The Shepherd's Voice

Battling Intrusive Thoughts

READ: PSALM 139:1-12; MATTHEW 6:9-13; ROMANS 8:26-39 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%20139%3A1-12%3B%20MATTHEW%206%3A9-13%3B%20ROMANS%208%3A26-39&version=WEB] “What’s wrong with me?” I said to myself as unwelcome thoughts invaded my prayer time. Guilt consumed me. My desire to pray was spoiled by toxic thoughts. This was my special time with God, and I felt like I’d failed. “How can I call myself a Christian? I’ll have to quit praying.” Has this happened to you too? If so, you’re not alone. I discovered there were strategies that helped me, and hopefully they’ll help you too. 1. Remember the world is dysfunctional. Trying to live a holy, God-filled life in a broken world is difficult because humanity is scarred from the effects of original sin (Genesis 3). Thankfully, Jesus knows we’re imperfect, and He wants to walk with us in our brokenness. Dwelling on the ways we think we’ve failed does not help, but bringing them to Jesus will. 2. Acknowledge the struggle and keep praying. One day at church, I felt like the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask someone if they’d ever suffered terrible thoughts while praying. This believer had, in fact, experienced a similar problem! “Pray more” was the helpful advice given. When we pray, we encounter Jesus, which is why our prayers are powerful. That’s why the enemy wants to disrupt us before we begin. When we’re tempted to think, “What’s the use of praying if I keep getting distracted?” we can remember that Jesus knows our hearts. He is with us in our struggle. We can hand it over to Him. This can be as simple as saying, Lord, you know these thoughts aren’t mine. I don’t want them. Help me focus on you (see Romans 6:11-12). 3. Remember that God is loving. He adores us more than we could ever imagine. He understands us and sees our daily struggle. Nothing can separate us from His love, because He came to repair our broken relationship with Himself through dying on the cross and rising from the grave (Romans 8:38-39). Even when our minds are distracted, He knows our desire to spend time with Him. Meditating on these truths by reading Scripture or praying aloud can be helpful ways to concentrate. We can say things like, “Father, you know me, you understand my struggle. You are loving and merciful. Thank you for being with me right now.” • Cindy Lee • Have you struggled with troublesome thoughts while praying? Jesus has so much compassion for you, and He wants to help. Who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to? You can ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to people who’ve experienced what you’re going through. There is freedom in being open with trusted believers who can listen, provide advice, or simply pray with us. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (WEB)

Living in Community

READ: ACTS 2:41-47; 6:1-7; ROMANS 12:1-21; EPHESIANS 5:19 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ACTS%202%3A41-47%3B%206%3A1-7%3B%20ROMANS%2012%3A1-21%3B%20EPHESIANS%205%3A19&version=CSB] The lights flickered off, and a voice wavered over the intercom as rain began pelting the glass dome above my head. “The Atmospheric Observation Center has upgraded the oncoming macro to a category five. Please make your way to a designated safety location.” The Center always rated the storms that raged across the tundra against the likelihood that they would knock out our electrical plant. When that happened, it could take several days for our techs to repair the damage. A category five meant only our most vital, life-sustaining systems would remain activated until the macro passed. All other systems would be shut down, conserving energy just in case. By the faint glow of the floor lights, I made my way from the food plots to the underground amphitheater where members of our pod would gather to wait out the storm. Everyone congregated there—mechanics, food service, medical, daycare workers. It took people of many skills and abilities working together to maintain life on a hostile planet. By the time I arrived, many of my neighbors were already clustered around battery-powered lamps carrying blankets, food packets, and cups of hot chocolate. There was no telling how long the macro might last. It could be a day. It could be a week. People were settling in, preparing for a long haul. “Micah, come join us!” a man called to me. I recognized Manuel, one of our systems technicians. He carried a guitar and gestured to a group gathered around a board game. I waved in acknowledgement and entered the queue forming to check out survival kits. Rather than fearing these storms, we chose to think of them as an opportunity to gather with friends, to encourage each other, to laugh, to share, to sing, and sometimes to cry. As frightening as macros could be, the hardships they brought served to remind us we were all in this thing together—and our God was with us too. • Michelle Isenhoff • What stuck out to you in today’s allegorical story? As Christians, we’re all part of God’s family, and He calls us to live life together and care for each other, reminding one another of Jesus’s love, promises, forgiveness, and presence with us. Can you think of a time you weathered a storm with some of your siblings in Christ? What was that like? How can the example of the early church teach us how to live in community today? Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 (CSB)

The Shepherd's Voice

READ: JOHN 10:10-18, 27-28; 1 PETER 2:24-25 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2010%3A10-18%2C%2027-28%3B%201%20PETER%202%3A24-25&version=CSB] “The sheep are too close to the road!” I said to my husband. We were on our daily walk, which took us past a field where we frequently saw sheep grazing. But today, the green grass near the road enticed them into dangerous territory: the yard between the shepherd’s house and a busy road. We alerted the shepherd, and he confirmed the sheep were in an off-limits area. When he called to them, they immediately turned from the lush grass and followed him to the safe pasture. This scene reminded me of Jesus’s words in John 10: “I am the good shepherd…My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me” (verses 11, 27). What are the blessings of following the Good Shepherd? Jesus gave His life for us when He died on the cross because He loves us (verse 11). Jesus protects us (verses 12-13). Through Jesus, we know God the Father (verses 14-15). Jesus gives us eternal life through His own resurrection from the grave (verses 17-18, 28). As Christians, what is our response to the Good Shepherd’s voice? We know Him (verses 14). We recognize His voice and follow Him (verses 27-28). Many voices demand our attention, so how do we learn to listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice? As we read the Bible and pray, both individually and with fellow Christians, the Holy Spirit allows us to hear Jesus’s voice, shows us how to follow Him, and empowers us to do so. By responding to the Shepherd’s voice, we receive more than just safe pasture. We follow the one who loves us so much that He took our sins to the cross and made us right before God. Our eternal destiny is with Jesus, the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20). • Debbie Ewald • How does it make you feel to think of yourself as a sheep and Jesus as your shepherd? • Like sheep can be enticed by grass growing in dangerous places, sometimes we’re enticed by the allures of sin, believing, as the old saying goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” But the truth is, sin is just one of the ways the enemy seeks to steal, kill, and destroy—while Jesus, the Good Shepherd, wants to give us life in abundance (Psalm 37:3-4; John 10:10). We often forget that God’s ways are best, and that every good gift comes from Him, but He continues to pursue us through His Word, His Spirit, and His people (Luke 15:1-7; James 1:12-18). Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you notice when you’re straying into sin, remind you of Jesus’s goodness, and help you grow in discerning His voice? [Jesus said,] “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 (CSB)

Time and Closeness

READ: PSALM 34:1-8 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2034%3A1-8&version=NIV] I wish I had known sooner that the more time I spend with God, the closer He actually feels. As an adult—and especially over the course of the past few years—I have felt closer to God than I ever did before. I feel Him here with me. I have conversations with Him all throughout my day. I know that He’s there, and I trust Him. I believe all this happened because I started spending more time praying and more time reading my Bible. As soon as I leaned into God, I felt a growing sense of closeness. When I was younger, I believed in Jesus, but I didn’t necessarily feel Him with me in the way that I do now. I wish I had known, on days when I felt lonely or scared, that He was there with me. He was right beside me. He was always inviting me to spend time getting to know Him and just being with Him. God is there for you too. Psalm 145:18 tells us, “The LORD is near to all who call on him.” And James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” I encourage you to spend time with God, reading your Bible and praying, so that you may know Him better and feel closer to Him. Reach out to Him, focus on Him, and let Him be there for you. • Emily Acker • Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Because Jesus died and rose again for us, everyone who has put their trust in Him has been brought near to God (Ephesians 2:13). Yet so often, we as Christians don’t take time to enjoy that nearness. How might God be inviting you to enjoy His nearness today? • For more about what it means to know Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page. Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. James 5:13 (NIV)

Scared to Death

READ: ROMANS 8:38-39; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-57; HEBREWS 2:14-15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROMANS%208%3A38-39%3B%201%20CORINTHIANS%2015%3A50-57%3B%20HEBREWS%202%3A14-15&version=NIV] What cause of death are you most afraid of? For me, it’s definitely getting eaten by a great white shark. (Yeah, and all those episodes of Shark Week have not helped me overcome my greatest fear!) We can think of all kinds of terrifying ways to die, but the truth is many people find death itself equally terrifying. This leads us to an interesting question: should Christians be afraid of death? According to Hebrews 2:14-15, Jesus came to earth for the very purpose of dying. We may be tempted to believe that, because Jesus died on the cross, He must have somehow failed His mission to earth. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus’s death on the cross accomplished two momentous victories! The first victory is the defeat of the devil (Hebrews 2:14). It’s true that the devil still exists and is active today; however, he is completely powerless over believers. There is nothing he can do to force you to obey him in any way. In fact, James 4:7 says, “ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The second victory is deliverance from the “fear of death” (Hebrews 2:15). One of the devil’s greatest weapons is his ability to enslave people to this fear. By dying on the cross, Jesus made this weapon powerless. How is that possible? Through His death, Jesus paid the penalty for sin that each of us owes. And through His resurrection, He overcame the power of death. Once we’ve personally trusted in Jesus as our Savior from sin and death, we no longer need to be afraid of facing God’s wrath when we die (John 3:36; Hebrews 9:27-28). Instead, we can rest in the sure hope of Jesus. He promises that all His people “will live, even though they die,” and they will enjoy the presence of God forever (John 11:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 21:1-5). Because of Jesus’s love, we no longer need to be scared to death of death. • Jonathon Fuller • What are a few reasons someone might be afraid of death? Take a moment to write these down. • Reread today’s Bible passages. Why would the above reasons to be afraid of death no longer apply to someone who belongs to Jesus? • Sometimes, even if we know there’s no reason to fear, we still feel afraid. And God has so much compassion on us! If you’re struggling with fears of death, consider taking some time to talk to Him about it. In addition to talking to God, who is a trusted Christian adult you could talk to? “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (NIV)