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Shepherd Daily Devotional

Overcome Fear

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

KEY VERSE: Psalm 34:4

The crises in our lives hurts. But sometimes, it is the not the crises that hurts us the most but the fear of it. I remember when my mum was ill and I had to take care of her, at a point, my health begun to fail as my blood pressure became so high. My doctor warned me that I was going to have a stroke if I didn’t relax. I discovered that what made me hypertensive overnight wasn’t caused by anything else other than the fear of losing my mother. So, I know exactly what fear can do to anyone in times of crisis.

In times of crises, the devil often uses “fear” as a weapon. To overcome any crisis, you must first of all, eliminate your fears. Unfortunately, fear isn’t something you can eliminate with a drug. To overcome fear, fill your mind with God’s word. In Isaiah 43, God said to His people, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you.” Then He said, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” One remarkable thing about God is that He may not always prevent crisis from hitting us. But whenever we are hit by crisis, He rescues us.

Prayer/Confession:  The Lord is my Redeemer. Therefore, I shall not be afraid. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 43:1-2

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The Things of God – Part 2

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

KEY VERSE: James 1:12

When Jesus began to teach about His suffering and death, His disciples were troubled. Peter in particular, was so disturbed to the extent that he missed the better part of that prophecy. Although Jesus had said He would rise after three days, Peter ignored that part and instead, focused on the suffering and death. Possibly, what Peter had expected to hear was that Jesus would be a king in Israel, establish His earthly kingdom and then appoint his disciples as Governors. In other words, Peter wanted Jesus to enjoy a smooth ride to the top.

Peter acted like most of us usually do. Most people like to think of life as easy and blissful, all the time. So, we expect ourselves and our loved ones to succeed without going through hard times. For that reason, we prefer to surround ourselves with people who would tell us nice things about our future. No doubt, God wants us to enjoy the nice things of life. He also wants us to succeed in whatever we lay our hands to do. But He never promised anyone a life without hurdles. To gain anything worthwhile in life, be prepared to go through some pain.

Prayer/Confession:  Father, strengthen me as I pass through the storms of life. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 8:31-38    

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The Things of God – Part 1

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

KEY VERSE: Hebrews 12:11

When Jesus told His disciples that He would suffer many things and “must be killed and after three days rise again”, they probably wondered why He said that. Here was a leader who had performed miracles. He had been preaching about this great kingdom which they all thought will take them to a new level. Now He was telling them He would suffer many things and be killed. Peter had immediately rejected the prophecy. But Jesus said to him, “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” In other words, Jesus made Peter realize that His imminent suffering and death was part of God’s plan.

Christ’s prophecy about Himself isn’t just about the suffering He had to experience. Most importantly, it also gives us a deep insight into how God operates. It is important for us to realize that God often takes advantage of the troubles that Satan throws our way. For every pain that life brings your way, God turns it into a gain. So, Peter shouldn’t have bothered about Christ’s death. Rather, he should have focused on His resurrection. Today, focus on how your life will be when the storm is over.

Prayer/Confession:  Father, I know you will turn my pain into gain. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 8:31-38    

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Victory Without Injuries

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

KEY VERSE: 2 Chronicles 14:11-12

One day as Jesus entered the synagogue, he was suddenly confronted by a demon possessed man. As soon as the demon inside the man recognized Jesus, it cried out. To shut the demon, Jesus commanded it to come out of the man. As is always the case, the demon complied but in the process of leaving, it drew the man on the floor. Interestingly, even though the evil spirit flung the man, it came out without injuring him. That is, the violent fall didn’t cause any injury on the man’s body. It was a case of victory without injuries.

Life can overwhelm us with tough challenges. While we can overcome certain challenges with our willpower, such victories don’t often come without “bruises”. Instead of using your own intelligence to address certain problems, sometimes, it is wiser to seek Heaven’s help. Imagine what would have happened if the man with the evil spirit had tried to discharge the demon with his willpower. For sure, the demon wouldn’t have surrendered without a vicious fight. But thank God, when Jesus came, the man was delivered without a scratch. To win your battles without injuries, ask God to help you.

Prayer/Confession:  Lord Jesus, my eyes are on you. Fix me. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Luke 4:33-35

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Trouble in His Presence

All scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.

Key Verse: Psalm 43:2

Before Jesus began his ministry, His disciples were mostly skilled workers, hoping to spend their lives pursing their own dreams. Then Jesus showed up and asked them to follow Him. Since they were fascinated by the great Rabbi, they trusted Him. But one day, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go to the other side of the lake”. Without knowing why, they got into a boat. Then a life-threatening storm came. The disciples were frightened and surprised at the same time. Here was a great storm, bad enough to take their lives. But Jesus lay quietly on the boat, sleeping!

Many of us have found ourselves in similar situations. Perhaps at one time, you were doing something you thought was important to you. Then came Jesus. But after following Him, you’ve now found yourself in what seems like a life-threatening storm. Like the disciples, you are now surprised that while you are being confronted by challenges, it seems as if He is sleeping. I’ve learned that God uses crises to build our faith. Recall that when Jesus rebuked the storm, He said to His disciples, “Where is your faith?”

Don’t be frightened by the storms in your life. God is with you.

Prayer/Confession:  Father, my trust is in you. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Mark 4:38-39; Psalm 40

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