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Shepherd Daily Devotional – Be Unstoppable!

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Luke 13:31

As Jesus went about doing His work, He was often confronted by challenges. Many times, He was surrounded my huge crowds, consisting of people who needed different kinds of help. But in addition to the challenge of meeting the needs of the people, Jesus often had to confront His critics. He was mostly criticized by religious leaders who felt He was preaching against their doctrines. Severally, His opponents tried everything they could to stop Him from doing His work. Once, some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” Normally, that statement was enough to put fear into His heart. But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox, I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.” In other words, Jesus made them realize He was unstoppable.

Clearly, Jesus didn’t allow challenges, fear or intimidation to stop Him from fulfilling His goal. Although, He was God in human form, He had to face a lot of challenges before achieving His goal. Interestingly, Jesus didn’t achieve His goal without a battle with Satan. He had to confront and overcome the enemy before fulfilling His purpose. If Satan would have the audacity to attack Jesus, He would do the same thing to anyone. I want you to know that the devil doesn’t care whether you are saved or not. By all means, he would try to stop you from doing what God has called you to do. And no matter who you are or how talented you are, the enemy will come at you with all sorts of tricks aimed at stopping you. To overcome the devil, do what Jesus did. Keep your mind focused on your divine assignment.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, send workers to the harvest field. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 13:31-32

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

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Shepherd Daily Devotional – It’s up to you!

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Matthew 9:38

Oftentimes, our failure to help others isn’t caused by a lack of concern. Generally, we often feel pity for the needy. We are all born with the ability to show empathy to our fellow humans. Although we naturally feel pity for those who are troubled, most times, we do not realize that it is our responsibility to help them. Normally, when we notice those who are in need as we go about our business, we sympathize with them and then move on, hoping their problems will somehow go away. Because we are preoccupied with our problems, we think we are unqualified to help others. So we ignore or abandon those who are troubled, hoping that someone else would help them out. What we fail to realize is that every helper needs help because there’s no one on earth who doesn’t have problems.

On the day that Jesus looked at the crowd and noticed they were “harassed” and “helpless”, the scripture likened the crowd to a flock of “sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus linked the condition of the crowd to the absence of individuals who would not only be sympathetic but would take the initiative and help the people through effective leadership. So He advised His disciples to “ask the Lord of the harvest, to send out workers into his harvest field.” In other words, Jesus urged his disciples to pray to God so He could send out leaders. Therefore, it is largely our responsibility to help those who are troubled. That is, the task of working in the harvest field isn’t God’s job. It’s our responsibility. As long as we do not ask God to use us as workers, we would always have helpless and harassed people around us. Today, ask God to make you a worker of the harvest.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, send workers to the harvest field. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 9:35-37

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

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Shepherd Daily Devotional – What do you see?

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Matthew 9:37

What do you see whenever you move on the streets of your city? Each day as you drive or walk along a busy road, what gets your attention? We may not all be attracted to the same thing. While some are attracted to the buildings and cars, others give their attention to the natural environment. But whatever gets your attention the most; I am convinced that every time you are on a busy street, you habitually notice other people. And as you move past the people, what do you often notice? Do you see those with worried faces or you don’t even notice? At every given time, the streets are made up of people who carry different expressions. Some carry plain or jovial faces; others have serious or worried expressions. What goes through your mind as you notice those worried faces?

One day, Jesus went through towns and villages, teaching and healing diseases. Then He took a good look at the crowd and had compassion on them because they looked harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. At that moment, Jesus felt a strong desire to do more for the people. Although Jesus had pity on the people, He didn’t think of their miserable situation as a problem that was beyond repair. Instead, He saw it as a great opportunity. As Jesus observed the miserable crowd, He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Notice that Jesus called the pitiable situation, “harvest.” In other words, He viewed it as a job opportunity and not as a problem. The problem, in the mind of Jesus, wasn’t the people’s condition but the shortage of manpower. Today, as you notice those who appear to be restless and harassed, think of ways you can help out.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, make me a helper to other people. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 9:35-37

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

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Shepherd Daily Devotional – Working with God

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Matthew 4:19

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Walk with God”. Oftentimes, we use that phrase to describe our relationship with God. Walking with God literally means to take every step as God directs and leads you. So in our attempts to “walk with God” we have to commit ourselves to a daily habit of studying the Bible. To walk with God, you will also have to spend a large amount of your time, praying and meditating until you and God become intimate friends. If you truly walk with God, you will become a godly person. You can’t relate with God and not think and act like Him. The scriptures say, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:24). Possibly, because of his walk with God, Enoch became so upright that he couldn’t live among the wicked men of his time.

But just as it is important to walk with God, it is also important to work with Him. While we can walk with God through a relationship, we can also work with God by functioning through Him. Working with God is a process whereby we operate as employees of His vineyard. This happens when we drop aside our personal endeavors in order to fulfill God’s purposes. You see, God isn’t only interested in walking with you; God is also interested in having you work for Him. God doesn’t just want to have a relationship with you; He wants to help you make better impact through His kingdom culture. When Jesus met Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” These were fishermen who only knew how to catch fish, but when they met Jesus they became world changers. Work with God!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to work with you. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 5:13-16

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

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Shepherd Daily Devotional – Real Leaders

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Luke 21:19

Until you commit yourself to a single cause, you will never become an outstanding leader. Great leaders, all over the world are known for doing one thing. Think of all the leaders that have impacted our world the most – They are single-minded. When people talk about Nelson Mandela, the one thing that goes through their minds is the man’s fight against apartheid even though he was a lawyer. Martin Luther King Jr was a pastor, but he is celebrated as a civil rights activist. So what makes great leaders exceptional isn’t really their profession but what they do with their lives. Whether it is in business, sports or entertainment, it is the same. Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, applied this principle. At one time, He was a carpenter. During that period, He neither preached nor performed miracles. And when He launched His ministry, He quit carpentry and focused on His work of saving the world.

Jesus often emphasized the importance of dedication. One time, He told His disciples that “the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Although, this parable is intended to make us recognize the worth of the kingdom of heaven, it also illustrates the kind of attitude that is required of anyone who wants to achieve anything worthwhile. The “merchant” gave up everything he had for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. In other words, the merchant let go every other endeavor that might stop him from achieving his ultimate goal of making heaven. I don’t know what you need to give up. But if that dream means so much to you, you will have to let go of other things.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the courage to stay focused. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 14:44-46

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.