Category: The Shepherd Publications

THE POWERFUL REMEDY
Bette Nesmith was a secretary at a bank in Dallas when she decided there must be a way to correct typewriter mistakes without erasing the ink. She came up with a formula for a fluid that she could use to paint over mistakes. In a short time, all of the secretaries in her office were using her correction fluid. Betty called her product, “Mistake Out,” and began a business selling it full time. When she sold her business to Gillette Company for $47.5 million, it was making $3.5 million every year on sales that grossed $38 million.

ADMIT AND BE FREE
D. L. Moody visited a prison called “The Tombs” to preach to the inmates. After he had finished speaking, Moody talked with a number of men in their cells. He asked each prisoner this question, “What brought you here?”

KNOWING GOD
It takes more than a casual knowledge of a course to pass an exam as a student. Jesus asked His disciples, “whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Sadly, the responses He got revealed the shallow knowledge they had of Him. They myopically perceived Him from different lens but missed out on His true essence. “And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets (Matt 16:13-19).”

What a mistaken identity! Nothing grieves the heart of Christ more than having people calling upon Him as we have on our campuses today and yet He is a total stranger to them. Some only know Him as the One they can pray to during exams, yes, He is. To some people, He is the healer who has the power to take away all their sicknesses and do miracles.

HANDLING FAILURE
Something I will not take for granted is the opportunity to shepherd youths and guide them through their ups and downs moments. This is because I have been there, and drawing from my own experience, I am better prepared to offer help. Failure is common in life, but how we handle our failures is what makes us to be better prepared to help others.

The Demotion of Sin
The turtle lies completely still on the floor of a lake with its mouth wide open wiggling the end of its tongue so that it looks like a worm moving through the water. It awaits a fish to come and eat the “worm” and then the turtle’s jaws rapidly close up, trapping the fish so that it cannot escape. Just like the snapping turtle’s lure, sin comes in the guise of something desirable, but it always carries destruction with it in the end. It demotes and devalues.

Welcoming The New
In these few years of my walking with God, I will be the first to say that God is a God of new things. No matter how great things He has done, He is able to do again and again what no one has ever seen. He is able to do a new thing today that will be nothing compare to what He has done before. He is also able to do a new thing by bringing hope to a seemingly hopeless situation.

OBEDIENCE THAT COMMANDS OPEN HEAVEN
OBEDIENCE THAT COMMANDS OPEN HEAVEN
“I am in confusion and misery right now. Will my father ever find a place in his heart to forgive me? I said this because I have offended him so greatly that it would take a lot of effort to get his forgiveness. I am twenty-five years old. I took a decision some years ago which I now live to regret. I will live to curse the day I met Ray, the guy who ruined my life. He shattered my dreams and battered my hopes. And now, a source of shame and disgrace to my parents. If only I could turn back the hands of the clock. I would do things differently.” That was the story of Kate.

ORGANISE YOURSELF AND SUCCEED
I watched the interview of a man of God recently who outlined how his typical day goes. He starts his day at 3a.m with personal prayers and study of God’s word. By 5a.m, he gathers his family for devotion, after which he embarks on his daily prayer walk/exercise that lasts for 90 minutes to 2 hours. Then, he takes his bath and leaves for the office. He sets the agenda for the day in-between these activities and writes down what he will do, the people he would see and the meetings for the day.

HE YEARNS FOR YOU
He couldn’t believe the reception he got when he finally returned home. At first, he thought it was someone else, as no one would be excited to see him, but as he got closer, he realized it was his father yelling, “My son! My son! You are finally home!” His father threw his arms around him and kissed him profusely. Apparently, he has been yearning for his son since he left.

DON’T TAKE IT BACK By Mayowa Iredele
Growing up in a village setting gave me a glimpse about some religions. One of the things I noticed from those in traditional religion is that when they drop the kolanut or any object of sacrifice before the gods, that thing belongs to the gods, they can never take it back because it is assumed that the gods have accepted them. People claim to give to the Living God but do exactly opposite today.