Psalm 23, Part I, in the light of the Power Spheres Teaching System

The 23rd Psalm

• Sphere of Faith
  
  • (v1a)The Lord is my shepherd,
  • (v1b)I shall not want.
    
    • Orbit 7
      
      • (v2a)He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
      • (v2b)He leads me besides quiet waters.
      • (v3a)He restores my soul;
        
    • Orbit 8
      
      • (v3b)He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His names's sake.
      • (v4a)Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;
      • (v4b) Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
        
    • Orbit 9
      
      • (v5a)Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
      • (v5b)Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows;
      • (v6a)Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
      • (6b)And [at my death] I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
        

SPHERE OF FAITH: Filled with the Spirit

Verse 1a is the Psalmist's declaration that Christ is His Lord and identifies him immediately as being filled with the Spirit, 1 Cor. 12:3. This believer is a Sphere of Faith resident. He has "Faith in God." His focus is upon His Lord, Christ Jesus, the Messiah. Christ is His priority and he looks heavenward being fully persuaded his every need will be met. This he states in verse 1b, "I shall not want." The Psalmist is contented in his state of mind-- at peace-- and in want of nothing.

Orbit 7: the quiet waters

Verse 2 has us in Orbit 7 of the Sphere of Faith. This is the orbit we learn the doctrines of our faith and the mysteries of God's Word. It is here our thoughts are transformed into the mind of Christ. Here is where we are trained in the way we should go. And it begins with humility. "He makes me lie down." Without humility, he cannot and will not learn the ways of God. The humble man recognizes he must lay down his own intelligence to fathom the depths of God's Word and rely upon the Holy Spirit to reveal God's Intimate Counsel. God's Word is too high, as the heavens higher than the earth, for finite man to comprehend.

God reveals Himself in intimate and personal terms through His Word. His Word is the green pastures-food to nourish, encourage, and build up. We are to learn God's Word in the quiet of our closet and under the pastorship of a teacher who is objective, controlled, and well versed in the whole counsel of God. These are the quite, pure waters where we are to come to drink the elixir of God's Intimate Counsel.

The results of feeding upon God's Word from the cool, quiet waters of God's Intimate Counsel is the restoration of the soul. We come into God's kingdom with our old thoughts and ways learned from the Sphere of Evil. Our thoughts have to be refurnished with the thoughts and ways of Christ.

Avoid theatrical Preachers

The man of God is NOT to be given unto loud and emotional outbursts, fanatical gyrations, or comedic and high drama routines. These can only distract the serious student of God's Word and lend not to his spiritual advancement. Such men are to be avoided at all costs if reaching spiritual maturity is your desire and goal. Be not like their followers who find the pure water of God's intimate counsel tasteless--prefering the sugar water of their charismatic, fundamentalist, and occultist leaders. But the drink they offer is tainted, poisoned with doctrines of demons.

Therefore, rather than refurnishing the thoughts of their followers with the whole counsel of God, they teach the spiritual junkfood of demons. In effect, their followers have swept out their old denominational teachings (or whatever religious ideas they grew up believing) and replaced them with occultism. This is tantamount to sweeping out one demon only to find it has returned with seven more demons more evil than itself. (Mt.. 12:42-45)

Orbit 8: The Promised Land via the Wilderness

After a sufficient amount of time for the new believer to grow in grace, it is time for testing, trials, and tribulation. This is his wilderness testing and it is custom designed by God for each individual believer. It will be difficult. The believer will seek detours, but shall feel Christ's rod. He shall stumble, but have Christ's staff to steady him. All of this he shall encounter on the Path of Righteousness.

The wilderness is a negative confession for the carnal

It is here where the occultistist show their colors. Here is where they so tragically veer off God's Word. Here is where their gimmicks come to the forefront and take center stage as the heart of their ministries. Their path of righteousness has no wilderness. Such trials do not fit in well with their sugar-laced doctrines of having what you say, positive confession, and being successful and prosperous. The wilderness is a negative and such talk must not come forth from their lips. These are those who travel the wide and easy road.

The straight and narrow for the spiritual

But it is clearly taught, the way of the spiritual is the straight and narrow path that takes us through the heart of the valley of the shadow of death. But we shall not fear if we have fixed our hope on Christ Jesus, our guide and navigator. We must remember, one does not get to the promised land without first going through the wilderness. And it is to the promised land that Christ is honor bound to lead the spiritual, Sphere of Faith resident.

The Glorious Finale

Our next lesson will bring Psalm 23 to a glorious finale: first, the spiritual believer becomes the recipient of the Glory Blessings. And second, his greatest triumph comes at his death, where he will enjoy his glory blessings to their fullest and shall reign and rule with God in His glorious city forever.

Copyright ©1996 Robert W. Case Jr.

Part II: