Devotion: John 10:9-11 “I am the gate. Whoever comes in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out to pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness. ‘I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep.” Does this sound familiar? Look around you. What do you see? Chaos, greed, hatred, murder, jealousy, aggression….the list goes on and on. Our world has become the devil’s playground. While we may pretend that everything is fine, that we are happy and content, there is always that undercurrent of fear. Our Shepherd came to erase that fear and replace it with peace. It is given freely, no strings attached, no scam, just and offering of goodness, kindness and mercy. If you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, the Holy Spirit became your guide, your protector in an evil world. Isaiah 40:11 tells us that “He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers.” In the confusion and tumult of our lives today, we can rest assured that God Himself will seek us and find us and keep us safe. Ezekiel 34:11:”I, the sovereign LORD, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them.” Living a life of obedience to God is difficult these days. People are murdered for their faith and the world applauds those who took the lives of those innocents. Of course the world is only chasing the next viral video, the next little piece of gossip. They have no compassion, no love or empathy and absolutely no inclination to change their ways. This is exactly what the devil and his followers want. They are ruling the world and enjoying every sinful thing they can think of. We lose hope, because it feels as if God has abandoned us. You need to understand, however, that the Good Shepherd will not allow His sheep to get consumed by the greedy, hateful world. Through the blood of Christ we received salvation and redemption, with His resurrection He showed us that death is not the end and with His ascention to the heavens, He gave us a promise that He will indeed return to fetch His flock. We need not fear, for God is with us. He is always close. 1 John 4:4 says: “But you belong to God, my children, and have defeated the false prophets, because the Spirit that is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.” We can stand firm in faith, knowing that we are not lost anymore, we have a Father that will do anything to protect and guide us. This doesn’t mean that life would be easy, though. The evil one will always try to derail us, to make us question the existence of God. He will tempt us and try to lure us away from the path of Light. But we know that we have been saved and live our lives according to scripture, always guided by the Holy Spirit. We can bear fruit that can draw in those who are struggling in the grip of Satan himself so that they can experience the presence of peace. Our lives here is almost done, for the return of Jesus Christ is imminent. Be ready, friends, wait patiently and live godly lives. I give you a final scripture that’s been on my mind lately. Revelation 7:16-17:”Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them, because the Lamb, who is the centre of the throne, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” If you need prayer or just want to talk, feel free to send me a DM or an email at crossroadsministries.sharon[gmail].com. #John10 #Devotion #Faith #GodourShepherd #GoodnessofGod