd still provides for us. In the midst of battle, a soldier has little time to eat, but the Good Shepherd sets out a table for His own sheep. Spiritual food for a spiritual battle. The enemy isn’t fed, but the sheep are. The sheep are given the luxury of being anointed with oil and so much to drink that the cup overflows. Even in times of struggle, blessings abound for those who follow Jesus, but the enemy has no comfort or abundance.

David had confidence in the LORD and looked forward to the coming Messiah. He was comforted by the knowledge that he would “…dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6b).

The Good News for Christians today is that the Messiah has come. If you have placed your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you will live with Him forever. There’s nothing that can take you from Him.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

That’s as safe and secure as you can possibly get.

There’s a lot of turmoil in this life. Governments being overthrown, pestilence running rampant, wars, persecution, hatred, chaos… all of this is driven by Satan. Fear can grip our hearts and cloud our thinking. If you’ve accepted Christ for salvation, remember that He is the Good Shepherd and follow Him every step of your way. Let Him give you peace.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

You may have noticed that I skipped verse 4. Verses 1 through 3 tell of green pastures, still waters, and paths of righteousness. All peaceful settings that we long for. Verses 5 and 6 tell of the abundance and comfort that the Lord provides in spite of the enemy’s presence and the strife Satan causes. There’s also the promise of dwelling with Him forever.

In the middle of these verses of comfort and promise, we read, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

This almost seems out of place… very dark and foreboding compared to the green pastures, still waters, and a feast in the midst of enemy attack. A valley is a low point between mountains, and in this case, the valley has a shadow over it… the shadow of death. It isn’t death itself that covers that valley, but the shadow of death. We walk through such a valley every day. Death has always been a certainty in life, and the truth is, even as we lie down in those lovely green pastures, death is all around us. Our very next breath could be our last.

Today there’s a virus that has struck fear into the hearts of many. People who don’t know Jesus have no hope and can only know fear. Christians have the promise of eternal life with our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and we need not fear any evil. Even David, who lived many centuries before the Messiah gave His life for our salvation, felt confident as he walked through the valley of the shadow of death.

Notice that David walked through the valley of the shadow of death instead of racing through it in fear in order to get out of it. He trusted the rod and staff of the Good Shepherd to comfort and lead him. The Apostle Paul yearned to get through the valley and be with Jesus, but knew he needed to continue his ministry on earth.

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23-24).

Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. He is the rod and staff that guides us and comforts us as we walk through this world that’s overshadowed by death.

Unbelievers have no hope. They are the walking dead and are all around us. They’ve chosen to reject the Good Shepherd, and His rod and staff will bring them no comfort. Unless they repent and accept Christ’s free gift of salvation, they face eternity in the Lake of Fire. Christians have the promise of eternal life in the presence of our Lord and Saviour; our Shepherd will go with us through that valley of the shadow of death. I find much comfort in that promise, but I also feel an urgent need to share God’s promises with the lost before it’s too late. The world is becoming darker every day as Satan takes control of more and more people. Brothers and sisters, stand firm upon God’s word, don’t falter as you walk the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, and follow His command to share the Gospel with the lost.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Only faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will bring salvation and break the bond of the valley of the shadow of death.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

He is my Shepherd, and I shall not want… even when walking through this valley of the shadow of death.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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Here It Comes :: By Daymond Duck

Published on: January 30, 2021 by RR7 Category:Daymond Duck, General Articles

It is my desire to stop writing about the election and direct more of my time to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, but the election has major prophetic implications, and the two issues cannot be separated.

Pres. Trump promised a peaceful transition of power, and he and Melania left the White House with grace and humility.

Here are some quotes that may interest you:

“The purpose of the New World Order is to bring the world into a world government” (Winston Churchill).
“Out of these troubled times [out of the Persian Gulf War], our [America’s] fifth objective—a new world order—can emerge” (Geo. H. W. Bush, 1990).
“I learned to love the New World Order” (Joe Biden, Apr. 23, 1992).
“The hierarchy [of the U.N.], among other things, had called for world government to be achieved in STAGES through the forming of world administrative REGIONS. This was in accordance with the U.N. charter, which encourages the implementation and administration of world government on a REGIONAL basis” (Edmund J. Osmanneczyk, 1995).
“What I am trying to do [to build a global system] is to promote a process of reorganization of the world” (Bill Clinton, 1997).
“Within four years, we will see the beginning of a new international order” (Henry Kissinger 2008).
“The burdens of global citizenship bind us together” (Barack Obama, July 24, 2008).
“To bring about the New World Order, we have to have a new consciousness” [a new spiritual ethic, or new world religion] (Henry Kissinger, Jan. 12, 2009).
Concerning who will head up the New World Order, “We’re trusting that he will be President Obama” (Henry Kissinger, 2009).
“The affirmative task we have now is to actually create a new world order” (Then Vice-Pres. Joe Biden, Apr. 5, 2013).
“I believe we and mainly you [the U.S. Air Force Academy graduating class] have an incredible opportunity to lead in shaping a new world order for the 21st century…” (Joe Biden, May 28, 2014).
“You are about to graduate into a complex and borderless world” (Biden’s new Climate Change Czar, John Kerry, May 6, 2016).

Globalists have big plans, but they are not in control; they just think they are.

The more they reject God; and the more they turn against His people; and the closer they move toward world government; the more they stir His wrath, and the closer God’s people are to the Rapture.

Here are some of my thoughts on current events:

On Jan. 20, 2021, the “America First” president was replaced with a “Fundamentally Transform America” president.
This “fundamental transformation” of America involves the submission of America to a godless world government (the New World Order, The Great Reset, the U.N. 2030 Sustainable Development goals, etc.).
Biden has already announced his intent to undo Trump’s America First policies, rejoin the Paris Climate Accords, rejoin the World Health Organization, halt America’s departure from the World Trade Organization, halt construction on the Keystone Pipeline and border wall, review and reverse more than 100 Trump policies on the environment, stop immigration enforcement in the U.S., and more.
Biden announced support for things (other than world government) that go against the Scriptures: taxpayer-funded abortions for everyone up to the moment of birth (murder of babies), nominate judges that support abortion, allow gays to serve openly in the military, reinstate Title IX that lets transgenders use bathrooms according to their gender identity (men use women’s bathrooms, etc.), etc. Think about this. Through a Political Action Committee (PAC), Planned Parenthood gave more than 27 million dollars to Biden’s election, and now Biden is going to give Planned Parenthood millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to kill babies.
Biden has already cut America’s defense budget, cut the Space Force budget, transformed money budgeted for America’s nuclear arsenal to FEMA, and threatened to fire at least two Generals (one in the Army and another in the Air Force) that questioned these cuts. There is speculation that a military purge is coming to replace patriot-minded officers with officers that will pledge allegiance to the U.N. Here is a link to an article about this: https://beforeitsnews.com/blogging-citizen-journalism/2021/01/generals-tell-trump-we-got-your-back-2649650.html
Biden dissolved the 1776 Commission designed to teach patriotism in public schools and replaced it with a group “to assist agencies in assessing equity with respect to race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability.”
Simply put, “Here It Comes” means that I believe the Biden administration intends to support policies that will lead to the rise of the Ten Kings, world government, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, tracking everyone, godlessness, the Tribulation Period, etc.
The shadow government controls every branch of the U.S. government, and, as I see it, there will be a surge forward with no going back. In his first six days in office, Biden signed more executive orders than the last four presidents combined (and one of his officials said there are more to come).
How long it will take to bring in the world government is unknown, but I expect the shadow government to push Biden to accomplish as much as he can before the next election two years from now.
No one knows the day or hour of the Rapture, but whenever it happens, the Restrainer will be removed, and godless world government will go into overdrive.

Here are several stories that made the news:

One, Biden asked a “Christian” preacher friend to offer the benediction at his inauguration, and the preacher closed his prayer, not in the name of Jesus, but “in the strong name of our collective faith.”

Praying in “the strong name of our collective faith” is the kind of reprobate thinking that left God out of the Democrat Party Platform.

Their total one-party control of the U.S. government will cause them to fully support a godless one-world religion and government.

The Bible clearly teaches that God will put up with this godless world government nonsense for 7 years, but if He did not bring it to an end, no flesh would be saved.

The pastor’s prayer is also evidence of a sick, lukewarm Church that tickles people’s ears instead of proclaiming the truth.

Two, on Jan. 23, 2021, a bomb exploded at First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, Cal.

Hate messages were painted on the inside walls of the church.

Several news organizations ignored the bombing and blamed the church for preaching against same-sex marriage.

These people appear to believe it is okay to blow up a church if the preacher preaches the Scriptures.

Three, on Jan. 20, 2021, an unidentified person in the U.S. State Dept. decided that the U.S. Ambassador to Israel will now be called the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

The person that made that decision posted it on the State Dept. website, and it appears that whoever did it does not believe that the West Bank and Gaza should be part of Israel.

Some say the Biden administration also plans to change the U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.

Two weeks ago, I wrote that God had a reason for putting Trump in office, He has a reason for removing Trump, and He has a reason for putting Biden in office.

I tend to believe God is ready to let world government advance, and He removed Trump because Trump would have been in the way.

I also tend to believe that God put Biden in office because He wants Israel to trust Him, not Trump or the U.S., for protection.

Unfortunately, most Christians do not know enough Bible prophecy to recognize the danger that dividing Israel poses to America.

According to the Bible, those that try to cut Israel into pieces at the end of the age will be cut into pieces.

(Note: Before this article was sent to the editor, the State Dept. reversed itself on the issue and went back to calling the U.S. Ambassador the Ambassador to Israel.)

Four, concerning pestilences, my last week’s article noted that a group of U.S. doctors believe Ivermectin is safe and effective for preventing Covid in most people.

The article also noted that India has developed an inexpensive, effective, and safe Covid Ivermectin treatment kit.

On Jan. 19, 2021, it was reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has upgraded Ivermectin from “against the drug” to “not for or against the drug.”

According to the article, this opens the door for doctors to feel safe in prescribing it and for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve it for emergency use if they choose to do so.

I found Ivermectin searching “Ivermectin for humans” at amazon.com.

There is also an apple-flavored paste, and a reader told me about a nurse that puts it in peanut butter.

I am just passing this information on for people to make their own decision.

Five, concerning persecution, much of the hatred that has been dumped on Trump over the last 4 years is now being directed toward those that voted for him.

Since Jan. 15, 2021, more than 22,000 people have signed a petition to have Franklin Graham fired from Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc. for supporting Pres. Trump.
On Jan. 20, 2021, the Daily Beast published an article calling for a new “secret police” force to spy on Trump supporters because the FBI and NSA will not sufficiently punish these Americans.
Many Christians and conservatives are expressing concern that Biden’s support for the LGBTQ agenda (biological males in women’s bathrooms, etc.), and Pelosi’s rule that people in Congress are not allowed to say man, woman, etc., will lead to people being denounced as homophobes, etc. One reader e-mailed me to say there will be a tremendous effort to pervert the children that are not killed by abortion.
It has been reported that Katie Couric is calling for Trump supporters to be deprogrammed in re-education camps and for members of Congress that question the accuracy of the election to be punished. This could pit brother against brother just like Jesus said because the left wants to silence and shame those that disagree with them.
On Jan. 20, 2021, it was reported that former FBI Director James Comey said the Republican Party “needs to be burned down or changed.” He asked, “Who would want to be part of an organization that at its core is built on lies and racism and know-nothingism?” Comey is a proven liar, and there is evidence that he used false evidence to protect Hillary Clinton when she destroyed thousands of e-mails.
On Jan. 21, 2021, it was reported that a columnist for the Washington Post is calling for Fox News to be kicked off the air for “radicalizing people and setting them on the path of violence and sedition.”

I pray that Jesus will Rapture the Church off the earth before the persecution gets too bad, but judgment must begin at the house of God (I Pet. 4:17).

It falls on believers first, and it falls harder on unbelievers second (persecution of the Church signifies a greater persecution is coming on the lost).

Six, after constantly condemning Trump’s handling of Covid and claiming that he (Biden) will vaccinate a million people a day, concerning Covid, on Jan. 23, 2021, Biden said there is “nothing we can do about the trajectory.”

He added, “In the next few months, masks, not vaccinations, are the single best defense against Covid.”

Seven, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog in the latter years and latter days, on Jan. 20 it was reported that a senior Israeli official said if Biden returns to the same terms of Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, Israel will have nothing to discuss with him.

Biden is clearly interested in returning to the deal but said Iran must start complying first.

To summarize this article, concerning world government, I am not like Chicken Little, who claimed the sky is falling (world government indicates many good things such as the approaching rapture; reign of Jesus; peace, justice, and righteousness on earth; etc.), but I am saying get prepared because here it comes.

Some are saying a police state and persecution are coming.

U.S. Josh Hawley recently said, “You can go to church now, but you may not be allowed to go to the church of your choice in two years.”

As far as many of you are concerned, your pastor will never tell you about these things, so I suggest that a good place to get started is hischannel.com.

Finally, if you want to go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.

Daymond Duck

duck_daymond@yahoo.com