John 10: 11 – 14 (NKJV) 

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. ¹² But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 

Happy New Year Sisters!

I want to encourage you today based on the Scriptures that Jesus is your Good Shepherd. In Him is all the goodness that you need.

Proverbs 6: 6 - 11

⁶Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, ⁷ Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, ⁸ Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. ⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— ¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

I read this a little while back and said to myself, Folake consider the ant, it has no captain, ruler or overseer over it. It has no one in charge of it, no father, no mother, no uncle, no Pastor, no authority over it, yet it provides all supplies needed for itself. It works to gather all it needs for every season of the year.

Matthew 4: 3 - 11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” ⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” ⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

The Word works. I mean the Word of God really works.

In our scripture reading this week, we see the tempter coming to Jesus to tempt Him. He came at a time where the Lord Jesus was very vulnerable. He came when Jesus had just finish fasting 40 days and 40 nights. A time where he was hungry. He must have been very hungry, very week, very tired, very worn out. So, the tempter was very strategic in His timing. He obviously thought he could get Jesus.