Where Do You Choose to Dwell?

After reading Psalm 23 I read Psalm 107 and I realized they both talked about us being in the shadow of death. But God revealed a difference in the two scriptures. Here is the following download. 

Psalm 107:10-16 talks about how there are those who live in darkness and the shadow of death because they have disobeyed and resisted God and rejected His guidance and direction. He allows their heart to be brought low through their toil and strife. But when they cry out to Him in their trouble He comes in and breaks their chains and brings them out of the darkness and shadow of death because of His lovingkindness. This gives me a new view of Psalms 23. It says that the Lord is my shepherd. He's who I look to to protect and provide for me. It says even though...EVEN THOUGH I walk through the VALLEY of the shadow of death. The deepest, darkest parts. He is with me! So despite the fact that I may walk through seasons of disobedience and resistance and have rejected His guidance and direction, He is still there. His Rod and His staff are still protecting me and keeping me going in the right direction. He prepares a table before me. He provides for me not only the physical food I need to stay nourished but also the spiritual food I need. He anoints my head with oil as they did the priests of God long ago. My calling as a priest is secure. He fills me to overflowing. He doesn't just give me enough to get by. He gives me more than enough that it flows out of me to those around me. Goodness and mercy follows me. Wherever I walk He is there with His lovingkindness and grace. And I have a hope and security knowing where I will spend eternity. So the thing I'm seeing is that if the Lord is your shepherd you'll only WALK through the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), you won't DWELL there (Psalm 107:10). So I ask you, is He your shepherd? When you come to hard seasons, do you keep going and walk through them? Or do you tend to dwell there? If the Lord is our shepherd, we will dwell in the house of the Lord (Psalm 23:4) and not in the darkness and the shadow of death (Psalm 107:10). So when you hear the phrase, "don't dwell on it", don't dwell on it! Where you choose to dwell reveals who your shepherd is. Where do you choose to dwell? Let Psalm 23:6 be a declaration! I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 

-1 Peter 2:9