Category: Shepherd Daily Devotional

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Focus on the problem but allow God to deal with the enemy.

There’s a saying that “revenge is a dish best served cold”. This statement implies that revenge is more fulfilling when it’s carried out at an unexpected time. This is true but to take revenge against your enemy is wrong, and the Bible condemns it.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul warns us “not to take revenge”, but “leave room for God’s wrath” (Romans 12:19). That is, we are expected to leave vengeance for God because whoever troubles us is actually fighting God, not us. Therefore, those who take revenge against their enemies are guilty of fighting God’s battles. Allow God to deal with the enemy.

When Herod tried to kill Peter, God stepped in and rescued Peter by Himself because Herod was actually fighting God, not Peter. So Peter acted rightly by not fighting back after he was freed. He moved on. By that act, he left room for God’s wrath. Later, on an unexpected day and time, Herod was struck down with a blow by an angel. And the “mighty” Herod who made himself God’s enemy was eaten by worms. If God has already liberated you, move on and leave room for God’s wrath. God’s retribution is sweeter.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, my battles are yours. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:17-24

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Commit to focusing on what you can change, rather than what has already happened.

As Peter shared his testimonies with the Church, He said, “Tell James and the brothers about this,” and then he left for another place. The scriptures didn’t tell us where he headed to, but we know that Peter moved on. In other words, Peter didn’t remain at the place where he was persecuted. That is, he didn’t even to hold on to his past troubles and successes. Peter didn’t even spend a single night in the city. Obviously, the main thing on Peter’s mind was how to further his work of spreading the gospel of the Kingdom. So he quickly moved out of the city.

One reason why many people fail to overcome the crises in their lives is because they often go through life feeling frustrated and stuck, even after they’ve been liberated. They fail to leave the past behind them and continue to stay angry, bitter, and spiteful after the adversity is long gone. To fully recover from a crisis, you would have to do what Peter did. Move on immediately! You can’t change the past, but you can work toward a better future. So commit to focusing on what you can change, rather than what’s already happened.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, give me the courage to move on. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-17

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

You may not know who’s going to be inspired by the challenges you are going through.

On the night that Peter was rescued by God’s angel, he went to Mary’s house and met the people who had been praying for him. The moment the angel left him, Peter thought of the people that were concerned about his troubles. As their leader, Peter knew that his arrest must have instigated fear in the hearts of the brethren. Obviously, he knew they had been praying for him. Now that he had been miraculously recused, He went to them because he wanted the Church to know that God had answered their prayers.

After Peter described how God brought him out of prison, he then instructed the Church to share his testimony with others (Acts 12:25). Many times we fail to share our testimonies. While we are facing challenges, we often ask others to pray for us. But when God responds, we forget to return to those who prayed for us. Instead of sharing our testimonies with those who stood by us, we make new friends and move on. What we fail to realize is that testimonies are important because they serve as proofs to God’s faithfulness. You may not know who’s going to be inspired by your testimony. Testify!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I will testify of your faithfulness. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-17

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To become a great leader, learn to follow.

On the night that Peter that was rescued by God’s angel, he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and there were other armed men who stood guard at the entrance. In other words, Peter was heavily guarded by armed men. Think of the scenario as what we now call, “maximum security”. Ordinarily, there was no way; Peter could have escaped by his own effort. As at that moment, Peter wasn’t thinking of freedom.  So when the angel suddenly struck Peter on the side and woke him up, Peter was dazed, momentarily. He thought he was seeing a vision.

According to the scriptures, Peter followed the angel out of the prison, even though “he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening.” Until after he had fully regained his freedom, that he realized it was God who engineered his escape. As you hold on to God, you are going to get out of your troubles in the same way that Peter did. Perhaps, you’ve exhausted your strategies. Now that you are feeling drained and sleepy, God will come to your rescue. At that time, act like Peter and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I am willing and ready to follow you. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-11

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

God responds in different ways.

Prayer doesn’t work like a clock. While you can easily predict the hands of a clock, you cannot easily predict how or when a prayer will be answered. You can glance at a clock and know the exact minutes it will take the hands of the clock to reach the next hour. But you can’t say a prayer and then predict the exact way it will be answered. Answers to prayers are unpredictable because God responds in different ways. You might have had incidences where God answered your requests almost immediately after you prayed. But then again, there must have been times, your prayers were delayed.

After Peter was jailed by Herod, the Church prayed earnestly for him. The Bible didn’t mention how long it took God to answer their prayer. But we are told that on the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and rescued him. The deliverance took place at an unexpected time and in an unpredictable way. God’s response was so remarkable that even Peter and the Church couldn’t believe it. I pray that God will suddenly respond to your requests in an unexpected way.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I know you will come through for me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-7

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

Shortly after King Herod had James, the brother of John killed; he proceeded and arrested Peter. Herod had decided to kill Peter because he figured it would make the Jews happy. This became a big problem to the Church. If Peter who was the leader of the disciples was executed, then there was going to be a big crack in the Church. And the Church knew they couldn’t physically confront King Herod who had power and authority. So they decided to do the only thing they could do. While Peter was kept in prison, “the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

Like the disciples, you might be facing a problem that appears to be insurmountable. I know that there are crises that can overwhelm anyone. You might be at the brink of giving up. If you are at a point where you feel so weak, and unable to fight back then do what the disciples did. Hand over the matter to God. Like the disciples, pray earnestly. Get down on your knees and ask God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. If you can’t pray, ask your friends and family to pray for you.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, do for me what no man can do for me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 12:1-5

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

No one goes through a crisis without growing.

We don’t have to always blame ourselves for every crisis that shows up in our lives. For instance, a fire incident or the sudden death of a colleague or business partner can bring about a crisis. You may also find yourself in a financial crisis because of an economic recession. You are not the reason why your country is in recession, but somehow you are affected by it. Therefore, crises are problems that come into our lives unexpectedly. Crises are uninvited troubles. There are times that troubles would meet you even while you were minding your own business.

While crises can be painful, they also have some benefits. Crisis comes to shake up certain things in our lives. No one goes through a crisis without growing. The crisis you are going through will move you from where you’ve been to the place you ought to be. See that crisis as an opportunity to reinvent yourself. The crisis has come to wake you up. Above all, it will bring you closer to God. David said, “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71). Like David, you will be grateful in the end.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, give me the strength to stay strong. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 119

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To empower others, teach them!

One day, Jesus took his disciples to a solitary place so they could break away from the crowd. They boarded a boat and quietly left. But before they got to their destination, the crowd recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and even got to the solitary place ahead of them. When Jesus saw the large crowd, he pitied them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus had compassion on them because He realized they were in need of leaders. In other words, Jesus realized there was a shortage of leadership. How did Jesus tackle the problem?

When Jesus saw that the people were like sheep without a shepherd, “he began teaching them many things” (Mark 6:34). Notice that Jesus didn’t address the leadership problem by sharing money, food items or material things. Jesus didn’t try to solve the problem by blaming anyone. He didn’t ask them to go home and find “leaders”. At that instant, Jesus began to teach them. Of all things, Jesus chose knowledge as a means of empowering the people. Although they needed some fish, Jesus decided to teach the people how to fish. To empower others, teach them!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, teach me how to empower others. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 6:30-34

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

The important thing is not whether you are recognizable or not, but why you are recognizable.

There’s hardly any leader who isn’t easily recognized. The moment you become a leader, whether in your field of endeavor or in an organization, you will be recognizable. It’s all most impossible to be a leader and not be recognizable. But being recognizable doesn’t necessarily mean you are making impact in society. While you can be recognizable for the right reasons, you can also be noticeable for the wrong reasons. So the important thing is not whether you are recognizable or not, but why you are recognizable.

One time, Jesus and His disciples traveled to a place, named, Gennesaret. And the moment the people recognized Jesus, they ran throughout the whole region and carried the sick people on mats so He could heal them of their illnesses (Mark 7:55). Think about that. As soon as the people recognized Jesus, the next thing that crossed their minds was, “The healer is in town, let’s bring together the sick!” Immediately they recognized Jesus they thought of the work for which he was known for. In the same way, the people around you are likely going to think of your antecedents whenever they see or recognize you. Do the right thing!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I want to be recognized for the right reasons. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 7:55-56

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To be influential, become a person of value.

One day, Jesus travelled to the Sea of Tiberias with His disciples. This was shortly after he had preached in many villages. Most likely, they wanted to have a quiet time. But a crowd of five thousand people followed them. Clearly, the crowd wanted to be with Jesus even if it meant to leave behind their homes and businesses. But why would such a crowd of people, leave their villages and follow Jesus to a deserted place. According to the scriptures, the people had followed Jesus “because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick” (John 6:2).

To be influential, become a person of value. Great leaders commit themselves to a cause that brings value to others. The crowds that followed Jesus weren’t really interested in Him but in what He could do; they were attracted to His miracles. Similarly, your influence would be determined by what you can do. What do you carry inside of you? What can you do that will be of great value to others? Your ability to discover your unique gifts, and then offer it to others will determine how relevant you would be to your generation. Focus on your gifts!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, show me how to develop my unique gifts. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: John 6:1-2

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