“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5–6

‍

In this Sunday’s message, Pastor Amy Perez encourages us to rediscover what it means to live The Guided Life. To follow the Shepherd who leads, restores, and walks with us through every season. Guidance isn’t about formulas or freedom; it’s about fellowship. It’s not control or chaos, it’s communion with the Shepherd who knows the way forward.

Posture

• In Hebrew, the word talmid means learner, student, or apprentice.
• To be a disciple of Jesus is to live as one who follows closely enough to be covered in the dust of His feet.
• Jesus didn’t choose the elite or educated, he went to fishermen, tax collectors, and the overlooked, saying simply, “Follow Me.” (John 10:27)
• Following Jesus is not passive waiting; it’s active surrender.
• Psalm 23 says, “He leads me beside still waters,” and Proverbs 3 reminds us, “Do not rely on your own insight.”‍
• Every disciple is a believer, but not every believer is a disciple.
• We want clarity, comfort, and control but the Shepherd invites us to humility, trust, and proximity.
• Guidance begins with posture: a heart that says, “I don’t know the way, but I know the One who does.”

Practice

• Proximity to the Shepherd forms the soul, to follow Jesus is to build rhythms that keep you near Him.
• The Mishnah described disciples as those who “powder themselves in the dust of their rabbi’s feet”—a poetic way of saying: stay close enough to hear His voice.

We practice the presence of God through prayer, Scripture, and stillness:

• Prayer – not just talking but listening.
• Scripture – where His wisdom reorders our instincts.
• Sabbath and Solitude – where noise gives way to nearness.
• Philippians 4:9 urges us: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me—put it into practice.”
• Discipleship isn’t about attendance, it’s about application.
• When we acknowledge Him in all our ways, even small acts of obedience become opportunities to know Him more deeply.
• Every decision is an invitation to yada, to know God by experience.

Perseverance

• “When you are old, someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” John 21:18
• Jesus told this to Peter after restoring him, reminding us that following the Shepherd means surrendering even when the path is uncomfortable.
• Psalm 23 doesn’t promise avoidance of valleys; it promises His presence within them.
• The valley is where idols die and trust is born.
• “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” Corrie Ten Boom
• It’s the place where God transforms disappointment into dependence, and comparison into contentment.
• Perseverance is not stubbornness, it’s faith that refuses to let go of the Shepherd’s hand when you don’t understand the path.

People

• You’re guided in a flock, not in Isolation
• Psalm 23 is full of personal language: my Shepherd, my soul, my cup, yet no shepherd leads a single sheep.
• God’s guidance is relational. We may seek solitude, but we walk in community.
• The early church modeled this: “Day by day they spent much time together in the temple, breaking bread in their homes, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.” (Acts 2:46–47)
• We discern God’s voice through Scripture, but also through counsel, friendship, worship, and shared faith.
• You’re not meant to navigate guidance alone, the Shepherd leads through the flock.
• When you walk with others who are following Jesus, you’re reminded that the journey isn’t about perfection but proximity.

Discussion Questions

• Where might God be inviting you to posture yourself as a learner again?
• What spiritual practices help you stay close enough to hear the Shepherd’s voice?
• What “valley” in your life right now is testing your perseverance or trust?
• Who are the people God has placed in your life to help guide, sharpen, or encourage you in faith?