Shepherd’s Guide (FEB 2011 EDITION)

Hello and welcome to online daily devotion Shepherd’s Guide February 2011 Edition. Once again I am thrilled to share this with you and it is an exciting opportunity to put the spot light on the infallible flawless and dependable word of God in our month of Submission, Resisting and Overcoming. Please stay put in the word, Keep praying until something happens. Be a blessing and remain blessed.

1st-2nd February 2011 BE GRATEFUL THANK HIM ALWAYS

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile and be thankful. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith, drop the fears and emotions.

The Psalmist David said “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD …” Psalm 92:1 and in Psalm 63:5 He said “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Him with joyful lips”

A man was walking by a blind boy. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the boys’ hat. He then took the sign by his side, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by the blind would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. Dearly beloved please read the next day study to continue.

3rd-4th February 2011 YOU CANNOT THANK HIM ENOUGH

When God steps into your trade, profession and circumstances the atmosphere changes, the extraordinary begins to happen because His unstoppable super morphs your natural into supernatural. Remember how He propelled Joseph from his place of bondage in the pit to the ranks of the very best in the business of public administration as Prime Minister in Egypt and how God dethroned Queen Vash’-ti and crowned Esther as queen over a hundred and ninety provinces  in a foreign land despite her immigration status. In Psalm 23:3 David said “He restores my soul; and leads me in the paths of righteousness for His names sake” Wow God is a restorer of hope and life; restorer of dreams and ambitions and restorer of homes and marriages, businesses and finances. And again David said “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou are with me; thy rod and staff they comfort me”

That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

5th-6th February 2011 LEARNING TO SEE THROUGH THE EYES OF FAITH

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”

I wrote: “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind.  Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective? Notice this God sees your own situation differently, facts may be facts, reports may be obvious and correct but by His loving-kindness and grace we are not confounded but delivered Psalm 22:5

Be thankful for what you have… and the breath of life. Nevertheless be creative. Be innovative. Use your skills! When people see limitations in everything around them, tell them who you are-a child of possibilities who sees possibilities in everything moved by passion to produce results. Think differently, see differently and stay positive!  

7th-8th February 2011 I ‘LL STOP MOANING AND GET ON WITH IT

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 15:16

Amazing! What so ever you ask in my name then the Father will give you; that sounds like an open cheque book or a posh credit card with unrestricted limit. Your endorsement is a big deal because it comes from God with a fabulous treat! He said “I chose you and appointed you…” When you are chosen by God it implies you have been predetermined to fit in easily with all existing arrangement. Remember Moses, how he moaned, whined whinged and complained about his suitability because he wanted God to use another person for the assignment. Moses even said “My God, my LORD have you forgotten I have speech problem…and you know fully well there are no speech therapist in this wilderness” His was a spectacular misjudgment of God’s ability. He must have told Moses “….relax I have worked on the sound quality, the bass rich voice and vocals are clear. Moses I am the LORD is there anything too difficult for me?”

9th-10th February 2011 STOP MOANING! PRODUCE RESULTS THEN ASK

God doesn’t consult your past to determine your future. Our past was an era of misinformation, facilitated by murky motions of sin and graced by the lustful desires of the flesh. A graceless era full of disappointment and choruses of disapproval! Thank God we don’t have to deal with that anymore because we have a new beginning opening up to new possibilities. The Bible said “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature….” Your present and the future cannot do without the covenant and dispensation of grace. Moses’ self assessed himself using past indicators but God assessment is now-the present and the future. So it’s important you excuse yourself from the veil of the past; it is not about casting difficult situations in a positive light it is about walking with God and asking Him for the seed.

12th -13th February 2011 HAVE YOU FOUND A BETTER MASTER?

My lips will continuously disperse (distribute, spread, broadcast, disseminate) the awesome and imposing knowledge of the LORD our GOD-declare the length and breadth of God’s infinite mercies and His loving kindness and the revelation of the comprehensive promise of covenant of Grace and totality of salvation. This declaration of God’s reality and grace through Christ is an assignment of faith to the church the body of Christ. True worship must be rooted in the heart and must spring from the heart of believers to the world. Jesus wanted us to advertise, publicise and create publicity for the gospel hence he said “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them to observe all thing I have commanded you…” Matthew 28:19-20. We are referred to as a chosen generation; the engrafted in Christ, a Royal priesthood and a holy nation. This is essentially a priesthood responsibility and nevertheless it should also be looked upon an assignment of faith.

Dear Lord Jesus I am re-surrendering, rededicating and recommitting myself fully to the work of your gospel, the fulfilment of your work to teach and preach the finished work of the cross-good news to all nations of the world. Lord my spirit is open to receive your instructions and heart is inclined to you and remains teachable. Cause me to listen more, to advance and flourish in the full realization of your word. Amen

14th -15th February 2011 HAVE YOU FOUND A BETTER MASTER? (PT 2)

How often do we (God’s very own possession) publicise Christ? How often do we (a holy nation, a chosen people) talk about our salvation? Salvation they say is personal but we must make it desirable hence the need to go public and be ready to make its beauty widely known, that is why we are chosen to declare His works 1 Peter 2:9. What else can you do that will be more important than serving the LORD? Or have you found a better master or god who service is more pleasant and profitable? Joshua understood how important serving the LORD was for which undoubtedly he had good reason. Who would you rather serve? Who would you rather fear?  Joshua made this very decisive statement “…but as for me and my house we will serve the LORD” this was Joshua’s resolution as far as he knew God; he had an outstanding, promising and profitable relationship with God who revealed and expressed Himself to him in Joshua 1:1-18. The obvious message here is we must remember that for God’s promise and the fulfilment to go hand in hand we must truly surrender ourselves to the worship and service of the LORD.  

17th -18 February 2011 I LACK NOTHING THE GRACE CAN’T PROVIDE.

I lack nothing that His grace can’t give. I am unique and one of a kind because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I live not according to the ambitions of man but according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. I have a sound mind because I have received the Spirit of Adoption and I am led by the Spirit of the living God.

Stir up the gift of God which is in YOU! Accentuate positivity, no matter the situation be bold when you step out, get going don’t look back until you reach your destination. Nevertheless go for it!

When the Lord is your strength you become bold as the lion because you are secured in Him.

Stand up and be strong for yourself 2 Timothy 2:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”

19th-21st February 2011 GROWING COLD?

 Don’t allow your salvation to grow cold, be excited as you were when you first found Christ, then people wanted to know what all the excitement was all about, they wanted to know the reasons behind your new found confidence. Remember the three Hebrew Children they didn’t suddenly grow cold because situation changed. No, no, no and no but rather they confronted those persecuting them with un-believable confidence because they knew they were a treasured possessions, they never forgot the fact that they were a chosen people, a royal priesthood hence to them this was an opportunity to glory in the name of the LORD. Daniel 3:18 they said to the King “But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Are you still with me? Rough times, persecutions and difficult times cannot and should not be allowed to stop us from reaching our goal, the Bible said we are a treasured possession hence all things negative or positive work together for our good.

22nd February 2011 IF YOU FALTER UNDER PRESSURE

Proverbs 24: 10 says “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” The New Living Translation puts it this way “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” And another translation of the Bible says  “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!”