GOD'S RESTORE POINT

Psalm 23:3 'He restores my soul, He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.'

One important aspect of understanding our relationship with Christ is the need for us to CULTIVATE the awareness of God's presence, and APPLY His word to every area of our life.

Psalm 23 is a beautiful insight into the BENEFITS of INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ our advocate and Good Shepherd.

Acts 13:22 tells us that God raised up for Israel, David as king to whom He also gave this testimony and said, "I have found the son of Jesse a MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, who will DO ALL MY WILL." The Father's desire in bringing us tp the place of restoration is to have a Family, a people, who have His desires, who will live and do His will.

1. HE RESTORES MY SOUL

The first statement in V3; 'He restores my soul' is about bringing us back to the place where relationship with God was untainted by sin. The Hebrew word for restores is shoob and has the root meaning: "to return to the place of departure."

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 puts it this way: "Whoever is a believer in Jesus Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared and a new way of living has come into existence. God has don all this. He has RESTORED our relationship with Him through Christ, and has given us this ministry or restoring relationships (reconciliation)."

Our spirit is restored immediately by the blood of of the Cross, but or SOUL or Psyche is restored as we CHOOSE the new way God has given us to live. All the problems mankind has in His Soul stem from the deception in the Garden of Eden. Our EMOTIONS, our MENTAL STATE, our WILL and our INTELLECT have been infected by the virus of unbelief. Every issue, worry, doubt, guilt, regret, sadness, unrest, frustration and fear come from unbelief

SO HOW IS RESTORATION OF OUR SOUL ACCOMPLISHED?

Psalm 19:7-11 'The teachings of the Lord are perfect, they renew the soul. The testimony of the Lord is dependable, it makes gullible people wise The instructions of the Lord are correct, they make the heart rejoice. The command of the Lord is radiant, it makes the eyes shine. The fear of the Lord is pure, it endures forever. the decisions of the Lord are true, they are completely fair.

The Bible is the source of great insight and is the tool of the Holy Spirit.

The word perfect in the Hebrew, means: without blemish, complete , sound, hole, without error or defect and is characterised by integrity and truth. A generous application of God's word to our lives each day would do wonders for restoring mental stability in a world so that is being crushed by doubt and fear. (Health experts assert that more hospital beds are occupied by those who have emotional problems, than all physical and surgical ailments combined.)

• When we go through times of sorrow - it is God who revives our soul through His word.

• When we wall into sin, it is God through the blood of Christ who sactifies us.

• When we feel incapable or weak, it is the Lord through His Word that renews our heart, restores our soul, and strengthens our confidence in Him.

God our Father has done all that is necessary to return us to the pre-adam state of humanity. Our responsibility is to do something with what God has made available through the death of jesus christ on the Cross. The teachings of the Lord are perfect and bring about complete restoration as they are applied to every area of our life.

Will you be a pro-active Christian, growing in the grace and favour of the Lord through the application of His word in your life?