The Shall Not mentality

"The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack." Psalm 23:1 (AMP)

      I've read this scripture many times in my life, and I'm amazed at the very fact that I never really noticed the "shall not" part of it. I'm sure I've read it before but those two words jumped out at me, as I thought about this passage this morning. Why?

     It's simple really, I understood this passage before as God's responsibility more than my own. What I mean is that because God was my Shepherd the burden of provision was more on Him than on me. Then I realized that "shall not" has more to do with MY MINDSET, than His action (Because God operates on faith). David, in one of his hallmark Psalms says in so many words: I SHALL NOT to let my circumstances take away my focus, I SHALL NOT let my mind wander into thinking that I will lack, and because of that I SHALL NOT believe in God for anything less than being my Shepherd.

     His choice to believe in God in His wilderness told me everything I needed to know about His resolve. He didn't focus on being displaced from his home in the middle of the desert, he saw that God was preparing a table for Him (v.5). I realized that it's all about what you see and how you see it that will determine whether you live in lack or in prosperity. Choose to adopt the "SHALL NOT" mentality, and you will be right in the end!