Shepherds Guide (February 2012 EDITION 12B)

Wow! It’s February already…Let’s thank the covenant keeping God for keeping us, Lets thank the Merciful God for having mercy on You and I, for making it possible for us to see another month in 2012…..remember Zechariah 4:6 its not by our power nor by our might  …we shall by the grace of God see the end of this year 2012 and beyond. May the LORD keep You, may the LORD preserve You.  And May you continue to abound in the Hope that’s in Christ Jesus Amen.

Once Again Welcome to Shepherd’s Guide February 2012….a calm, short and comprehensive Bible Study Daily Devotional Guide…Short and not too preachy….Shepherd’s Guide your steady reliable companion revealing and possessing the overwhelming Power and Love of Christ.  The purpose again is to strengthen, comfort and support one another through beautifully short and motivational verses and inspirational fragments of the Holy Bible- – Ivan Ukiwah (Founder/Coordinator Christian Drive Network)

 

FEB 1^ST -2^nd 2012    PRAYER FOR CHRISTIANS IN TROUBLED SPOTS AROUND THE WORLD

This week is not just about us, it is a time to rethink and refocus our prayers and plead the cause of our Christian Brothers and Sisters scattered around the world especially in troubled spots in Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Iran and those in distress many other unsettled parts of our world. It is good that we share their burden in prayers, it inevitably undermines our faith and prayer of intercession if we fail in our responsibility to stand alongside those who suffer in the burden of afflictions and persecutions, we must learn to share their burden and persecutions through prayers.

Abraham approached God and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Abraham was abundantly blessed yet he interceded for souls and salvation of others. Let’s pray for the LORD to heal their land and preserve our brethrens in these countries from the cruelty of men. Pray for the LORD to strength them in their afflictions and cause them not to waver but to hold fast the profession of their faith in Christ Jesus. Comfort them that needs comfort, pray for God to wipe away their sorrows and rekindle the hope of the hopeless and stretch forth His hands to them that are down and needs lifting up. Let’s ask God for His peace to reign in these countries.

Pray for the LORD to hear them speedily, to heal the broken hearted in these troubled spots and bind the wounds of them that are afflicted in Jesus name.    

FEB 3^{rd –} 7^th 2012    PRAYER POINTS FOR CHRISTIANS IN TROUBLED SPOTS AROUND THE WORLD

• Pray For Healing In the Land

• Pray For Peace To Reign In These Countries

• Pray For the Lives Of Our Brethren to Be Preserved

• Pray For God To Comfort Them That Needs Comforting

• Pray For God To Strengthen Them In Their Afflictions & Persecutions

• Pray For God To Rekindle The Hope Of The Hopeless

 

 FEB 8^th -11^th 2012    DON’T CAVE IN AND DON’T GIVE UP….HELP IS ON THE WAY

Isaiah 46:9 Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. And in Isaiah 45:5 His limitless strength and infinite permutations of His many promises, rescue, relief and deliverance are unparalleled. 

God is undoubtedly who He says He is. His infinite strength lies in His compassionate, loving-kindness character and great Mercy. Remember because of His great love we are not consumed, His ubiquitous compassion never fails-They are new every morning. He is not out of touch with our problems, neither is He out of reach whenever we need Him. Our God is omnipresent

The Psalmist said “As for me I will call upon GOD and the LORD shall save me.”  When afflictions, trials and temptations, troubles and persecutions comes knocking at the door – we have a deliverer and a refuge in God. Hence the Psalmist said Deliver me O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. He is there to do what is best for us…He rightly told us so in Jeremiah 29:11 “He has plans to give us a hope and a future”  

So it is the mark of God’s compassion and mercy, if He has promised, then He will do it. He is our defence and our rock of refuge Psalm 94:22 (KJV). He can bring you through bizarre and ludicrous situations like He did in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Hopeless and incredulous challenges and situations faced by Paul and Silas in jail house. Remember Peter’s escape from Prison. God is there with you all the way no matter the situation or challenge you are stuck in or that which you think you won’t survive. He can make you comfortable in the most uncomfortable places, and give you peace in the midst of trauma. In the beginning it may not look like God is aware of what we are going through, the meltdown, the persecutions and all the afflictions,  it may not look like our prayers are being answered at all but note this God’s colossal presence is everywhere….Jesus himself said so, he said I will not leave you comfortless. You may have heard incredulous stories of salvation, healing and deliverance. How they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. Note this because the LORD is mindful of us He will not leave us hopeless. The Psalmist said in Psalm 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear; what man can do unto me.

Situation may roar in your face, don’t cave in and don’t give up. Hey, you may think you are in some imponderable situation, the worst possible situation you can imagine definitely not as bad as Job who lost everything! I mean everything! He had nothing left to live for. Valuable assets and properties, his wealth, his Children, Job had nothing left except the advice of his friends who wanted to exploit the loopholes in his afflictions even Job’s wife questioned Job’s integrity. His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 (KJV) Job suffered multiple unimaginable string of afflictions, he was a broken man, I mean broken yet he believed God for a better day he manifestly believed…. weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Hey don’t pack your bags yet, help is on the way, perhaps you are involved in something too controversial or in a long-running battle with your boss, your business partner or your marriage partner or some sort of disappointments. The Psalmist said I cried unto the LORD and He heard me.  

May the LORD our God plead your cause, deliver you and quicken you according to His promise concerning you. God Bless you.  

February 12-14^th 2012      He who kneels before God can Stand before Anyone (1)

The Bible in Daniel 6:11 said ‘When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously’

Did the new decree stop Daniel from praying? Was Daniels moved by the dreaded lion’s den? Was his confidence in God damaged? Did Daniel change his prayer routine to accommodate the request of others to please them?

The Bible said Daniel played a key role in the kingdom; Darius decided it would be good to appoint 120 satraps (or commissioners) to rule throughout the kingdom and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss.

Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps because he possessed an extraordinary spirit, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom

 In actual sense this meticulous Daniel understood why the royal statute was signed into law. Because he was particularly cleverer, likeable and superior in every sense than his peers, his abilities and wisdom was beyond comprehension. They had concluded that Daniels abilities and wisdom was coming from God- the irrevocable fountain of all exceptional supernatural wisdom.

 February 15-16^th 2012   He who kneels before God can Stand before Anyone (2)

Daniel was unperturbed, however, he was keen to resolve whatever it was on his kneels before God with an irrevocable fixation on God and God alone. Hence, his continued preoccupation with prayer without a sprinkle of fear, in Daniel 6:11, this was an attitude that blotted and helped build his personality, his abilities and wisdom. That’s precisely what God expect us to do while we are waiting for His help to come. We have a key part to play in the transformation of our situation or whatever challenge or circumstances we may be facing.

There is no challenge that we cannot defy with prayers, trust and faith in God. Daniel resisted and opposed with exceptional boldness, assurance and grace.  

Sometimes we obey others unquestioningly even when it is obvious what they are asking us to do is against our faith walk. But thank God for Daniel, he was able to distinguish himself as a prayer warrior and a ‘boat-rocker’ regardless of the consequences.   

Daniel mounted a robust defence against the royal statute and the decree forbidden any one to pray or make petition to God. Daniel 6:11 ‘Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God’

Daniel maintained his cool composure and combative prayer lifestyle despite the reality and level of the threat he faced. The essence of prayer is to take our minds off the nightmare of our challenges and surrender all to God. The essence of prayer is to acknowledge the superiority God over our situation. Prayer is essentially a call for God’s supernatural intervention.

Daniel was a man of prayer, this was an attitude he maintained – an intense prayer lifestyle, the more we pray the more we see the hands of God in our challenges. The intensity of Daniels prayer is evident in Daniel 6:10, perhaps another one of his most appealing attributes.

Daniel was a man publicly celebrated because of his relationship with God. Obviously his unbroken prayer routine, his steely determination in spite the new decree and his moral glow and wisdom are all traceable to his faithfulness to God. He who kneels before God can Stand before Anyone. The heart of the King is like a stream of waters in the hands of God, and he turns it wherever he chooses. Proverbs 21:1

February 17th-19th 2012     FRET NOT THYSELF

Fret not thyself…rest in the LORD he is able to make you stand even in conflict seasons of life, not in your own strength but the strength of him who redeemed and enlisted us ambassadors and joint heir with Christ. Wait patiently on Him; commit thy way unto the LORD. And He shall bring it to pass. The Psalmist said ‘Lord all my desire is before Him and my groaning is not hid from thee’ –Psalm 38:9

Make haste O LORD, deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD – Psalm 70:1

What we need is a resilient spirit with a steely determination, the Bible said ‘we may be troubled on every side’, yet not distressed by a cocktail of adversity; perplexed, but not in despair because we walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), persecuted but not forsaken and certainly not abandoned. Cast down but not destroyed re-emerging as a victor not the victim because we have the resilient spirit and Christ like ability to bounce back, a key feature of every believing believer-the new creation. We are completely unabashed because He said ‘they that wait upon the LORD shall not be put to shame’

Fret not thyself, roaring lions and conflict seasons will come, we all have conflict seasons but we will not be forsaken because God will never leave us nor forsake us – Deuteronomy 31:6, And again in Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. God will fight your battle, He did it before, he will do it again….He said remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is none like me…my counsel will stand, and I will do my pleasure. That’s the kind of person God is. You need to understand the background of God’s promises, if you walk within the framework and the mindset of those who are purchased, selected and redeemed by the blood Christ Jesus you will find a lot to admire about what God said about you, what He has done already and what He will do for your sake. His promises are not unobtainable as many may think. Remember – You are a victor, not a victim. No Weapon formed against you will prosper, keep that ablaze!

February 20^th – 22^nd 2012    Without Faith It Is Impossible To Please God

Hope that is seen, is not hope, we live by faith – the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is trusting in the infinite capacity of God to bring our expectation to pass, without a seed of faith it is impossible to have any meaningful and successful transaction with God. The key understanding here is without faith, Hebrews 11:6 says it is impossible to please, satisfy and move God. How exactly, do you expect to receive from someone whom you cannot please? How do you relate to someone you cannot trust? Lack of faith is doubting God and His infinite ability – Noah by faith acted on the warning of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house …(Hebrews 11:7 KJV)

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was more righteous…(Hebrews 11:4 KJV)

Faith is the ‘mega-cash’ in any transaction with God…you can only expect to have good and successful transaction through faith. You can only expect to have good report through transactions paid for by faith.

Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ” (Matthew 17:20)

Our faith is what is needed to incite (induce and provoke) God into action and pull us out of the trajectory of our situation. Dear LORD cause me not to waver in faith, have mercy on me if have in my faith walk. Amen

February 23^rd -26^th 2012        Keep Track Of Time (Redeeming Your Time)

Are you keeping track of time? I’m asking this question with specific reference to personal and spiritual productivity (personal spiritual development, soul winning and discipleship) “Is it still business as usual?” Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom’ (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV). Are you keeping track of your time? How interesting this is, personally speaking this subject is like a journey down memory lane-memory of an event in my past, because it highlights the first time I shared this scripture, that was about 14 years ago in a cell meeting as a cell leader in Believers’ Loveworld Inc (Christ Embassy), really it was an extraordinary tense moment then, I had just started my cell then as a leader, although I felt so uncomfortable then for obvious reasons – it was quite difficult then talking on redeeming the time, having just graduated from the beginners Bible class then thrown into the deep end of things after months of leaders baby-sitting me as a babe in the Lord. I was finally told to go out and fish for myself. Funny how time flies! I am amazed; this was like yesterday to me, I still can’t believe it’s almost 14 years already, now I’m already counting years, now the question is: is it still business as usual? I often wonder if anything has changed in my approach to service since then, I had a burning desire, the unalloyed commitment to see things through especially things of the spirit. Am I still that same person I use to be? Do I still have that zeal and commitment I started with? What about you?  

Even Jesus was conscious of time, for Jesus it was always business as usual, several references in the Bible to time and work; in John 11:9 He asked ‘Are there not twelve hours in day? …’ Another specific reference to work-time correlation is in John 9:4 Jesus said ‘We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work (NLT Bible).

Besides, Jesus said ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT Bible)

He said greater works will you do…. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do-this was Jesus talking to you and I. (John 14:12 NLT) “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

We all have God’s given assignments and to be honest I have to admit time isn’t our best friend; any sensible person knows you can’t turn back the hands of the clock and I ‘m always a bit uncomfortable whenever I look at what has been achieved and what I am yet to accomplish for the sake of the gospel. Paul said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” What about us? Have we got anything to show for the gospel’s sake?  Remember Matthew 28:19 Jesus said ‘Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…’ I know what I am trying to do and it’s pretty clear it involves planting God’s word and letting His love permeate and cover all things in our life. What about you? What are you doing for the gospel? What are your targets for today, this week, this month and this year 2012? What strategies do you have for redeeming your time for the gospels’ sake? Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the place of the dead), where you are going.

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