Shepherd Daily Devotional

After going through terrible experiences in the hands of Babylonians, God said to the people of Judah, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past”. But that wasn’t an easy thing to do. These were people who had been banished from their own country and had lost everything they owned. Yet, God wanted them to forget the past. Why would God ask them to do that? After telling the people to forget the past, God went on to say, “See, I am doing a new thing!”

When God is about to do a new thing in your life, He would expect you to lose your grip on the past. God knew that if the people of Judah didn’t forget their pain, they wouldn’t be able to see the promise. By not forgetting the bitter experiences, they would be unable to experience the joy that God was bringing into their lives. To experience the joy that God is bringing into your life, you have to forget the pain of yesteryears. In life, you can’t move forward and backward at the same time. Forget what happened in your past, make use of the present and wait on God’s promises.

Prayer/Confession: Father, thank you for replacing my pains with Your promises. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 43: 18-19

We don’t have to blame ourselves for every crisis that shows up in our lives. Crises may come into our lives through no fault of ours. For instance, you are not the reason why someone you loved died or why your country is in economic crisis.  There are times that troubles would meet you even while you were minding your own business. If you are currently going through a crisis, sharpen your senses because you are about to learn something new. While crises can be painful, they also have some benefits because 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 God wants you to be. Let that crisis become an opportunity for you to reinvent yourself in a positive way. Perhaps, the current crises in your life is designed to build you up. If David hadn’t experienced calamities, he wouldn’t have been inspired to write some of the Psalms he composed. One time, David cried out to God, “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees” (Psalm 119:71). Like David, learn from the crises in your life.

Prayer/Confession: I will outgrow my current challenges. Help me, Lord. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Isaiah 38:17; Psalm 119:71

Challenges don’t quit.

As you work on your goals, day after day, there will be days you won’t feel like moving on.  Realize that the challenges of life never go on break.  Don’t think there would ever be a time when everything will be perfect. It never will. The world that we live in, is not perfect.

Recall that Jesus was constantly conflicted by challenges, from the time He was born till the day He died. Life itself is a challenge. Each day, confront it with the mind of a warrior.

Never quit!

Written by Ben Dankaka

You are meant to fight your own battles.

The Apostle Paul said to Timothy, his protégé, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Paul used the letter “I” three times in that statement. That means, he wasn’t referring to a group fight. But the personal struggles he had to go through in life. Clearly, Paul wasn’t the kind of Christian who ran away from his problems. Though he experienced a lot of travails, He fought really hard and eventually won every battle that the enemy brought his way. Isn’t it interesting that even though he was highly talented and anointed, life still hit him hard with challenges?

I don’t know what you are currently go through. Whatever it is, realize that your personal battles won’t go away until you fight to a standstill. Keep fighting.

Written by Ben Dankaka

Your mind is in your hands.

There are Christians who wouldn’t mind to ask Jesus to do everything for them. Instead of serving Him, they would rather have Jesus serve them. Each morning, they would expect Jesus to wake them up and then drag them out of bed and tell them what to do.

If that is what is expected of Christ, then why did He say to His disciples, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

If it is His job to do EVERYTHING for us, why did He give us the key? The very act of giving us the key suggests we are all expected to take charge over life’s challenges. You have a powerful mind inside of you. Use it.

Written by Ben Dankaka

A double-minded person cannot win a battle.

Believe it or not, your mind plays an important role in any kind of battle. A double-minded person cannot win a battle.

When Moses gave his farewell address in the book of Deuteronomy, he said, “The officers shall say to the army: Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it” (Deuteronomy 20:5). Why did he say that? Moses knew that if a soldier goes into a battle with thoughts of an unfinished project in his mind, he will be unable to face the enemy at the same time.

To overcome adversity, your mind needs to be focused, even if it seems there’s no hope. And every battle begins in the mind. Your mind actually determines the direction of your mental and physical strength.

Written by Ben Dankaka

Nothing changes until you change your thoughts.

In the parable of the lost son, Jesus shared a story of a man who had two sons. The younger one demanded for his share of inheritance and left home. After he had spent everything on reckless living, an economic recession hit his country. To survive, he had to work in a farm where he was assigned to feed pigs.

This went on until one fateful day when he suddenly realized that while he was starving to death, the servants in his father’s house had food to spare. So, he got up and returned to his father, who restored his position in the family.

In Luke’s account of this story, you would notice that the son didn’t arrive at that decision until “he came to his senses” (Luke 15:11-32 – NIV). This story illustrates the power of the mind. Nothing changes until you change your thoughts.

Written by Ben Dankaka

Change your mind on that matter.

I have heard people say, “I won’t change my mind.” You hear that often whenever a person refuses to forgive. For such people, being tough means, they have to be unchangeable and rigid. So, they never change their minds and attitude towards their offenders. That kind of attitude is ungodly.

In case, you still think God doesn’t change His mind; recall what transpired between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman. The woman begged Jesus to drive a demon out of her daughter. Initially, Jesus didn’t want to do it. But when He saw the woman’s faith, He changed His mind.

The Psalmist says, “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” Because our God is compassionate and merciful, He forgives (Psalm 145:8).

Change your mind on that matter!

Written by Ben Dankaka

Do you act like God?

Does God change His mind? While there are Christians who believe that God changes His mind, there are those who disagree. Remarkably, each of this group backup their claims with Scriptures.

Interestingly, each of these contrasting positions is correct but then, they are often quoted out of context.

Anytime the Bible mentions God’s unchanged mind, it refers to His integrity or nature. God is by nature, unchangeable. Unlike man, God doesn’t mature or grow. Also, because of His integrity, God does not break a promise. It was based on this context that Balaam affirmed God’s unchangeable character. (Exodus 32:1-14; Hebrews 7:21-22)

But when it comes to empathy and forgiveness, God changes His mind (Jonah 3:10).

Do you act like God?

Written by Ben Dankaka