# It’s Not Hard to Be Used by God

Key Passage: Psalm 23
Date: June 7, 2024

I am trying this ear microphone, and it’s good because I can talk through it and I can also listen to the ball game at the same time. So if I say touchdown, you know what I’m listening to. No, I actually had preached revival, and they had one of these, and it worked so well. I said, when our lapel mic messes up next time, I will get one of these. It’s actually cheaper than a lapel mic, considerably cheaper, and it seems to work so good. Maybe our YouTube channel won’t have all the clicking and whatnot cutting in and out. We’re going to see if we can’t improve on that.

But I’ve tried to dial into football games. I haven’t got it yet, but I’m still working on it, all right, you know.

Psalms 23. We’re just going to read the first three verses, probably one of the most—at least we should say—familiar passages in all the Bible, the Shepherd Psalm. And what a great Psalm it is. The first three verses. Let’s just get there real quick. Let’s stand if you would please. The title would be, “It’s Not As Hard As You Think to Be Used by God.” It’s not as hard as you think to be used by God. I just realized I might have an issue, man, putting these glasses back on right there. That’s going to be interesting, but we’ll see if we do it all, you know. We’re trying to get it dialed in a little bit before Sunday morning.

But Psalm 23, verse number one, let’s just real quickly get this saying: “The Lord is my shepherd.” Let’s just pause for a second and kind of grasp that.

The more I have read of men that were shepherds, the more that has meant to me. You think about a shepherd that oversees a flock of sheep: they’re continually watching those sheep. They’ll count their sheep; they always know my name. They’ll count them, call them by name. If they’re missing a sheep, they’ll go looking for that sheep to find it.

Sheep will eat all the way to the root and kill the grass, so they’re continually taking them to green pastures. They’re moving them. They won’t drink if it’s running water, so they’re always looking or making sure they have some water available. If they’re getting a lot of parasites and fleas and bugs, they’ll put ointment on them.

They’re always out there to protect. I read a shepherd’s book. He said, “I learned quick into it.” He said, “I always had my .308, I think it was, by me. I heard any noise in the middle of the night, I was up with my light, my flashlight, and my .308, always.”

Now, the Lord is your shepherd. He’s always watching over you. You just grasp that. He’s always looking for what you need. Another pastor, another place to go. What do you need? “The Lord is my shepherd.” What’s the last part of that first verse? “I shall not want.” You don’t want—you shame when us, make myself too—when we go looking to the world for help when we have the Lord as our shepherd.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. We already mentioned that. He leadeth me beside the still waters. If it was a flowing river or whatnot, they don’t drink; they’ve got to be still waters. The Lord knows that. By the way, the water is often compared to in the Bible—to the Bible. And he’s always leading you beside the still waters.

“He restores my soul.” Most shepherds and people that know sheep think that is speaking of a sheep that will get what they call cast. He’ll actually fall over on his back, and his old legs will be sticking out, you know. If they’re left like that, they’ll die. Several reasons that can happen. Sometimes because they need their wool sheared, and they get so big and long and heavy and wet, and bushes and everything caught up in there, and it’ll flip over. You can’t get up. Sometimes they’re laying on the ground; there’s a little rut there, and they’ll roll over in that rut. I can’t get up. The shepherd will have to come along and kind of straddle them and pick them up, get them on their fours so they don’t die. He restores my soul, your shepherd.

Now, this next little phrase is a phrase I want to focus on for just a little bit tonight. It’s very interesting. He’s already laid you light out in green pastures. He’s already led you beside the still waters. He’s already restored your soul. Now he wants to use you. Look at this next little phrase. He said, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake.” That little phrase right there. Would you read that little phrase out loud with me? Here we go: “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

It’s not as hard as you think to be used by God. In fact, according to that little phrase right there, “He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake,” all I have to do is follow.

I mean, really, that’s all. If you want to be used by God, all you have to do is follow. He leads in paths of righteousness for his namesake.

You know, as a preacher, sometimes a preacher, pastor, you can tell like, “Man, I got to make things happen.” And that’s the devil talking to me. I can’t make anything happen. All I have to do is follow the Lord.

The Lord led us to start a church. I think there are a lot of guys much more talented and got more charisma and smarter than all that. “How on the world can I start a church?” And a lot of those guys have felt it. It is so reassuring when the Lord says, “All you got to do is follow.” But that’s all you got to do. Sometimes I think, “Man, I’ve got to come up with a great message and all that.” And I’m still learning that. I don’t have to do all that. All I have to do is follow what he tells me to preach. That’s all.

You just follow. You see, the pressure’s off. We sometimes think, “Man, I got to make it happen.” You can’t make it happen. I mean, I might as well just humble down; there’s just no way we can make it happen. All we have to do is follow.

So, as parents, “Man, I got to make my son, I got to make my daughter into this man and this lady and all that.” You’re not going to make your child. Just follow the Lord’s leading in how to raise that child. God’s the one that makes them.

“I’ve got to make my marriage like this, and I’ve got to make my marriage so good, and I’ve got to make my marriage.” No, no, no. All you have to do is just follow the Lord’s leading. When it tells you to be this certain type of husband, you be that. When it tells you to be this certain type of wife, you be that. You just follow.

Man, how can I be used by God? It’s not as hard as you think. You just follow. He’s the one that leads in paths of righteousness for his namesake. You’re talking about the land—I haven’t anything special about the land. All I did is follow. That’s all. He opens doors, and I’ll just follow. All right. That’s all I’m saying. The devil puts all this pressure on you. Oh, you want to be used by God? All you do is follow.

Young people, man, it would be wonderful if you’re just determined right now while you’re young: “I’m going to follow. I’m going to follow the Lord. I’m going to follow him all the days of my life.” He’ll use you.

I like it when Brother Richard said they were at another church, in a town. He said they got out of church, and he said, “I was impressed.” My daughters were telling me where they were off, even doctrinally. They were saying this, that, and other, you know, where it’s different, and all that. He said they also said that when it’s a little bit off, they would always look over at Brother Richard, at Dad. Every time it’s a little different from home and whatnot, they said, “Dad, you look uncomfortable about that.” That was cute. Hey, just following.

Isn’t it interesting? Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you what?” He’ll use you. He said, “I lead you in paths of righteousness for his namesake.” You say, “I want to be used by God.” Sometimes I’m like, “Man, I got to convince God to use me.” God wants to use you more than you want to be used. You just follow. Now, he might lead you down some roads that are pretty steep, a lot of bumps in the road, but you just follow.

It’s not as hard as you think to be used by God. Just follow. Just follow. Number two, just three thoughts real quickly here. Number two, look at that phrase. Look back at it real quickly there. Just want you to catch a letter in that phrase. Verse number three, there: “He leadeth me in the…” What’s the next word? Plural: paths.

By that, I mean this: Some of our paths—God’s will for our life—is going to look somewhat the same. God’s will is for everybody to get saved, amen. Everybody get baptized, everybody in church, everybody reading their Bible, everybody praying, everybody witnessing. That’s clear. But beyond some of those basic things, your path’s going to be different than my path. David Humphrey’s path is going to be different than my path. Brother Patterson’s path and vice versa.

I mean, look if you will, over in 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. What a—it’s a good verse of wisdom here. Second Corinthians chapter number 10. Look in verse number 12, if you would please. Second Corinthians 10 and verse number 12, if you would please.

Paths. He is going to lead you individually down many different paths, but not all of that, but we all have a different path. Paths. Look at what it says here in Second Corinthians 10, look at verse number 12: “For we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. They measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.”

He’s going to lead you down the paths of righteousness for his namesake that he wants you to go through. I can’t compare. And when I start comparing and start looking, I lack wisdom. He said the people that are doing that are not wise. Friend, don’t start comparing. Don’t—it’s a good day for me in Bible college; some great Christians there and great leaders, and I can learn from great Christians and great leaders and all that, but I also had to learn I can’t be like them.

I got to go down the paths he’s called me to. And it’s not always the same. Don’t get your eyes on other people. Our eyes will be on Jesus. If you’re not careful, you’ll say, “Well, I wish I had kids like their kids. I wish I had a marriage like their marriage. I wish I could see as many people saved as Brother Frank sees. I wish I had their car. I wish we don’t have this and we don’t have that. I wish I had their truck. Wish I had their house.” And you’re wanting for one thing, so the Lord’s not your shepherd as you ought to be. Can’t compare. God’s got different paths.

“He leadeth me in paths…” I think for each individual, it’s more than one path. And for two different people, it’s totally different paths. I can’t compare. It’s a good day when I just said, “Hey, there are some great leaders there, great Christians, and I’ll try to learn what I can from them, but I’ve got to be Paul Chisgar and be what God wants Paul Chisgar to be.” Because when I try to be what they are and I try to compare myself, it’s disaster.

By the way, I’ve said so many times when you start comparing with other people, one or two things happen: either pride or pity. One of the two always happens, always does. And I’ve got to say, “Hey, this is what God wants me to be,” and I’m going to be content being what I ought to be. You know, my wife and I, we didn’t purchase or buy a house until we were married 10 years. Man, we’re looking around: so-and-so’s got a house, so-and-so’s got a house, we ain’t got no house. And somewhere along the line, you realize, “Hey, we’re doing what God wants for us, and we’re going to trust our shepherd.” That’s he’s leading us, and we’re following him, and he’s got a plan, a path for us. And it’s not going to look like anybody else’s. We’re just going to have to follow his will for us.

You see, here’s the thing: when I start looking too much at others, I’m tempted to make my own plans instead of following the shepherd. Because I don’t have my eyes on the shepherd; I’ve got my eyes on the other sheep. And the unfortunate thing of that is often I miss the paths of righteousness that he wants to be on.

I heard him talk about it one time. He said he was told about praying all night long. I was interested in that. I’m not saying I’ve done it or anything like that, not trying to act like I’m there or anything, but I heard it, and I was curious about that. It was very interesting. He said, “When the Lord led me to pray all night long, the next day I’d have plenty of energy.”

Now, he didn’t say it, but it made me think: the times he tried to do it or did it, and the Lord didn’t lead him, he didn’t have the energy the next day. Friend, the Lord leads in paths of righteousness for his namesake. Now, here’s the temptation: “Man, I heard so-and-so prayed all that long.” If God’s leading you, praise the Lord for that. I might go after it. But my temptation has been, “Well, they did it, I’m going to do it,” and the Lord’s not in it. Friend, that’s pretty tough to do. I’m just saying that don’t compare. He leads in paths of righteousness.

Paths of righteousness for his namesake. Now, let’s get that last part. We’re done. Number one, we said, “Hey, all you got to do is follow.” Boy, I like to be used by God. All right, pressure is off. All you got to do is follow. That’s it. Number two, paths, plural. You’re going to look a little different for you than for me, vice versa. You follow his path of righteousness for you. Then number three, number three, and we’re done for tonight.

That last part: “He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.” If he’s leading and I’m following, it’ll be all about him. It’s sad when it becomes about us. Oh, King Saul, in the Old Testament, boy, it became about him. He started off good. He started off very, very humble. And God said, “When you were little in your own eyes, I made you the king.” But boy, it became all about him, him, him, him. And now he’s going to take the throne from you. It was a sad thing.

Oh, Joseph. Boy, he had his brothers try to kill him—some of them—and sell him into slavery, and Potiphar’s wife lie about him and in prison. And the butler and the baker, they forgot about him for years, two years there, and all those things. One of them got his head chopped off. But many of that going on.

In the end, remember the very end of it all, he’s a prime minister over there, and his family comes, and he feeds them and all that. Dad dies, and then the brothers said, “Oh, Joseph, you’re going to get us now that Dad’s gone.” Remember what Joseph said? In Genesis 50, verse number 20, I believe it is? He said, “As for you, you meant it as evil, but God meant it for good.”

Now, here’s the thing: it wasn’t about Joseph. It was all about Joseph. Joseph being hurt and offended and mad, ready to get revenge and kill them all. Joseph said, “God’s got a plan here. God’s doing something. God’s working.” And if I’m following the shepherd, it’s not necessarily all about me. It’s a shame on us when we just want to take credit. We want to put our fingerprints on it. It bothers me. I see it sometimes in my flesh. No, no, no. If I’m following the shepherd, it’s not about who gets the credit. It’s about the Lord’s work getting done for his namesake. If the Lord is leading you, it’s not about us. It’s about God and his glory and his credit.

My former pastor, I mentioned him once, my brother Howells. He was my pastor. I was there in the church for seven years on and off. I listened to his sermon tapes for years growing up, and he influenced my life greatly. But after all that, I listened to thousands of sermons under that ministry and all that. We moved down here to Middle Tennessee to start the church, and I never heard this.

I heard it through someone—I can’t even remember how I heard—someone I think that went to Franklin Road back in the day when Bob Kelly was there. Do you remember Bob Kelly? Yeah, “Machine Gun Kelly” they used to call him, you know. I mean, he just kept there: boom, boom, boom, boom. When he was done, you know. But his wife, Ms. Kelly, she had gotten—I think it was MS, if I remember right. And I didn’t realize until I got down here and close to that ministry, and some of the ministry said, “Well, Brother Howells had bought her her motorized wheelchair.” Nowadays, you can get it a lot of times with a different organization. Back in the day, there was a little bit harder to come by.

Now, here’s the thing that I appreciated so much: I had heard thousands of messages underneath that ministry for years, and I never heard him tell that story. He never bragged or told that he had bought that. I like that. That’s the way Christianity ought to be. It ought not be about, “Well, I did this, that, or other.” Nobody knows about it. Not for us; it’s for the Lord.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” He leads me beside the still waters. He leaves me in the—well, I’m messing it all up. My goodness, let’s just go back and get it. We’ll get it right. We’ll get it back. “He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake.” All you got to do is follow.

It’s not as hard as you think. The devil convinces you you can’t be used by God. All the Lord will do is lead you; you just follow. And don’t get caught up in too much of what everybody else is doing. Just say, “Hey, this is a path God has for me,” paths of righteousness. And in the end, not about us, for his namesake.

Original File: It’s Not As Hard As You Think To Be Used By GOD - Pastor Paul Chisgar Wed. 1120