Category: Shepherd Daily Devotional

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Putting God first is the key to success in every endeavor.

Just as God ejected the mighty kingdoms and gave their lands to Israel, He also ejected the Israelites from their land after they followed the evil ways of other nations. Know that God isn’t partial. He didn’t eject other nations and gave their lands to Israel because He wanted to please the Israelites. One time, Moses to the Israelites said, “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations….” The word, “wickedness” in the context of that statement implies idolatry.

God is unhappy with anyone who dishonors Him. When you idolize or worship anything or anyone other than God, your relationship with Him is broken. It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you are saved or not, if you don’t put God first in everything you do, God isn’t going to be pleased with you. Even if He has already blessed you in so many ways, God will break up His relationship with you the moment you put anyone above Him. As a leader, recognize that putting God first is the key to success in every endeavor.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I want to serve you forever. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Deuteronomy 9:5-6; Exodus 20:1-5; Mark 12:28

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Never lead with the mentality that the buck ends with you.

The Scriptures say that God struck down great kings and gave their land to his servant, Israel. Why would God take what belongs to a person and give it to another person? The Bible teaches that the reason why God expelled other nations and gave their kingdoms to the Israelites was because of their abominable ways. Because they served idols and defiled their lands through evil practices, God displaced them. As leaders, it is important for us to recognize that God is the “Boss of all bosses.” Never lead with the mentality that the buck ends with you.

You may be in charge of lives and properties; but always bear in mind that you are accountable to God. God is not only in charge of heaven, He is in control of the earth. No matter how powerful you are, try not to do anything that affects God’s authority. Solomon was wise, rich and powerful. But when he forsook God and followed other gods, God tore his kingdom and gave a large chunk to his subordinate, Jeroboam. When Jeroboam also abandoned God, God retrieved the throne from his family. Because God owns everything, every leader must honor Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be my Master. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 136; Leviticus 18:24-25; Psalm 24:1; 1 Kings 14:7-10

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

If you are trying to win your own battles without God, you might end up with scars.

Life can overwhelm us with challenges that may seem impossible to overcome. But while you can overcome certain challenges with will power, some of our problems cannot be solved by human effort. One day Jesus was confronted by a man possessed by a demon. As soon as the evil spirit recognized Jesus, it shrieked. To shut the demon, Jesus commanded it to come out of the man. Interestingly, even though the evil spirit flung the man, it came out without injuring him. In other words, the man was delivered without wounds.

The demons and some of the problems in your life aren’t going to give up because you want them to. They won’t go because you are smart and intelligent. Imagine what would have happened if the man with the evil spirit had tried to discharge the demon by his will power. For sure, the demon wouldn’t have surrendered without a good fight. But thank God, when Jesus came, the man was delivered without a scratch. If you are trying to win your own battles without God, you might end up with scars. But then if you want to win your battles without injuries ask Jesus to help you out.

Prayer: Dear Lord, fight my battles. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 4:33-35       

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

To become a person of influence, serve people with your gift.

Jesus often had crowds following Him wherever He went. One time, He withdrew with his disciples to a lake. Then a large crowd from Galilee and from many other regions followed Him. These people weren’t invited. They decided to follow Jesus “when they heard all he was doing” (Mark 3:8). That is, if they had not heard what He was doing, they wouldn’t have bothered to follow Him. Most likely, Jesus wasn’t followed by crowds until He launched His ministry. Prior to that time, the Bible didn’t give any account of crowds following Jesus. But when He began to preach and perform mighty miracles, the crowds showed up.

If Jesus hadn’t served others with His gifts the people wouldn’t have noticed Him. To become a person of influence, serve people with your gifts. If you want to have a lot of followers, become a person of value. Social media and all other media platforms can give you an opportunity to pull crowds, but if you really want to get people’s attention and possibly gain a lot of followers, become a person of value. People don’t just follow others because they like them. They follow those who are valuable.

Prayer: Dear Lord, teach me how to be a person of value. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 5:38-42; Mark 3:7-8

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

You need knowledge in order to create anything.

One of the principles of success is creativity. Hardly is there any career leader who doesn’t depend on creativity. Creativity is not only required in the arts but in every business. Even if you are into retailing, you will need to be creative. Former richest man in America, Sam Walton, and founder of Wal-Mart Stores used a creative business formula that most retailers ignore. He bought a wide variety of products in bulk across his network of stores so he could pass savings on to his customers. As a result, people flocked to his stores.

Fortunately, everyone is creative. You might not be creative in your current work, but there’s definitely a place where you can be creative. You see, God created the heavens and the earth, and then He created man in His own image. Since God is a Creator, you are also a creator. But you need knowledge in order to create anything. The Bible tells us that God made the heavens and earth by His understanding. In other words, by His knowledge, He created the heavens and the earth. In the same way, for us to be able to create anything, we have to use our knowledge.

Prayer: Lord, teach me your ways.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Psalm 136

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Unseal the hidden message in you.

Jesus said, “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought to the open”. What Christ said is exactly what the senders of the mails do. The senders of mails hide their message inside an envelope and like Jesus said, the hidden message is meant to be disclosed. Whatever they concealed inside the envelope is not intended to remain hidden, but similar to what Jesus said, it is to be brought to the open. Now Jesus was, in fact speaking about the messages He had been depositing in the minds His disciples.

Jesus had wanted His disciples to know it was their job to bring out the messages He had hidden in their hearts. Just as the sender of the message in an envelope expects the receiver to expose the hidden message, Jesus expects us to unravel and make use of the messages He has hidden in our hearts. The message that God has hidden in us is His word as well as our natural gifts. Inside every person; inside every Christian, is a hidden gift that God has deposited for the benefit of others. Unseal the hidden message in you.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift you placed inside of me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 4:2-25

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Realize that not every solution is appropriate.

While evangelizing, Paul and Silas were arrested. However, a miracle happened as they were in prison. The normal thing to do was to rush out of the prison cell, assuming it was God’s will. Instead, they ignored the freedom but, took advantage of the opportunity to gain new converts. In the end, their patience paid off as they were released by the magistrates, the next day. One interesting thing about this story is the way they stayed faithful to their cause in the middle of a crisis.

David found himself in a similar situation when he miraculously got the chance to kill Saul. His associate, Abishai said to him, “Today, God has delivered your enemy into your hands…” But David declined, preferring to spare Saul’s life. By doing so, he forfeited the freedom he would have had at that time. Later, God’s promise to him came to pass as he became a king without having Saul’s blood on his hands. Realize that not every solution is appropriate. An inappropriate solution might come as a counsel that appears to be sensible. The wrong solution might be a test or a temptation capable of getting you off track. Stay on track.

Prayer: Lord, help me keep my eyes on the big picture. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Acts 16:25-36; 1 Samuel 26:1-10

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Always seek God’s guidance.

To select the right thing from a group of choices that equally seem to be good is not as easy as picking a good thing out of a cluster of bad things. For instance, when David got the chance to kill Saul; his associate suggested they should kill Saul. That seemed like a good thing because Saul had been trying to kill David.But David realized that the right thing to do was not to lay a hand on Saul because he was God’s anointed. But there are times when the right thing may not even cross your mind or it may seem like the wrong decision and in the process, you may erroneously think the good thing you are about to do is the only right decision. In such situations, you will need God’s help. When Joseph discovered that the woman he was about to marry was found to be with child, he had in mind, not to disgrace Mary but to quietly divorce her. That seemed like the only right decision. But when he got a revelation, he realized that what he thought was right was actually wrong. Always seek God’s guidance.

Prayer: Dear Lord, guide me as I make decisions.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 4:11-13; 1 Samuel 26:8; Matthew 1:18-20; Genesis 11:1-9

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals.

Over the years, I have learned that achieving goals do not guarantee success. There are times you may set goals and then succeed in realizing them, but just as you are about to celebrate, you may suddenly discover the goals shouldn’t have been set in the first place. The scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” Many people fail in life, not because they didn’t set goals but for the reason that they set the wrong goals. So they spend their entire lives pursuing the wrong. They never realize their mistakes until they get to the end.

To avoid such mistakes, I implore you to always involve God as you set your goals. The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purposes that prevails”. Another verse also says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps”. Indeed, God has given us the right and the ability to make plans, but if we want those plans to be on the right path, we ought to seek God’s guidance because He purposes always prevail.

Prayer: Lord, direct my steps. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Proverbs 14:12; 16:3-25; 19:21; 16:9

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

Written By Benjamin Dankaka

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.