Comfort From the Staff by Cheryl Lutz

“Yea 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 they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

Hello friend,

My soul was weary and heavy laden.  Conviction of sin weighed me down.  The Holy Spirit used an illustration a friend had given me on finding comfort in God in the darkness of trials. My revelation was more on finding God in the darkness of sin.  I had sinned against the Lord.  I didn’t “make a mistake” or have a slight “issue”.  I had sinned.  I couldn’t blow it off, and I also knew I couldn’t wallow in it, allowing Satan to immobilize me. Jesus came to take our sin so that we might experience grace and forgiveness.  I had to call my sin what it was, and take it to Him.  I pictured a white canvas, and in my mind I painted it as black as could be.  In the middle, I drew a red cross.  Yes, my sin was real, black, and ugly.  BUT GOD!  He sent His Son to the cross to take the ugliness for me. 

As Joni Erickson Tada says,

 “If you think your sin is too great for God to forgive, crawl up the cross and tell Him it wasn’t enough!”

WOW.

Did you know we have a “staff” to comfort us in our affliction and conviction? 

The staff represents our beautiful Holy Spirit. 

According to Philip Keller in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, the staff is a symbol of concern and compassion, which a shepherd has for his sheep.  Just as the Holy Spirit draws us to Christ, the staff drew the sheep into intimate fellowship with the shepherd. 

Even when we go through the “valley of the shadow of death” the “rod” gives us protection and the “staff” brings us comfort. 

As the shepherd gently uses his staff to disentangle a lamb from a thorn bush, so our Good Shepherd uses the Holy Spirit to disentangle us from our sin.  He loves to hear His children cry to Him for help, that He might pour out His abundant grace upon us.

How about you? Are you trying to hide your sin from God?  There is no place where you can flee from His Spirit, dear one.

Are you wallowing in your sin and allowing Satan to use it to immobilize you?  Meditate on Joni’s illustration.  Are you telling God His work on the cross wasn’t enough?

Contemplate the words from: It is Well With My Soul, by Horatio Spafford.

“My sin- O the bliss of this glorious thought!---my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more; praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

How about you? Is it well with your soul?  Take the time to sing and praise His good name!

Cheryl Lutz is passionate to teach women how to tear down strongholds and find freedom in Christ. A pastor’s wife for twenty-five years, Cheryl possesses a vibrant love for teaching the Word of God. She is the founder of Securely Held, LLC, where she works as a trained and experienced lay counselor and speaker.

You may contact Cheryl through her blog at:www.securelyheld.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/securelyheld

Twitter: @clutz40

Email: clutz40@gmail.com