The word for »souls« in 1.Peter 2:25 is psukhê (see Soulwords). In dealing with the problems of the Psyche, we must first of all understand that Jesus is the Shepherd of the Psyche and he is Lord in that capacity. While others among his people may be shepherds, he is the Chief Shepherd, pre-eminent in all things. He is therefore the Ruler of the Mind, Emotions, Will.

This is in fact the essential problem of the Psyche: it faints and it is scattered; it needs a Shepherd. Consider all of the things which go wrong in the realm of the mind. Confusion. Misperception. Overconcentration. Inability to concentrate. Lack of definition. Fossilization of perception. Add to this list the effect of one's emotions and desires upon intellectual processes, misinformation, misdefinition, indiscipline, skewed logical reasoning - all taken together, the product of this mess is something very much unlike God and very much like a beast in its intrinsic character. It is very much the way Isaiah described it:

Within our consciousness, memory and imagination, this is the nature of the natural thought life when untouched by the Holy Spirit. The phrase »continuing in stubbornness« expresses the basic inability of the mind to change on its own. Whether this be cause or effect I cannot say, but it is certain that its illness and languishing are concurrent with the stubbornness. Stubbornness damages the thought-life, to be sure, but we also choose stubbornness in attempts to establish some sort of sense of security in our thoughts. Thus, a cycle develops wherein we are forever going on frowardly in the stubbornness in our hearts, that stubbornness producing ever more instability, illness and languishing while seeming to be a strength, ever struggling with an unyielding self-will that departs from Yahweh and brings the effects of a curse upon itself...

Jeremiah proclaimed that trusting in man brings on a state of being of cursedness (Jr 17:5-6). He also said that a state of being of blessedness comes with trusting in Yahweh (Jr 17:7-8). He does not, however, describe any "middle ground" or combination of these trusts as even existing. Blessedness and Cursedness are presented as opposites all through the Scripture in every context where they are mentioned together. As in our day, people in Jesus' day trusted their own human perceptions and reasonings above all other things. This generated decay (Ga 6:7-8) in the psyche's state and functioning with the result being that »they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd«.

I want you to understand that Jesus is the Great Shepherd of your psyche, your soul, your mind. The Bible says that he is the same, yesterday, today and forever, and so he is every bit as »moved with compassion« for us »as sheep having no shepherd« as he was for them. On account of that compassion, he begins to teach us many things. In fact he even taught about the relationship of the Shepherd to the Sheep:

This is that relationship through which Jesus works in us to shepherd our souls. David, the Shepherd King of Israel knew Yahweh this way and wrote about it. This Psalm is undoubtedly the best known of any of the Psalms.

Now, every verse of this Psalm can be related to Jesus shepherding the psyche. I want to show you what I mean. In the immediately following text, I have separated each verse out and related other Scriptures which specifically or directly relate to that verse.

One the very basic tasks of a shepherd is to lead the flock to places where the sheep can eat and be filled. It is the wicked who WANT (Pr 13:25), not the righteous. Everyone who is one of Jesus' sheep has responded this very basic requirement through the agency of the Holy Spirit: »But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the WORD OF FAITH, which we preach; that if thou shalt CONFESS with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt BELIEVE in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be SAVED. For WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS; and with the mouth confession is made unto SALVATION« (Ro 10:8-10, KJV). Everyone who has believed unto RIGHTEOUSNESS has been made RIGHTEOUS and can partake or »eat« of the Lamb of God unto the satisfying of the soul, that is, unto the ending of WANT, for the Scripture says: »The RIGHTEOUS eateth to the SATISFYING of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall WANT« (Pr 13:25, KJV). Later on, it says of Yahweh: »...he SATISFIETH the longing soul, and FILLETH the hungry soul with goodness« (Ps 107:9, KJV). Note that it is because »Yahweh is my shepherd« that my soul finds its satisfaction, that is, the cessation of constant wanting. For the sake of clarity, let us remember that Jesus is Yahweh come in the flesh (1Ti 3:16; Jn 1:14) and he identified himself as the Good Shepherd.

In this verse, we see the principle of the sabbatism or rest of God (Hb 3:6-4:11). Note that Yahweh is the one who makes us »lie down« or rest. What I mean by 'rest' is the cessation of our own mental and emotional works, i.e. striving after a thing in our thoughts instead of simply waiting upon God to bring it to pass (Hb 4:10). The phrase »in green pastures« denotes that realm of fruitfulness into which one enters through trusting in the Lord (Jr 17:7-8). Only an »evil heart of unbelief« will prevent us from entering into his rest (Hb 3:12; 4:6). God desires that his people »find rest« for their psyches. During Jeremiah's prophetic ministry in Jerusalem, Yahweh gave this word: »...Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and YE SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. But they said, We will not walk therein« (Jr 6:16, KJV). Finding rest, that is, enjoying peace of mind, required that they discover the »good way and walk therein«. In Jeremiah's day, this referred directly to the performance of the Law of Moses. But the Law of Moses was weak through the flesh (Ro 8:3). However, in the fulness of time, the True Way (Jn 14:6) came and he said: »Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and YE SHALL FIND REST UNTO YOUR SOULS« (Mt 11:29). In both, the requirement was submission unto the Lord. A yoke is a control device controlling steering. Even as the Shepherd turns the sheep into the way they need to go, Jesus turns those who take his yoke upon them. While in Moses the emphasis was on »walking therein«, the emphasis in Christ is upon »learning of him«. As we learn of him and walk in his ways, we find rest for our psyches as we are conformed to his image. Jesus is Lord and he must control the yoke if we are to learn of him in truth. And it is important that we understand the DISPOSITION of the holder of the reins - »meek and lowly in heart«. No one is so humble as Yahweh. And no one has ever humbled himself as much as the Son of God did in his death. Although Ruler of the Universe, he clothed himself with weak human flesh and revealed the humility of God. In Jesus Christ, the »still waters« were made flesh and dwelt among us. The »still waters« speak of peace, and Jesus is our peace (Ep 2:14), and he desires that the peace of God RULE in our hearts (Ph 4:3-9). He is our truest Yokefellow!

Yahweh is the one who restores the psyche through Jesus Christ. Now sin damages the psyche, for which reason David prayed »LORD, be MERCIFUL unto me: HEAL MY SOUL; for I have SINNED against thee« (Ps 41:4, KJV). The presence or performance of sin inflicts injury upon our mental, emotional and perceptual faculties. In Adam, his disobedience unleashed continual delusion until the day he died. No doubt David prayed for the Lord's healing and restoration of his psyche. He understood what John wrote: »If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to CLEANSE us FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS« (1J 1:9, KJV). The writer of Proverbs expressed the preventive alternative: »The HIGHWAY OF THE UPRIGHT is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way PRESERVETH his soul« (Pr 16:17, KJV). Note that »departure from evil« is in fact a »path of righteousness«. Whether we are using the term »path« or the term »highway«, we are speaking of the Way of the Lord.

Thank God he »leadeth« us into his ways. Now note that this leading of the Spirit (Ro 8:14) involves the use of our REASONING faculty: »Come now, and let us REASON together, saith Yahweh: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool... Seek ye Yahweh while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his WAY, and the unrighteous man his THOUGHTS: and let him return unto Yahweh, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, saith Yahweh. For AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE my ways higher than your ways, and MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS« (Is 1:18; 55:6-9, KJV). The Lord must deal with our thought-life. Our biggest problem has always been that we have thought like Adam and not like God. Jesus thought like God, for he was the Son of God. As he put it: »I and my Father are one« (Jn 10:30, KJV). God's intention was that Adam think the same way he did, which is evidenced by the fact that Adam was originally created in God's image (Gn 1:26-27). When Adam sinned, that image was destroyed. Note the pattern: Adam disobeyed (Gn 3:6), fell into fear (Gn 3:8-10), blamed the woman (Gn 3:12), and fell further still into delusion and insanity (Gn 6:5). Unable to think like God any more, Adam had to be driven from the Garden because his consciousness was no longer suited to Paradise - his psyche had conformed itself to that of a mortal beast (Ro 8:5-8) and became completely wedded to his body and his environment, no longer ruled by his spirit. Thus, when David says »he restoreth my soul« and prays »heal my soul«, he is talking about his psyche being restored from decay back into agreement or consistency with the mind of God through the mercy of God.

It is true that we must walk through the valleys of our psyche at times. Jesus desires to trade with us - he will take our spirit of heaviness and give us a garment of praise in exchange for it, as Isaiah puts it:

That »valley of the shadow of death« is likely to be a place of mourning over our failures, sins and disappointments. That Scepter of Righteousness is likewise the Rod of Correction, and that Rod will comfort your psyche, because the Lord's correction produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Since righteousness in the Holy Ghost is one aspect of the Kingdom of God, we can expect correction from him when we are seeking the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Since our thoughts are not his, we can extend that principle to embrace our specific beliefs (for a belief is a kind of a thought) and understand that, for the most part, his beliefs are not our beliefs. We need to believe the same things that Yahweh believes. The Faith of Jesus will not embrace a wrong belief; it can only believe the Truth. Very often, the destructions and desolations we experience are the direct result of believing some kind of a lie or set of lies (2Th 2:10-12). Jesus walks us through the »valley of the shadow of death« sometimes so that we can be delivered from the »strong delusion« we had believed and its effects. Some of the most precious things we can know of the Lord are discovered as he exalts the valleys of our psyche and replaces our delusions with truth. Be encouraged, what we experience in microcosmic form will have a different end in us than it will in the world-system, for we are being delivered from the very thing for which those who have pleasure in unrighteousness will be destroyed. And we need not fear, for God will walk down in the valley with us. »Emmanuel« is one of the many names of Jesus and it means "God with us" (Mt 1:23). Note that the »staff« is likewise an implement of correction, that is, course correction. A shepherd's crook was used to draw or pull the sheep back into the fold or back onto the path the shepherd had chosen. Both the rod and the staff can be used as offensive weapons against enemies. In other words, the very correction of God becomes a weapon of vengeance against the Serpent of Old as we submit to it, trusting the Lord (2C 7:6-16; 1P 5:6-10; Ja 4:6-10).

Keep in mind, I am talking about internal, esoteric workings of the Spirit of God. Jesus has been made unto us WISDOM (1C 1:24-30). In the Body of Christ, we talk sometimes about receiving him into our hearts, especially in speaking of the New Birth. Understanding then, that Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God, consider this: »When WISDOM ENTERETH INTO THINE HEART, and KNOWLEDGE IS PLEASANT UNTO THY SOUL; discretion shall preserve thee: to DELIVER THEE FROM THE WAY OF THE EVIL MAN, from the man that speaketh froward things; who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness...« (Pr 2:10, KJV). When Jesus entereth into thine heart and the Knowledge of God is pleasant unto thy psyche...

In the Gospel according to John, the Holy Spirit is called the »Comforter« (Jn 14:16-26, KJV) and his ministry is to manifest Jesus to our spirits. We hear him speak in our spirits and he dwells in us. His indwelling includes his manifestation in and unto our thought-life. »In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy COMFORTS delight my soul« (Ps 94:19, KJV). How much more could Jesus be »Emmanuel« than to indwell us? Thus we can discern an internal application of the Yahwehs Rod and Staff through the agency of the Spirit of Truth. Esoteric (course) correction and esoteric guidance in the will of God coming forth from the indwelling Christ (Ga 2:20; Co 1:27). Esoteric weapons for dealing with the »shadow of death«. And that is all it is - a shadow. Jesus is the Light of the World and he taught whoever should believe upon him should have Life and that more abundantly. If we are to see the light shine in the darkness, we must enter into these places of darkness in our psyches where the Light can shine and destroy the »shadow of death« through its radiation. (Note that all forms of darkness speak of ignorance.) When the Sun of Righteousness shines, he brings healing in his wings, and that healing releases us into a greater measure of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says: »Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.« David understood that the Lord would set the Table, but he must open the door. During the last supper which Jesus had with the apostles, he broke bread with them and told them that the Bread was his body (Mt 26:26) which was given for them (Lu 22:19). Of himself, Jesus had said: »I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.« (Jn 6:34, KJV). He also said: »Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after RIGHTEOUSNESS: for they shall be filled« (Mt 5:6, KJV). The Table is a spiritual table full of Righteousness. And Yahweh will set his table in the presence of one's enemies. There are many enemies within oneself and without. Though enemies exist, this does not stop the Spirit of God from laying out the table. When we come to Jesus and believe, opening the door, we come into communion with him in the Spirit. And we become filled with Righteousness. Therein is the satisfaction of the Hunger and the Thirst. When we desire Righteousness, the promise of God is that we shall be filled.

The next step in the progression is that the Anointing of God is poured out upon our heads: »Thou anointest my head with oil.« Yahweh is the Anointer. Jesus is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit. Oil is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. David is talking about an anointing poured out upon his Psyche, his Mind. An anointed mind is one which is immersed in the Presence of Yahweh. This, therefore, speaks of the Mind of Christ. You can't produce this yourself. Speaking to Yahweh, David said »thou anointest«. The same Good Shepherd anoints the mind.

The step in this progression is an overflowing of the Spirit of God. »My cup runneth over«. Meet Jesus as the Table he sets and let him anoint your head with Oil and you will find your cup running over as David did. That is the result of being filled with Righteousness. If we love something, we desire it, and hunger and thirst are desires. »But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows« (Hb 1:8-9, KJV). If we love Righteousness... and hate iniquity... there is an anointing from God, an outpouring of his Spirit, which is characterized by GLADNESS! This is where Jesus wants to shepherd our psyches.

Beloved, be led of the Spirit of Christ.

This last verse states the result of our souls being shepherded by Jesus through the Spirit. Many shrink back from the Lordship of Jesus. Others reject his Rulership altogether. The point is that when he is leading, directing, governing, we will find goodness and mercy as long as we live. Following us. In other words, resulting from our psyches, our consciousness, our minds, our thoughts being directed by the Spirit. And this is accompanied by dwelling in Yahweh's house forever. Paul wrote about a house from heaven, a resurrected heavenly body. Jesus called his own body a Temple. The Temple is Yahweh's house. So we then that all of this shepherding by Yahweh is meant to lead into IMMORTALITY!

There is more I could say, but for now, just ponder the Immortality of Jesus Christ.