Troy Dooly - The Beachside CEO

Unfortunately, many of us, depending on what we are going through, may read Psalms 23 like this:

I am my own shepherd, and I'm a mess.

I don't have everything I need. That's for sure.

I wouldn't know still water if it were staring right at me.

I haven't taken a rest in a green pasture for quite a while now.

I don't walk along paths of righteousness, but I know what fear and evil are.

I seek comfort wherever, whenever, and from whoever I can get it.

I can't stand my enemies. I want to hurt them.

My cup overflows—I'm full of angst and fear, consumed by anger, sorrow, and rage. I'm so full I easily spill over. I'm packed so tight it doesn't take much to explode.

I don't know what will follow me all the days of my life, but I can tell you this one thing: My Soul? It's tired, I'm tired, and I want to end this content depression, sleeplessness, and anxiety. My thoughts and emotions have me running from my own shadow.

And yet, the very first verse of Psalms 23 sets the stage for the 9 Words on the screen...

Psalms 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Why is it so easy for us to accept that Jesus died and rose again, yet we still question every other Scripture, or worse yet, don't even know what they say? It's so easy to read our Bible. It's a whole other enough faith in our shepherd to believe it!

We can't stop the Devil from prowling around our table, but in Jesus' name, we definitely have the choice of allowing the Enemy to sit across from us! To enter our thoughts and feelings. To paralyze our Soul!

Don't Give The Enemy a Seat at Your Table has become more than a helpful quote for me! These nine words have become my battle cry, my WMD (weapons of mass destruction) over my enemies. It is liberation from the Enemy trying to manipulate my beliefs, thoughts, and feelings.

Our Shepard, Our Lord, set the table for us dead in the middle of all our enemies. It's a table for two, not three, four, or more!

Here's the truth. We are created in the image of God. We are called to greatness. We are children of the King, and God wants to set us free from anything holding us back. It's time we got serious about claiming victory in the battle for our minds and life. It's time to believe and live by Psalms 23:1 - The Lord is my Shepard; I have all I need!

When we fully trust in the Lord. When we genuinely fear living without him, we will fear No danger - period!

The landslide of power is the realization that the King of the universe is inviting you and me to sit with Him at His table. It's the story of the Good Shepherd who sees you and walks with you through the valley. It's about our God setting a table of nourishment and refreshment amid trouble. This message helps us keep the thoughts in our heads from running wild—it is a message of victory. 

Through Jesus Christ, we can take authority over who sits at our table and influences our thinking, feelings, and, ultimately, our actions. We are invited to intimate relationships with the Almighty - our Abba Father. The table He's prepared for us is one of peace, joy, hope, clarity, and abundance. We don't have to give the Enemy a seat at our table. And we can sure pull the chair out from under him!

Consider soberly and honestly examining if you've given the Enemy a seat at your table. The pressure of life is all around us, yet our almighty Father has invited us to sit and dine. The dinner party belongs to us and God alone.

There is an old saying: Show me your finances, and I can show you where your heart is.

The same rings true when it comes to our minds. Show me your phone, smart TV, or playlist, and I can show you where your thoughts and feelings come from and who's sitting at your table.

I always go hack to Psalms 91

"The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. Because you have made the Lord  — my refuge, the Most High — your dwelling place, no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91‬:‭1‬, ‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

With our Father, we have all we need. He has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us. He has made us heirs to all he has and wants to sit, eat, drink and talk with us.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love and delight between the Father and the Son, is the author of Scripture. If we will meditate on the word and pray more than we veg out on social media, Netflix, or our anxieties and fears, Satan and his cronies won't be sitting across from us at the table Our Father set for us in the middle of our enemies.